Fortress and Byzantine Culture

Coming out of the shadows of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Tirana is a youthful feeling city with with one eye keenly on the future. Originally opened as a museum and conference centre under communist rule, the Tirana Pyramid had staircases installed on the outside of it and now provides great views across the city. The…

The Acropolis (high city) is very much the centre of Athens figuratively and literally. Standing for 2500 years on a rocky outcrop it has endured through the centuries. In more recent years they have opened its own museum which is useful in better understanding the site, its history and the decorative elements that were part…

I am finding my own suburb, Boulogne-Billancourt to be incredible charming. The majority of buildings seem to be from the 1920s and 30s so there is a strong art deco feel. Across the Seine, heading towards Paris is the area of Javel and the Andre Citroen Park. A beautiful park sitting next to the sleek…

Less than a minute’s walk outside my apartment, it was market day today. I had seen the no parking signs go up the day before and they don’t mess around here in Athens. I was a huge market spanning several closed streets with endless fruits and vegetables, the occasional olives, nuts and dry beans. From…

One of the most recognized sights in Paris and opera houses in the world, the Opera Garnier celebrates 150 years in 2025. This is also the theatre that was the inspiration for Gaston LeRoux’s Phantom of the Opera. I took a guided tour which was excellent. This was an opera house not built for acoustics…

Leave it to British aIrways to provide a most British experience. From “a very good evening to you ladies and gentlemen…” to the newest safety video “May One Haveth one’s Attention”. On the flight from London to Paris: “Sir would you like a scone? A fruit scone or a plain scone? What kind of scone…