Perpetual Change

Excursions and Antiquity

I went on an excursion with the church youth group this weekend. We went to an old fortress town built on an island in a river gorge. The town was such a good position in the ancient world that the town hosted 7 nationalities, collectively and peacefully, as mentioned by Ptolemy when he visited!

Then we went to one of the most impressive castles I have ever seen. It was also one of the most “castle” looking fortresses that I have seen, complete even with a tower where they kept prisoners. The windows were unbarred but the height was lethal.

Finally we went to a university that is renowned in Ukraine as one of the nicest pieces of architecture. Although the finishes and building tops differ, I was struck by how much it reminded me of Florida State, my alma mater. On the tour, I learned that Florida State was actually started 7 years earlier!

Then yesterday, at the opening ceremonies of my city’s birthday celebration, of which we are celebrating the 915th, I learned that the oil refinery here, which is rumored to be one of the oldest in the world, is in fact 140 years old! That is an age I normally associate with cities, fine establishments, or architectural treasures, not gas stations.

posted by jjs @ 5:32 AM