Arts – lonesojourns

Full-length Feature: Tracing the Mediterranean (Part 4) – Lost in Translation (Part 2 of 2)

Romanticising about Rome is not the same as loving it. That’s something I wanted to clarify, given how I have waxed lyrical about the Eternal City in my previous post.
Beautiful though it may be, there were times I felt a little lost in translation. Prior to visiting Rome, I have been warned by many friends and family about pick-pocketing and bag-snatchers. I personally witnessed at close proximity a Roma (gypsy) woman try to put an arm around a girl (who’s probably no older than 20) while with her other hand, attempt to reach into her handbag. And this incident took place a few steps from the grandiose Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The irony of it all really, when you take into account that to get into the church, you would have to pass through security and bag-check. Here, a few steps behind the church, petty crime like stealing and pick-pocketing go on, unchecked.

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March 26, 2019April 5, 2021 by lonesojourns Categories: TravelTags: Arts, Culture, History, Italy, Lifestyle, Museums, Rome, Sightseeing, Travel Leave a comment

Full-length Feature: Tracing the Mediterranean (Part 3) – A Heart Full of Rome (Part 1 of 2)

Rome is drop-dead beautiful!!

I’m lost for descriptions every time I look at the Rome skyline at sunset. A plethora of emotions goes through your heart as you gaze and admire. Everywhere you look, all 360 degrees, there’s something that draws out from you a sigh of contentment, of admiration, of awe and wonder.

I’m not going to describe or go into detail about the sights I have seen in my one week stay in Rome. For these, you have a host of travel guides or blogs that will do these sights more justice than me.

Instead, I shall focus on my experiences and thoughts on what I’ve seen and felt in Rome.

DSC00098_copy — View from Victor Emmanuel II

I have to admit, I didn’t know where to start my exploration of Rome when I first arrived. I mean, I already had some kind of an itinerary in mind, but there seems to me, so much to see and do in the Eternal City.

For the first two days, I decided to follow closely a walking guide called Romewise.com by Elyssa Bernard, that was suggested to me by a young Polish girl, who bunked in the same room as me during my stay in Naples. She recommended the website because she and her sister had relied on it for their three-day tour of Rome and found it to be quite beneficial.

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Note: This post features only photographs taken from the first day of my walking tour in Rome. More photographs of Rome will be featured in Part 2.

March 5, 2019April 5, 2021 by lonesojourns Categories: TravelTags: Arts, Culture, Europe, History, Italy, Lifestyle, Museums, Parks, Rome, Sightseeing, Travel Leave a comment

New Year Feature (Part 3) – Kurashiki Canals, Japan’s Miniature Venice

Leaving the depressing gardens, we went in search of shabu shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ), because my friend was craving it. It didn’t seem such a bad idea at all. Nothing like some steaming hot broth to warm up freezing bodies, I thought.

A light rain accompanied us en-route to the shabu shabu restaurant, as we navigated through some winding (and partially hidden) alleys in search of the hotpot paradise, aided by Google Maps.

Suddenly, the heavens decided to throw a tantrum, and it started pouring buckets!!

Just then, we spotted the shabu shabu place from across the street and dashed for it, only to be greeted by a wooden sign hanging on its door that read “定休日” (meaning “designated rest day”).

We collapsed on the bench next to the entrance of the restaurant, exhausted and convinced that our day must have been cursed from the start.

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January 30, 2019April 5, 2021 by lonesojourns Categories: TravelTags: Arts, Canals, Culture, Food, History, Japan, Kurashiki, Museums, Okayama, Shopping, Travel, Venice 4 Comments

Sapporo: A Winter Wonderland

SNEAK PEEK: SAPPORO SNOW FESTIVAL 2017

A friend was pretty amused when I exploded in exuberant joy that I have just snagged a hotel room in Sapporo this weekend!

What’s the occasion this weekend, she asked. What do you like about Sapporo?

Well, firstly, there’s nothing to dislike about Sapporo. If I could pinpoint something, it is that there’s just too many people in this tiny city.

Secondly, what’s the occasion? It’s the eagerly anticipated Sapporo Snow Festival!!! It’s probably the biggest winter event on the Japanese calendar this side of the archipelago.

I’m not sure how many winter festivals there are in the world, but the Sapporo Snow Festival probably ranks amongst one of the most well-known.

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February 5, 2017April 5, 2021 by lonesojourns Categories: TravelTags: Arts, Culture, Hokkaido, Japan, Sapporo, Sightseeing, Travel, Winter Leave a comment

Jewel on the Elbe

Almost entirely flattened by the Allied bombing raids in 1945, this Baroque jewel along the banks of the Elbe has risen from the ashes to become one of Europe’s most charming cities. Compact enough to explore on foot, Dresden makes for an easy day trip out of Berlin, or a quick stopover en route to Prague.

Do not expect a lot of fanfare or a vibrant nightlife though. The best way to appreciate Dresden is take it slow and let yourself be immersed in the arts, music and architecture – whether in the Zwinger Palace, the Frauenkirche and the Semperoper. Here, you can find works by Raphael, Titian, Botticelli, Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Giorgione, Vermeer, van Eyck, Veronese… In other words, Dresden is an art fanatic’s debauchery tea party!

Spend an afternoon with a book and coffee (or just people-watch) on the Brühlsche Terrasse. It’s easy to appreciate why this city bags the moniker of “Florence of the North”. Dresden is a feast for the eyes and soul. And after you’ve had your fill of the cultural spirit, it’s time to head to Altmarkt (Old Market) to satiate more earthly pleasures – and I mean, your stomach. LS

July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 by lonesojourns Categories: TravelTags: Arts, Culture, Dresden, Germany, Lifestyle, Museums, Travel Leave a comment

A Bungling Makeover

You don’t need to remind Berliners of their dark past during the Second World War or of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany – because these reminders are scattered all around Berlin. The city is chock full of these poignant epitaphs. Interestingly though, these are the same reasons why tourists are drawn to this historic city built out of swampland. A wave of optimism now surrounds Berlin as numerous construction projects are transforming the city.

The greatest transformation, though, is in the arts and entertainment scene. The city’s clubbing scene draws exuberant crowds from all over Europe. On the streets, artists / artisans are a thriving (and blooming) species in Berlin, and the streets are their open canvas.

Along certain sections of what remains of the infamous Wall, the government is having a hard time trying to preserve a historical blight (a major tourist draw) that Berliners from both sides zealously sought to tear down a little more than a quarter century ago. Desperate to shed its post-war shackles, Berliners have indeed come a long way. Today’s Berliners are progressive, liberal and they know how to have fun!

However, the city’s ever-evolving physical landscape seems to be struggling to keep pace with its cultural evolution. As we speak, the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport – intended to replace both the Schönefeld and Tegel Airport – has become somewhat of a misnomer for German efficiency. Plagued by numerous delays, poor planning and mismanagement, the airport’s opening has been pushed back to 2018 or 2019 from its original schedule of 2010. Until the afore-mentioned construction projects are completed, these now serve more as distractions than attractions. Berlin can best be described as a “city in transition”. LS