Author: Ms. R.

In the summer of 2020 in the small western New York town of Perry, the serpent returned. It moved along the shore of Silver Lake, long as a football field some onlookers reckoned, fangs bared. Its eyes were flecked with gold, a hint of its previous deaths by fire, and of the future that awaited it. Residents gathered unafraid to watch it pass. This was, after all, the Silver Lake Serpent, arguably Perry’s most famous resident. In its most……

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Pul Moran, or as it’s famously known Pul Kanjri, is a place very few have on their itineraries when visiting Amritsar. It’s located in close proximity to the India–Pakistan international border. This structure was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the emperor of the Sikh Empire in the Panjab region of India, and was used as a resting place for him and his troops. According to local legend, when Singh was crossing this location, his wife, Begum Gul Bahar, refused……

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People who visit ancient remains often see a few stones or broken walls. But the Iberian Citadel of Calafell offers a chance to immerse yourself in a village as it was some 2,500 years ago. Calafell is located in an area near the coast that is popular with tourists, but it offers something different than most beach towns. The settlement was first built in the sixth century B.C. It is a fortified enclosure with several watchtowers. In the inner……

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This 18-mile footpath follows the routes of the Haytor Tramway (or Railway) and the Stover Canal. It is named for the family that constructed the unique tramway and the historic waterway. Together, these routes were used to transport granite from quarries at Haytor to the docks at Teignmouth. For lovers of old railways and old canals this route is a must. The tramway is long disused but is almost unique in that the rails were constructed from granite rather……

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The Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco (Sanctuary of Jesus of Nazareth in Atotonilco) is a baroque temple of the 18th century located just outside San Miguel Allende in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Its construction was led by Father Luis Felipe Neri de Alfaro, who was inspired by the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. This sanctuary is dedicated to Jesús Nazareno and was built according to principles laid out by Ignatius of Loyola. The Sanctuary of Atotonilco is known worldwide……

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Originating from Harajuku, Japan’s kawaii subculture has found its way beyond Tokyo, influencing the rest of the world in its sugary wake. Even so, the notoriously dodgy district of Takenotsuka may be the last place in Tokyo one would expect such as culture to materialize, let alone thrive. And yet, here stands the Asakura Gallery, where kawaii meets poisonous. Located in the quiet corner of a residential neighborhood, visitors can sense its strange, quasi-sinister aura with a single look: a……

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When Minnesota’s first state hospitals in St. Peter and Rochester became woefully overcrowded, it was clear that another facility was needed to meet the needs of the state’s growing population. Fergus Falls State Hospital opened in 1890, and its expansive campus was quickly filled.   The building was constructed in a style of architecture known as the Kirkbride Plan, so named after the American physician Thomas Kirkbride, who developed the style and accompanying therapy methods. The complex has a……

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