Nope, it's not Jamestown. Nor is it Plymouth. And neither is it the lost colony of Roanoke. Bet you didn't know, the oldest permanent European settlement in the US was founded in St. Augustine, Florida by Spanish conquistadors as early as 1565. It predates the next oldest European city (Santa Fe, New Mexico) by more than 4 decades. As of the time of this writing, the city has been continuously inhabited for 453 years. By North American standards, … [Read more...]
Exploring Elche
Also known as the City of Palms, Elche- or Elx in the Valencian dialect- is becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination. Elche is situated in Spain’s Costa Blanca region, approximately 23km inland from Alicante. A regular train service connects the two cities, and there are good motorway links to Torrevieja and Cartagena. It is situated conveniently close to two airports- the recently renamed Alicante-Elche airport and … [Read more...]
Two Backpackers Tasting Coffee Around the World
Exploring coffee cultures around the world. Follow two caffeine junkie-backpackers searching for the world's best coffee! The quality of a cup of coffee is determined by a complex combination of factors, both environmental and method of preparation. Since altitude, soil quality and climate are influential factors, the bean origin influences coffee quality. These were our favorite coffees around the world. South East Asia Coffee culture … [Read more...]
The Phenomenal Fortitude of Cambodia’s Emerging Capital
Phnom Penh, Cambodia Gray and gritty…these are the two words that rise to the surface when I reflect on our brief 4 days in Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. Gray in the truest sense of the word and color, in that it’s place that is in transition – moving from a dark and clouded past to perhaps a bright and emerging future. However, where the city lies on the gray scale spectrum is open to one’s perception. Some may see it as a place that is … [Read more...]
Citadelle LaFerrière – or how to keep the French out of Haiti
I’ve been in Haiti for a few days now, trying to get a better understanding of life in one of the poorest nations on earth (see my related articles on Port au Prince and Cap Haitien.) By any measure, it has an arduous history. Haiti bears the misfortune of being the island that Columbus decided to claim and colonize first. The native Taino indians were promptly enslaved and sent off into gold mines to enrich the coffers of Queen Isabella of … [Read more...]
Five days in Port au Prince, Haiti
“Excuse me, you’re going where??!” she gasps while simultaneously taking an irritated stride back, crossing her arms and dishing out that look that husbands the world over dread. “Um. Haiti,” I whimper back. And how can I blame her surprise? Just think of the things that come to mind when you hear the name Haiti: crime, armed violence, political instability, UN soldiers, endemic corruption, hurricanes, earthquakes, Zika virus, poverty, famine, … [Read more...]
New Smithsonian Channel Docuseries – Polar Bears, Churchill Manitoba
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 4, 2016 — Every fall, approximately 10,000 tourists from around the world descend on “The Polar Bear Capital of the World,” Churchill, Manitoba. This community of about 800 people on Hudson Bay in Northern Canada is home to the annual migration of more than 1,000 hungry polar bears that pass through town as they wait for the Bay ice to return. The new Smithsonian Channel docu-series POLAR BEAR TOWN documents a season in … [Read more...]
Knoxville Rocks the History Trail
Tennessee is really a fascinating place, particularly for history buffs. There are sites exemplifying pioneer history, the founding of the United States, the Civil War, the Great Depression, WWII, and the Civil Rights Movement – all easily accessible from Knoxville (itself named after Henry Knox, Revolutionary War hero and Secretary of War under President Washington). Most interesting to me is that America as the grand experiment - a country … [Read more...]
Knoxville, TN: Holding on to the Stories
“When an old person dies, it’s like a small library burning.” -- Alex Haley, author of Roots, spoken to his friend John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia[i] Until I went to Knoxville, Tennessee, I hadn’t experienced a place with such a strong sense of preserving the past. Not just the events or places of the past – I work as a tour guide in Philadelphia and we have that here – but the importance of each individual life gone by, … [Read more...]
A Tale of Blue Gold
You might not wonder how clothes or other fabrics get their color, but textile dyes have been around for centuries affecting much more than just the world of fabric. With the introduction of exotic and stunning hues that came from dyes, the world was made a canvas upon which our ancestors painted their history. Dyes were often considered a luxury and a symbol of wealth. Of the many dyes, indigo is the oldest, and its origins are based in … [Read more...]
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