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Design and Art

Design and Art

The hiding boneyard appears

We love Italy, in all of its manic, passionate, explosive, colourful and diverse personality.  Everyday living there almost pushes the best of everyone into living life to the fullest, if not the extreme. And, it has always been this way - for thousands of years.  And, so we are fortunate to live in a day…

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OMG . . LA is so HOLLOW

Los Angeles is often painted as being a vain and vapid place.  All looks and no substance.  Bring your alibis.  (We rather like the place.) But, to be honest, some of LA is, indeed hollow and in some places, shallow.  Some of its buildings, in fact. And they hide an interesting and still relevant and…

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Yes you can Canberra

Sydney is a hard act to follow, when it comes to being in the league of World's Best Cities.  If you've been, you'll never forget it.  If you haven't been, well what are you waiting for? But, Sydney is not the only notable city in Oz.   Meet Canberra – Purpose built as Australia’s capital city, Canberra…

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Only the hard, only the strong

Unlike other great cities of ancient fame such as Rome, Athens or Jerusalem, Sparta seems to have disappeared off the map. What remains of the legendary town? A name? An archaeological site? A historical memory? That memory, if it exists at all, is often of a city-state with a mania for martial valour and athleticism, a…

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Why U?

Why u?  This is not your father's cruise ship. Designed as the first river cruise catering to a more trendy audience, U River Cruises features more experiential itineraries that allow passengers to connect with the cities the boats visit and the people who live there. The ships themselves look nothing like what you might expect: …

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Nyet, da, Nyet

Once a German city before World War Two and physically unrelated from the remainder of Russia, Kaliningrad is still an enigma to many mainland Russians and their European next-door neighbours. Still, how does a 50-year-old unfinished building inform the complicated history of the Kaliningrad and inspire the restoration of other nearby dilapidated crumbling buildings? Watch the video…

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Hola, Ilha Bay

Who can resist the allure of Brasil?  So diverse, and rich in adventure. A legacy of history that goes back hundreds of years.  And a people who love life and aren't afraid to show it. When most people think of Brasil, they think of Rio, and rightly so.  But, if you're not most people, you might…

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Knights of Sin(tra)

In case you've not yet been (and you should!) Sintra is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera.  Known for its spectacularly coloured buildings, it also has a long history with the legendary Knights Templar. One of the most fascinating features of Sintra is it's so-called Inverted…

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Take a tour of the Emirates

Surprise!  This is actually a tour of the sumptuous Emirates Airbus A380, and will be worth every minute of your time. These yachts of the airwaves were almost put out to pasture with the Covid-19 pandemic.  With 400+ seats and breathtaking style and luxury, the A380 was almost anathema, when no-one was flying.  The Boeing 747…

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The Cromlech Manoeuver

We humans may think of ourselves as very smart, but those who know that they don't know much at all are, honestly, the smartest.  But, at least they try. One enduring pursuit of knowledge about humanity's past is the drive and passion to understand the past.  We can literally touch so many historical artifacts, and may…

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Wiki peeks

We sometimes forget about Wikipedia.  It's always there, constantly refreshing itself, bedazzling us with the world's collective knowledge -  and it's free.  (They operate on donations.  We donate, do you?) One of the marvelous aspects of Wikipedia is the depth and breadth of their offering.  One of which is the annual "Wiki Loves Monuments" competion. Every participating…

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The hotel that isn’t

There are few things more intoxicating than being able to stay in a luxurious, lauded and visually stunning hotel.  Europe is full of them. But there is one hotel that is a hotel, but actually it's not a hotel.  Luckily, you can explore it anyway.  We're talking about the Hotel Solvay in Belgium.  Listed as a UNESCO…

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M’lord, m’lady

Have you seen the world?  Have you been there, done that?  Do you want more?  Well, as always, Matouring comes to the rescue with something more. Fit for a king or queen—or your whole royal family—these castles located in delightful destinations around Europe invite you and your kin or friends for an unforgettable stay in…

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Get Hippodrome

As ever, the world is swirled and twirled by events, people and time itself.  Even the most powerful must take our last breaths. And where would this addage be more appropriate than in the lands where kings, queens, power, priviledge and treachery were business-as-usual. Of course, we're talking about ancient history (as we do,) and in this…

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Plane train

Despite covid and all of the fistfights we hear about nowadays, air travel is still a marvelous thing.  Spectacular locations matched to state-of--the art-aircraft are still the thing of dreams.   Wouldn't it be nice if we could go forward and and backward at the same time?   If you're one of those romantic types, read on here... courtesy…

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No tell Motel

It always seems like "what goes around, comes around."  The new new. The latest and greatest are not really the latest.  They've been around the block before.  Been there, done that. But, sometimes that's not a bad thing, especially if the old new is new old, if you know what we mean. In this case, our subject…

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Ærø …dynamic!

It can be done. It can be done. The tiny Danish Island of Ærø was awarded the designation of the EU’s most sustainable island. All it takes is willpower. The island has been experimenting with renewable energy since the 1970s, and today, produces more electricity than it uses. Watch the BBC video below that demonstrates…

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Fly the friendly skies of DIY Airlines

As the old phrase goes, "there's no getting around getting around."  We've all got to do it. Sometimes it's a pain, other times it's a pleasure.  Sometimes you have no choice. Getting around has been a real challenge during these times of the Covid-19 pandemic.  So much so, that many of us have simply opted not…

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Wherefore art now?

This may sound trite, but art is art, isn't it?  Artists follow their muse to amaze / amuse / surprise us with what the human mind can conjure up.  We may not always "get it" but there never seems to be a shortage of those who create something compelling. Interestingly, there are also those who…

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