Musings on the Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece
There are some nice pieces of ancient Greek art at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Unfortunately, most of them are not from the Parthenon. A lot of them have been … Read more
Europe
Tallinn, Estonia: Fascinating Capital City
Tallinn always has been–and remains–at a crossroads. Taking the long view, Tallinn, like the Baltic Countries as a whole, has been tossed back and forth by neighboring powers, and in flux between invasions, war, destruction, and rebuilding. Today, it’s a lot of fun to visit.
The Jewish Cemetery, Warsaw, Poland
The Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw is a bit of a surprise. In the middle of the city that once had 300,000 Jews who had been there for centuries, it’s now … Read more
The Centennial Hall, Wroclaw, Poland
We make a point of visiting all Unesco World Heritage sites that are within easy reach of where we are. So, we took a bus from our central Wroclaw hotel … Read more
Visiting the Auschwitz and Birkenau Nazi Death Camps
The gate where we entered the Auschwitz concentration camp bears the overarching black iron legend, “Arbeit Macht Frei” – Work Will Set You Free.
Rumbula Massacre Holocaust Memorial, Latvia
We had never heard of the Rumbula Massacre until we visited the Latvian Museum of the Occupation in Riga. The museum itself is an eye opener to the terror the … Read more
Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Wroclaw, Poland
In Wroclaw, there’s an island of churches which has, among others, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul. But just a short … Read more
St. Mary’s Basilica, Krakow, Poland
Every so often, you walk into a church, expecting nothing special. And then you get something like this. St. Mary’s Basilica on the Main Square of Krakow is simply, one … Read more
Altar Portrait of John Paul II, Basilica, Krakow, Poland
In Krakow, there is no more popular figure than Pope John Paul II. He, along with Lech Walesa, deservedly get a lot of the credit for Poland’s independence from Moscow. … Read more
Saints Peter and Paul Church, Vilnius, Lithuania
We were warned that when we came to Vilnius, Lithuania that we should be prepared for Baroque overload. Well this is it. Saints Peter and Paul are, of course, probably … Read more