Category: Travelogues
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A Day at Versailles: Visiting the Palace of the Sun King
On a September day that was replete with sunshine, we voyaged to Versailles, the decadent Baroque palace of France’s roi soleil (sun king). As Shawn and I wandered among the palace’s 250 gardened acres and peered through windows into the gilded interiors — just as a subject might have done 300 years ago — I was reminded…
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A Return to Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Part II
Père-Lachaise Cemetery has such extraordinary, moving details. Here is a second photo essay dedicated to Paris’ largest cemetery. If you’d like to see Part I of my Père-Lachaise Cemetery series, see: If Headstones Could Talk: Pondering at Paris’ Père-Lachaise Cemetery.
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Photo du Jour: Sunset at the Heidelberg Castle
The Heidelberg Castle is bathed in soft light just before sunset. This world-famous ruin majestically overlooks the city of Heidelberg and the Neckar Valley. First mentioned in the early 13th century, the Heidelberg Castle (German: Schloss Heidelberg) served for over 400 years as the residence of the Palatine Counts and Electors of the House of…
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If Headstones Could Talk: Pondering at Paris’ Père-Lachaise Cemetery
I had long wanted to visit Paris’ storied Père-Lachaise Cemetery. However, during past jaunts to the ‘City of Lights,’ the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysées, and Notre Dame had taken center stage on my itinerary. During our most recent trip to Paris, our hotel in Paris’ 11th arrondissement was a short walk from the cemetery. With…
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Photo du Jour: The Gargoyles and Grotesques of Notre Dame
In the shadows of Notre Dame, we waited for just under an hour to ascend the 387 stairs of the cathedral’s north tower. Once high above the rooftops of Paris, we strolled about the Galerie des Chimères marveling at the figures there. The statues gazing at La Tour Eiffel and Sacré Coeur are technically not gargoyles since…
