Tag: architecture
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Moments to Remember: A Long Weekend in Saint-Émilion, France
Taking to Saint-Émilion’s cobbled lanes not long after sunrise, I felt as though I’d gone back in time a few decades, perhaps even a few hundred years. In the early-morning light, the town’s graceful wrought-iron signs appeared in silhouetted form. Though the establishments’ names were in shadows, the contours of a sign’s grape leaf, baguette,…
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The Windows of Moldova
Viewed from afar, Moldova’s villages resemble a cluster of gingerbread houses. The plaster adornments framing the windows and doorways look as though they were made by the steady hand of a pastry maker piping on frosting, and the wooden cut-outs gracing gables reminded me of the lacy paper snowflakes that I used to make as a child. The catch…
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A Guide to “Losing Your Heart” in Heidelberg, Germany
What to see, do, and eat in Heidelberg, an enchanting university town in southwestern Germany.
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The Windows of Plzeň, Czech Republic
Renowned for its Pilsen beer which was first created there nearly 175 years ago, Plzeň is the Czech Republic’s fourth largest city. I’ve taken a tour of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Plzeň, culminating in a taste test of the cool beverage on a sizzling summer day. I’ve even researched a branch of my German-Austrian family in the city’s…
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The Windows of Zagreb, Croatia
My ‘window collecting’ mission in Zagreb, Croatia’s capital city, was as hurried as our day and a half there. Arriving via Germany, Austria, and Slovenia earlier in the morning, we settled into our apartment, and took to the streets, while dodging raindrops and securing some goodies at one of the local supermarkets. Our whirlwind exploration took us…
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A Peek at Germany’s Ettal Monastery
When I saw the elaborate dome of the Ettal Monastery (Kloster Ettal) for the first time, I was surprised to see such ornate architecture dramatically rising out of the countryside, juxtaposed with the area’s modest Bavarian homes. The monastery, located in the village of Ettal, is not far from the town of Oberammergau, which is well-known for its…
