Find the Building: Solve the Clues & Show the Map!

[Jonathan Scott]

Pancho Villa is not relevant. The state is correct, now look for a town.

Sorry, I'm stuck; I can't find enough information in the clue to progress any further. More clues?

 

[Pepper Mint]

Is it where your life begins ?

 

[tionis]

Sorry, I'm stuck; I can't find enough information in the clue to progress any further. More clues?

Though I wandered high and mighty
And I'm older than the earth
In this humble little town
my remains were brought to rest

Is it where your life begins ?

Actually, it is where my life ended. See above.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Though I wandered high and mighty
And I'm older than the earth
In this humble little town
my remains were brought to rest

OK, that made it easy, thanks, especially in conjunction with the first clue. Busy right now so I'll let others have a go, but might answer later.

 

[tionis]

OK, that made it easy, thanks, especially in conjunction with the first clue. Busy right now so I'll let others have a go, but might answer later.

Take your time. The obvious choice may not be correct anyways.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

I think I've spotted where it all ended ...

 

[tionis]

I think I've spotted where it all ended ...

Do tell.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Do tell.

Didn't I just do that?

 

[tionis]

Didn't I just do that?

Where?

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Where?

I think I've spotted where it all ended ...

Or is that wrong?

 

[tionis]

Or is that wrong?

lol Very clever! You are indeed correct, Sir.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

lol Very clever! You are indeed correct, Sir.

But now you've tricked me into giving away the actual answer, so I'll have to find time to think of something!
(The reference is of course to the Allende meteorite which broke up in the area of the small town of Allende, Chihuahua state, Mexico).

 

[tionis]

But now you've tricked me into giving away the actual answer, so I'll have to find time to think of something!
(The reference is of course to the Allende meteorite which broke up in the area of the small town of Allende, Chihuahua state, Mexico).

lol Well played.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Home is where your horses are stabled; without that, some topical prizes might never have happened. Where is that home?

 

[tionis]

Home is where your horses are stabled; without that, some topical prizes might never have happened. Where is that home?

The UK!

 

[Jonathan Scott]

The UK!

Sorry, not in this case!

 

[tionis]

Sorry, not in this case!

Kentucky!

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Kentucky!

No, and I'll clarify that the prizes do not relate in any way to the horses!

 

[collinsmark]

Home is where your horses are stabled; without that, some topical prizes might never have happened. Where is that home?

Do you need to be a laureate to figure out this riddle?

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Do you need to be a laureate to figure out this riddle?

You're on the right track.

 

[tionis]

Stockholm!

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Stockholm!

No, but a lot closer now.

 

[tionis]

I'm drawing a blank, Scott. A clue might be in order.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

It shouldn't be difficult; it's fairly obvious who I'm referring to, and his legal home wasn't in Stockholm.

 

[collinsmark]

Could it be Alfred Nobel's house in Paris, France?

It did have stables for his "fine Russian horses." (reference: https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/biographical/articles/malakoff/)

The hint to the "topical prizes," would of course be a reference to the Nobel Prize.

Obligatory map link: https://www.google.com/maps/place/7...6d9e12f71e392f9d!8m2!3d48.8685935!4d2.2859566
https://www.google.com/maps/place/7...6d9e12f71e392f9d!8m2!3d48.8685935!4d2.2859566

Commentary:

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Could it be Alfred Nobel's house in Paris, France?

Assuming my information is correct, you're not quite there yet. If that had been his legal home when he died, the prizes might never have happened.

 

[tionis]

Villa Nobel Sanremo Italy!

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Villa Nobel Sanremo Italy!

No, that's where he was living when he died, but not where his legal home was for purposes of his famous will.

 

[collinsmark]

Hmm. Here's a link to his will:

https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/will/will-full.html

which contains this passage,

At the present time, my property consists in part of real estate in Paris and San Remo, and in part of securities deposited as follows: with The Union Bank of Scotland Ltd in Glasgow and London, Le Crédit Lyonnais, Comptoir National d'Escompte, and with Alphen Messin & Co. in Paris; with the stockbroker M.V. Peter of Banque Transatlantique, also in Paris; with Direction der Disconto Gesellschaft and Joseph Goldschmidt & Cie, Berlin; with the Russian Central Bank, and with Mr Emanuel Nobel in Petersburg; with Skandinaviska Kredit Aktiebolaget in Gothenburg and Stockholm, and in my strong-box at 59, Avenue Malakoff, Paris; further to this are accounts receivable, patents, patent fees or so-called royalties etc. in connection with which my Executors will find full information in my papers and books.
​

So if it's not Paris or San Remo, then I'm left scratching my head.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

The point of the puzzle is that his "legal home" for purposes of his will was neither of his actual homes, and if it had been then it is unlikely that his will would have been carried out. It shouldn't take much Googling to find out more about that.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Perhaps I should clarify that this was his "legal home" as established after his death as part of the process of execution of his somewhat controversial will.

 

[collinsmark]

Then I suppose It must have been somewhere around here:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Alfred+Nobels+Björkborn/@59.3402852,14.5324212,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x465c8a429ea0cb19:0xe6a1836f74eeea2f!8m2!3d59.3402852!4d14.5346099

[From this source: http://nobelmuseetikarlskoga.se/index.php/alfrednobelenglish]

It was now that Karlskoga and Björkborn Manor were to play an important role in Nobel’s Will. Much importance was placed upon the question of where Alfred Nobel had legally had his home. At the time of his death, he still owned his grand apartment in Paris plus a huge house in San Remo, Italy. Which property could actually be called his home? In the end, the courts decided that his legal home was in Karlskoga.​

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Yes, that's exactly the answer I was looking for!

From the same source, where I've highlighted the bit that relates to my original clue about where the horses are stabled:

It was now that Karlskoga and Björkborn Manor were to play an important role in Nobel’s Will. Much importance was placed upon the question of where Alfred Nobel had legally had his home. At the time of his death, he still owned his grand apartment in Paris plus a huge house in San Remo, Italy. Which property could actually be called his home? In the end, the courts decided that his legal home was in Karlskoga. Traditionally, it is said that this ruling was based upon the fact that Alfred’s three much-loved Russian Orlov horses were stabled in Karlskoga. In French law, a person’s home was where his or her horses were stabled. As a direct result of this ruling in the French courts, the execution of Alfred’s Will became subject to Swedish law. Had Alfred’s Will been subject to French law it is doubtful it would have met the strict, formal requirements necessary for it to be executed under France’s legal system.​

I lived in Sweden in the 1980s and visited Karlskoga briefly (although I didn't visit Björkborn) and was very aware of Bofors and of Alfred Nobel while I was there, which is why I thought of this curious fact.

Over to you now.

​

 

[collinsmark]

The new challenge comes in the form of poem:

Bars, bars everywhere but none but none that serve a drink.
Water, water everywhere surrounds the island clink.
This was a place of residence, oh what a motley group.
It was in nineteen sixty two that someone flew the coop.
The careful scheme was done at night to avoid the daytime crunch.
Papier-mâché was put to use to form a noggin bunch
Tucked in sheets the noodles were with purpose to deceive.
And through an unused corridor a few were able to leave.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Nice poem, but I didn't even need to Google it to know the answer. I'll hold off for now and let others have a go.

 

[wolram]

The new challenge comes in the form of poem:

Bars, bars everywhere but none but none that serve a drink.
Water, water everywhere surrounds the island clink.
This was a place of residence, oh what a motley group.
It was in nineteen sixty two that someone flew the coop.
The careful scheme was done at night to avoid the daytime crunch.
Papier-mâché was put to use to form a a noggin bunch
Tucked in sheets the noodles were with purpose to deceive.
And through an unused corridor a few were able to leave.

Are you eluding to the rock?

 

[collinsmark]

Are you eluding to the rock?

Yes, that is correct!

I'll leave it to you to be more specific, but yes.

 

[wolram]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Island

Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) offshore from San Francisco, California, United States.[2] The small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison (1868), and a federal prison from 1933 until 1963.[5] Beginning in November 1969, the island was occupied for more than 19 months by a group of aboriginal people from San Francisco who were part of a wave of Native activism across the nation with public protests through the 1970s. In 1972, Alcatraz became a national recreation area and received designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

 

[wolram]

This wheel has a 72-foot-6-inch (22.1 m) diameter, is 6 feet (1.83 m) wide and revolves at approximately three revolutions per minute, and is the oldest in the world.
Where is it?

 

[Jonathan Scott]

If you don't already know, Google will give it to you as the first hit on the question!

 

[wolram]

If you don't already know, Google will give it to you as the first hit on the question!

Darn it JS you are to knowledgeable.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Darn it JS you are to knowledgeable.

Perhaps not in this case; I had heard of this water wheel but couldn't remember the details so I simply googled for 72-foot-6-inch wheel and the Laxey Wheel (Lady Isabella) on the Isle of Man was the first hit, and most of the rest of your clue words were in the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry, so I think this one was too easy.

The Alcatraz one was even more obvious, in that I didn't even need a Google search (and I'm guessing you didn't either).

It's tricky thinking up puzzles that can't be answered with an obvious Google search which is why I tend to let others have a go to save me having to think up a new one. I thought my last one (Nobel's "legal home" in Karlskoga) was topical but fairly obvious, and I was a bit surprised that it took a few days to solve.

Are you willing to have another go? If not, I may need some time to come up with one myself.

 

[wolram]

Perhaps not in this case; I had heard of this water wheel but couldn't remember the details so I simply googled for 72-foot-6-inch wheel and the Laxey Wheel (Lady Isabella) on the Isle of Man was the first hit, and most of the rest of your clue words were in the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry, so I think this one was too easy.

The Alcatraz one was even more obvious, in that I didn't even need a Google search (and I'm guessing you didn't either).

It's tricky thinking up puzzles that can't be answered with an obvious Google search which is why I tend to let others have a go to save me having to think up a new one. I thought my last one (Nobel's "legal home" in Karlskoga) was topical but fairly obvious, and I was a bit surprised that it took a few days to solve.

Are you willing to have another go? If not, I may need some time to come up with one myself.

I think it depends on who thinks of one first,it will take me a while to think up a stinker, so if you think of one first please do

 

[tionis]

This one is so easy I bet it won't take Jonathan a nanosecond to solve lol:

In a windy city, they'll tell you I was born
If you have no freedom, I'll poke you with my pole.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Certainly not a nanosecond - I've already spent a few minutes on it and I have to get back to work now!

The most well-known "windy city" is Chicago (although there are several others). There's a "Statue of the Republic" in Jackson Park (a smaller copy of an earlier one) which has a pole with "Liberty" on it in one hand, which might fit the rest of the clue. Is any of that right?

 

[tionis]

"windy city"

Windy city is correct, the rest is wrong.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Windy city is correct, the rest is wrong.

Sorry, but in that case I'm not likely to make any more progress without more clues to check things against. I first looked for something associated with the Chicago Freedom Movement but couldn't find any specific place or object to match the clue. The Golden Lady "Statue of the Republic" seemed to be associated with a pole and "liberty" but that wasn't a clear match anyway.

 

[tionis]

Sorry, but in that case I'm not likely to make any more progress without more clues to check things against. I first looked for something associated with the Chicago Freedom Movement but couldn't find any specific place or object to match the clue. The Golden Lady "Statue of the Republic" seemed to be associated with a pole and "liberty" but that wasn't a clear match anyway.

No way, is it possible, that Jonathan is stumped?!
Perhaps he should go searching, for some abstract poles.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Perhaps he should go searching, for some abstract poles.

Well, that at least eliminate various concrete poles which I was considering, not to mention wooden and metal ones. But I don't think I've ever seen an abstract pole in my travels (although admittedly I've never been to the North or South pole, magnetic or otherwise).

The stuff about "poke you with my pole" sounded like a picador in bull-fighting, so I had also wondered if there was any connection with the Chicago Bulls (basketball) but I couldn't find anything.

 

[tionis]

Well, that at least eliminate various concrete poles which I was considering, not to mention wooden and metal ones. But I don't think I've ever seen an abstract pole in my travels (although admittedly I've never been to the North or South pole, magnetic or otherwise).

The stuff about "poke you with my pole" sounded like a picador in bull-fighting, so I had also wondered if there was any connection with the Chicago Bulls (basketball) but I couldn't find anything.

Last clue!

Let the record show, that our UK riddle hero
This day was defeated by a Moscow zero.