Glastonbury Tor Glastonbury, England When it comes to locations for the Holy Grail, at least in popular tradition, no place beats Southwestern England. According to legend, the Grail was taken by Joseph of Aramathea after the Crucifixion. Afterwards, he fled Judea to save his life, winding up in England, where he supposedly had connections with the tin miners there. The … [Read more...]
SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES OF THE BOSTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
The Boston Theological Institute is possibly the largest religious education institution of its kind in the world. Not itself a school, it is a consortium of ten of the most prestigious and historic theology colleges and departments in the United States. Some of the oldest divinity schools in the nation are part of the BTI, including the oldest, Andover Newton Theological … [Read more...]
AMERICA’S BEST OLYMPIC SITES
On July 23, the Games of the XXXII Olympiad will open in Tokyo, temporarily uniting the world once more in the spirit of friendship and sportsmanship of the Summer Olympics. Even Americans, who are usually aloof when it comes to international sports, get caught up in Olympic fever, and we have the history to prove it. The United States has hosted eight Olympic games, four … [Read more...]
AMERICA’S BEST PRESERVED COLONIAL TOWNS
Well more than two centuries after the thirteen original American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain, Colonial America is still alive and kicking. From New England to the South, there are a surprising number of towns along the Eastern Seaboard where visitors can get a glimpse into that near-legendary time when America was still a work-in-progress. … [Read more...]
BATTLEFIELDS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
The American Civil War was the largest war ever fought in the United States; and the largest ever in history that did not involve European or Asian military powers. Of the two dozen military sites in the National Park system, half commemorate battlefields of the Civil War. Some of these, notably those of Gettysburg and Kennesaw Mountain, are among the most popular … [Read more...]
BATTLEFIELDS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The American Revolution was the largest war of the colonial era in the New World, and the second largest conflict ever to be fought on American soil. Over a dozen major battles were fought during the war, and most of the largest and most important battlefields have been preserved as either national or state historic sites. Some of the battlefields, notably Yorktown, are among … [Read more...]
AMERICA’S BEST MILITARY FORTS
Those who have journeyed throughout Europe know that it is almost impossible to get around without tripping over castles every few miles. At least a thousand castles and fortresses, from magnificent structures to crumbling ruins, are peppered throughout the Old World. Not so the New, where powerful gunpowder weapons made fortresses obsolete almost from the outset of the … [Read more...]
CHAPELS OF THE NATIONAL PARKS
Millions of visitors flock to America’s national parks every year, intent on embracing and being awed by wonders of nature. But few who go realize that, hidden among America’s mountains, deserts, canyons and forests, are a number of beautiful and historic churches, and even fewer seek these places out. However, the chapels of the national parks are architectural gems set amid … [Read more...]
WHERE TO GET THE BEST TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS TREATS
The Holiday season in general, and Christmas in particular, is a time of many things: faith, festivities, traditions, movies, music, decorations, gifts and much more. But the thing that ties it all together? The food! With roots that trace in part back to ancient pagan Solstice festivals, which were marked the world over by great feasts, the holiday season is in some ways … [Read more...]
HISTORIC WORKSHOPS WHERE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ARE MADE
There are few things as evocative of the holiday season as the endless variety of Christmas decorations that festoon virtually every structure in the western world during the month of December. Strings of lights, which originated at Thomas Edison’s workshops in New Jersey in the late 19th century, are a mainstay. But what about everything else? What about the ornaments, … [Read more...]