Category: history
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Day 17~ September 17th~ Tuscany
I often wonder if the impressive and extravagant architecture of cathedrals is meant to distance believers from what is heavenly and saintly, almost belittling mere humans in the face of religion. But when I think of religion, the image that comes into my mind is a special place in nature that is so inspiring that…
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Day 12~ September 12th~ Tuscany
So much of the charm of old Europe comes from its layers upon layers of history and the value they place on preserving tradition. Walking into the exquisitely charming rooms of this beautiful pharmacy in Florence, my heart skipped a beat. Knowing that it was first built by the Dominican friars of the 16th century…
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Day 10~ September 10th~ Tuscany
After many years of fascination and research of cathedrals, I have come to discover that these massive houses of worship were mostly constructed over generations in places that held a great historical significance. If you dig deeper into the history of cathedrals like Chartres in France and the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence,…
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Day 3~ September 3rd~ Tuscany
I often think about the times when humans lived without electricity, the nights when darkness enveloped all with a shroud of mystery. Where people different then? They must have been forced to gaze at the night skies for any source of light, or at the blazing fires that kept them warm. Does electricity force us…
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Day 2~ September 2nd~ Tuscany
Like all art lovers, I have dreamt of the first time I would lay eyes on Florence. I read, I researched, I gazed at art, I dove into the renaissance, its music, its glorious artists, its astounding architecture, and I thought what I would finally meet would be so awe inspiring. But Florence exceded my…
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Day 20~ July 20th~ Vietnam
Halong Bay~ the bay of descending dragons~ they came from the sky to help save the people from invaders, they spat out pearls that turned into small islands, and they loved it so much that they decided to stay.
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Day 5~ July 5th~ Vietnam
Somewhere along the way during human history, the essence of trust was forced to retreat. In a country like Vietnam where people had to suffer one occupation after another, and one war followed by the next, seeing a foreigner does not call out the essence of trust as a first principle. Warmth has to be…
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Day 23~ June 23rd~ Xinjiang
Starting around 200 BC, a network of trade routs was created linking China, India, other parts of Asia, Afro Asia and Europe. Its name comes from the German (Seidenstrasse), the silk road saw the trade of silk, tea, spices, glassware, jewelry, gold, silver, perfumes, textiles, precious stones as well as the dreaded bubonic plague. It…
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Day 21~ June 21st~ Xinjiang
More than two thirds of the old city of Kashgar has been demolished and the rest doomed to follow shortly… I met this girl in one of the narrow alleys of what is left of the old city as she stood framed by her old family door. Old decorated wooden doors are considered a family…
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Day 18~ June 18th~ Xinjiang
Houses were built so that we may hide behind their windows and doors… The old city of Kashgar is a maze of old narrow alleys, meandering around and around, some leading to the city center, others ending with stone walls that bar your entry. I was told that the cobble stones in the alley are…