Amsterdam Central Station is a ten-minute walk from Dam Square, the city’s center plaza. Built in 1889, the stately Gothic and Renaissance Revival structure suggests a medieval cathedral, according to civic architects. About 180,000 passengers daily rush through its doors and off to other destinations in the Netherlands and to
Our nineteen-day itinerary to visit Central Asia’s Stans countries proved to be the trip of a lifetime. Every day revealed new cultural experiences that amazed, thrilled, challenged and opened my eyes to an unknown world to me. Excuse the borrowed locational reference, but I felt I was living One Thousand
We scheduled our nineteen-day journey to the far-off lands of the fabled Silk Road countries in Central Asia six months before our departure with Bestway Tours and Safaris. But I always begin planning way before that, and this journey required more thoughtfulness about the possible destinations. Part of embarking on
With four-inch razor-sharp talons, she grasps the leather glove that covers the trainer’s hand and forearm. Her large, protruding eyes peer fiercely, as she swivels her head to survey the surrounding landscape in search of movement along the ground. Her prominent curved black beak ends in a sharp hook, useful
You’ll find it on lists of “The Oddest Places in the World to Visit.” The gigantic hole in the desert floor is on fire, and it’s been burning continuously since 1971. Measuring 200-230 feet in diameter and about 100 feet deep, the “Gates of Hell” presents a spectacular, supernatural scene
The verdant shades of new growth in spring always promise a bountiful growing season in my Mid-Atlantic American garden (Zone 7b). Spring inspires the “visions of sugar plums” kind of fantasy; gardeners imagine vibrant colors, beautiful arrangements, succulent fruits and vegetables, and tasty herbs that we will enjoy and share
Basic design elements of the Mid-Century Modern (MCM) style represent a radical departure from styles preceding it. Architectural lines are clean, a departure from the ornate, traditional ornamentation of previous styles. Instead, bold geometric shapes characterize both exterior and interior spaces. Floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors in offices and
What’s so funny about death?! After all, it’s no laughing matter, right? The ritual trappings of death in our western culture demand solemnity, as we lay to rest the recently expired and speak only of the best aspects of their earthly lives.
Our van pulled away from Thailand’s beautiful northern city, Chiang Mai, on the pot-holed road heading towards the neighboring city, Chiang Rai. At our midday lunch stop for a Thai buffet, a large billboard advertised Cabbages and Condoms, a Bangkok restaurant that promoted family planning. (It must be in a
In today’s colloquial parlance, the phrase “salt mine” conjures up unpleasant or even grueling work. “Back to the salt mines!” goes the phrase as one returns to work after a break. So you can imagine my puzzled reaction to see the Turda Salt Mine near the top of our Romanian