Stephen Travels


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Wondrous Wreckage

Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow, Scotland

Ruins have always fascinated me. What was this place, or building, or bridge, or sometimes an entire city? What was it like when it was still functional and vibrant? What happened there? Who lived there? What was its function? What triggered its demise? Littered all around the world, ruins are quite enthralling, no matter how big or small, from the bell tower of St. Magdalene Mary in Budapest, for example, to the eerily silent columns at Windsor Plantation in Port Gibson, Mississippi. When I visit them, I’m always in awe of their stories and their ability to hang on in the face of natural and manmade forces that continually eat away at them. Read about the top five ruins >


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A “Sea of Sin” in the Very Wild West

Bodie State Historic Park, CaliforniaOne of my favorite cities in the United States is located smack in the middle of nowhere near the California-Nevada border. It’s not on a main — or even a secondary — road, and its permanent population is zero. You can’t get there by train or bus, direct or connecting flight. No art galleries are open for browsing, no parks for an afternoon stroll will greet you, and you won’t be able to refill your tank because there are no gas stations. You can’t book a room for the night, and forget about grabbing something to eat — restaurants don’t exist.

Why on earth is this seemingly godforsaken place one of my favorites? Because it’s Bodie — the largest, best preserved, and most fascinating ghost town in the country. And exploring  an abandoned city that used to have a population of about 10,000 more than satisfies my fascination with ruins: What was this place? How did it come into existence? What happened here? Who lived here? And why did it end? Read more >

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