Travel
How Mark Twain Saved Heidelberg
In 1945 Allied and Russian troops crushed Germany from the west and east. Berlin, Hamburg, and all the major cities were destroyed by bombers and artillery. General George S. Patton’s 3rd Army roared through the Rhine Valley pummeling Frankfurt and Manheim without mercy. The army raced south and lined its tanks and artillery along the [...]
Perils at Copacabana Beach
Imagine waking just before dawn. The tip of the reddish-orange sun is barely breaking the horizon. Across the street lies an absolutely gorgeous beach curving around a bay of emerald hills. People are gathering at water’s edge enamored with the kaleidoscope of colors lapping on the shores. You join them. Back home there is at [...]
Along the Road to Bacchus
The bus rambled through the arid country side. Tanks, artillery and other weapons-filled vehicles – all pointing east – lined each side of the road. Helmeted soldiers clustered in small groups and shared smokes. Syrian flags flapped every half mile. What was the Syrian army doing in Lebanon? Why were their guns pointed at their [...]
