I love Istanbul
I am in love with Istanbul, Turkey! The city is awash with history, culture, architecture, faith, beauty, good eats, and more. I only spent two days there, but I fell in love. The people are super friendly. The blend of … Continued
Kiev Layover
I honestly didn’t know what to expect of my day layover in Kiev, Ukraine other than cold. I thought I would see some cool churches, the site of protests from a few years ago, and the LDS temple in the … Continued
Yungang Grottoes
Carved in stone outside Datong to the west sit hundreds of Buddhas at Yungang Grottoes. This UNESCO World Heritage site is the fourth of China’s Buddhist grottoes and the last one for me to visit. Bucket list item complete! Granted … Continued
Writing Haiku in Japan
As I mentioned in my Senso-ji post, I wrote a few of my own haiku while in Japan. It seemed fitting. I shared one before about the beautiful orb weavers I saw throughout my time in Japan. That one was … Continued
Ming Tombs
With their backs up to the mountains and a stream in their front, the Ming Tombs just outside of Beijing offer the quintessential Chinese protection based on geomancy or feng shui. Thirteen of the Ming Dynasty’s emperors were interred in … Continued
Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks
posted in: Adventure, Historic Site, National Parks, Natural Wonders, Photography, Travel, UNESCO World Heritage |
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We took a slightly longer route from Dallas to Phoenix, so we could stop at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Being the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, I really wanted to visit at least one national park during my … Continued
My Midnight in Paris – Historic Banks of the Seine
posted in: Adventure, Architecture, Museum, Photography, Religious Sites, Travel, UNESCO World Heritage |
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Walking the Seine River From the Eiffel Tower I walked toward the Seine River through the city. I wanted to walk the streets of this storied city before walking the banks of the river. Eventually, I found the river at … Continued
My Midnight in Paris – Eiffel Tower
Paris, the City of Lights, is a common bucket list destination, mine included. So, when choosing which really long flight option from Beijing to Dallas I should take, I chose the route that stopped in Paris for fourteen hours after … Continued
NANTA, Jongmyo Shrine, and the Seoul LDS Temple
NANTA She said, “Go see NANTA if you can get tickets.” Based on the advice of my friend, I looked up this strange acronym and found it to be a comedy performance. We got tickets not knowing what to really … Continued
Seoul Palaces – Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung
Seoul was home to Korea’s emperors making it home also to impressive imperial architecture. Unfortunately, some of it is not so old because just like Beijing’s Summer Palace foreign powers invaded and destroyed some of it. After visiting Seoul palaces, … Continued