A psychedelic experience can be deeply rewarding, but also carries real risks. Here’s how to avoid a bad trip.
Humans have consumed substances with consciousness-altering properties for millennia. Traditional societies used them in healing rituals, initiation ceremonies and to make contact with the gods and the dead, among other practices. Today they are…
Special Interest
Is this just fantasy? Philosophers and physicists say we might be living in a computer simulation, but how can we tell? And does it matter? Our species is not going to last forever. One way or another, humanity will vanish from the Universe, but before it does, it might summon together sufficient computing power to…
In 1978, the science-fiction author Michael Moorcock wrote the celebrated essay ‘Epic Pooh’ that lambasted J R R Tolkien and his ilk for constructing fantasy universes in which – whatever the ‘there and back again’ meanderings of the plot – nothing ever really changes. Moorcock felt that his own ‘new worlds’ science fiction of the…
This Babylonian Map of the World is a clay tablet containing a labeled depiction of the known world, with a partially surviving description, dated to roughly the 6th century B.C. The map is circular with two outer defined circles. The plan is centered on the Euphrates, flowing from the north to the south of the…
There’s nothing quite like stepping out onto the summit of Masada, the sun beating down on you and the Dead Sea stretching out before you.
This stunning ancient fortress is one of the most visited sites in Israel for a reason, and everyone should aim to visit at least once if planning a visit…
This timber house built in the 1400s was dismantled and kept in a Buckinghamshire barn - a medieval flat-pack home that's for sale at £100,000... Mention a 'flat-pack' home for sale and you might imagine a latest offering from Ikea, or perhaps something destined for the centre of Tokyo. You're less likely to imagine a…
Danish artist Thomas Dambo creates larger than life sculptures hidden around his hometown of Copenhagen. His sculptures require secret poems and clues in order to locate them. He says each has its own treasure map or poem engraved into stone to steer people onto unfamiliar paths where they’ll discover them. Art is everywhere. Aren't we fortunate? Read more courtesy of…
Do you devour every documentary on the ancient world you can find? Or are you simply fascinated by the Ancient Romans and ready to learn more? This is the best way to begin! One of the most rewarding aspects of learning about Ancient Rome is recognizing the immense influence it has on our daily lives.…
Over the past few years, Google, Microsoft and even Apple have been pushing cloud storage as a safe and secure method to store our data online while also allowing for quick and simple file sharing. Google Drive has been one of the leaders in the space for quite some time, offering free storage tiers to…
With stay-at-home orders in effect across the United Kingdom, bulk buyers and consumers alike have been purchasing much more flour than normal, according to the National Association of British & Irish Millers (NABIM). To help meet this spike in demand, a 1,000-year-old English flour mill has resumed commercial production for the first time in decades, reports Jason Lewis…
Did you know that Japan’s shrines and temples welcome regular tourists to stay for a night or more? Experience authentic Zen meditation, the traditional, vegetarian cuisine called shojin ryori, and explore a fascinating world so different from anything you know. Staying at a shrine or temple is an experience that even a lot of Japanese people don’t get to have that easily, a…
This long distance footpath is unique because it follows a World Heritage Site. Hadrian built the Wall to separate the Roman Empire from the barbarians. It is a complex structure with curtain wall, milecastles, turrets, ditches and forts. Walking the Path is logistically easier if the east-west route is followed. The Path that mainly follows…
Remember Google Earth? Many years ago, it was on everyone's lips. Oooh and ahhhh. But then it all seemed to go quiet. Perhaps it's time for another look. Not only is it dazzling technology, but it can also be very useful in your holiday planning. See more courtesy of GoogleEarth.com
…
Hardknott Roman Fort, also known as Mediobogdum in the Ravenna Cosmography is a Roman Fort constructed at the Hardknott Pass in the Lake District, Cumbria, England to guard against raids by the Scots and Brigantes The fort is built on a rocky spur at an altitude of 800 feet and is one of the highest…
Centrally located in the Iranian capital Tehran, the Vali-e-Asr Mosque’s most distinguishing aspect is the fact that it does not look like a mosque. Designed by Iranian architects Reza Daneshmir and Catherine Spiridonoff of Fluid Motion Architects, the building eschews the stereotypical typology of large domes and tall minarets in favour of a modest horizontality…
When you're traveling, if you like what you see and want to remain abroad for a little longer than a couple of weeks, you typically only have a few months. Failure to leave when you’re supposed to could result in deportation or an indefinite ban from the country. However, there are a few ways around…
Around the world in 8 wine destinations. Let’s explore some of the world’s most famous and scenic wine destinations, from South America to Europe and beyond. Read more courtesy of KeyTours.com
Klook.com
Sharon and I were both late to the Harry Potter phenomenon. It took a good friend of ours to get us hooked on the books (he had a trick of loaning the first book to people as something of a “gateway drug” to get them started). I can even remember the day I read the…
Few places in the world offer such an expansive, extraordinary composition of Modernist architecture as the Brazilian capital. Part of a handful of Modernist clusters around the world – such as, for example, Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh in India – Brasilia combines the gravitas, drama and scale of the International Style with the glamour and power…
A pioneer developer, ardent Hispanophile, writer and explorer, Ric Polansky has enjoyed as colourful a life as a character in a Jack London novel. In the resort of Mojácar, in the southeast Spanish region of Almería, he is best known for being a trailblazing developer who, with his brother Paul, built the first houses along…