TravelswithCharie

San Francisco, California  Condé Nast Traveler   https://www.cntraveler.com/story/best-places-to-go-in-2023 Fodors Go List 2023 https://www.fodors.com/go-list/2023 Fodors No List 2023 https://www.fodors.com/news/news/fodors-no-list-2023 Frommer's Best Places to go in 2023 https://www.frommers.com/slideshows/848547-frommer-s-best-places-to-go-in-2023 Lonely Planet Where to go in 2023 https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/where-to-go-when New York Times 52 Places to go in 2023 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/travel/52-places-travel-2023.html Travel and Leisure Best Places to go in 2023 https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-places-to-go-2023 ***** Image by TravelswithCharie  

Rue Saint Taur The history of Toulouse is deeply entwined with its patron saint, Saturnin (Sernin), who was martyred in the third century.  According to legend, Saturnin, the first bishop of Toulouse, was chained to a taur or bull that dragged him down Rue du Taur. The Church of Notre Dame du Taur is standing on the exact spot where the corpse of Saint Saturnin was detached from the bull as it rampaged down the street. Façade of Notre Dame du Taur The Church of Saint Saturnin was renamed Notre Dame du Taur after the Basilica of Saint Sernin was built to accommodate the vast numbers of pilgrims who stopped by Toulouse on their way to the Church of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in Spain.  The genealogy of Jacob, Notre Dame du Taur This 14th century fresco of the genealogy of Jacob was one of the highlights of my visit to Toulouse. Jacob was the son of Isaac and Sarah and the grandson of Abraham. The 12 Tribes of Israel traces its lineage to Jacob. Joseph, the foster father of

Four weeks after Governor Newsom announced the stay-at-home order for California, the corona virus is still taking a toll on Californians and the rest of the world. Physical distancing may have played a big role in capping the number of cases but we are not out of the woods yet. It looks like we’re home bound for a few more weeks. I don’t mind this at all because I know that it will help flatten the curve and set us free to live a “normal” life again. If there’s one thing I’ve learned during this period of self isolation, it is that I should never take anything for granted, especially traveling.  Champs Elysées, Paris, France Singapore Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland Tlaquepaque,  Guadalajara, Mexico Malmö, Sweden Lake Tahoe, Nevada The Sphinx, Giza, Egypt ***** Images by TravelswithCharie 

As the clock ticks and the corona virus rages unabated, my travel plans taunt me. I’m kept wondering when I can safely walk again in unfamiliar places and listen to a cacophony of foreign tongues. Unearthing these images from previous trips instills in me a strong resolve to travel again when the all clear is sounded. I am hopeful this will be soon. “It may be that the satisfaction I need depends on my going away, so that when I’ve gone and come back, I’ll find it at home.” Rumi Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California Ta Prohm, Siem Reap, Cambodia Reynisfjara Beach, South Iceland  West India Warehouse on Tolbodgade, Copenhagen, Denmark (houses Royal Cast Collection) Wat Pho, Bangkok, Thailand El Ateneo Bookstore, Buenos Aires, Argentina Irreverent Amsterdam, The Netherlands  ***** Images by TravelswithCharie

On the bus ride to Gstaad from Les Diablerets, I met an Indian couple who were traveling in Switzerland. They told me about the popularity of Gstaad in India thanks to blockbuster Bollywood movies which feature this renowned ski resort. I was just passing through Gstaad and had no idea about its attractions other than its ski slopes but it wasn’t winter yet so the town was quiet, so quiet even the Louis Vuitton shop was closed. Grey skies and light rain threatened to drive me indoors and miss out on this winter playground of the rich and famous. But I had an umbrella so I walked up and down the Promenade to see a little bit of the town that will come alive when the skiing season begins. Swiss chalets with window boxes brimming with colorful flowers line the street all the way to the river where frigid waters burble across town to steal its tranquility and wake up sleeping beauty. As I continued strolling, I found sculptures blending with its backdrop like the two musicians in the

La Fourchette Lovers of chocolate know that Vevey is the birthplace of milk chocolate. The Nestlé world headquarters thrives in this beautiful town surrounded by mountains and the calm lake waters of Lake Leman (Lake Geneva). These seats by the shore are definitely prime seating for capturing the beauty and serenity of the alpine scenery. Alimentarium Why is there a fork in the lake? La Fourchette was originally planted there for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Alimentarium, a food museum founded by Nestlé. Though the Fork had become part of the seascape, Alimentarium didn’t have the legal permission to keep the 8-meter high utensil in the lake. It wasn't until 2008 when the canton of Vaud approved its permanent installation in Lake Leman. Jean Pierre Zaugg designed the Fork and George Favre made the stainless steel, 450 kg (992 lbs) work of art. La Grenette La Grenette (Granary) presides over the Grande Place of Vevey where the outdoor market is he

Chateau de Chillon T here are seven pillars of Gothic mould,  In Chillon's dungeons deep and old,  There are seven columns, massy and grey,  Dim with a dull imprison'd ray,  A sunbeam which hath lost its way,  And through the crevice and the cleft  Of the thick wall is fallen and left;  Creeping o'er the floor so damp,  Like a marsh's meteor lamp:  And in each pillar there is a ring,  And in each ring there is a chain;  That iron is a cankering thing,  For in these limbs its teeth remain,  With marks that will not wear away,  Lake Leman L ake Leman lies by Chillon's walls:  A thousand feet in depth below  Its massy waters meet and flow;  Thus much the fathom-line was sent  From Chillon's snow-white battlement,  Which round about the wave inthralls:  A double dungeon wall and wave  Have made—and like a living grave  Below the surface of the lake  The dark vault lies wherein we lay:  We heard it ripple n

“I ask Christ for this one thing only, that he will enable me to endure all things courageously, and that he break me as a potter’s vessel or make me strong, as it pleases him.” Ulrich Zwingli For the 500th anniversary of Swiss reformation leader, Huldrych (Ulrich) Zwingli, fifteen plastic statues of him were cast from the model of the bronze original found on the Wasserkirche (Water Church). One of these statues was included at a festival parade in Zürich and twelve of them were installed in each of the twelve districts of the city. Both the main train station and the airport each had a statue on display as well.  Ten of these Zwingli figures were later moved to the Limmatquai to stand under the shadow of the Grossmünster Church overlooking the river. According to Christoph Sigrist, pastor of Grossmünster, the goal of the celebration is to bring Zwingli to the people, at eye level, thereby inviting dialogue and spreading the reach of the Church beyond its walls. The eco-Zwi

Marc Chagall, Self Portrait with 7 Fingers, 1912-1913. Oil on canvas.      The Stedelijk Museum is one of the leading modern and contemporary art museums in the world. Since its inception in 1874, the Stedelijk’s collection has steadily grown and evolved. A new wing completed in 2012 added another 10,000 square meters of space which the museum needed to display its vast and distinguished collection.      The museum also has an impressive number of forty Marc Chagall paintings, six of which it owns and three are on extended loan from the State. These nine paintings span a period of 35 years and provides a comprehensive look at Chagall’s works over three and a half decades. The Marc Chagall Research Project was undertaken by the museum to study the technique and materials used by the artist and the state of conservation of the paintings. The research found, among other things, that Chagall painted with tiny brushes at a fast pace, used pigments like cadmium yellow and cobalt blue wh