One of the things to check when traveling by plane on your own is how to get from the airport to the city center once you have landed and disembarked. Subway, train, bus, taxi, shuttle, and other private transportation options are usually common, at least at major terminals. However, few can boast what El Alto […]
Travel
We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls. (Anais Nin)
Posted inModern Era, Travel
The Curious Obligations of Tourists in the Former German Democratic Republic
Crossing the inner border between the two Germanys was not impossible during the Cold War. In fact, the border was never completely “sealed” in the manner of what exists between the two Koreas. Of course, at least until the late 1970s, it was easier for a Western tourist to cross into East Germany than for […]
Posted inGeography, Travel
Ngerulmud, the Only Capital in the World Without Inhabitants
In these times of debate about tourism saturation, we propose an idea for lovers of extravagant experiences. The Republic of Palau is an island country in Oceania, made up of nearly three and a half hundred volcanic and coral islands located in the Philippine Sea. Together with the Federated States of Micronesia, it forms part […]
Posted inAge of Exploration, Travel
Herzgruft, the Crypt in Vienna Where the Hearts of the Habsburgs Are Preserved
Saying that the heart of the Habsburgs is in Vienna may sound like a poetic expression to embellish a historical fact, but it can be taken literally if one visits the Church of the Augustinians, part of the Hofburg Imperial Palace. There, in a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto, the Loretokapelle, lies […]
Posted inGeography, Travel
The Pyramids of Euseigne: A Unique Geological Phenomenon in the Swiss Alps
The Pyramids of Euseigne, located in the Hérens Valley, are a unique geological phenomenon and one of the main natural attractions in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. These formations, rising majestically between 10 and 15 meters in height, are the result of glacial and erosion processes dating back to the last ice age, between 80,000 […]
Posted inGeography, Travel
Othonoi, the westernmost island of Greece, is the mythical Ogygia from The Odyssey
In the crystal-clear waters of the Ionian Sea, 47 nautical miles east of Italy’s Cape Santa Maria di Leuca, lies Othonoi (Οθωνοί in Greek), an island that blends history, mythology, and unparalleled natural beauty. Recognized as the westernmost point of Greece, Othonoi is the largest and most populated of the Diapontia Islands. For mythology enthusiasts, […]
Posted inAntiquity, Travel
Hadrian’s Granary in the Forgotten Port of Andriake
Andriake, located on the southwestern coast of Anatolia (in present-day Demre, Turkey), was the main port of ancient Myra, one of the most influential cities in the Lycian Confederation. Myra, famous for its Greek theater and rock-cut necropolises in the mountain cliffs, was also home to a prominent bishopric, with its most famous representative being […]
Posted inArt, Travel
The Talking Statues of Rome
Statues don’t talk, evidently, and they never have, except when some clever priest of Antiquity used a hollow in the stone to deliver whatever message he was interested in. But that’s not the case we’ll discuss today with the statue parlanti, or talking statues, because these expressed themselves in writing. They are a series of […]
Posted inMiddle Ages, Travel
Dunluce, the Spectacular Irish Castle Entirely Surrounded by Cliffs
Perched on a basalt cliff on the rugged coast of Northern Ireland, Dunluce Castle is an imposing ruin that dominates the horizon of County Antrim. Isolated by its steep cliffs and surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic, Dunluce has been, over the centuries, a symbol of power, a strategic refuge, a home to influential […]
Posted inAncient Greece, Travel
The colossal Portara of Naxos is all that remains of what was to be the largest temple in the Aegean
The Portara is one of the most iconic monuments on the Greek island of Naxos, located in the Cyclades. This gigantic marble gateway, which stands on a small peninsula facing the city of Naxos, is all that remains of an ambitious architectural project: a temple (never completed) dedicated to the god Apollo, at the very […]
