Nevsky Cathedral

My last full day in Budapest so it was a chance to see St. Stephen’s Basilica. I also had the chance to take in a production of Swan Lake at the beautiful State Opera House. Just a stone’s throw from my apartment is the famous ruin bars. Initially created in buildings that were slated to…

Bucharest has a great botanical garden – this is a country that really seems to love its rose gardens. Also taking in a production of Verdi’s Don Carlo at the State Opera.

The Jardin D’Accilmatation sits between the Arc de Triomphe and La Defense and just above the large wooded Bois de Boulogne. It’s a lovely park, and I hadn’t realized also an amusement park. Getting ready for the day of the dead Sitting on the edge of the park is Foundation Louis Vuitton, a modern art…

Invalides is a complex which includes an army museum, the Cathedral of St Louis and the Domes des Invalides, containing tombs of significant French figures. It has also maintained its longstanding function as a retirement home for former soldiers. Its gold dome is visible from many parts of the city. It is most notably, the…

Having read some mixed reviews before coming to Athens, it’s been such a pleasant surprise. My neighbourhood is green, walkable and incredibly quiet at night. Even the metro is more orderly and spotless clean than I expected. I wandered through the lush and leafy National Gardens Then into the Psyri neighbourhood Little Kooks is an…

An early morning start up on Montmartre which still preserves some of its artistic roots. Saint Chapelle is the former royal chapel and known for its captivating 7200 square feet of stained glass. Next door at the bottom of the Palais de la Justice is the Conciergerie – a former prison which included the former…