Laurie McAndish King

Trulli of Alberobello — Truly Amazing

In the town of Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site probably founded in the 15th century, there are more than 1,000 of the most interesting dwellings. These trulli and their clever construction came about during the Middle Ages, popularized by a law prohibiting the construction of new cities without regal authorization—and taxation.

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Could I Eat a Horse?

The instructions were unnerving: Boil olive oil in a hot pan, lay the horsemeat in flat, and turn it when it starts to rise. I tried hard not to visualize horseflesh rearing up out of a pan of boiling oil. We were in search of the “Puglian delicacy” I had read about in a guidebook and was determined not to miss.

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Libya souks and shopping

Tripoli, also known as “the Jewel of the Mediterranean,” is Libya’s largest city, with souks offering a wide variety of unexpected and unfamiliar goods. Visitors will enjoy spices, fabrics, jewelry, and … smoking rabbits.

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Libya before the War

Tripoli—Libya’s capital and largest city, principal seaport, and leading commercial and manufacturing center—has been continuously inhabited since it was founded by Phoenicians in the 7th century. Now in the midst of a revolution, war, and suffering, it is full of warm, friendly people.

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Banana Tower

By Laurie McAndish King. As a child, I imagined strolling across the Field of Miracles on a sunny day. I didn’t know why it was called the Field of Miracles, but supposed the Virgin had probably appeared to someone there. That, or an innocent baby had been cured of a horrible disease. Perhaps both, since it was called the Field of Miracles—plural.

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Moscow and St. Petersburg: See Before You Go

See both highlights and hidden attractions in Moscow and St. Petersburg: palaces, museums, city scenes, art, sculpture, the Hermitage, Catherine’s Palace, GUM, the Moscow metro, Peterhof, Tretyakov Gallery, and the amazing Park of the Fallen Idols …

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Costa Rica Butterfly Farm

At the Butterfly Farm you can see all phases of a butterfly’s life, from egg to caterpillar to larva to butterfly. Watch them crawling, pupating, munching, sipping, chasing each other, mating, fluttering, drinking, fighting the wind, resting, and just hanging around.

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Speaking Australian: An Aussie Glossary

By Laurie McAndish King. What’s the biggest surprise Down Under? Yes, Australians speak English, and no, you will not understand everything they say. You won’t need a translator, but you will want at least a basic understanding of Aussie terminology for you visit. Here are some “bits and pieces” about Aussie lingo you’ll want to know before you go.

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Autodesk Gallery — Engineering Design made Fun and Green

“If nature didn’t make it, one of our customers almost certainly did,” says Autodesk Gallery Senior Manger Jason Medal-Katz. As I toured Autodesk’s fascinating mini-museum with him, I began to believe Medal-Katz was right. More than 20 exhibits—ranging from a Ford Shelby GT500 to an 8.5-foot dinosaur made from more than 62,000 LEGOs—represent the diverse […]

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King Tut’s Menagerie: Animal Gods in Ancient Egypt

The magnificent Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit at San Francisco’s de Young Museum provides a glimpse into the beliefs of ancient Egyptians, whose religion permeated daily life. A fundamental principle was that of maat, variously defined as truth, justice, order, balance, morality, or the preordained way everything in the created world […]

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