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 >
Tag Archives: Ireland
Dublin’s Buildings of Distinction
I began my three-week trip to Ireland, naturally enough, in Dublin, before renting a car and heading out to see the rest of the Emerald Isle. Here in the Irish capital, I caught an Oscar Wilde play, indulged in pints of Guinness, touched a real skeleton for luck, and came across three of the country’s best churches, one of the world’s best baptismal fonts, and one of the world’s most atmospheric restaurants. All of the latter were housed in some of the city’s finest structures that go back centuries and centuries and are just as beautiful today as they were then. Read about the top five buildings in Dublin >
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Up, Up, and a Wow!
While lying on my back in my apartment and fighting off a mild case of COVID, I had plenty of time to stare at my ceilings—outdated, white, popcorn ceilings with a little crack way over there in the corner. In between mental debates over whether I should have them smoothed over and redone, I also had an abundance of time to reflect on other ceilings I’ve seen around the world—outrageously beautiful works of art that will make you want to look up and spend hours marveling over their perfection. Read about the top five ceilings >
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Baptismal Fonts That Make a Memorable Splash
Baptism is the first step to becoming a Christian. In fact, it grants admission into the Church. It’s usually accompanied during a religious service with a sprinkling of water on the forehead, but sometimes it involves a full-body immersion. Whichever method is used, churches around the world accommodate it with a variety of baptismal fonts, from the modest to the mammoth, and I’ve found many of them to be striking works of art. Read about the top five baptismal fonts >
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Food With a Mood
Throughout my travels, I’ve eaten in a vast variety of settings. Some of them would hardly classify as formal, although the quality of what they served was shockingly good: the stand in Bergen, Norway, that peddled a delicious Jagtwurst, the street cart in Uppsala, Sweden, with the sweetest raspberries imaginable, the barbecue joint in Brooklyn with brown-paper placemats that served astoundingly tender pulled pork. But sometimes I crave something unique—a restaurant with atmosphere and an unmistakable sense of place and history that supplements the dining experience to such a degree that I’m still able to recall it fondly decades after I went here. Read about the top five atmospheric restaurants >
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A Rose Is a Rose Is a Rose, But Some Places Grow Them Better
Garden cultivation of roses began several millennia ago, starting way back in Babylon, ancient China, and the Roman Empire. Long admired for their color, their fragrance, and their beauty (some royalty used them as legal tender in the 17th century), the world’s most popular flower has achieved fame not only in horticultural circles, but also in song (“Yellow Rose of Texas”; “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”), war (The War of the Roses), adages (“bed of roses”; “I never promised you a rose garden”), and cinema (The Rose; The Rose Tattoo). This international symbol of love is tended to in dedicated gardens around the world, some of which have truly perfected the art. Read about the world’s top five rose gardens >
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Fourteen Stops Around a Christian Church
One of the religious highlights of the Lenten season is walking the Stations of the Cross. Christians can follow Jesus’ last hours on earth via 14 stations, from His condemnation to death through His march to Calvary and ultimately His body being placed in the tomb. In Christian churches around the world, these images line the walls, often with seven on one side of the church and seven on the other. Regardless of their simplicity or complexity, they are all works of art. Read about the world’s best Stations of the Cross >
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Going Green Around the World
With spring almost at the doorstep for many of us, we begin to think of shedding extra layers of thick clothing and weatherproof boots, stowing away our rock salt and shovels, and not having to de-ice our cars every morning. Buds will soon appear, and gray will morph into green bursting all around us, bringing with it all signs of rebirth and new life. Of course, nature doesn’t hold a monopoly on green; there are plenty of nonliving objects that are green that you can see and fall in love with all year. Read about the world’s top five greens >
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Dream Bigger: White Is Not Only for Christmas
As winter wonderlands start to pop up around the globe, white takes center stage in the form of unique flakes, shiny skating rinks, and Santa’s beard. But snow, ice, and St. Nick’s facial hair don’t hold a monopoly on the pure, unspoiled beauty of white. In fact, some of the world’s best occurrences of white have nothing to do with gelid winters and aren’t seasonal at all. Read more about the world’s top five whites >
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Coursing Through the Heart of Belfast: Donegall Square
With “the Troubles” apparently — and hopefully — relegated to the history books, a day trip to Belfast now seemed necessary during my three-week jaunt around Ireland. Just a two-hour train ride north from Dublin, the capital of Northern Ireland has settled into a peaceful, bustling center of activity. The heart of the city beats in and around Donegall Square, a concentration of fantastic buildings, monuments, and green space, and a wonderful place to wander around when the clouds part. Read more >
Stephen Travels 