A short ride on Vaporetto (Venetian public waterbus) will get you to the island of Murano, which is renowned for its long tradition of glass-making. I spent an afternoon walking around the island, visiting many galleries, shops and museums dedicated to its famous product. It’s a charming island, a less crowded part of Venice. Here are a few photographs which were...
Montreal is one of the more European-looking cities, next to New Orleans or Quebec City in North America. There are the walkup apartments, old town, parks, and more modern downtown. There are cobbled streets, cafes, and restaurants with extensive patios. There are galleries and shops everywhere. There is art. There is a lot to see in Montreal, especially in black and...
Mexico City’s Biblioteca Vasconcelos, or La Biblioteca de México sede Buenavista de la Secretaría de Cultura, is located in the Buenavista area in the north of Mexico City. It was designed by Alberto Kalach and completed in 2007. It is a must-see place when you are visiting Mexico’s capital city. The massive building is among lush gardens and covers an area of...
Kyoto’s Gion District shops and restaurants storefronts light up in the evenings. And they are beautiful. I spent one of these evenings getting lost in this district and admiring them while visiting the city. Here are some of my favourites: Kyoto’s Gion District Shops and Restaurants Kyoto’s Gion District Shops and Restaurants Kyoto’s Gion...
Train stations in Japan are real hubs within the city. They are often full of not only daily commuters or people travelling but also shops and restaurants. Some larger stations double as shopping malls. They are the real heart of the city. Kyoto Station is one of the few stations I went through several times on every single trip to Japan because it is so centrally...
The Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, also known as the Sagrada Família, is a large unfinished Roman Catholic minor basilica in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, his work on the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And as much as it is an impressive building from the outside, the interior...
The Interior of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, which opened to the public in 2016, is spectacular, but that’s given since the glass-and-steel structure was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. I had seen the outside of the building a few times when I was in New York City when it was still under construction. It was a pleasure to step...
Located just a short drive from Palm Springs, California, is Joshua Tree National Park. It’s a beautiful and very unique place. I visited it while I was spending some time in Palm Springs, California. It’s characterized by rugged rock formations and stark desert landscapes. Named for the region’s twisted, bristled Joshua trees (as seen in the...
Today is another sad anniversary of the first atomic bomb to be used in war. It was dropped by the United States Army Air Forces from the Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber. The force of the atomic bomb effectively obliterated the city of Hiroshima, Japan. It happened at 8:15 a.m. on 6 August 1945. I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial twice, visited the museum and walked by...
On the way to Capri, one must spend a day or two in Naples as there is plenty to see. Galleria Umberto I is one of those sights; it was built between 1887 and 1891 and was the cornerstone in the decades-long rebuilding of Naples. Designed by Emanuele Rocco, who employed modern architectural elements reminiscent of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. The...