Torre Nueva: The defensive tower in Spain built centuries ago to warn locals of pirate attacks.
We are on the South of Spain, where a series of centennial towers are spread along the whole coast, some of which still standing. One of the best preserved towers […]
How do people celebrate New Year around the world?
Even if people celebrate New Year in a number of ways, on 31st December, the festivities hit all places across the world at slightly different times too, due to the […]
Metelkova: the alternative cultural center in Ljubljana
If you ask any local in Ljubljana, they will point you in the right direction, 5 minutes from the city centre of Slovenia’s capital city. The area now known as […]
Amelia Dyer: the Victorian “Baby Farmer” who killed 200 to 400 children
England was not a safe place for children in Victorian times. On the other hand, it wasn’t even for adults, if we think of serial killers like Jack the Ripper […]
The ruins of the lost city of Nan Madol: a pearl in South Pacific
Off the coast of a remote Micronesian island are the ruins of a once-great city of man-made stone islands, that represent the remains of megalithic architecture on an unparalleled scale […]
The World Discoverer: the ship that got left behind.
MS World Discoverer was a cruise ship designed for and built by German shipbuilding company, Schichau Unterweser, in 1974. The ship had a double hull construction, allowing for periodic voyages […]
Boilo: the original Coal Miner Liquor
In Pennsylvania’s Coal Region, chilly winters have long been accompanied by a powerful and potentially explosive companion, known as boilo. Typically, it’s an orange brew made of liquor, honey, citrus […]
24# Feast of the Seven Fishes
On the night before Christmas, some people are preparing and decorating Christmas cookies, while others are readying a delicious roast beast for the oven. But for Italian-Americans, the traditional dinner […]
21# Puto Bumbong – Philippines
We are in the Philippines, which are home to one of the longest Christmas seasons in the world, stretching from the beginning of September until the end of December. In […]
“The Ugly Duchess”: the Enigma of the portrait of a woman deformed by a rare disease (or not?)
Probably, before devoting himself to painting, Quentin Matsys (1466-1530) was a blacksmith. However, perhaps to conquer his future wife, who was seeing a painter more romantic than a blacksmith, or […]
19# Fruitcake: the gift that keeps on giving
American journalist and humorist Calvin Trillin theorized that there is only one fruitcake and that it is simply sent from family to family each year. What is true, is that […]
18# Melomakarona: Greek Christmas Honey Cookies with curious origins
Sweet orange-zest cookies soaked in honey and topped with walnut? Yes, please! This treat is a holiday treat that regularly appears on tables in Greece. Known as melomakarona, if you […]
17# Lussekatter – Swedish saffron buns
Julbord, a three course meal, is served come Christmas in Sweden. The first dish is usually fish, often pickled herring. As second, cold cuts (including Christmas ham) along with sausages […]
The beautiful letter of 1973 from an illiterate woman to a distant husband
Being far from the people you love is one of the most difficult experiences in life, even with today’s trans-continental video-calls, skype and similar, all solutions cheap and easy. So […]
16# Traditional German Weihnachtsgans – the Christmas Goose
Christmas season in Germany conjures different things: winding and pictoresque Weihnachtsmärkte, seasonally draining wallets or St. Nick and terrifying (at least in Bavaria) counterpart Krampus. One thing, however, a German […]
Panam Nagar: a ghost town of Sonargaon – Bangladesh.
We are in Sonargaon, about 30 km southeast of Dhaka, along the Meghna River, Bangladesh. As early as the 14th century, Sonargaon was the ancient capital of Bangladesh, or more […]
