I first went to Europe in college as part of seminar studying war and peace. Our long list of stops in Western Europe also included a few days behind the Iron Curtain in the Soviet Read More …
Lakewood Cemetery is probably the preeminent cemetery in Minnesota. It isn’t the state’s oldest, or even the oldest in Minneapolis (that honor goes to the Minneapolis Pioneer and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery, which was clearly visible Read More …
This is a gorgeous evening – not hot, but warm and humid enough to feel a bit sultry. It is a night that begs to be enjoyed. The Blue Mosque draws us in, moths to Read More …
Hagia Sophia is to the left. . . the Blue Mosque is straight ahead. . . and the Bosporus filling the space between. Next post: Night in the City Previous post: Sultan Ahmet Camii (the Read More …
The Blue Mosque was built early in the 17th century to rival the Hagia Sophia. Today it remains among the most splendid buildings in a city rich in magnificent architecture. Today the mosque’s courtyard bustles Read More …
We approach the ancient church of Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia) – now a museum – from the grassy plaza that links it to the Blue Mosque. Inaugurated by the Emperor Justinian in 537, the “church Read More …
Our guide in Thailand was very proud of her culture and country and would regularly take add additional stops – usually ones with a magnificent Buddha of some sort – to our itinerary.After a long Read More …
Previous post: Orvieto at Night We have been staying at the Istituto San Lodovico, a convent and former women’s school connected to the church of San Lodovico. Today it is run by the Sisters of Read More …
The Egyptian government has undertaken the restoration of the ancient Coptic Christian Monastery of Saint Anthony (Deir Mar Antonios). photo by Miami Love 1 (on Flickr) Along with restoration of the structures and paintings, the Read More …
Previous post:We are in Northern Ireland mostly because we have friends here. This is a good thing for many reasons, including the fact that they have taken my rather scatter-brained ideas about what we would Read More …
Previous post: EnnisWe head north out of Ennis, driving through rolling green meadows on our way to the Burren Center in Kilfenora. The Burren Center is in a non-descript modern building that we spot beyond Read More …
Michael has to work for awhile today while we are off playing, so we drop him off at work, which gives us a chance to see Stanford’s Memorial Church during the day. Next Post: Filoli Read More …
We stop to visit the Memorial Church at Stanford at night when the building glows. The “chapel” at Stanford University is an ornate church decorated both inside and out with intricate mosaics. At night, the Read More …
I was expecting that the Grand Mosque of Paris would be by the Arab Institute, but it is not and, despite the lovely minaret, it takes a bit to find it.When we do, we circle Read More …
Previous Post: Inside Notre-Dame de ParisEven though we could have been first in line to go up in the bell tower, we so much time inside the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, the that we Read More …
We start our morning with a return visit to Notre-Dame in the heart of Paris. I can’t really imagine how this place would have been experienced by the mostly poor and illiterate people who worshiped Read More …
Previous Post: Luxembourg GardenThe exterior of the church of Saint Sulpice is undergoing renovation. I’m convinced we won’t be able to get inside, but of course we can. Good thing too. Next post: The Marais
An evening walk through the Latin Quarter near our hotel takes us up to the Panthéon. Begun in 1764 as a church honoring Saint Geneviève, it was completed in 1790 during the revolution – when Read More …
My friend Jeff has recommended we visit the church of Saint Séverin, another Medieval beauty that is an easy stop on the way back to our hotel. As we enter, the sound of the magnificent Read More …
Along with Notre-Dame, the other highlight of Ile de la Cité is a visit to the royal chapel of Sainte Chapelle.The chapel is tucked away in a complex that today serves as the Paris law Read More …
I’m a little surprised by the massiveness of Paris. Everything is so BULKY. It’s lovely, but big. Buildings seem to hog whole blocks, making the city seem a bit larger than life. I don’t recall Read More …
Previous Post: Coastal SplendorBefore leaving for Hawaii, my manager at work gave me a short list of things I must see. One of them was the Byodo-In, a serene replica of an ancient Buddhist temple Read More …
Wadi Naturn is a depression in the desert that lies below sea level, so there is water is at or close to the surface in many places. Although never settled by them, this area was Read More …
This probably should be titled “the sacred and the profane.” Friday is a day off in Egypt, so the streets are crowded with shoppers. We too are going to a market – the Khan al-Khalili, Read More …
To explore this area further, we turn back past the Coptic Museum toward the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. photo: www.galenfrysinger.com Built in 1909 after the original church burned, the church towers above the Read More …
It is only a very short walk from the Coptic museum through this old Christian area to the Hanging Church. I think it should feel familiar, but it is as foreign and exotic as the Read More …
I am relieved to step out into the cool night air. Alas, I am not yet headed back to the hotel and my little perch high above the Nile. Instead, we are lead to a Read More …
On Wednesday evenings Pope Shenouda III answers questions from his flock and then lectures on a point of theology. It seems like we have been at the Cathedral for hours already and this, the main Read More …
It is very late in the day when we arrive at Cairo’s Coptic Cathedral. We have some time before the evening event begins, so a few of us enter a tiny and much older church Read More …
Although the Citadel is just down the street, it actually takes a longish bus ride to get to the spot where we enter the complex. Of course, the fortified walls of the Citadel extend for Read More …
Our first stop is the 14th century Sultan Hassan Mosque, which sits just below the Citadel. Even though we are not required to wear a headscarf here, it seems like the respectful to do. I’m Read More …
Romani has a hard time gathering everyone together, so we are a bit late beginning our tour. Indeed, we finally start out without the full group accounted for, as keeping a monk waiting is apparently Read More …
I hear the others leave at 2:30 or 3:00 a.m. to begin the trek up Mt. Sinai. I am awake just enough to realize what woke me and to be glad that I am still Read More …
What a desolate place! It is dramatic and beautiful in a way, but also stark and bleak, without a speck of green. For ancient Egyptians, preservation of the body was essential for eternal life and Read More …
We make a quick stop to see the Colossi of Memnon, two gargantuan sculptures of Amenhotep III that once stood before a massive temple. http://www.egyptianholiday.net/colossi.htm Today their ruins stand alone, surrounded by green fields backed Read More …
On the bus again, we travel back to Luxor through lush agricultural area and cross the Nile, where cruise ships are tethered one to another. On the other side of the river, the lush farmland Read More …
About two miles north of Luxor sit the ruins of the Temple of Karnak, which includes the ruins of the Great Temple of Amun.The Temple of Amun was the center of the ancient Egyptian world, Read More …
Choeun says there is one more temple we should see – he even promises it will be very different from all those we have seen before. While it seems hard to believe there could be Read More …
The temple at East Mebon sits in the midst of what was once a large reservoir built to provide water to a new city. At that time, it would have seemed to float above the Read More …
Our next temple is Banteay Samre’. This 12th century temple is not on the regular tourist trail and, for the most part, we have it to ourselves.The outside wall consists of tightly laid laterite blocks. Read More …
Choeun tells us that this is known as the “Temple of Women” because it was thought that only women could create a temple so delicate and beautiful. However, he is quick to clarify that it Read More …
We were supposed to climb Phnom Bakheng for a view of Angkor Wat at sunset, but Choeun’s warning that 3,000 other people may choose to do this today makes it sound quite unappealing. Instead we Read More …
The day is already visibly starting to come to an end when we reach the elephant terrace. I’m not sure why, but I’m still surprised how early the light starts to fade here. Because it Read More …
Unfortunately, we don’t get to see the rest of the ruins of Angkor Thom, but it does serve as a good warm-up to our next stop, the 12th century Bayon. At first I don’t Read More …
We return to the park after lunch and pass Angkor Wat standing regally above it’s moat. There are blankets laid out along the moat and a few groups out enjoying a picnic. Choeun tells us Read More …
Our next stop is the late 12th century temple of Ta Prohm, which has been left in its “natural” state as an example of how most of the Angkor temples looked when “discovered” by French Read More …
We have agreed to start the day at 7 a.m., as Choeun suggests this will give us a bit of a break from the worst of both the heat and the other tourists. It’s easy Read More …
Our rooms are ready when we return to the hotel. Like the rest of the hotel, our room is lovely, but I am particularly delighted with the view beyond my patio. I dump my stuff Read More …
This morning drive to Sri Satchanalai, the northern outpost town of the kingdom of Sukhothai, built by King Ramkamhaeng. . . . Built in the 13th Century to help consolidate the power of the Sukhothai Read More …
Even without knowing anything about Buddhist temples, one look at Wat Phra That Lampang Luang is enough for me to realize that that this must be a very old complex. Indeed, many buildings date back Read More …
Depart for Phayao, a rural lakeside province surrounded by beautiful mountains and valleys dotted with fascinating religious sites. En route visit Wat Rong Khun, also known as the “White” Temple. A lifetime project of artist Read More …
We head back into Chiang Mai for a tour of Wat Suan Dok. As we pull into the parking lot the nearby yard filled with small, elaborately carved marble mausoleums (looking like something dropped here Read More …
This morning you’ll visit some of the most interesting temples found in town. Then travel high into the mountains, to Wat Doi Suthep, one of the most revered temples in all Thailand, with its famous Read More …