My wife, Eleanor , and I took the train from Paris to Strasbourg, where we were met by our driver and guide. And the minibus which goes along with the boat. We stopped off in Barn for an hour on the way. Then we were taken to Nancy where the boat was kept.

After the other passengers arrived, we had our first dinner on the boat. After dinner we walked into downtown Nancy, a village with a large square and wooden houses.

We spent about two hours in Nancy, then sailed on the Canal de la Marne au Rhine. Kind of a lazy day. Eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, after dinner we watched a tape on Baccarat. Where we will visit tomorrow.

It was pleasant to sit out on deck (甲板) and watch the scenery go by at about 3 mph.

This mourning we drove over to Baccarat and toured its museum and the church, which has this unbelievable lamp that is going on a world tour the next day. We did lost of shopping , then walked across the bridge to see a very , very modern Catholic church with special Baccarat windows.

We drove to the top of the Voges Mountains and started down the eastern side Later we drove to Sorrenbourg to see the 13th century church at the Cordeliers. It contains the largest window by Mar.

Today we sailed from Schneckenbush to Saverne. We went though two caves, an extremely unusual part of the journey. This river scenery is very different. We were in a mountain valley with grassland on one side and a forest beginning to show some color on the other.

Our dependable minibus was waiting to load the luggage and take us to the hotel where everyone went their separate ways. Our boating days are over until next time.

【推荐3】From interactive games to unique ways to explore the past, Ontario museums are filled with family-friendly programs and activities that make learning fun.

Ontario Science Centre

At Ontario Science Centre, there’s no room for boredom with the exciting and endless interactive activities and programs. Special exhibits and entertaining live performances continue to amaze minds full of curiosity. The Family Innovative Centre challenges families to be more creative in their problem solving.

Muskoka Heritage Place

Spend a day at Muskoka Museum, Muskoka Pioneer Village, Rotary Village Station and Portage Flyer Train. Discover the history of Huntsville and the native people at the museum. Next, take a 3-minute train ride along the Muskoka River to Fairy Lake Station aboard the vintage Portage Flyer Train. Tour guides at the Pioneer Village help recreate the way of life in the area over 100 years ago.

Simcoe County Museum

Simcoe County Museum is the perfect combination between exciting family-friendly exhibits and a true learning experience. It is filled with all kinds of tools to sharpen young minds. Check the daily programming schedule for available activities.

Toronto Railway Museum

Take your family to a full day exploring the Toronto Railway Museum, located minutes from the CN Tower in Toronto’s historic Roundhouse Park. Beyond learning about the history of Canadian railroads, you can also take an exciting ride on the mini train with your little ones. Be sure to visit the gift shop, which is filled with fun train-themed toys, so your family can remember your day at the roundhouse.

【推荐1】A new library in Tianjin—Tianjin Binhai Public Library—recently became an online hit. The Daily Mail described it as the “world’s ultimate (终极的) library”, while the word “breathtaking” was the choice of Newsweek magazine. One look at the library and you’ll see why. With its futuristic (未来主义) design and walls loaded with books, it’s the dream library of every book lover.

But as the surprise continues, there’s a burning question lying in the back of our minds: When physical bookstores are closing down one by one, what makes libraries safe from the wave of digitalization (数码化)? And do we really still need libraries now that we’ve got the Internet in our hands?

Reporter Ian Clark has the answer. “Libraries are not declining in importance—people are simply changing the way they use them,” he wrote on the Guardian website.

What Clark means is that libraries have shifted from simply being storehouses of books to a medium to help “bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots” according to website Libraries Are Essential. Since not everyone can afford a smartphone, a tablet or an Internet connection, and not everyone has the know-how to search the Internet correctly and efficiently, it’s public libraries that make sure that these resources and technologies are available to a larger group of people.

“Nobody is trying to sell you anything in the library. There is no pressure to buy and there is no judgment of your choices/’ Anne Goulding, a professor at Victoria University in New Zealand, wrote on the Newsroom website. “There are few other spaces that you can just ‘be’ without somebody questioning your presence or your motivation.”

【推荐2】The COVID-19 pandemic has spread far and wide. Because of this, countries around the world have implemented containment measures(实施遏制措施)to help stop the virus in its tracks. As more and more people stay inside to stay safe, the outside world seems to have become much quieter. In fact, scientists have seen this change in their research, too.

Seismologists–scientists who study earthquakes–have heard less seismic(地震的)noise recently. Seismic noise is made from vibrations(震动)in the ground that are caused by things like ocean waves and human activity, such as construction work and traffic. This noise makes it difficult for scientists to pick up seismic activity that is made at the same frequency.

Thomas Lecocq,a scientist at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, located in Brussels, was the first to notice this phenomenon.

According to Lecocq, the amount of seismic noise in Brussels has been reduced by about 30 to 50 percent since mid-March. Interestingly enough, this is around the same time Belgium started its containment measures.

Because of this reduction in background noise, scientists like Lecocq have been able to pick up on smaller earthquakes that some seismic stations–like the one in Brussels–wouldn’t have been able to before.

This phenomenon isn’t unique to Brussels, though. Once Lecocq shared his findings online, seismologists from all over the world echoed similar findings.

Celeste Labedz, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, mentioned in a tweet that Los Angeles also experienced less background noise.

Researchers from the UK, France and New Zealand also noted a decrease in background noise since containment measures were put in place.

These global efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus have helped to shed light on seismic activity that may have gone unnoticed. It also shows that people are listening to health officials and following lockdown guidelines.

“From the seismological point of view, we can motivate people to say,‘ You feel like you’re alone at home, but we can tell you that everyone is home.…Everyone is respecting the rules.’Lecocq told CNN.

【推荐3】Shows that are all about movies.

“Filmspotting”

“Film spotting” has been producing weekly programs of insightful film analysis since 2005. Episodes typically begin with an in-depth discussion of one major new theatrical release. A reliable highlights is a Massacre Theater, in which the hosts gamely re-enact(重演) a scene and invite listeners to guess which movie it is from.

“How did these get made?”

The actors Paul Scheer , June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas host this discussion that doesn’t aim to pile hate on bad films so much as make detailed fun of them but try to figure out how they came to be. The hosts are so attractive that the commentary doesn’t come off as negative; even when they discuss true duds, their real love of movies shines through.

“The Rewatchables “

“The Rewatchables “ taps into the universal joy of revisiting a favorite movie-and the less universal joy of doing it with a bunch of deeply knowledgeable friends. Each episode finds Bill Simmons, host of the show, and a cast of guests examining a movie that may not be an obvious classic, but is a culturally significant film that you have likely seen at least once.

“Scripetnotes”

Billed as a show about “ screenwriting and things that are interesting to screen writers”,   “Scripetnotes” offers specific advice on screenwriting. The show’s regular Three Page Challenge, in which the two hosts, Craig Mazin and John August, comment on the sample of an audience- submitted screenplay, is invaluable whether you are an ambitious screenwriter or a curious film fan.