Want to learn more about how Amsterdam came to be and how the history of the unique Amsterdam canal life? Het Grachtenhuis, or the Canal House Museum, is a small private museum that aims to answer these questions with a
Pantheon : Paris
Want to visit all the great French thinkers of all time in person? The Pantheon is the resting place for big names, like Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, and many others. If you’re thinking this is going to be
Les Faux de Verzy at Forêt Domaniale : Champagne – France
This year my travels had an unexpected treat. After wrapping up the PhD in Hong Kong, I planned to a make a stop for a couple of weeks in France on the way west to my new life in the
Indianapolis Museum of Art : Indiana
Indianapolis has few terrific museums, and in one of my recent visits I decided to stop by the Indianapolis Museum of Art to check out what they have to offer in my artistic domain of interest – contemporary art. Most
Revisiting Dafen Copycat Artist Village : Shenzhen
Just before leaving Hong Kong I was invited to join an artist friend to revisit the surreal Dafen Artist Oil Painting Village in Shenzhen. It’s the place where you can get any painting faked for pennies. The artist friend was
Kibbutz Dafna : Northern Israel
While visiting Israel this year I was fortunate to get a tour of northern Israel by a friend born and raised in the area. One of the places we visited on that wonderful day was Kibbutz Dafna, which is one
The funkier side of Guanghzou : Arts and nightlife
In my last few visits to Guanghzou before leaving the region I got to experience a whole new side of this vibrant metropolis. First off, I visited Redtory, the new growing art district was once a large factory, but
Visions of Nara : Japan
This post concludes my visit to the lovely city of Nara – the ancient capital city of Japan, an hour south from Kyoto and east to Osaka. Temples, shrines, huge seated Buddhas, museums, Japanese gardens, and most importantly – deer,
The temples and shrines of Nara Park
Wrapping up my trip to Osaka-Kyoto, I spent a day touring the ancient city of Nara. Although smaller than Kyoto and with supposedly similar temple atmosphere, Nara has a lot to offer that is different from Kyoto. Most of what
Computer History Museum : San Jose – California
I’ve always considered myself a bit of a geek. Okay, a lot of a geek. Since I laid my eyes on the XT machine my dad brought home to run an experiment back in the early 80s I was completely