You might have heard of Cleveland, Ohio USA, a scrappy city that never gives up. It was formed in the late 1800's and was a manufacturing and financial powerhouse until things dried up in the 1970's. But, the die-hard residents there still plug away at reinventing the city, over and over. Having major league basketball…
The Thinking Traveller
Even a dummy will know that the world is changing, but sometimes news comes out of relatively nowhere and completely takes you by surprise.
In this case, we're taking about Lagos in Nigeria. Already a rich and powerful nation, there are estimates that it will have the largest population of any country in the world (see…
China doesn't fool around. When they do things, they tend to go big. Here's an example. The new Shanghai Astronomy Museum, which recently opened in China, is potentially the world’s most majestic museum devoted to the skies. This elliptical, silvery structure looks part spaceship, part planetary invasion, with angular shapes that “embody some of the…
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…
Those of us who live up here in the Pacific Northwest of North America are very lucky, in many ways. The weather, the diversity (especially of our residents) and the history that is constantly being discovered and enjoyed. As with many other countries, Canada has a population that can be considered as First Nation. In…
We get that feeling that sometimes the country of Pakistan is misunderstood, and that the misunderstanding conjures up specific images and misconceptions. And that's a shame, as the country is rich in so many ways. There is so much history in Pakistan, with its mix of religions and beliefs, and it's long relationship with India. …
Cape Town is South Africa's crown jewel and the most European city you'll find on the continent. Founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, it was South Africa's first attempt at a modern metropolis, earning it the nickname "The Mother City." Cape Town is worth visiting year-round. That said, it looks different each…
Perched on the hills of the Achrafieh neighborhood hundreds of meters from the Beirut Port, the 60-year-old Sursock Museum was the beating heart of Beirut’s creative scene. The country’s only modern art museum, it boasts a collection of Lebanese art dating back to the late 1800s. But, is still rebuilding a year after the Beirut…
England is a funny old place. It is / was a part of Europe for decades, but finally opted to bail out in 2018. It has people from every country arriving there, and all in relative harmony. The history of the UK is of legend - literally - and you will find examples of that -…
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…
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…
We would imagine that many of our readers like - perhaps even love - France, like we do. What a place! The variety! The quality! The countryside! Paris! But here is a place that you will know of, but may not have visited - Dijon. Dijon is an unheralded French city that is worthy of…
Almost everyone has heard of Hans Christian Andersen.
His most famous works include The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina and so many more.
Even Disney has created movies from his work: The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Groove as well as Frozen 1 and…
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…
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…
You think your job is tough? Think the boss asks too much?
Well, suffer this poor guy, who works for Japanese Rail. This almost looks like a joke at first. But it's not. They are deadly serious and that is something to reckon with.
No wonder Japan is admired in so many ways. But, don't mess up!
See…
Ah, airports. They're a funny old place. You never know what will happen next. Sometimes what happens next is that your flight doesn't happen. Or the caffeined-up kiddies go running, screaming up and down the concourse with no sign of letting up.
Or something else goes awry. It makes you want to hide. But here is…
As if the relationship between Canada and the USA isn't convoluted enough, did you know that 50% of all Canadian citizens live south of essentially the 45th Parallel. Canada is one of the largest countries by land in the world, but its population of only 38 million is about ten times less than the United…
OK, so you're rich, bored, ambitious and looking for the latest thing to get your pulse racing, as well as impressing your friends. Doctor, who doesn't want to be a spy? Secretly, all of us, no matter which race, creed or sex. And most of us would want to be James Bond, we assume. Well,…
Havana, and all of Cuba (in our opinion) are at the wrong end of the stick when it comes to US sanctions. The people have suffered enough under decades of embargos and bans. Cuba is a jewel to behold. Deep in the lanes of southern Old Havana, where trailing plants and drying clothes drape from…