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]