What better way to spend a frigid winter day than curled up by a fire listening to a great legend? Granted, it was not a winter day when I learned about these terrific stories, nor was I seated next to a fireplace. Nevertheless, these are tales that have stuck with me for decades, tales that breathed even more life into some of the most memorable places I’ve been. Read about the world’s top five legends >
Tag Archives: Denmark
It’s All in the Curious Details
If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, and I hope that you are, you know I have a passion for architecture. I’ve written about castles, cathedrals, mansions, and so many other buildings and their fascinating stories. While I love looking at the entire structure as a whole, sometimes there’s an engaging little otiose detail that may elude me on first glance. Thank goodness for that second look, when these curiosities, thoughtful and often playful, grabbed my attention and made me appreciate the imagination of those who created them. Although some have lost their raison d’être to the mists of time, others can tell an entire history. Read about the top five architectural curiosities >
Share my story:
Centuries of Copenhagen’s Best Buildings
Copenhagen, Denmark, has a certain coziness about it. That intangible feeling is called hygge, and I could sense it in the general vibe of the city as well as in many of the places I visited. Even in the grandest buildings, some of which are hundreds of years old, somehow there is still, by and large, a sense of a human scale. Read about the top five buildings in Copenhagen >
Share my story:
Standing Tall: The World’s Best Columns
They’re Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, smooth or fluted, singular or clustered. Their capitals can resemble anything from acanthus leaves to volutes. And when they’re not supporting entire buildings, giving the appearance of such on a building’s façade, or forming an arcade, columns often sprout up as stand-alone structures. These engaging specimens of verticality, whether they’re slender or bold, have always caught my eye (whether or not I’m able to climb to their tops). Read about the world’s top five columns >
Share my story:
Why Not Minot?
A one-way, 100-mile detour from Bismarck, North Dakota, north to Minot (closer to the Canadian border than to the state capitol) didn’t seem even remotely unreasonable once I discovered that the Scandinavian Heritage Park is located in this northern city. With nearly 40% of its population claiming Scandinavian ancestry, it’s the perfect place for the park—and for me to indulge my ongoing obsession with everything Nordic. Read about it >
Share my story:
The World’s Best Urban Parks
Watching a group of Asian senior citizens practicing the slow movements of a choreographed dance. Making friends with a red squirrel. Hearing someone rail against the evils of plutocracy. Standing under a 165’ Douglas fir. You never know what you’ll find in a city park, and that’s one of their many attractions. And the best parks that make all that possible smack in the middle of a city do it in unforgettable style. Read about the top five urban parks >
Share my story:
Denmark’s Five Best Churches
When it comes to castles, Denmark is one of my favorite European nations, whether they’re watching over the coastline or dropped smack in the middle of the capital city. When it comes to churches, however, Denmark has some serious competition from its European neighbors. Despite that, this little nation of just under six million people has constructed some spectacular churches. Too bad only 3 percent of the population regularly attends services; they’re missing out on surrounding themselves with beauty. Read about the top five churches in Denmark >
Share my story:
To See or Not to See: Denmark’s Kronborg Castle
The decision is easy: yes, see it. But why the modified Shakespearean reference? Kronborg Castle, in the city of Helsingør, Denmark, is the setting for Hamlet. Although both the castle and the city capitalize on that distinction, it’s not true: Fictional Hamlet and his friends and enemies didn’t act out their tragic storylines here. Nevertheless, you can get your fill of their tale here as well as an abundance of history and architecture that has nothing to do with the prince of Denmark. Read more >
Share my story:
Delightful Domes That Grace City Skylines
Domes. They’re one of the world’s most versatile architectural elements. Whether they’re topping iconic buildings like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, and the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, or they’re the buildings themselves, ranging from Eskimo igloos to Central Asian yurts to the geodesic dome in Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, domes add that final splash of panache to our built environments. Found throughout the world, they seem to be appreciated by just about everyone as the perfect way to top off a building in a graceful, elegant style. Read more about the world’s top five domes >
Share my story:
Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens: An Amusement Park for All Ages
One of Copenhagen’s most visited attractions has a multiple personality…well, I would hardly call it a disorder. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. A multiple personality salubrity, perhaps? Tivoli Gardens is every child’s fantasy, a panoply of diversions for teenagers, and a fanciful urban oasis for adults. At night, lovers inevitably grow all saccharine amid the fairytale lighting, and travelers of every age will be enthralled by an amusement park smack in the middle of one of Scandinavia’s largest cities. Read more about this venue that has something for everyone >
Stephen Travels 