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Design and Art Do Something Different Europe Fun The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Plaza pleasures

Barcelona’s squares (plaças in Catalan, plazas in Spanish) are the beating heart of the Catalonian capital – beloved to residents and tourists alike. Breaking the monotony of the city’s gridded streets, these open outdoor areas percolate with the comings and goings of al fresco diners, makeshift football matches and all iterations of art and commerce. …
2020-08-130Comments

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Central & South America Do Something Different Food and Drink History Life of Luxury Relaxation Romance World Culture

Luxury in Cartagena

Colombia’s most famous writer, the inimitable Gabriel García Márquez, once said in a press interview that he could never have written his books if he had not been a journalist – because all of his material was extracted from reality. Wandering between the pastel-coloured colonial structures of Cartagena’s labyrinthine cobbled streets, one could be forgiven…
2020-05-070Comments

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Design and Art Do Something Different History Meditation Middle East Relaxation Special Interest The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Modest mosque

Centrally located in the Iranian capital Tehran, the Vali-e-Asr Mosque’s most distinguishing aspect is the fact that it does not look like a mosque. Designed by Iranian architects Reza Daneshmir and Catherine Spiridonoff of Fluid Motion Architects, the building eschews the stereotypical typology of large domes and tall minarets in favour of a modest horizontality…
2020-04-270Comments

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Central & South America Design and Art History Special Interest The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Brasilia!

Few places in the world offer such an expansive, extraordinary composition of Modernist architecture as the Brazilian capital. Part of a handful of Modernist clusters around the world – such as, for example, Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh in India – Brasilia combines the gravitas, drama and scale of the International Style with the glamour and power…
2020-04-260Comments

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Do Something Different Europe Fun History Partytime Unusual World Culture

Vegetarian-friendly ‘Burial of the Sardine’

Fishy stuff is going on around Spain tonight. Black-clad processions and gigantic papier mâché sea creatures on wheels, huge bonfires, public feasts, live music, fireworks and, in some cases, partying until dawn. We know about eating fish on Good Friday, but the pre-Lent carnivals and, in the Anglo-Saxon world, the Shrove Tuesday pancake feast, was only…
2020-03-130Comments

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Design and Art Do Something Different History Middle East Technology The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Gawk like an Egyptian

The ancient Egyptian burial site of Saqqara has been studied for more than a century, due to the importance of the location for political, religious and architectural history. One of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. But a new “born-digital” publication by UC Santa Cruz associate history…
2020-03-120Comments

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Adventure Asia Do Something Different Food and Drink Fun Inspiration Partytime The Thinking Traveller Unusual World Culture

Indian food you’ve never heard of

At Café Lota, Head Chef Udit Maheshwari is on a mission to introduce diners to regional Indian cuisine they may have never sampled before. The outdoor café at the National Crafts Museum in New Delhi specializes in lesser-known dishes, like chingri kamranga khatta (prawn curry with star fruit), a guava vegetable dish, and a curry…
2020-03-120Comments

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Adventure Asia Do Something Different History Inspiration Meditation Mindfulness Relaxation The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Goa a-go-go

I stood at the epicenter of India’s only Latin Quarter, Fontainhas in Goa, surrounded by a palette of purple, orange, red and blue painted houses topped with ornamental roosters and terracotta tiles. Boarded windows painted with Christian art were garnished with petals and pots of tulips, a shrine to the quarter’s Catholic roots. Past the…
2020-03-110Comments

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Design and Art Food and Drink History Inspiration Life of Luxury Middle East Relaxation The Thinking Traveller World Culture

The art of coffee

Famous Saudi coffee roasters Elixir Bunn opened their new location in Riyadh, designed by Azaz Architects. After building a strong reputation for their coffee, it was time to build an atmosphere to complement their famous drinks. Coffee in Saudi Arabia is well-rooted into the local culture and could be traced back to times prior to the…
2020-03-110Comments

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