March 3-4, 2026 “And they have gelato…” - Colleen Dobbs,  reading to me on the train from a guidebook This fabulous gothic masterpiece is the Duomo di Milano, or simply the Duomo.  It is the centerpiece of Milan and its most recognizable landmark, particularly after the recent Winter Olympics.  Admittedly this post is a bit of a photo dump. There was a lot to see. The central train station in Milan built by Mussolini The central train station in Milan built by Mussolini The c

An Egyptian bride getting wedding photos at Karnak temple. What a dress! March 2, 2026 “IT'S WAR! USA AND ISRAEL LAUNCH MAJOR STRIKE ON IRAN 'KHAMENEI DEAD' TEHRAN HITS AMERICAN MILITARY BASES EXPLOSIONS ACROSS MIDDLE EAST MANY FLIGHTS CANCELLED. AIR SPACES CLOSING TEL AVIV TARGETED UPDATES SKY LIVE” Headlines here in Egypt on Monday March 1, 2026. (* The pictures I am showing are from our last night in Luxor on February 28th) We have left Egypt .  We were not scheduled to l

February 26, 2025 "Yes, wonderful things." — Howard Carter, in response to Lord Carnarvon asking if he could see anything peering a candle through a small opening in the tomb of Tutankhamun We crossed the Nile River today to the West Side or “The Land of the Dead”.  At least that is what our driver referred to it and I doubt the residents of this side of the river appreciate the sobriquet.   The name comes from that this is the location of the multiple tombs of the various ph

February 25, 2026 “Ramadan is not only to stay thirsty and hungry; it is also to realize the real thirsty and hungry ones to help; it is true worship.” ― Ehsan Sehgal So last night was the beginning of Ramadan here in Egypt.  For those that are not aware, Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar — a sacred time of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community for Muslims around the world. It marks the month when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by

"The pyramids may be more stupendous and the Parthenon more beautiful... Yet in nobility of conception, in vastness of detail, in mystery of the highest order, [the Hypostyle Hall] surpasses them all." — Amelia Edwards, 1877 During this episode we have visited a number of ancient ruins telling epic stories.  As grand as they all have been none have hit has hard as The Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple here in Luxor Egypt. Some background -  Thebes is the ancient name for this Eg

February 23, 2026 "To put it bluntly, I felt like a walking ATM while visiting Egypt. The level of tourist exploitation is absolutely next level." — Embrace Someplace Since this is a travel blog, it seems reasonable to comment on the challenges of traveling to Egypt.  Despite the enormous popularity of the country as a tourist destination, it remains one of the most challenging. The reasons for this view are complex but mainly center on the grinding poverty that is part of ev

February 20, 2026 “Know Thyself” The saying etched to the pediment at the entrance of the Temple of the Oracle of Delphi No one really knows how all of this started.  Legend tells us that Zeus, wanting to know how big the world was released two eagles flying in opposite directions.  It was here, they met and thus the place was called the Omphalos  - the navel or center of everything. Zeus? Sunset from our hotel room It is also said the God Apollo fought a great battle here ag

Nike for Victory February 19, 2026 “Without doubt, the athlete of Olympia was protected, to a certain point, by the sacred nature of the exercises in which he engaged, and the crown of wild olive placed on the victor's head remained a symbol of selflessness and the chivalrous spirit.” Baron Pierre de Coubertin “Say Billy, ever seen a grown man naked?” Airplane - the Motion Picture 1980 “It is very difficult for men to run while naked, because their parts flop around. It is no

February 18, 2025 “The first great Greek powers were the Mycenaeans who were basically pirates at first: they sacked Phoenician boats, rammed Cretan ships, and soon had enough goods to go into business for themselves. Around 1500 BCE, they destroyed the Minoan civilization on Crete. Their stories describe this as a war with an evil king Minos who kept demanding that the Greeks deliver virgins to him every year until finally the great Greek hero Theseus went over and crushed t

February 16-18, 2026 "Two Corinthians 3:17, that’s the whole ballgame... is that the one you like? I think that’s the one you like, because I loved it”. Donald Trump It seemed simple enough.  We were due to leave Athens and start on a several day road trip around the Peloponnese peninsula.  Although the traffic in Athens is notorious, the car rental office was right beside our hotel on a major thoroughfare with allegedly quick access to the freeway. After over an hour at the

February 14-15, 2026 “He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must either be a beast or a god.” —Aristotle Oh I have heard it before.  When I go on these trips I obsess over history details as if everyone would find them as fascinating as I do. They don’t.  I get it. We were in a taxi yesterday with yet another loquacious driver.  He asked if this is our first time here and, when he discovered it was,  proceeded to tell us

February 13, 2026 “Tell them to stay calm, to breathe deep, and find beauty in unexpected places... look beneath the surface and hang tight”. - Wisdom of the goddess Athena One day the great god Zeus was suffering from an Olympian size headache.  Nothing seemed to work to alleviate his pain.  Recently, in an act of self preservation he ate another goddess Metis, his consort, who was pregnant at the time.  The reason was it was foretold she would have a son that would one day

February 12, 2026 "There are two kinds of people. Greeks, and everyone else who wish they were Greek." - My Big Fat Greek Wedding As our trips have gone, the journey here ranks among the the most grueling of our adventures.  The flight involved 3 connections and some 16 hours in the air in total.   With modern air travel it seemed simple enough.  However, on our second leg in New York the plane had maintenance issues resulting in time on the tarmac, returning to the gate, dep

An entire store dedicated to Godzilla! November 17, 2025 “Listen, this is my death poem: Like dew I was born Like dew I vanish. Osaka Castle and all that I have ever done is but a dream within a dream.” – James Clavell, Shōgun: The Epic Novel of Japan “Oh my….” - The reported last words of Steve Jobs before he died Osaka was always on the list to try and see.  Although we did not have enough time to really do it justice.  Its too big and you can spend an entire trip here alon

November 14, 2025 “But hear me well: The future is unborn. The past is already dead. Only the present is alive. I am here, now.” A Buddhist Maxim There is a person we have seen at various temples and shrines over the past few weeks.  They are usually wearing work overalls but carry only a primitive  stringy broom.  It is more of a large brush really. They are gardeners and their particular task is sweeping up leaf debris off the moss and rocks on the grounds. It is a never en

“Presiding over the Southern Higashiyama Sightseeing district, with a brilliant view across the entire city, Kiyomizu-dera Temple is just about everything a temple shouldn’t be: it’s noisy, crowded, crassly commercial (in its sales of amulets and fortunes), and as gaudy as an attention-starved peacock, but it somehow manages to transcend all of this to become one of Kyoto’s most worthwhile temples to visit.” -Chris Rowthorn Although Japan can be a pleasure in any season to vi

November 12, 2025 "...there was one city that they must not bomb without my permission and that was Kyoto.” - Henry Stimson, US Secretary of War, 1945 So it turns out that Kyoto was the top city on the list of targets submitted for the atomic bomb.  All of this would be ashes if not for this guy. This is Henry L Stimson.  He was a powerful member of Franklin Roosevelt’s inner circle and served as both the Secretary of State and later the Secretary of War (Defense).  According

November 11, 2025 "Tomorrow the Golden Temple would surely burn down. That form which had been filling the space would be lost... And the Golden Temple itself, which had until then been constrained by its form, would be freed from all rules and would drift lightly here and there, scattering a faint light on the lake and on the waters of the dark sea." Yukio Mishima, from The Temple of the Golden Pavilion Their are 3 certain truths about Japan.  The first is, the trains always

November 7-8, 2025 “The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good might result? When will our moralists give us an answer to this question?” ― John Hersey “I was against it on two counts. First, the Japanese were ready to surrender, and it wasn't necessary to hit them with that awful thing. Second, I hated to see

November 5, 2025 "It ended up feeling a little bit like Disney world or a theme park, but every now and then you could find a quiet street, and it would feel like you were actually in Holland." - Alison Park-Douglas We traveled North from Nagasaki by train.  The route was a lazy one that skirted Omura Bay. The last few days the weather has continued to be pleasant and mild.  We are headed for Hiroshima. We stopped on a single platform across from Huis Ten Bosch.  We got off t