I had visited Switzerland only once before in 1973, driving my VW van with my parents, when they came to Europe to persuade me to come back to the US after I had stayed out of the country for three years. By that time. . .
Corfu, Greece, is Greece's northernmost island. It is a popular tourist destination, especially for northern Europeans. It lies opposite Albania in the Aegean Sea. Greek food is legendary. The secluded beaches and verdant mountains are beautiful. What's not to like? Only the over-crowded airport.
Musings about Detroit, the Kahlo/Rivera exhibit, the Detroit Symphony, and the Mayo Clinic.
There are many hamams in Istanbul, both ancient and modern. The hamam we visited was built in 1741 and bills itself as the last hamam constructed during Ottoman Empire.
The extensive Zen Buddhist temples in Kyoto were financed by the Shogun, the warrior leader who represented the real power behind the emperor. The Shogun also created the first extensive Zen garden, placing the trees, rocks, flowers, and water pools into a special meditative design which became the art of Zen gardens.
The Vietnam War, as it is known to Americans, is known in Vietnam as the American War. Vietnam has suffered through wars with the French and the Chinese. But Vietnam's victory over the US military in 1973 demonstrated the limits of US military hardware against a people defending their home territory. The US faced this lesson again in Afghanistan. The United States of America's military budget is larger than the combined military budgets of the next nine countries. We cannot trust that we will remain safe in the world solely because of our tremendous military expenditures.
Saudi Arabia could become a great destination for tourists at some point in the future. They just aren’t there yet.