Articles with architecture

A Glimpse of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s Largest City

After spending nearly a week in Da Nang, Vietnam, it was time to visit the largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, formerly named Saigon. Our visit was a bit different than to Hanoi or Da Dang. We had come to Vietnam because our daughter-in-law is Vietnamese. Her home town is actually south of Ho Chi Minh. Initially we planned to visit her home town as her parents have built a home there. Her parents planned to be there during…

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Hoi An: An Ancient City with Unique Architecture and Lanterns

Our first full day in Da Nang wasn’t actually spent in Da Nang. We spent most of the day in the nearby town of Hoi An. We knew we wanted to go to Hoi An. At one point we planned to get a hotel there. However, we decided we should stay in Da Nang and just make a day trip out of going to Hoi An, so that’s what we did. We went to Hoi An on our first day…

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Beautiful Scenery and Unique Towns on Colorado’s Hwy. 160

After spending a day at Great Sand Dunes National Park, it was time to head to our next destination, Mesa Verde National Park. From our stay in Alamosa we would travel across the southwestern part of Colorado along Hwy. 160. It would take most of the day as we stopped from time to time to see the sights. We spent two nights in Alamosa. The town itself is really the nearest town for those planning to visit the Great Sand…

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Amazon Spheres, Seattle’s Unique Architectural Wonder

A picture with Seattle’s Space Needle easily identifies it as being a photo of Seattle. Another unique architectural feature in Seattle was completed in March of 2016, the Amazon Spheres. While it was not completed on the inside for almost two more years, the Spheres have become another recognizable symbol of Seattle and is worth visiting. A trip to the top of the Space Needle will set one back as much as $37.50 per person. However, a visit to the…

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Returning to Bruges, Belgium on a Cold Day

Last year my daughter Andrea and I visited Bruges as part of our trip to see the tulips in The Netherlands. We had a fun and interesting time in this old city. This year as my wife and I were deciding where to visit in Europe, I felt like it would be good to take Silvette to Bruges as it had been such an interesting place to see. Originally I had thought we would go Friday, but the rain was…

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Discovering Amsterdam from Land and Canals

Amsterdam is the largest city in The Netherlands and has a rich history as an industrial and economic leader. This shows in some of the unique ways the city has reinvented itself over the years. While there is much to see in this city, we toured the city in an afternoon knowing we were missing a lot. To get to the center of Amsterdam from our hotel, we would normally ride the train and be there in ten minutes. This…

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Astoria, Gateway to the Oregon Coast

At one time my wife’s parents owned a home in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Our children were in elementary school then, and we would go down to visit two or three times a year. Of course to get there we had to pass through the town of Astoria, and that’s what we did, we passed right on by. Occasionally we would drive up to wander through some antique stores, but for the most part we were unimpressed. It had been a…

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Olympic Peninsula: Port Ludlow, Port Townsend, and Old Forts

The Olympic Peninsula is a large part of the state of Washington. However, we had never taken the opportunity to really explore it. We have visited a few areas, but never spent a lot of time in the region. This year as we approached fall, we wanted to get some more traveling in. However, all of our original ideas fell away as COVID seemed to be everywhere, and we didn’t want to take too much risk traveling. Finally we concluded…

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St. Edward State Park: A Lodge Opens in its Middle

When one thinks state parks, usually what comes to mind are parks in the mountains or at the ocean beaches. Their distance away from urban centers can make them seem difficult to get to for a day trip. However, nestled in the suburbs on the east side of Lake Washington is St. Edward State Park. One can easily take a day trip to this park, and it recently got a unique upgrade. So grab your Discover Pass and find out…

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