Travelogger

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.

5 Top Architectural Destinations Around the Globe

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Since before the creation of the pyramids, man has been mesmerized by architecture. Architecture is the ultimate in demonstrating man’s creativity and innovation. It is understandable then, when you consider building your own home, that you want to pull tips and tricks from the greatest architects around the globe.

A great way to build your ideas and get a feel for different structures is through travel. Around the globe are incredible feats of architectural achievement, that can only truly be experienced in person. Before you begin a build of large proportions, take time to visit some of these architectural giants around the world. You will get a better feel for your likes and dislikes and may find a completely new muse. [Read more…]

Enjoy the Winter in Copenhagen

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Winter is full of magic and adventure for most, and if you’re looking for an interesting place to spend this year’s snowy season, you may want to give Copenhagen a try. It may definitely not be on the top of your list of ideas, but only those who’ve visited Copenhagen during one of its winters know how magical the whole experience can be, and how much joy it can bring into your holidays – so really, if you haven’t been to Copenhagen in the winter yet, now’s the time to check it out!

Copenhagen really changes during the winter – there are a lot of places to visit and things to see, so if you’re looking to make this holiday an interesting one, look no further. You should definitely start your search with the Tivoli Christmas market – apart from being the perfect location to do your obligatory gift shopping, it can also offer you a variety of popular Danish treats and really load you up with that good old Christmas spirit.

Try the Cisternerne museum of modern glass art as well – even if you’re not into art that much, it still offers plenty of interesting exhibitions to see and you never know when your appreciation for high-grade art might sparkle and get you to discover your new favorite form of art! Just make sure you don’t spend all your time in here, as the museum certainly offers a lot to see – but Copenhagen does too, and it’s waiting for you to discover all its unique secrets!

Travellers: David Livingstones

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Born in 1813, David Livingstone was a Scottish explorer and missionary and doctor who walked across Africa from coast to coast before there were any roads, bridges, hospitals or shops. He survived fevers and infections, attacks by wild animals and Muslim slave traders.

Livingstone was the first person to bring medicine and Christian gospels to many remote regions of Central Africa. His travels covered one-third of the continent, from the Cape to near the Equator, and from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.

Livingstone was raised in poverty; the family of nine lived in a single room in a Lanarkshire cotton mill tenement. In 1838 he went to London to offer his services as a medical missionary to the London Missionary Society (LMS), which he chose because of its nonsectarian character. Livingstone was a devote evangelical Christian; his own conversion came when he realized that faith and science were compatible.

In 1840 he received his medical license, was ordained, and set sail for Cape Town. His first assignment was in Bachuanaland (now Botswana), where he was to found a mission station north of Moffat’s. Here he began what was to become his standard practice. He traveled into the interior and stayed with the local people until he learned their languages, preaching and studying the botany and natural history of the area. In 1844 he was badly mauled by a lion, so that he was forced afterward to fire his rifle from his left shoulder.

Livingstone embarked on a series of long explorations that were unprecedented at the time and that would take up the rest of his life. His determination was clear: “I shall open up a path into the interior or perish,” he said. Livingstone was convinced that Christianity, commerce, and civilization would deliver Africa from slavery and barbarism. In 1856 he returned to England and was awarded by Queen Victoria as a a national hero, but died in Zambia in 1873 where his heart is buried under a tree near Chitambo’s village.

Fort Galle: South Asia’s Gem

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galleGalle Fort is often called the gem of South Asia, and after a 2-week holiday there, I cannot agree more. Upon entering the fort’s walls, one is transported to another world – one that existed centuries ago. Old merchants villas line the streets where a quiet street-life prevails and just recently, a handful of “boutique hotels” and specialty shops have sprouted around, all keeping in line with the romantic architecture of old Asia.

We rented the most charming “Emma Villa” through the Galle Fort Hotel, and it came with two very sweet houseboys, Sanjay and Nissanka as well as a nanny Harmony (who we later discovered was actually called Ramani) who although didn’t speak a word of English, was a dream with our two energetic toddlers. The house was beautifully furnished (with a tiny swimming pool no less) but the best part was the terrace which overlooked the ramparts and the sea beyond. It was a joy sitting there with a steaming cup of Ceylon tea, watching the locals play cricket at all hours of the day, fly kites or just stroll hand in hand.

For the best meals in the Fort, look no further than the Galle Fort Hotel which serves the most delicious modern Asian cuisine prepared by the hotel’s Malaysian owner Chris. Along with his Australian partner Karl, the two came to Fort over 3 years ago with the dream to restore it to its former glory and more. Just talking to them about the Fort over a glass of the hotel’s signature cocktail ( a ginger-lime concoction – sublime!) is enough to make you want to move there and bag one of the old villas for yourself.

Travellers: Sir Edmund Hillary

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“My God! We’ve climbed the thing! We’ve done it!” ~ Edmund Hillary

Between 1920 and 1952, seven major expeditions had failed to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In 1924, the famous mountaineer George Leigh-Mallory had perished in the attempt. In 1952, a team of Swiss climbers had been forced to turn back after reaching the south peak, only 1000 feet from the summit.

Edmund Hillary joined in Everest reconnaissance expeditions in 1951 and again in 1952. These exploits brought Hillary to the attention of Sir John Hunt, leader of an expedition sponsored by the Joint Himalayan Committee of the Alpine Club of Great Britain and the Royal Geographic Society to make the assault on Everest in 1953.

The expedition reached the South Peak on May, but all but two of the climbers who had come this far were forced to turn back by exhaustion at the high altitude. At last, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a native Nepalese climber who had participated in five previous Everest trips, were the only members of the party able to make the final assault on the summit.

At 11:30 on the morning of May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit, 29,028 feet above sea level, the highest spot on earth. Edmund Hillary returned to Britain with the other climbers and was knighted by the Queen.

Now world famous, Sir Edmund Hillary turned to Antarctic exploration and led the New Zealand section of the Trans-Antarctic expedition from 1955 to 1958. In 1958 he participated in the first mechanized expedition to the South Pole.

Hillary went on to organize further mountain-climbing expeditions but, as the years passed, he became more and more concerned with the welfare of the Nepalese people. In the 1960s, he returned to Nepal, to aid in the development of the society, building clinics, hospitals and 17 schools.

Hillary was born in 1919 and grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. It was in New Zealand that he became interested in mountain climbing. Although he made his living as a beekeeper, he climbed mountains in New Zealand, then in the Alps, and finally in the Himalayas, where he made his mark in history.