White House Rose Garden in Washington, D.C.

27 March 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Obama Family © flickr.com - The White House - Pete Souza

Obama Family © flickr.com – The White House – Pete Souza

The White House Rose Garden is a garden bordering the Oval Office and the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., United States. The garden is approximately 125 feet long and 60 feet wide (38 metres by 18 metres, or about 684m²). It balances the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden on the east side of the White House Complex. It is commonly used as a stage for receptions and media events due to its proximity to the White House.   read more…

Theme Week Liguria – Sestri Levante

26 March 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Jiuguang Wang/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Jiuguang Wang/cc-by-sa-3.0

Sestri Levante (Latin: Segesta Tigullorum/Segesta Tigulliorum) is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, Italy. Lying on the Mediterranean Sea, it is approximately 40 km (25 miles) south-east of Genoa and is set on a promontory. While nearby Portofino and the Cinque Terre are probably the best-known tourist destinations on the Italian Riviera, Sestri Levante has become popular among Italians. This once quiet fishing village has slowly turned into a tourist hotspot, developing an old and a new town. The people of Sestri Levante often use the expression: “Sestri è scialla”. This expression symbolizes the quiet nature of the city of Sestri Levante, known for its stunning views.   read more…

Portrait: John Law, a Scottish-French economist and financier

26 March 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Portrait Reading Time:  11 minutes

John Law by Casimir Balthazar © Rama

John Law by Casimir Balthazar © Rama

John Law was a Scottish-French economist and financier. He served as Controller General of Finances under Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was regent for the juvenile Louis XV of France, and promoted a novel financial scheme for French public finances known as Law’s System (French: le système de Law) with two institutions at its core, John Law’s Bank and John Law’s Company.   read more…

Theme Week Liguria – Varazze

25 March 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Sciamano7000/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Sciamano7000/cc-by-sa-4.0

Varazze (Ligurian: Väze) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region of Liguria, located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Genoa and about 11 kilometres (7 mi) northeast of Savona in the Riviera di Ponente. Nearby in the Ligurian Apennines is the Monte Beigua with its Natural Regional Park. Economy is predominantly based on the shipyards, yachting and tourism.   read more…

Langebaan in South Africa

25 March 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© flickr.com - Domenico Convertini/cc-by-sa-2.0

© flickr.com – Domenico Convertini/cc-by-sa-2.0

Langebaan is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa on the eastern shore of Langebaan Lagoon. Langebaan is situated 120 km north of Cape Town, just off the R27, about 28 km from Vredenburg and 20 km from Saldanha Bay. The Lagoon stretches for 17 km from Saldanha Bay, past Langebaan to Geelbek in the South. In places it is up to 4 km wide.   read more…

Theme Week Liguria

24 March 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  11 minutes

Portofino © Pierre-Selim Huard/cc-by-4.0

Portofino © Pierre-Selim Huard/cc-by-4.0

Liguria (Ligurian: Ligûria) is a region of north-western Italy; its capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennines mountain range and is roughly coextensive with the former territory of the Republic of Genoa. Liguria is bordered by France (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) to the west, Piedmont to the north, and Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany to the east. It rests on the Ligurian Sea, and has a population of 1,557,533. The region is part of the Alps–Mediterranean Euroregion.   read more…

Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal in Taiwan

24 March 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Cruise Ships Reading Time:  4 minutes

© Kaohsiung City Government

© Kaohsiung City Government

Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal is a cruise ship terminal located in Lingya District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan and is part of the Asia New Bay Area project. The building looks like a silver-white hull with a towering chimney. The total floor area is about 80,774 m² (869,440 sq ft). The upper part is made of steel frame structure, with 15 floors above ground and 2 floors underground.   read more…

Pastel de nata

23 March 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit Reading Time:  5 minutes

© flickr.com - Mon Œil/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Mon Œil/cc-by-2.0

Pastel de nata (plural: pastéis de nata) is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon. Outside Portugal, they are particularly popular in other parts of Western Europe, Asia and former Portuguese colonies, such as Brazil, Mozambique, Macau, Goa, Malacca and East Timor. The Macanese variant has been adopted by KFC and is available in regions such as mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore. In Indonesia, this pastry is especially popular in Kampung Tugu, Jakarta, a culturally Portuguese (Mardijker) enclave.   read more…

Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík

22 March 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Ziko van Dijk/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Ziko van Dijk/cc-by-sa-4.0

Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Hallgrímur) is a Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland. At 74.5 metres (244 ft) tall, it is the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest structures in the country. Known for its distinctively curved spire and side wings, it has been described as having become an important symbol for Iceland’s national identity since its completion in 1986. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and cleric Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614–1674), author of the Passion Hymns.   read more…

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