-
-
Previous Travels
Recommended Web Sites
Category Archives: history
Spain, Day 15: Underground in Toledo
Toledo is dramatically sited on a hill overlooking a gorge in a bend of the broad Rio Tajo. It was important to the Romans, capital of the Visigoths, a glory of both Jewish and Muslim civilizations, the capital of Catholic … Continue reading
Spain, Day 14: The Past & Future of Seville
I started the day with another longing look at the outside of the cathedral, which was honey-colored in the soft morning light. Compared to the earlier Romanesque style, Gothic style is known for its verticality. I admired the spires, the … Continue reading
Posted in 2023 Spain, architecture, European history, history
Tagged bullfighting, cathedral
1 Comment
Spain, Day 13: Back to When the Earth Was Young
Silver, copper, iron, lead…for a complete change of pace, today I drove about 90 minutes into the mountains west of Seville and spent a wonderful day at the Rio Tinto mines. Worked by the Phoenicians, Romans, and others as far … Continue reading
Spain, Day 3: Avila
Nine hundred, eight hundred, seven hundred years ago the northern third of Spain was Christian. The southern third was Muslim. In between is a vast plain that, during centuries of back-and-forth battling, was no-man’s-land. And that’s where I’ve been spending … Continue reading
Singapore: Tropical Humidity, Futuristic Architecture
Singapore is 1 degree latitude north of the Equator. The sun sets at the same time 365 days per year, and the tropical weather–extremely hot and humid–is constant throughout the year as well.
The country’s main variety comes from its staggeringly diverse, futuristic skyscrapers.
And did I mention it’s incredibly hot and humid all the time, even at night? Continue reading
Singapore: The Town That Became a Country
A thousand years before Marco Polo travelled the Silk Route between Venice and China, there was a little town in the strategic location of Singapore. In 1320 the Mongols shopped for elephants there. As Europeans scrambled for footholds in the … Continue reading
Posted in 2022 Singapore & Malaysia, history
Leave a comment
Day 8, Part II: The Killing Fields of Towton
While I pondered the bustling day in York, John brought the car around and we drove a half-hour southwest to the enormous battlefield of Towton. It was here on March 29, 1461 that the Wars of the Roses continued. The … Continue reading
Day 6: Medieval Abbeys, Connected By a Steam Train
Fully rested (and fully windblown), I finally bid farewell to the little seaside town of Redcar and headed south along the coast to another little seaside town, Whitby. Except this town hosted a blockbuster attraction—Whitby Abbey. Whitby Abbey started as … Continue reading
Marty's Travel Blog: History, Culture, & People 
