My two dear friends, Christina and Matthias, hosted me in Vienna for just over a week. So often capital citifies and popular travel destinations become synonymous with photographs of their must-see landmarks. In this post I hope to present Vienna’s from a different perspective, not…
Herzogshof Frescoes Herzogshof facade is truly striking: it is covered in frescoes depicting Greek and Roman gods. It was originally painted in 1742 by Johann Mayer, but since then has received multiple new coats of paint. It’s only a couple of hops and skips away…
Graz was already on my list of towns to visit while in Austria, but when my dear friend Rachel, with whom I worked in South Korea moved there with her husband, we decided to explore the city together. As the second largest city in Austria,…
Clock towers and fortress watchtowers are characteristic of many European cities. This panorama of Salzburg was taken from the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Museum Der Moderne, which is situated atop a precipitous granite cliff. Its location is truly spectacular and it calmly observes the the…
The rolling hills from Vienna to Salzburg were dotted with pastel-coloured gingerbread houses, which were sprinkled with icing sugar. Graceful snowflakes danced around me as I descended the train steps. The snow-capped Alps waved hello from a distance. The centre-ville enchanted me with its lucent…
I am visiting two very dear friends, Christina and Matthias, who live in central Vienna (or Wien in German). It’s my first time in Austria and I’ll be here for 11 days. Afterwards I’ll be heading to the university city and UNESCO World Heritage centre of…
The old town square in Bielsko-Biala, which dates back to the 13th century, was the judicial, administrative and cultural centre of the city. During the Second World War it was gravely damaged and the commercial hub was relocated to the lower districts of Bielsko-Biala. By…
I welcomed the new year from atop a mountain in Miedzybrodzie, not too far from Bielsko-Biala, where I was born. Growing up, I heard numerous stories from my parents of the carefree days they spent in the region with their friends as young adults.
The air was infused with the heavy scent of jasmine and roses. Conversation casually rolled off their tongues. Laughter interrupted, yet like the hands of a clock, their fingers continued holding blooms in place and intricately tying them in place. In Hindu tradition floral garlands…
Little India, the quaint neighbourhood in Singapore, is characterised by splurts of color. For this reason it is exceptionally photogenic. Once I visited, I knew that I couldn’t stay anywhere but here during my visit. Little India is also the best place to eat authentic…
The tropical island country, off the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, is made up of 63 islands and islets, which offer world-class entertainment. While only 712 km2 – slightly bigger than three and half times the size of Washington D.C – Singapore, brings to…
With Eid al-Fitr approaching to mark the end of Ramadam – the muslim month of fasting and restraint as a means of purifying the soul and becoming closer to Allah — here are a few photographs of Sultan Masjid. It is Singapore’s largest mosque and is…
Kampong Glam is a palette of colour. From the small haberdasheries along Bussorah Street – with its two-story shophouses on either side – you can buy decorative materials, buttons and ribbons. It’s a good place to buy hand-made souvenirs too. One of the most popular pastimes…
Chinatown will satisfy any shopaholic with trinkets, curios, countless varieties and colours of ‘I love Singapore’ t-shirts, fridge magnets and fashion. The district comes alive at night: the ground floor, open-air Chinese restaurants (the cheaper kind where you sit on plastic chairs, beneath a beach…
The Dutch colonial city of Galle and its fortifications are perched on a rocky outcrop on the south-western peninsular of Sri Lanka. This UNESCO World Heritage Site remains the largest European-built fort in Asia. Greek, Roman, Chinese, Indian, Persian and Arab seamen wandered around the…
I think these pictures are reason enough to convince you why Unawatuna, in the Galle District of south western Sri Lanka, is an ideal place to be a beach bum. So why not slap on some sun lotion, grab a great book and recline on…
The seven-hour bus ride from the highlands of Nuwara Eliya, in central Sri Lanka, to Mirrisa on the southern coast was worth every moment, even if only for the picturesque detour through Ella. We meandered between mountains and hills, which tightly held onto clouds by…
I awoke on a mist covered-mountain overlooking Kandy Lake. Sun rays broke through the mist and illuminated the mountain. Someone played “Oh When the Saints Go Marching In” on the trumpet, as girls hurried along in their white school uniforms. They held each other’s hands, their…