Château Margaux and Château Lascombes in Margaux-Cantenac

29 April 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  18 minutes

Château Margaux © Benjamin Zingg/cc-by-sa-2.5

Château Margaux © Benjamin Zingg/cc-by-sa-2.5

Château Margaux, archaically La Mothe de Margaux, is a wine estate of Bordeaux wine, and was one of four wines to achieve Premier cru (first growth) status in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. The estate’s best wines are very expensive, with a standard-sized bottle of the Château Margaux grand vin retailing at an average price of $639. The estate is located in the commune of Margaux on the left bank of the Garonne estuary in the Médoc region, in the département of Gironde, and the wine is delimited to the AOC of Margaux. The estate also produces a second wine named Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, a third wine named Margaux de Château Margaux, as well as a dry white wine named Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux which does not conform to the Margaux appellation directives.   read more…

Theme Week India – New Delhi

27 April 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  16 minutes

India Gate © Utkarsharma97/cc-by-sa-4.0

India Gate © Utkarsharma97/cc-by-sa-4.0

New Delhi is an urban district of Delhi which serves as the capital of India and seat of all three branches of the Government of India. The foundation stone of the city was laid by Emperor George V during the Delhi Durbar of 1911. It was designed by British architects, Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker. The new capital was inaugurated on 13 February 1931, by Viceroy and Governor-General of India Lord Irwin. Although colloquially Delhi and New Delhi are used interchangeably to refer to the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), these are two distinct entities, with New Delhi forming a small part of Delhi (Old Delhi). The National Capital Region is a much larger entity comprising the entire NCT along with adjoining districts in neighboring states.   read more…

Theme Week India – Mumbai

26 April 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  13 minutes

Taj Mahal Hotel © QuartierLatin1968/cc-by-2.5

Taj Mahal Hotel Palace © QuartierLatin1968/cc-by-2.5

Mumbai, also known as Bombay /the official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. As of 2011 it is the most populous city in India with an estimated city proper population of 12.4 million. The larger Mumbai Metropolitan Region is the second most populous metropolitan area in India, with a population of 21.3 million as of 2016< Mumbai lies on the Konkan coast on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named an alpha world city. It is also the wealthiest city in India, and has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires among all cities in India. Mumbai is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Elephanta Caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and the city’s distinctive ensemble of Victorian and Art Deco buildings.   read more…

Chatsworth House

26 April 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  25 minutes

Emperor's Fountain © Kev747

Emperor’s Fountain © Kev747

Chatsworth House is a stately home in Derbyshire, England, in the Derbyshire Dales 3.5 miles (5.6 km) northeast of Bakewell and 9 miles (14 km) west of Chesterfield. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has been home to the Cavendish family since 1549. Standing on the east bank of the River Derwent, Chatsworth looks across to the low hills that divide the Derwent and Wye valleys. The house, set in expansive parkland and backed by wooded, rocky hills rising to heather moorland, contains an important collection of paintings, furniture, Old Master drawings, neoclassical sculptures, books and other artefacts. Chatsworth has been selected as the United Kingdom’s favourite country house several times.   read more…

Theme Week India – Hyderabad

25 April 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  11 minutes

Charminar Bazar, Mekkah Masjid, Nizamia Unani hospital and Laad Bazaar © Vivekanand pokala/cc-by-sa-4.0

Charminar Bazar, Mekkah Masjid, Nizamia Unani hospital and Laad Bazaar © Vivekanand pokala/cc-by-sa-4.0

Hyderabad is the capital of the Indian state of Telangana and de jure capital of Andhra Pradesh. Occupying 650 square kilometres (250 sq mi) along the banks of the Musi River, it has a population of about 6.9 million and a metropolitan population of about 7.75 million, making it the fourth most populous city and sixth most populous urban agglomeration in India. At an average altitude of 542 metres (1,778 ft), much of Hyderabad is situated on hilly terrain around artificial lakes, including Hussain Sagar—predating the city’s founding—north of the city centre.   read more…

Theme Week India – Bangalore

24 April 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  12 minutes

Bangalore Palace © Nikkul/cc-by-sa-3.0

Bangalore Palace © Nikkul/cc-by-sa-3.0

Bangalore, officially known as Bengaluru, is the capital city of Karnataka. It has a population of over ten million, making it a megacity and the third most populous city and fifth most populous urban agglomeration in India. It is located in southern India on the Deccan Plateau at an elevation of over 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level, which is the highest among India’s major cities. It reflects its multireligious and cosmopolitan character by its more than 1000 temples, 400 mosques, 100 churches, 40 Jain derasars, three Sikhgurdwaras, two Buddhist viharas and one Parsi fire temple located in an area of 741 km² of the metropolis. The religious places are further represented to include the few members of the Jewish community who are making their presence known through the Chabad that they propose to establish in Bengaluru and the fairly large number of Bahá’ís whose presence is registered with a society called the Bahá’í Centre.   read more…

Portrait: The street artist, vandal, political activist, and film director Banksy

24 April 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Hotels, Portrait Reading Time:  8 minutes

Dover - Brexit by Banksy © Paul Bissegger/cc-by-sa-4.0

Dover – Brexit by Banksy © Paul Bissegger/cc-by-sa-4.0

Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist, vandal, political activist, and film director. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. Banksy’s work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy says that he was inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist who later became a founding member of the English musical group Massive Attack.   read more…

Theme Week India – Chennai

23 April 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  25 minutes

Chennai Film City © Mainaksinghabarma/cc-by-sa-4.0

Chennai Film City © Mainaksinghabarma/cc-by-sa-4.0

Madras, also known by its former name Madras, is the capital of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, it is the biggest cultural, economic and educational centre of south India. According to the 2011 Indian census, it is the sixth most populous city and fourth-most populous urban agglomeration in India. The city together with the adjoining regions constitute the Chennai Metropolitan Area, which is the 36th-largest urban area by population in the world. Chennai is among the most visited Indian cities by foreign tourists. It was ranked the 43rd most visited city in the world for the year 2015. The Quality of Living Survey rated Chennai as the safest city in India. Chennai attracts 45 percent of health tourists visiting India, and 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists. As such, it is termed “India’s health capital”. As a growing metropolitan city in a developing country, Chennai confronts substantial pollution and other logistical and socio-economic problems.   read more…

Theme Week India

22 April 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  23 minutes

Jal Mahal of Jaipur © Labhanshi Mittal/cc-by-sa-4.0

Jal Mahal of Jaipur © Labhanshi Mittal/cc-by-sa-4.0

India (Bhārat), also known as the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh largest country by area and with more than 1.3 billion people, it is the second most populous country and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.   read more…

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