There is a beautiful synagogue in Mád, a village near Tokaj in Eastern Hungary, that is not as popular as it should be amongst visitors. Today it is a Holocaust memorial and represents rare Hungarian synagogue architecture;...
After a brief holiday, I am back to Finding Reiner. I am writing this family mystery as a travelogue ( and as a graphic book illustrated by the fabulous Maria Lebedeva whose illustrations I include here ) for two reasons. First, war stories mean...
I love honesty in advertising! When a place as historically famous as Mission San Juan Capistrano tells you it's "Worth a Visit", it's not only a believable claim but likely one of the most understated in all of California. Founded in 1776...
The last of the great urban rail terminals to be built, Los Angeles Union Station is celebrating its 75th anniversary this years. It's not the largest of big city terminals; the age of the automobile was well under way, and the aviation age was...
Each of Paris’ 20 arrondissements has a Town Hall, the Mairie, and a district mayor responsible for local services; each Mairie also includes a district court that handles minor civil and criminal offenses, and each is housed in a suitably...
Prague draws a lot of visitors these days, drawn by its picturesque historic center, its cultural elan, its beautiful river setting, its long and varied history...and maybe also just because everyone else is going. We went there a few years ago (2003,...
This is, in a way, an essay on memory. Ever since ancient history, the winning side of history has erected monuments to itself, hoping to inspire greater love, respect or at least obedience. And, over time, newer rulers often change the script. ...
This post concludes tales of my road-trip around the Emerald Isle (though I've still got a few things to share about Dublin); if you want to catch up on prior posts, you can find them at this link . I don't think this road-trip series could end...
Commonly called the Dohanyi Street Synagogue, Budapest's biggest Jewish house of worship is also the largest synagogue in Europe, and one of the half-dozen largest in the world. But its significance goes well beyond its seating capacity (1500 men at...
Lynn Millar and MAD Travel Diaries both identified where Gumbo was: Heroes’ Square, or Hosok tere, in Budapest. This giant square has served many kinds of memories and movements, beginning with its construction beginning in 1896 as a...
My “Finding Reiner” blog continues to be a challenge in crossing historical time zones. Reiner’s old letters describe his school and neighborhood, and I search 1940s maps and the Internet to find my route to his past. If I had...
One hundred years ago, July 28, 1914, in Sarajevo, Bosnia, a young Serb nationalist shot and killed Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, which then ruled Bosnia and quite a few other places now independent . Their goal was an...
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks. It is in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze...
Congratulations to ace traveling sleuths, PortMoresby and TravelRob, for recognizing Mission San Juan Capistrano! That's indeed where Gumbo was. Jonathan L also suggested the Los Angeles Mission, which I've never visited but...
I'm deep into last-minute research for my "Finding Reiner" adventure. My suitcase is packed with device chargers, plug adaptors, Swiss Army knives, bandaids, spare batteries, and clip-on, flat water flasks for the trail. But, my desk is covered...