Romania – Highlights Of An Unheralded Destination
An overview of the two weeks we spent exploring the beautiful and relatively unspoilt landscape of Romania: its mountains, monasteries and villages rooted in tradition.
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EUROPE
Weimar – Where Bauhaus Began
Exploring the origins of a radical design movement that while very short-lived, left a lasting impact on every aspect of the post modern world.
Read MoreA Sensory Exploration Of Europe With Thalys
A sensory exploration of the cities that make up the Thalys train network and a sampling of the experiences they offer beyond the big ticket sights.
Read MoreCalçada – Portugal’s Distinctive Mosaic Pavements
I first spotted the distinctive patterned street mosaics on Senado Square in Macau, in 2009. Then again, a couple of years later, in Rio de Janeiro. They were strong reminders of the stories of the first global explorations, of the age of discoveries initiated by one of the largest colonial empires in history. It is […]
Read MorePostcards From Portugal!
We aren’t exactly starved for sun in India. But there is something about the light in Portugal, in Lisbon in particular, that I am missing deeply as I write this from our airport hotel in cold, gloomy Frankfurt. I am in love with Portugal. It is beautiful in a melancholic sort of way. To me […]
Read MoreBrussels – Glimpses Of An Eclectic Cityscape
Brussels is hardly picture perfect. With much of its original medieval architecture destroyed in the 1695 bombardment by French troops, its postwar urban evolution has been hap hazard and eclectic. The result is an incredible mix of architectural styles ranging from Gothic to Art Nouveau to concrete contemporary, most segregated into dissonant compartments. It is the […]
Read MoreThe Singing Bells Of Brussels
The carillon of Mont des Arts is a musical clock on the facade of a connecting walkway of the Palace of the Dynasty, a reception hall that was part of Brussels’ ambitious urban renewal project leading up to the 1958 World Expo. Juxtaposed, in striking contrast almost representative of the architectural melting pot that is Brussels, […]
Read MoreCelebrating Dia de la Paloma On The Streets Of Madrid
We first learned of the fiesta when we discovered the mercado San Anton that we had planned to explore that August morning, was closed for the day, as were all other food markets and shops. We switched plans and went in search of Madrid’s origins instead, at the San Isidro museum (A little gem that’s home […]
Read MoreIn Photos – Highlights Of Beautiful Belgium
Belgium was never on my travel wish list. My visit last month, hastily put together for my sister’s benefit initially, and then rescheduled due to a family crisis, had me wondering why. Its appeal went far beyond the beer, chocolates, waffles and frite. Although they helped. A lot. The beer especially, not the waffles so […]
Read MoreNot Your Standard Belgian Postcard!
A most unexpected find in the quiet Wilrijk neighbourhood of Antwerp!
Read MoreAn Atmospheric Evening In Split
Moonlight. Mushy 60’s music. The company of a good man in the midst of lovely strangers. Chilled beer on the candle lit steps of a restaurant named after a Phaeronic necropolis, in the hippostyle hall of an ancient Roman Palace comprising the heart of a beautiful Balkan city. All watched over by Thutmosis’ inscrutable Sphinx. One of my favourite things to do of […]
Read MoreThe Narrowest Church In Split
Tucked into a sentry’s walkway above the ‘Golden’ Gate to Diocletian’s palace, is an ancient church dedicated to Saint Martin, the patron saint of soldiers. It is a replica of the 6th century original, with a beautifully carved pre Romanesque altar partition that has been in situ since the 11th century. Narrow is the norm in the confined […]
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