Jerusalem, Israel

Late afternoon it was, on the day we call Good Friday. The body of Jesus was taken down from the cross. Only one of the disciples was there, but all of the women showed up. Can you identify Mary Magdalene? Mary, mother of Jesus? Were they not even more faithful disciples than the men? This mosaic is inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. [1998]

Singapore, Republic of Singapore

Late morning it was, on the day we call Good Friday. Jesus was forced to carry the cross on which he would be crucified. Already weak from being tortured, he fell. When his strength gave out completely, the soldiers gave Simon of Cyrene the task of carrying the cross for him. We all have our crosses to bear, and sometimes we carry the crosses of others. [2011]

Tolstoi, Manitoba, Canada

Holy Thursday: the day of the Last Supper. It was the last time that Jesus would dine with his disciples. Leonardo da Vinci captured the moment in a fresco, and it is his rendition that has cemented the image in Western history. Can you identify the disciples by name in this Ukrainian Catholic churchyard? [2012]

Punda, Willemstad, Curaçao

What's the ratio between global and local? Global: Converse is headquartered in Boston and is a subsidiary of Oregon-based Nike; shoes are arriving from Indonesia and Palestina (so say the boxes); language of operation is English, rather than Dutch or Papiamentu; styles and storefront seem to be international. Local: Only the lad in charge. [2017]

Riga, Latvia

Here's a monument that just exudes the Communist era. Although it is a reminder of Latvia's Soviet past, it is also a reminder of the heroism of the Latvian riflemen who stood up to an advancing German army in 1915 and then became part of Russian forces to fight the Germans in World War I. [2003]

The Rock, Gibraltar

If you are flying into Gibraltar, prepare to be agog when you see the famous rock, but also prepare for the experience of landing on one of the world's great tombolos: a sedimentary isthmus that connects The Rock to the mainland and offers enough flat land (a rarity in these parts) for airport runways. [2015]

Edam, Netherlands

To raise money for the restoration of the Great Church tower, the townfolk of Edam built a church of cheese (Kerk van Kaas). What kind of cheese? Edam, of course, and it took 10,000 waxed cylinders, each with a sponsor. [2003]

Toledo, Illinois, USA

Toledo is the county seat of Cumberland County. It's central square is occupied by the county courthouse and a gazebo. In the former, the hormone secreted is cortisol (associated with anxiety); in the latter, the hormones secreted are endorphins (associated with happiness). Welcome to the marriage of two different hormonal spaces. [2017]

Wahoo, Nebraska, USA

Wahoo is the county seat of Saunders County. The county courthouse might be the only one in the country with a full-size torpedo out front. It's a memorial to the USS Wahoo, one of the most famous submarines of World War II. When it ran out of torpedoes, it surfaced and kept on fighting. Then, it was sunk in the strait between Japan and Russia. [2009]

Kermit, Texas, USA

Kermit is the county seat of Winkler County. In the 1980s (my first pass-through), the population was dropping at a double-digit rate and the future looked bleak. Today, the population is growing at a double-digit rate and the courthouse never looked prouder. If you want to know what's changed, see what you can find out about the Permian Basin. [2018]

Clovis, New Mexico, USA

The adobe architecture captures the spirit of place. It epitomizes the American Southwest. The roadside sign captures the spirit of time, the decade of the 1950s. It epitomizes a generation of signs born of The Great Sign. The Westward Ho Motel lies along one of the great transcontinental highways: US 60. From the Atlantic Ocean, it led westward ho. [2018]

Auburn, Alabama, USA

Persephone has returned to Auburn University: not as a student but as an artist. She contributes color to the landscape, sends temps into the t-shirt range, and draws students out of their dorms. And, in Alabama, she sticks around for a while. [2018]

Oxford, Ohio, USA

Black (Pugh's Mill) Bridge. "One of the few remaining covered bridges in southwestern Ohio." So sayeth the historical marker erected by the Ohio Bicentennial Commission and three partners. Want to know when it was built? Read more. Want to know the type of truss? Forget it. [2010]

North East, Maryland, USA

Gilpin's Falls Covered Bridge. "The bridge is one of the few left in Maryland." So sayeth the historical marker erected by the Maryland Historical Society. Want to know when it was built? Read more. Want to know the type of truss? Forget it. Want to know the name of the past president of the historical society? No, but it's there anyway. [2008]

Landrum, South Carolina, USA

Campbell's Covered Bridge. "This bridge . . . is the last extant covered bridge in S.C." So sayeth the historical marker erected by the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway Association. Want to know when it was built or the type of truss? Read more. [2005]

Smyrna, Georgia, USA

"The Concord Covered Bridge has the distinction of being the only covered bridge still in use on a public highway in the metropolitan Atlanta area." So sayeth the historical marker erected by the Bicentennial Commission. Want to know when it was built or the type of truss? Read more. [2018]

Edinburgh, Scotland

Beware the Ides of March! It's a day of metaphorical darkness, and has been since 44 B.C., when Julius Caesar was assassinated. What followed was the establishment of the Roman Empire and its expansion onward to Scotland. That didn't settle well with the indigenous Celts who fought the Romans and, then, from this castle, the English. [2017]

Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Things to observe: (1) Plastic chairs. (2) Asian colors. (3) Western casuals. (4) Shared tables. (5) Local tastes. (6) Single gender. (7) Mixed ages. (8) Inside tables. (9) Outside tables. (10) One step up. (11) One step down. (12) Fluidity. [2011]

Marrakech, Morocco

Here, an artist displays his paintings in what was an old funduk, a courtyard hotel for merchant traders along with their wares and pack animals. One of the biggest changes to hit the Marrakech medina over the past thirty years has been the transition to fine arts. It has gone hand-in-hand with rising tourism. [2017]

Lisbon, Portugal

Rossio Square has served as a commons for the people of Lisbon since the Middle Ages. It has invigilated Portugal's rise to power and has become the capital's equivalent of Madrid's Plaza Mayor. But, while Spain has chosen an absolute monarch to dominate its signature plaza, Portugal has chosen a modernist king, Dom Pedro IV. There he is atop the column. [2009]

Otley, England, UK

Ye Old Pork Shop:
A hole in the wall.
So small that all
the buyers can't stand tall
inside the hall
where pork loins call.
So small that all
the pork loins call
on butcher Paul
to outside build a vending stall.
[1985]

Gotomeer, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Why are flamingos pink? Because of what they eat: a diet high in carotenoids, which for them means shrimp and algae.  Given that humans eat lots of carotenoids, too, why are we not pink? Maybe we would look more like flamingos if we ate even more carrots, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes. Or maybe not. [2017]

Havana, Cuba

What is the most chess-oriented country in Latin America? Cuba. The World Chess Federation puts it in 23rd place, with Russia (Cuba's former 'mentor') ranked first. Why don't we see more board games being played outside in the United States? [2014]

Battambong, Cambodia

With 185 national chess federations, you can be sure Cambodia has one of its own. Here, though, the variant is called makruk. Too bad there isn't an international board-game Olympics. If there were though, curling might have to be reassigned. [2016]

Bandung, Java, Indonesia

Also played on an 8-by-8 board is chess. It's another game that unites the nations. In fact, 185 countries have chess associations, Indonesia included! That means someone here has the chance to become a national champion and go on to the 'worlds.' [2016]

Valetta, Malta

Malta became and independent state in 1964, but the British left behind a predilection for draughts, a 2-player game, played on an 8-by-8 board. Draughts? Americans call it checkers. [2009]

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Happy Birthday, Gerhard Kramer, known to most by your Latinized name: Mercator. How does it feel to be 506 years old? How does it feel to have ushered in the modern world? How does it feel to have created the grand-daddy of all modern map projections? How does it feel to still be helping these younglings navigate their way through Montreal? [2009]

Key West, Florida, USA

Put Mallory Square in Key West on your bucket list. But, don't fly in. Drive the Overseas Highway from Key Largo. And, if you arrive before sundown, you will be treated to a sight like this. [2018]

Islamorada, Florida, USA

When you're on the Keys and come face to face with Norbert, what do you do? (a) Scream and run in the opposite direction. (b) Curse him out for eating all your flowers and shrubs. (c) Extend your hand for a friendly hand-shake. (d) Join him for a sunbath on the rocks. (e) Think about going fishing and using him as bait. [2018]

Key Largo, Florida, USA

"99% of Boats Stored Here had ZERO DAMAGE!!!!" If you are from the Keys, you will understand. If you are not, you will have to be reminded that Hurricane Irma swept through in September of last year. What this entrepreneur doesn't tell you is that landfall was 90 miles away. [2018]

Columbus, Ohio, USA

Oh! Hi, Ohio! And, Happy Birthday! How does it feel to be 215 years old? When you were a mere quadragenerian, it became clear that your future was bright enough to plan for a new statehouse, which finally opened in 1857. [2017]