Posts Tagged ‘architecture’
Hollywood on the Lusatian Neisse River: Görlitz, Germany/Zgorzelec, Poland
During a stay in Prague, Czech Republic, we decided to make a day trip to an interesting town partially in Germany, partially in Poland. This architectural gem is called Görlitz in German and Zgorzelec in Polish. You can see the tourist information site here. It may be familiar to many who haven’t yet visited because it is a…
Read MoreMedieval sights, sounds & tastes in Abbadia di San Salvatore, Tuscany
I’ve already written about the pretty medieval town in Tuscany: Abbadia di San Salvatore. You can read my previous post about the town here. My family and I discovered it last year when my youngest son began track & field camp there last year. This summer, he was back again, and this time his stay…
Read MoreThe doors of Essaouira, Morocco
I’ll definitely focus a future post on the picture-perfect coastal city of Essaouira, in central Morocco, with its impressive walls, its position as an outpost on the Atlantic, its windy coastline, and its past as a Portuguese colony. But today, I want to concentrate primarily on the colorful doors of Essaouira. This is one of…
Read MoreExplore Palais Ferstel’s Passage, Vienna
In Mitteleuropa and Eastern Europe, I always love peeking into the spectacular ‘passages’. Vienna is no exception and the beautiful Freying Passage of the Palais Ferstel is well worth a visit on your next visit to stately Vienna. The palace is named after Heinrich von Ferstel, the architect who built it in 1860. The passage…
Read MoreSilver mining wealth in Kutna Hora, Czech Republic
Only 60 kilometers southeast from the Czech Republic’s capital, Kutna Hora is an easy day trip from Prague. I can remember visiting here in the days when I lived in Prague over (gulp!) two decades ago. Once, I missed the ‘fast’ train and had to take the milk train – it took four and a…
Read MoreVisiting Taipei’s Longshan Temple and Herb Lane, Taiwan
I loved my visit to Taiwan, and I’ve already written about many areas of interest to see in the country, and in its capital, Taipei. Taipei also boasts beautiful Buddist temples, perhaps chief among them is the Longshan Temple. The temple was first constructed, on a much smaller scale, in 1738. Today, it is considered…
Read MoreThe Adriatic seaside town of Trani, in Puglia
On a drive from Rome to Bari to catch a ferry, my family and I managed to make good time (never a given on Italian highways during the holiday periods), so we decided to stop off to explore the Adriatic seaside town of Trani. This charming port city, with its long history, is well worth a…
Read MoreA solitary, early morning walk on Brussels’ Grand’ Place
I was recently in Brussels for a conference. I haven’t been to Brussels for years, and was curious to return to its central Grand’ Place to see its whimsical architecture, but my work schedule and flights made that difficult. So I woke up early one morning, took a walk, and made the startling discovery-well, perhaps…
Read MoreHighlights of medieval Albi, France
We truly enjoyed our visit to beautiful Albi last year. This medieval town, 77 kilometers northeast of Toulouse, is well worth a visit on your trip to southern France. There are two highlights to the town – the thirteenth century St. Cécile – the largest brick cathedral in the world. This imposing fortress was built to symbolize the…
Read MoreExploring HafenCity and the Hamburg Dungeon
Last week I wrote about getting a sense of what life was like for a turn of the 20th century sailor by visiting Hamburg’s Rickmer Rickmers. If you’re exploring the northern German city of Hamburg, it makes sense to also explore the ‘new’ district nearby – HafenCity. Construction on this so-called ‘city within a city’…
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