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Cuba: Famous places connected to Fidel Castro and his revolution
After the news of Fidel Castro passing away, I cannot resist not to publish this impromptu blog post. I am not going to write about the history and his biography. You can now find a lot of articles related to all this in the media.
Discovering Cuba in 14 days
What do you know about Cuba? That was my first question after deciding on my next trip destination. Now after my return back I have to admit, I knew a little about this beautiful island between the Atlantic ocean and Caribbean. I knew Havana is the capital city, people speak Spanish,
UAE: Looking into the future during a visit to Masdar city
Masdar City is a few minutes drive from the international airport in Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates. If you are interested in energy and sustainable future, then the place is worth visiting also while on a few hours stopover on Abu Dhabi airport.
Dubai Dancing Fountain
One of my favourite spots in Dubai is the Dancing fountain on a lake surrounded by the Dubai Mall, the Address hotel, the Souk and the Burj Khalifa. Every 30 minutes or so, a beautiful spectacle dazes a lot of tourists and locals alike.
Drawing: Colour and More Colour with Dry Pastel
Coloured pencil drawing is easy, but I prefer more intense colours. So next came dry pastel. A technique that can ...
A day trip to Brighton, UK
Photos of my visit to Brighton, a seaside city in the south of the UK, reachable in a little over an hour by train from London.
Drawing: Starting with Colours
After early images made by a simple pencil or with graphite pencil, I wanted to use more colours. Color theory and color wheel was easy to understand.
Visiting south of Sri Lanka? Try safari in one of the national parks
If you would like to see elephants, buffaloes or leopards, Sri Lankan national parks are also a place to go to. In fact, elephant (and other wild animal and bird) watching in Sri Lanka is a similar business as a safari in Africa.
Drawing: How I learnt how to draw
I always wanted to draw. The problem was, my drawings were always a disaster. :-) Until I discovered ...
5 reasons for visiting Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka was not originally among countries I always dreamed to travel to, like Jordan, Italy, France or Norway, for example. The country appeared on my travel bucket list more by a chance. First, one of my best friends entertained the idea of visiting Sri Lanka, but this was just around the time the peace agreement between the government and Tamil Tigers had been signed and I did not consider visiting the country safe, yet. Several years later I moved to Abu Dhabi and researched Sri Lanka for my list of "safe-and-easy-to-reach" travel destinations. And after talking about the country with my fantastic colleagues who either were born on the…
Seychelles not only for ultra-rich
Seychelles are well known as a veeery expensive holiday for the ultra rich, but not need to be.
Turkey: What to do during a weekend break in Istanbul
Istanbul seems to be an ideal destination for a longer weekend. It is the largest city in Turkey, spreading on both shores of the Bosporus, on two continents – Europe and Asia. Actually almost everything in Istanbul, from architecture, culture, religion to cuisine, is a mix between european and arabic origin. There are catholic churches, orthodox basilicas and islamic mosques close to each other. The largest of them, Hagia Sophia, served as an orthodox basilica, catholic church and an islamic mosque. Of course, each in a different time period.
Nepal: Remembering Nepal before the April 2015 eathquake
I have visited Nepal in October 2014. This fast paced 9-day trip was actually a surprising birthday present from my fantastic friends and colleagues in Abu Dhabi (huge thanks to all those involved!). And the time there was no less fantastic and I cherish a lot of great memories. So felt really sorry when I heard about the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the country in late April.
Seychelles: The paradise?
Many consider Seychelles, a grouping of some 100 islands at the equator off the East Africa, a paradise on earth. After experiencing sunshine most of the day, temperatures of around 32 degrees in shade, pristine almost empty beaches, azure sea, great spots for snorkeling, dense green rainforest hills, beautiful waterfalls, breathtaking views, delicious food and smiling and helpful people, I would say they are not quite off, but I would add Maldives as a strong contender.
UAE: High in the SKY
During my numerous visits to Dubai, I often looked out to the 828 m tall Burj Khalifa, which is the highest building in the world. Although I often went shopping to the adjacent Dubai Mall, I did not feel the urge to got up the tower only until it was clear I will be leaving the UAE.
UAE: Weekend in Abu Dhabi
Most recent ultra short visit from a friend inspired me to write this short post summarising what to expect from Abu Dhabi. Not only Dubai has some breath-taking views.
Jordan: Around the country in five days
My last minute trip to Jordan to visit the Red Sea, Wadi Rum desert, ancient city of Petra, crusader's castle Karak, Moses' Mt. Nebo or dip in the Dead Sea was meant as a necessary relax after an intensive time at work. Peak season in Jordan is usually in spring or autumn, in the winter it is quite cold and in summer quite warm. However, that is relative.
UAE: About Dubai
I cannot believe I have not written about Dubai yet. Truth is, it took some time to arrange my visit, but I admit I love the city. It is so different than Abu Dhabi. Livelier and historical, but also more western and megalomaniac. Here is a quick photographic documentary, I will revert with more details later. I like the old quarters, Bur Dubai, the most. From smelly abras sailing across the Creek, traditional souks with pushy sellers, narrow winding streets and old open air museum.
UAE: The white-blue mosque
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The contrast of white and blue colours is exquisite. The building made of snow-white marble is surrounded by blue water basins and the almost always blue skies, the sun and the dramatic lightning changing with the moon phases during the nights offer breath-taking view. Such is the largest mosque in the UAE.
UAE: Mountainous Hatta
Hatta is a small Dubai enclave often visited on one or more day trips from Dubai. It’s main attraction is cooler and drier climate, especially during the summer months. The road to Hatta leads through a picturesque desert with red sand and dunes with Hajar mountains rising high just few kilometers from Omani borders. The tallest peak is a 1311 m Jebel Hatta.
Oman: Weekend trip to Muscat
Oman again. I happily admit I really like Oman mostly because of its nature strongly contrasting the UAE. The Emirates, that‘s palm trees, desert and camels. Oman, that’s palm trees, mountains and goats. I will write more about the country itself later, let’s focus on the capital city now.
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