When your admin was young, and when the summer months finally arrived, one thing that we looked forward to was the chance to go camping. Our lovely and loving parents always found a way for us to spend our summers exploring. That's where we got our wanderlust. Rather than sitting at home,…
Europe
The next time you find yourself in big European cities, stop for a moment, look around and then notice how few skyscrapers there are, even in the biggest of cities. You may simply take it for granted that they would be there, because that's what big cities do, isn't it? It's a matter…
What can we say about the war in Ukraine that already hasn't been said? And this applies to any country that is facing battles of this kind. Especially since we are in 2023, with the most billionaires that the world has ever had, the world should be a much better place. How…
Bob Marley once said "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." But, even better, it can take you to the highest heights. And, speaking of the highest heights, ever-clever Germany has risen to the occasion to combine music with commerce and cultural enlightenment in its new concert…
In 2013, a boat traveled from Rotterdam to Amsterdam, with a timelapse camera installed 30 meters high.
The title of this post pretty much sums up me, your Matouring Admin. Our children shake their heads in shame / utter dispair when they're presented with the next history "adventure" by the parents. But, many youth today can't identify a record turntable, or a wall phone, or a slide show or even…
The world is littered with sad mistakes, often based on the misplaced values of its leaders. Serbia can be considered one of those places. But, anyone in the know knows how much the the country and its main city, Belgrade has grown and bloomed and boomed into one of the places to be.…
What a headline that is. What does it even mean? Let's get to the bottom of it, shall we? Portuguese football team captain and former Real Madrid striker (and dreamboat) Cristiano Ronaldo, and international tennis legend Rafael Nadal, are behind the Tatel restaurant due to open in Spain's third-largest metropolis this summer.…
Let's start right off and say that Turkey is one of the most historic, diverse and complex places on the planet. Stradling the line between east and west, it has always been pivotal in human history. While some of its religious and social aspects are traditionally associated with Western Asia, it is culturally…
If you think that this post has something to global financial planning sessions, then surprise! As thrilling as that prospect may be, this is an example of organisation, cooperation of a different sort, and one that all of us can experience and enjoy. It's proof that, when tasked, governments can collaborate, be creative…
Riddle me this: you need to travel from A to B, but the logistics are getting in your way, literally. If it takes too long on a boat to get there, what are your options? Fly, you might say. OK, but, in this case, there are dozens of islands with no…
.... literally. It's not an homage to an old western film, or not even the sign for a trendy bistro that's just debuted with much fanfare where you live. Instead, this is the real thing, what you paid for. And, of course, it's in Europe, where so many things began, and so…
Look on a map of Europe, you might see something that you've overlooked before. The island of Corsica appears right smack dab between Marseille and Rome. Of course, there is quite a bit of distance between the three places, so it's not simply a short drive. But, when you stop to think about…
Let's go forward in time to step backwards in time to learn how the internet came about, and why its origins, which are well known, may actually be more interesting than we might have thought. If you think you know the story, you might want to read on, anyway: you wouldn't be here…
Or did we mean go slow in Slovakia? Either way, you win, especially when you discover this known country, but then find out how much you have to learn - and enjoy - about it. It's another one of those "bubbling under" countries, just waiting for you to search and enjoy. According to…
Kosovo is a place that most of us have heard of, but may know little about. We might recall that there were troubles, many based around it unilaterally declaring its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. And or course, situations like that (with the associated violence that inevitably occurs) can often cast…
Poor Cuba. Still battered by the USA (for reasons that we just can't understand) this beautiful and engaging country teeters on collapse, except for the strength of its people. We have a number of posts here on the site (click here) which should give any thinking person the desire to hop on a…
At first blush, this probably sounds like a bad, weepy drama on some forlorn off-brand daytime television channel. You know the type, where Dane falls in love with Lucretia, only to discover that it is just not meant to be. No, this is not that. This is about actual continents with actual sea…
The world offers no shortage of fascinating, thrilling, silly, scary and sometimes confusing opportunities to behold what other members of your species are up to. We'll cut to the chase on this one, as it's quite a tale, one that could only really happen in the post-1960's movies, or for that matter, anything that…
France never gets tiring, unless you wear yourself out by living life to the fullest there. Of course, Paris is at the top of the list for most people, as is Marseille or Nice or Bordeaux. Few countries have the variety or diversity that France has, in pretty much all aspects. And…