Author: Ms. R.

On the far western edge of Yemen, far from any cities or well-traveled roads, there’s a black mark in the desert, like a giant eye peering up from the earth. Regardless of how uncanny it looks from above, it is a natural phenomenon, a perfectly round and profoundly deep sinkhole called the Well of Barhout, or the “Well of Hell.” It’s easy to see why. Without the help of wings or long ropes, anything that disappears into this 367-foot-deep……

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Lancaster is well-known for its rich history in the already-storied state of Pennsylvania, but one thing not often acknowledged is the city’s long relationship with newspaper publishing. Lancaster’s first newspaper was published in 1752. The Lancaster Gazette catered to both English and German readers, and was soon followed by the Lancaster Journal in 1794. The Journal was a Federalist paper, and in response, the Lancaster Intelligencer & Weekly Advertiser was born, which supported the politics of Jeffersonian Republicans. For years, the……

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Scott Bruce knows a thing or two about what scares us. As a medieval historian at Fordham University, Bruce focuses on early monastic traditions, but he’s also the editor of Penguin Classics anthologies on hell and the undead. His latest collection, The Penguin Book of Dragons (October 2021), is a guide to the fantastic beasts and where to find them in the world’s mythological and literary traditions. From 19th-century newspaper reports of monsters in America’s Wild West to ancient……

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Jimbōchō Book Town is one of the world’s oldest surviving and largest-scale book towns, perhaps second only to Kaifeng, China. There are said to be at least 400 bookstores in the district, where one-third of secondhand books in all of Tokyo can be found. The book town can trace its roots to the early 1880’s when several law schools were founded in the Kanda-Jinbōchō area. This was followed by the opening of several bookstores that served the needs of the students, many of whom sold……

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“In August, this area is packed with people visiting their ancestors’ graves,” notes our taxi driver as we pass through the temple district in Hirosaki on the way to the castle grounds. There are more than 50 temples between the adjacent neighborhoods of Shinteramachi and Zenringai, where 33 Zen temples dating from the 1600s stand shoulder to shoulder. It’s also a city full of specters, at least according to a popular local souvenir, “Tsugaru Haunted Coffee,” which draws on……

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It normally might take the eagle-eyed to spot a purse on the ground in the center of a busy city, but the size of “The Public Purse” makes it hard to miss.  In January 1994, the City of Melbourne ran a campaign for submissions for unique street seating. This unusual, large purse made of granite and stainless steel was designed by Simon Perry. It sits as a symbol of the Melbourne Central Business District as both a commercial hub……

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In the historic center of Trapani, just behind the busy pedestrian thoroughfare of Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, a multitude of ceramic faces adorn the facade of a particular building. Another glance reveals a group of colorful sculptures created from a hodgepodge of diverse objects. Welcome to the world of Mario Cassisa, a Sicilian-American outsider artist.  The studio where he lived and worked for decades is now a museum that overflows with art and memorabilia from his extensive world travels. Thin,……

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Few American restaurants can tout being older than the United States. King’s Arms Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum, is one of them. The tavern first opened its doors in 1772 with a singular reputation—a place “where all the best people resorted,” proclaimed the tavern’s founder Jane Vobe. And that it was. The “public house” provided lodging and food to prominent politicians and soldiers fighting for (and against) American independence.  Today, the restaurant pays homage to this……

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The Partnachklamm is a massive gorge that eroded over millennia by the Partnach river which runs through the woods to the towns of Garnish and Paterkirchen. This made the river an ideal way to transport wood, but this was not always the safest method. Lumberjacks would cut trees along the river and push them into the gorge to make the water do most of the transportation work. Of course, this was incredibly dangerous, as people were often injured by trees,……

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Born in Patras, Greece in 1859, Kostis Palamas attended high school in nearby Mesolonghi. After his graduation in 1877, he moved to Athens. Palamas enrolled at the University of Athens, but soon left his studies and pursued a career in journalism. His true passion was poetry, and after meeting other like-minded poets in the early 1880s, he co-founded the “New Athenian School of Poetry” or “Palamian School,” a group formed to advance the Greek literary movement. Palamas published his……

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While many restaurants may claim to serve homespun comfort food “just like grandma used to make,” at this Viennese café, the baked goods are made by real grandmas. Vollpension, or “full pension” in German, is a social enterprise that aims to give local retirees a chance to connect with people while earning extra income. The staff consists of a squad of Omas (grandmothers), with a few Opas (grandfathers) onboard for good measure. Order a slice of apple strudel or……

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