Niagara Falls From Both Sides
The Horseshoe Falls of Niagara Falls. The view from the Canadian side is pretty impressive. Especially when you see those boats sneaking up on the cascade. The Canadian version of … Read more
Tom Bartel
Tree of Jesse, São Francisco, Porto
The gilded carved wood Tree of Jesse from the Church of São Francisco, Porto, Portugal.
What to do in Sintra, Portugal, Other than Eat Pastries
I went to Sintra, too, but I’m not going to be able to improve on Byron’s ode to it’s beauty. Poor, paltry slaves! yet born ‘midst noblest scenes— Why, Nature, … Read more
Watching Spanish Football in Portugal
It was an odd choice for us to leave Spain where we’d spent the past two and a half months to spend ten days in Portugal just when Spain … Read more
The Bulls
I’ve seen perhaps six or seven corridas (bullfights) in my life. Most of those were in the late 70s in Madrid and Barcelona…back when Barcelona had corridas. We saw some good ones, and some bad ones. We saw some brave bulls and toreros, and we saw other days when the bulls and toreros seemed to be running away from, rather than toward, each other.
So, I Suppose I Should Also Mention the Food in Vietnam
Focusing on food in Vietnam. Over three months in Asia, it seemed like the food kept getting better. It was wonderful in Bali, better and spicier in Thailand, and subtler yet perhaps even tastier in Vietnam.
The Hanoi, Vietnam Museums: War is Over if You Want It
Although the American-Vietnam war has been over for more than forty years, sometimes it’s still a bit hard to escape. The reminders are there everywhere there is an exhibit of any sort.
Vietnam’s Museum of War Remnants
Flag flying war memorials litter the center of Ho Chi Minh City, which is what the Vietnamese renamed Saigon after the American War. Most of these memorials feature captured American war materiel, such as intact helicopters, jet fighters, tanks and artillery pieces. You’ll run across them in parks, in the front yards of the aforementioned government buildings, and, of course, at the war museum sites.
The most visited tourist site in the city is the War Remnants Museum. The Museum used to be called the Museum of American War Atrocities.
Hue Imperial City and Citadel, Hue, Vietnam
The Citadel, built by the Vietnamese emperors in the early 19th Century, was severely damaged in Vietnam’s two wars of the 20th Century. In 1947 against the French, and again in 1968 against the Americans, the center of Hue was the site of ferocious battles. The citadel area once held over 140 buildings. Only about 20 remain after extensive restoration since the 1990s. Most buildings were completely destroyed in the fighting and cannot be restored.
Bangkok: 8 Things in 8 Days
I don’t know why I picked eight things to tell you about Bangkok. It’s an arbitrary number, I know. But, I’ve heard that eight is generally regarded as a lucky number in Asia. I was in Bangkok for eight days. That might have something to do with it, but I don’t like to read too much into these things.
