Seeing Where the World Really Changed It seems almost unimaginable now that for so many years, between 1961 and November 9, 1989, a wall divided East and West Berlin and tourists couldn’t cross easily beneath the Brandenburg Gate, and East…
Understanding the Viennese Paradox Anticipating a visit to Vienna, I am trying to understand the place, its past, its present. Mention Vienna and pastries come to mind along with classical music. Austria as a nation is a bit more confusing,…
Looking for Understanding in France and New York I don’t know much about Austria beyond the Sound of Music. Little makes sense to me about Austria despite my efforts to understand. How could the homeland of Marie-Antoinette, who herself struggled…
Armistice Declared in Panmunjom on July 27, 1953 The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. was dedicated on July 27, 1995 Photo credit: M. Ciavardini The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. brings warriors close to civilians. Seeing…
As much as I enjoy some visually gratifying graffiti in urban areas, seeing it in the Galapagos islands is a little jarring. I understand there’s tension here that tourists do not necessarily see—pressure to fish, to provide jobs, to keep…
I wasn’t sure what to think when I happened upon a memorial to victims of the war at St. Nikolai church in Hamburg, Germany. What remains of the church is basically a bell tower and a basement, some walls, now…