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FEATURE: HAWAII
My wife Annie and I are immersing ourselves in the history and culture of Hawaii's less crowded “outer” shores, far from the lights and traffic of Waikiki. It is like opening a Russian doll, so many hidden dimensions are revealed. We keep getting vivid glimpses of long-vanished ways of life. It is a rich, diverse and sometimes shocking tableau, full of extreme contrasts. On the one hand, there is the fondly imagined paradise of dramatic geography, a sultry climate and beautiful native people. On the other, a history of brutal warfare and the oppressive traditional social system, in which commoners might be killed for stepping on the king's shadow. On the Big Island, however, people were safe if they reached sanctuary within the walls and temples of the City of Refuge, now painstakingly restored.
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GREECE
On a bright May afternoon, I travel by train across the lush Thessaly Plain in central Greece. Suddenly, out of the plain, gigantic spires of rock emerge, some higher than 400 meters, their strange shapes jutting up out of the fertile soil. Nothing I have seen in pictures has prepared me for this sight. Few places I have seen in Greece are so intensely dramatic.
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ROGERSVILLE, USA
The intriguing past of Rogersville, Tennessee begins in the late eighteenth century. A good place to begin enjoying this history is Crockett Springs Park located in the central part of town off W. Main Street, accessible from Rogers Street or Rogan Road. Here one will find Rogers Cemetery where Davy Crockett’s grandparents are buried.
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AUSTRIA
Vienna is the city of castles, palaces, extraordinary churches; it is the city of the Viennese waltz…and the Viennese vaults. Vaults. As in, tombs! Caskets and coffins, and urns filled with ashes. And, urns filled with innards! They are all on display right there…in the church basement. Go on in, and enjoy the “Viennese Vaults.”
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FRANCE
The head emerged from years in its watery grave. If only stone cold eyes could see! The discovery of a true to life bust of Caesar, in the Fall of 2007 along the shore of the Rhone, was appropriately found in southwestern France for here the great man had some of his greatest victories and the hand of Rome pressed most deeply into the land.
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ARIZONA
You can tell that thousands of Navajo Indians have walked up this canyon. Years and years of constant steps have worn natural footholds up and down the orange walls. They look as if they’ve been intricately carved. And in a way, they had been.“Could you ever get lost up here?” Amanda asked Calvin, our sure-footed Navajo guide.“No.” He answered.
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SPAIN
I was just a college girl majoring in art history when I became smitten with the architectural genius of Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). Captivated by Gaudi’s unconventional, whimsical and gravity-defying architecture, I yearned to visit Barcelona where I could see his creations “in the flesh.”
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BETHLEHEM, ISRAEL
Straddling the shore of the Dead Sea, Highway 90 takes you through some of the most breathtaking desert scenery in the Middle East. En route, you also pass the unobtrusive sites of Qumran and Masada whose presence are only betrayed by signs denoting the park entrances.
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CANADA
There are not many places on the Pacific Coast where we know for certain Captain George Vancouver walked, but this is one: the beach of Cape Mudge at the southern tip of Quadra Island, across Discovery Passage from Campbell River, British Columbia.
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CANADA
Warm Christmas cheer greeted me and made it a pleasant winter’s outing when I visited the Burnaby Heritage Museum. The Village represents a heritage community along the old B.C. Electric Interurban Railway Line. From the blazing coloured lights to the Victorian Christmas decorations I was quickly transported into the spirit of the Holiday Season.
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FRANCE
When Catherine Cordelle told me she had found an artist’s residency in Provence that was willing to have me for a couple weeks, I was thrilled. I had read Peter Mayle’s 'A Year in Provence' some years before and was enthralled by the prospect of experiencing the lifestyle he had written so amusingly and evocatively about.
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GREENLAND
None of us expected our voyage to make history, not when we boarded the Clipper Adventurer in Kugluktuk (Coppermine), near the west end of the Northwest Passage. True, our cruise was billed as an expeditionary adventure.
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NEPAL
Well over a half century ago the inveterate British mountaineer and travel writer, H.W. ‘Bill’ Tilman (b.1898), was the first European to trek across some of the highest parts of Nepal. To be sure, it is an alluring and austere place, but why did he call it a “resort”?
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TURKEY
Ever since I read Agatha Christie’s intriguing crime novel ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, I wanted to travel on that train. To indulge in the gilded luxury of the train itself, let the mysterious landscapes of the Balkans glide past my window and alight at the final destination: Istanbul, the city which straddles two continents.
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LONDON, UK
I’ve always dreamed of celebrating Christmas in London, a real Dickens’ Christmas where the famous writer once lived. A Victorian Christmas with all the old traditions set right in the place where they all began. Charles Dickens probably had more influence on the way we celebrate Christmas today than any single individual.
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| TRAVEL THRU HISTORY is a unique travel ‘zine dedicated to exploring historical and cultural experiences. If you have toured the wonders of Egypt, trekked through Berber villages in the High Atlas mountains of Morocco, explored the ancient ruins of Greece or the Mayan pyramids in Mexico, and immersed yourself in another culture, we’d like to hear from you. This is a site for writers to share their travel experiences in a creative, literary way through travel articles, essays, journals and creative non-fiction memoirs. |
| We publish stories featuring the historical, archaeological, and cultural aspects of a destination. We also accept stories about literary journeys, visits to the haunts of famous writers and artists, unique museums and art galleries. Explore the exciting and diverse world of other cultures, and take us on exotic adventures. |
| Readers will be taken on fresh, often overlooked experiences and adventures that will provide a valuable insights into the past as well as the lifestyles of other cultures. |
| To send a story or query a story idea, please read the writer’s guidelines in the Submissions section and review previously published articles. |
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This site was last updated on
January 22nd, 2012.
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