Category: Architecture
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Love Where You Live – East Village, San Diego, California
As an obsessive, serial relocater, my heart is often pulled toward the next possibility. Will we live overseas? Global south? Middle East? Adventure awaits somewhere. But over the course of many relocations, I’ve also learned you must determine to love where you live. For the moment, that place is near East Village in downtown San Diego.…
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A trip through the ages and around the world – Romania’s village museums
One of Romania’s most impressive cultural and educational sites is the Astra Museum of Traditional Folk Civilization in Sibiu, central Romania. Spread over more than 200 acres, it is Europe’s largest open-air museum, with historic structures- windmills, barns, churches, houses – from around the country transplanted on the lush terrain. Romania’s diverse geography necessitated equally…
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A castle fit for the movies – Corvin Castle, Romania
As we approached the castle in our dusty station wagon, we were put off by the factories, smoke stacks and large quarry that enveloped this historic oasis. This was no Burg Eltz, tucked between forested hills on a remote outpost. Then, as we walked toward the gates, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. To…
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Hercule’s Bath – Baile Herculane, Romania
According to the most reputable legends, Hercules stopped in the Cerna Valley in southwest Romania to bathe in the hot springs and take a much-needed vacation from his exploits. During the Roman period in Dacia, Baile Herculane was a leisure spa town renowned throughout the Empire. Today, vestiges of its 19th century glory days…
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Curating Legacy in Paphos, Cyprus
I spent several days with a friend in Paphos, Cyprus last week. Passionate about people and cultures and how God’s glory is manifest in diverse ways through them, we determined to visit the small Cyprus Ethnographical Museum. We walked by columned government buildings and museums to the aging facade of a large residence, iron gates…
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Monastical Seclusion – Horezu, Romania
One foggy afternoon in October we turned off the main road that skirts the southern Carpathians and headed straight into the foothills. Signs directed us to the UNESCO World Heritage Horezu Monastery. Several kilometers of road dead-ended at a large gate and medieval stone walls. The monastery and surrounding buildings on the hillside were…
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The Wooden Churches of Maramureș, Romania
Along Romania’s northern border, rolling hills and thick forests clothe the landscape that flows into Ukraine. This is the region made famous in William Blackers Along the Enchanted Way, recalling a medieval way of live that still exists but is quickly evaporating into the morning fog. One notable architectural feature of this region is the wooden church…
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Norfolk, not the one in England (Part I)
Early on in the history of willtravelwithkids, I checked the WordPress subject database for current blogs on Norfolk, Virginia. Norfolk, England kept popping up, with nary a notable mention of the newer city of Norfolk across the Atlantic. Norfolk, England looks lovely, but that’s not where I live. I live, for at least a few more…
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Part IV: Cochem Castle, Cochem, Germany
Cochem Castle is a neo-gothic castle located along Germany’s Moselle River. It is superbly preserved and worth the winding detour off the autobahn. The joy of such an architectural highlight is in the details. ****************************************************************** Do you have a photo you would like to share as part of the Eye-Catching Architectural Detail series? Email it to me…
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Eye-catching architectural detail, Part I: The Winterthur, Delaware
The last few inches of an elegant stairway bannister. A manhole, covering a storm drain, plastered with floral filigree. The ruffled ridge of a five foot clay pot. These architectural details catch my eye and I can’t help myself. I have to capture it on camera. Some artisan, skilled in his trade, has left his mark. Over the next…