Travel: The loneliest buildings in the world

I love secluded and lonely places where there’s nobody around for miles. That’s why the Highlands and Islands hold such appeal to me and so here’s a couple of lonely places may make you feel in turns melancholy or yearning for a place where nobody can disturb you.

A really questionable culinary decision

What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it? Yet another thing that nobody ought give a crap about. This is more a reminder to myself. A good few years back…you know that time….the golden era and halcyon days when there was no world war, before Trump, before covid, beforeContinue reading “A really questionable culinary decision”

Travel: A floaty late summer serenade in Munich 2008

Walking through a majestic and manicured gardens in Munich I heard a delicate and heartfelt serenade on the violin from a faraway stone rotunda. I walked there and took a seat among two people who appeared in a stupor of enjoyment. They were both sitting in the late afternoon sun, lulled into a dream by theContinue reading “Travel: A floaty late summer serenade in Munich 2008”

Cycling adventures at dusk in Wrocław

Wrocław is a little city which has the feel of a large town and isn’t as overcrowded as some of the bigger and more populous Polish cities. At various times in history, Wrocław has been engulfed in Bohemia, Hungary, the Austrian Empire, Prussia, and Germany. So this place has a very mixed and cosmopolitan feel. In 2015,Continue reading “Cycling adventures at dusk in Wrocław”

Travel: A roadtrip through the remote Eastern Cape, New Zealand

People seldom visit the Eastern Cape of the #NorthIsland because of its complete isolation from the rest of #NewZealand #Aotearoa. Here are some humble gems from this oft forgotten edge of the world #travel #beach #roadtrip

Travel: Oeshiki Festival of Light, Ikegami Tokyo

Oeskiki is an annual buddhist festival held on the 13th of October that commemorates the death of Nichiren in 1282. He was a revered buddhist teacher who lived during the Kamakura period, about 700 years ago. Although celebrated throughout Japan, the main Oeshiki festival is held at Ikegami Honmonji Temple located in the Ota ward in suburban Tokyo – the location where Nichiren died.

Travel: The Enchanting Ogród Botaniczny of Kraków

The Ogród Botaniczny of Kraków has a long scientific heritage that dates back to 1783. They are the oldest scientific gardens in Poland and were established by Professor Józef Bogumił Rogaliński.

Throughout this time many inquisitive and curious minds have peered into the depths of floral wonders and the garden was pivotal during the Enlightenment period in Poland, as a centre for botanical research and the dissemination of botanical knowledge across Europe.

Book Review: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Hi, my name is Nao. I am a time being. Do you know what a time being is? Well if you give me a moment, I will tell you.

A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me and every one of us who is, or ever was, or ever will be.

Day out in Wellington: The Terracotta Warriors at Te Papa Museum

The first week that we moved to Wellington we went to see Te Papa Museum’s landmark exhibition: Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality. Enshrined in darkness and dim light, the exhibition feels like being submerged into the underworld. The exhibition offers you a rare opportunity to have an intimate and immersive encounter with remarkable treasures from 2,000 years ago, from the tomb of Qin Shihuang, China’s First Emperor. I highly recommend it!

Travel: Exploring Sydney’s exquisite vintage architecture at QVB

The Queen Victoria Building (QVB), is an enchanting architectural wonder in Sydney’s central business district. The style of the building is a Romanesque Revival architectural masterpiece and was originally designed by George McRae. Constructed between 1893 and 1898, this heritage-listed building originally served as a marketplace but has undergone various uses and renovations over theContinue reading “Travel: Exploring Sydney’s exquisite vintage architecture at QVB”