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“Pic of the Week”, November 7, 2014: Krumlov Castle, Czech Republic
Today’s featured pictures highlight Krumlov Castle in the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage city of Český Krumlov. The historic core of Český Krumlov has 300 protected medieval era buildings, but its biggest landmark is its amazing castle complex, the second largest in the Czech Republic (only Prague’s is larger). The Castle’s tower dominates the scene at 180 ft tall!.
The Castle is not only the town’s most prominent visual landmark, but it’s epicenter. Český Krumlov was built around this castle, founded by the Lords of Krumlov (Vítkovci family) around 1253 AD. This family was a branch of the powerful Witingonen family, which had a five-petaled rose in its coat-of-arms (which you can see on the small banners in the accompanying photos); the Witingonens were …
Nov 6, 2014
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“Pic of the Week”. June 28, 2013. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
It’s very easy not to visit Luxembourg. Not much large than a postage stamp on most maps, with a population of only a half million, the Grand Duchy quickly slides by on your rail or road-trip through the larger countries between which it’s sandwiched, namely France, Germany and Belgium.
We tacked on a brief visit to Luxembourg while in Europe, en route from France to Belgium, and were pleasantly surprised by the what a great place this was! Luxembourg City is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its historic core and the extensive remains of its fortifications (at one time it was one of Europe’s fortress strongholds), so this is where we focused our time. It’s a wonderful …
Jun 26, 2013
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.All Trips / Czech Republic / Europe
Praha = Prague = Fantastic!!!
Prague (pronounced and spelled Praha on local maps) was a city I’d wanted to visit for almost 2 decades, ever since the Iron Curtain collapsed at the hands of the Velvet Revolution. But as is often the case, life happens and my plans kept being postponed. Still the idea of visiting Prague was firmly set and as we finally were approaching the Hlvani Nadrazi train station, completing our four hour rail journey from Vienna, I felt a tingle run up my leg (with due apologies to Chris Matthews) on seeing some of the Prague landmarks I recognized, like the spires of St. Vitus and our Lady of Tyn Cathedrals. I was really looking forward to our upcoming week in the capitol of Bohemia and the Czech Republic. …
.All Trips / Asia / Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 6) Polonnaruwa
The eastern most point visited when touring Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle is Polonnaruwa. The ruins in this ancient capitol are the best preserved and most varied in Ceylon and it’s well worth the effort to visit them. The city’s historic sites can be visited in one day, although it gets quite hot in the afternoon so be sure to bring your water bottle. Polonnaruwa is another UNESCO World Heritage site.
A Brief history of Polonnaruwa
King Aggabodhi IV (7th century) was the first Sri Lankan monarch who began to develop Polonnaruwa. He built it as a “vacation residence” for royalty, an alternative to the historic royal home in Anuradhapura. King …
