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Jun

Travel Inspiration: Beauty in the Details

by Meredith Mullins on June 8, 2020

The Île Saint-Louis: So many treasures lie within
© Meredith Mullins

Circumnavigating the Île Saint-Louis

How did a tiny island in the middle of the Seine river in Paris meet the challenges of pandemic wanderlust?

Defying Einstein, the less-than-one-square-kilometer area of the Île Saint-Louis seemed to expand during “confinement” to become an undiscovered universe.

My daily wanderings became a profound adventure during this time of sheltering, with a newfound appreciation of beauty in the details. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 8 Comments

Art of Travel/France (Paris)/Travels to the Past

Mar

Travels to the Past—Angkor, Cambodia

by Meredith Mullins on March 3, 2020

The Ta Prohm Temple, intentionally left in its natural state to show what explorers
found in the 19th century.
© Meredith Mullins

Lost Among the Ruins in One of the Most Amazing Places on Earth

Many years ago, I saw a photograph of a multi-rooted tree swallowing an ancient temple in one overgrown gulp.

For me, the siren’s call came through with haunting clarity. It was then and there—through a National Geographic image—that I knew I had to see these ruins, lost in the jungles of Cambodia. Even the name—Angkor Wat—exuded mystery. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 13 Comments

Asia/Cambodia/Travels to the Past

Jan

London, Lost and Foundling

by Joyce McGreevy on January 20, 2020

An array of silver charms seen on Marchmont Street are evocative markers of Britain’s past, inspired by historical tokens at London’s Foundling Museum. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Historical Markers Lead to Fascinating Discoveries

I’d walked along Marchmont Street often yet never noticed them—small, mysterious objects embedded in the pavement. Unlike London’s “blue plaques,” historical markers at eye level that link figures of the past with buildings of the present, the Marchmont Street objects were easy to overlook.

On Marchmont Street, London a token embedded into the pavement becomes an historical marker for those with the focus to spot it. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Here was public art at its least public, eloquent objects underfoot, shyly waiting to be seen and heard. Yet they, too, were historical markers, clues to a poignant chapter of London’s past. Read more...

Joyce McGreevy 3 Comments

Cultural Symbols/Discoveries/England/On Foot/Travels to the Past

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