Cultural Heritage
Panama City, Florida's vibrant art community tells the city's story well. For some places, art is new. But here it began some 13,000 years ago when primitive people began drawing designs on the pottery found in the long-gone mounds that served as their homes.
For those of us taking road trips with our families in the '60s and '70s, a stop at Stuckey's was a fun treat. They were the original roadside stop before Love's, Racetrack, WaWa, or Bucee's. You could get candy, snacks, drinks, souvenirs, enjoy a clean restroom, and fill up the tank.
When we think of Florida’s statehood, the bustling city of Tallahassee comes to mind. But, Florida moved into statehood in a smaller, less-known place. A convention held at St. Joseph, Florida led to the drafting of the constitution for the Territory of Florida on December 3, 1838, and also to the state’s first constitution. On March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th state. We’re exploring the wealth of attractions in this historic community.
When Allen Bartimioli planned a trip to his ancestors’ homeland, he never imagined he would find himself face-to-face with a cousin he didn’t know he had. Like many Americans, the Arizona pastor and his wife, Ellen, had done some genealogical research and had taken a 23andMe DNA test. Allen’s showed Italian and Sicilian ancestry—no surprise, given the family stories. According to Bartimioli lore, Allen’s paternal grandfather returned to his roots in Italy after World War II.
Gliding silently through the winding channels of the Okavango Delta, I felt a bit nervous. Our mokoro canoe, a type of dugout canoe skillfully guided by a local poler, sliced through the murky waters as we navigated past water lilies. But the large pod of hippos standing at the shore not too far away dampened the soothing atmosphere. The remaining serenity was suddenly broken by a loud splash and grunt – a reminder that we were sharing these waters with some of Africa's most formidable creatures.
Newspapers have always played a vital part in shaping the history of a place. Often, the now-silent printing presses remain intertwined with their community’s present story. The Panama City Publishing Company Museum in the St Andrews Neighborhood of Panama City, Florida shares one of these stories.
Most of us probably remember from history class that Spanish explorers brought horses to North America in the 14th century. Many people are surprised to learn native horses existed before the Spanish arrived, at least in Canada. Ojibwe Spirit Horses, also known as Lac La Croix Indigenous Ponies, are the only known indigenous horse breed native to Canada. Thousands of them lived in harmony with Indigenous communities in (mainly) Northern and Western Ontario and roamed the forests that surround Lac Le Croix.
I marvel at the cavernous interiors of the room, chiseled from the soft tuff rock, formed millions of years ago by the eruption of the volcanoes that once dominated the landscape of Cappadocia. The lava flows formed tuff rock, which the wind and the rain sculpted into winding valleys of craggy cliffs and conical fairy chimneys dotted with pockmarked caves and towering ravines. The earliest settlers in this part of Central Anatolia curved their humble homes in these caves – a tradition followed to date. And many of the Cappadocian homes, like that of my host Okhtai, have been converted into boutique cave hotels. For my 3-day sojourn in Cappadocia, I am staying at such a cavern hotel in the small town of Goreme, which has a history that is as fascinating as its landscape.
The Romanov family was infamously and brutally murdered by the Bolsheviks at the end of World War I. Czar Nicholas II, his wife, and their five children were executed to make way for the new ruling hierarchy under the communist leadership of Vladimir Lenin.
With 20.1 bookstores per 100,000 population, Buenos Aires is a haven for literature fans. People read on the subway, at cafes, and on park benches. And, despite the rise of digital formats, print books continue to be relevant and cherished. So, if you are planning to visit Buenos Aires and are a keen reader, you must visit these bookstores.
Nestled deep in the enchanting region of Transylvania, Romania, the town of Sighisoara is home to one of Europe’s last inhabited medieval fortresses. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, often overlooked by tourists, boasts a rich history spanning centuries and a cultural heritage that far exceeds its modest size.
Music has long been a passionate harbinger of change and social activism. From Woody Guthrie’s “This machine kills fascists” message emblazoned on his beat-up acoustic guitar to Bob Dylan’s powerful political messages in “The Times They Are A Changin’,” to the Woodstock era’s desperate and eloquent pleas for peace during the Vietnam War, and up to Bruce Springsteen’s Vote For Change tours in the 21st century, the musical community has consistently used its platform to advocate for a better world. Perhaps no single musician has had a bigger influence on a larger audience than the brilliant Senegalese musician/percussionist/activist Youssou N’Dour.
