124 episodes

In this podcast, we'll visit 200 Wonders of the World, from the Pyramids to the Great Barrier Reef, to tell the story of our people, our civilization, and our planet. My name is Caroline Vahrenkamp, and I'm a travel junkie. The world is filled with amazing places that reflect the greatest achievements of human accomplishment. In these uncertain times, understanding our great shared history may help to bridge the divides between us. And if not, it will be a fun ride anyway! We'll discuss the history of each place and the story of the men and women who lived there. We'll cover travel notes, examine what else to see while you're in the area, and dig into the local cuisine. Expect a new episode every two weeks. And thanks for listening!

Wonders of the World Caroline Vahrenkamp

    • History

In this podcast, we'll visit 200 Wonders of the World, from the Pyramids to the Great Barrier Reef, to tell the story of our people, our civilization, and our planet. My name is Caroline Vahrenkamp, and I'm a travel junkie. The world is filled with amazing places that reflect the greatest achievements of human accomplishment. In these uncertain times, understanding our great shared history may help to bridge the divides between us. And if not, it will be a fun ride anyway! We'll discuss the history of each place and the story of the men and women who lived there. We'll cover travel notes, examine what else to see while you're in the area, and dig into the local cuisine. Expect a new episode every two weeks. And thanks for listening!

    The Harmandir Sahib of Amritsar and Sikhism

    The Harmandir Sahib of Amritsar and Sikhism

    The youngest of the world's seven largest religions is Sikhism, founded in Punjab in the 16th century. Nanak, a guru, or teacher, from outside Lahore, spent three days lost along a river and returned with an undestanding of one God: the Ultimate Reality. Nanak created a religion founded on equality, service, and openness, yet his successors would soon find themselves under attack from vested interests, particularly the Mughal Empire.
    In this episide, we visit the Golden Temple, or Harmandir Sahib, their holiest shrine. It is a brilliantly gorgeous golden temple surrounded by a tranquil pool, visited by a steady stream of devoted Sikhs. We'll recount some of the challenges the Sikhs have faced, challenges which have made them fiercely willing to defend their people and their faith.
    And of course, we'll include that most famous Punjabi dish: tandoori chicken, or at least as close as we can come without an actual tandoor!

    • 27 min
    The Uffizi Gallery of Florence and Cosimo I de' Medici

    The Uffizi Gallery of Florence and Cosimo I de' Medici

    One of the world's great museums of Renaissance art: the Uffizi.  Meaning "the offices," the Uffizi were quite literally built as an office buidling for the growing administration of Cosimo I de' Medici, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, the leader who brought authoritarian rule, if also stablity, to Florence.
    Bry Rayburn from the Pontifacts podcast, joins me once again to talk about Cosimo, her historic bae, the great museum, and the rest of his legacy. We also talk about our old friend Giorgio Vasari, author, artist and architect, a true Renaissance man.
    And of course, ribollita, that classic Tuscan white bean stew! 

    • 47 min
    The Total Solar Eclipse of 2024

    The Total Solar Eclipse of 2024

    A quick bonus episode about how eclipses connect with human history

    • 7 min
    099 - The Meenakshi Amman Temple of Madurai

    099 - The Meenakshi Amman Temple of Madurai

    Towering above the city of Madurai, the gopurams or gateways of the Meenakshi Amman Temple are medieval skyscrapers, awash in color, writhing in movement, beautiful and otherworldly at the same time.
    In this episode we'll discuss the rise of the Mughal Empire, the fall of Vijayanagara, and of course, masala dosa, that most incredible of South Indian streetfoods.

    • 33 min
    The Wieliczka Salt Mine

    The Wieliczka Salt Mine

    In the late 1500s Poland and Lithuania joined to create the Commonwealth, a remarkable, if flawed, experiment in constitutional monarchy that would last more than 200 years. Its legacy of religious tolerance and representative republicanism is strangely overlooked in American history books - and I would guess in other histories as well.
    One of the chief economic engines of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the Wielizcka Salt Mine, an amazing wonder delved over 700 years. To visit Wieliczka is to be amazed at the artistry of salt sculptures and impressed by the sheer cheesiness of all the salty dwarves. So many salty dwarves. Or maybe they're gnomes...
    Finally, let's grab some friends and make pierogis! 

    • 52 min
    The Süleymaniye Mosque of Istanbul

    The Süleymaniye Mosque of Istanbul

    Suleiman the Magnificent? Suleiman the Lawgiver? Suleiman the Bisexual Poet? No matter how you label him, Suleiman was a fascinating sultan of the Ottoman Empire who strode upon the world stage, and his private life was worthy of a scandalous Netflix show.  Among his greatest legacies was commissioning this phenomenal mosque, designed by Mimar Sinan, one of the history's most successul and significant architects.
    Listener and traveler Emma Browning returns to discuss visiting the mosque and Istanbul and trying to find vegetarian food in a city known for its meat and seafood. Grab some Turkish delight and enjoy!

    • 44 min

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