We always get thrilled when we hear of another groundbreaking (literally and figuratively) archaeological excavation. Due to technology, they're happening ever more frequently with sometimes stunning quality.
Situated in southeastern Turkey, the subterranean city of Matiate has recently been unearthed and is truly gasp-inducing in its size and quality. To give you an…
In ancient Rome, thermae (from Greek θερμός thermos, "hot") and balneae (from Greek βαλανεῖον balaneion) were facilities for bathing. Thermae usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while balneae were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughout Rome.[1]
Most Roman cities had at least one – if not many – such buildings, which were centres not only for bathing, but socializing and reading as well.…
Beach house rentals put you right on the shores of crashing waves, clear waters, soft gold or white sand, and endless opportunities for activity, sports, and relaxation. Step right out of your door and find yourself on the shores with the scent of salt air beckoning. Walk hand-in-hand for romantic sunset strolls. Go surfing or…
We love history here, at Matouring. History is who we are and why we are the way we are. And, even more than that solumn sentence, history is actually really fun, especially when you realise all that they did - and did for the world (even today) in a relatively short amount of…
Like so many things in our mostly comfortable lives, we tend to take things for granted - especially those that we usually don't think about much. Salt is one of those things. It is ever-present, plentiful and within reach. But, like many such "givens," do you ever wonder about salt?
About…
Quiz: how much do you know about Wisconsin, USA? The honest answer is "probably not much." It's one of those states "in the middle" of the country that has always had a low profile, except for periodic victories in American football or baseball. It is big on dairy farming, cheesemaking, ethnic festivals, polka and the…
When you think of old-style mobsters, you usually think of New York City, where almost all crime happens in American cinema. But, Chicago Illinois had its run of criminals, especially in the 1930's. People like "Al" Capone, John Dillinger, "Baby Face" Nelson.... the list goes on and on.
There is still an element of romance with…
If you're a tech buff - especially a car buff - you will most likely be aware of Morgan Cars. Made by hand - literally - by a small but passionate crew in the Malvern Hills of England, the cars look like something that would have been driven by The Green Hornet or Dick Tracy. …
How often do you have a dream come true? This one almost defies belief, and certainly exceeds expectations. Once a monastery, Argos in Cappadocia is an exclusive hotel featuring elegant rooms with elaborate stone carvings and antique furnishings. Some of the suites even have a private indoor pool, perfect for guests dreaming about a romantic…
If you're a walker, we have some good news for you, indeed. Romania is in the midst of building a 1,400km walking / hiking trail traversing the entire country.
The Via Transilvanica will stretch from the country’s northern border all the way to the south and the Danube, at the crossroads of Central, Eastern and Southeastern…
As ever, the world is swirled and twirled by events, people and time itself. Even the most powerful must take our last breaths.
And where would this addage be more appropriate than in the lands where kings, queens, power, priviledge and treachery were business-as-usual.
Of course, we're talking about ancient history (as we do,) and in this…
Shakespeare could have a field-day with this.
This abandoned house looms a salt marsh, its pale pink paint looking like a mirror of the colorful sunsets that so often streak the sky.
It’s a celebrated local landmark, one with a definite air of mystery and romance.
But the picturesque house’s story is not at all romantic. A local…
Despite covid and all of the fistfights we hear about nowadays, air travel is still a marvelous thing. Spectacular locations matched to state-of--the art-aircraft are still the thing of dreams.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could go forward and and backward at the same time?
If you're one of those romantic types, read on here... courtesy…
We often have - often romantic - visions of the Sahara desert as a "destination" for our travels. And rightly so, as its wonders are legend and plentiful. But it takes a certain kind of traveler to do that.
But, this singular place on earth was not always the stark vision that we have in our…
In certain parts of the world, history sometimes pops up out of nowhere, to the point of where you can literally trip over it. Europe is certainly one of those places: tread carefully, as you might be standing on a 6th century prince. In 1960 a man was laying a water pipe underneath the quaint…
Having grown up in the USA, your editor has some ancient knowledge of the tenets, legends and rituals of that country by heart.
One such standard is Pennsylvania's Poconos resort area. Once considered a last-ditch effort for a (cheesy) romantic getway, time has now caught up with the legend and the place is back in action.
The…
To many, Russia is an alluring, slightly foreboding dream destination. Perhaps too many films make the wrong impression of the country, but the pull to visit there is strong, and for good reason. One romantic option for travel in Russia is possibility of riding the historic and pricey Trans-Siberian Express from Venice to Moscow -…
On some days, you just want to say, “Beam me up, Scotty! There’s no intelligent life here.” And when those days arrive, Scotty’s transporter is waiting in Vulcan, Alberta, Canada, halfway between Calgary and Lethbridge. The Canadian Pacific originally named the town for the Roman god of fire, but the citizens had a better idea. …
Machine-written literature might offend your tastes but until the dawn of Romanticism most writers were just as formulaic. Since its inception in 2015, the research laboratory OpenAI – an Elon Musk-backed initiative that seeks to build human-friendly artificial intelligence – has developed a series of powerful ‘language models’, the latest being GPT-3 (third-generation Generative Pre-trained…
When the Romans built things, they built them to last. Just take a look at Rome itself, with the Parthenon and its companion buildings. But here is another rather spectacular example of the Romans building things to last. The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi)…