Art is putting colour and liveliness into the heart of Canido, a run-down suburb in Ferrol, Galicia, northern Spain. Skeletons of buildings have become the frames for giant-sized portraits or tableaus; time-battered walls are renewed with startling portraits, creating an increasingly popular tourist route. All this is the result of an…
Magical wet and wildlife in the heart of Ecuador’s Amazon region
For a heart-stopping moment it seems we are heading, really fast, for a barely visible sandbank on which an elegant white heron stands, an imperious lone beacon. Then, with a perfectly timed flick of his wrist, our helmsman quells the engine on the large, motorised canoe and it slews into…
Stella Prize longlist offers gold mine of great reads
If you’re looking for some suggestions about which book to read next, literary prize longlists are always a great starting place. The recent announcement of the 12 books in the running for Australia’s $50,000 Stella Prize is an excellent example. The Stella Prize is open to Australian women authors writing in…
A bird’s eye view of Tokyo
Canine chic, Tokyo style
Steep climb over the Jizu Pass ends in a lunchtime of food and laughter. And railways.
To be honest, after our soggy morning first climbing, then descending, the ancient Jizu Pass, close to Kiso-Fukushima, any respite from the rain would have been welcome. As it was, when we arrived, tired and dripping, at Poppoya on the Kaidakomen Plateau, we found ourselves in our own little haven.…
Wending its way through deep, sun-dappled woodlands, the Nakasendo Way with its original Edo period ishidatami paving stones
The tranquil Benzaiten Pond with its Shrine to the Goddess of Fortune on the Nakasendo Way
Traditional beauty in Kyoto Imperial Palace’s Oikeniwa Garden
More than just a station, a spectacular combination of form and structure – and tempura
It’s safe to say that railway stations are not usually top of the “must see” lists for visitors anywhere. But Kyoto’s spectacular steel and glass edifice is worth the effort, particularly if you are not arriving by train. It’s not just a place of transition, but a stunning monolithic and…