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Author: Chris

United States Capitol

United States Capitol

This blog will feature the United States Capitol, the building where the House of Representatives and the Senate do their work. Both are part of the legislative branch of the government, responsible for enacting legislation. We arranged for a tour of the Capitol building through our Congressman. In 1792, a competition was held for the design of the U.S. Capitol, however none of the submitted plans were selected. Dr. William Thornton asked to present plans even though the competition was…

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Presidents, the White House and the Supreme Court

Presidents, the White House and the Supreme Court

We went to a wedding in Virginia and on our way, stopped in Mount Vernon to see the family home of George Washington. His estate was along the Potomac River. The house has 21 rooms and was built by his father. There were several outbuildings including slave quarters, barns and a blacksmith shop. He had gardens that provided fruits and vegetables. We couldn’t take pictures inside his home, but these are pictures taken from outside. While President Washington could have…

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Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

We went to Palm Springs, California to attend a wedding in 2010, and while there, we took a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park. It was a four-hour tour that was “off road” and also included Big Morongo Canyon. Joshua Tree National Park is almost 800,000 acres and includes parts of both the Mohave and Colorado Deserts. It was originally named as a national monument in 1936 and then a national park in 1994. It was named Joshua Tree…

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Tall Ships Festival in Chicago

Tall Ships Festival in Chicago

In 2013, we spent a day at the Tall Ships Festival at Navy Pier in Chicago. These events are sponsored by Tall Ships America and occur annually. This year (2019) there will be a number of events in both the United States and Canada at Great Lakes ports. You can find a schedule and more information at https://www.tallshipschallenge.com. We had a beautiful day and spent the morning walking along Navy Pier viewing the ships from the dock and also boarding…

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Gdansk, Poland

Gdansk, Poland

After leaving Estonia, we sailed to Gdynia, Poland. It was from here we left with others from our cruise ship to visit Malbork Castle which was the focus of my last post. In this entry, I am going to tell you about the time we spent in Gdansk which is about twelve miles from the port city of Gdynia. Gdansk is a major seaport of Poland and has a very busy harbor. After World War II, Poland was part of…

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Poland’s Malbork Castle

Poland’s Malbork Castle

Our next port of call was Gdansk, Poland, where we would be able to spend most of the day. In this post, I will focus on Malbork Castle, which was a highlight of our shore excursion. Malbork Castle was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The UNESCO website has interesting information about the castle, some of which I will quote here. First, here is a very concise history of the castle: This spectacular fortress bears witness to…

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Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn, Estonia

After leaving St. Petersburg, we were headed to Tallinn, Estonia. We really didn’t know much about Estonia and thought it was probably a convenient stop between St. Petersburg and our port in Poland. But Estonia was much more – we could only spend a few hours here as we were due back on the ship around lunchtime. For our shore excursion, we chose a walking tour that would give us an overview of Tallinn. Estonia likely dates back to the…

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Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral

Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral

The last church we would visit in St. Petersburg was the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, located within the Peter and Paul Fortress. Before I talk about our visit to the cathedral, let me give you a little history. During the Great Northern War (1700-1721), Russia challenged Sweden, regaining some of its land, and giving the Russians access to the Baltic. In 1703, Peter the Great established St. Petersburg. He ordered that a fortress be established on Zayachy (Hare) Island…

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St. Issac’s Cathedral

St. Issac’s Cathedral

We would visit two more churches before leaving St. Petersburg. This post will focus on St. Issac’s Cathedral which is the second largest Orthodox church in the world. It can accommodate 14,000 standing worshipers. Members of the Russian Orthodox Church believe that Jesus is present in the church so do not sit out of respect for Him. The first St. Isaac’s was a small wooden church ordered by Peter the Great. The church was dedicated to his patron saint, Issac…

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The Hermitage

The Hermitage

The Hermitage is the world’s second largest museum. The museum’s collection is housed in five connected buildings, the largest being the Winter Palace. We visited the Hermitage with our guide, Anna, who was on summer break as a high school history teacher. She would show us some of the highlights of the museum as it would be impossible to see everything. I thought this quote put the magnitude of the Hermitage in perspective: With over 3 million items in its…

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