The Houses of Parliament, more widely known as Westminster Palace, is the preeminent symbol of London with its famous clock tower and “Big Ben” bell.  Originally erected a thousand years ago, its primary function was as a royal residence.  Today, Westminster Palace serves several roles, including acting as the location where the United Kingdom’s House of Lords and House of Commons meet to conduct business.  Read the rest of this entry »

Ever since the time of the Caesars, climbing the Campidoglio, or Capitoline Hill, has been the most thrilling introduction for visitors to Rome.  During the Empire, this was the most sacred of the city’s seven hills, crowned by the fantastical Temple of Jupiter, whose gilded roof shone brilliantly in the Italian sun.  Inside, an immense, gold-and-ivory statue of Jupiter, the King of the Gods, presided over treasured artworks from around the known world.  But it was the spectacular view that really drew the crowds.  Read the rest of this entry »

The Great Wall of China – known as one of the seven wonders if the world – is the only man-made object that can be seen from space by the naked eye. The current remains of the Great Wall wander through the northern part of China – connecting the eastern China Sea to the barren desert in the west. Today, more than 5,000 kilometers of the wall are still visible. Read the rest of this entry »

Paris in the 1920s was a golden age for financially-challenged American writers, who flocked here for the excellent exchange rate for the dollar and the liberated lifestyle – not to mention the hottest art scene in the world.  Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his flamboyant wife Zelda, Ford Madox Ford, Gertrude Stein, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and E. E. Cummings all staked a claim in the capital of Jazz Age Europe (and were joined by Irishman James Joyce, Brit George Orwell and a bevy of Russian and Eastern European geniuses).  Read the rest of this entry »