The Cortes of Leon of 1188

The Cortes of Leon of 1188

Podcast Transcript In 1188, a historic gathering took place in the city of León, in the Kingdom of León and Galicia.  It was a kingdom-wide assembly convened by King Alfonso IX that brought together nobles, clergy, and town representatives to advise the crown. It is significant because it is the earliest documented European assembly to …

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Holy Relics

Holy Relics

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 …

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Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona

Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona

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 …

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Yoho National Park, British Columbia

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 …

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Glacier National Park, British Columbia

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 …

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Wood Buffalo National Park

Wood Buffalo National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site

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 …

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Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks

Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks

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 …

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Banff National Park, Alberta

Banff National Park, Alberta

Banff is probably the best known national park in Canada. Located in the Canadian Rockies, just a 90 minute drive from Calgary, it is also one of the more accessible national parks in Canada. Part of the fame of Banff comes the fact that it is also Canada’s oldest national park. Established in 1885, just …

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The Spanish Flu Pandemic

The Spanish Flu Pandemic

Podcast Transcript In 1918, as the world was nearing the end of the First World War, another disaster was spreading across the globe.  It was so lethal that someone could be dead within a single day after seeing the first symptoms. It moved through army camps, cities, ships, and villages, infecting hundreds of millions and …

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