The Chester city center is surrounded by ancient defensive walls. The walls were originally built during the Roman occupation around 70-80 AD (it took over 100 years). The walls were later (700 AD?) extended and strengthened by the Angles (Germanic people) to protect against the Danes (Vikings). The walls are some of...
When in Vatican City, one is somewhat obligated to visit Saint Peter's Basilica (the largest church in the world by interior area). The plans for the basilica were ordered by Pope Nicholas V in the 15th century and construction initiated by Pope Julius II in 1506. Work on the basilica completed over a century later in...
The Quartiere Coppedè is a small section of Rome whose architecture was created by Gino Coppedè. The structures were built between 1915 and 1927. This page captures some of the highlights we visited. Entrance Arch The entrance arch welcomes you to the area with a glimpse of what awaits you within the quarter. Fairy...
Walking around Rome, we visited a number of interesting landmarks that attract tourists due to their uniqueness and beauty. This page captures a few of them that don't really need their own page, but provide a quick reminder of some things we experienced along the way that might fall into the shadows of the grander,...
We checked out the Roman Pantheon ('temple of all gods'), which turns out to be a big, round room with a dome and a foyer. It's really well preserved and pretty darn cool to see. It also has a large obelisk out front. Fun fact: the diameter of the room and the height of the dome (oculus) are both 43m (142 ft). The...
The Castel Sant'Angelo was the mausoleum of emperor Hadrian, built in AD 135-139 along the Tiber river. In the 5th century, it was converted to a fortress with a cylindrical center (living area) inside a square fortification. Below are some of the highlights of the structure and its contents. And, of course, some...
We finally made it to Hobbiton! What a great place. Of course it rained pretty hard while we were there. But we had some breaks in the weather and it was totally worth it. You have to go by tour - no free range roaming. You meet up at the Shire Rest Cafe and take the tour bus to Hobbiton. The cafe has some LOTR/Hobbit...
We got to go inside a hobbit house! This is a new thing. Hobbiton was high on our must-do list, but the house interiors weren't scheduled for completion until December 2023 (and were already booking up). As this is summer break time for kids down under, we decided to wait until February to visit Hobbiton. As you can...
Last stop in our Hobbiton tour, the Green Dragon Inn. I'll bore you with a few scenic pics along the trail because New Zealand is just so beautiful. Soon enough we arrived at the Millhouse. Cross the bridge and arrive at our destination. The roof was being rethatched. Yes, Melissa managed to capture the one 4-legged...
The Ginger Factory & The Big Pineapple Yandina & Woombye, Queensland, Australia November 24, 2023 Maybe you can catch the Gingerbread Man! We took a side trip out to Yandina to visit the iconic Buderim Ginger Factory, the worlds largest factory. We learned how the ginger is grown, harvested and turned into delicious...