North Korea’s largest square, named for the country’s “Great Leader” and founder, is a central focus of Pyongyang, much as Red Square is in Moscow or Tiananmen Square is in China. Accordingly, Kim-Il-sung Square is featured in many North Korean media releases and is the site of frequent military parades, demonstrations and events such as … Continue reading
Communism and raw, smokestack industrialism seem to go hand in hand like apple pie with ice cream in the popular imagination… So, it seemed more than appropriate when we paid a visit to the belching smokestacks and roaring furnaces of North Korea’s Chollima Steel Complex. Named for a mythical winged horse, the Chollima Steel Complex … Continue reading
Actually, no one knows exactly where the ancient and infamous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were. However, the rough location of the cities has always been suspected to have been in this area and the hills here are even named Mount Sodom: Mount Sodom overlooks the Dead Sea and a dirt road leading to it … Continue reading
A dear reader recently commented to me on the bleak nature of Israel’s Negev region after viewing this post. Certainly Israel’s Negev is a harsh landscape and doesn’t harbor the greenery found in a region such as Banias or Galilee. However, The Velvet Rocket staff are attracted to stark landscapes and the Negev desert’s Makhtesh … Continue reading
No visit to Palestine would be complete without a visit to Ramallah. The stated ambition of the Palestinians is to have their capital in East Jerusalem, but for now, Ramallah is the de facto capital of Palestine. I’ve already shown you Yasser Arafat’s tomb whose surrounding buildings serve as the home of the Palestinian Authority … Continue reading
The highlights may be up in the north of Israel, but the Negev covers more than half of the country and the desert has a charm in and of itself: A sandstorm developing in the Negev: And, of course, one can find many interesting things in the desert too: Visit it while you can though, … Continue reading
Hidden away behind high walls and enormous wooden doors, the Armenian Quarter is one of the less visited neighborhoods in Jerusalem (and therefore one that I like more). They still use those doors too – the gates to this city within a city are closed early each evening: Of course, apparently having the most cats … Continue reading
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