Vilanova i la Geltrú
Ben’s Place of the Week
Ben’s Place of the Week returns with a look at Vilanova i la Geltrú.
Friday Procrastination: Vacation in Ireland?
Dreaming of Ireland.
Bangkok, Thailand
Ben’s Place of the Week
Ben’s Place of the week is Bangkok.
A Special Ben’s Place of the Week: The Year in Geography
The year in geography.
Bangalore to Bengaluru
A Special Ben’s Place of the Week
Bangalore changes its name to Bengaluru.
Maasbommel
Ben’s Place of the Week
A certain preoccupation with water can be expected in a country located at the mouth of three major rivers and where roughly half of the total land area is at or below sea level.
Santander Department
Ben’s Place of the Week
Ben’s Place of the week is Santander Department.
Kiel Canal
Ben’s Place of the Week
Oxford Editor of the Atlas of the World shares his place of the week.
Columbus Day
A Columbus Day Tribute.
A Tribute to Katrina Victims
“As daylight slowly returned and the wind eased during the morning of Tuesday, August 25, survivors emerged, stunned, from the debris. Some wept, some were stoic, and many were so dazed they did not recognize their profoundly altered surroundings. In many places, little but rubble stretched as far as the eye could see. What few […]
Dallol, Ethiopia
Ben’s Place of the Week
Dallol, Ethiopia Coordinates: 14° 14 N | 40° 18 E Elevation: -157 feet (-48 meters) If beating the heat is your goal, then Death Valley, California–the hottest location in the United States–might be one spot to avoid in late August. Dallol, Ethiopia is another. A small settlement in the state of Afar near the Eritrean […]
Mount Cuba Center
Greenville, Delaware, USA
Mount Cuba was the home of Lammot du Pont Copeland and his wife Pamela from 1937 until her death in 2001. They sited their Georgian house (Victorin and Samuel Homsey, architects) atop one of Delaware’s highest hills with magnificent views across steep hills and deep valleys of the Eastern American Piedmont, to the Delaware river […]
South Queensferry
Ben’s Place of the Week
South Queensferry Coordinates: 55° 59 N | 3° 23 W Population: 9, 370 (2001 est.) Mad dogs and Englishmen may be unable to resist the midday sun, but it’s the Scottish who will venture into the heat covered head to toe in 10,000 prickly seed pods from the burdock plant. For centuries now, August in […]
Palm Islands
Ben’s Place of the Week
Palm Islands Coordinates: 25° 18 N | 55° 20 E Dubai’s Population: 1,182,439 (2006 est.) As the relative ease of international travel increases, countries seeking to compete for tourist dollars have become more creative in their efforts to market themselves as unique destinations. The United Arab Emirates, to take one example, chose to adopt the […]
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California, USA
Golden Gate Park was established in 1872 on a site of 410 hectares/1,013 acres, and is one of the finest city parks in the country. The long rectangular park has two distinct sections. The western section adjoining the Pacific Ocean is buffeted by fierce winds and salt-laden air, while the more sheltered eastern section is […]
Napa Valley
Ben’s Place of the Week
Napa Valley Coordinates: 38° 30 N | 122° 20 W Area: 754 square miles (1,953 sq. km) Bavarian beer baths are fine for some, but the more sophisticated may prefer a Chardonnay massage–a truly intoxicating way to de-stress. Popular among the Parisian upper class in the eighteenth century, the long relaxing soak in a barrel […]