We traveled far from the Mediterranean into the Great Western Erg, a vast expanse of Saharan desert in Algeria. Creamy, wind-blown sands dominate the landscape. For millennia, though, the town (Tim) of Mimoun, or Timimoun,…
Almoravid to Zianide via H & M Much attention is given to the remarkable remains of Roman and Byzantine cities within Algeria. In visiting three locales around the country, we became just as enthralled by…
In brief: Two palaces with origins in the 17th century made for a visually entertaining and historically fascinating celebration of Portuguese heritage in Lisbon. One weekend across Portugal in September, citizens and tourists honored the…
In brief: On a beautiful October day, we once again enjoyed the birds, greenery, waterways, and guide, within the scenic wetlands of Samouco and EVOA. On a beautiful fall day out in nature, we once…
The World Heritage hilltop city of Toledo, our last stay during our trip to Spain, was long a capital: for the Visigoths, who succeeded the Romans; for the Umayyad Muslims who overran Spain; for the…
In brief: We located paintings by El Greco across Toledo, from its principal churches to the El Greco Museum. Toledo still hosts many paintings by El Greco, the Cretan artist who lived the second half…
In brief: The native son of Zaragoza, Goya could capture the light of the spirit and the dark of human failings. The works viewable within the city show that range. The artist Francisco José de…
In brief: It’s easy to busy oneself with the two millennia of history in the central city, from Mary's pillar to the Moors' outpost. It’s also ideal for just relaxing. The central city of Zaragoza…
In brief: Perhaps Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum pushed Bilbao into a new era, but our visit showed a city with so many old and new attractions. Bilbao was not the city we expected. We thought we…
In brief: Was it worth a long trip to see just a copy of famous paintings from tens of thousands of years ago? The experience, we found, proved well worth it. No one believed him.…