“Most of the time I am sunk in thought, but at some point on each walk there comes a moment when I look up and notice, with a kind of first-time astonishment, the amazing complex delicacy of the woods, the casual ease with which elemental things come together to form a composition that is ― […]

Trompe-l'oeil (optical illusion) art works in Nice, France

Located in the heart of the French Riviera, Nice has a lot going for it. Warm, sunny summers; short, mild winters; two world-class art galleries; great food; and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Tens of thousands of tourists come each year, but most don’t even notice that some of the most impressive works of art are […]

Plage du Ricanto, Corsica

Plage du Ricanto on the southwestern side of the Isle of Corsica. Tourists flock to this narrow sandy beach not far from downtown Ajaccio during the summer season. And yet when I visited the first week of September, I had the warm sand and calm, shallow waters almost all to myself. The only minor downside […]

Replica of the HM Endeavour, the ship that brought the first European colonists to Australia.

Replica of the HMS Endeavour that Captain Cook sailed into Botany Bay (Sydney) in 1770. Cook’s “discovery” of Australia was a huge surprise to the local aboriginal tribes. Until he arrived, they hadn’t realized Australia was missing. This replica is part of the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney. Entrance to the main […]

Memorial to French WWI flying ace Georges Guynemer in Nice France

Memorial to Georges Guynemer, French top flying ace in World War I.  Although his flying career spanned only two years, he managed to shoot down 54 enemy aircraft in that time. By the time of his death in 1917 at the age of 22, he had become a national hero. In addition to his remarkable […]

Indoor skiing in Dubai

Ski Dubai is quite an anomaly in a country where the average temperature in August is 107F (42C). Even in mid-winter, nightly temperatures hover around 59F (15C), so it’s not a place you would expect to find snow. Located inside the Mall of the Emirates, this mini ski field maintains a constant temperature of around 32F […]