For some beautiful Summer hiking and tranquil nature in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, the small town of Berdorf is a great spot. Berdorf (Bäerdref in Luxembourgish) is located on a plateau that overlooks the valleys of the Black Ernz, the Sure and the Aesbach. On the plateau areas much farmland is located, while the valleys are densely forested. Berdorf is …
My favourite chant at the Iguazu Falls, on the Argentine side, by a troupe of local buskers. They were jolly, but visibly tired at the end of a warm day. Visiting the Iguazu Falls, experiencing the scale of the falls and cataracts and the thundering sounds, together with the natural setting of the subtropical Alto Paraná Atlantic forest, is …
Chefchaouen, also called Chaouen, is a town located in the north of Morocco in the Rif Mountains (شفشاون/الشاون in Arabic). It has become a popular tourist destination as it is one of its kind, with the houses painted in shades of blue. Chefchaouen has an old town, the maze-like medina, and a new city, to its western side. …
The Shinan Islands – or the ‘1,004 Islands’ – are located in the southwest of South Korea, in Sinan County (Sinan-gun), which is a part of the South Jeolla Province. In the fall, as tourism slows down on the islands, the harvest season sets in. It becomes a wonderful contemplative environment during that time, with a …
The Chinar, the Oriental (Eastern) Plane tree (Platanus orientalis), is living heritage of Kashmir. It is a majestic tree that can be found throughout the landscape of the valley, hillsides and cities. The oldest found Chinar is thought to have been planted in the year 1374. Their number has since the 1970s been in a steady decline with over 25,000 trees …
The International Seminar on ‘Mughal Gardens of Kashmir: Towards the UNESCO World Heritage Nomination’ was held in Srinagar at the University of Kashmir from 14 to 16 May 2011 and was the first international seminar on these famed gardens. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Jammu and Kashmir Chapter (INTACH J&K), in …
The documentary Caracas: The Informal City, directed by Rob Schröder, follows the Caracas-based architects Alfredo Brillembourg and Hubert Klumpner. The documentary is a couple years old (released in 2007), but remains a fascinating sample of the challenges that exist in mega-cities across the world. It shows the informal urban development that can be seen in many developing countries …
