Many people want to know where, specifically, we are going. While we have a general idea where we are headed, we purposely purchased one-way tickets so that the flow of the trip seemed less constrained. Below are the countries we hope to visit as well as a general map of our intended path. This will…
Just off France’s northern coast sits a little island, Mont Saint-Michel, atop which is a lovely old monastery. Surely, you’ve seen the pictures. It’s an amazingly beautiful spot. When I say, “island,” that is true most of the time, though the most days the tide is low enough to walk there. In fact, it was…
After spending a few days along the northeastern Spanish coastal region known as Costa Brava, we took the train to Barcelona for a couple days as a stopover on our way to Seville. The capital of the Catalonia region, much like elsewhere in the area, there were flags everywhere in support of seeking independence from…
Greek soldiers marching.
Update: It turns out that what I observed was the Greek changing of the guard as happens at other governmental buildings. Soldiers, dressed in classic uniforms change station and some are positioned at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
As I was wandering around Athens yesterday, I noticed a strong military presence down one of the streets. There were riot control buses and many heavily armed personnel. Curious, I wandered down the street to see what was up. One of the major thoroughfares was entirely cordoned off. Considering the recent economic crises in Greece, I wondered if it was a protest of some sort, but it ended up to be a Greek military procession of cadets, I think, marching from their barracks to the Greek Parliament building.
Though an ardent pacifist, I couldn’t help but be moved by the scene and the pride of these young men. Plus, the outfits are amazing!
High atop the tallest hill in the Sintra Mountains sits the storybook Pena National Palace. It’s an amazing sight to behold. What used to be the remains of a defunct, simple Hieronymite (followers of Saint Jerome) monastery was severely damaged in the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 and left in disrepair until it was renovated into an elaborately decorated royal palace by…
No visit to Transylvania is complete without a quick stop at Bran Castle, the reputed home of Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, a member of the House of Drăculești, also known, using his patronymic, as (Vlad) Drăculea or (Vlad) Dracula and posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler. Regarding his nickname, Wikipedia has this to offer: As the…
Yesterday, Erika and I drove from Budapest, Hungary to Kraków, Poland. Between the two metropoleis, lies the country of Slovakia, formerly joined with the Czech Republic as Czechoslovakia, but later splitting into two separate republics. Admittedly, we knew little about Slovakia, but since we were driving through it, we did some research. LonelyPlanet has this to say…
In Flanders Fields During the First World War, Belgium suffered greatly, as much of its countryside became an entrenched battlefield. Hundreds of thousands of men lost their lives in what became a hopeless deadlock that dragged on and on. Each side became mired in their own muddy trenches and men slowly went mad. Tales of…
