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Inspiration

Inspiration

A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

We're sure that everyone who frequents our site knows of The Vatican, even if you're not a believer.  But despite the openness of the Vatican (nowadays, anyway) there is still so much to learn and understand. The video below attempts to shed some light on this most venerated of institutions. Trust OMIO for your European…

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A live-in legend

If you frequent our site, you'll know how much we love architecture:  it's a part of life, especially when it is executed with creativity, originality and love.  We especially like the Bauhaus and modern movements from the start of the twentieth century. It is often almost impossible to visit, let alone stay in some of…

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The green mosque

Gratifyingly, people are starting to understand that climate change is real.  Turn on the television every day and a new horrifying example of our changing world appears. On a very positive note, though, Dubai just got the world's first ‘green’ mosque. As per the reports, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) inaugurated the world's first…

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Trains explained

Trains are everywhere in Europe. Some of the trains travel at high speed across the continent, while others move around leisurely, either by day or by night. Find out about the different European trains like sleeper trains, chocolate trains, high speed trains and the provided facilities for a clear idea of what train travel in…

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Jet ‘a Petra

Our affiliate friends easyJet have announced the launch of a new route and holidays from Manchester Airport UK to Aqaba in Jordan this winter. Flights and holidays are on sale from Manchester Airport to the scenic Jordanian city, a perfect destination for a splash of year-round sunshine and Middle Eastern culture. Read more here from…

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Thoughts o’ Palazzo

If you visit this site often - or even other travel sites - you'll know that Venice is heaving under the weight of packed-like-sardines tourists, and rising water levels that threaten its very existence. Fortunately, there are those individuals who recognise the threat and are in a position to do something about it. The Anish Kapoor Foundation…

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Wham bam thank you tram

Some places just "get it." As we see mother earth in peril, some of us are just not rising to the occasion.  Climate change is not a joke.  It's real. But, some countries (mostly in Europe) are paying attention and doing something about it.  It could be banning automobile traffic in certain places.  It could…

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Madrid nuevo

Spain is building an $8.7 billion USD new urban development in northern Madrid, called Madrid Nuevo Norte. Madrid is the heart of Spain. However, in its north, train tracks and the urban void surrounding them cut the city right in half, creating traffic and connectivity issues. To solve this issue, Spain is building a new…

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Aretha sang

Magic can happen anywhere, at any time, to almost anybody. Take Aretha Franklin, for example. In an innocuous two-story building with a barn-like roof on a side of a nondescript street in Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the home of FAME Recording Studios (short for Florence Alabama Music Enterprises.)  Music lovers will know it well.  They were small, but…

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Malaysia fantasia

What do you know about Malaysia?  Probably not as much as you should. Malaysia is a mix of the modern world and a developing nation. With its investment in the high technology industries and moderate oil wealth, it has become one of the richest nations in Southeast Asia. Malaysia, for most visitors, presents a happy…

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How slow can you go?

How many of our readers recognise our main picture? If you're of a certain age, you may recall "dial-up" to get your Internet.  Modems, blistering 128k transfer speeds, mortgage your child monthly fees. This article talks about speed - but slowing down.  And not as in being lazy, but as in stopping to smell the…

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All you need is 1 hotel

We're always happy to talk about Canada and its many charms. In this case, we're talking about how a high-end boutique brand is expanding as we emerge from the pandemic. Recently, 1 Hotels announced new properties in Toronto, Canada, and Elounda Hills, Crete. This is the first location in Canada for the 1 Hotels, which was…

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Yes, but how good is the air conditioning?

Everything is relative, relatively. Some of us boast that we live in homes that were built in the 1950's.  Your editor, for example, lived in a house from the 1800's, and almost resided in another from the 1400's.  That's pretty impressive if you're a history fan. But this all pales when it comes to places…

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Bridge of Why?’s

Some countries - such as China and Russia - get stuff done.  Their enviable work ethic and constant desire to push are legendary.  As with any country who constantly strive, there may be some who get impacted or fall behind - sad stories. But in this case, here is the tale of Russia building an impressive bridge…

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I ♥ more holidays

Research out of the European Society of Cardiology suggests taking more than three weeks of vacation days may help you live longer. The 40-year study initially set out to examine the result healthy living (aerobic exercise, a balanced diet, and putting down the cigarettes) had on the long-term risk of developing heart disease. But researchers…

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A bag tied in the middle

Every so often, a human mass movement comes along that subtly alters the zeitgeist of we humans.  It could have been the art enlightenment in the 1920's.  Or perhaps it was the peace and love Hippies in the 1960's.  But one of these movements has persisted - the Chautauqua Institute. Chautauqua was an adult education…

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A population of one

Deep in the Caucasus mountains of Georgia is a town called Bochorna. The highest continuously inhabited settlement in Europe, it has an altitude of 7,694 feet—or six Empire State buildings stacked on top of each other—and a population of one. But to get there, to that man, and to that town, you need to ford…

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Nothing up my sleeve, presto!

Your flight tickets will be $550.  Your suitcase will be another $212. Give this man, Bruno, a medal. Overpacked and no room in my carry on, this is the outcome of that predicament - the travel coat: a couple meters of nylon from the Flea Market in two perfect tones of forest green, 29 carefully…

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From Alto Cedro I go to Marcané

If you're a music fan, then you certainly must know of the Buena Vista Social Club, 1999 documentary film directed by Wim Wenders. The film follows renowned guitarist Ry Cooder and his son, Joachim, as they travel to Cuba and assemble a group of the country's finest musicians to record an album. But, even if you…

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