Travels with Tricia

Category: Culture and History

  • Tails from a German Horse-Blessing Ceremony

    During the last weekend of October, the village of Unterammergau, Germany honors St. Leonhard, the patron saint of agricultural animals. The event begins with a horse procession through this community of 1,500 people. It culminates in an open-air church service, during which more than one hundred horses are blessed. Unterammergau is the neighboring village of…

  • The Lüftlmalerei-Adorned Windows of Oberammergau, Germany

    Oberammergau, Germany is famous for the colorful frescoes that adorn the exteriors of its homes and businesses. This painting technique is known as Lüftlmalerei.  Luft means ‘air’ in German. It’s believed that the term illustrates how fresco artists must work quickly to apply watercolor paint to the wet plaster before it dries in the open air. During…

  • Claude Monet's pink home, surrounded by purple irises and other flowers. It's located in Giverny, France.

    An Afternoon at Claude Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France

    Artist Claude Monet‘s name is synonymous with his dreamlike paintings which were inspired by his graceful gardens in Giverny, France, where he lived for 43 years. In 1980, Monet’s home and garden were opened to the public allowing Monet’s canvases to come to life. Today, visitors to Giverny can see the Japanese-style footbridge that spans the…

  • Vientiane, Laos: An Afternoon at Buddha Park

    Marry Buddhism, Hinduism and a touch of whimsy, and the result is Buddha Park – a sprawling green space dotted with more than 200 concrete sculptures near Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. Hopping out of a minivan shared with French and Swiss travelers we’d met at Vientiane’s bus station, we expressed relief that we…

  • Flourishes Fit for a Fairy Tale: Admiring the Details in Trogir, Croatia

    “Traveling is almost like talking with men of other centuries.” René Descartes How Trogir tempts me with its fanciful flourishes fit for a fairy tale! At almost every turn in the Croatian town’s labyrinthine lanes, there emerge weathered faces, coats of arms, religious motifs, and even a nautical-inspired element. Embarking on a grocery shopping mission is a…

  • A Vietnamese New Year’s Reminiscence

    When I unpacked the paper ox ornament last week, it reminded me why I love travel: serendipitous happenings, cultural immersion, and the opportunity to mingle with “citizen diplomats.” With today being the Lunar New Year (called Tết in Vietnamese), it seems fitting to reminisce on a special memory that I made while visiting Hanoi, Vietnam back in 2009.