Category Archives: Travel

Grandscale Beauty: The Overview Effect: Cyanobacterial Bloom in the Baltic Sea

Map makers, Google Earth developers, astronauts and those who gaze at the earth and universe for a living are already convinced of the tremendous beauty of large places seen from space. For most of us mere mortals we won’t ever get the chance to see the earth from space.  The ‘Overview Effect’ was a term coinedContinue reading “Grandscale Beauty: The Overview Effect: Cyanobacterial Bloom in the Baltic Sea”

Travel: Mudlarking for treasures on the River Thames

A Mudlark while being a species of Australian bird’, is also a curious river-side rambler. Over several millennia of habitation, London’s River Thames has collected many layers of mud-addled refuse of varying degrees of value. Although one man’s trash is another’s treasure and the shores of the Thames are still a magnet to curious folkContinue reading “Travel: Mudlarking for treasures on the River Thames”

Windy Wellington shows her pretty side on Guy Fawkes Night

It’s a bit of a mystery why a far-flung Capital City like Wellington in New Zealand would actively celebrate a rebellious plot against King James I of England/ King James VI of Scotland in 1605. Nevertheless the appeal seems to be because of the emission of huge amounts of pyrotechnics and fireworks. Who doesn’t enjoyContinue reading “Windy Wellington shows her pretty side on Guy Fawkes Night”

Travel: Krakow Summer Opera Season at Wawel Castle

In the walls of Wawel castle on the night of midsummer, an atmosphere of enchantment abounded. The mauve and violet light of the sky melted into the golden lamps that fell onto the cobble-stone pathways, this skimmed and bounced across gabled iron rooftops of the castle. The light from the opera ballet performance stage shoneContinue reading “Travel: Krakow Summer Opera Season at Wawel Castle”

Travel: The Epic Story of Wieliczka Salt Mines in Poland

Inside of the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a thousand steps seem to guard you from the surface of the world. A thousand false ceilings seem to call out and confuse your senses. So far away are you from the grounding blue of the sky and the sensation of dirt under your feet. Inside of this mineContinue reading “Travel: The Epic Story of Wieliczka Salt Mines in Poland”

Travel: A summer trip to the Renaissance fortress and city of Zamość

We visited Zamość Fortress (Polish: Twierdza Zamość) and town on one of those perfect Polish summer days where the sun and heat pelted down and made everything bright and vivid. Locals and visitors in this far south eastern city of Poland seemed to have a spring in their step on this fine day and everyoneContinue reading “Travel: A summer trip to the Renaissance fortress and city of Zamość”

Christchurch in springtime is full of magic

There is a quickening in the air as young creatures everywhere grow up and move out into the world. Ducklings lose their fuzzy baby down and grow mature features, although they still file carefully behind their mother as she escorts them from pond to pond, past and through reeds and perilously close to a cycleContinue reading “Christchurch in springtime is full of magic”

The Ultimate Soothing Tokyo Lullaby: Book and Bed

This is a novel concept that could only be conceived by the Japanese. A bed and book hostel. This captures the very essence of snuggling comfort- falling asleep while reading a good book! The Book and Bed Hostel is a bookshop that’s also a hostel and allows bibliophiles to hire out a nest-like bunk bedContinue reading “The Ultimate Soothing Tokyo Lullaby: Book and Bed”

Travel: Welcome To The End Of The World – And It’s Amazing

Welcome to Slope Point. This is no man’s land – southernmost tip on New Zealand’s South Island. Basically what happens is that air circulating from Antarctica bursts forth towards these shores and create ongoing turbulence that’s so violent that trees are warped and gnarled in perpetuity, and envelop the landscape in twisted, morphed shapes. This isContinue reading “Travel: Welcome To The End Of The World – And It’s Amazing”