Tutto Bene

Categories: Architecture · Art · Florence · Italy · TravelTags: · · · · · 1 Comment

“All is good“. Well, it is more than good! For serious art lovers, Florence is delightful and inspiring. I had to go back to my two favourite art institutions – the Uffizi Gallery and Galleria dell’Academia. Nothing beats making a reservation for both galleries in advance. For an extra 4EUR fee for each ticket, one gets to bypass the long queues. The Uffizi was uncrowded at 8:30 in the morning, which rewarded me with some serious solo time with the gallery’s masterpieces that included Boticelli’s Birth of Venus, Michaelangelo‘s Tondo Doni, and Piero della Francesca’s portraits of the Duke and Duchess…

New York

Categories: Accommodations · New York · Travel · USATags: · · 2 Comments

I’m in New York for three days.   For this trip, I stayed at Hyatt 48 Lex and was pleasantly surprised. This 3-year old hotel is not like the other standard flagged hotels. It is more of a boutique-hotel set up with only six rooms per floor and several original artwork throughout. There is a compact lobby on the ground level and a more comfortable lounge on the second floor.  One cannot complain much for a decently-priced hotel room located in midtown Manhattan.  

Shukran

Categories: Accommodations · Marrakech · Morocco · TravelTags: · · · · · · ·

To this day, I still say “Shukran” or Thank you to Morocco for an unforgettable experience three years ago. I hold fond memories of my journey through Marrakech and Central Morocco and here are some of the other sights to take in. For centuries, the unique and extraordinary square of Jemaa el Fna has been the centre of Marrakech. Meaning “Assembly of the Dead“, the name refers to when the square was a place of execution until the 19th century and severed heads were placed on display. Today, the open square is the heart of Marrakech. Every night, it fills with musicians, dancers, storytellers,…

Sahara

Categories: Central Morocco · Morocco · TravelTags: · · · · 2 Comments

It must have been a movie that I saw more than ten years ago that had me dreaming of traveling to the Sahara one day. Three years ago, I headed to Central Morocco to fulfill this dream — to the desert in Erg Chebbi, where the dunes can  reach up to 150 m or 492 ft high. Starting off in the late afternoon (to avoid the heat) at the town of Merzouga, I rode a camel for an hour and a half to arrive at a campground that has been set up in the middle of the desert. Mint tea was served and a delectable tagine dinner was prepared. This was followed by after-dinner…

Central Morocco

Categories: Central Morocco · Morocco · TravelTags: · · · · · · ·

The other side of the Atlas Mountains lies the Morocco that was reason I journeyed here three years ago — the desert! However, I first have to traverse through the High Atlas mountain pass of Tizi n’Tichka, through Dra Valley, Dades Gorge, and Todra Palmeraie. Along the way, I was greeted by fortress-like mud-walled kasbahs, palm-fringed oases, changing landscapes, and friendly turbaned nomads astride on their one-humped camels (dromedaries). Welcome to Central Morocco – a region of spectacular gorges, valleys and desert!   Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate is the former Glaoui Palace built in the 19th century and has 300 rooms and within…

Marrakech

Categories: Marrakech · Morocco · TravelTags: · · · · · 2 Comments

My first visit to the African continent was three years ago when I journeyed to Morocco. First stop: Marrakech. Marrakech is an imperial city full of sights, sounds, and tastes both ancient and modern. Located in northern Africa, Marrakech is a crossroads where sub-Saharan Africa meets Arabia and Europe. This Moroccan paradise is filled with beautiful architecture, artisan culture and mouth-watering cuisine. Known as “The Red City” for its rose-hued and ochre buildings, Marrakech attracts a high number of visitors looking for a unique experience.   The small botanical garden Jardin Majorelle was created in the 1920s by the French painter Jacques Majorelle.  Convalescing from tuberculosis, he went…

Recoleta

Categories: Accommodations · Argentina · Art · Buenos Aires · TravelTags: · · · · · · · ·

Adopted by upper-class porteños (or locals) after yellow fever broke out in San Telmo in 1871, the barrio of Recoleta has grown into a model of bourgeois refinement as one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires. Recoleta has a distinctly European feel with its French and Italian architecture, tree-lined streets, big-name international brand stores, restaurants and galleries and of course, the barrio’s famous cemetery — the Cemeterio de la Recoleta.   Cemeterio de la Recoleta has earned its reputation as one of the world’s great necropolis. Occupying an area of 14 acres, the Recoleta Cemetery is a labyrinth of more than 6,400 tombs and mausoleums…

Buenos Aires

Categories: Argentina · Buenos Aires · TravelTags: · · · · · ·

I have another friend asking for a travel recommendation and this time I suggested heading to Argentina. A few years ago, I traveled to South America for the very first time and I opted for Buenos Aires — this vibrant city leaves little room for disappointment. Buenos Aires’ neoclassical architecture, cafe culture, and international vibe give the city a strikingly European feel — as it is often referred to as “the Paris of South America“. But Buenos Aires is undeniably Argentine, with its tango salons called milongas, hip clothing and leather goods boutiques, and culinary focus on local staples such as Pampas grass-fed steak in many excellent parrillas (Argentine steakhouses),…

Cappadocia

Categories: Accommodations · Cappadocia · Türkiye · TravelTags: · · · · 2 Comments

A short one hour flight from Istanbul to central Turkey will bring you to the breathtaking region of Cappadocia. There are many other interesting cities to visit in Turkey, but during my trip a few years back, I decided to visit here instead. Often described as a lunar landscape or an open air sculpture, the erosion caused by wind and water that started 60 million years ago, carved out the topography in this area. It was also in this region that early Christians following the footsteps of St. Paul took refuge and established colonies in the area.   The Caravansaries (or “Caravan Palace“) were used as military bases during the wartime and…