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Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Hey there1
Well, while Tanya is enjoying another day at sea, before hitting land in Granada, Spain tomorrow, we are celebrating the life and accomplishments of an incredible American - Martin Luther King Jr. I just love our blog post from back in 2017 paying tribute to this amazing individual. So, I'm re-printing my post from this day two years ago below. Since the girls have the day off, we'll be hanging out, relaxing and more than likely running a few errands in preparation for the four day week ahead. Have a great day and we'll be back tomorrow with some Fun Facts about Granada, Spain and a special feature by our Guest Blogger, Selina Chen from Your Chinese Interpreter!! - Travelin' Elisa xoxo
(Originally published on January 16, 2017)
Today we celebrate a great American - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the contributions he made to America and the civil rights movement. Tanya and I decided to divide and conquer on this great American. I'll be sharing facts and information about Dr. King's history and life, while Tanya will bringing things back to the travel perspective, chatting about his birthplace, Atlanta, Georgia, the Martin Luther King National Historic Site in Atlanta and his memorial in Washington, D.C. So, let's get started... 17 Facts About Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 
1. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in January 15, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia.
2. He was a Baptist minister and social activist who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. 3. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs. 4. His name was originally Michael, not Martin. His father was also Michael King, and therefore, originally named Michael King Jr. However, after a trip to Germany in 1931, Michael King Sr. changed his own name in homage to historic German theologian Martin Luther and in turn, changed his two-year old son's name as well. 5. Martin Luther King Jr. was nearly assassinated a decade earlier than his ultimate death by Izola Ware Curry who asked him if he was Martin Luther King Jr., who stabbed him in the chest. Fortunately, the blade just missed his aorta and he survived after a 3-hour surgery to remove it. 6. Dr. King skipped two grades in high school, 9th and 11th, and entered Moorehouse College at the age of 15 in 1944. 7. He received a bachelor’s degree in sociology at the age of 19. 8. Martin Luther King Jr had serious doubts about Christianity and the Bible after graduating college and told his father (who was a Baptist minister, as his grandfather had also been) that he didn’t want to be a minister and instead was considering becoming a doctor or a lawyer. 9. Upon realizing that the Bible had “many profound truths which one cannot escape," he chose to become a minister, entering seminary at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and graduated with his PhD at the age of 25. 10. King received a C in public speaking in his first year at seminary, but went on to be one of the greatest public speakers of all time. 11. Martin Luther King Jr. had straight A’s in seminary and was the valedictorian of his class, and the student body president. 12. King is to date the youngest male to win a Nobel Peace Prize, winning it in 1964 at the age of 35 (at the time he was the youngest overall for the Peace Prize). The youngest ever to win the Peace prize today is Malala Yousafzai who won it in 2014 at the age of 17. 13. He donated all of the $54,123 (about $400,000 today) that he received for his Nobel Peace Prize to the Civil Rights movement. During his acceptance speech, he stated “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.” 14. His mother was also murdered while playing the organ in church in Atlanta in 1974 by a 23 year old man, Marcus Wayne Chenault, who believed “all Christians are my enemies” shot and killed Mrs. King. 15. His “I Have a Dream” speech made him a target with certain people in the general public, as well as with the FBI. This was a memo circulated throughout the FBI offices after the speech: In the light of King’s powerful demagogic speech yesterday he stands heads and shoulders over all other Negro leaders put together when it comes to influencing great masses of Negros. We must mark him now, if we have not done so before, as the most dangerous Negro of the future in this nation from the standpoint of communism, the Negro, and national security. 16. There are only two other people in American history that have a national holiday in their honor, George Washington and Christopher Columbus. As such, Martin Luther King Jr. is the only native born United States citizen to have a national holiday in his honor. 17. Today over 700 streets in the Unites States are named after Martin Luther King Jr., with one such street in almost every major city. This is not even counting the amazing number of buildings, schools, and the like named after him.
TOP 10 quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.
His words were and still are wise and powerful! "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
"There comes a time when silence is betrayal." 
"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?" 
"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." 
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Tanya at Sea
Greetings from the sea!
We are out here having another sea day as we head from the island of Madeira back towards and through the Gibraltar Strait. As I’m sure it’ll be a mellow and relaxing day, I’ll be day dreaming about our time in Madeira. What an absolutely fantastic day we had in Madeira. In a word - wow! But wow just wouldn’t cut it. Wow wow wow! 
I know that I told you yesterday that I loved Tenerife and I honestly really really liked Tenerife, there’s no denying that.
But it is places like Madeira that I truly love! I had a feeling I would and I’m glad I wasn’t disappointed. Madeira is magical. Madeira is marvelous. Madeira is my cup of tea. And I will certainly without a doubt about it be going back. Every step we took, every corner we turned, we were stunned and just how fabulous this place was. Whether it was the natural wonder, the dramatic views, the charm, the culture or the heritage. we loved it all. Yes Dave loved it too. 
We just couldn’t believe that we even had the love within us. I know that I can often be a bit jaded. I don’t say that with any pride whatsoever. I really don’t like that jadedness even one bit.
So when a place can literally sweep me off of my feet. Well I am stunned and thrilled all rolled into one. And that is what Madeira had done for me. We docked at the port in Funchal. The capital of the island. 
The name Funchal was applied by the first settlers that landed on its shores due to the abundance of wild Fennel. From the Portuguese word “funcho” (fennel) and the suffix “-al” to denote a plantation of fennel.
From the breathtaking views at Miradouro do Cabo Girao - soaring 1,900 feet, the highest sea cliff in Europe (2nd highest sea cliff in the world) to the red tiled roofs clustered on a rocky point and the brightly painted fishing boats anchored in the harbor of Camara de Lobos - a traditional fishing village that was used by Sir Winston Churchill to paint it’s lovely surroundings to strolling through Santa Catarina park and the narrow streets of Zona Velha. It was all done in awe of this new “find”.
We had known that we wanted to take the cable car from Funchal up to the Monte, so after strolling around for a while, that is exactly what we did and the views down to the city and of the Funchal Bay were incredible!
After a brief visit to Monte we hopped aboard the cable car once again and headed back down into town. At this point Dave still needed to write and mail his postcard so we opted for a park bench along the tree lined Avenida Arriaga, so that he could do so.
Opting to take the boardwalk back to the ship and to check out the harbor on the way we discussed and chatted about all the things we need to do upon our next time in Madeira. This was a most successful visit and the first of perhaps many a visits to come! As the ship pulled out from the port there was a magnificent and huge vibrant full rainbow over the island, as if to wish us well and invite us to return. 
Being that I have limited access on board the ship, I will have to update this page with picture uploads. And just so you know - all the pictures that have been uploaded thus far have been iPhone photos, my “real” pictures take quite a bit longer to upload and I will have my work cut out for me upon my return to share pictures with you from this trip and I haven’t forgot that I still need to share my China experience with you as well.
See you guys back here tomorrow, -Travel’ Tanya |
