Eggs Benedict

29 September 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit, New York City Reading Time:  7 minutes

Eggs Benedict with bacon © flickr.com - Alpha/cc-by-sa-2.0

Eggs Benedict with bacon © flickr.com – Alpha/cc-by-sa-2.0

Eggs Benedict is a common American breakfast or brunch dish, consisting of two halves of an English muffin, each topped with Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. It was popularized in New York City.   read more…

Theme Week Faroe Islands – Streymoy

28 September 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Environment Reading Time:  7 minutes

Tórshavn, capital of the Faroe Islands © flickr.com - Arne List/cc-by-sa-2.0

Tórshavn, capital of the Faroe Islands © flickr.com – Arne List/cc-by-sa-2.0

Streymoy (Danish: Strømø) is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its southeast coast. The name means “island of currents”. It also refers to the largest region of the country that also includes the islands of Hestur, Koltur and Nólsoy.   read more…

Dirndl

28 September 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Adam Jones, Ph.D/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Adam Jones, Ph.D/cc-by-sa-3.0

A dirndl is a feminine dress which originated in German-speaking areas of the Alps. It is traditionally worn by women and girls in Austria, Bavaria (south-eastern Germany), Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Alpine regions of Italy (South Tyrol). A dirndl consists of a close-fitting bodice with a low neckline, a blouse worn under the bodice, a wide high-waisted skirt and an apron.   read more…

Theme Week Faroe Islands – Eysturoy

27 September 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Environment Reading Time:  7 minutes

Fuglafjørður © Erik Christensen/cc-by-sa-3.0

Fuglafjørður © Erik Christensen/cc-by-sa-3.0

Eysturoy (meaning ‘East Island’) is a region and the second-largest of the Faroe Islands, both in size and population. Eysturoy is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely rugged, with some 66 separate mountain peaks, including Slættaratindur, the highest peak in the archipelago at 880 metres (2,890 ft). The country’s two longest fjords, Skálafjørður in the south and Funningsfjørður in the north, almost split the island in two halves. The isthmus in between, Millum Fjarða, is one of the flattest areas in the country. Important settlements on Eysturoy are Fuglafjørður in the north and the densely populated area of the municipalities of Runavík and Nes in the south.   read more…

Naxos in the Cyclades

27 September 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Naxos Port © Atle1963a/cc-by-sa-3.0

Naxos Port © Atle1963a/cc-by-sa-3.0

Naxos is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of the archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best abrasives available.   read more…

Theme Week Faroe Islands – Suðuroy

26 September 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Environment Reading Time:  7 minutes

Town of Porkeri © Erik Christensen/cc-by-sa-3.0

Town of Porkeri © Erik Christensen/cc-by-sa-3.0

Suðuroy (literally ‘South Island’, Danish: Suderø) is the southernmost of the Faroe Islands. The island covers 163.7 square kilometres (63.2 sq mi). In 2018 the population was 4,601. Suðuroy region (sýsla) comprises this island and Lítla Dímun, the next isle northward in the Faroes, which is uninhabited.   read more…

Banyuls-sur-Mer in Occitania

26 September 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© flickr.com - Jorge Franganillo/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Jorge Franganillo/cc-by-2.0

Banyuls-sur-Mer (Catalan: Banyuls de la Marenda) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It was first settled by Greeks starting in 400 BCE. Banyuls-sur-Mer is located in the canton of La Côte Vermeille and in the arrondissement of Céret.   read more…

Theme Week Faroe Islands – Sandoy

25 September 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Environment Reading Time:  6 minutes

Town of Skálavík © EileenSanda/cc-by-sa-3.0

Town of Skálavík © EileenSanda/cc-by-sa-3.0

Sandoy (“Sand Island”) is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also refers to the region that includes this island along with Skúvoy and Stóra Dímun. As of January 2020, the largest population centre on the island is the village of Sandur with a population of 532. Other settlements include Skarvanes, Skopun, Skálavík, Húsavík and Dalur. Sandoy gets its name from the large beach at Sandur, and the general sandy soil of the island. It is the only island with dunes.   read more…

Portrait: Saint Valentine

25 September 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Portrait Reading Time:  6 minutes

A relic of Saint Valentine in the church Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome © Dnalor 01/cc-by-sa-3.0-a

A relic of Saint Valentine in the church Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome © Dnalor 01/cc-by-sa-3.0-a

Saint Valentine (Italian: San Valentino; Latin: Valentinus) was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his feast day has been associated with a tradition of courtly love. He is also a patron saint of Terni, epilepsy and beekeepers. Saint Valentine was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians. He was martyred and his body buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine (Saint Valentine’s Day) since at least the eighth century.   read more…

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