“Back to Rome” after three years – I have returned to the former seat of power of the Roman Empire. This city is overflowing with iconic sights and architectural treasures that earn its name of the Eternal City. I am stopping by for a few days on my way to my main destination in Italy. It is never a chore to be in this living theatre.
One will never run out of impressive art to appreciate in Amsterdam. From Rijksmuseum (where Rembrandt’s Night Watch resides), the Van Gogh Museum, the Hermitage Amsterdam (outpost of the famous Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg), to the Stedelijk Museum. Currently on exhibit at the Hermitage is Portraitt Gallery of the Golden Age, featuring thirty colossal 17th century group paintings from Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Museum. The Stedelijk has a permanent installation of iconic works by the likes of Piet Mondrian, Gerrit Rietveld, Nola Hatterman, Barnett Newman, Yves Klein, Roy Lichtenstein, and Yayoi Kusama.
It’s been five years when I last stayed in Amsterdam for a month. I fell for this city the first time I visited fifteen years ago and felt it was time that I return once again to one of my favourites for an extended long weekend. Amsterdam somehow manages to have it all – the buzz of a metropolis, great museums, beautiful architecture, yet small enough to walk (or cycle) almost anywhere you want. And, no unbearable summer heat this time of the year! Many news outlets are now reporting that this city is becoming the new Venice, a city stolen…
Europe’s first planned city built in the 17th century, Valetta is UNESCO World Heritage listed because of it high concentration of historic monuments. Valetta is Malta‘s capital built by the Knights of St. John on a peninsula that stretches only 1 km by 600 m. Decreed by its founder that it should be “a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen”, Valetta retains its 16th century elegance and is designated as European Capital of Culture for 2018 (and that is one of the reasons I am here). St. John’s Co-Cathedral is one of the most magnificent baroque and ornate churches in the…
Malta gets more than 300 sunny days a year and is surrounded by clear blue waters. So a day trip to the Blue Grotto is warranted. Located on the southern coast, the bright cobalt colour of the water is a wonder to see.
Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and North Africa. With its 7,000 year history, Malta has a greater density of historic sights than any other country. It boasts of unique prehistoric temples, Roman catacombs, medieval towns and extraordinary architectural legacy of the Knights of St. John (the Knights of Malta). Mdina is a fortified city that used to be the capital of Malta throughout the Middle Ages, until the arrival of the Order of St. John in 1530. (And for GoT fans, the city was the location shoot for King’s Landing).
Cusco is the storied capital of the Inca Empire and gateway to the imperial city of Machu Pichu. Stately and historic with stone streets and building foundations laid more than five centuries ago, Cusco sits at an altitude of 3,400 m (11,000 feet) above sea level. Cusco is a blend of pre-Columbian and colonial history and mestizo culture. Meaning “navel of the world” in Quechua, this was the political, military and cultural centre of the Inca empire.
The fabled “Lost City of the Incas“, Machu Pichu is South America’s greatest attraction and lives up to its reputation as one of the most spectacular sites in the world — named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and declared one of the “Seven Wonders of the World”. The Incas hid Machu Pichu so high in the clouds (2,400 m above sea level) that it escaped destruction by the Spaniards, who never found it. Located 120 kms NW of Cusco, Machu Pichu was rediscovered in 1911 by the Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham. The ruins are nestled in the Andes…
Better known as El Valle Sagrado de los Incas (the Sacred Valley of the Incas), Urubamba Valley is a stretch of small villages and ancient ruins northwest of Cusco. Stretching about 100 kms from Pisac to Ollantaytambo, the villages remain traditional with Quechua-speaking residents. The Sacred Valley, about 300 m lower than Cusco, is one of the highlights of Peru.
Founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador, the “City of Kings” became the center of power and trade of the Spanish Crown. Today, Lima has a population of more than eight million, about a third of Peru‘s total population, and the seat of the national government. Across the capital are the country’s finest museums as well as its most creative restaurants – Peruvian cuisine has been a subject of growing international buzz for the past few years and many visitors are flocking to experience this city’s gastronomic offerings. The Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera, founded in 1926, has the world’s…
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