Old City, Jerusalem
Mostly I just wandered the warrens of the narrow streets of the Old City of Jerusalem and looked at a city unlike any I've ever seen before.
The Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence, Italy
When it comes to church art (and other interesting stuff) it's hard to beat the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. For quality and quantity, it's far more important than…
Images of Verona , Italy
We were in the Verona Cathedral at night. Consequently, the light inside was even dimmer than normal in an old church. So, I almost missed this amazing feature of the…
The Pope's Chair, St. John Lateran, Rome
If you said that St. Peter's Basilica is the Pope's “home church” in Rome, you'd be wrong. In fact, the Pope's chair (cathedra in Latin, hence the English word cathedral)…
Duomo Demons, Florence, Italy
There's a lot of debate about the Vasari paintings that cover Florence. I think the safest thing to say about Giorgio Vasari was that he was a better businessman than…
At the Edge of Italy: Visit Trieste
(Trieste December 1-4) We are drawn to Trieste because of its position on the border of Italy and Slovenia, and because of all the complicated history that goes with the…
The Battlefield of Pointe du Hoc, France
The seaside cliff called Pointe du Hoc, overlooking Omaha and Utah beaches in Normandy, was the site of some of the fiercest D-Day fighting.
American Cemetery, Omaha Beach, Normandy, France
This is the second time we've visited the Omaha Beach Cemetery. The first time was in 2007.
The Dominican Church, Colmar, France
The Dominican Church in Colmar, France was built in the 14th Century. There was a time it was not used as a church, then again it was, and then again…