travel – Notes from the Cape

Published November 30, 2024

Victoria memorial

Although the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, built in honour of Queen Victoria is a relic of the colonial British era, it’s still lovely to visit. It’s a quiet oasis from the busy and noisy city, and you will see plenty of locals and tourists walking the gardens, or visiting the cool interior.

In India, you constantly see a mixture of colonial heritage, Hindu tradition and the modern city. It’s confusing yet somehow seems to work. I suspect that no matter how often you travel to India, you’ll never fully understand India.

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Published January 5, 2019

More running in Nafplio

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In my last post I showed you the lovely walkway in Nafplio. If you turn right at the end of the walkway (instead of heading left back into town), you find yourself on a lovely trail which is perfect for an evening run.

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Be careful though, it is much tougher (and longer) than the walkway; even though it follows the cliff there are lots of steep uphills and downhills, but if I lived in Nafplio it could easily become one of my regular route. And if you’re brave you can run up some very steep switchbacks from the beach to the top of the hill – all the way to the fortress.

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Published November 30, 2017

The Palace on the Water

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The Palace on the Water, or Lazienki Palace in Polish, is in the middle of Warsaw Baths Park. It was originally built as a bath house, and later converted into a private residence.

It is build on an artificial island in the middle of the lake, dividing the lake into 2. I (quite literally) ran across it while going for a long run in Warsaw. The surrounding park has many spots where you can have a nice picnic, or just sit on the grass while admiring the facade of the palace.

Of historical interest it is one of the few buildings that was not destroyed in World War 2. The German army drilled holes in the walls to blow it, but never got around to it.

The palace is open to visitors.

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Published December 20, 2016

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus was build in 161 AD, and is still used as a theatre today. That probably makes it one of the oldest theatre in the world. The oldest is the Theatre of Dionysius – right next door, If you walk to the top of the Acropolis you will see a wonderful view of the theatre.

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Published November 15, 2016

Barcelona Cathedral

The Barcelona Cathedral is a typical gothic cathedral with its tall detailed columns stretching up to the sky, spreading outwards like upside down tree routes to form the vaulted ceiling. When we were in Barcelona I visited the cathedral many times. Partly because it was so awe-inspiring to stand under that roof, and partly because it was about 100m from our apartment. Every hour we heard the bells of the cathedral beat out the time, and after a while it became almost reassuring to hear the bells as I drifted off to sleep after spending an evening wondering around the gothic quarter of Barcelona.

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Published November 10, 2016

Horse and carriages in Vienna

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It is a little touristy, but it is rather relaxing to explore a city riding in an elegant horse carriage. Vienna is one of the many cities where you can do so, pretending that you are the gentry being driven around the city.

In fact in Vienna they even have horse carriage rides at the Central Cemetery. The Cemetery is massive – just under 500 acres, so its not a bad idea at all.

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Published August 15, 2016

Olive trees in Greece

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You cannot go anywhere in Greece without seeing an olive tree. They grow in the middle of the sidewalks in Athens, in people’s gardens, and in Olive Groves all over the landscape.

I found this particular olive grove just outside Vagia, a small village on the island of Aegina. There were probably about 20 olive trees – neatly spaces apart and well maintained.

It looks like the perfect spot to take a bottle of local wine, some cheese, a book and a blanket. Although I am sure that would have resulted in a grumpy landowner.

But still, a lovely spot to spend a few minutes.

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Published August 10, 2016

Arabian Desert

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Something you have to do if you spend a few day in Dubai is to go for a desert excursion. Most of the excursions follow the same pattern. A 4×4 collects you from your hotel, you drive around and explore the desert for a bit. Then you have dinner at an outdoor restaurant where you enjoy (somewhat) traditional food and dancing, and have the option of a camel ride.

While the trip is a little touristy, the Arabian Desert is really beautiful, and it’s cooler than the city! The desert sunsets are magnificent, with beautiful golden colours as the sun touches the sand, and the heat of the day drops into a cooler evening.

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Published March 19, 2014