The reality is as much of a contrast as the title. On one end of town, a serene, internationally acclaimed, well-manicured series of themed gardens each telling a story of a different civilization. To be honest, the Hamilton Gardens caught me by surprise, far exceeding my expectations. In sharp contrast stands the Riff-Raff statue where …
Statues and Sculptures
One Day Xian Itinerary: China’s Terracotta Army, City Wall, Pagoda
Our Xian itinerary is a plan that looks better on paper than in practice. Flying in and out on the same day left no room for error in this former capital city of China. A city with over 3,000 years of history, it is the eastern end of the ancient Silk Road. Our Xian itinerary …
Batu Caves, Monkeys Are One Reason to Visit This Malaysian Temple
As we stepped out of the car at Batu Caves, monkeys were the first thing to catch my eye. Just beyond a troop of long-tailed macaques (wild monkeys) stood the largest Batu Cave statue, the 43-metre tall golden figure of Lord Murugan. Behind Lord Murugan are the Batu Caves steps leading to this Malaysian temple. In total, …
Quirky and Interactive Statues From Travel Bloggers Around the World
Public art fascinates me. We often can’t resist the opportunity to join in, creating interactive statues from what was once simply a city sculpture. We are not the only ones. I asked travel bloggers around the world for their favourite quirky statues and sculptures. I separated out the “naughty, but not nasty” sculptures and shared them …
Fun Statues Around the World: Oversized and Undressed
Oversized and undressed statues seem to be popping up in public locations around the world. The reaction is entertaining. Some giggle, others cringe and turn away, but as a photographer, I look at them as photo opportunities. And I am not the only one. We asked top travel bloggers around the world to contribute images …
A Cow Parade and Other Interesting Sites in Perth Australia
Perth was our port of disembarkation on our recent Royal Caribbean cruise, allowing us several days before we flew home. Our first time in Western Australia and of course we already want to return for a much more elaborate exploration of the region. We did have time for a city tour, a river cruise to Fremantle, a …
Auckland Street Art, Waterfront Artwork and Sculptures
Auckland New Zealand is eclectic and modern city visually enhanced with street art and sculpture. You would be hard-pressed to find a business district in the city that didn’t have some sort of public art. Auckland street art ranges from classic painting to modern graffiti-like styles. Similarly, the city’s sculpture covers a range from traditional …
A Tree of Bikes and Other Signs of Christmas in Auckland, New Zealand
As I walked up Queen Street on a drizzly summer day I could see signs of Christmas in Auckland everywhere. It may never be a white Christmas here, but New Zealand knows how to celebrate, as well as how to offer the compassion of the holiday season. Using my favourite form of public transit, we …
How to See New York City Highlights in Two Days
We had two days to see the New York City highlights, an impossible task, but we rose to the challenge. Dividing our time into two days and one night, we made the most of it: New York City Highlights: Day 1 We pre-booked a timed visit to the 9-11 memorial and started our day here. …
A Day In Vancouver – We Saw The Highlights
Today I fell in love and made it to second base. Not at the same time. First came the love – with Vancouver. As for getting to second base, that happened at the airport. It wasn’t even TSA, who has a reputation for feeling up female travelers. No, it was in Canada. I emptied my …
Brussels Highlights: Chocolate, Atomium, EU, Manneken-Pis
I think it is the chocolate that lured us to Belgium. Without a plan or a hotel room we found ourselves with only one day in Brussels, so we set out to hit the highlights. What can I say about a city whose most famous statue is a boy caught in eternal pee? We had …
Salzburg Austria – Musical Home to Mozart and The Sound of Music
Our final port on our Mediterranean cruise was Venice, from which we hired a car and drove to Salzburg Austria, home to both the Sound of Music and Mozart. This was a great choice. We found an affordable apartment and rested, as cruises tend to leave us needing a bit of recovery time. Now we …
Florence In a Day: Uffizi, Duomo, and Piazzale Michelangelo
Pisa and Florence in a day. It was busy, and not optimal. However, it was our second cruise port as we sailed the Mediterranean for 12 nights with NCL. There were no excursion options that did everything we wanted, so we hired a private guide. We were met at the port, taken first to the …
Moscow Metro as a Destination – Tips Before You Start
More than just an efficient way to get around the city, the Moscow Metro is a destination in itself. Many of the stations were built in the Soviet era. They are clean, loaded with artwork and history and each one is different. Moscow Metro tours seem quite popular, but we opted to do it ourselves, …
Giant Buddha and an Ancient Town – Leshan and Haunglongxi, China
Today we took a two hour drive, boarded a boat and went to see the world’s largest buddha carved in a mountain. We were really excited about the giant buddha, but I have to say it was rather a let down. Unlike most of the other things I have written about, in this case I …
