“Our day in Fés, Morocco, barely scratched the surface of this ancient place… Located in hilly terrain northwest of the Atlas Mountain range, Fés was a natural stopover early in our circumnavigation of those beautiful mountains.”
All tagged History
Morocco III: Volubilis
“Oh, those Romans! They really got around the Mediterranean in ancient times. That included northern Morocco’s city of Volubilis (population 20,000)… Even before the Romans arrived, Volubilis was a thriving Berber (Amazigh) settlement… At one point, Volubilis served as the capital city of the Kingdom of Mauritania under King Juba II…”
Morocco II: Casablanca
“The name “Casablanca” is familiar nowadays, but the place actually started out as the ancient city of Anfa. When the Portuguese arrived in 1468 and blew Anfa to ruins and later built a military fortress there in 1515, they called the village that grew up around it "Casa Branca" (Portuguese for "white house)…”
Morocco I: Chefchaouen
“Seventeen days is too little time to make a person expert about a place, but it’s more than enough to have made me fall in love with this northwestern corner of continental Africa. That lyrical name — Morocco! — piqued my curiosity for decades… Our initial plans took several of us north from Casablanca for three days to the “blue city” of Chefchaouen”
The Delightful Dolomites
“Tucked in the northeastern corner of Italy on terrain hotly contested in World War I and again in World War II, the Dolomite Mountains march gloriously southeast toward the Adriatic Sea. These mountains don’t jut so much as carve a serrated skyline with jagged knife-edged drama…”
Biltmore 2025
“Somehow, I always knew that a visit to Asheville, North Carolina, meant a visit to Biltmore. Certain attractions are synonymous with their locations. It was a given, then, to carve out a day to go there while planning an autumn 2025 trip to the area…. Despite the grandeur and lavishness of Biltmore, a palpable vibe of humility reigned for me.”
Cabo Verde
“Cabo Verde lies in the Atlantic Ocean 320 nautical miles (370 miles) offshore from Senegal, the westernmost nation of mainland Africa. Despite its diminutive size and remote location, Cabo Verde has played some outsized roles in human history. For one, Cabo Verde was for centuries the first stop for slave ships leaving Africa bound for Brazil, the Caribbean, and the United States. That didn’t end until 1876.”
Hurrah for Citizen Science!
“I've been a "citizen scientist" for the Community Collective Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) for about four years now, with about 900 reports sent in from every time of year and sort of weather. I cannot say enough about how good it feels to help collect relevant climate data. Just before the summer solstice recently, CoCoRaHS, a volunteer organization, celebrated its 25th anniversary. My, how time flies.”
Kolmanskop, Namibia: Ghost Town
“In the early 1900s, the railroad leading to the coastal settlement of Luderitz in German South West Africa… was perpetually assaulted by the sands of the Namib Desert. Workers constantly had to shovel sand drifts off the rails. In April, 1908, a Black railroad worker named Zacharias Lewala found a perfectly clear stone… It was the first of the diamonds which would within four short years become millions of carats of harvested there annually.”
The Sweet Surprise of Lisboa
“With my attention on the long walk we had ahead, I entered Lisboa, as the locals call it, a bit haphazardly… My delightful but too-brief introduction to this captivating city will surely draw me back someday. Situated on seven hills (as so many famous cities are), Lisboa is chock full of interesting history, beautiful sights, and welcoming people.”
The Bravest, The Finest, The Forgotten*
“For ages, many people have grown up wishing to become a firefighter or police officer… Then there’s EMS. Emergency Medical Services. EMTs. MFRs. Paramedics. Medics. Ambulances. Rescue. What? Who or what are all these things? The general public is understandably confused by the jumble of EMS terms.”
The Cotswold Way (Part 2)
“Midway through our 70 miles on the Cotswold Way, our party took an entire day off… leaving us with an entire day in the delightful town of Wotton-Under-Edge!”
Sea Kayaking the Elafitski Otoci
“Our journey was to the Elafitski Otici… a small archipelago of 13 islands in the Adriatic Sea that protects Croatia…”
Palau and World War II (Part 4 of 4)
“My original interest in visiting the tiny Pacific nation was driven in large part by curiosity about my father’s service in WWII.“
Flight 93 National Memorial
“It was exceedingly dignified, and calm, and respectful, and deep. I stood there on the lower plaza, alone in the misty cold day.”
Egypt, December 2015
“Of the many places I have visited, Egypt is among the most complex and sometimes overwhelming.”
Machu Picchu
“It’s the “lost city of the Incas” which, as with the city of Sleeping Beauty, was covered by dense vegetation for centuries before being rediscovered.”
Getting High in Peru
“What I learned was that, although I’d been thinking “I’m going to Machu Picchu” for months, I actually fell in love with the larger context of Peru.”