When people think of the UNESCO-listed Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin, Sanssouci is probably the first that comes to mind. And that Rococo palace of the Prussian king is indeed a fine example, with its park and temples and follies. Voltaire even stayed [...]
Utopia: we all have our own ideas of that, don’t we? Compassionate capitalism and urban planningSo did Robert Owen. Back in the late 18th century, this Welsh philanthropist, social reformer and idealist thought it was possible to combine a highly profitable business with human welfare. [...]
I'm noticing I haven’t written nearly enough about wine here on the blog. Scandalous really, considering the total yum! We’ve covered the vines of Switzerland’s Lavaux, (surprised Switzerland is wine-growing country? I was.) We’ve briefly touched upon the yummy wines of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. We’ve [...]
See this bell? We'll come back to it soon. But first, the building in the background. Independence Hall: where the US Declaration of Independence was signed, and later, the US Constitution. This building then, is where the first steps towards democracy in the USA were taken. [...]
After a night in an ice hotel, what could be more logical than spending a day on a snowmobile? Let's dig right in. We're going with the good folks at Gargia Lodge, just outside of Alta up in the northernmost part of Norway, well above [...]
I seem to be having a thing for glaciers lately and can't help but sharing it with you good folks. Luckily, I live in a part of the world where they abound; not only in Norway but in some of our neighbour countries as well. [...]
Whatever this potentially ominous sign means, water is everywhere in Augsburg and it has been systematically managed since the 14th century. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to go anywhere in Augsburg and not encounter the city's ingenious water operating system. There are medieval water towers, fountains, millwheels, hydroelectric power stations...
