Everywhere we go, and everything we marvel at, has a history beyond its surface, a litany of what was there before, and who lived, worked and worshiped there.
But often we allow ourselves to not think about that, to marvel at the charm or beauty of what is there now, without thinking about how it came to be.
Ben Groundwater, a travel writer and columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald's Traveller section reminded me of that with a stunning piece this week, based on personal experience of a tour in South America. The headline quote is from the article, and it is well worth reading—perhaps should even be required reading!
'Colonial charm' - the cliche that hides the ugly history of many popular cities