Sojourns

The royal jewels of the Pahlavi and Qajar dynasties are held in The Treasury of National Jewels in Tehran. It is highly secured and no photography is permitted, but purchased and public domain photos are included here in order to share a rare view of these breathtaking pieces. The video-add feature refused to upload a montage I created of the jewels and crowns through their history of being worn - please see a 2-minute video at Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrALU7dAYlw The "museum" is located behind thick steel doors, and entered via carefully guarded and escorted tours. Even an accidental brush against a thick case causes an alarm to be set off. The jewels contained there are legendary; the value of the pieces combined can hardly be estimated - and this is curiously not mentioned. One is under ... read more

Still Shots of the Alborz Mountains The still shots you are seeing were taken from vantage points that were in no way still. Some of them were through the front windshield, zoomed in to crop out the steering wheel. A breathtaking snapshot of graham-cracker folds of earth jutting out into an intense blue sky is the result of an illusion created by the blue strip on the windshield. When at one point I leaned out of the window to film a magnificent pass, I saw in front of me a line of cars, arms protruding from the windows, all holding digital cameras and aiming in unison at the undulating pass. The video clip, if I am able to upload it, contains a a few short motion clips that were the essence of the incredible journey (and ... read more

St. Peter's Basilica is an unassuming name for what seems to surpass all churches in the world. And well it should be, as it is situated in Vatican City, the residence of the Pope and the Holy See. However, it is not a cathedral. Our plans to visit the Basilica were foiled when we arrived on Saturday, June 9th, and were turned away being told that President Bush was inside speaking with the Pope at the moment. This papal visit was the cause of a spread of riots throughout Rome, particularly at the location of the American Embassy. The Embassy happened to be located next to the Opera House, and so our hopes of a romantic evening seeing the classical Italian opera "La Traviata" in Rome were also dashed. The marchers, smoke bombs and police didn't ... read more

In Thailand, particularly at the resort where we stayed, fruit carving was a fine art form. Here is a true "Land of Smiles" welcome carved expertly into a watermelon. The red, immense beauty with apparent "scales", pure white on the inside and melting in the mouth, is the dragonfruit, a rare delight to be enjoyed at every possible opportunity. The same goes for the rose apple: pure paradise. We were quite surprised in the bustling town of Chawang Beach to find a roadside snack cart filled to the brim with worms and other nasty-looking critters. We watched in astonishment as the attendant scooped up a mound with a gloved hand, as casually as serving up roasted peanuts, and dropped them into a bag. A young lady paid, and leisurely snacked on her crunchy and oozing morsels, ... read more

Somewhere along the line during our stay in Paris, the faint memory was recalled that lead vocalist of The Doors, Jim Morrison, had died and been buried in Paris. Images were evoked in my mind of the carved bust adorning his grave, surrounded by a constant stream of flowers. I soon learned that the cemetery where he was buried in Paris, Pere-Lachaise, is also the resting place of Frederic Chopin, Sarah Bernhardt, and other historical figures. Jacques-Louis David, court painter to Napoleon, is also buried there. However, as his revolutionary activities prevented him from entering France after exile, after his death, only his heart could be allowed into France to be interred in Pere-Lachaise. In background reading, I learned that Jim Morrison and his common-law wife, Pamela, resided on Rue Beautreillis where we had walked ... read more