Articles with architecture

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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Revealing The Walls of Two Cities in Switzerland

In 2017 we spent my spring break in Switzerland. Switzerland had never been at the top of our bucket list of places to visit, however the airfare was compelling. We found a bargain price to Zurich and decided to go for it. What we didn’t realize at the time was Zurich is the most expensive city in Europe. Perhaps it was not as much of a bargain as we originally thought. While we did spend time exploring Zurich, we went…

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Gaudí: the Man Who Changed the Skyline of Barcelona

Architects bring their own ideas and significance to the work they do. Some have gone on to have a major influence in the cities they worked in. Such is true of Antoni Gaudí, a remarkable architect who had a significant influence in Barcelona. To visit Barcelona requires that one experience the works of Gaudí. They are among the city’s most popular attractions. Born in 1852, Gaudí began to study architecture in Barcelona at the age of 18. He was influenced…

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Discovering Comstock Country in Nevada

The weather managed to sidetrack our trip to Lake Tahoe. Snow was predicted on Friday after we had enjoyed a beautiful Thursday. With the steep mountain pass in mind, we decided to spend Friday east of the mountains and changed our reservation to Carson City, Nevada. It’s one of those things that can happen when one travels. We really didn’t know much about Carson City. In fact, I can’t say I could even tell you it was the state capitol.…

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