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Remember The Alamo? (Check Here, If You Don't!)

I recently took a trip to the lovely city of San Antonio, Texas, and had the pleasure of visiting the Alamo, the famous Mission where the Americans fought the Spanish in the middle of the nineteenth century.  Check the Wiki entry for details on the historical significance of the battle and the place.  A slideshow of the memories of our time there is right below:

Alamo

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On The Shinkansen From Shinosaka to Tokyo

Mental Health Break – Click on the Shinkansen ver.2 link below!

A high-speed trip from Shinosaka to Tokyo, to the tune of VanShe’s “So High”:

Shinkansen ver.2

Great tune and a great ride too! I haven’t done this particular route, but I HAVE taken the Shinkansen from Nagoya to Tokyo.

Shinkansen

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Austin City Limits, Here We Are!

Austin City Limits.  That is the name of a very popular music festival held in the city of Austin, Texas.  So popular has it become that PBS airs the concert series on Saturday nights, and if an artist performs here, it is common knowledge that they have ARRIVED. Info on this year’s festival is here.  So also would it be equally quite the thrilling event to attend this music festival. 

And yet, I have not had the pleasure of doing so.  Rather, I have had the pleasure of seeing the city limits of the city itself, i.e., of Austin, Texas!  Last week, I was riding on the great American highways through the great state of Texas–from San Antonio to Dallas–and Austin happened to be on the way. 

The five-hour ride was a terrific one, made even more sweet thanks to the company in the car.  Check out the slideshow below as we passed the city limits. 

Incidentally, there’s yet another music festival coming up in Austin later this month, a story about which was featured on NPR just earlier this week– check it out here!

Austin

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Vibrant and Cosmopolitan Hong Kong– You Been There Yet?

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A very vibrant and cosmopolitan city that I have had the pleasure of traveling to. Check out the photo gallery courtesy the National Geographic Traveler magazine. Click on the link below the photo to go directly to the NGT site.

P.S. One of those tall buildings in the harbor is the Grand Hyatt Hotel– I highly recommend it for the next time you find yourself in that city!

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Rome, Italy — National Geographic's Ultimate City Guide

I will be taking a vicarious journey to Rome thanks to this excellent resource courtesy the National Geographic online Travel Guide, as well as via my dear family who will be going there this summer!  Lucky Duckies, All!

Rome, Italy

Photo: Diners near Pantheon

Diners enjoy the evening scene with alfresco seating by the Pantheon, on Piazza della Rotonda.

Photograph by Bob Krist

The Eternal City is one of Europe’s most ancient urban centers, dating back almost 3,000 years. Rome’s early inhabitants left behind a trove of architectural masterpieces, including the massive Colosseum. The Italian capital also boasts an unparalleled concentration of world-class art, from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel to the baroque Trevi Fountain, and teems with restaurants, trattorie, osterie, pizzerie, enoteche, cafés, bars, and gelaterie. It is home to the animated, good-humored Romans, who live to eat, drink wine (and espresso), and hold forth on everything from politics to soccer, fashion, food, and films. Rome also encompasses the Catholic Church’s independent city-state, the Vatican, which is home to the imposing St. Peter’s Basilica—and the Pope.

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Rome_coliseum_01

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Surreal Sunrise In Swiss Villages

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This is altogether surreal indeed. I guess I must not have been paying attention when I was visiting such small villages on my whirlwind trip through Europe some summers ago, which included beautiful destinations such as this one in Switzerland.

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Postcards from the edge of the world | Need to Know

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Click on the link above for a lovely piece on a few travel-writers.  Some writers are off in the more glamorous corners of the world. And others are enjoying an unusual stay at home. But wherever they were, they are all at work.

 

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36 Hours – Valencia, Spain

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I’m going there some day! (Only, I’ll more than likely stay for more than 36 hours!)

Click on the link right below the picture for details!