Tag: architecture
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Inside Diocletian’s Palace: A Walking Tour in Split, Croatia
In Split, Croatia, residents’ ancestries can be just as intriguing as the remnants of the city’s Roman palace — something that we discovered on a superb walking tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our host for the afternoon, history-teacher-turned-guide, Dino Ivančić, exuded passion for Split’s history, yet we found that he’s rather modest about…
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Photo du Jour: The Sphinx Under a Moon-Lit Sky – Split, Croatia
About 1,700 years ago, Roman Emperor Diocletian spirited away a set of granite sphinxes from Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. The mythical creatures found a new home in the emperor’s retirement palace in present-day Split, Croatia, where we are lucky to be enjoying the winter months.
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The Windows of Diocletian’s Palace – Split, Croatia
Split, Croatia is the stuff of explorers’ dreams. Situated along the sparkling Adriatic Sea and crowned by the Palace of Roman Emperor Diocletian, its Old Town features maze-like passageways and weathered limestone buildings and lanes. In the Fourth Century AD, Roman Emperor Diocletian had his retirement palace built here. Emperor Diocletian indeed recognized the good life. In…
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An Autumn Afternoon at the Neuschwanstein Castle
As we inched closer to the Neuschwanstein Castle, I couldn’t help but think it looked even more fairy tale-esque thanks to the autumnal hues Mother Nature had dressed it in. Rich yellow, copper and crimson leaves framed the world-famous castle on the craggy rocks, contrasting sharply with the lime-green fields below it.
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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…
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A Stroll Through Paris’ Sainte-Chapelle
Shimmering like a radiant jewel box, Sainte-Chapelle is often overlooked by visitors to Paris, who only visit Notre Dame Cathedral. I’d long read how Sainte-Chapelle is a must-see and favorite among shutterbugs, yet it took me several visits to the City of Light to see this Gothic masterpiece.
