Author: Ms. R.

When work meant to improve accessibility and modernization of the Gran Vía station in Madrid began in August 2018, it was anticipated to last one year. But that work slowed down when archaeological remains of all kinds were found on the site, extending the timeline by two years. Gran Vía, one of the oldest stations in the metro network, was built between 1917 and 1919. Access was made at that time, through a stone pavilion designed by the architect Antonio Palacios…….

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If you happen to pass through Banana, Queensland, and you might wonder, with a name like that, where all the banana plantations are. But if you look around, you’ll be even further perplexed to discover you’re in the dusty heart of Australia‘s cattle country. Believe it or not, Banana is named for a bull. In the 1850s, before a town existed here and the area was just a series of squatting leaseholds and sheep stations, the region’s best working……

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Located in the Historic District, Judd’s General Store is the oldest ongoing establishment in St. George. In 1908, pioneer businessman Thomas Judd purchased a home that had been built in 1876, from Joseph Bentley. Just a few years later in 1911, Judd built a store out of adobe bricks in front of the home. The Bentleys had been operating a small store out of the home and Thomas Judd purchased their inventory to open his store.  The store sold……

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Cindy Brown remembers her first battle with the Silver King. “It dragged us all over Pine Island Sound for 45 minutes to an hour, and I was just hanging on the rod for dear life,” she recalls. Brown lives in Florida, close to the state’s southwest coast, a hotspot for tarpon fishing. The powerful game fish, nicknamed the “silver king” for its dazzling appearance, grows up to eight feet long and can leap 10 feet out of the water…….

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The ex-votos are a type of tribute common in Roman Catholicism. In Mexico, they most often take the form of votive paintings (such as the ones in the former Convent of Churubusco) made to honor a saint or figure either to thank them for a miracle or favor already received or in hopes of one in the future. In San Luis Potosí, however, a particular pair of ex-votos continue to generate intrigue in the Basilica of Guadalupe and Church……

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The Electric Theater, built in 1911 with three-foot-thick adobe walls, was the first motion picture theater in southern Utah. It was also the first air-conditioned building in St. George.  Willis Carrier invented refrigeration, or “chillers”, in 1922 and in 1925 began installing refrigeration in movie theaters across the United States. Home refrigeration did not become common until the 1960s, so movie theaters were often the first place people experienced what they called “comfort cooling.” Because theaters were often one……

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Like many islands in the Caribbean, Dominica has a dark history concerning slavery but also bears testimony to the valiant fight of oppressed people for liberty. Jacko Steps marks the location of a camp formed by the eponymous Jacko, who in the mid-18th century escaped from Beaubois Estate after he was taken from his home in Africa by European enslavers. After settling a plateau in Dominica’s inland jungle, the place soon became a refuge for other people escaping slavery—who……

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Miniera Torgola is a behemoth of a mine located in a small valley called Val Trompia, under the jurisdiction of Collio village. Historically, Val Trompia was also known as “La Via del Ferro” (“the Iron Route”) due to the large amount of iron ore in the area. In this narrow valley, Miniera Torgola presents itself unexpectedly, as one turns a sharp bend along the main road, with steep mountains slopes on all sides. Documents attest that silver was mined……

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