church
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20 Images of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
More Details: 20 Images of La Sagrada Familia in BarcelonaLa Sagrada Familia, the grandiose basilica (mostly) designed by Antoni Gaudi, has become the symbol of Barcelona, and that’s not a stretch by any means: both have been growing and evolving over the decades. And, for La Sagrada Familia, at least, that journey will end in the next decade (target: 2026) as it is expected to…
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The Carmel Mission: Quiet and Beautiful
More Details: The Carmel Mission: Quiet and BeautifulDuring a recent business trip to San Francisco, I made a visit of a few days to friends who live near Campbell, CA. I took the Caltrain down to San Jose – an easy and relatively cheap (at around $9 one-way) way to get out of San Fran towards Silicon Valley. While their kids went…
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Hallgrímskirkja Church: The Young Icon of Reykjavik
More Details: Hallgrímskirkja Church: The Young Icon of ReykjavikHallgrímskirkja Church in the heart of Reykjavik is a “young” building. It was completed in 1986 but took close to 40 years to erect. Its design, driving up in a pointed way to the sky with its tower, reflects on the landscape of the island country with its lava flows. The structure is not the…
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A Stroll around Reykjavik
More Details: A Stroll around ReykjavikOne of the pluses of going to Iceland, besides witnessing the magnificent statement nature makes there, is enjoying visiting somewhere that is manageable in size. One can cross the island in one day from coast to coast thanks for a great ring road that is in pretty good condition (especially, when one considers the climate). …
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Postcards from Iceland: Dalvík
More Details: Postcards from Iceland: DalvíkDalvík, in the north of Iceland right at around 12 o’clock, is a small town of about 1,400 inhabitants on the western side of the Eyjafjörður fjord. We drove through this fishing town on the way to our base in Akureyri as we rounded the peninsula where Dalvík sits on route 76 going east after…
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On the Camino de Santiago: Day 2 from Barbadelo to Portomarín
More Details: On the Camino de Santiago: Day 2 from Barbadelo to PortomarínFinally, the first long day of our Camino started on Day 2 in Barbadelo. Day 1, as I wrote about, was really a “baby” hiking day. All good; ’twas for a good reason (like getting to see O Cebreiro). But I (along with my fellow trekkers) were really ready to tackle the ‘mino. I enjoyed…
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Photo of the Week – The Basilica of a Tiny State (NOT The Vatican!)
More Details: Photo of the Week – The Basilica of a Tiny State (NOT The Vatican!)The tiny state of San Marino, nestled in the midst of Italy, is supposedly one of the world’s oldest republics. The Basilica of San Marino, though from the 1830s, sits on the site where a church has existed since the 4th century.
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Top 8 Climbs for a Great City View in Europe
More Details: Top 8 Climbs for a Great City View in EuropeThere are so many ways to see and experience a city. But one of my top ways to get to “know” a city is by getting up high and looking down at it. Of course, this is not hard to do as there are usually man-made or natural high points. While I like getting a…
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History via One Monumental Building: Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia
More Details: History via One Monumental Building: Istanbul’s Hagia SophiaThe highlight of my visit to the great former Byzantium, former Constantinople, or current Istanbul is Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia. Getting there is always step one After having had some challenges getting out of Egypt, my arrival in Istanbul continued to offer “experiences” as there was an unexpected change of plans that I shared in my…
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Photo of the Week – A Church on Rome’s Tiber Island
More Details: Photo of the Week – A Church on Rome’s Tiber IslandLast year during my one week in Rome, I did the usual when in cities as incredible as eternal Rome: walk, walk, and walk. Sometimes with a clear objective, sometimes just meandering and seeing what the walking will uncover. On this gray day, we found ourselves crossing the Ponte Cestio into Tiber Island as we…
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The Charming Town of Kotor, Montenegro
More Details: The Charming Town of Kotor, MontenegroKotor, Montenegro was an almost accidental destination for me. The anchor destination for the trip was Italy but my wanderlust wanted me to go further to new places (even though Pompeii was new to me). So I added Croatia by visiting the gem of the Adriatic: Dubrovnik. But then I found out about day trips…
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Photo of the Week: The Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia
More Details: Photo of the Week: The Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la AltagraciaThe title of this post seems like a mouthful: Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia (Basilica of our Lady of Altagracia). This massive structure in Higüey, Dominican Republic is to honor the Virgin of Altagracia, national patron saint of the country. It was inaugurated in the 1970s and is within reach of many tourist…