Not Visiting the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
The Dome of the Rock, built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is one of the holiest sites of the Muslim faith. Muslims believe this is where Muhammad ascended into…
Our 2014 Travels in 50 Photos
2014 was our biggest year of traveling yet. We visited 19 countries, including a long driving trip in the western United States. We saw, in order, the United States, Belgium,…
Drama in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy
I’ll flirt with heresy and say, To Florence, the Palazzo Vecchio (“Old Palace”) is every bit as iconic as the Duomo. Or more so. It has the advantage of sitting…
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)…
The Last Judgement of the Duomo, 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.
