Author: Ms. R.

Constructed into the floor of this Dublin branch of Lidl, in the shadow of the ancient Dublin Castle, is a series of glass panels that showcase a long-hidden history. One of these museum-like glass panels reveals the archeological remains of a structure constructed almost 1,000 years ago. Dating to around 1070 CE, the structure was dug into the ground lined with local limestone and planks, and was then sheltered by a thatch roof. Archeological evidence showed that the structure……

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Sleeping Giant State Park gets its name from the Quinnipiac people due to its resemblance to a figure lying on its back. They believed the figure to be Hobbomock, a wicked figure in local mythology. Today, the area is one of southern Connecticut’s most popular state parks, and this unique stone tower is its main attraction. The tower, and the wide path leading up to it, were developed in the 1930s as part of the New Deal’s Works Progress……

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Portland’s scenic Skyline Boulevard weaves in and out of the forested West Hills, making it a favorite of bikers, runners, and Sunday drivers. With so much natural beauty, many visitors completely miss the sign and winding narrow path leading to an unassuming survey marker that is the ultimate definition of property lines in all of Oregon and Washington since 1851. As part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the United States established the Oregon Territory in 1848 after agreeing on……

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Wine, especially French wine, is tied to the idea of terroir, that the climate and soil where grapes are grown has an indelible influence on the final product. People care a lot, then, about whether their wine is from the Loire or Napa Valley.  But not too many people care about where their melon comes from—unless they’re a fan of the Crane melon, a hyper-local fruit developed and grown by a single family in Santa Rosa, California. True, the……

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The Chicago Saturday Evening Herald announced it to be a “gigantic and stately achievement” and “the handsomest conceivable memorial to our grand exhibition.” The achievement in question was a timepiece, but not just any old clock. It was ornate, 11 feet tall and weighing nearly two tons, carved from American walnut embellished with silver-plated reliefs and golden figurines. The Exposition Clock, as it was known, had been commissioned by Queen Victoria as a gift to the United States on……

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The rise of what was once the largest doughnut empire in the United States started at sea. When Bob Pelton, a drugstore clerk from Salt Lake City, returned home from his European tour as a baker in the U.S. navy in the 1930s, he had potato doughnuts on the brain. It wasn’t an original idea. Germans like to kick off their pre-Lenten revelry with platters of fastnachts, yeast-raised fritters often made with mashed potatoes. Similar recipes had already migrated……

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A hill just outside the city of Tarquinia conceals a labyrinthine necropolis of the Ancient Etruscan civilization that lies beneath.  The mysterious Etruscan civilization ruled the region of Erturia, an area that comprises modern-day Tuscany, Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Lombardy, and Campania. The city of Tarquinia (known to the Etruscans as “Tarchuna”) was one of its most powerful centers from the early Iron Age, until the civilization was conquered and assimilated into the Roman Empire in 396 B.C.  The Etruscans……

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Bell towers come in all shapes and sizes. Few of them, however, look as distinctive as the freestanding one belonging to the Church of Nørreland in Holstebro. Locals call it “the dovecot,” while others think it looks more like a box-shaped, UFO levitating high above the treetops. Designed by Danish architect couple Inger and Johannes Exner, the tower was erected in 1970 and was considered futuristic for the time. This opinion still lives on even today. The structure consists of……

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At 730 feet tall, the Foresthill Bridge is the fourth tallest bridge in the United States. Opened in 1973, this structure was built as part of the Auburn Dam Project. If completed, the dam would have filled the canyon below, submerging the roadway that connected the town of Foresthill to the outside world. The project was eventually canceled due to seismic and environmental concerns. However, the bridge is extensively used today and is a popular attraction. The steel structure……

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Imagine a museum with no tickets, no closing or opening times, and no preferred routes. Imagine a group of contemporary painters that in the 1980s decided to fill a town with drawings, sculptures, and bizarre artistic details. Well, that’s the history of Maglione.  Located near Ivrea, Maglione is a really peculiar and interesting place. Upon entering the museum, visitors are surrounded by over 100 works of art: sculptures in the parks, frescos on the walls, paintings hidden in the……

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Excerpted from Imaginary Peaks: The Riesenstein Hoax and Other Mountain Dreams by Katie Ives (October 2021) with permission from the publisher, Mountaineers Books. All rights reserved. The idea of a summit taller than any known peak has long held a special allure for mountaineers. Early surveyors had mistakenly designated various Himalayan peaks as the highest mountain in the world, including Nanda Devi, Kangchenjunga, and K2. Those errors were corrected in the 1850s after Indian mathematician Radhanath Sikdar and his……

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