Tourists Enjoying the Mist of Niagara Falls

Summer at Niagara Falls is steamy hot. And very crowded with tourists. But just being near the falls is like walking through a big water mister – very refreshing. For the ultimate cool down though, you need to take a ride on the Maid of the Mist. Read More »

Ireland is filled with breathtaking views.  But none was more awe-inspiring to me than the Rock of Cashel.

The Rock of Cashel

Legend tells that the rock the majestic fortress is perched upon was dropped by the devil when he saw St. Patrick founding a new church.  Others will say that it landed there after St.Patrick expelled Satan from a cave some 30 miles away, now called Devil’s Bit.

While both stories are equally fanciful, the talent of Irish storytellers is no match for the grandeur of “Cashel of the Kings”.  As you approach on foot, hiking a road that feels like it may reach the sky, your eye cannot help but be drawn upward to the high walled ruins. Read More »

Capilla de las Animas – the Chapel of the Lost Souls of Purgatory – sits at the foot of La Pena, the giant thumb of rock that thrusts from the plains behind the town of Bernal, Mexico. This small but beautiful chapel was built between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to honor souls that wander forever in purgatory.

Gold and red exterior follows suit wth the other two churches in Bernal

Legend recounts that a local merchant who was being pursued by thieves secreted himself in the bushes and entrusted his safety to these souls, who were said to haunt the site. When the thieves passed by without seeing the him, the merchant vowed to build the chapel out of gratitude for their protection. Read More »

Located in the southern portion of the State of Queretaro, Mexico, the Pueblo Magico (magic town) of Bernal is one of the most interesting and mysterious destinations in Mexico. The road to Bernal traverses flat, dusty plains that stretch for miles, doing nothing to prepare visitors for the sight of La Pena – a monolithic rock that finally pops into view as the highway rounds a final curve on its approach to the village. Though Gibraltar and Sugarloaf Mountain in Brazil both exceed La Pena in height, Bernal’s rock is infinitely more interesting, as it is believed to have mystical healing powers.

Monolithic rock known as "La Pena" rises up behind village of Bernal

Geologists tell us that this eroded volcanic plug was formed in the Jurassic period 180 million years ago, but a giant thumb of cooled magma does not explain the strange and mysterious things that regularly occur in Bernal. Not only are sightings of flying saucers a regular occurrence, Read More »