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…
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….
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…
Art Nouveau Facades, Riga, Latvia
The art nouveau streets of Riga, Latvia are perhaps the city's most charming facet. We went into a couple of churches, and they aren't much to look at. I think…
Struve Geodetic Arc, Tartu University, Estonia
The Struve Geodetic Arc is a series of triangulations done by Tartu University astronomer and geographer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve between 1816 and 1855. The measurement of the meridian used the observatory at Tartu University in Estonia as its base point.
Turaida Castle, Sigulda, Latvia
Turaida Castle in Sigulda is a remnant of the old days, when bishops were, in some parts of the world, richer and more powerful than the nobility.
Glimpses of Estonia Past and Present
We ask, every chance we get, what the reaction in Estonia is to the recent events in the Ukraine. Does Estonia fear it will ‘be next,’ annexed back into Russia…
Chartres Cathedral, France
Nothing says Gothic like butresses, unless of course it's spindly decorated spires. And, if you want perhaps the best example of Gothic architecture in the world, that's Chartres Cathedral. I…
Erratic Rocks, Kasmu Peninsula, Estonia
I don't normally feature photos of rocks, unless we're at Stonehenge or something. But these are “erratic” rocks, dropped on the Kasmu Peninsula of Estonia by glaciers many millennia ago….