Saturday, June 24, 2006
Sydney, Australia, 16-18 May 2005: Edifices
Modern Model Architecture
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Sydney Opera House |
 Sydney Harbour Bridge |
 Sydney Tower, the tallest man-made structure in Sydney, stands atop Centrepoint in the City Central Business District |
Friday, June 23, 2006
Budapest, Hungary, 13-18 May 2004: Buda, Pest, Szentendre
A Perfect Day
 The Danube River bisects the city of Budapest into the hilly western Buda Hills and the eastern flat plains of Pest. Perched on the peak of Buda is the old-town Castle Hill district, with its many attractive conserved building and homes. The Royal Palace, which now houses an art museum, sits in quiet dignity, wielding magisterial sway over passing river traffic. Much of the Pest riverfront was ruined during WWII air bombardment. It has since been restored. From the Danube bank, broad boulevards, squares and parks extend hinterland. |
  Start the day very early. Stroll along the Pest bank of the Danube, and enjoy the wonderful views of the Buda Hills on the opposite bank. Cross the Liberty Bridge at the southern end of the city centre to reach the foot of the Gellert Hill. From here it is a 45 minute leisurely climb up a well-marked path to the Citadel at the top of the hill. The Citadel is virtually empty in the early morning. Enter freely. Stand on the fortress walls, and enjoy panoramic views of Pest. Study the Liberty Statue up close against the light of the rising sun. |
  Escape to Szentendre, 40 minutes by train, a picturesque lakeside town. Wander through the meandering alleys, and have lunch at one of the restaurants in the market square. Admire beautiful Hungarian lace sold at the many boutique shops. Cheaper alternatives are Romanian lace, arguably just as lovely, sold by gypsy women at the market stalls. Seek out the shop selling 'Kovacs' cloth and peasant-style clothes - white-on-indigo hand printed artisan items that are guaranteed not to fade. |
  Return to Budapest. Take the underground in Pest (the oldest in the world, and the most charming - with beautiful wall tiles and original wooden ticketing machines), get off at the last station, and head for the Szechenyi Thermal Baths. Spend the afternoon relaxing in the many pools, sauna, steam rooms. The mineral contents of the various waters are scrupulously detailed. The main outdoor bath has water at 38 degrees Celsius. Curl up fetus-like under the rhythmic patter of a spouting fountain and be transported back to mother's womb. |
  Ride the funicular up to Castle Hill district in Buda, and spend the evening there. Many of the famous sights are found near Matthias Church, which is beautifully illuminated at night |
  After dinner, descend from Castle Hill. Cross the elegant Chain Bridge to get back to Pest, from where the incandescent Royal Palace can be admired in her full glory. |
 Finish off the perfect day by having the best iced coffee at Gerbeaud, the oldest and best dessert shop in Budapest, on Vorosmarty Square. |
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Miami, United States, 18-23 January 2006: Miami Vibes
Art Deco By The Atlantic
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  Miami: Capital of Art Deco; The Royal Palm: Art Deco Gem |
  Miami Sights: Street Vibe; Beach Palms |
 Quiet Evening at the Beach |
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
London, United Kingdom, 12-20 December 2005: British Museum
Favourite Antiquities
  Central Courtyard Ceiling & Round Reading Room; Bloomsbury Entrance |
  Egyptian & Aztec Statuary |
  Lapith & Centaur, Metope, Parthenon; Selene Horse, East Pediment, Parthenon |
 Wounded Lion, Lion Hunt Relief, Assyrian Art |
London, United Kingdom, 12-20 December 2005: Royal Parks
Kensington, Hyde And Regent
  Neighbouring Kensington Park and Hyde Park are oases of tranquility in the midst of the hustle and bustle of central London. Catch rays of sunlight dance between the filigree of naked tree branches. Watch swans glide gracefully across the icy lake. Snatch fallen leaves as they spiral silently to the ground, and expire, turning white, ochre and brown.   |
  Quintessentially English, Regent's Park in North London is a perfect getaway. It combines natural woodlands, fields and elegant gardens, to make a refreshing whole. There is much to explore and enjoy. Climb Primrose Hill, the tallest in London, and see a panoramic view of the city.   |
London, United Kingdom, 12-20 December 2005: Monuments
From Wren To Foster
 Trafalgar Square is flanked on two sides by the National Gallery - one of the world's finest repositeries of western art - and the Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. On this late autumn-early winter evening, it is suffused with a warm golden glow. Pigeons are everywhere. Despite government efforts to curb their numbers, pigeons remain very much the Square's permanent citizenry. |
  London Eye & Parliament, View from South Bank; Tower Bridge, View from Tower of London |
  Guardian Lion, Base of Nelson's Column; Skating, Somerset House |
 St Paul's Cathedral & Millennium Bridge |
Monday, June 12, 2006
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 4-6 June 2006: Street Life
Ben Thanh Market And Surrounds
 I come back to Vietnam again for a short visit. On a Sunday evening, the streets and parks of District 1 in HCMC are filled with families out for a stroll. A boisterous crowd gathers at Pham Ngu Lao, where bottles of Coca Cola are given out free. A questionable practice, perhaps. Waiting eagerly in anticipation of their coveted prize, this pair of young friends is blissfully unencumbered by ethical deliberations. |
  Saigon's streetfood is justifiably famous. Banh Xeo is a crispy egg-flour pancake with prawn, streaky pork and beansprout filling, eaten wrapped in aromatic greens and dunked in a chilli-fish sauce dip. Each costs 10,000 VND (approximately US 65 cents). Simply sublime. Ben Thanh market hawks everything you will care to need: in this case, dried seafood - shrimps, fish, scallops, squids - carefully graded into myriad classes by size, quality and price. |
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Travel Impressions Of The Cote d'Azur
From Nice, West To Cannes, East To Ventimiglia
 A frequent train service stops at most towns along the coast of the French Riviera, and extends eastwards to the Italian town of Ventimiglia. Buses provide additional links to the hinterland. Most places are accessible by public transport.These are some pictures of my journey along the Cote d'Azur, 25th May to 2nd June 2006. They have been chosen to capture the light, colour and atmosphere of each locality. Enjoy. |
  Movie Star Mural, Bus Station, Cannes; Drinking Fountain, Le Suquet, Cannes |
   Me on Beach, Juan-les-Pins; Town Square, Antibes; Cobbled Street, Vieux Ville, Antibes |
  Palm Tree & Tower, St Paul-de-Vence; Window & Balcony, St Paul-de-Vence |
  Still-Life: Flan & Pear, Vence; Chateau Grimaldi, Cagnes-sur-Haut |
  Road Works, Place Massena, Nice; Train Station, Nice |
  Evening Scenes I & II, Vieux Ville, Nice |
  Tower & Walls, Eze; Window & Lamp, Hotel Chevre d'Or, Eze |
  Sun-Worshippers I & II, Cap d'Ail |
  Train Station, Monte Carlo, Monaco; F1 Rally Practice Day, Monte Carlo, Monaco |
 Flowers, Friday Market, Ventimiglia, Italy |
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License
These are the 30 countries that I have ever set foot on. Airport stopovers don't count!
