I was invited by the Tuscan city of Lucca, Italy, to learn more about its beloved son, Giacomo Puccini. The fifth generation of famous musicians in his family, Puccini lived from 1858–1924 and was the …
August 27, 2012
History
Lucca, Italy: Puccini and the Heart of Tuscany
Close Encounters in CA's High Desert
I may have had some lunatic notions in my day, but I can assure you that none of them have been implanted or otherwise suggested by extraterrestrials. Not a one. George Van Tassel, however, can’t …
August 11, 2012
San Juan Capistrano: A SoCal Treasure
Just 61 miles north of San Diego up the 5 Freeway, San Juan Capistrano is one of the truly historic sites of Southern California. The town is probably best known for the swallows that return …
August 2, 2012
Dope and Diarrhea in Afghanistan: A Sordid Tale
Dope and diarrhea were the two main topics of conversation during my brief sojourn in Afghanistan back in 1976-77. The first everybody wanted, the second everybody had. Back in the day, before anyone had even …
June 21, 2012
Fear and Loathing in L.A.: The Death Museums
Los Angeles is a city of divides: poverty and decadence, history and trend, life and death. And the city of angels has its share of death, as evident by two Hollywood attractions, the Museum of …
June 15, 2012
Berkeley City Club: A California Classic
Smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Berkeley stands Julia Morgan’s “Little Castle.” Old hotels hold a certain allure for me, and the Berkeley City Club is no exception. The stone …
June 12, 2012
Hopping and Crawling through Dublin
“I don’t know where they went. There are usually plenty of them here.” My Servas host in Dublin had driven me up to Phoenix Park overlooking Dublin to see the herd of deer that could …
Hyderabad: A Taste of Southern India
Hyderabad, India, located in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, is a juxtaposition of old and new unlike any other city in India and often overlooked as a tourism destination. The 400-year-old Cyberabad district with …
June 9, 2012
Go Colonial in St. Mary's City, Maryland
Three hundred seventy-eight years ago, the state of Maryland was founded in St. Mary’s County. Leonard Calvert, representing his brother – the second Lord Baltimore – started a colony that would be hospitable to Catholics …
May 29, 2012
Pastoral Life, Medieval History: Kilkenny, Ireland
"We have relatives in L.A., and they are amazed at how different our way of life is here than what they are used to." My Servas host elicited a chuckle out of me as we …
Tel Aviv: The White City
The so-called “White City” in central Tel Aviv, Israel, is home to the largest concentration of Bauhaus buildings and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The Bauhaus style (also referred to as Modern or International …
May 15, 2012