November 2025 The construction of memorials in DC to me seems haphazard, even random. The Lincoln Memorial preceded the Jefferson. A memorial to the Vietnam War preceded those of the Korean War and World War II. Why? Was it that in the case of World War II it had been such a watershed, historic event that the city needed to give it time and distance before constructing a memorial? Although I am not a fan of crowding the National Mall with more "stuff", I think the mem

July 2021 Indianapolis is home to several "hip" neighborhoods. AQ and I wanted to visit at least one (and get some good coffee) before we moved on. The closest to downtown is Fountain Square. Once home to farmland in Indianapolis’ early days, the district grew to a bustling commercial district at the turn of the 20th century. Following revitalization in the 1990s and 2000s, Fountain Square has grown into an energetic and unique destination. Its sister neighborhood, Fletche

November 2025 As I stood on the cold, rainy platform of the DC metro at Reagan National Airport, I kept reflecting on Hollywood Beach. I had just left there - now I had to face the reality of winter in the Northeast after a three year absence. After the cruise from Barcelona [see: Transatlantic Cruise ], I ended up staying in the Port Everglades area for a couple of days - partly to transition from the cruise and the long journey, and partly because plane tickets were punis

July 2014 The Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest in Europe (in use). On that first visit to Madrid with AFVdR I had no idea what to expect. The building is actually the replacement of an earlier building started by the Moors, subsequently renovated and expanded. On Christmas Eve 1734, the alcázar was destroyed by a fire that originated in the rooms of the French painter Jean Ranc. Response to the fire was delayed due to the warning bells being confused with the call to

Museum The Indiana State Museum complex was one of the largest I had ever encountered (for a state museum) in the US. I was impressed by its scale and that an entire pavilion had been devoted to Native American culture and art. Since it was July 4th, the museum was closed, but I made a mental note that it looked "entrance-worthy" if I found myself in the city again. We continued back toward the city center to the state house. Unfortunately, it was closed due to the holid

January 2020 All about timing... I had just spent a week in Morocco and enjoyed it. In fact, it exceeded my expectations completely. From Tangier, I found a budget flight to Valencia (a city in Spain I had not yet visited). I planned to stay a few days to explore the city and the region. Unfortunately, I returned on the eve of Epiphany. I totally blanked on the fact that although in Spain December 25 is celebrated as Christmas, Epiphany in early January is the "main hol

The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Connecting the sestieri (districts) of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times since its first construction as a pontoon bridge in 1173, and is now a significant tourist attraction in the city. The present stone bridge is a single span designed by Antonio da Ponte. Construction began in 1588 and was completed in 1591. It is similar to the wooden bridge it succeed

After being impressed by Indy's amazing central mall and architecture, AQ and I walked toward the Central Canal - highly recommended for visitors to the city. The Indiana Central Canal was a canal intended to connect the Wabash and Erie Canal to the Ohio River. It was funded by the Mammoth Internal Improvement Act, Indiana's attempt to take part in the canal-building craze started by the Erie Canal. $3.5 million was allocated for the project, the largest piece of the entire $

June 2018 The Holy Church Cathedral is dedicated to Virgin Mary in her Ascension to the heavens. Its construction began in 1227 under order of the Archbishop Don Rodrigo Jiménez mandate. The site was situated over the foundations of the Visigoth Cathedral in the sixth century, which had been used as a Mosque. Constructed in a Gothic style with a French influence, it measures 120 m long by 60 m wide and contains 5 naves supported by 88 pillars and 72 vaults. The side naves are

April 2017 The University of Padua was established in 1222, after a group of students and teachers decided to come here from Bologna. They set up a free body of scholars, who were grouped according to their place of origin into nationes, in which students approved statutes, elected the rettore (rector, or chancellor) and chose their teachers, who were paid with money the students collected. Defending freedom of thought in study and teaching became a distinctive feature which

AQ and I arrived in Indianapolis and stayed at a cheap hotel, near the racetrack, out of the city center. We had taken the day to travel there, so we woke up the following morning to explore. As fate would have it - it was July 4th. That meant some things were closed, but traffic was nil and parking downtown (that morning) was a breeze. Neither of us knew much about the city, so we parked near Monument Circle, the symbolic heart of "Indy". Recognized as one of the world's

July 2014 On that first visit to Madrid, AFVdR joked about visiting the "Museum of Ham". I thought it would be a funky experience highlighting the story of that well-loved meat in Spain. As it turned out, it is a hilarious play on words for a highly specialized shop. For those not buying "jamon" to go (in various quantities), there are ham sandwiches and beer (and basically nothing else) that customers partake while standing. The place was mobbed! Founded in 1970 by m

December 2018 The Naples Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, is a Roman Catholic cathedral, the main church of Naples, southern Italy, and the seat of the Archbishop of Naples. It is widely known as the Cathedral of Saint Januarius (Cattedrale di San Gennaro), in honour of the city's patron saint. (Wikipedia) Having lived in New York City for several years, I was well acquainted the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy (now reduced to one street with a few

After Clifty Falls State Park, we still had time before reaching Indianapolis by early evening. I noted there were more covered bridges along the way. AQ was willing, but I had the feeling after all the ones we saw in Ohio, he thought it wasn't necessary to see many more. We chose three that were not far off our path. James Covered Bridge James Covered Bridge is a covered Howe truss bridge over Graham Creek in Jennings County, Indiana. It is named for Thomas S. James who o

August 2017 After a great time in and around Oviedo [see: Oviedo ], it was time to move on. The next stop was Santander, a resort town along the coast. The little, narrow-gauge FEVE trains went there but took almost five hours - the bus was only two. Even if I dislike bus rides, it didn't make sense to waste that much time when a far faster (and easier) journey was available. In no time, I was in a city that I knew nothing about except that a major bank in the US shared

April 2017 In Milford years, I had a friend for a couple of years, MV from Italy. Eventually, she tired of small town life and moved to the City. As it turns out, she was from Verona, but I knew her long before I visited her home town. Of course, many people love their hometowns, but she always said Verona was special in Italy. I thought to myself, one day I have to visit. She told a joke about meeting someone who was bragging how old their city was because the streets

After leaving our frustrations with Madison, AQ and I stopped at a state park outside of town famous for its cliffs and waterfalls. Clifty Falls State Park is located near Madison with entrances on state roads 56 and 62. The park’s waterfalls change moods with the weather and the seasons and can range from roaring plunges to delicate bridal-veil mists to gleaming frozen titans. Winter and spring visits reveal them at their best. The rugged splendor of Clifty Canyon offers exc

January 2017 Before visiting the Cathedral in Seville, I had no idea it was one of the most significant churches in all of Europe. Indeed, it is one of the largest in the world. The Cathedral - and the Alcazar - of Seville bear exceptional testimony to the civilization of the Almohads and to that of Christian Andalusia dating from the Reconquest of 1248 to the 16th century. The Giralda, which influenced the construction of numerous towers in Spain and America, is a masterpie

July 2016 On the trip to Venice to hang out with CM & CM, our city tour took us to the former Venetian Arsenal. We could not go inside as it is still controlled by the Italian Navy (why?). Its entrance spoke of an age when Venice was a major European power. The Venetian Arsenal is a complex of former shipyards and armories clustered together in the city of Venice in northern Italy. Owned by the state, the Arsenal was responsible for the bulk of the Venetian Republic's nava

the best little town that wasn't AQ agreed to continue the trip to Indianapolis from Louisville. Since we were not in a hurry (and we were oblivious to time - as happens on a long trip), we decided to make a few stops along the way. After all, without traffic it was only a two and a half hour drive to Indy. I found the little town of Madison, Indiana online. Everything written about it waxed lyrical - I felt like I was reading about Milford, PA in a New York Times "Week