take a tour with joanna lumley

Isn't that Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous? Yes, it is. Joannna Lumley has calmed down her signature beehive and put aside the endless glasses of bubbly and taken on the role of travel guide for two very watchable documentaries from Athena, Joanna Lumley's Nile and Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey. Both two-disc DVD sets feature four episodes and Lumley's delightful observations on the local sights and history. In Joanna Lumley's Nile the host lays out her plan of attack, to travel the entire length of the north-flowing Nile, considered the longest river in the world, with a length of 4,132 miles (6,650 km). Like most travelers, she intends to take the trip "backwards," starting in Egypt, where the river's mouth spills into the Mediterranean, and ending at its source, at the Rwanda-Tanzania border.
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When Lumley finally reaches the source of the Nile she is visibly moved, and viewers may regret that their journey and hers has come to an end. But not to worry, Lumley is on the move again, in Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey. This trip seems a bit more personal, as Lumley has traveled to Greece many times before, since her first visit at the age of 20, and has a real love and rapport with the country. Once again she tours some of the most-visited and familiar sites, like the Acropolis in Athens, the Oracle at Delphi, the almost inaccessible monasteries of Meteora, and even climbs a bit of Mount Olympus, but there are always surprises in store. Some of the more offbeat destinations include the fabled the Gates of Hades, the site of a former leper colony, and a remote village where the remaining inhabitant speak in their own strange language of whistles.

Joanna Lumley, with friend

At the Parthenon

You can read my complete review on Cinema Sentries.

Stonehenge!

Why do we find it so hard to believe that "ancient" people were able to build massive monuments, perform surgeries, etc., etc.? Do we really think that mankind has evolved so much, that we are so much smarter?

We eat better, live a little cleaner - maybe. But is the accuracy, invention, and innovation that is required to come up with computer chips and Velcro really all that different from what was accomplished by the folks who were able to precision-align Stonehenge or Abu Simbel?

I'd like to get back to Stonehenge. It's been the subject of a lot of new attention lately, as it appears to be even older than anyone originally thought. Evidence of settlements, and possible uses of the site are constantly being explored. Which again argues for the smarts of people, no matter what the century. But no one can come up with a definitive answer for how or why it was created. Sort of like the pyramids.

People like mysteries. As for the how of Stonehenge, probably the easy answer is that a lot of strong folks spent a lot of time pulling and pushing huge stones. But I guess that isn't a sexy enough answer. As for the why? You might as well ask why any human being does anything. Build cathedrals, pyramids, the Empire State Building - just reaching for the stars, baby.

p.s. Turn your volume up to 11 and enjoy the genius of Spinal Tap, Nigel Tufnel's eyeliner, and "Stonehenge"...