Camp des Milles isn’t exactly the image one has in mind of southern France. A former tile factory just minutes from the center of Aix-en-Provence, the complex was requisitioned by the French government during World War Two, first to house those suspected of fascist sympathies and later, after the fall of France, as a depot…
Marseille is France's second largest city and largest port. But did you know it is also the oldest city in France? Built around a narrow inlet off the Mediterranean Sea and sheltered by the nearby Frioul Islands, the city has undergone massive changes over the centuries, both positive and negative, but the importance of trade…
Walking outside of my apartment on my first morning here in Marseille, I was greeted by the facade of a savonnerie, a soap store. Odd, I thought to myself, to have Savon de Marseille (Soap of Marseille) advertised so publicly. I resolved to return, but I had an appointment. About half a block down the…
Outside of the Mediterranean, there are a few areas in the world with a Mediterranean climate: the cape of South Africa, Chile, and the California coast. Perhaps that's why, when oil tycoon J Paul Getty wanted to build a replica Roman villa on the cliffs of Malibu to house his art collection, nobody called him…
For most people from elsewhere, West Virginia is a bit of a blank spot. We know it exists, but we don't know what there is to do there. It's most famous export, coal, isn't exactly something that draws the tourists in droves. However, West Virginia is a wonderful place. It has some unique history, incredible…
It's a rainy day here in Charleston, West Virginia's capitol city and its largest. The gray skies and wet streets do nothing to lessen the glimmer of the golden dome of the state capitol building, and it shines, visible from all over the city. Across the plaza lies the West Virginia State Museum, containing in…
There are plenty of great art cities in the world, and a number here in the US. For instance, as you may recall, Philadelphia is home to more impressionist masterpieces than any city outside Paris. But nothing prepared me for my experience in Santa Fe, where the city itself is really one big art gallery.…
Spokane is Washington's second largest city, and the only noticeable metropolitan area for hundreds of miles around. However, its location on the far eastern edge of the state makes it the ideal home base to explore not only Eastern Washington, but the Idaho Panhandle and Western Montana as well. Many people, though, make the mistake…
In 1974, a small city in eastern Washington, in the midst of an identity crisis, decided to do the unthinkable: become the smallest city ever to host a World's Fair. In so doing, the city forever changed itself. This is the story of that event, and of the incredible community that emerged from it. This…
The air here is dry, and the wind that has whipped constantly since my arrival blows sand and dust into my face and eyes, making it seem even dryer. I shield my eyes from the sun and sand, and look out across the valley in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Eastern California,…