Athens

Catching up on my blogging. In my last few days in Sofia I had the chance to continue to explore the city but also to see some of the new buildings appearing in the area. This building caused me to do a double take. The next time you call for customer support you may be…

Being back in Greece is very much a breath of fresh air. Spending time walking along the water, exploring the many churches and enjoying the city.

My day started with a quick 20 min train ride to one of the southern suburbs of Turin, where standing high on a hill was Castello Moncalieri and the lovely historical centre that surrounds it. Originally built as a fortress for the Savoys in the 1100s, it was turned into a “pleasure residence” in the…

Continuing on exploring the grandeur of Turin. While I won’t get to all 14 of the residences from the Royal house of Savoy in the area, I did make out to one of the more opulent palaces and gardens. It was a short train ride away from Porta Susa, the train station I find I…

Located not far from the Paris city limits (where height restrictions wear off) is an area called La Defense. It has a history as a business centre dating back to 1958. According to Wikipedia: La Défense is Europe’s largest purpose-built business district, covering 560 hectares (1,400 acres), for 180,000 daily workers, with 72 glass and steel…

Turin is quite a grand city. If you look across the city’s history it starts to make sense. Home to the Duchy of Savoy in 1563 and it was Turin that was Italy’s first capital when it was united into a single country. While it only lasted from 1861 to 1865 the remnants of fortifications,…