When I was a school boy, I learnt that Columbus landed in America and it never occurred to me that one day I will myself land in COLUMBUS, the capital of OHIO, most populous and named after Christopher Columbus, the explorer. A replica of the Santa Maria is there on the Scioto Riverfront, to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus. We visited the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium renowned for its collections of gorillas, polar bears,tigers, cheetahs,
kangaroos etc.,
We spent many evenings, strolling with our grandson on the banks of Scioto river. A visit to AMC theater, Bombay gate,city center,City Hall of downtown area is a must for tourists.
HINDU TEMPLE at COLUMBUS is a simple, plain structure of the GODs [Vishnu, Shiv, Ganesh, Lakshmi, Durga, Datta, Hanuman, Ram, Krishna] all in one place..It was intriguing to find Dollars in Hundi.. My grandson was already famaliar with "pradakshana and Gunja" The granduer and the ambiance was missing but "bakti' was abundant.
On the way to DAYTON AF Museum, we visited the HINDU TEMPLE there, a typical South Indian Gopuram, Balaji, Dashavathar idols, etc., Karnatic classical songs of Madurai Mani played there generated a serene atmosphere.
The imposing statue of ICARUS welcomes the visitors to the National Museum of the United States Air Force of Dayton, the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum,with hundreds of aircraft and missiles on display, covering historic trends in aviation.
Original models of early years from Wright Brs.,to Attack Bomber Aircraft Missile and Space Gallery etc., will overwhelm any vistor in terms of information, exhibits, historical insights and the variety of airplanes displayed. It was amazing to watch demo of aviation technology. Even after many hours we felt we could not see everything that was there.
We visited the Hindu Temple at Cincinnati, situated along the Ohio River. Deities at the Cincinnati Hindu Temple include Sri Venkateswara, Lakshmi, Ganesh, Ram Parivar, Radha Krishna, Durga, Balabhadra, Subhadra, Jagannath, Shiva, Lakshmi Narayan, Saraswathi, Mahavir, Hanuman, Srinathji, Karthikeya and Navagrahas
The drive from Columbus to Wheeling, West Virginia through beautiful Ohio forests, hills and valleys, leads to the heavenly kingdom of Prabhupada's Palace of Gold atop the Appalachian foothills. An architectural masterpiece, marble mansion of intricate art work, furniture carved of teakwood, marble floors, stained glass windows, crystal chandeliers and mirrored ceilings, reflecting hues of reds, blues and yellows. The Public Rose garden is replete with countless and most sensational varieties of flowers. Govinda's Vegetarian Indian Cuisine RESTAURANT was relishing. The White Receptionist spoke all major Indian languages and welcomed Indians speaking in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and Telegu. Unforgettable man.
After a long drive down scenic, tree lined streets, we rested in a restaurant displaying vintage cuckoo clock collections of fascinating varieties, clocks of birds and dolls striking bells indicating the time. Never seen so much at one place.
Outside we saw locals of Amish community in their horse driven carriages and cycles on the road and came to know about their lifestyle. It appears they do not usually educate their children past the eighth grade, believing that the basic knowledge offered up to that point is sufficient to prepare one for the Amish lifestyle. Amish men grow beards but not mustaches.
We drove to Wooster city in Wayne County noted as the location of The College of Wooster and passed through the Public Library, office building, residential apartments etc., reviving nostalgic memories. We rested and refreshed in a restaurant, [they keep play things for children to keep them busy, while we eat]. I went through the DAILY RECORD newspaper of Wooster.
Nearer home, we saw an accident between cars and within seconds the police, ambulance and fire engine arrived and took charge of the situation. Quite an amazing response.
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