What Does a 6th Century Irish Monastery Have in Common with Star Wars, Mark Hamill, and Georgetown, Colorado?

Donna Wichelman Uncategorized Leave a Comment

In September 1910, the Irish writer and Nobel Prize-winning author George Bernard Shaw took an open boat, manned by ten men on five oars to Skellig Michael, an island seven miles offshore from the Irish coast. In a letter to a friend, he said of the “pinnacled… caverned, minareted” island, “They landed me on the most fantastic and impossible rock …

Why Some Historic Places Leave A Lasting Impression On Us

Donna Wichelman Uncategorized

Have you ever visited a place that so staggered you that it had an indelible effect on your life? Some veterans and their families experience overwhelming tears when they visit the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Waikiki, Hawaii. Others feel that same emotional tug on their hearts when they see the 911 Memorial and Museum. Many who tour Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, …

How an 18th Century Sea Fortress Has Become One of Finland’s Most Popular Tourist Attractions

Donna Wichelman Europe

Winter bashed Northern Colorado this year. We’re not used to endless days of arctic cold, snow, and cloud cover. Colorado claims 300 days of sunshine a year with average January and February temperatures in the low 40s ℉ (4 ℃), and we grouse when we don’t get them. Yet there are regions like Finland, where arctic winters provide great enjoyment …

How A Wintery Day Transported Me to Another Snowstorm Three Centuries Ago

Donna Wichelman Uncategorized

As I sit at my computer in a warm house this January wintery morning, I look out my window at the white, pillowy snow that accumulates, blanketing our neighborhood with more than eight inches of snow and still mounting. The snowstorm transports me to another era when tremendous cold and miserable snowstorms impede the progress of a regiment of men …

What One Remarkable Experience in Lucerne, Switzerland Taught Me

Donna Wichelman Europe

If you’ve read my travel/history blogs, you may know that I developed some insights about traveling Europe while attending an international college in Wales as a high school student. I’ve never taken the opportunity for granted since I came from a modest family. They made a great sacrifice by sending me to the United World College of the Atlantic (aka …

Why Christmas is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Donna Wichelman Christmas, Holiday

It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” so goes the Christmas song popularized by singer Andy Williams in 1963. According to Wikipedia, the music has continued to make the top 10 list of most favorite Christmas songs every year since Andy Williams crooned it. Christmas is my most favorite time of the year for many reasons. I’m one of …

When Tradition Finds No Room in the Inn

Donna Wichelman Uncategorized

Our family decorates the house for Christmas each year on the day after Thanksgiving. It’s become a tradition. Carols play in the background while a fury of activity ensues. Everyday household décor is removed and replaced by candles, garlands, snow globes, and poinsettias. We rearrange the furniture in the family room to set up the Christmas tree in front of …

What Was Life Really Like on the Oregon Trail, Part 2

Donna Wichelman Gilded Age, North America

In the first of a two-part series, What Was Life Really Like on the Oregon Trail?, we considered how the pioneers really fared on the Overland Trails and the hard facts of life for those who emigrated west by wagon train. As a historical writer of Gilded Age fiction, I want to dive deeper into my novelette, The Sojourner’s Quest–a …

What Was Life Really Like on the Oregon Trail?

Donna Wichelman North America

In September/October 2022, I took a road trip with my husband in a 300 hp Jeep Grand Cherokee to visit friends and family and sightsee the Midwest, Blue Ridge Mountains, and Eastern Seaboard. With autumn upon us, we packed the SUV with clothes and extra gear for inclement weather. A small ice chest and picnic basket held a stash of …

Why View History Through a Story Lens

Donna Wichelman North America

On a recent trip through the upper Midwest and eastern parts of the United States, my husband and I visited many fascinating historical sites. We toured some with self-guided audio devices, others by reading the informational placards, and others by following and listening to knowledgeable docents. Each place had a unique and compelling story to tell that illuminated the history …