Tagged With: history
Black & White Venice
Every so often, I’ll switch to black and white. On an overly sunny day in Venice last month, b&w made the city feel much more dramatic and intriguing. Hope you agree.
2015 Philadelphia International Cycling Classic
Our North American sports correspondent, David, was on hand to catch all of the action at the men’s and women’s races at the recent Philadelphia International Cycling Classic. Happy reading! -Kathryn Philadelphia is a city rich with history. It’s home to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, but we’ll … Continue reading
Alhambra (Granada, Spain)
In August when the days were well over 100F (40C) and the nights were not much cooler, I was in southern Spain to follow the first week of the Vuelta. Before catching an overnight bus to Madrid to then fly on to Canada at 6 a.m. the next morning, I visited Alhambra on my last … Continue reading
Ypres, Belgium
With the Tour de France starting in Ypres (or Ieper, if you prefer the Flemish), this seemed like a good opportunity to write about some of the ways World War I is remembered here. Back in April, I visited In Flanders Fields, a museum dedicated to documenting the experiences of the soldiers and civilians. … Continue reading
Alexandria, Egypt
The drive from Cairo to Alexandria is long but easy, especially if you've got a private driver which is ridiculously affordable. After driving through the desert, our first stop was to see the catacombs at Kom el-Shoqafa. They were pretty serious about not letting cameras in, which is too bad because I loved exploring the … Continue reading
Abu Simbel, Egypt
Before my Tour de France pilgrimage, I was posting about my trip with Viraj to Egypt so without further ado, I’m picking up where I left off! When I told people I was heading to Egypt, the 2 responses I most commonly heard were (1) “Are you crazy?!” and (2) “Abu Simbel was my favorite!” … Continue reading
Giza pyramids, Egypt
You’ve only got one option today if you’re keen to see the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Fortunately, the Great Pyramid of Giza (not to mention its 2 companion pyramids and the Sphinx) is still pretty damn impressive over 4 millennia after completion. Viraj and I made a beeline for the interior of … Continue reading
The step & red pyramids, Egypt
If you like old things, Egypt is a good destination! My trip there with my friend Viraj (who you may recall from September's Kilimanjaro posts…or you may not) started with a vain attempt to beat Cairo's legendary traffic to get to Saqqara, site of the famous step pyramid, the pyramid of Djoser. Built in the … Continue reading
Rome, Italy
Unless I’ve miscounted, you’ll only see the Colosseum for the first time once. I was a bit bleary eyed from my morning flight as the airport bus rounded the corner and suddenly, there it was and my mouth fell open. Everything about the Colosseum is, well, colossal. It was built over a decade and was … Continue reading
Valletta, Malta
Malta’s capital city, Valletta, is laid out grid style on a small and hilly peninsula. If the hills don’t bring San Francisco to mind, then you’re obviously not on foot. Walking through the streets, the first thing I noticed were the ubiquitous window boxes. I usually try to pick up a few words of … Continue reading