The Solo Traveler

16/10/2020

Mystery Postcard #5: Christ Church Greyfriars, London, England

This former Church was built in the 13th century. First destroyed by the fire of 1666, it was rebuilt. During World War II it was bombed, with the exception of the tower. The ruins serve as a reminder of the horrors London faced during the Blitz, with much of the area destroyed in just one night.

Given their tragic history, the ruins have collected their fair share of ghosts. They include a monk, a dog, two women who arranged the murder of their respective husbands (including Queen Isabella, "She-Wolf of France") and Elizabeth Barton who foretold the marital issues that would plague Henry VIII 👑

Elizabeth Barton was a servant of the Archbishop of Canterbury. At some point in her life she became ill and began to experience visions of the future 🔮 Eventually these visions centered upon Henry VIII and his decision to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Like many who got in Henry's way, Elizabeth was executed.

Queen Isabella, daughter of the King of France, was forced to compete with her husband Edward II's many male favorites (and rumored lovers). She received poor treatment from them: confiscating her lands, taking her children away from her and arresting members of her household. While safely in France, with the heir to the throne, her husband refused an ultimatum to send away his current favorite. She responded by using the chaos of Edward's reign and her associations with the French throne and powerful English Baron, Roger Mortimer, to launch an invasion and ultimately depose the King 🤴

While she reigned as regent for Edward III, with Mortimer, she managed to create as many enemies as Edward II had. During this time, Edward II was brutally murdered, largely believed to have been orchestrated by Isabella. Her son launched a coup, executed Mortimer and kept her at a distance for the rest of her life 💔

09/10/2020

Mystery Postcard 4: Hen and Chicken Court, London, England. Famed stomping grounds of Sweeney Todd. This is a narrow alleyway between the Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West and the former barbershop of Sweeney Todd 💈

The demon barber of fleet street is believed to have killed over 150 of his customers. This alleyway between his shop and the Church is believed to have played a key role in his reign of terror. Or so the urban legend goes, exactly how real he was is unclear but there is a man many believe to be him and he was a barber on Fleet Street 🔪

It is believed the chair he used in his barbershop was his main method for incapacitating his prey, using the trap door beneath it. Many believe he used this alleyway for crimes of opportunity, preying on those who stopped to admire the clock of St Dunstan’s. It's so quiet in this narrow alleyway you wouldn't even know you were right off of busy Fleet Street. Now imagine it in the late 1700's ☠️

But the key to the demon barber's crimes is actually beneath you. Tunnels underneath the church and crypt allowed him to get from the basement under his shop, where he trapped his customers, all the way to Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop 🥧

All of this went on down the road from the Royal Courts of Justice ⚖️

The man many believe to be Sweeney Todd was eventually hanged outside of Newgate Prison, which no longer stands. Mrs. Lovett was found poisoned in her prison cell at Newgate ☠️

It really is a creepy place. I originally saw it on a haunted tour of London at night. But it was actually far creepier when I came back, by myself, in broad daylight to get the rest of these photos 📷

What do you think, was he real? How quickly would you run from here? Something about it, in the cold light of day, just made my skin crawl 😱

02/10/2020

Mystery Postcard 3: Church of St. James the Greater in Prague. Behind these doors lie two incredible legends. The first, of a thief, and the second, the tale of a man buried alive 👀

Legend tells of a thief who broke into the Church to steal the jewels left as an offering to the statue of the Virgin Mary. He hid in the church until the opportunity to make his move presented itself. But, according to legend, when he made his move for the gems so too did the statue 💎

Unable to escape, the thief was found by parishioners the following morning. Refusing to damage the statue they decided to cut his arm off instead. You really shouldn't mess with members of the local Butcher's Guild 🔪

As soon as the arm was severed the statue finally let go and unceremoniously dropped it to the floor. The arm, now mummified after 400 years, still hangs from a hook as a warning to all who enter the Church ⚠️

The second story is the tale of Count Jan Vratislav of Mitrovice. The Count was a renowned lawyer and nobleman who served the Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph I. When the time came for the rise of a new emperor, the Count was suddenly dead from dropsy. Or was he?

As he was a man of prominence an elaborate final resting place was commissioned. An architect and a sculptor were brought on board to create an elaborate masterpiece in the Baroque style 🎭

This truly was the final nail in the Count's coffin. After his funeral, noises were heard coming from his tomb. It was believed that the Count's spirit was restless. Eventually it got to the point where they doused the tomb in holy water 💧

When his tomb was opened a few years later scratch marks were found in his coffin and his co**se was found outside of it. It is now believed he was actually in an unconscious state, awoke in his tomb and escaped his coffin only to die of starvation, trapped behind a doorless marble slab ☠️

25/09/2020

Mystery Postcard 2: Bannerman Castle on Pollepel Island on the Hudson River in upstate New York. As I'm sure you can tell from the photo, it has an explosive history 🧨

Bannerman made a living buying and reselling war surplus: he purchased ninety percent of the decommissioned weapons from the Spanish-American war and thirty million rounds of ammunition. Eventually the largest military surplus buyer in the world, his was the original Army Navy store and he was one of the first true arms dealers.

All of this was originally stored at his warehouse in Brooklyn. Not surprisingly, the city wanted him out 👋🏻

Both the island and the castle are unique. Many people believed the island was haunted 👻 , including Native Americans who once inhabited the area. They refused to stay on the island at night. Dutch sailors believed it to be haunted. During the revolution it was used as a trap to sink enemy ships. For about a century afterward it was known for its prostitutes, moonshiners and rumrunners. It truly is a curious place 🤔

Then there is the castle. Built to resemble a Scottish castle, it was always intended to be used as a warehouse. Bannerman chose the island because of its location: right in the middle of the Hudson, visible from the train tracks, the perfect advertisement 🏰

Soon after his death things started to go awry. The powderhouse exploded when tons of shells & black powder were set off. The explosion was so severe that cities across the river shook, debris flew across the river landing on the train tracks, and rescuers were kept at bay because of the still exploding ammunition. Somehow, only three people were injured. His family left the island, an arson attack gutted the castle, and storms eventually caused more damage. Perhaps the Native Americans were right and the island really is haunted. Or maybe you should just keep powder kegs in a slightly more stable environment 💥

18/09/2020

Mystery Postcard 1: St. Stephen’s Basilica (Szent István Bazilika) in Budapest, Hungary.

This is the view of one of the bell towers and the city of Budapest from the top of the Basilica.

Named after the first Christian King of Hungary, St. Stephen, this Roman Catholic Basilica is home to the Holy Right, literally St. Stephen's right hand. When he was canonized they found his right arm and hand perfectly preserved. Naturally, it was revered so they chopped it off 🖐

The hand has actually had a fairly active after-life. As a venerated object it has been taken from Budapest on many occasions, usually for protection during invasions and war. Its stops over the past 1000 years have included Dubrovnik and the Hapsburg Summer Palace in Vienna. At first hidden in a cave (along with the coronation jewels 💎) during World War II the hand eventually made a return visit to Vienna where it was protected by the Archbishop of Salzburg for the remainder of the war.

The Holy Right still gets around. Every year on August 20 the hand is apart of the parade to celebrate Saint Stephen's Day. It's also on this day that you will hear the bells ring 🔔

The Basilica stands 315 feet tall, the same height as the Hungarian Parliament building. This was meant to symbolize the balance between Church and State. They are the tallest buildings in Budapest. It's against the law to build anything taller. This number in meters, 96, is also representative of the year the Magyar first settled the area.

The building itself is beautifully built in the Neo-Classical style with a Greek cross plan and two bell towers. It is filled with art ⛪️

Climb the 364 steps to see this view of the city of Budapest and the mountains in the distance. Or take the elevator, no judgment.

Have you been to Budapest? St. Stephen’s? Have you climbed another tower with views to rival this?

14/09/2020

👀 A great way to see Paris? A bicycle tour! Just make sure the bikes are electric (no exhaustion, especially for those literal uphill battles).

Go with the right tour group and you’ll see so much of Paris you might have otherwise missed. They may even let you in on some local secrets!

Have you ever taken a bike tour of Paris? Did you see or learn anything surprising?

12/09/2020

We move forward but we never forget, no matter where life takes us 🇺🇸

We never forget the day our lives changed forever 💔

Most importantly we never forget the lives lost or the acts of sheer bravery, courage and kindness that came from so many on September 11, 2001 and in the days, weeks and months that followed ❤️

🇺🇸👮🏻‍♀️👮🏼👮🏽‍♂️👩🏼‍🚒🧑🏾‍🚒👨🏻‍🚒👩🏼‍✈️🧑🏻‍✈️👨🏿‍✈️🇺🇸

09/09/2020

👀 No matter where you’re standing the Eiffel Tower always impresses.

This is one of those monuments you truly MUST see in person.

Would you rather visit in the day or at night?

07/09/2020

There's so much beauty to take in in Paris. Just walking around the city can fill an entire day with beautiful memories from watching the people go by as you sit at a café, admiring the views of the river as you cross the countless bridges and taking in the architecture of the city as you wander down the streets. Here is the view across the river from the quai des Orfèvres on the Île de la Cité.

27/08/2020

24/08/2020

Israeli archaeologists announced Monday the discovery of a trove of early Islamic gold coins found during salvage excavations near the city of Yavne.

20/08/2020

16/08/2020

The 17th century was full of good ideas.

17/03/2020

From the galleries of Paris's Musee d'Orsay to the stage of New York's Metropolitan Opera.

08/08/2019

24/04/2019

Always know how to protect yourself...

16/04/2019

Millions of tourists visit the famed Notre Dame cathedral in Paris every year. And two of those people, possibly a father and daughter, were photographed before the Notre Dame fire on Monday, a blaze that destroyed the cathedral's roof and spire.…

08/03/2019

01/03/2019

26/02/2019

26/02/2019

15/02/2019

26/11/2018

31/01/2018

"Name a country, and I'll tell you a story."

Sal Lavallo, one of the youngest Americans to visit every country in the world.

01/01/2018

24/12/2017

18/12/2017