The Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty form a collection of 40 tombs scattered over 18 locations. Built over five centuries, from 1408 to 1966, the tombs honoured the memory of ancestors, showed respect for their achievements, asserted royal authority, and protected ancestral spirits from evil. By being entombed in the nation’s dynastic capital, itContinue reading “Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty”
Category Archives: travel
Living Too Close to North Korea
In many large Seoul subway stations, there are cabinets that say “relief goods storage” that contain gas masks and other emergency-preparedness equipment. Many of these stations also serve as bomb shelters to protect the population from North Korean attacks. How prepared are we for nuclear war? Read this article to find out. Spoiler alert: the results areContinue reading “Living Too Close to North Korea”
La Brea Tar Pits Notes
La Brea Tar Pits dates from the Pleistocene era. La Brea tar pits, containing one of the richest, best preserved, and best studied assemblages of Pleistocenevertebrates, including at least 59 species of mammal and over 135 species of bird. The tar pit fossils bear eloquent witness to life in southern California from 40,000 to 8,000 years ago; aside fromContinue reading “La Brea Tar Pits Notes”
The perfect place to start a Viking journey
A Stockholm Story We started our trip in Stockholm on a street corner where we puzzled over the mystery of how a metal barrier post thing, which, to our eyes, looked every bit like the front end of a sawed-off cannon, got so knocked off kilter in an area of town where supposedly no motorContinue reading “The perfect place to start a Viking journey”
Turning 40
A birthday I didn’t want to be home for. Having a birthday so close to Christmas means that I never go anywhere to celebrate it. I hate crowds and spending money, and traveling over the Christmas holiday is the deadly combination of both. I have never been anywhere other than where I live on theContinue reading “Turning 40”
Bill Clinton Slept Here
It’s almost impossible to reminisce about a trip to Arkansas without mentioning Bill Clinton somewhere along the way. Hot Springs, Arkansas, takes pride in the fact that Bill Clinton grew up there and no trip to that city feels complete unless you leave feeling like you were sufficiently reminded of that fact at least aContinue reading “Bill Clinton Slept Here”
Crater of Diamonds
When I told Ryan that I wanted to go to Arkansas and dig for diamonds after reading an article about some kid that recently scooped up a sizable diamond at The Crater of Diamonds State Park, I remember his response being something along the lines of, “You want to go where and do what now?”Continue reading “Crater of Diamonds”
That Time We Visited Naples
It’s a good thing Ryan doesn’t know any Italian because that way he had no idea what the guy holding a massive fish tank was yelling at him. I don’t know any Italian either, but I was pretty sure the angry guy holding an unwieldy fish tank was pissed that Ryan was standing in hisContinue reading “That Time We Visited Naples”
A Milwaukee Story
…that of course includes a trip to Chicago. I actually never really minded having to go back to Milwaukee as often as I did, as there was a certain something about that city which has always intrigued me. Milwaukee is a city that no one seems to watch, and it never surprised me why a personContinue reading “A Milwaukee Story”
Pompeii Amphitheatre
The Pompeii Amphitheatre was buried by Mt. Vesuvius. It is known to have been one of the earliest Roman amphitheaters built of stone; previously, they were built out of wood. The building was immortalized in a fresco when an artist depicted a riot that happened outside its walls after a particularly feisty game. The brawlContinue reading “Pompeii Amphitheatre”
