city
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Angel Hotel (Cardiff): A review – Standard Double Room
About Angel Hotel The Angel Hotel in Cardiff City Centre is a well-established hotel with 102 guestrooms, event spaces, meeting rooms, a restaurant, a café and conference space. The original hotel dates back to 1666 when the original coaching inn was built for mail coaches to serve Cardiff. The current building is a Victorian-era one…
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Hiroshima Castle: Japan’s Carp Castle
Located in the famous city of Hiroshima in eastern Japan, Hiroshima Castle has played an important part in Japan’s history. One of the most accessible castles, it is not to be missed! History of Hiroshima Castle Sengoku Period The castle’s story begins between in the late 1500s when one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s councillors, Mori Terumoto,…
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ABQ BioPark – Botanical Garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Kanazawa Central Hotel: A Review
About Kanazawa Central Hotel Kanazawa Central Hotel is a 3-star hotel in downtown Kanazawa that caters to a wide range of clientele. The hotel has the main building and the “Annex” or “East Building”. Kanazawa Central Hotel is billed as a Japanese business hotel but also offers gender-segregated public baths, its own restaurant, laundry facilities…
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Kanazawa Castle: Museum of Stone Walls in Historic Kanazawa
In Japan’s Hokuriku region lies an excellent example of a Japanese castle: Kanazawa Castle. Located in the city of the same name, this partially restored castle is an excellent place to go to beat the crowds at other castles and is a quick trip from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Kanazawa Castle – A Rich History…
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Hirosaki Botanical Garden
In northern Japan’s Aomori Prefecture lies Hirosaki, a small city. Known for its apples and orchard, this city boasts one of Japan’s few remaining original castles. Within the castle grounds is the Hirosaki Botanical Garden, a beautiful example of Japanese and international flowering and medicinal plants. General Information Hirosaki Botanical Garden is Hirosaki’s largest in-city…
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Sunnumörk: Shopping Straddling Continents (Iceland)
The Land of Fire and Ice (Iceland) is dramatic in many ways: massive glaciers, volcanoes and icebergs. Another to add to the list is the fact that the country straddles two continents: the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. While you could go to somewhere like the Bridge between Continents, there is another option for…
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Seyðisfjarðarkirkja: Powder Blue Church with a Rainbow Street (Iceland)
Located in eastern Iceland, Seyðisfjarðarkirkja (or Seyðisfjörður Church in English or also known as the Bláakirkja – Blue Church) is a beautiful powder blue church in a beautiful port town that is surrounded by mountains. Sitting in one of the Eastfjords of Iceland, the views of and from this church are simply stunning. Seyðisfjörður is…
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Akureyri Rainbow Footpath: One of Iceland’s Famous Three Rainbows
In Iceland:s northern area lies its second city: Akureyri. With a population of 20,000 people in 2025, it is a bustling metropolis for this island nation of 404,000 people. Within the city is the Museum of Art, which the Akureyri Rainbow Footpath. As a staunch defender and supporter of equal rights for all genders and…
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Rainbow Road: Celebration of Diversity and Equality in Reykjavik (Iceland)
As you are walking around downtown Reykjavik, you will no doubt come across “Rainbow Road” or Skólavörðustígur, where a large rainbow covers the main part of the pedestrian street. The rainbow road has been painted several times, starting out initially as a temporary as a celebration of Reykjavik Pride. However it became a permanent feature…
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Hallgrímskirkja: Rekyjavik’s Basalt Column-inspired Cathedral (Iceland)
At the heart of Reykjavik sits Hallgrímskirkja, the island’s largest church (I want to call it a cathedral but it is not) and its second tallest building (74.5 metres/244 ft). Named after a famous Icelandic poet and clergyman, Hallgrímur Pétursson, construction on this Protestant Lutheran church began in 1945 and was completed in 1986. The church…
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Harpa Center: Reykjavik’s Answer to Modern Art and Architecture (Iceland)
Near downtown Reykjavik is the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre – or Harpa – which opened in 2011. Since then it has won several awards since then, including the 2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, which is very prestigious. Harpa’s façade is primarily made of glass. The…
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Sun Voyager: Modern Art to Iceland’s Viking Past (Iceland)
Sitting on the water in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, is a modern alt sculpture that captures the history of the island. Created in 1990 by Jón Gunnar Árnason, the Sun Voyager is in the shape of a Viking longboat and, in the artists own words, embodies a sense of exploration, promise and freedom. The installation is…
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Shiroi Koibito: Japan’s take on ‘European Cookies’
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Hakata Dontaku: One of Japan’s Largest Festivals
Every year on 3 and 4 May, Fukuoka City hosts one of Japan’s largest festivals – Hakata Dontaku. The festival can trace its origins back over 800 years and has been held nearly continuously since. In recent years, over 2 million people come to Fukuoka just to watch the parade, which features over 35,000 dancers,…
