Category Archives: Travel Journal/Blog

Seville During Holy Week: Tradition, Devotion, and Unforgettable Pageantry

ByLanderSea Abroad, Europe, Land Adventures, Travel Journal/Blog, , , , , , , , , , , ,

By Debi Lander

During my visit to southern Spain last spring, I arrived just as Seville was entering one of its most powerful and emotional traditions, Semana Santa. For seven days leading up to Easter, the historic streets transform into a stage for deeply rooted religious rituals that date back centuries. What unfolds is not simply a celebration but a profound cultural expression where faith, art, and community come together.

A Tradition Centuries in the Making

The roots of Seville’s Holy Week stretch back to the 16th century, when the Catholic Church encouraged public displays of devotion during the Counter-Reformation. Religious brotherhoods known as hermandades began organizing solemn processions through the city. Today, more than sixty of these brotherhoods participate, each maintaining traditions passed down through generations.

Their processions begin at neighborhood churches and wind through Seville’s labyrinth of streets toward the magnificent cathedral before returning home, often in the early hours of the morning.

The Processions: Art in Motion

Each procession centers around massive religious floats called pasos. These elaborate and very heavy platforms (some weigh up to 10,000 pounds) carry life-sized sculptures depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ or images of the Virgin Mary. Many date back hundreds of years and are revered as priceless works of sacred art.

This photo of La Macarena gives you an idea about the size of the pasos (float). The elaborate gold and silver adornments add to the weight. Photo ©Bylandersea

During the day, I joined locals visiting several churches to see the pasos up close. The sculptures are emotionally charged, and the most famous , La Macarena, is sorrowfully beautiful. She is deeply adored and the churched was crowded with admirers wanting a look. It is not uncommon to see grown men moved to tears as they stand in awe.

My biggest surprise came when I learned that dozens of men, known as costaleros, carry the floats hidden beneath the structure, moving slowly and rhythmically through the streets. They can’t see where they are going and rely on the direction of someone to the side. Their dedication, strength and endurance are remarkable. Some processions last as long as twelve hours.

I snapped this photo just before the velvet curtain was lowered to cover the men’s legs. Photo ©Bylandersea

Leading the way are rows of penitents called nazarenos. Wearing long robes and tall pointed hoods to hide their identity, they carry candles or wooden crosses while walking in silence. Their appearance can surprise first-time visitors. While some Americans may initially associate the pointed hoods with imagery from our own racial history, these garments have a very different origin and meaning in Spain. They symbolize anonymity, humility, and penance before God. Some penitents even walk barefoot for miles.

Music, Silence, and Emotion

One of the most powerful elements of Semana Santa is the contrast between sound and silence. At times, the only noise comes from the soft shuffle of feet and flickering candles. Suddenly, a brass band begins a mournful march that echoes through the narrow streets.

Occasionally, a voice rises from a balcony in a spontaneous saeta, a haunting flamenco-style prayer sung directly to the passing Virgin or Christ figure. The crowd falls completely silent to listen.

These moments create an atmosphere that feels both sacred and deeply human. Though the streets are packed, the crowd remains respectful.

While watching on Palm Sunday, one of the pasos stopped directly in front of me. I watched as the costaleros crawled out from beneath the float while a fresh group moved in, lowering themselves on hands and knees into position. With a sharp command and the pounding of a drum, the structure rose as if lifted by magic, and the procession continued forward. It is a moment I will never forget. I captured part of it in this 30-second video below:

The Most Famous Night: La Madrugá

The peak of Seville’s Holy Week occurs late Thursday night into Good Friday during La Madrugá, meaning “the dawn.” Some of the city’s most revered brotherhoods process through the streets, including the beloved images from the Basílica de la Macarena. (I had left the city by the time, unfortunately.)

Photo of La Macarena taken in the Basilica de la Macarena. Photo ©Bylandersea

Hundreds of thousands of spectators line the streets throughout the night. Candles glow against the dark sky while church bells toll in the distance. For locals, this night represents the spiritual heart of the entire week.

Palm Sunday crowd at the bar between processions. Photo ©Bylandersea.

A Living Cultural Experience

What struck me most was how deeply this tradition remains woven into everyday life in Seville. Families arrive early to claim viewing spots. Children sit on their parents’ shoulders to watch the floats pass. Cafés remain open late as neighbors gather and talk quietly while waiting for the next procession.

Children are included in the festivities. Photo ©Bylandersea

Even visitors who are not religious cannot help but be moved by the dedication, artistry, and emotion on display.

Experiencing Semana Santa in Seville is not simply watching an event. It is stepping into a centuries-old story that continues to unfold each spring.

Long after I left Seville, the sound of distant drums and swaying floats stayed with me.

Don’t Miss Seville’s Treasures

If you visit Seville, be sure to tour the immense Seville Cathedral and admire its golden altarpiece, then climb the Giralda tower for panoramic views across the city. Just steps away, the Royal Alcázar invites you into a world of intricate Moorish design and tranquil gardens. Leave time to wander the narrow lanes of the Santa Cruz quarter, where Seville’s history and charm come alive around every corner.

If you’d like to bring a touch of Seville home, this image of La Giralda is available as a fine art print in
my online gallery. https://pixels.com/featured/sevilles-golden-tower-la-giralda-debi-lander.html
The golden Retablo Mayor of Seville Cathedral, or Altar of Gold, viewed in intricate detail.

If You Go During Holy Week

  • Best viewing areas: Around the cathedral and along the official procession route, the Carrera Oficial
  • Arrive early: Popular processions draw enormous crowds
  • Expect late nights: Some processions begin in the afternoon and end after sunrise
  • Respect the atmosphere: Many moments are solemn and quiet
The art work on the float is extraordinary. Such passion. Photo ©Bylandersea

Savannah 1779: Where the Revolution Turned International

America 250, Land Adventures, Travel Journal/Blog, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By Debi Lander
Bylandersea.com | Bylandersea America 250

This article is part of my ongoing Bylandersea America 250 series, exploring the Road to Revolution as we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary.

A Southern City of Grace and a Forgotten Battlefield

Savannah is easy to love.

Spanish moss drapes from live oaks like soft gray lace. Sunlight filters through cathedral canopies of green. Brick paths lead past wrought-iron balconies and pastel townhouses that seem untouched by time.

But history is rarely as gentle as the light.

In 1779, these serene squares filled with smoke. Cannon fire echoed between orderly streets. French and American soldiers charged across open ground while British defenses thundered back.

Savannah was not always graceful. It was once a battlefield.

After the stalemate at the Battle of Monmouth (read my previous post here) in 1778, the British shifted their focus south. Convinced that Loyalist support would secure victory, they targeted Georgia first. In December 1778, British forces captured Savannah with stunning speed.

The war had moved to the Deep South.

Within a year, Savannah would become the site of one of the bloodiest and most significant assaults of the Revolutionary War.

Spanish moss hangs from live oaks along the streets of Savannah. Photo ©Bylandersea

The Siege of Savannah, 1779

In October 1779, American forces under General Benjamin Lincoln joined French troops commanded by Admiral d’Estaing to retake the city. This was one of the earliest major Franco-American operations after France formally allied with the United States in 1778.

It was ambitious.
It was bold.
It failed.

Instead of continuing a slow siege, allied leaders chose a direct frontal assault on British defenses at Spring Hill redoubt. In less than an hour, nearly 1,000 allied troops were killed or wounded.

Among the fallen was Casimir Pulaski, the Polish nobleman who helped organize the Continental cavalry. He later died from wounds received in the attack. Today, Savannah honors him with a monument in Monterey Square and another pictured below in Washington, DC.

Statue of Casimir Pulaski in Washington, DC.

Savannah would remain in British hands until 1782.

But something larger had happened here.

The Revolution was no longer simply a colonial rebellion. It was now international.

French ships and soldiers had crossed the Atlantic. Caribbean bases supported the effort. European rivalries now shaped American battlefields. Savannah marked the widening of the war.

Why Savannah Matters in the America 250 Story

The army that had endured the winter at Valley Forge was now fighting far from its northern strongholds.

Savannah represents three major turning points:

  1. The beginning of the British Southern Strategy
  2. One of the first large-scale Franco-American military collaborations
  3. Proof that early alliance efforts did not guarantee success

The defeat here stung. Charleston would fall the following year in an even greater disaster. British confidence surged.

Yet the Southern campaign that began in Savannah would eventually exhaust British forces and push them toward Yorktown.

Failure did not end the Revolution. It hardened it.

Walking Revolutionary Savannah Today

Savannah does not preserve its battlefield in the dramatic way that Saratoga or Yorktown does. The Spring Hill redoubt area is largely absorbed into modern neighborhoods, marked by plaques rather than open fields.

Savannah requires imagination.

Stand in Monterey Square beneath Pulaski’s monument.

Pulaski’s Monument in Monterey Square, Savannah. Photo ©Bylandersea


Walk Colonial Park Cemetery where soldiers rest beneath weathered stones.

Colonial Park Cemetery in downtown historic Savannah. Photo ©Bylandersea


Trace James Oglethorpe’s original city grid and consider how this orderly plan became a wartime stronghold.

This photo shows the city grid and one of the squares from the original city plan. Photo ©Bylandersea

Savannah does not shout its Revolutionary history. It whispers.

What to See in Revolutionary Savannah

Savannah today is a layered city where several eras of American history exist side by side. Walking through the historic district, visitors encounter a blend of colonial foundations, elegant antebellum homes from the Civil War era, Victorian architecture from the late nineteenth century, and carefully preserved buildings that continue to serve modern life. The city’s famous squares, laid out in 1733 by General James Oglethorpe, still organize the streets beneath sweeping live oaks draped with Spanish moss. Around them stand churches, townhouses, monuments, and museums that tell the story of a city shaped by colonial ambition, Revolutionary struggle, Civil War survival, and ongoing renewal.

To understand Savannah fully, it helps to begin with its Revolutionary past. The sites connected to that era reveal how the city and its people played a role in the fight for American independence.

Spring Hill Redoubt Site

Historical markers identify the area where the 1779 assault occurred.

The marker reads, “Upon this spot stood the Spring Hill Redoubt. Here on October 9, 1779 one of the bloodiest engagements of the Revolution was fought when repeated assaults were made by the allied troops of Georgia, South Carolina and France in an effort to retake Savannah from the British.” (Ponder the fact that 1,000 soliders lost their lives there.)

Monterey Square

Home to the Pulaski Monument honoring the fallen cavalry officer.

Colonial Park Cemetery

Established in 1750 and containing graves from the Revolutionary period.

Savannah History Museum

The Savannah History Museum includes excellent exhibits on the Revolutionary era and the Southern Campaign.

Photo provided by the Coastal Heritage Society.

Fort Pulaski National Monument

The Fort Pulaski National Monument, maintained by the US National Park Service, is located outside the city on Cockspur Island. Though best known for its Civil War history, it honors Pulaski’s name and offers sweeping coastal views.


Travel Planning Tips

Best time to visit: March through May for blooming azaleas and comfortable temperatures. October is also lovely for photography. Warning: The summer is HOT and humid.

How long to stay: Two to three days allows time for history, architecture, and unhurried wandering.

Savannah layers its stories. Colonial. Revolutionary. Civil War. Gilded Age.

I highly recommend reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt or at least watch the movie with the same title, before visiting Savannah. You will learn about the city’s culture and history through a fabulously interesting story, and it will make Savannah come alive. Be sure to visit the Mercer Williams house, Forsyth Fountain, Bonaventure Cemetery, and dine at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House.

Do not rush Savannah. Linger in the seductive city.

Don’t miss seeing the gorgeous Forsyth Fountain in Forsyth Park, Savannah. Photo available at: https://pixels.com/featured/morning-walk-to-forsyth-fountain-savannah-ga-debi-lander.html
Statue at Bonaventure Cemetery. Photo ©Bylandersea
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room opens for lunch and serves fried chicken family style with so many side dishes, you won’t need to eat dinner. Photo ©Bylandersea
The Mercer-Williams Home can be toured. Photo ©Bylandersea
This is the book cover, the statue is kept in the Telfair Museum in Savannah.

Next in Bylandersea America 250

The Revolutionary War next moves to Charleston in 1780: America’s Greatest Surrender

Because after Savannah, the war did not improve.

It worsened.

Sacred Wood of Bomarzo: Monsters, Myth, and Mystery in Lazio

ByLanderSea Abroad, Destinations, Europe, Land Adventures, Travel Journal/Blog, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by Debi Lander

Some places ask to be understood.
Bomarzo Park refuses.

Hidden in the forested hills of northern Lazio, the Parco dei Mostri or Monster Park, is not a garden in the traditional sense. It is a fantasy carved from stone. A labyrinth of towering monsters, reclining gods, mythic beasts, and unsettling faces created in the 16th century not to please, but to provoke.

A winged dragon battles a snarling beast, setting the tone for a garden where myth and imagination rule.
©Debi Lander

A Garden Born from Grief and Imagination

Bomarzo Park was not created by a king or a pope, but by a grieving nobleman.

In 1552, Prince Pier Francesco “Vicino” Orsini, lord of Bomarzo, began commissioning this strange woodland after the death of his beloved wife, Giulia Farnese. Rather than building a formal Renaissance garden of symmetry and order, Orsini imagined something radically different. He envisioned a place of disorientation, emotion, and philosophical reflection.

He hired the famed Mannerist architect Pirro Ligorio to bring his vision to life. Instead of reshaping nature into geometric perfection, they carved the sculptures directly from existing volcanic rock outcroppings, allowing the forest itself to dictate form.

Orsini called it il Sacro Bosco, the Sacred Wood.

It was meant to be felt more than understood. For me, it was a place where imagination quietly returned. Time slowed. Edges softened. The practical world faded, replaced by a sense of childlike wonder I hadn’t realized I missed.

The Lady of the Sacred Wood. ©Debi Lander

A Journey Into the Unexpected

Reaching Bomarzo requires intention. Hidden in the countryside near Viterbo, it is not a place you find by chance. My taxi drove through peaceful villages and wooded hills, the road curving gently until the forest finally opened before us.

A modest visitor center greeted me. Then, I walked out the back door, and the stone giants began.

Proteo Glauco: Guardian of the Wood


One of the first figures visitors encounter is the formidable Proteo Glauco, a massive stone head emerging from the earth, crowned by a sculpted sphere. His expression is both watchful and ambiguous. Moss gathers in the creases of his face. Leaves settle in the folds of his carved hair.

He feels ancient, as if he has always belonged to the forest.

Proteo Glaucoma, a mythological sea serpent, lies near the entrance. ©Debi Lander

Tartaruga: The Moss-Crowned Turtle

Deeper into the woodland sits the great Tartaruga. A giant turtle supports a figure balanced above, an allegory open to interpretation. Slow and steady. Power? Patience?

The entire sculpture is softened by greenery, as if nature itself is reclaiming the fantasy.

I descended a staircase and came to this giant turtle covered in moss. ©Debi Lander

The Etruscan Elephant

The Panca Etrusca, often called the Etruscan Elephant, is one of Bomarzo’s most iconic sculptures. The enormous stone elephant carries a small tower on its back while grasping a fallen soldier in its trunk. This elephant is a blend of fantasy with classical symbolism. It feels both whimsical and imposing.

Even in stone, it suggests motion, as though the beast might step forward at any moment.

The enormous stone elephant named Panca Etrusca in Bormazo Park. ©Debi Lander

Ercole and Caco

I gasped when I stumbled upon the dramatic scene depicting Ercole defeating Caco, better known as Hercules and the thief. Here, a raw, muscular moment of violence is frozen in stone. The monumental scale reminds you that these sculptures were meant to overwhelm.

This powerful statue takes your breath away when you first see it. It’s huge and intimidating. ©Debi Lander

Neptune in the Sacred Wood

Up and around a bend, I found Neptune, known in Italian as Nettuno or the god of the sea, nestled behind the overhanging tree limbs.

He reconnects the garden to classical antiquity. Moss softens his features, yet his authority remains. He rests with quiet strength, weathered but dignified. Compared to the monsters, he feels almost serene.

I found myself lingering here. The balance between myth and nature felt seamless, as though Neptune had always belonged to the forest rather than the sea.

Neptune, god of the sea, at Bormazo Park.
A wide-angle shot of Neptune under autumn gold leaves. ©Debi Lander
Photo available: https://pixels.com/featured/neptune-beneath-autumn-gold-bormazo-park-italy-debi-lander.html

Casa Pendente: The Leaning House

The crooked house tilts deliberately, disorienting visitors before you even step inside. It plays with gravity and expectation, reminding you that this is not a place of rational thought.

It is a garden of sensation, and it’s fun.

Entering the crooked house is fun but disorienting. Children love it.

The Herms and Silent Faces

A line of carved herms rises from the earth in silent procession, their expressions solemn and unblinking. Beyond them, reclining figures and nymph-like forms lounge amid urns and lichen-covered stone, letting time gently settle over them.

Here, the Sacred Wood moves from menace to meditation in a single turn of the path.

A line of faces near the Leaning House.

Orcus: Where Every Thought Flies

The path bends, the light dims beneath the thick canopy, and then it appears — not gradually, but all at once. A colossal stone face emerges from the earth, its mouth stretched wide in a silent, eternal cry.

This is Orcus – the most famous sculpture of all within the park.

His gaping jaws form a doorway, an invitation and a warning at once. Carved above the lip are the words Ogni pensiero vola — “Every thought flies.” It is less a caption than a challenge.

Standing before him, I hesitated. The darkness inside felt cool and cavernous, a space meant not simply to be viewed but experienced. It was playful and unsettling at the same time. You enter the monster, and somehow emerge lighter, proof that even darkness can be transformative.

Me standing in the mouth of Orcus.

Echidna: Mother of Monsters

One of the final and more surprising figures is Echidna, the mythological Mother of Monsters. Part woman, part serpent, she is said to have birthed many of the most fearsome creatures of Greek legend.

Learning her name changed the way I saw the forest. The sculptures no longer felt isolated or eccentric; they felt connected, part of an ancient mythic lineage. I even thought of Game of Thrones, where dragons and hybrid beings dominate modern storytelling. These archetypes endure. The Sacred Wood is not random fantasy. It draws deeply from classical mythology.

The Mother of Monsters, her name makes me think Game of Thrones, ©Debi Lander
Photo for Sale: https://pixels.com/featured/echidna-mother-of-monsters-bormazo-park-italy-debi-lander.html

The Orsini Bear

The Orsini family crest appears in the form of a powerful stone bear holding a shield. It brings personal history to the Sacred Wood, a statement of identity and legacy.

A Glimpse Into the Past

Returning to the visitor center, I noticed one of the displays held a vintage black and white photograph of shepherds guiding sheep through the Sacred Wood. You see livestock grazing before the Orcus mouth and the elephant. This photo showed me that Bomarzo was once even more rustic and untamed.

The monsters were not always surrounded by ticket booths and cameras. They stood quietly in a wilder landscape.

A vintage photo of Bormarzo when it wasn’t a tourist attraction.

Why Bomarzo Matters

Bomarzo is not polished. It is not symmetrical. It does not flatter the eye in the way formal gardens might.

It unsettles yet delights. It invites curiosity. It allows imagination to roam.

In a world that often demands clarity and order, the Sacred Wood offers something rarer.

Mystery.

And like all great journeys, Bomarzo stays with you long after you leave. 

A closer look at Neptune.

Location: Bomarzo, Lazio, Italy
Closest major cities: Rome and Viterbo
Time needed: Allow at least two hours to wander slowly and let the forest reveal itself.
Best season: Spring or autumn for softer light and fewer crowds.
Family Friendly: Older children usually love it, unless they are easily frightened by oversized monsters and shadowy stone faces.

I hired a taxi driver in Viterbo who agreed to take me and return two hours later, making the visit simple and stress-free.

Orcus was my favorite ©Debi Lander.
Photo for Sale: https://pixels.com/featured/entering-orcus-in-bormazo-park-italy-debi-lander.html