A disappointing riad
Our Morocco trip has finally reached Marrakesh, our final base. Marrakesh is the most bustling and chaotic city we’ve visited so far. As we entered the city, the traffic was extremely chaotic. Motorcycles…
Marrakesh
Its only redeeming feature is its spaciousness
In Casablanca, Morocco, we stayed in a regular hotel for the first time on this trip. Up until then (and going forward), we had always stayed in riads. The hotel was the Melliber…
Inside a modern, massive mosque
The tour of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco, has begun. The young man who guided us in English was very capable and interesting. Hassan II was the father of the current…
A fine hotel
We stayed at Central Park Hotel in Sighisoara in Romania, which is located just outside of the wall. It is a very nice hotel. According to the leaflet in the room, this…
Alfama in Lisbon
Alfama area in Lisbon is the oldest part of the city. When you enter here, you feel as if you were walking in a three dimensional maze. Sometimes you would come across small…
Concert
We went to a classical concert held in Barbican Centre in east London. When we had a lovely cultural holiday in Dresden in Germany this summer, I thought we should have more…
Stay in a Ryokan
This is my friend, Bangly’s posting. In the touristic town of Kotohira, in Kagawa prefecture, I stayed one night in a tipical Japanese hotel (Ryokan), called Tsuruya. My Japanese friend Shogo, who accompanied...
Knives and Baskets
When we were walking in Castelsardo, a town in the north of Sardinia in Italy, we noticed that there were many shops selling knives with sharp blades and colourful handles. The...
Emirates airlines
Emirates is an airline based at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to the company’s official website, On 25th October 1985, Emirates flew its first routes out of Dubai with just two...
the market full of vitality in Lanzhou
Coming back from Xiahe in Gansu province in China, which was a completely another world, we stayed in a hotel called Yinbin Hotel in Lanzhou which cost 140 yuan ($1 = 8.28...
The strain of a sudden rise in popularity
We stayed at the Grand White City Hotel in Berat, Albania. The name Berat apparently comes from the word meaning “white town”. I’m sure it was the same in Belgrade, Serbia, too. The...
Lunch and Decorative Plate
The last thing in our Amalfi Coast tour in southern Italy was late lunch. The guide took us to a restaurant called Calajanara in Conca dei Marini where there is an “Emerald...
They are frogs
We went to a restaurant called Antica Trattoria Ferrari in Pavia, a town about 35 km south of Milan. A small waiter is working there with pride. I wanted to order something...
To unknown Tuscany
Our journey in Italy continues. We wanted to go to Tuscany for the first time in a while, but as we learned from our trip to Lake Como in April, famous places were...
