history
-
Ta Prohm, Cambodia: Trees Take over a Temple
More Details: Ta Prohm, Cambodia: Trees Take over a TempleBefore my trip to Cambodia, I knew about Angkor Wat (of course!). But, I did not know about Ta Prohm. I had seen pictures of it but did not know that it was a specific temple close to Angkor Wat and, much less, its name or extent of the wonders it contains. When you look…
-
In-and-Out: The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO
More Details: In-and-Out: The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, COI headed to Denver to see friends and as luck would have it, an afternoon in Estes Park was in the books for me. I would have about 3 hours to spend in Estes Park so I checked TripAdvisor for some quick ideas on what to see while there. I had driven through Estes Park…
-
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…
-
Colonia del Sacramento: Uruguay’s Historical Gem
More Details: Colonia del Sacramento: Uruguay’s Historical GemWhen I started to plan my trip to Argentina for my trek, I thought maybe I’d arrive a couple of days early and do something other than eat and walk in Buenos Aires. Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with those things! Those are indeed very noble activities in my book in that great city. …
-
What to Do in Santa Barbara? Check out El Presidio
More Details: What to Do in Santa Barbara? Check out El PresidioI have been to California a few times but mainly to the areas around San Francisco and, less so, around Los Angeles (plus a business trip to Sacramento). This past summer, though, I got to sample some of the “other” Californias. I got to spend a few days in lovely Santa Barbara. We had a nice…
-
I Have a Mission for You: in Santa Barbara!
More Details: I Have a Mission for You: in Santa Barbara!Among the many beautiful things to enjoy in Santa Barbara, California, one of my favorite ones is the Old Mission. Its architecture, its setting, its history all make it a neat place to visit but what I like the most is that it is still in use by the monks and the locals; in other…
-
Admiring History on the Rocks in Petra, Jordan
More Details: Admiring History on the Rocks in Petra, JordanI first went to Petra, Jordan back in 1998 on a day trip from Sharm-el-Sheikh at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. If you know the lay of the land, that may sound impossible. Well, not if you take a flight from Sharm-el-Sheikh to Aqaba, Jordan and then hop on a bus. …
-
Lafayette Square | History and Architecture of Washington, D.C.
More Details: Lafayette Square | History and Architecture of Washington, D.C.One of the most important buildings in Washington, D.C. is the White House. That global symbol of the U.S. Presidency is indeed a big draw even if it is so inaccessible to most of us, the people. One can be forgiven for losing sight of what is around the White House as the draw is…
-
Boarding Pass Series: Hats off, TWA!
More Details: Boarding Pass Series: Hats off, TWA!Many, and I mean, MANY, years ago I had the pleasure of flying Trans-World Airlines, or “TWA“, a now-defunct airline absorbed by a lesser player many years ago. This airline, steeped in aviation history, had an incredible international route system and rivaled the likes of PanAm (and outlasted it by a few years). I got…
-
The Timeless Capitals: Rome, Athens, Cairo
More Details: The Timeless Capitals: Rome, Athens, CairoI have traveled to a good bunch of countries and hope to add more over time. Most of the time, that means I have visited their capital cities even if briefly. Rare is the case where I have not visited a capital city of a country I have been to. Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican…
-
A Grain of Truth about Minneapolis
More Details: A Grain of Truth about MinneapolisMinneapolis is a northern city by U.S. standards and that often conjures images of snow and cold. While that may be true in winter, as in many places, that is not the grain of truth about the city I want to reveal to you today… You may or may not be familiar with the history…
-
The Spared Town in Georgia: Madison
More Details: The Spared Town in Georgia: MadisonMadison, Georgia is a town not terribly far from Atlanta. Just about an hour east of the city, it offers a different view on the South than Atlanta or towns north may offer. Madison, founded on 1807 (a couple of decades before Atlanta), was spared destruction as the Northern armies moved towards the Atlantic coast…