architecture

Portugal Then and Now – Livraria Lello

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One of my favorite things in the world is a good bookstore or library. This beautiful bookstore in Porto, Portugal was an inspiration to J. K. Rowling for the moving staircases in Hogwarts.

The Livraria Lello & Irmão, commonly known in English as the Lello Bookstore, is a bookstore located in the civil parish of Cedofeita, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Miragaia, São Nicolau e Vitória, in the northern Portuguese municipality of Porto.

Along with Bertrand in Lisbon, it is one of the oldest bookstores in Portugal and frequently rated among the top bookstores in the world (placing third in lists by guidebook publisher Lonely Planet and The Guardian).

Post COVID New York

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Great to be back out in the world again! Here are some before and after finds from Brooklyn and Manhattan this past Fall.

The Roman Catholic parish of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, was established in 1863. F.J. Berlenbach, Jr., designed the Lombardian Romanesque basilica in 1870.

The Austin organ now in the Church of the Annunciation was originally built in 1912 for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Morristown, N.J. In 1930, St. Peter’s installed a new Skinner organ (Op. 836), and the Austin organ was acquired by Annunciation Church.

Bastogne, Belgium and the Battle of the Bulge

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I would like to thank Mr. Henri Mignon for spending he day showing me a around the Bastogne area and sharing so many incredible stories and memories with me. It was an experience that stay with me for all my life.

Henri was borne on the Bulge battlefield in 1936 in Houffalize, close to Bastogne. He spent 6 years studying Greek and Latin in the “Petit Séminaire de Bastogne” which became the Headquarters of the 501st (101st Airborne) during the siege of Bastogne. Please visit  his website and contact him for a tour of more information: http://www.mardasson.com

Church in Village of Foy 1945 2019 Battle of the bulge Bastogne history then and now band of brothers Stephen AmbroseRecogne Near Bastogne Belium Battle of the bulge history then and now 1945-2019Bastone Barracks - HQ 101 Airborne Division Bastogne, Belgium 1945-2019