And of course, Aachen is a world wonder because its cathedral (Aachen Cathedral) is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. My third time in Germany, second time in Cologne. This time, on official business, as an Executive Committee member of the International Federation for Theatre Research, whose members met at the University of Cologne for the…
Category: UNESCO World Heritage Site
Miss Liberty of NYC
The Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island is arguably the most popular UNESCO World Heritage Site in the United States. Many foreigners, especially my fellow Filipinos, commonly think of Miss Liberty as the ultimate symbol of the United States. When asked what they think about it as a symbol, often, one gets the “land of…
Hello, Philly! or Where the US of A was born
When I think of Philadelphia, I think of a sandwich made of thinly sliced beef, melted cheese, and often sauteed onions, all served on a hoagie roll. That beef is usually ribeye! The cheese – oh all American – what else – Cheezwiz! But other Philly (how Philadelphia is called in the US) locals use…
Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in Bethlehem
Two years ago, my family and I embarked on what was publicized a “life-changing journey” to the Holy Land. Our travel agency identified three countries belonging to the Holy Land cluster: Jordan, Israel, and Egypt. However, we actually visited four. The agency missed Palestine. The State of Palestine is literally and figuratively at a crossroads….
Kutná Hora, an alternative to the tourist-heavy Prague
When we planned to visit Prague, a part of it was to see a nearby city. Most likely, every well-versed person in geography knows that it is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, and it used to be the capital of Bohemia or one of the largest kingdoms of the Holy Roman…
Celebrating the All Saint’s Day in Kutná Hora
Today is the last day of our Germany-Czech tour before returning to Frankfurt for our flight to Manila. It’s the 31st of October. Commonly, on this day, the Philippines is really busy – cleaning the nitso, the puntod, and the mausoleum of dead loved ones. The next day is All Saints’ Day, and on 2…
Once upon a time, there was an “Artist Playground,” somewhere in Germany
They call it a colony, a space where people with a shared interest live together. The interest: German modernist art, particularly art nouveau. It was my second time in Frankfurt—for the same reason: to participate in the Frankfurter Buchmesse. I was here in 2017 to launch a book at the Philippine stand (there was not…
Ayutthaya: The Interplay of Hindu and Buddhist Creativity
Ayutthaya is located in central Thailand, about 90 km north of Bangkok, the gateway to this popular SEA destination. The city, also known as the Historic City of Ayutthaya, is home to magnificent temples and other structures that are important both historically and architecturally. As one of the world’s largest cities of its time and…
Tallinn: From Russian Nobility to Baltic Cultural Identity to a Fairy Tale Wonderland (Part 2 of 2)
If there is another interesting historical moment in Tallinn that I learned from our trip there, it would be the Baltic Way Revolution, a peaceful political demonstration which took place on 23 August 1989. An approximately two million people joined their hands forming a 600 km long human chain throughout the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia,…
Suomenlinna Fortress: in a Kingdom by the Sea
Eh kumusta naman ang iyong trip sa Helsinki? asked by a colleague. It took me a long time to respond. A part of me would like to say it was traumatic. I wanted to tell her that a group of pickpockets took my wallet and I lost all of my money for the trip, including…
Tanghal Kultura 