TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

When we think of gourmet Switzerland, what quickly comes to mind are cheese, chocolate, more cheeses and more chocolates... but... not wine? Definitely not wine. I’ve never really heard of Swiss wines, well, except for Lugano white wine in the Italian part of the country—understandable, but Swiss wine in general? N.A.H. The red wine I had for my only Swiss dinner of a portion of raclette was nowhere near satisfying. I think the Swiss should best keep their hands busy in the dairy and confectionery department. Having said all that, I was really surprised to read about the ‘Lavaux Vineyard Terraces’ in Vaud. Facing Lake Geneva and the Rhone-Alpes of France, and stretching 30 kilometers of fantastic rolling hills of scenic vineyard terraces partitioned by prehistoric stone walls will leave any visitor passing through this exquisite wonder gaping in awe. This UNESCO world heritage site is simply breathtaking! My fotos and the video below will never do justice to its unique beauty. S...

With the win against Slovakia this afternoon, the Netherlands’ Oranje Team are on to the Quarter Finals of the Football World Cup 2010 in South Africa! I’ve become a football fan this season and the Dutchman just can’t believe it haha. He’s not really into football but he watches the important games like the European Championship and the World Cup for example. Other than that he doesn’t really care much and wouldn’t be caught dead wearing orange and flying the Dutch flag during a football match. There will be more orange fever and orange madness coming soon in this country, and I know for sure the supermarkets will go crazy on their orange giveaways, as well as the advertisements on TV will just get worse. I’m a fan of Dutch advertising and marketing, they really embrace the concept of guerilla marketing, with a touch of sarcasm. Can’t wait! .

I finally have a new camera! Wahoo! A Sony Cybershot HX5V with built-in GPS, 10x optic pocket super-zooming capability and tadaaah—panoramic feature. For a test drive, we went to Scheveningen Beach yesterday and did some panoramic fotos. Scheveningen beach, the beach clubs and the Pier. I will be doing more tests with this camera soon in other places, with the weather warm—not a fan though if it gets too warm, I will be definitely taking some days to drive down to Belgium in the Walloon area or maybe head east to Germany. I’m tempted to fly down to the south of France as well but since I’m going for a long needed summer relaxation holiday with the Dutchman soon, I’ll reserve this for later. Did you like the panoramic shots? Here is a vertical shot of moi at the pier =) At any rate, I am very happy with the Sony Cybershot HX5V and the only complain we have for this is the lifespan of the battery and the sound. The battery cannot handle continuous filming and the s...

There are two main attractions nearby Krakow that visitors shouldn’t miss: Auschwitz Concentration Camps and the Wieliczka underground Salt Mine. Both are UNESCO world heritage sites and the tours take half a day only. They are easily booked in the many tourist points in Krakow and all you need to do is compare prices and the schedule that best fits your holiday. Wieliczka Salt Mine is located not very far from Krakow. It is one of the oldest salt mines in the world. Since the 17th century, the mine was producing table salt, and only until 1996 when the commercial operation stopped. Nowadays, being a UNESCO world heritage site, the salt mine serves as a major tourist attraction of the Lesser Poland region boasting of sculptures and an underground cathedral hand crafted from rock salt by the miners. I took the afternoon tour. Our group descended the mine cave via wooden stairs, 378 steps in total, and quite a long hike down really but for the unfit, there is a lift. After reaching preci...

If you are a follower of this blog, you would know of my undying love for art & architecture. I am drawn to beautiful and ingeniously designed old buildings and I can stare at their characteristic details for a long time. When I am traveling, this is one of my highlights that I look forward to, however, the downside to this is my ever compulsive desire to take fotos =) Here are some of my favorite Brussels art & architecture fotos and some more... Brussels Grote Markt (Grand Place), the main town square is a UNESCO world heritage site. On left foto are the famous guild houses and on the right is the City Hall of Brussels dating back to the early 15th century and looking like a palace Brussels Grote Markt (Grand Place): art, details, architecture.... Flemish-Italian style. Brussels Grote Markt (Grand Place): view from a cafe terrace across the square, the impressive big building is the Broodhuis (translation: Breadhouse) that houses the City Museum as well. Right foto is a charm...

Still on Brussels... I didn’t get the chance to follow the comic strip trail that Brussels is famous for, however, I managed to see and snapped a few shots of the comic strip murals! Brussels' Comic Strip Mural: left is TinTin (Mur BD) and right is Victor Sackville (Mur BD). Brussels' Comic Strip Mural: left is Broussaille (Mur BD) and right is Le Passage (Mur BD). Brussels, Belgium took post-war Europe on a whirlwind comic strip spin of the adventures of homegrown characters such as Tintin and Spirou, and later, Corentin, Blake and Mortimer, Lucky Luke, Buck Danny, Asterix, Johan and Pirlouit. The comic characters were very popular back then. Nowadays, Brussels boast of its rich comic strip history, there are 4 museums dedicated to comic strip art and dozens of comic book and merchandising shops can be found in the city. Here is a map of the Comic Strip Trail in Brussels with fotos and explanations of the comic strip murals. The tour includes 31 murals at the mo...