Rome is a difficult city to sum up. It is so many different things all rolled into one. Ancient imperial city. Seat of one of the world’s major religions. European capital. It is old; it is new. It is, above all, overwhelming, in a chaotic but kind of perfect way. Perhaps no place serves as…
Today, Dublin, Ireland is a thriving, vibrant, metropolitan European capital with a population of about 1.2 million, almost 25% of the country. Yet walking around the city, history is all over. While many come here seeking its spectacular pubs or its music, the history of Dublin is an exciting one, one visible all across the…
From inside the complex, it’s hard to remember that I’m less than a half hour from downtown Los Angeles. The Ming Dynasty style pagodas and shrines of the Hsi Lai Temple gleam in the sun. The gardens, ornate and calming, stand in contrast to the literally dozens of statues lining almost every passageway. Brown clothed…
All too often, we as humans have the tendency to look for something new and exciting. Many times this comes at the expense of something old and historic. On rare occasions, we are able to balance the preservation of the old while transforming it into something new. Here in Anaheim, in California’s Orange County, I…
There is never a bad day to visit an outdoor architectural history museum. Even on a slightly cool and overcast June day in Los Angeles, the buildings of Heritage Square Museum shine. The exteriors are beautifully restored and/or preserved, and while the interiors vary from fully furnished and restored to states of semi-ruin, the history…
Another beautiful day in Buenos Aires, and another neighborhood to explore. More than most cities, Buenos Aires is a collection of unique neighborhoods, each with a completely different look and feel. Puerto Madero stands out for its ultra-modern appeal, new glass skyscrapers towering over the city’s old center. But there is more here to discover.…
Editor’s note: outside of Israel, I’ve explored little of the Middle East. I’m so grateful to Sam Spector for filling in some of these gaps for all of you here at The Royal Tour! For more of his adventures, click here to visit his index page. I have written about the glitz and glam of…
Some days, it’s nice to just wander, to have a basic plan of some things to see in a given neighborhood, and to see where the roads and paths between them take me. Today is one of those days, as I meander slowly from north to south in Buenos Aires’ Recoleta neighborhood. It is a…
It’s a Sunday morning, so naturally I am on my way to Buenos Aires’ San Telmo neighborhood. I am joined by thousands of others, tourists and locals alike. San Telmo is a beautiful neighborhood on any day, but on Sundays, the area comes to life via the famous Féria de San Telmo, or San Telmo…
Editor’s Note: I had a single day in Charleston before I started The Royal Tour, a day that was so rainy and foggy that I couldn’t even see the water from a waterfront walkway. Even soaking wet and cold, Charleston was beautiful, and this longer look into this historic city from Sam Spector is making…