TravelswithCharie

Iceland After decades of solo travels around the world, these are the countries where I felt the safest. I’ve visited these places on the list several times except for Finland (which I had the pleasure of visiting once) and didn’t encounter any threatening incidences in any of them. I found instead the people were positively responsive when I approached them for directions or help with the language barrier. I especially remember my experiences in Ireland where I needed to find a plug adapter and a saleslady took time from her work to show me the store that carried it, in Japan where the non-English speaking train ticket agent painstakingly helped me with a smile despite the long line behind me or the restaurant chef who showed me how to order my meal using a strange machine, or in Finland where I met friendly people in church and whose friendship I’ve kept to this day as I have with my friends in the Netherlands and Romania. There are so many beautiful stories from my solo trips which

  River God floor mosaic This floor mosaic is a representation of the river god shown here in a half recumbent position and holding a reed. He is facing Leda and the Swan (Zeus) but this part of the composition is almost washed out. The mosaics are made of stone and glass tesserae in white, black, red, gray, brown, ocher and yellow and measures 9.5 square meters. This mosaic is on the podium at the entrance to the reception room. Constantine the Great Constantine the Great was born in Niš around 280AD. Together with Licinius, he signed the Edict of Milan in 313AD which proclaimed religious toleration within the Roman Empire and decriminalized Christianity. The ruins from his villa in Mediana, about 7 km (4.3 miles) from the city center, is now open to the public after years of restoration. Floor mosaics of varying geometrical designs run the length of the 40-hectare residential complex. Various artifacts from the archeological excavation of the premises are on display in the museum as

Architect: Paul Mandelstamm, 1903 Address: Kalēju iela 23, Riga This is one of the most colorful and attractive examples of Art Nouveau architecture found in the old town. It employs several elements defining Art Nouveau: the sun, flowers, leaves and lines. It certainly was a lovely surprise to see numerous examples of Art Nouveau architecture scattered throughout Riga. As it turns out, about a third of all buildings in the city were built in the Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) style, the popular architectural style at the turn of the 20th century. This coincided with the economic upturn that paved the way for growth and development in the construction industry. Architects: Heinrich Scheel and Friedrich Scheffel, 1902 Address: Škūnu iela 10/12 The main elements of Art Nouveau are flowers, leaves, vines, organic shapes, insects, asymmetrical lines and the sun. Notice the graceful flow of leaves on the building’s façade above. Architects: Alfred Aschenkampf, Max Scherwinsky, 1899 Address: Audēj

In 2006, it was estimated there were over a 100,000 crosses, crucifixes, rosaries and religious icons on Kryžiu Kalnas or Hill of Crosses near Siauliai in northern Lithuania. The Hill was bulldozed by the Russians in the 1960s and 1970s but the people were not deterred nor their faith shaken. Today more pilgrims come and leave their crosses, laden with prayers and special intentions.  The crosses started appearing on this hill after 1831 when relatives of victims of the revolts against the Russian regime placed crosses here to commemorate their dead. At the end of the 19th century, the apparition of Mary, the Mother of God, brought more visitors to the site. Large and small crosses and crucifixes of different styles have since found its way to the Hill. Some areas are more densely populated with crosses than others. This little shrine has religious icons, rosaries, crosses, prayer novenas and crucifixes left by pilgrims who undoubtedly were moved by the manifestation of faith by those