Author: Ms. R.

This imposing bronze statue on the Montreux promenade features Freddie Mercury striking his iconic pose. The statue is the work of a British-based Czech sculptor Irena Sedlecka, famous for British public figures, but also for oversized Communist statues dedicated to the working man. Sedlecka first saw Mercury perform at the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in London in 1985. He was truly one of her favorite musicians and performers. The statue was initially intended for London, but negotiations……

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A life-size and lifelike painted bronze statue of a man and his dog stand near the Morristown Green in Morristown, New Jersey. The man is Morris Frank, co-founder and first Vice President of The Seeing Eye. The dog’s harness is immediately recognizable as that of an assistance animal. The dog is Buddy, a German Shepherd and the first guide dog for the blind in the United States. The statue is entitled “The Way to Independence.” Frank was born in Nashville,……

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The pizza Margherita is considered to be the classic Neapolitan pizza. While it has come to be a famous dish all over the world, some say its story began in a narrow alley in Naples. According to the popular legend, the pizza Margherita was invented in 1889 by Raffaele Esposito, chef at Pizzeria Brandi. The pizza was allegedly created in honor of Italy’s unification, with the three toppings—basil, mozzarella, and tomato—respectively representing the green, white, and red of the Italian……

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This gem lies right off the Pacific Coast Highway in the town of Davenport, just north of Santa Cruz. The view from the roadway is inspiring, as visitors will find old pilings of a defunct pier that stretches out into the Pacific Ocean. To get to the beach, one must traverse down a sea cliff. This is not a defined trail and although ropes have been strategically placed by previous visitors, it remains a steep trek that should only……

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On November 2, 1920—Election Day, 100 years ago—Moses Norman of Ocoee, Florida, joined more than 25 million Americans in going to the polls to cast his vote. Unlike most of those other voters, however, Norman was Black, and exercising his rights meant putting his safety at serious risk. Just days earlier, the Ku Klux Klan had rode through nearby Orlando, trying to send a message to Black people who planned on voting. So it came as no surprise when……

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Hoi An is an old port city in central Vietnam that flourished from the 16th to 19th-century, attracting traders from Japan, China, and Europe. Its historic district, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as the Hoi An Ancient Town, was divided between the Chinese and Japanese quarters, connected by a beautiful arched bridge. Chua Cau, commonly referred to as the Japanese Covered Bridge, is one of the most iconic sights in Hoi An’s old town, having survived the……

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When a ceramic relief depicting the Madonna with Child was returned to the church of Scansano in Tuscany, Italy, after five decades of absence, the town threw a solemn celebration. The local bishop, priest, prefect, mayor, and law enforcement officials all attended. On a September morning in 2020, a crowd gathered. The torso-sized relief was propped up, surrounded by plants. A band blared nearby. The relief, by celebrated Renaissance sculptor Andrea della Robbia, had been stolen on a summer……

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The Monument to the Fallen of Dogali (Monumento ai Caduti di Dogali) is a memorial, located in Rome, dedicated to  the fallen Italian soldiers of the Battle of Dogali. This battle was fought in 1887 between Italians and Ethiopia in modern-day Eritrea, during the Italian colonial expansion in East Africa. It was deemed a humiliating defeat for the  Italy, which lost about 500 soldiers in Dogali. The monument consists of an obelisk on top of a base surrounded by four……

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Brochs are tall, round, stone houses that date back to Scotland’s Bronze Age.  They were constructed from two layers of drystone walls which actually supported each other, making it possible to build these tall structures. The tallest known broch is around 42-feet (13-meters) in height. Carn Laith is thought to have belonged to a wealthy family of the time, possibly constructed to showcase their status and power. The distance between the broch and the boundary wall shows that the……

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Also known as the “Pepperpot,”  St Catherine’s Oratory stands at one of the highest points of the Isle of Wight. The 35-foot octagonal tower is Britain’s second oldest lighthouse after Dover’s Roman beacon, and as such, the Pepperpot has overseen much of the island’s history. It’s creation, however, tells perhaps its most enlightening tale. In 1313, a boat bearing 174 casks of wine shipwrecked off of Atherfield Ledge. A local lord, Walter de Godeton, desirous of plunderous plonk, took……

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Founded in 1884 by an erudite group of Victorians, The College of Psychic Studies has long championed education and research in consciousness studies, psychic mediumship, and the intuitive arts.  The college is located in a beautifully preserved 19th-century home and is a haven for all things esoteric. The college was established in 1884 as the London Spiritualist Alliance by William Stainton Moses. Alongside courses in psychic mediumship, metaphysics, energy work, and healing, the college is also home to an impressive……

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