How Johann Sebastian Bach Was Almost Lost to History
If Johann Sebastian Bach could join the tourists and university students in Leipzig, Germany’s City…
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SAVING PHNOM PENH’S COLONIAL HISTORY
Although Phnom Penh dates its origin from the 14th century, it wasn’t until 1863 that…
Cappadocia’s Underground Cities Saved Christianity
Today’s visitors to Turkiye’s Cappadocia come for two reasons – spectacular sunrise ascents over the…
Wilkommen in Texas Hill Country!
Hill Country settlements between Austin and San Antonio, 80 miles apart in south-central Texas, now…
Penang Festivals, Food, and Fun
By Nancy Wigston The view from our windows at Penang’s Eastern & Oriental Hotel stretches…
How 250 Years Ago Two Men Using Only Words Changed History
By Rich Grant America is going through a period of uncertainty in 2025, but one…
Searching for Sarah, the White Lady of Bridgeport
By David DeVoss It was a beautiful autumn day in 1887 when Mac McGillivray and…
KRAKOW’S POLISH KALEIDOSCOPE OF CULTURE, HISTORY – AND SALT
By Sharon McDonnell The Polish city of Krakow is full of marvels, from its gorgeously…
Estonia’s Soviet Flashbacks
Travelers to the Baltic city of Tallinn immediately notice that Estonia is one of Ukraine’s…
St. Nicholas (aka Santa Claus) Is From Türkiye, Not the North Pole
By Mary Bergin Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, but the original St. Nicholas…
Beer is Man’s Oldest Beverage. Have a Pint With History at These Places
By Rich Grant People have been knocking back beers together for 6,000 years. The…
Two American Whiskey Legends, One Of Them Largely Unknown
Tennessee has two products that are famous around the world – country music from Nashville…
Capt. James Cook’s Legacy of Exploration on display in Australia
By Richard Varr I’m crawling on my hands and knees in the cramped and low-ceiling…
Cambodia’s Capital, Phnom Penh, Embraces A New Generation
By John Gottberg Anderson The tuk-tuk driver reclined on a padded seat in the back…
To Lhasa and Beyond On the Road to Shangri-La
In Lhasa’s Barkhor Square, the weathered Tibetan woman softly intoning a Buddhist mantra fell to…
Cycling California’s Royal Road – Part II
Cycling California’s El Camino Real is an 800-mile (1,287 km) epic adventure. The appeal of…
HERCULANEUM THEN AND NOW
By Beth Reiber The first thing you notice upon entering Herculaneum is how resplendent it…
When in Mérida, Do as the Romans Did
By Richard Varr Corinthian columns stand double-stacked across a wide Roman stage, and although…
Cycling California’s Royal Road – Part I
By John Poimiroo The sonorous tone of mission bells announced arriving travelers along California’s El…
Spain’s Colonial Heart Beats Seductively in Mexico’s San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende lies in the Eastern part of Mexico’s State of Guanajuato, about…
Traveling Forward to Look Inward: Catholic Shrine Tourism
By Teresa Bergen Jason Spoolstra stands with his back to a mural of Jesus welcoming…
Falling in Love with Ol’ Man River
By Toby Saltzman What sounded like a pickup line turned out to be friendly banter…
Floating Through History on the Aquitaine’s River Lot
By Nancy Wigston East of the wine-making capital of Bordeaux and north of the Canal…
Dead Yet Still Alive, Three Western Ghost Towns Beguile Intrepid Visitors
When gold was discovered in a frigid creek running through the Sierra Nevada foothills in…
There’s More to Romania than Transylvania, Dracula and Ghostly Carpathian Forests
Romania conjures mysterious and sinister images of Count Dracula and the Transylvanian forests. The foreboding…
Charleston Afro-American Museum Adds to Southern City’s Appeal
By Tom Adkinson As I navigated the International African American Museum’s intellectually challenging artifacts and…
Civilizations Ebb and Flow But Petra Stands Eternal
Petra’s fascination today lies not in its association with Indiana Jones but with lingering echoes…
San Francisco’s French Roots Run Deep
New Orleans is not the only French city in America. From the cafes near the…
America’s Bourbon Whiskey Takes Its Place on the International Stage
By Teresa Bitler A flight of five bourbons sits on the thickly varnished wooden bar…
How Chinese Food Became as American as Apple Pie
In April 1904, Chinese Prince Pu Lun, the 32-year-old heir apparent to the throne of…
The Butterfly Effect of the Georgia Coast
In 1972, mathematician Edward Lorenz coined the phrase ‘the butterfly effect.’ He used the term…
Tourism Takes Travelers to New Heights and Depths
World attention remains focused on the ill-fated voyage of the deep-sea submersible Titan, a tear-drop-shaped…
Milwaukee’s Beer Heritage Still Is Hopping Thanks to Wisconsin’s Germans and Their Culture
By Mark Orwoll “Have you ever closed Wolski’s?” That’s not an uncommon question in…
Hotels in Hell. Diary of a Female War Correspondent
You won’t find these hotels in a guidebook of great getaways. Amenities are woeful. Rooms…
Mead: A Honey of a Libation Makes a Comeback!
By Cathie Gandel Beer, wine, or mead? You’re kidding, right? Who wants to drink a…
Nature, History, and Storybook Villages Fill New York’s Hudson River Valley
Ever since the pilgrims’ arrival in 1620 America has dreamed of expanding westward. A Promised…
History, Betrayal and Heroism on London’s Spy Trail
By Nancy Wigston On a bright autumn afternoon, Rob Smith of Footprints of London waits…
Visits by Britain and France foreshadow the approaching anniversary of a Midnight Ride that Changed the World on Both Sides of the Atlantic
Last week, two old friends stopped by for a visit. French President Emmanuel Macron dropped…
An Intricate Labyrinth of Tunnels Beneath Jerusalem’s Western Wall Reveals Clues to Ancient Biblical Life
By Mira Temkin Among Jewish people, Jerusalem’s Western Wall is the holiest place on earth.…
On the Trail of Edgar Allan Poe You Will Encounter Nightmares, Insanity and Fevered Delusions
There’s a small brick basement in Philadelphia that is to mystery and horror fiction what…
Relics, Miracles, and Faith Light the Way Along Spain’s Camino de Santiago
It was pure good fortune that enabled me to arrive in Santo Domingo de la…
Costumed Actors Clash Anew in War of 1812 Battles
After two years of pandemic-induced inactivity, the War of 1812 erupts anew the first weekend…
Underground Railroad Terminus Brings Families and Genealogists to Chatham, Ontario
The Underground Railroad brought thousands of escaped African slaves to Chatham, Ontario during the early…
Yorkshire – Inspiration for Dracula, the Brontës and All Creatures Great and Small
Yorkshire is the United Kingdom’s largest county–about 3.6 million acres—and boasts a turbulent history that…
Galveston Island’s Two Historic Hotels Have Stories to Tell
By Mira Temkin Mother Nature has pummeled Galveston repeatedly since 1900, but the Gulf Coast…
Cycling Ireland’s Backroads Past Churches, Castles, Sheep Farms and Pubs
Cycling the lightly traveled backroads of West Ireland affords time to intimately experience the country,…
Cycling through Ireland. Scars Left by Blight and Brutality Are Balanced by Uplifting Ballads and Gaelic Humor
The Irish have suffered Viking slavers, the Norman conquest, oppressive British landowners and famine. Despite…
On the Thunderous Niagara River the War of 1812 Breaks out Every Year
By Rich Grant At just 36 miles in length, the Niagara is one of the…
In Washington’s Philadelphia, 18th Century America is Never Far Away
Old and New Philadelphia. Built in 1747, Independence Hall has been the focal point of…
“Get thee to a Nunnery!” It’s easy to do in Arequipa, Peru
By Karin Leperi It’s not often you arrive in town and your first thoughts are,…
The Brothels Are Closed but the Whisky Still Flows in the Deadwood of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane
By Rich Grant “Wild Bill” Hickok, of Dakota’s most boisterous boomtown, was such a romantic…
With the End of COVID-19 we’re Hitting the Road for Vacation. Will our History Still Be There?
Four of our greatest presidents. Or two slave owners, a racist and an Indian killer?…
Cold War Icon Now a Berlin Tourist Attraction
A wave of terror washed over me as I squinted through the windshield and drove…
El Paso and Juarez are two cities whose common language and history bridge the Rio Grande river border
“Three cities, two countries, one region”, remarked former Texas State Senator Jose Rodriquez referring to…
Historical Marker Staycations allow familiar locations to yield fresh discoveries
By Kirsten Hahn This is not the summer for elaborate, extended vacations. Expensive family outings…
Where in the world is Malta? Travel there and you’ll be amazed what the tiny Mediterranean archipelago has to offer
Not your average Mardi Gras. Malta’s pre-Lenten Carnival emphasizes history and culture over skin and…
Pursuing the Mysteries of Israel’s Dead Sea Scrolls: From Jerusalem to Qumran
By Jacqueline Swartz I am floating like a cork on the salty Dead Sea, 1,400…
Baden-Baden: Germany’s Black Forest Gem Offers History, Wine, Nature & Music plus Europe’s Best Spas
Baden-Baden, the idyllic spa town at the foot of Germany’s Black Forest, draws spa-goers to…
Chinese Celebrating Year of the Rat Keep America’s Cash Registers Ringing
by David DeVoss Sinitic cultures are famed for their hard work. From Shanghai to San…
Yangzhou – A Perfect Portal into China’s History, Culture and Cuisine
Travelers wishing to truly understand China’s rich history must venture beyond the opulent gateways into…
Yangzhou’s Gardens of Delight
Because of its fertile soil, abundant water and temperate climate, Jiangsu Province is known as…
The Hills Are Alive in Rwanda
By David DeVoss: We rose before dawn and began driving across Rwanda, a densely populated…
Athens, An Artful Blend of Ancient and Modern Despite Years of Financial Crisis
By Jacqueline Swartz Returning to Athens after more than a dozen years seemed like an…
Kurdistan’s Rough Road to Freedom
Kurdistan’s Rough Road to Freedom By David DeVoss Kurds in northern Iraq control their own…
