I melted when I read this letter posted on Brain Pickings that was written to Einstein by a young girl…

In a letter dated September 19, 1946, a young girl from South Africa named Tyfanny writes:  “I forgot to tell you, in my last letter, that I was a girl. I mean I am a girl. I have always regretted this a great deal, but by now I have become more or less resigned to the fact. Anyway, I hate dresses and dances and all the kind of rot girls usually like. I much prefer horses and riding. Long ago, before I wanted to become a scientist, I wanted to be a jockey and ride horses in races. But that was ages ago, now. I hope you will not think any the less of me for being a girl!”

Einstein replies: “I do not mind that you are a girl, but the main thing is that you yourself do not mind. There is no reason for it.”

Excerpts from the book Dear Professor Einstein: Albert Einstein’s Letters to and from Children

Photo of Einstein with his wife Elsa via Wiki, Source: Brain Pickings

Wow, these are two adventurous girls that took one hell of a moto road trip.

Theresa Wallach and Florence Blenkiron were such studs.  In 1934, they rode all the way from London to Cape Town, South Africa on a motorcycle!  With only a sidecar and a trailer in tow, they tore through the Sahara desert, stayed in African villages, and faced all kinds of crazy weather and wild animals.  At one point they had to push their rig for 25 miles after a total engine failure.  Oh yeah, AND they didn’t even bring a compass.  What d’you think, could you ever ditch your GPS??

They were competitive motorcycle racers and Wallach’s parents made her hide her trophies since a woman motorcyclist was looked down upon back then in England (umm… so ridiculous).

Such an Indiana Jones vibe going on here, loveeee!  More details about their story on one of my favorite blogs, the Selvedge Yard.

Female Samurai Tamoe Gozen by Fujiwara – paintingsilove.com

Empress Jingu in Korea

Left-Nakano Takeko, Right-Yamakawa Futaba

Onna Bugeisha (onna – woman, bugeisha – samurai)

My dreams have come true.  Female samurai.  I didn’t know they existed.  They weren’t as prevalent as their male counterparts, but they fought right alongside them winning wars and even leading their own clans.  So dope.

Of the upper class, Onna Bugeisha were trained to protect their family, honor, and home.  They could slice you into pieces with their signature weapon, the naginata.  With a curved blade at the end of a long wooden pole, it was the perfect weapon for women since it kept them at a good distance from their beefy male foes that had the advantage of strength.

The ancient discipline using the naginata teaches all types of great self improvement skills like patience, self-confidence, and etiquette.  I found a “dojo” (practice hall) here in LA that practices the art form.  It’s taught by a woman that has been practicing for over 40 years and even studied under a master in Japan.  Sign me up!

Notable Onna Bugeisha:

Tamoe Gozen – lead many men into battle with her impressive sword and archery skills.  Or maybe she just killed them softly with her signature long luscious locks and beauty (see photo 1).

Nakano Takeko – took a bullet straight to the chest while leading a charge against the Imperial Japanese Army.  Refusing to let the enemy take her head as a trophy, she asked her sister to cut it off and had it buried near a temple.  No words…

Empress Jingu – led and won a 3 year long invasion of Korea and was the first woman to be printed on a Japanese banknote.

Yamakawa Futaba – fought in the Boshin War and later went on to improve education for girls in Japan.

As female warriors, they certainly destroy all those little pink fluffy female stereotypes of weakness… and they’ll destroy you too.

Sources: oldphotosofjapan.com, wikipedia, koryu.com, naginata.culturalnews.net

The Map Room at the NY Public Library (Photo: Peter Aaron/Esto)

Codrington Library, Oxford England -curiousexpeditions.com

Strahov Monastery Library, Prague – pixdaus.com

Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge -wiki commons

Austrian National Library (Wien Prunksaal Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek), Vienna, Austria – wiki commons

Lawrence of Arabia Screenshots

I’m collecting maps for my future map room.  Charting, graphing, plotting… whenever I plan a trip or adventure, I spend countless hours absorbed in my research.  How far is Lima from Cuzco?  Should we do the glacier or jungle trek?  I dream of sitting at an oversized table loaded with huge unraveled maps in a big open space.  After finalizing the details for our Peruvian adventure I have a pile of notes that are in desperate need of a real home.  My bookshelf just seems to grow exponentially with travel related reads.  Good excuse for a map room, right??

If I had my own, I’d fill it with globes, books, compasses, and at least one big authentic worn in leather chair.  I can just smell the old books and hear the echos in these gorgeous old libraries.  I’m taking design notes…