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Wednesday 16 December 2009

Panthéon with a Pendulum

Although with the same name, the Panthéon in Paris looks very much different from the Pantheon in Rome.




However, the podium does look the same as the one in Rome with soaring Roman Corinthian columns. From what I have found out, it was actually modelled after the Pantheon in Rome.




The inside of the Pantheon in Paris is grander. It was built as a church but was turned into a mausoleum upon completion. That explains the very church-like interior of a mausoleum.




The main dome is supported by for arches serving as gateways to the galleries.




A 67-m wire hangs from the middle of the dome with a 28-kg bob at the bottom end. This is the prominent Foucault's pendulum installed by the French physicist Léon Foucault in his experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. This pendulum has been oscillating since 1851.




On the gallery walls, some huge paintings depicting the bible stories and French history are displayed.






The Panthéon now serves a burial ground for the prominent figures of France. Among others are Victor Hugo, the author of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"; Joseph-Louis Lagrange, an Italian-born mathematician and astronomer who made great contribution in calculus; and the only lady who won the Nobel Prize for two times, Marie Curie.






Monday 14 December 2009

CK is Going Places Again

I will be leaving Kuching again for my trip to Shanghai. My flight to Kuala Lumpur is at 1740 today and then I will be transferring to the flight to Shanghai at KLIA scheduled at 0140 tomorrow. Now I have to think of what to do at KLIA for the long flight-transfer hours.

This is my third time to China and my main base will be Shanghai. I will detour from there to visit Suzhou and the surrounding water towns. I will also most probably be visiting Hangzhou and stay a couple of days there.

Please stay tuned for my blog updates on these places in China! I will be back in two weeks' time. Till then, have a great time ahead.

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