It’s easy to understand the attraction luring nearly 2 million visitors to the top of Corcovado mountain each year. Here, Christ the Redeemer monument, an icon of Rio de Janeiro, overlooks the city from an urban rainforest. For many, the visit is a spiritual attraction. For us, it was the panoramic landscape with a glittering …
Statues and Sculptures
Hamilton Gardens and Rocky Horror: A Contrast in Hamilton NZ
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
