Just a few hours outside of Jordan’s capital city of Amman lies Jerash, a city playing host to a rather impressive collection of Roman ruins. No “ruin fatigue” here: the history of Jerash – layer upon layer of civilizations, from Greek to Roman to Umayyad, keeps you wondering about the cycles of cultures and religions — and all the people who walked the same streets over the last 3000 years.
The South Theatre pictured below was built by the Romans in the 1st century AD. Its layout highlights the Roman skill of acoustic design. If you stand at the central acoustic point inside the theater and belt out your favorite tune or poem, every person in that 3,000 seat theatre will hear you loud and clear. Impressive.
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Jordan, Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
5 Comments | 30 August 2011
It seems like smartphones can do just about anything these days, from waking us up in the morning according to our sleep cycles to translating foreign language signs we’ve just photographed. But our iPhones and Androids still can’t do everything.
As we put together travel plans for this coming fall, it occurs to us that some travel apps are still missing. Here are just a few of the award-winning ones we’re still waiting for. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Humor, Travel by: Daniel Noll
37 Comments | 25 August 2011
The Great Synagogue (aka, Dohány Street Synagogue) in Budapest is the largest synagogue in Europe (and 2nd largest in the world). We stumbled upon it while strolling around Budapest on an autumn day and were taken back by its architectural design and unusual colorful exterior.
Originally built in the mid-19th century, the synagogue was destroyed by Nazi and Allied bombings during World War II. After the end of the Cold War, the synagogue was reconstructed over the course of a decade with the help of private donations. Today, you can see the Great Synagogue restored to its original glory and in use for its original purpose.
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Hungary, Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
9 Comments | 23 August 2011
What comes to mind when you hear the word “Bangladesh”?
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Bangladesh, South Asia, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
42 Comments | 19 August 2011
Quito, Ecuador — at 2,800 meters (9,200 feet) in elevation, it’s just a bit closer to the sky than most capital cities. Walk around Quito’s old town and you’ll feel it — not only because of the slight shortness of breath you might experience, but also because of the inimitable cloud-popping blue sky overhead. It’s so surreal that you sometimes feel you can reach up and touch it — if only you could stretch just a little bit more.
Throw in a few parks, dramatic staircases, and a few of Quito’s impressive colonial churches like San Francisco Church below, and you’ve got yourself a visual that you just might never forget.
And no, that sky is not photoshopped. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Ecuador, Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
16 Comments | 17 August 2011
Oh, the places your passport can take you. That is, if you keep it safe and protected. Here are a few tips on protecting your passport, avoiding passport scams and what steps you should take before you leave home in case your passport is stolen. Continue Reading »
- My Big Fat American Passport
- Protect Thy Passport
Filed Under: Travel by: Audrey Scott
34 Comments | 14 August 2011
Ever want to just be a kid again and swing to your heart’s content? Then we have the perfect place for you. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
12 Comments | 10 August 2011
You know it’s been a long day at the beer festival when guys in lederhosen start doing the moonwalk.
-– The essence of the moment, Saturday night at the Berlin beerfest.
More than 2,000 beers from over 300 breweries hailing from 86 countries — all spread out over two kilometers in the middle of the city. No, this is not Oktoberfest.
So many beers yet so little time. That’s the Berlin Beer Festival.
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Europe, Food, Germany by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
21 Comments | 9 August 2011
I turned 40 yesterday. Yep, I’m almost hesitant to admit it. Almost. There are days where I’d like to think I’m suspended permanently at either 23 or 33. But that’s not the way time, this construct we’ve created to capture the constant state of change in the world around us, actually works.
“What have you learned over these years?” a friend asked in light of the occasion. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Personal Growth by: Daniel Noll
42 Comments | 5 August 2011
An old school Baltic woodcarving workshop, unusual and cavernous. Where good secrets are hidden, work is done by hand with careful strokes, and old fragments beg to be rediscovered by a good walk in the basement. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Panorama by: Daniel Noll
5 Comments | 2 August 2011
