By Mira Temkin Mother Nature has pummeled Galveston repeatedly since 1900, but the Gulf Coast city has always bounced back. Walk the cobbled streets of the East End Historic District and you’ll feel the Texas history that begins 200 years ago when Galveston was a pirate kingdom called “Campeche” ruled by French buccaneer Jean Lafitte.…
Cycling the lightly traveled backroads of West Ireland affords time to intimately experience the country, its people and their history. Until recently, only experienced cyclists even attempted such a ride. Motorists would fly past as brightly colored cyclists peddled laboriously up hills, their bikes burdened with panniers filled with clothes and heavy equipment. Cycling seemed more exhausting than enjoyable. But with the advent of ebikes and specialized cycling tours, beautiful and fascinating areas now are accessible to nearly anyone. And one of the most bike-friendly places to take such a tour is along the west coast of Ireland.
What makes this type of tour so satisfying is the pace (avg. speed 11 mph) and proximity of being so close to the land and the people you meet along the way. You can stop whenever you like to appreciate an historic marker, a beautiful garden or scenic overlook when traveling on a bicycle. There’s something about the physical exertion necessary to get from place to place that connects a rider with the land more deeply than if he arrives by bus, train or car.
The Irish have suffered Viking slavers, the Norman conquest, oppressive British landowners and famine. Despite these adversities, a cycling trip through West Ireland shows them to be an ebullient people with a welcoming attitude and a kind spirit.
By Rich Grant At just 36 miles in length, the Niagara is one of the shortest rivers in the world. And one of the most violent. Almost a million gallons of water cascade down the river every second, reaching speeds of 30 miles per hour. The river is technically not a river at all –…
Old and New Philadelphia. Built in 1747, Independence Hall has been the focal point of Philadelphia for 275 years. Oblivious to the surrounding high rise office buildings, people from all over the world line up to walk through the diminutive chambers were history was made. By Rich Grant It’s become fashionable of late to denigrate…
By Karin Leperi It’s not often you arrive in town and your first thoughts are, “Get thee to a nunnery.” Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city, is one of those unexpected exceptions where that saying holds true. It’s a fascinating place where culture, history, religion, architecture, and stories from the past come together to define the…
By Rich Grant “Wild Bill” Hickok, of Dakota’s most boisterous boomtown, was such a romantic figure that it is hard to believe he really existed. Of course, through dime novels, movies, HBO, television shows and merchandising for 155 years, his image has become a caricature of the real thing. Look back at what contemporaries wrote…
Four of our greatest presidents. Or two slave owners, a racist and an Indian killer? Will a Minnesota beat cop’s act of brutality change America’s perception of its past? By Mark Orwoll There are countless paths across America. I’ve followed many of them. Route 66, with its tepee motels, trading posts, and homey cafés. The…
A wave of terror washed over me as I squinted through the windshield and drove a Trabant in Berlin, Germany. There were other cars on the street around me, and hordes of pedestrians crowded the sidewalks. This was no time to be faint-hearted! My damp hands clutched the steering wheel with a death grip as…
“Three cities, two countries, one region”, remarked former Texas State Senator Jose Rodriquez referring to El Paso Texas, Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua Mexico, the United States and Mexico. The saying is something you hear a lot in these parts, especially when it comes to El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, the Mexican city just across the…