The train ride to the Gateway City was short from Springfield and I felt excited to explore a new place. We crossed the Mississippi from Illinois and I caught a glimpse of the Gateway Arch. Sadly, the city skyline was underwhelming. The train slowly pulled into the station. St Louis long ago abandoned its beautiful railway station and now Amtrak serves a mostly underground, bus/train terminal. Exiting was confusing and I needed to cross a highway to get to the hotel

June 2018 The hilltop city of Toledo is crowned by a fortress. The castle is visible from all over the city as well as from a distance. That imposing Spanish castle/fort is located right in the city center. Once used as a Roman palace in the 3rd century, it was turned into a fortress in the 10th century during the reign of Cordoba Caliph Abd ar-Rahman III. It was restored under Charles I (Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) and his son Philip II of Spain in the 1540s. In 152

Springfield took me completely by surprise. What a lovely place: it is a state capital yet retains a small city charm. The city is not as podunk as Frankfort, Kentucky (which I loved, but is extremely small), yet feels frozen in time from a gentler age. There were several things I liked about Springfield: railway tracks The north-south train tracks run through town at grade. They are still in use by both freight trains and Amtrak. That means that when a train passes t

The historic Ashkar Dighi is three centuries old and presently covers an area of no less than five acres, and so must be protected by law. The Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) also requires that any water body exceeding 0.5 acre should be preserved. The authorities concerned, however, seem to be uncaring when the dighi's existence is threatened in encroachment, earth filling, and pollution. The age-old water body, with which the history of

July 2021 If there was one thing I liked about Springfield, it was its "low rise" skyline. The city only has two or three "tall" (not really) multi-story buildings, so the state capitol dome is visible from many places in town. I decided to enter following the tradition AQ and I had started on the trip. I missed him a lot - mainly because it ended up being the best state capitol building I had ever seen. I sorely wished he had come as far as Springfield and returned a

The Bear and the Strawberry Tree. July 2014 The Puerta del Sol (English: "Gate of the Sun") is a public square in Madrid, one of the best known and busiest places in the city. This is the centre (Km 0) of the radial network of Spanish roads. The square also contains the famous clock whose bells mark the traditional eating of the Twelve Grapes and the beginning of a new year. The New Year's celebration has been broadcast live since 31 December 1962 on major radio and televisi

A slightly longish walk from downtown lies the Oak Ridge Cemetery - final resting place of President Lincoln. Learning the history of his tomb and burial was fascinating (and rather disturbing). The entrance avenue to the cemetery is stately but now lined with normal homes. At the time the mausoleum was opened to the public, there was a steady stream of visitors, so the entrance avenue looked like other such places that cater to visitors - filled with establishments create

June 2018 The province of Castille & León produces most of Spain's wheat. Spain's output is similar to Italy's and varies greatly year on year due to climate (mostly rainfall). Given that parts of Spain are nearly desert-like at times, I was surprised to find wheatfields at all. On several journeys using long distance trains, I passed through endless fields of grain. Spain is not even close to being a big player in wheat production.    It certainly consumes all it grows a

On my own AQ dropped me at the bus/train station in Indianapolis and headed back to Kent, Ohio. I was sad to see my travel companion go, but I understood his reasons. His car was not the greatest and he didn't want to be too far away from his home base in case of any problem. I had hoped he would continue with me to Springfield at least to see one more state capital. The Amtrak bus service to the rail line in Illinois was easy to book online, but in one of those "I knew

February 2025 In Bangladesh, there is only one place to buy handicrafts and locally made good easily, Aarong.  Everyone middle-class and upward (and foreigners) shops there, and the store has branches in most major cities.  The atmosphere inside is relaxing and the quality of the goods, high.  The only problem for me was that the prices are several times higher than the "real" price of the goods. As I traveled around the city alone or with friends, I always seemed to be insid

July 2021 The Indianapolis 500 I grew up with the race and even if I wasn't a fan, I certainly knew about it. I remembered it had special cars only for its track (different from similar Formula One vehicles). The one place AQ and I had not visited in the city was the racetrack. At the end of the day, we made it our final stop (luckily it was open on July 4th). Perhaps the reason I didn't know more about the city is that its famous race eclipses all other things. For

January 2017 The University of Seville originally dates to the 15th century. Created by Archdeacon Maese Rodrigo Fernández de Santaella, it was originally called Colegio de Santa María de Jesús. In the 16th century (1505), a Bull of Pope Julius II granted the college the faculty to teach degrees in Theology, Philosophy, Law, Medicine and Arts. In 1551, the City Council allowed it, by means of a Royal Provision, to officially become a university, enjoying all the privileges of

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 $