I have been taken with rural wooden churches since I was a freshman at St. Olaf College. Before I realized that God really didn’t care if I continued to go to the Episcopal Church or if I went to Boe … Continue reading Chiloé’s Wooden Churches
As a youth my grandfather spent every New Years Eve on his knees in St. Finian’s church, welcoming the new year with prayer as the bell in the tower tolled 12 times. When he left Ireland he preferred a different … Continue reading My Grandfather’s Church
The “Blessing of the Fleet” is one of those small town Sitka rituals that mark our seasons. It is on Palm Sunday, a time to stop and remember all of those who our community has lost during the past year, … Continue reading Blessing of the Fleet, 2022
Psychedelic Deco. Nanioujou Club Lodge I go out of my way to find quirky old hotels. I collect them. In Slovakia there was the Hotel Junior, which was a satellite themed space aged Soviet Era fantasy with extremely hard beds. … Continue reading Psychedelic Deco. Naniboujou Club Lodge
Ramadan is a movable fast/feast. Back in 2008 it was in August and September. Here is a letter that I wrote to my extended family back then, before I started blogging. I did not think it was appropriate to blog … Continue reading Ramadan Mubarak.
In 1904 the fishing city of Ålesund burned to the ground. There was only one fatality but the whole city was homeless. Around Europe people responded. In Paris there were benefit concerts, in Germany Keiser Wilhelm personally got involved in … Continue reading Art Nouveau Phoenix — Ålesund
Trondheim is a place of pilgrimage, for two types of pilgrim, religious and rock ‘n rollers. First St. Olaf (in the Norwegian brochures it is St Olav, in English, St. Olaf. St. Olaf is pretty engrained in my brain so … Continue reading Trondheim — St. Olaf and Rock and Roll.
The lecturer on the ship told us that in Oslo we would be tie up at Askershaus, a fortress fairly close to much of what I wanted to see in Oslo. He told us there would be a money exchange, … Continue reading Feeling So 20th Century in Oslo
St. Charles Borromeo Church is easy to miss if you are not on a tour. While it is “hidden” in a little square it is not small. It does not appear in my Lonely Planet book or on either of … Continue reading Confessions and Anguished Angels.
Yesterday was a “sea day” on Prinsendam. There are not enough of them on this segment of the cruise. I like a day at sea to recharge, and go to lectures and to ask the Captain questions. This sea day … Continue reading Einstein on the Beach
The St. Pancras is a classic old railway hotel designed by British Architect Gilbert Scott. It ran out of steam in the 30s and sat more or less derelict, used for a sett for the occasional Victorian or horror film, … Continue reading St. Pancras Redux
“He is Not Here!” This post is originally from May 2010 You need a lot of faith to visit holy sites in the Holy Land. The “upper room” where the Jerusalem tourist office tells you the Last Supper took place … Continue reading Crucifixion and Resurrection in Jerusalem.
This is a post of pictures of the Cape of Good Hope Castle. For the narrative please click on this link to “A Walk Through Cape Town.” Continue reading Cape of Good Hope Castle
In Stellenbosch I expected the austere Dutch Reformed Church I was used to seeing as a kid, emphasis on the pulpit and perhaps the organ, clear glass and little other ornamentation. From the outside the Stellenbosch Moedergemeente Reformed Church fit … Continue reading Reformed and re-Reformed.
Norman Foster is one of my favorite architects. I love his work in redoing the British Museum and the Gerkan building in London is a modern urban icon. I had hoped he would win the World Trade Center project in … Continue reading Norman Foster in Hong Kong.
The Kowloon and Canton Railroad used to end at the Star Ferry. Salisbury Road ran east along the water and on Salisbury Road two hotels went up to serve the rail customer. The Peninsula or (The Pen) was, in its … Continue reading A Tale of Two Hotels
Gustave Eiffel had a major hand in the iconic landmarks in two world cities. He designed the support structure for the Statue of Liberty. He also designed a number of pre-fab iron buildings in Arica Chile including a church, customs … Continue reading Gustave Eiffel in Manila?
I wished I could have seen more of Ulu Watu, the Cliff Temple on our second day in Bali. But I couldn’t because monkeys have opposable thumbs. Before getting out of the cab the driver told me to take off … Continue reading Bad Monkey – Ulu Watu
On our way back from Pura Luhur Batukau and the rice terraces we stopped at Pura Taman Ayun. This was an unexpected stop recommended by our guide, Putra. Suzi and I both said we would rather skip lunch and see … Continue reading Pura Tamam Ayun:
After visiting Pura Luhur Batukau we drove along a winding road through the Jatiouwith Ricce Fields and got a chance to get out and walk a little. As I mentioned in the last post, they, and the whole rice growing … Continue reading Jatiouwith Rice Fields
One of the great joys of living in Sitka is “change bell ringing” from the tower of St. Michael’s Cathedral. Change Ringing is not playing a tune, but the repeat of a mathematical sequence of different bells. The sequence is … Continue reading You Owe Me Five Farthings. (Say the bells of…)
A highlight of the Central Business District (CBD( is the Queen Victoria Building (QVB). It’s one of those Victorian iron and glass structures that followed the first world’s fair at crystal palace. It was an architecture style that was used … Continue reading QVB in the CBD
Bondi Beach is the closest beach to Sydney, only 7 km (5 miles) from the center and on public transport. It’s a 1.5 KM long crescent of sand between two headlands. Bondi is an aboriginal word for “water breaking.” Rebellious … Continue reading Working Man’s Beach — Bondi
At Sunset each night and again at 9 PM “Badu Gili” or “Water Light” is projected onto the Eastern Bennelong Sail of the Sydney Opera House. It is a 7 minute moving display of aboriginal art set to music. Continue reading Badu Gili – Water Light.