Theme Week Outer Hebrides – North Uist

22 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Traditional cottage © geograph.org.uk - Tom Richardson/cc-by-sa-2.0

Traditional cottage © geograph.org.uk – Tom Richardson/cc-by-sa-2.0

North Uist (Scottish Gaelic: Uibhist a Tuath; Scots: North Uise) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. North Uist is the tenth-largest Scottish island and the thirteenth-largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of 117 square miles (303 square kilometres), slightly smaller than South Uist.   read more…

Hallstatt in Upper Austria

22 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

© C.Stadler/Bwag/cc-by-sa-4.0

© C.Stadler/Bwag/cc-by-sa-4.0

Hallstatt is a small town in the district of Gmunden, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Situated between the southwestern shore of Hallstätter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, the town lies in the Salzkammergut region, on the national road linking Salzburg and Graz.   read more…

Theme Week Outer Hebrides

21 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  7 minutes

Kisimul Castle, Castlebay, Isle of Barra © flickr.com - Conor Lawless/cc-by-2.0

Kisimul Castle, Castlebay, Isle of Barra © flickr.com – Conor Lawless/cc-by-2.0

The Outer Hebrides or Western Isles (Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan Siar or Na h-Eileanan an Iar or Na h-Innse Gall (“islands of the strangers”); Scots: Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island (Scottish Gaelic: An t-Eilean Fada), is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. The islands are geographically coextensive with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. They form part of the archipelago of the Hebrides, separated from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the waters of the Minch, the Little Minch, and the Sea of the Hebrides. Scottish Gaelic is the predominant spoken language, although in a few areas English speakers form a majority.   read more…

Clifton in Bristol

21 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  11 minutes

Clifton Suspension Bridge during Bristol Balloon Fiesta © panoramio.com - Matt Prosser/cc-by-sa-3.0

Clifton Suspension Bridge during Bristol Balloon Fiesta © panoramio.com – Matt Prosser/cc-by-sa-3.0

Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city’s thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton Down. Parts of Clifton itself are now in the process of being pedestrianised. Notable places in Clifton include Clifton Cathedral, Clifton College, Clifton High School and Clifton Down. Clifton is home to many buildings of the University of Bristol, including Goldney Hall. Notable places in Clifton include Isambard Kingdom Brunel‘s Clifton Suspension Bridge; the Roman Catholic Clifton Cathedral; Christ Church; Clifton College; the former Amberley House preparatory school; Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School, The Clifton Club; and Bristol Zoo.   read more…

Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi

20 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Abrahamic Family House model © flickr.com - U.S. Embassy Jerusalem/cc-by-2.0

Abrahamic Family House model © flickr.com – U.S. Embassy Jerusalem/cc-by-2.0

The Abrahamic Family House is an interfaith complex on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The undertaking was inspired by the Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis on behalf of the Catholic Church and Ahmed El-Tayeb on behalf of the al-Azhar Mosque on Feb. 4, 2019 in Abu Dhabi. It houses the St. Francis Church, Imam Al-Tayeb Mosque and Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue in separate structures.   read more…

Sandwiches

19 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit Reading Time:  8 minutes

Reuben on rye from Katz's Deli in New York City © flickr.com - Ernesto Andrade/cc-by-2.0

Reuben on rye Katz’s Deli in New York City © flickr.com – Ernesto Andrade/cc-by-2.0

A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a portable, convenient finger food in the Western world, though over time it has become prevalent worldwide.   read more…

St Mawes in Cornwall

18 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© flickr.com - Tim Green/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Tim Green/cc-by-2.0

St Mawes (Cornish: Lannvowsedh) is a village on the end of the Roseland Peninsula, in the eastern side of Falmouth harbour, on the south coast of Cornwall, England. The village, formerly two separate hamlets, lies on the east bank of the Carrick Roads, a large waterway created after the Ice Age from an ancient valley which flooded as the melt waters caused the sea level to rise. The immense natural harbour thus created is claimed to be the third largest in the world. St Mawes was once a busy fishing port, but the trade declined during the 20th century and the village now serves as a popular tourist location, with many properties functioning as holiday accommodation. The village is in the civil parish of St Just in Roseland and lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).   read more…

Festival of the Patios Cordobeses in Spain

17 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Living, Working, Building, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Rafael Tello/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Rafael Tello/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Festival of the Patios Cordobeses is a patio contest in Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain, held since 1921 and which is generally held during the first and second week of May. The participants decorate and open their patios for free so that they can be visited within the hours established for this purpose. In 1980 they were declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest, and after a long process, they managed to register as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO on December 6, 2012.   read more…

Zaporizhzhia in southeast Ukraine

16 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Zaporizhzhia Musical and Drama Theatre © Nataliya Shestakova/cc-by-sa-4.0

Zaporizhzhia Musical and Drama Theatre © Nataliya Shestakova/cc-by-sa-4.0

Zaporizhzhia, until 1921 known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a population of 710,052 (2022 estimate).   read more…

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