Why the Cologne Cathedral is Germany’s most-visited destination

The Cologne Cathedral, a symbol of Christianity’s influence through the ages, is the most-visited destination in Germany. Situated along the shores of the river Rhine, the church is also home to the shrine of the Magi, making it one of the most significant pilgrimage destinations for believers. After the remains of the Magi were transferred…

WATCH: Day of German Unity 2017

Mainz, Germany was selected to host the national Tag der Deutschen Einheit (Day of German Unity) observance on October 3, 2017. Click here to watch.

Germans take to social media to create traditions for national holiday

Germans have reason to celebrate Tuesday as the country marks 27 years since East and West Germany were peacefully reunified, forming the Federal Republic of Germany. Though the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, the task of joining two countries didn’t go into effect until nearly a year later, with the adoption of the German…

Pay to pray: Understanding Germany’s church tax

A so-called church tax in Germany may be behind a steady decline in the European nation’s church membership numbers. The Pew Research Center, a non-profit, non-partisan public opinion group based in Washington, DC, cites the tax as a factor behind an exodus of Germans officially leaving their religious communities. Germany is among several European countries…

Lane Luckie selected to become Fellow for RTDNF German/American exchange

Lane Luckie, a news anchor, producer, and reporter at KLTV in Tyler, Texas has been selected to join a group of 14 producers, reporters, editors, and online journalists from across the country to become Fellows the middle of September during the height of the German election campaign. It will be the largest group of American…

WATCH: Briarwood Nature Preserve, a natural wonder

Briarwood Nature Preserve, located near Saline, Louisiana, is the birthplace and home of Caroline Dormon, a world renowned naturalist, author, artist and the first woman hired by the United States Forest Service.

My Instagram Top 10: Flowers and foliage

My Instagram account features anything and everything that captures my attention.

I’m curating some of my favorites in a series of posts featuring my favorite Instagram shots.

Texas’ first capitol was actually in Louisiana

Did you know that the first capitol of the Spanish province of Texas was actually in what is now Louisiana? This weekend, I spent some time exploring the grounds of Presidio Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Los Adaes near Natchitoches, Louisiana. The fort served as the first capitol of Texas from 1721 to 1773. It’s…

Project aims to stabilize, restore Civil War-era Sabine Pass Lighthouse

A witness to history, the 1857 Sabine Pass Lighthouse stands sentinel at the point where the Sabine River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Rising 75-feet above coastal marsh land, the brick tower, located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, has survived a half-dozen hurricanes, including monsters Audrey and Rita. Six brick buttresses form its unique octagonal…

WATCH: A foggy ride on the Cameron ferry

Click the video below to take a foggy trip on the Cameron Ferry, which connects Louisiana Highway 27 over the Calcasieu River Ship Channel between Holly Beach and Cameron, Louisiana.

Hidden among the pines, The Blue Hole is preserved as a Texas treasure

Nestled in the Angelina National Forest in Deep East Texas, 36 miles southeast of Lufkin, is one of the hidden jewels of Texas. The Blue Hole, as it’s known, is a brilliant blue-green-colored lake surrounded by the craggy white sandstone cliffs of a former rock quarry. First opened in the late 1800s, rock was removed…