Tag Archives: arts and crafts A castle, cheese, wine and chocolate: what’s not to love about Gruyères? We were meant to be hiking around Leysin in the Swiss Alps, but it was raining, and had been for days. We went through the guide books and asked locals about alternative amusements (q.v.: A Trip to the Salt Mines). The medieval town of Gruyères was three train-hops away […]  “Same, same… but different.” This common Thai expression is one that perfectly sums up my perception of markets in Southeast Asia: they are the “same”, in that they are all densely packed environments full of colours, people, sounds, smells and (usually) oppressive heat. Often wet and uneven underfoot, they are a warren of activity that can be […]  Gulangyu. “Drum Wave Islet”. Named for the sound that the waves make as they roll off the Taiwan Strait and hit the off-shore reefs and rocks, Gulangyu Island is a delightful place. Just a short ferry ride from downtown Xiamen, in the south east of the People’s Republic of China, it is a popular destination for local visitors. Gulangyu’s charming pedestrian-only streets are filled with traditional […]  Exploring Jersey, that compact British Crown Dependency just off the coast of Normandy, is like walking into a living history book. Every corner of the island tells a story of significant historical importance. Take Mont Orgueil on the east coast, for example: The Duchy of Normandy, which included extensive lands in what is now north-western France, as well […]  There is something universal about the search for beauty. We may not agree on what “beauty” is – indeed, Western philosophy has argued conceptions of beauty extensively over time – but we all seek to surround ourselves with objects that are not merely functional, but are also aesthetically pleasing. One of the many joys of […] |
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