journey zone

Curious Historian

Exploring the Wonders: A Journey to Mysterious and Amazing Places

Posted: April 27, 2024 | Last updated: April 27, 2024

A Spectacular On the Water Stage Built for the 2002 Bregenz Performing Arts Festival in Austria

If the human imagination can dream it, architects and builders can construct it! From the humble to the extravagant, there is no limit to the uniqueness and creativity of buildings found around the world. In this collection of photographs, we explore some of the coolest, strangest, and most spectacular architecture in the world.

They’re so extra! The Bregenz Festival “Opera on the Lake”, which began in Austria in 1946, has earned a reputation for building some of the most spectacular and elaborate stages ever constructed…and they float on Lake Constance. This photograph shows the set for Guiseppe Verdi’s “A Masked Ball” which was performed for crowds of 6,800 people a night during the 2002 theatrical season. The Bregenz Festival has performed many of the world’s best loved operas, all on huge, over-the-top stage sets. As you can imagine, there are challenges to constructing stage sets of this size and complexity…and outdoors ON WATER…yet the festival continues to outdo itself year after year. 

Actual Curved 3-Story House Sits in the Rezydent Shopping Center in Downtown Sopot, Poland

This house is amazing! The curves are real on this three story house in Sopot, Poland, which means it was probably an tremendous challenge for the builders, engineers, and architects that designed the building, which has become known as The Crooked House. Not surprisingly, the Crooked House is the number one most photographed building in all of Poland and is an Instagrammers dream. 

The Central Social Institution in Prague is Home to the World's Largest Vertical Letter File

This was the first search engine! The Central Social Institution of Prague housed the world’s largest collection of files and documents. To accommodate this must information, the offices were built with floor to ceiling file drawers, ten feet long and covering more than 4000 square feet of space. In fact, there are more than 3000 drawers. To be able to more quickly locate and extract files, electrical operator desks were added. A person only needed to sit in the desk and use a hand control to zoom to the correct drawer. Even the drawers were designed to open and close electrically, as this photo from 1937 shows. 

The Mysterious Stonehenge as Seen in 1867

Even in 1867, the strange stone monoliths on England’s Salisbury Plain, attracted visitors. Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument, consists of a ring of giant boulders standing about 13 feet high and weighing approximately 25 tons. Although researchers and archaeologists have learned much about Stonehenge since this photograph was taken, there are still more questions than answers. Why was the monument erected? How were the stones quarried and transported? How long did it take to built Stonehenge? 

Brains For Sale? Not Really, but Their Brain Sandwich was Delicious, St. Louis 1978

It was a running joke among residents of St. Louis that, if they did something stupid, someone would hand them a quarter and tell them to go to Choteau Avenue to pick up a brain. This sign didn’t point to a restaurant for zombies, but it did serve a delicious brain sandwich that patrons seemed to love. This photograph was taken in the 1970s. Since then, this building has been torn down and a hospital stands at the site today. No idea if that hospital specializes in brain surgery! 

Dracula's Castle Sits up on a Hill in Romania, 1929

Right at the border of Transylvania and Wallachia in Romania is Bran Castle, which is otherwise known as Dracula’s Castle . It is not, however, the home of the fictional Count Dracula…he is a merely a literary character. In fact, Bram Stoker, the author of “Dracula” described his fictional count’s castle as crumbling…not at all like Bran Castle. Bran Castle, however, has been linked to Vlad the Impaler, a real-life person who may have served as the inspiration for the fictional vampire. Vlad the Impaler was a vicious, sadistic, psychopath who killed hundreds of people…often by impaling them on sharpened sticks. 

A Stone-Carved House Shows the Handiwork of a 15th Century Romanian Monk

Step aside, Fred Flintstone , this stone house was built in the 15th century…long after Fred’s caveman days. Carved from a single giant boulder, the dwelling was the spiritual home of a medieval monk in Romania. As the Three Little Pigs can tell you, stone is an excellent building material because it is so durable and strong, but it is time consuming and difficult to work with. Carving out an entire house from a rock face must have taken quite a long time for this monk.  

A Gorgeous Painted Row of Books is actually the Kansas City Public Library Parking Garage

No, this isn’t a bookshelf for giants. It is the exterior of the parking garage for the Kansas City Public Library’s Central Branch. The parking garage’s façade is covered in signboard and painted to look like a row of books on a giant bookshelf. The parking garage was built in 2006 because there was a need for additional parking near the library. The library directors sought suggestions from the public on ways to make the parking garage more aesthetically pleasing. Everyone involved fell in love with the book shelf idea. On the 25-feet tall book spines, visitors can see the names of classic literary works, including “Fahrenheit 451”, “The Lord of the Rings”, “Charlotte’s Web,” and “Romeo and Juliet.” 

A Splendid Baroque Chapel Inside of the Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla, Mexico

The exterior of the Templo de Santo Domingo in Puebla, Mexico, certainly doesn’t give a hint of the splendid baroque chapel that is found inside. The Capilla del Rosario, or the Rosary Chapel, was constructed between 1650 and 1690 and added to the Santo Domingo Church that was built nearly 200 years before. The Rosary Chapel was the first Mexican chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Ornate and gilded, the Rosary Chapel is covered with paintings, reliefs, and sculptures. Light bathes the chapel from above and illuminates all the gold leaf in the room, making the place glow in warmth and majesty. 

The Grand Staircase Copper King Mansion, 1884 Butte, Montana

The Copper King Mansion in Butte, Montana, was built by William Andrew Clark in 1884. Clark was one of Montana’s three Copper Kings…land barons who acquired tremendous wealth in Montana’s copper industry. The Three Copper Kings all tried to outdo each other in overt displays of wealth, including their personal homes. Clark’s home was a 34-room home with fresco painted ceilings, gas and electric chandeliers, imported wood parquets, and stained glass windows. It was designed in the Romanesque Revival styles. One of the home’s highlights is the Grand Staircase featuring hand-carved, imported wood. 

The Old Cincinnati Public Library Bathed in Natural Light Back in 1874

Built in 1874, the Cincinnati Public Library looked a lot like the marvelous library in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” with five levels of bookshelves, cast iron spiral staircases, and checkerboard marble floors. Skylights, ample windows, and an atrium bathed the interior of the library in natural light. Sadly, this beautiful old library no longer stands. In the 1920s, the building has begun to show its age and was running out of room to store the library’s collection of books. A new, modern library was built in Cincinnati in 1955 and this stately only building was torn down and the site turned into a parking garage. 

Jedburgh Abbey, One of Six Abbeys Featured on Scotland’s Borders Abbeys Way Walk

This ruined Augustinian abbey, Jedburgh Abbey, is one of six abbeys featured on Scotland’s Borders Abbeys Way Walk, a popular tourist tour. Jedburgh Abbey, just ten miles from the English border, was built in the 12th century It originally housed a priory and was later elevated to the status of monastery. After William Wallace of “Braveheart” fame defeated the Earl of Surrey in 1297, the English retaliated by pillaging the Jedburgh Abbey, but Robert the Bruce of Scotland continues to patronize the church to prove to the English that his faith was as unwavering as the Abbey itself. 

The 14-story Neo-Gothic Pabst Building in Milwaukee was the City's First Skyscraper Built in 1891

The first skyscraper in Milwaukee, the 14-story neo-gothic Pabst Building, was constructed in 1891 by the owner of Pabst Brewing Company, Frederick Pabst. When it was completed, the Pabst Building was the tallest building in Milwaukee, a title it held for only four years when the Milwaukee City Hall was built. Frederick Pabst was known to involve himself in various civic projects, like the construction of the Pabst Building. He built the Pabst Theater, an opera house, in 1895, and helped to organize the Wisconsin National Bank. The Pabst Building was demolished in 1981. 

The Famed Street Nicknamed "Newspaper Row" Boston, Massachusetts in 1906

From the late 1800s to the 1940s, many of Boston’s newspapers were located in close proximity to each other in a district that Bostonians nicknamed Newspaper Row. The Boston Globe, the Boston Post, the Associated Press, the Boston Journal, the Boston Herald, and many others set up shop along Washington Street, Hawley Street, and Milk Street. Prior to television and radio, newspapers were the only means of getting world news and Bostonians would crown Newspaper Row to get the latest news. In addition to printing newspapers, most of the publishers had large chalk boards in their windows and would write on them the latest updates they received on the telegraph wires. 

A Foggy View of the New York City Skyline, 1920s

Even in the 1920s, New York City was home to many of the world’s biggest skyscrapers . After World War I, the United States enjoyed a building boom in many of its major cities, including New York. There was a huge increase in the number of skyscrapers between 1925 and 1931. In addition to the number of skyscrapers built in the 1920s, the height of the buildings also dramatically increased, from an average of 40 stories to 70 stories. This photographs shows how the new, tall skyscrapers poked through the low-hanging clouds. 

Old Vennel Off High Street Glasgow - Thomas Annan 1868

The Scottish photographer, Thomas Annan, was the first photographer to feature the decrepit living conditions and houses of the poor. In 1866, he was commissioned by The City Improvement Trust to photograph the inner city of Glasgow. In an act of Parliament, many of the slums were slated for demolition and the City Improvement Trust sought to record and document the poorer areas of the city. The result was a series of haunting photographs, Annan titled, “Old Vennel Off High Street, Glasgow.” This photograph is one of the series.

One of 36 bridges in Central Park, New York

The jewel of Manhattan, Central Park in New York City’s Upper West Side boasts a total of 36 bridges, such as this beauty seen here. More than 40 million visitors per year visit the park to enjoy the green space, wooded areas, ponds, and bridges. In fact, Central Park is the most visited urban park in the country. Central Park, which covers about 843 acres, is an icon of New York City and one of the most photographed and filmed locations in the world. The numerous bridges, like this one, area among the more popular spots of photo opps. 

Pierpont Morgan Library and Museum, New York City

The private, personal collection of J.P. Morgan’s library was donated to create the Pierpont Morgan Library in 1906, later renamed the Morgan Library and Museum, in New York City. The research library became a public institution in 1924, as per J.P. Morgan’s will. The building, designed by Charles McKim, housed an impressive collection of books, many of them rare, as well as prints, drawings, and paintings. In 1966, the library was named a New York City landmark and a National Historic Landmark. 

Rockefeller Center, New York, 1939

On Fifth Avenue in New York City is a 19-building complex sprawling over 22 acres that was built by John D. Rockefeller between 1931 and 1933. In the middle of the complex is the sunken square known as Rockefeller Plaza. This is the location of Radio City Music Hall and the skating rink. Overlooking the skating rink is the gilded statue, Prometheus, which was created by Paul Manship in 1934. Prometheus, in Greek mythology brought fire to mankind. 

Ruins of Persepolis in Iran, 1923

The ruins of Persepolis in Iran date back to 515 BC yet it demonstrates the ability of master builders. The site features limestone structures including the Persepolitan Stairway, a dual, symmetrical staircase on the Great Wall. The 111 steps have low risers so visiting dignitaries could maintain a regal gait as they climbed them. The top of the stairway opens into a small terrace situated opposite of The Gate of All Nations, shown in this photograph. 

Suburbia Breaks Out in San Francisco, California, 1967

Ah, suburbia! There used to be just rural and urban settings but a midway point between the two, suburbs, was created to allow city dwellers to sprawl beyond city limits and for rural dwellers to move closer to the cities. One thing that arose from suburbia was conformity. Here we see rows of cookie-cutter houses that were a common theme in suburbs across the nation. Conformity extended to cars, pets, and lifestyle, too. In fact, one of the attractions of life in the early suburbs was the opportunity to live just like everyone else. That began to change in the 1970 when more people sought unique and personal styles. 

Singer House, Also Widely Known as the House of Books, is an Art Nouveau Construction 1904, Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Russian division of the Singer Sewing Machine Company built this stunning art nouveau building in Saint Petersburg in 1904 to be the headquarters for the company. The original plan was to build a skyscraper resembling the Singer Company’s New York City building but there is a building code in Saint Petersburg that states that no building can be taller than the Winter Palace. Pavel Suzor, the building’s architect, instead designed this unique building that is so much cooler than a skyscraper. In 1919, the building was given to the Petrograd State Publishing House and became a large bookstore, earning the nickname “The House of Books.” 

Telephone Tower in Stockholm Connected about 5000 Telephone Lines from 1897-1913

Stockholm’s telephone company constructed this massive metal tower in 1887 to channel all of the city’s 5,500 telephone lines from one central location. To make the structure more aesthetically pleasing, the telephone company hired an architect, Fritz Eckert, to add some special touches. He designed the structure’s four turrets. The metal grid works stood more than 260 feet tall and functioned until 1913 when the telephone company started using underground telephone lines. In 1952, the metal tower was heavily damaged in a fire and the entire structure was torn down the following year. 

A Catholic Church Built into the Rocks is Located in Sedona, Arizona

Tucked in Arizona’s vibrant red rock formations is the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a Catholic church jutting up from the stunning desert rocks. Local rancher and artist, Marguerite Brunswig Staude, inspired by the recently-constructed Empire State Building, was to build a church. She originally planned to build in Budapest, Hungary, in partnership with famed architect, Frank Lloyd Wright’s son, Lloyd Wright, but those plans were derailed with World War II started. Staude then decided to build the church in her own community. She selected a location in the Coconino National Forest and hired Richard Hein to design the building. The chapel was opened in 1956. 

The Cologne Cathedral Amidst the Ruins, 1944

During bombing runs, invading pilots used the Cologne Cathedral as a reference point for their aerial attacks. The surrounding neighborhoods were almost completely destroyed in the bombings, but the cathedral stood tall. Most of the pilots and airmen later said that they purposely avoided bombing the cathedral because of its beauty and cultural significant. Although the church took as many as fourteen hits, it remained sturdy. When the war was over, repairs were made to the Cologne Cathedral, which was constructed between 1248 and 1473. The church was as good as new again by 1956. 

The Hollywoodland Sign was First Erected in 1923 to Promote a Housing Development Not Hollywood

The famous Hollywood sign was not built to pay homage to Tinsel Town, but to promote a housing development that was supposed to be built in the 1920s in the Hollywood Hills. The original plan was to take down the sign after the housing development was built, but during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the sign became an icon of the California movie industry, so the sign stayed in place, minus the “land” portion. Each letter in the Hollywood sign is 44-feet tall, plenty large enough for it to be seen from a number of locations around Hollywood. 

The Before and After of the Famous Las Vegas Strip, 1940 Vs. 2017

Sin City sure has changed a lot in only 75-plus years! The first casino on Highway 91 was the Pair-O-Dice Club, which opened in 1931, but the first casino and hotel resort was the 63-room El Rancho Vegas, which first opened its doors in 1941. After that, more and more hotels, casinos, and resorts popped up along Las Vegas Highway. Vegas businessman, Guy McAfee, who previously worked as a Los Angeles police officer, is credited with naming the area the Vegas Strip. He took the name from Sunset Strip in his hometown. 

A Photo of San Francisco After the Earthquake of 1906 Resembles a War Zone

When the city of San Francisco was rocked by a 7.9 earthquake in 1906, it decimated the California city and its residents. The majority of the buildings in the city received some damage or was completely destroyed. Fires broke out and raced unchecked through the ruins, destroying more than 500 city blocks. News reports of the day claim that the quake and fires killed about 700 residents, but experts now believe that that total may be as high as 3000. More than 200,000 people were homeless as a result of the destruction. The great earthquake helped to bring attention to building practices in earthquake zones. 

The Breathtaking View From 7,500 Feet Over New York City

In this aerial nighttime view of New York City, we can see that the City That Never Sleeps looks wide away! Every block and every street is illuminated by street lights and building signs giving the city a vibrancy and life around the clock. That dark patch in the middle is Central Park. Many of the walkways through the park are not lit at night so we only see the winding light trails of a few of the major paths of the park. 

Times Square Building in 1943, Continues to be One of the Most Photographed Places in the Big Apple

Even though this image of Times Square , taken in 1943, is missing the crowds of tourists that we see there today, it still featured the Time Square Building, One Times Square, as the backdrop. Originally built to house the New York Times newspaper in 1905, the 25-story building is one of the most photographed places in the Big Apple. It is the setting for New York’s massive New Year’s Eve celebration every year when thousands of visitors pack Times Square to watch the ball drop at midnight. 

The Shoe House in Pennsylvania Built for Publicity Stunt Becomes Advantageous for the Haines Shoe Company

Built as a publicity stunt for the Haines Shoe Company, the Shoe House of Pennsylvania, constructed in 1948, took advantage of the “tourist trap” trend that popped up as automobile ownership increased and post-WWII prosperity allowed families to take road trips. Twenty-five feet tall, the structure has a living room and kitchen in the heel, two bedrooms in the ankle, and a soda shop in the arch. Today, the Haines Shoe House is open for tours and welcomes visitors who want to channel their favorite nursery rhyme character, the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. 

The 3,000 Men who Helped Build the 810 ft. High Chase Manhattan Bank in New York Line Up for the Photo in August 1964

It took an army of men to build David Rockefeller’s Chase Manhattan Bank building in the early 1960s. The patriarch of the wealthy and powerful Rockefeller family of New York, David Rockefeller, spearheaded the construction project because so many banks had moved their headquarters to midtown. The Chase Manhattan Bank building is unique in that its glass exterior reflected sunlight. The structure is also asymmetrical with the central core and elevator shafts built off-center to allow for a wide corridor of office cubicles and a clerical pool. A huge construction feat, more than 3000 men worked on the building. 

A Chapel in a Treehouse Built in 1669 is Still Being Used Today

In a small village in France, a stately old oak tree…that witnessed the Black Death, the Hundred Years War, the reign of King Louis IX, and the French Revolution…has a unique tree house chapel nestled in its branches. The Chene Chapelle, or Oak Chapel, was tree was struck by lightning in the 1600s and a resulting fire hollowed out a large portion of the tree’s interior. The local priest believed this was a divine sign that the tree should be turned into a place of worship. A spiral staircase circling the tree’s trunk takes worshipers into one of two sanctuaries, the Notre Dame de la Paix or the Chambre de l’Ermite. The tree is beginning to show its age and the Oak Chapel has been reinforced for safety. 

Damage from a Boulder that Rolled through a House in Italy

The power of nature! When a giant boulder from the hilltop above dislodged and came crashing down, it didn’t let anything get in its way. That includes this barn in Ronchi de Termeno, Italy. The barn was utterly smashed by the enormous rock that rolled but, fortunately, no one was hurt in the 2014 incident. The boulder even left a huge divot in its wake as a testament to how heavy and powerful it was. What this photo doesn’t show is that a second boulder narrowly missed the farmhouse next to the barn.  

A Secluded Home on a Remote Island in Iceland

Iceland is a place of rugged isolation with barren, windswept landscapes. The Icelandic people are as hearty as the countryside. Living in a home as desolate and secluded as this one may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but to the Icelandic, this home looks like heaven on earth. And Iceland is a small country…only about 39,000 square miles…so, even though this home looks like it is in the middle of nowhere, it is probably in close proximity to some village or town. 

An Abandoned ''Pirate Tower'' Stands Empty on Victoria Beach Laguna

Sadly, this cool tower on California’s Laguna Beach is not really a pirate hideout. Instead, this structure, known as La Tour, the word tower in French, was constructed in 1926 by California State Senator William Edward Brown as a way for his family to get from their summer home down the cliff to the beach below. The tower was built using poured concrete and is anchored to the cliff face. A wooden spiral staircase is housed inside, with plenty of windows to let in the natural light. 

The Sümela Monastery in Turkey Stands Carved Out of a Cliff

A Greek Orthodox Church, the Sumela Monastery is 3,900 feet high on the steep cliff face in the Pontic Mountains of Turkey. The church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is much revered in Turkey and is considered a place of great importance. Unfortunately, a rock slid on September 22, 2015, forced the monastery to close to the public. Engineers are working to ensure that the cliff structure is safe before the monastery reopens. The anticipated reopening is slated for late 2018. 

The Medieval Ruins of Dunluce Castle Rest on Top of Mermaids Cave in Northern Ireland

Now in ruins, the Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland was built precariously close to the cliffs on an outcropping into the sea. Steep cliff walls dropping into the sea nearly surround the castle. According to a local legend, a large portion of the kitchen suddenly crashed into the sea below one day. The kitchen boy survived because he happened to be sitting on a stool in the one corner of the kitchen that didn’t collapse. This may be an exaggeration, however, as an intact kitchen can still be seen next to the manor house. 

Amphitheater of Acropolis in Athens, Greece

The ancient Amphitheater at Acropolis was built in 161 AD by Herodes Atticus and was originally designed as a three-story, sloped venue with a wooden roof built from cedar of Lebanon wood. More than 5,000 people could crowd into the theatre to watch comedies, tragedies or musical concerts. The theatre was destroyed by Heruli in 267 AD and left in a state of ruins. It was renovated in 1950 and is a popular tourist attraction. 

An 800-year-old Church Located in Borgund, Norway

This unusual Norwegian building was constructed by connecting vertical wooden boards, called staves, hence the name Borgund Stave Church. Although it was built between 1180 and 1250 AD, portions of the church were added on later. The construction of the church is really quite unique. The four corner post of the church are linked together using ground sills and the whole thing sits on a stone foundation. The stave walls are connected by a tongue and groove system. 

An Abandoned "Dr. Suess" House Tucked Deep in the Alaskan Wilderness

Dubbed a Dr. Seuss house, this odd looking structure in Alaska was so named because it reminded people of the whimsical, nonsensical drawings of the wonderful Dr. Seuss. This building looks like it could be home to a family of Whos from Whoville or, perhaps even Thing 1 and Thing 2 from “The Cat in the Hat”. Dr. Seuss, the pen name of Theodore Geisel, illustrated all 44 of the children’s books that he penned. 

Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway Bridge in Mountain Creek British Columbia, 1880-1890

The deep gorges and steep cliffs of the Canadian Rockies make it a challenge for railroad track construction. As a solution, bridges like this one, built high in the mountains are needed. A complex network of wooden trusses hold the tracks up. This bridge was built in late 1800s and it took a large work crew of brave and talented builders to span the gap between mountain ridges with solidly-built trusses. You can even see the work crew in this photograph, standing along the tracks. 

An Incredible 16th Century Italian fireplace

We don’t know if this fireplace is cool or frightening. It is different and unique, though. For homeowners who want to make a statement in their homes, a signature fireplace is one way to create a stunning focal point. Still fireplaces should be cozy and romantic, as well as functional, so we cannot picture anyone wanting to cuddle up with a significant other and a bottle of wine in front of this fireplace. 

Belvedere Castle, Central Park, Built in 1869

Belvedere Castle in New York’s Central Park is often considered to be a folly building…one that was constructed for show and not for function. Built in 1869, the Belvedere Castle has an observation deck, a tower, and various exhibit rooms. The style is a combination of the Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles and was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. 

This Fred Flinstone Looking House is Luxurious and Real, Portugal

Talk about making good use of your surroundings, when the homeowners started to build this house in Portugal, they decided not to clear the huge boulders from the land. Instead, the architect incorporated the massive rocks into the construction of the house. It is a totally modern home, despite looking like it is from the Fred Flintstone days, with a swimming pool, fireplace, and all the modern amenities. 

The Smallest City Hall in America, Located in Maskell, Nebraska

Long before the tiny house craze, there was the tiny city hall in Maskell, Nebraska. There isn’t much in Maskell…a Lutheran church and a few houses. The last census report says the town’s population is about 50 people. Still, Maskell has one big claim to fame…it is home to the smallest city hall in the United States. The tiny 10-foot by 12-foot structure might not look like much, but all the major decisions affecting the residents of Maskell are run out of this tiny city hall. 

The Famous Longaberger Basket Company's Headquarters, Newark, Ohio

The Longaberger Family, known for their cute, but expensive baskets that were sold via in-home parties, constructed their seven-story company headquarters in Newark, Ohio, to resemble one of their iconic baskets in 1997. Sadly, styles change and taste evolve and the Longaberger basket sales were in a decline. The company closed in earlier this year and the giant basket building was put up for sale. It sold in early 2018, presumably to a basket lover.  

The Amazing Prambanan Temples in Indonesia, 2013

Indonesia’s Prambanana Temple complex is the largest of its kind dedicated to Shiva. Built in the 10th century, the trio of temples sits at the center of concentric squares and is adorned with artwork and reliefs showing the epic of Ramayana. The temples have sustained considerable damage over the years due to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and war. The temples were rediscovered in the 17th century and efforts have been underway since to restore the temples to their original glory without altering the historical authenticity and cultural integrity of the buildings. 

The Gathering Place of Ancient Rome, The Roman Forum, Rome, Italy

For centuries, the Roman Forum was the center of everyday life for the people of ancient Rome. It was the location of important buildings and events. Political speeches, public trials, and gladiator matches took place at the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum was once considered the most important meeting place in the world. Although most of the site is in ruins today, it still receives more than 4.5 million annual visitors and is the location of ongoing archaeological excavations. 

A Symbol of the Cold War, The Construction of the Berlin wall, 1961

When Germany was divided into East and West Germany, the city of Berlin became problematic. West Berlin became a geographical “loophole” for East Germans who wanted to escape the Communist East and flee to the democratic West. The East Germans settled on a solution to the problem. Overnight on August 13, 1961, workers erected the Berlin Wall, totally surrounding West Berlin. Guards posted at various points along the wall made sure that no one climbed across. The Berlin Wall became a Cold War symbol. It was torn down on November 9, 1989. 

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Journey Zone Learning Center For Kids - Lebanon MO LICENSE EXEMPT PROGRAM

About the Provider

Description : JOURNEY ZONE LEARNING CENTER FOR KIDS is a LICENSE EXEMPT PROGRAM in LEBANON MO, with a maximum capacity of 99 children. This child care center helps with children in the age range of 6 WEEKS - 12 YEARS. The provider does not participate in a subsidized child care program.

• 690 LYNN ST, 690 LYNN ST LEBANON MO 65536
• (417) 288-2045

Operation Hours

• Monday 6:30 AM- 5:30 PM
• Tuesday 6:30 AM- 5:30 PM
• Wednesday 6:30 AM- 5:30 PM
• Thursday 6:30 AM- 5:30 PM
• Friday 6:30 AM- 5:30 PM
• Saturday Closed
• Sunday Closed

Program and Licensing Details

• License Number: 002551439
• Capacity: 99
• Age Range: 6 WEEKS - 12 YEARS
• Enrolled in Subsidized Child Care Program: No
• Current License Issue Date: Jan 01, 2024
• Licensor: ALLA GERASIMOVA

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Through the Eyes of Danny Lyon

At the Albuquerque Museum, "Journey West: Danny Lyon" invites viewers to see all sides of New Mexico—and beyond.

"Llanito, New Mexico," is among the 150 images featured in "Journey West: Danny Lyon" at the Albuquerque Museum. Photograph courtesy of the Albuquerque Museum.

“YOU GOT EYES,” Jack Kerouac wrote to photographer Robert Frank in 1958. Anyone exiting Journey West: Danny Lyon —an exhibition at the Albuquerque Museum, on view through August 27, 2023—might say the same of Lyon, a Bernalillo-based photographer who once lived with Frank.

Featuring 175 photographs, montages, and films that span Lyon’s career from the early 1960s onward, Journey West opens with a dedication to the two men—one from Chihuahua, one from Albuquerque—who built Lyon’s adobe home. That specificity provides a grounding for Lyon’s lens, as do the self-penned snippets that accompany the images. “More than anything, I came to New Mexico to be free,” he writes. In the exhibition, he and his camera hop from Shiprock to Cabezon to Ratón, revealing sun-bleached mesas and hoodoos, colorful auto graveyards, freewheeling carnies and roller-derby queens, and the youthful antics of a group of brothers, cousins, and pals in Sandoval County.

The show’s seven sections—A History of Bernalillo, Journey West, Burn Zone, The Wilderness, Empathy, Protest, and Narrative—place photographs taken farther afield (a teenage boy holding a puppy in Knoxville, Tennessee; a Zapatista peace conference in Chiapas, Mexico) in a visual dialogue with images of New Mexico, highlighting Lyon’s universal ability to see. Themes emerge: the tender humanity of his subjects, the rugged beauty of his landscapes, and the ultimate fragility of both.

Before the Brooklyn-born Lyon arrived in Bernalillo in the early 1970s, he’d already amassed a searing body of work as the first photographer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). His access allowed him to document the most important events of the Civil Rights Movement. As a pioneer of the New Journalism movement, he embedded himself with the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club, becoming an official member, and was a roommate of both Frank and Representative John Lewis at various times. “New Journalism is all about not trying to pretend that photography is objective,” says Josie Lopez, Albuquerque Museum head curator. “He’s intentionally putting himself in the story, and that makes it messy. But it also makes it more honest.”

A previously unexhibited and unpublished 2020 photograph of Lewis in bed seven months before his death is a tear-jerking standout. Wrapped in homemade quilts, wearing a plain white T-shirt, Lewis gazes unflinchingly at the camera, his worn face laden with the pathos that comes with a lifelong civil rights crusade. Here are three more indelible images from Journey West.

Danny Lyon's "Bernalillo Ditch" was taking in 1971. Photograph courtesy of the Albuquerque Museum.

Bernalillo Ditch , 1971

Lopez says that after an Albuquerque Museum staff walk-through of Journey West , a coworker turned to her and said, “This show touched me more than anything we’ve ever done because this is my culture.” In this light-and-shadow-laced image of a boy diving into a Río Grande–fed ditch, you can almost smell the dirt and feel the summer breeze. For Lopez, who grew up in Albuquerque, the timeless photo conjures her mother’s voice saying, “La Llorona will get you,” if you play in the ditches.

Taken in 1970, Danny Lyon's "Navajo Pool Room" captures three men playing pool in Gallup. Photograph courtesy of the Albuquerque Museum.

Navajo Pool Room, Gallup, New Mexico, 1970

Many of Lyon’s photos have a cinematic quality, and his 1985 film, Willie, is so gorgeously composed that each frame could stand alone as a photograph. His 1970 capture of three men playing pool in Gallup speaks to his compositional ability, from the horizontal lines of the cue sticks to the focal orbs of the billiard balls. “It’s stunning, the way he’s using light and line and perspective,” says Lopez. The fluorescent-noir quality of the setting amplifies the drama.

This triptych image of a still-standing burnt pine tree in the Jemez Mountains, taken two years after what was then the largest fire in New Mexico history, speaks to both the vulnerability and resilience of nature amid climate change. Each panel invites the viewer to examine in detail the mottled devastation of wildfire, which imprints its own bleak brand of beauty on the landscape.

Sheremetyevo (SVO) Airport

There's a very neat and nice post office opened 24 hours in Arrivals zone (2nd floor), where among other things you can browse the interent for 200R ($8) / hour, use a printer, and charge your mobile phone. There's also wi-fi in TGI Friday's restaurant (2nd floor, Arrivals). There's a bar and a good grocery store in the Arrivals area, both opened 24 hours.

A few restaurants are scattered in the departures area (after the check-in counters), the only ones worth attention are Tajmahal restaurant (located next to Terminals 6-9, upstairs) and the Irish bar - the favourite among transit passengers. If you end up waiting for your flight, it’s better to go to one of these two places (by the way, you can plug in your laptop there).

The departure and arrival area outside of the check-in area have a few 24-hour food and souvenirs shops, pharmacy, cafes (a meal for about $10, drink - $2-$5), bank and exchange offices. The airport is located about 15 km to the north outside of Moscow, 5km to the right from Moscow - St Petersburg highway.

The new Terminal 3 was opened recently and it's much better than SVO2, but not all the flights arrive there, yet. 

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The best way to get to / from Sheremetyevo. The new train express (since 2009) takes you directly from Sheremetyevo Airport arriving to Moscow center (Belorusski train station). It takes about 35 minutes and the ride costs about 400R (€8). You can buy your ticket using an App or just before the departure. The train station for the Aeroexpress train is connected to the airport, so it's only about 10-15 minutes walking once you leave the luggage claim area.    

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Customer Journey Maps

What are customer journey maps.

Customer journey maps are visual representations of customer experiences with an organization. They provide a 360-degree view of how customers engage with a brand over time and across all channels. Product teams use these maps to uncover customer needs and their routes to reach a product or service. Using this information, you can identify pain points and opportunities to enhance customer experience and boost customer retention.

“ Data often fails to communicate the frustrations and experiences of customers. A story can do that, and one of the best storytelling tools in business is the customer journey map.” — Paul Boag, UX designer, service design consultant & digital transformation expert

In this video, Frank Spillers, CEO of Experience Dynamics, explains how you can include journey maps in your design process.

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Customer Journey Maps – Tell Customer Stories Over Time

Customer journey maps are research-based tools. They show common customer experiences over time To help brands learn more about their target audience. 

Maps are incredibly effective communication tools. See how maps simplify complex spaces and create shared understanding.

Unlike navigation maps, customer journey maps have an extra dimension—time. Design teams examine tasks and questions (e.g., what-ifs) regarding how a design meets or fails to meet customers’ needs over time when encountering a product or service. 

Customer journey maps should have comprehensive timelines that show the most essential sub-tasks and events. Over this timeline framework, you add insights into customers' thoughts and feelings when proceeding along the timeline. The map should include: 

A timescale - A defined journey period (e.g., one week). This timeframe should include the entire journey, from awareness to conversion to retention.

Scenarios - The context and sequence of events where a user/customer must achieve a goal. An example could be a user who wants to buy a ticket on the phone. Scenarios are events from the first actions (recognizing a problem) to the last activities (e.g., subscription renewal).

Channels – Where do they perform actions (e.g., Facebook)?

Touchpoints – How does the customer interact with the product or service? What actions do they perform?

Thoughts and feelings – The customer's thoughts and feelings at each touchpoint.

A customer journey map helps you understand how customer experience evolves over time. It allows you to identify possible problems and improve the design. This enables you to design products that are more likely to exceed customers’ expectations in the future state. 

How to Create a Customer Journey Map for Exceptional Experiences?

© Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 4.0

Define Your Map’s Business Goal

Before creating a customer journey map, you must ask yourself why you're making one in the first place. Clarify who will use it and what user experience it will address.

Conduct Research

Use customer research to determine customer experiences at all touchpoints. Get analytical/statistical data and anecdotal evidence. Leverage customer interviews, surveys, social media listening, and competitive intelligence.

Watch user researcher Ditte Hvas Mortensen talk about how user research fits your design process and when you should do different studies. 

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Review Touchpoints and Channels

List customer touchpoints (e.g., paying a bill) and channels (e.g., online). Look for more touchpoints or channels to include.

Make an Empathy Map

Pinpoint what the customer does, thinks, feels, says, hears, etc., in a given situation. Then, determine their needs and how they feel throughout the experience. Focus on barriers and sources of annoyance.

Sketch the Journey

Piece everything—touchpoints, timescale, empathy map output, new ideas, etc.). Show a customer’s course of motion through touchpoints and channels across the timescale, including their feelings at every touchpoint.

Iterate and Refine

Revise and transform your sketch into the best-looking version of the ideal customer journey.

Share with Stakeholders

Ensure all stakeholders understand your map and appreciate how its use will benefit customers and the organization.

Buyer Journey vs User Journey vs Customer Journey: What's the Difference?

You must know the differences between buyer, user, and customer journeys to optimize customer experiences. A customer journey map is often synonymous with a user flow diagram or buyer journey map. However, each journey gives unique insights and needs different plans.

Customer Journey

The customer journey, or lifecycle, outlines the stages a customer goes through with a business. This journey can vary across organizations but includes five key steps:

1. Awareness : This is the first stage of the customer journey, where the customers realize they have a problem. The customer becomes aware of your brand or product at this stage, usually due to marketing efforts.

2. Consideration : Once customers know about your product or service, they start their research and compare brands.

3. Purchase : This is the stage where the customer has chosen a solution and is ready to buy your product or service.

4. Retention : After the purchase, it's about retaining that customer and nurturing a relationship. This is where good customer service comes in.

5. Advocacy : Also called the loyalty stage, this is when the customer not only continues to buy your product but also recommends it to others.

The journey doesn't end when the customer buys and recommends your solution to others. Customer journey strategies are cyclical and repetitive. After the advocacy stage, ideally, you continue to attract and retain the customers, keeping them in the cycle. 

There is no standard format for a customer journey map. The key is to create one that works best for your team and product or service. Get started with customer journey mapping with our template:

This customer journey map template features three zones:

Top – persona and scenario. 

Middle – thoughts, actions, and feelings. 

Bottom – insights and progress barriers.

Buyer Journey

The buyer's journey involves the buyer's path towards purchasing. This includes some of the steps we saw in the customer journey but is specific to purchasing :

1. Awareness Stage : This is when a prospective buyer realizes they have a problem. However, they aren't yet fully aware of the solutions available to them.

2. Consideration Stage : After identifying their problem, the buyer researches and investigates different solutions with more intent. They compare different products, services, brands, or strategies here.

3. Decision Stage : The buyer then decides which solution will solve their problem at the right price. This is where the actual purchasing action takes place.  

4. Post-Purchase Evaluation : Although not always included, this stage is critical. It's where the buyer assesses their satisfaction with the purchase. It includes customer service interactions, quality assessment, and attitudinal loyalty to the brand.

All these stages can involve many touchpoints, including online research, social media interactions, and even direct, in-person interactions. Different buyers may move through these stages at different speeds and through various channels, depending on a wide range of factors.

User Journey

The user journey focuses on people's experience with digital platforms like websites or software. Key stages include:

1. Discovery : In this stage, users become aware of your product, site, or service, often due to marketing efforts, word-of-mouth, or organic search. It also includes their initial reactions or first impressions.

2. Research/Consideration : Here, users dig deeper, exploring features, comparing with alternatives, and evaluating if your offering suits their needs and preferences.

3. Interaction/Use : Users actively engage with your product or service. They first-hand experience your solution's functionality, usability, and usefulness to achieve their goal.

4. Problem-solving : If they encounter any issues, how they seek help and resolve their issues fall into this stage. It covers user support, troubleshooting, and other assistance.

5. Retention/Loyalty : This stage involves how users stay engaged over time. Do they continue using your product, reduce usage, or stop altogether? It includes their repeated interactions, purchases, and long-term engagement over time.

6. Advocacy/Referral : This is when users are so satisfied they begin to advocate for your product, leaving positive reviews and referring others to your service.

Download this user journey map template featuring an example of a user’s routine. 

Understanding these stages can help optimize the user experience, providing value at each stage and making the journey seamless and enjoyable. 

Always remember the journey is as important as the destination. Customer relationships start from the first website visit or interaction with marketing materials. These initial touchpoints can influence the ongoing relationship with your customers.

© Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 3.0

Drawbacks of Customer Journey Maps

Customer journey mapping is valuable yet has limitations and potential drawbacks. Recognize these challenges and create more practical and realistic journey maps.

Over-simplification of Customer Experiences

Customer journey maps often risk simplifying complex customer experiences . They may depict varied and unpredictable customer behaviors as straightforward and linear. This simplification can lead to misunderstandings about your customers' needs and wants. As a result, you might overlook customers' diverse and unique paths. 

Always remember that real customer experiences are more complex than any map. When you recognize this, you steer clear of decisions based on simple models.

Resource Intensity

Creating detailed customer journey maps requires a lot of resources and time. You must gather extensive data and update the maps to keep them relevant. This process can strain small businesses or those with limited resources. 

You need to balance the need for comprehensive mapping with available resources. Efficient resource management and prioritization are crucial to maintaining effective journey maps.

Risk of Bias

Creating customer journey maps carries the inherent risk of biases . These biases can arise from various sources. They can impact the accuracy and effectiveness of the maps. 

Alan Dix, an expert in HCI, discusses bias in more detail in this video.  

Common biases in customer journey mapping include:

Assumption Bias: When teams make decisions based on preconceived notions rather than customer data.

Selection Bias: When the data doesn’t represent the entire customer base..

Confirmation Bias : When you focus on information that supports existing beliefs and preferences. Simultaneously, you tend to ignore or dismiss data that contradicts those beliefs.

Anchoring Bias : Relying on the first information encountered (anchor) when making decisions.

Overconfidence Bias : Placing too much trust in the accuracy of the journey map. You may overlook its potential flaws.

These biases may misguide the team, and design decisions based on these maps might not be effective.

To address these biases, review and update journey maps with real user research data. Engage with different customer segments and gather a wide range of feedback to help create a more accurate and representative map. This approach ensures the journey map aligns with actual customer experiences and behaviors.

Evolving Customer Behaviors

Customer behaviors and preferences change with time. A journey map relevant today can become outdated. You need to update and adapt your maps to reflect these changes. This requires you to perform market research and stay updated with trends and customer feedback. 

Getting fresh data ensures your journey map stays relevant and effective. You must adapt to evolving customer behaviors to maintain accurate and valuable customer journey maps.

Challenges in Capturing Emotions

Capturing emotions accurately in customer journey maps poses a significant challenge. Emotions influence customer decisions, yet you may find it difficult to quantify and represent them in maps. Most journey maps emphasize actions and touchpoints, often neglecting the emotional journey. 

You must integrate emotional insights into these maps to understand customer experiences. This integration enhances the effectiveness of customer engagement strategies. You can include user quotes, symbols such as emojis, or even graphs to capture the ups and downs of the users’ emotions..

Misalignment with Customer Needs

Misalignments in customer journey maps can manifest in various ways. It can impact the effectiveness of your strategies. Common misalignments include:

Putting business aims first, not what customers need.

Not seeing or serving the varied needs of different customer types.

Not using customer feedback in the journey map.

Thinking every customer follows a simple, straight path.

Engage with your customers to understand their needs and preferences if you want to address these misalignments. Incorporate their direct feedback into the journey map. This approach leads to more effective customer engagement and satisfaction.

Over-Reliance on the Map

Relying too much on customer journey maps can lead to problems. These maps should serve as tools rather than definitive guides. Viewing them as perfect can restrict your responsiveness to customer feedback and market changes. Treat journey maps as evolving documents that complement direct customer interactions and feedback. 

Make sure you get regular updates and maintain flexibility in your approach. Balance the insights from the map with ongoing customer engagement. This approach keeps your business agile and responsive to evolving customer needs.

Data Privacy Concerns

Collecting customer data for journey mapping poses significant privacy concerns. Thus, you need to create a balance. You must adhere to data protection laws and gather enough information for mapping. 

You need a careful strategy to ensure customer data security. Stay vigilant to adapt to evolving privacy regulations and customer expectations. This vigilance helps maintain trust and compliance.

Learn More about Customer Journey Maps

Take our Journey Mapping course to gain insights into the how and why of journey mapping. Learn practical methods to create experience maps , customer journey maps, and service blueprints for immediate application.

Explore this eBook to discover customer journey mapping .

Find some additional insights in the Customer Journey Maps article.

Questions related to Customer Journey Maps

Creating a customer journey map requires visually representing the customer's experience with your product or company. Harness the strength of visual reasoning to understand and present this journey succinctly. Instead of detailing a lengthy narrative, like a book, a well-crafted map allows stakeholders, whether designers or not, to grasp the journey quickly. It's a democratized tool that disseminates information, unifies teams, and aids decision-making by illuminating previously unnoticed or misunderstood aspects of the customer's journey.

The customer journey encompasses five distinct stages that guide a customer's interaction with a brand or product:

Awareness: The customer becomes aware of a need or problem.

Consideration: They research potential solutions or products.

Purchase: The customer decides on a solution and makes a purchase.

Retention: Post-purchase, the customer uses the product and forms an opinion.

Advocacy: Satisfied customers become brand advocates, sharing their positive experiences.

For a comprehensive understanding of these stages and how they intertwine with customer touchpoints, refer to Interaction-Design.org's in-depth article .

A perspective grid workshop is a activity that brings together stakeholders from various departments, such as product design, marketing, growth, and customer support, to align on a shared understanding of the customer's journey. These stakeholders contribute unique insights about customer needs and how they interact with a product or service. The workshop entails:

Creating a matrix to identify customers' jobs and requirements, not initially linked to specific features.

Identifying the gaps, barriers, pains, and risks associated with unmet needs, and constructing a narrative for the journey.

Highlighting the resulting value when these needs are met.

Discuss the implied technical and non-technical capabilities required to deliver this value.

Brainstorming possible solutions and eventually narrowing down to specific features.

The ultimate aim is to foster alignment within the organization and produce a user journey map based on shared knowledge. 

Learn more from this insightful video:

Customer journey mapping is vital as it harnesses our visual reasoning capabilities to articulate a customer's broad, intricate journey with a brand. Such a depiction would otherwise require extensive documentation, like a book. This tool offers a cost-effective method to convey information succinctly, ensuring understanding of whether one is a designer or lacks the time for extensive reading. It also helps the team to develop a shared vision and to encourage collaboration.  Businesses can better comprehend and address interaction points by using a journey map, facilitating informed decision-making and revealing insights that might otherwise remain obscured. Learn more about the power of visualizing the customer journey in this video.

Pain points in a customer journey map represent customers' challenges or frustrations while interacting with a product or service. They can arise from unmet needs, gaps in service, or barriers faced during the user experience. Identifying these pain points is crucial as they highlight areas for improvement, allowing businesses to enhance the customer experience and meet their needs more effectively. Pain points can relate to various aspects, including product usability, communication gaps, or post-purchase concerns. Explore the detailed article on customer journey maps at Interaction Design Foundation for a deeper understanding and real-world examples.

Customer journey mapping offers several key benefits:

It provides a holistic view of the customer experience, highlighting areas for improvement. This ensures that products or services meet users' needs effectively.

The process fosters team alignment, ensuring everyone understands and prioritizes the customer's perspective.

It helps identify pain points, revealing opportunities to enhance user satisfaction and loyalty.

This visualization allows businesses to make informed decisions, ensuring resources target the most impactful areas.

To delve deeper into the advantages and insights on journey mapping, refer to Interaction Design Foundation's article on key takeaways from the IXDF journey mapping course .

In design thinking, a customer journey map visually represents a user's interactions with a product or service over time. It provides a detailed look at a user's experience, from initial contact to long-term engagement. Focusing on the user's perspective highlights their needs, emotions, pain points, and moments of delight. This tool aids in understanding and empathizing with users, a core principle of design thinking. When used effectively, it bridges gaps between design thinking and marketing, ensuring user-centric solutions align with business goals. For a comprehensive understanding of how it fits within design thinking and its relation to marketing, refer to Interaction Design Foundation's article on resolving conflicts between design thinking and marketing .

A customer journey map and a user journey map are tools to understand the experience of users or customers with a product or service.

A customer journey map is a broader view of the entire customer experience across multiple touchpoints and stages. It considers physical and digital channels, multiple user personas, and emotional and qualitative aspects.

A user journey map is a detailed view of the steps to complete a specific task or goal within a product or service. It only considers digital channels, one user persona, and functional and quantitative aspects.

Both are useful to understand and improve the experience of the users or customers with a product or service. However, they have different scopes, perspectives, and purposes. A customer journey map provides a holistic view of the entire customer experience across multiple channels and stages. A user journey map provides a detailed view of the steps to complete a specific task or goal within a product or service.

While user journeys might emphasize specific tasks or pain points, customer journeys encapsulate the entire experience, from research and comparison to purchasing and retention. 

Customer journey maps and service blueprints are tools to understand and improve the experience of the users or customers with a product or service. A customer journey map shows the entire customer experience across multiple touchpoints and stages. It focuses on the front stage of the service, which is what the customers see and experience. It considers different user personas and emotional aspects.

A service blueprint shows how a service is delivered and operated by an organization. It focuses on the back stage of the service, which is what the customers do not see or experience. It considers one user persona and functional aspects. What are the steps that the customer takes to complete a specific task or goal within the service? What are the channels and devices that the customer interacts with at each step?

For an immersive dive into customer journey mapping, consider enrolling in the Interaction Design Foundation's specialized course . This course offers hands-on lessons, expert guidance, and actionable tools. Furthermore, to grasp the course's essence, the article “4 Takeaways from the IXDF Journey Mapping Course” sheds light on the core learnings, offering a snapshot of what to expect. These resources are tailored by industry leaders, ensuring you're equipped with the best knowledge to craft impactful customer journey maps.

Literature on Customer Journey Maps

Here’s the entire UX literature on Customer Journey Maps by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:

Learn more about Customer Journey Maps

Take a deep dive into Customer Journey Maps with our course Journey Mapping .

This course will show you how to use journey mapping to turn your own complex design challenges into simple, delightful user experiences . If you want to design a great shopping experience, an efficient signup flow or an app that brings users delight over time, journey mapping is a critical addition to your toolbox. 

We will begin with a short introduction to mapping — why it is so powerful, and why it is so useful in UX. Then we will get familiar with the three most common types of journey map — experience maps, customer journey maps and service blueprints — and how to recognize, read and use each one. Then you will learn how to collect and analyze data as a part of a journey mapping process. Next you will learn how to create each type of journey map , and in the final lesson you will learn how to run a journey mapping workshop that will help to turn your journey mapping insights into actual products and services. 

This course will provide you with practical methods that you can start using immediately in your own design projects, as well as downloadable templates that can give you a head start in your own journey mapping projects. 

The “Build Your Portfolio: Journey Mapping Project” includes three practical exercises where you can practice the methods you learn, solidify your knowledge and if you choose, create a journey mapping case study that you can add to your portfolio to demonstrate your journey mapping skills to future employers, freelance customers and your peers. 

Throughout the course you will learn from four industry experts. 

Indi Young will provide wisdom on how to gather the right data as part of your journey mapping process. She has written two books,  Practical Empathy  and  Mental Models . Currently she conducts live online advanced courses about the importance of pushing the boundaries of your perspective. She was a founder of Adaptive Path, the pioneering UX agency that was an early innovator in journey mapping. 

Kai Wang will walk us through his very practical process for creating a service blueprint, and share how he makes journey mapping a critical part of an organization’s success. Kai is a talented UX pro who has designed complex experiences for companies such as CarMax and CapitalOne. 

Matt Snyder will help us think about journey mapping as a powerful and cost-effective tool for building successful products. He will also teach you how to use a tool called a perspective grid that can help a data-rich journey mapping process go more smoothly. In 2020 Matt left his role as the Sr. Director of Product Design at Lucid Software to become Head of Product & Design at Hivewire. 

Christian Briggs will be your tour guide for this course. He is a Senior Product Designer and Design Educator at the Interaction Design Foundation. He has been designing digital products for many years, and has been using methods like journey mapping for most of those years.  

All open-source articles on Customer Journey Maps

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• 11 mths ago

4 Takeaways from the IxDF Journey Mapping Course

The Power of Mapping

User Story Mapping in Design

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Trains Moscow to Elektrostal: Times, Prices and Tickets

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Moscow to Elektrostal by train

The journey from Moscow to Elektrostal by train is 32.44 mi and takes 2 hr 7 min. There are 71 connections per day, with the first departure at 12:15 AM and the last at 11:46 PM. It is possible to travel from Moscow to Elektrostal by train for as little as or as much as . The best price for this journey is .

Get from Moscow to Elektrostal with Virail

Virail's search tool will provide you with the options you need when you want to go from Moscow to Elektrostal. All you need to do is enter the dates of your planned journey, and let us take care of everything else. Our engine does the hard work, searching through thousands of routes offered by our trusted travel partners to show you options for traveling by train, bus, plane, or carpool. You can filter the results to suit your needs. There are a number of filtering options, including price, one-way or round trip, departure or arrival time, duration of journey, or number of connections. Soon you'll find the best choice for your journey. When you're ready, Virail will transfer you to the provider's website to complete the booking. No matter where you're going, get there with Virail.

How can I find the cheapest train tickets to get from Moscow to Elektrostal?

Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. You can find train tickets for prices as low as , but it may require some flexibility with your travel plans. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets. Unfortunately, no price was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find price results. Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets.

How long does it take to get from Moscow to Elektrostal by train?

The journey between Moscow and Elektrostal by train is approximately 32.44 mi. It will take you more or less 2 hr 7 min to complete this journey. This average figure does not take into account any delays that might arise on your route in exceptional circumstances. If you are planning to make a connection or operating on a tight schedule, give yourself plenty of time. The distance between Moscow and Elektrostal is around 32.44 mi. Depending on the exact route and provider you travel with, your journey time can vary. On average, this journey will take approximately 2 hr 7 min. However, the fastest routes between Moscow and Elektrostal take 1 hr 3 min. If a fast journey is a priority for you when traveling, look out for express services that may get you there faster. Some flexibility may be necessary when booking. Often, these services only leave at particular times of day - or even on certain days of the week. You may also find a faster journey by taking an indirect route and connecting in another station along the way.

How many journeys from Moscow to Elektrostal are there every day?

On average, there are 71 daily departures from Moscow to Elektrostal. However, there may be more or less on different days. Providers' timetables can change on certain days of the week or public holidays, and many also vary at particular times of year. Some providers change their schedules during the summer season, for example. At very busy times, there may be up to departures each day. The providers that travel along this route include , and each operates according to their own specific schedules. As a traveler, you may prefer a direct journey, or you may not mind making changes and connections. If you have heavy suitcases, a direct journey could be best; otherwise, you might be able to save money and enjoy more flexibility by making a change along the way. Every day, there are an average of 18 departures from Moscow which travel directly to Elektrostal. There are 53 journeys with one change or more. Unfortunately, no connection was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find connections.

Book in advance and save

If you're looking for the best deal for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal, booking train tickets in advance is a great way to save money, but keep in mind that advance tickets are usually not available until 3 months before your travel date.

Stay flexible with your travel time and explore off-peak journeys

Planning your trips around off-peak travel times not only means that you'll be able to avoid the crowds, but can also end up saving you money. Being flexible with your schedule and considering alternative routes or times will significantly impact the amount of money you spend on getting from Moscow to Elektrostal.

Always check special offers

Checking on the latest deals can help save a lot of money, making it worth taking the time to browse and compare prices. So make sure you get the best deal on your ticket and take advantage of special fares for children, youth and seniors as well as discounts for groups.

Unlock the potential of slower trains or connecting trains

If you're planning a trip with some flexible time, why not opt for the scenic route? Taking slower trains or connecting trains that make more stops may save you money on your ticket – definitely worth considering if it fits in your schedule.

Best time to book cheap train tickets from Moscow to Elektrostal

The cheapest Moscow - Elektrostal train tickets can be found for as low as $35.01 if you’re lucky, or $54.00 on average. The most expensive ticket can cost as much as $77.49.

Find the best day to travel to Elektrostal by train

When travelling to Elektrostal by train, if you want to avoid crowds you can check how frequently our customers are travelling in the next 30-days using the graph below. On average, the peak hours to travel are between 6:30am and 9am in the morning, or between 4pm and 7pm in the evening. Please keep this in mind when travelling to your point of departure as you may need some extra time to arrive, particularly in big cities!

Moscow to Elektrostal CO2 Emissions by Train

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Established with the vision to create new path and set unique trends in travel & tourism sector in India.   We also look forward to become premier inbound tour company in India handling tour packages in India for clients from all over world and different parts of India. We are based in Varanasi (capital of heritage India) having associate offices in almost all the important cities in India. The Company is managed by team of professionals and expert who are having several years experience in the tours and travel trade.

We the Journey Zones Family look forward to serve the needs of travelers on talented people throughout the industry and create partnerships to combine skills and knowledge. We are totally committed to offering consistently high standards, superior personalized service and an excellent selection of well planned itineraries at prices that represent excellent value.

Anywhere you plan your next journey, Journey Zones offers you the option to travel as an individual guest allowing you to discover your selected destination at your own time and pace and benefit of a customized itinerary to suit your individual travel preferences and needs.

We also offer a diverse array of organized group departures where our personal attention to fine detail is paramount to an outstanding vacation. All our group departures offer the service of a tour director who ensures that you have a wonderful and unforgettable travel experience.

We look forward for you to experience the world with Journey Zones!

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In India, we operate variety of activity-based tours for our Groups and Individual tourists and capable of executing them with great deal of efficiency. The company specializes in inbound tours and our offer  also include Buddha circuit, Rajasthan Tours, Yoga & Meditation Tours in India, Taj Mahal Packages, Golden Triangle tours, Backwaters of Kerala Tours, India wildlife Tours, Goa Holidays, Indian Shrine Tours etc.

Our Tour Packages are well-planned, covering the most exotic, historical and holy destinations of India, accommodation is provided in luxury hotels and resorts, comfortable car/coaches are booked, services of experienced and multi lingual staff and travel guide are provided and every minute details of the travel package is taken care of in advance, so that our tourists have a comfortable and hassle-free tour of India. So book your India Tours with us and give us an opportunity to show you our hospitality and world class travel services and take you on a unforgettable tour of the Incredible India.

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Stellar Blade developer diary ‘The Journey: Episode 2’

Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer SHIFT UP have released the second chapter in its developer diary series “The Journey” for action adventure game Stellar Blade .

The video features SHIFT UP CEO, director, art director, and writer Kim Hyung Tae, system design lead Hyung Min Lee, level designer Jiyeon Lee, concept art lead Chang Min Lee, and monster designer Jang Hee-Cheol, as they dive deeper in to the journey that brought Stellar Blade to life.

Stellar Blade is due out for PlayStation 5 on April 26. A demo is available now.

Watch the developer diary below.

The Journey: Episode 2

Time in Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia now

• Tokyo 04:00AM
• Beijing 03:00AM
• Kyiv 10:00PM
• Paris 09:00PM
• London 08:00PM
• New York 03:00PM
• Los Angeles 12:00PM

Time zone info for Elektrostal

• The time in Elektrostal is 8 hours ahead of the time in New York when New York is on standard time, and 7 hours ahead of the time in New York when New York is on daylight saving time.
• Elektrostal does not change between summer time and winter time.
• The IANA time zone identifier for Elektrostal is Europe/Moscow.

Time difference from Elektrostal

Sunrise, sunset, day length and solar time for elektrostal.

• Sunrise: 04:49AM
• Sunset: 07:59PM
• Day length: 15h 10m
• Solar noon: 12:24PM
• The current local time in Elektrostal is 24 minutes ahead of apparent solar time.

Elektrostal on the map

• Location: Moscow Oblast, Russia
• Latitude: 55.79. Longitude: 38.46
• Population: 144,000

Best restaurants in Elektrostal

• #1 Tolsty medved - Steakhouses food
• #2 Ermitazh - European and japanese food
• #3 Pechka - European and french food

Find best places to eat in Elektrostal

• Best sushi restaurants in Elektrostal
• Best dinner restaurants in Elektrostal
• Best fast food restaurants in Elektrostal

The 50 largest cities in Russia

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When are the 2024 olympic and paralympic trials key dates before paris games.

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• OlympicTalk

The 2024 Paris Olympics open July 26, and the Paralympics open Aug. 28. Before that, more than 700 athletes will qualify for the U.S. teams through Olympic and Paralympic Trials, international competitions and discretionary selections.

A look at key dates in early 2024 that will shape the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams and determine medal favorites ...

UPCOMING April 13-14, 26-27: U.S. Olympic Canoe Slalom, Kayak Cross Trials, Montgomery, Alabama and Oklahoma City

April 30: Olympic badminton qualifiers published via world rankings

May 11: Final U.S. Olympic triathlon selection event, Yokohama, Japan

May 13-14: U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Archery Trials, final stages, Newberry, Florida

May 26-June 9: French Open, last event of Olympic tennis qualifying, Paris

June 7-20: Final team nomination period for all U.S. Olympic cycling disciplines

June 9: End of Olympic beach volleyball qualifying period

June 13-16: U.S. Open, last event of men’s golf qualifying, Pinehurst, North Carolina

June 15-23: U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, Indianapolis At the Indianapolis Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium, the top two in most events, and likely the top six for relay purposes in the 100m and 200m freestyles, are in line to make the team. Katie Ledecky won four events at the Tokyo trials — 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m frees. She is two medals shy of second place in U.S. Olympic history and two golds shy of second place in Olympic history across all nations.

*Taped coverage

June 16-23: U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, Knoxville, Tennessee The top two in the four individual events and the winning team in the four synchro events make the team, should the U.S. earn the full allotment of quota spots. Tokyo Olympic medalists expected to compete include Krysta Palmer (springboard bronze) and the synchro team of Jessica Parratto and Delaney Schnell (platform silver), plus Andrew Capobianco, who took synchro springboard silver with Michael Hixon, who has since retired.

June 17: Final Olympic modern pentathlon qualifiers published via world rankings

June 20-23: KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, last event of women’s golf qualifying, Sammamish, Washington

June 20-23: Olympic Qualifier Series, final stage, Budapest Last qualification chance for breaking and sport climbing.

June 21-30: U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, Eugene, Oregon The top three in most events make the team. The U.S. goes into the Olympic year with a reigning Olympic gold medalist, reigning world champion or world’s fastest in 2023 in the 100m (women and men), 200m (men), 400m (women), 800m (women), 100m/110m hurdles (women and men) and 400m hurdles (women and men). Some of those stars — Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Athing Mu — could make the team in multiple individual events. There is just one field discipline (combining men and women) where the U.S. does not have an active Olympic or world medalist (javelin).

June 23: Olympic judo qualifying period ends

June 24: Final Olympic skateboarding qualifiers published via world rankings

June 27-29: U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials, Minneapolis Fifteen of the 37 U.S. golds at the Tokyo Games came in swimming. The most decorated active U.S. Olympian or Paralympian should compete here — Jessica Long, who won the first of her 29 medals at age 12 in 2004. Leanne Smith won seven golds at the 2022 Worlds.

June 27-30: U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, Minneapolis A trials has never included two past Olympic all-around champions. This one could have three bidding to make the five-woman team: Tokyo gold medalist Suni Lee, Rio gold medalist Simone Biles and London gold medalist Gabby Douglas. The men’s field is expected to include three past U.S. all-around champions and two more men who won individual medals at the 2023 Worlds. It’s expected that selection committees will finalize the teams shortly after trials, which includes two alternating days of competition for men and for women. Earlier that week, the final Olympic selection event for trampoline will be held in Minneapolis.

July 18-20: U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Trials, Miramar, Florida Headliners should include 19-time Summer Paralympic medalist Tatyana McFadden, who is one medal shy of the U.S. track and field record. She owns Paralympic medals from the 100m through the marathon. Plus Nick Mayhugh, a Tokyo 100m and 200m gold medalist, and Jaydin Blackwell, a reigning world champion at 100m and 400m. Blackwell and Mayhugh are in the same classification.

ALREADY COMPLETED Jan. 5-7: U.S. Olympic Shooting Trials (Air Gun), Anniston, Alabama The first five U.S. shooters qualified for Paris, led by Tokyo silver medalist Mary Tucker. Later, trials will finish for Paralympic shooting (Feb. 2-10), Olympic shotgun (March 11-17) and Olympic smallbore rifle and pistol (March 17-19).

Jan. 6-13: U.S. Olympic Sailing Trials (49er, 470, IQ Foil, Formula Kite), Miami Three sailors qualified for the U.S. team, plus more advanced to later international competitions where they will attempt to clinch spots.

Feb. 3: U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, Orlando Training partners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young went one-two to make each’s first Olympic team. Leonard Korir, a 2016 Olympian, was third in the men’s race and could join them on the team should the U.S. unlock a third spot through international rankings later this spring. Fiona O’Keeffe won the women’s race in her marathon debut and is joined on the team by American record holder Emily Sisson and Dakotah Lindwurm.

Feb. 3-10: World Aquatics Championships, Doha The U.S. qualified an artistic swimming team to the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Open-water swimmers Mariah Denigan and Ivan Puskovitch also earned spots in Paris.

Feb. 22-March 2: World Surfing Games, Puerto Rico The U.S. had a chance to qualify a third and final men’s spot but did not win the team event to secure it. The Olympic surfing roster is set at five athletes: Caroline Marks, Carissa Moore, Caity Simmers, Griffin Colapinto and John John Florence.

March 8: Final U.S. Paralympic triathlon selection event, Miami Five triathletes qualified for the Paralympics, including 2016 bronze medalist Melissa Stockwell.

March 21-24: U.S. Olympic Table Tennis Trials, West Monroe, Louisiana Amy Wang and Rachel Sung qualified to round out the U.S. Olympic women’s team. Kanak Jha and Nikhil Kumar advanced to a Pan American Olympic qualifier where they can earn spots in Paris.

April 2-7: U.S. Olympic Rowing Trials, Sarasota, Florida Winners of the women’s single sculls, men’s pair and and women’s pair made the team for Paris. A recap is here . Winners in other Olympic and Paralympic events advanced to international competition later this spring, where those rowers can earn berths in Paris.

April 2-11: Weightlifting World Cup, Phuket, Thailand Up to five Americans finished in Olympic qualifying position following the last event in the Olympic weightlifting qualifying period. It could be the best U.S. Olympic weightlifting team in 64 years .

April 9-10: Pan American Olympic taekwondo qualification tournament, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Faith Dillon, Kristina Teachout and Jonathan Healy qualified for their first U.S. Olympic team, joining the already qualified CJ Nickolas, who previously qualified for his first Games.

April 19-20: U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials, State College, Pennsylvania The trials winner in 13 of the 18 weight classes among men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman made the team, led by 2016 Olympic gold medalists Helen Maroulis and Kyle Snyder. Full results are here . The U.S. can still earn a quota spot in the other five classes via a last-chance global qualifier in May.

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Elon dancers blend art and science for neuroscience study, concert on SURF Day

By Michael Abernethy , staff

April 26, 2024

With researchers from Virginia Tech’s Embodied Brain Lab, six dancers guided by Assistant Professor Courtney Liu are studying brain activity and how to achieve the flow state. "Finding Flow on SURF Day" is at 6 p.m. April 30 in Roberts Studio Theatre.

Chances are you’ve experienced the flow state or being “in the zone”: That comforting feeling when you’re so immersed in an activity that outside distractions and the sense of time disappear.

You’ve also likely noticed that it’s elusive.

This spring, a team of researchers in Elon’s Dance Science Program and Virginia Tech’s Embodied Brain Lab are examining what happens inside our brains when we’re in flow — and how we can prime our minds to find flow more easily.

The collaboration involves measuring the brain activity of six Elon dance students while they rehearse and perform partially improvised dances. Using Bluetooth-enabled electroencephalography (EEG) caps, Embodied Brain Lab researchers captured dancers’ brainwaves during two rehearsals earlier this semester. The project culminates in “Finding Flow on SURF Day: The Neurophysiology of Dancing Flow States,” when the lab will record dancers’ brainwaves during a final performance.

The concert is at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, in Roberts Studio Theatre in Scott Studios. Participants will debrief audience members about the process and research before the performance and host a reception afterward. Several audience members will have the opportunity to wear the EEG caps and see what their brain activity looks like while watching a performance.

Students in the study are earning research credit for the course and have read psychological and dance science literature around flow states, with special emphasis on creating pre-performance rituals that enable them to get “in the zone.”

Sophie Seitchik ’26, a dance and choreography and dance science double major from Woodstock, Maryland, has experimented with yoga, meditation, standard dance warm-ups, breathing exercises and positive self-talk to identify practices that drive a mindset that leads to effortless performance. Seitchik is planning a career in physical therapy or counseling for dancers and saw it as “the perfect opportunity to study dancers’ mindsets.”

“For me, flow is like entering another dimension,” Seitchek said. “You’re doing something you love, and you don’t even realize you’re doing it. You come off stage and feel 100 percent confident.”

Assistant Professor of Music Theatre Courtney Liu coordinated the project through professional connections and her research around dancers’ awareness of their bodies and inclusive pedagogy. Liu worked individually with each dancer to identify facilitators and inhibitors of flow and to create performances to induce that state.

“Dancers are looking for flow. Musicians, writers, everyone is looking for this state where you’re so engaged in an activity that your action and awareness become one,” said Liu. “I’m interested in developing practices for these pre-professional dancers to eventually take into the real world to be able to find flow when they want to or to create an internal and external environment that might be amenable to flow.”

The collaboration presents a new opportunity for neuroscience. The human brain is typically studied when we’re still or performing specified tasks like walking on a treadmill. Bluetooth technology opens new avenues for research, and the Embodied Brain Lab is taking advantage.

The Embodied Brain Lab studies the effects of movement like dance, yoga and other somatic movement practices on brain function and physiology, said Julia Basso, the lab’s director and assistant professor in the Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience. They are interested in learning which brainwaves are heightened in people experiencing flow. The semester’s study will also increase knowledge around how the brain behaves during physical activity that’s learned and remembered in the form of choreography but also allows participants to enter the flow state.

“This is the human brain in action doing its thing: Learning choreography, performing improvisational dance. It’s this enriched form of physical activity,” Basso said. “We’re seeing what happens in the mobile brain as it’s changing, and we’re looking at changes in the brain from before and after the rehearsal and throughout the semester-long experience. We can move gracefully and we’re in this full flow state, but how does that translate to what’s happening in the brain?”

Posted in: Academics & Research Events

Tagged: Elon College, the College of Arts & Sciences Performing Arts Undergraduate Research

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Ariana rieder: thriving outside of the comfort zone.

When Ariana Rieder first visited Radford in 2020, she was still recovering from injuries she’d suffered as a passenger in a recent car crash – both hips broken, a concussion and a back fracture that required her to wear a brace as she toured campus.

“It’s been a journey,” said Rieder, a New Columbia, Pennsylvania, native who, as a Highlander, went on to study finance and accounting in the Davis College of Business and Economics and will graduate next month.

Freshman year, however, she still had some recuperating to do: “It was a really long recovery period.”

“The second year, my life completely changed. I got involved with everything. At one point, I was part of five organizations, all in one semester,” she said.

“Getting out of my comfort zone pushed me to heal a little bit more, and being around like-minded people, especially people that had aspirations similar to mine.”

Rieder joined the Student Managed Investment Portfolio Organization (SMIPO) and held four offices, including that of president.

On the side, she also earned her license to sell insurance before she was 20, and for the past two years, she has worked part-time for World Financial Group. After graduation, that job will become full-time.

“I help people with their retirement, and we work in different areas like debt management, cash flow, taxes. It’s the number one field that has the biggest amount of money in it,” Rieder said. “But outside of that, I enjoy helping people.”

Choose Radford: Ariana Rieder

Apr 25, 2024 Lauren Papp, Neil Harvey 540-831-5150 [email protected]