Archive for November 2025
Prague, Czech Republic
October, 2025 Good King Wenceslas, Kafka, Iron Curtain, Vaclav Havel and the Velvet Revolution, Hussites, Golem, Alfons Mucha, Czechoslovakia/Slovakia/Czechnia/Czech Republic, Pilsener, crawling babies – the city of Praque has something to do with all of these and more. We didn’t expect to visit Prague originally. We had booked a river cruise from Vienna to Amsterdam…
Read More Bratislava Slovakia
After World War I, the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire began. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and the United States played a major role in the establishment of the new Czechoslovak state. American Slovaks proposed renaming the city “Wilsonovo mesto” (Wilson City), after Woodrow Wilson.[67] On 28 October 1918, Czechoslovakia was proclaimed, but its borders were not settled for several months. The Allies of World War…
Read MoreButchart Gardens Victoria, BC
See Photos
Read MoreDubai – November, 2010
When someone mentions Dubai, what comes to mind? Before our visit my images involved tall buildings, sand, dry heat, Arabs with beards, and oil wells. Reality altered these pictures quite a bit. The reason for our visit was two-fold. Brother Tim and his wife, Connie, have lived there for almost six years. Tim teaches Landscape…
Read MoreFussen
On our way, we stopped for lunch at a cute restaurant decorated Bavarian style – lots of ornately carved wood – very comforting. Signs all over the place announcing “SPARGEL!†What’s Spargel?, we asked. Asparagus! was the answer. Mid May to mid June all German restaurants have a separate menu celebrating asparagus. The menu offered…
Read MoreBoveda – The Ceiling that Defies Gravity
The “Boveda†ceiling was invented by the Moors, who conquered a goodly portion of Spain. The Spanish brought the design to the New World when they conquered Mexico. Popular here in San Miguel, the ceilings are built by one extended family of masons, who have been the boveda specialists for years. I would describe it…
Read MoreYucatan Peninsula and Cancun February 2011
Welcome to the world of the Maya. We’re all somewhat aware of the amazingly sophisticated civilization that the Mayan people developed. Architecture, astronomy (the Mayan calendar accurately predicted solar and lunar eclipses), writings (the Mayan codices are still the subject of serious academic studies throughout the world), mathematics (the Maya invented the concept of zero).…
Read MoreSan Miquel de Allende, Mexico March2010
We really, really like Costa Rica. It’s a paradise. So many places to go, so many places to see. The only thing the country lacks is cultural activities for English speaking visitors. We enjoyed visiting rain forests, beaches, volcanoes and such, but we really had to come up with our own activities. So, we read…
Read MoreVeracruz trip
Valentine’s Day
Meet Fernando. He’s a man of many talents. He makes Pre-Hispanic musical instruments. He also plays them with a group. He teaches mathematics at the local school. He’s also a guide, and that’s how we met him. We had heard about Mineral de Pozos shortly after we arrived in San Miquel de Allende (SMA). We…
Read More