Life is a journey

We’ve already had our trip around the world with the striking photoart of Corinne Vionnet and maybe some of you heard of “Le Flâneur”, a stunning video of Paris created by combining 2,000 photos of the city of love by night. And now, within my arm-chair wanderlust last night, I came across “Around the world in 2000 pictures”, a photo journey through 8 cities. Photographer and video artist Alex Profit provides us with a walk through Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo, St. Petersburg, London, Berlin, Shanghai and New York (which isn’t a real world trip as all of you Travelettes will know, but we’ll leave that aside…). Especially the segues between cities are really well done and the fact that there are absolutely no people on the photographs leaves me with a slight imagination of how much effort he must have put into the postproduction, as I know shooting in busy Barcelona very well. Have a look at the video below, but beware: It will curse you with ...

It is spring and we will not have enough of those flowery, fragrant parks, gardens and even streets! Of course nature is waking up, but what about our cities? There are lush corners as well. And cherry blossoms are winning the competition, being the most popular urban plant. However, there are two surprises for you in this list, so check it out right away. 10. Amsterdam, The Netherlands One can find blooming cherry trees all around the Dutch capital, but it is especially dense with them in the Amsterdamse Bos. The English park is about three times the size of Central Park! There is this lane of sakuras that makes it a really romantic place to visit in spring once in the area. When to go there? It is estimated that the festival will take place from April 11 this year. Photo by Invivo Oz Photo by Amsterdamian Photo by Amsterdamian Photo by Amsterdamian 9. Vilnius, Lithuania The historic capital becomes especially beautiful in spring – the locals are very proud of its lush green...

While visiting Emilia-Romagna, we spent two nights in Rimini at the duoMo hotel. I’ve stayed at a lot of interesting and wacky hotels in my life…but nothing tops the duoMo for the sheer coolness factor. Is this not the coolest front desk you have ever seen?!  I felt like a geek taking pictures of it…but seriously! Step off the elevator and you’re greeted by these graffiti-style mirrored room numbers. Each floor has an honesty bar filled with beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.  Take a drink, write your name down on the clipboard, and you’ll be charged at the end of your stay! Is it charming or naive?  Apparently it works well for them. The front entrance to the room, also known as AdventurousKate.com’s Rimini office…   The bed, desk and flat-screen… Most impressive was the bathroom, complete with an incredibly deep bathtub and what I dubbed a “Jetsons toilet.” I hate to admit this, but I kind of ...

The streets of Yangon, formerly Rangoon, were bustling, full of vendors selling eggs, freshly dyed clothing, gold jewelry, live snakes, sugar cane juice, tobacco, velvet slippers, vegetables, toys, mirrors, maps, books, goldfish, tea – almost anything you could imagine. Men (and only men) rode by on bicycles, their traditional lungi flapping in the wind. Women walked with great ease with large packages on their heads, weaving in and out of the crowds of others shopping, strolling, and chatting. Kids in school uniforms laughed and waited for the bus, enjoying the beginnings of spring. And everywhere we went, we saw smiles, we shook hands, we were embraced and welcomed moreso than I had been in any other country. For all that its people have been through, Myanmar was a place of kindness, generosity, and peace. I would love to go back.