Author: Ms. R.

Located in the bay of Breiðafjörður, the small, windswept island of Flatey is often overlooked by travelers. But despite being only two kilometers (1.2 miles) long and one kilometer (0.6 miles) wide, this tiny speck of land boasts a surprising wealth of culture, history, and natural beauty.  A former monastery was founded on the island in 1172, and it long served as the resting place for an important medieval manuscript known as Flateyjarbók. Flatey later received a trading license from the……

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The Hanmaum Zen Center of New York was founded in 1989 and can be found in the middle of Flushing, Queens. The temple belongs to a branch of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest Buddhist order in South Korea. The order’s roots date back to the 11th-century.   Founded by an ordained nun named Daehaeng Kun Sunim, the Hanmaum Seon Center (HSC) is a global organization with centers in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Thailand, Argentina. There are four branches in the United……

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On a 2019 episode of The Great British Baking Show, judge Paul Hollywood looks like he’s choosing his words very carefully when he speaks. “I think this is one of the hardest cake designs to make,” he says, referring to the gauntlet the judges have just thrown down for the contestants: to bake kek lapis Sarawak. “There’s nowhere to hide. We will see the problems.” Lapis means “layers” in Bahasa Malaysia, Malaysia’s national language, and Sarawak is a state……

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Tucked away in a hidden Brisbane park is the Cloudland Memorial Arch, an homage to the city’s beloved former Cloudland Ballroom. Memorial designer Jamie MacLean took inspiration from the glowing parabolic entry of the original Cloudland that was considered a beacon of the Brisbane skyline for over 40 years. The ballroom was completed just as Australia entered World War II and lay abandoned until it was commandeered as a camp by the United States military. Following the war, it……

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Charles of Bourbon, King of Naples and Sicily, famously commissioned the construction of the spectacular Royal Palace of Caserta. However, this was not the first royal residence he had constructed.  In 1738 after a visit to Portici positively impressed the young king and his consort, he decided to commission a new royal palace in the small town just east of Naples. Famous architects, painters, and sculptors of the time were called in to take part in the project. The design……

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The Droagh Motte, located in Carnfunnock Country Park, was constructed during the 12th-century by settling Normans as a defense against the native Irish. The structure consisted of huge earth mounds known as mottes, where defensive watchtower structures were constructed to provide a clear field of vision from all sides of the settlement. The mottes were also surrounded by a ditch that provided more protection and a strategical advantage. Sometimes these mottes contained extensions known as baileys where the watchmen……

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Now, for those passing through New York City’s 23rd Street Station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, there’s a little eye-catching humor to go with one’s commute. There, a series of colorful, larger-than-life mosaics feature Weimaraner dogs in human poses and clothing—the work of the famous artist/photographer William Wegman, who lives nearby. The installation, entitled Stationary Figures, is made up of 11 large, detailed mosaic murals throughout the underground warren that is the 23rd Street Station, and was commissioned by……

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In an old velvet mill in the picturesque New England town of Mystic, Connecticut, there’s an unassuming door marked “Brooms.” But instead of a dusty collection of mops and buckets, anyone who opens that door will find hundreds and hundreds of boats, from ancient canoes to postwar motorboats. Together, they make up part of Mystic Seaport Museum’s historic watercraft collection, one of the largest in the United States. Because of its location on a sheltered estuary with easy access……

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