Transcript If you happen to be in Valencia, Spain, on a Thursday, at noon, in front of the cathedral, you might be able to witness the oldest surviving democratic tradition on Earth. For over 1000 years the Valencia Water Tribunal has been adjudicating water disputes among the farmers of the region. Learn more about the …
Transcript Catalonia is a unique region. They have their own Romance language, their own customs, and cuisine, and when it comes to the Christmas season, they have their own traditions. In fact, when it comes to the Christmas season, they have some very very unique traditions. I’d dare say that their Christmas traditions are firmly …
Transcript Every year, more than three million visitors will line up and buy a ticket to visit the most popular attraction in all of Spain: The Sagrada Familia. It is a stunning modernist architectural achievement and the crowning design of local architect Antoni Gaudí. Even though it gets millions of visitors, the church has been …
Podcast Transcript Some of the most venerated objects in many different religions are holy relics. Relics offer a tangible connection to significant figures in various religious traditions, and they are often highly prized and sought after. In the Middle Ages, relics became a significant business, and possessing the right relics could substantially boost a local …
From the World Heritage inscription for the Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona: These are two of the finest contributions to Barcelona’s architecture by the Catalan art nouveau architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The Palau de la Música Catalana is an exuberant steel-framed structure full of light and space and …
Yoho is just over the border from Banff National Park and borders Kootenay National Park on the south. It is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site. I’ve always wondered why the 4 adjoining national parks in the Canadian Rockies weren’t just one big park, or at least 2 parks …
The name of this park can be confusing as there is a Glacier National Park in Montana as well as a Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. Glacier is a Rocky Mountain national park which is not part of the core group centered around the Continental Divide. (Yoho, Kootenay, Banff, and Jasper). It is approximately …
From the World Heritage inscription for Wood Buffalo National Park: Situated on the Northern Boreal Plains in the north-central region of Canada, Wood Buffalo comprises a vast wilderness area (44,807 km2 ) which is home to North America’s largest population of wild bison. It is also the natural nesting place of the whooping crane. Another …
From the World Heritage inscription for Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks: The contiguous national parks of Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho, as well as the Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine and Hamber provincial parks, studded with mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons and limestone caves, form a striking mountain landscape. The Burgess Shale fossil site, well known …