Anuradhapura - Sri Lanka

Anuradhapura – Sri Lanka

Post published:27 September 2016
Post category:Asia Sri Lanka

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Third capital of the Kingdom of Rajarata

On our next move in this trip through Sri Lanka, we change the base from Colombo to the central/north province of the country at Anuradhapura where we will spend the remaining days of our tour visiting the beautiful ancient city itself, and the nearby other major important destinations Dambulla, Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa: all of which, the Golden Triangle as it is known. Very busy days ahead of us, however, not that fully loaded and saturating in visiting sight after sight non-stop, but instead quite chill and relaxing, enjoying the mix of nature with ancient capital cities, palaces and temples. Each of the ancient cities we would visit make up for around half of the day touring, giving you the rest of the day some free time except for when visiting both Dambulla and Sirigiya which you do in the same day.

In my original plans before gathering proper information about Sri Lanka and the places I wanted to include in this tour, I though flying between cities would be the easiest way (as is for example, in neighboring India). I was wrong. From Colombo, the only city we could have flown was Sigiriya from where you can make the perfect base and visit all of the other cities I’ve mentioned before. A very convenient flight? Yes, at just 30 minutes, but the cost? £175 for a one way ticket per person! That is actually insane and nonsense; so the options, pretty much as is for the entire country, are moving by train or bus. Super reliable and in truth, trains were the best way to travel and enjoy the country.

Anuradhapura is the ancient capital of many different kingdoms, and is really overwhelming. There are so many archaeological remains, some of these over 2000 years old that no wonder this is one of the key places in the country in what relates to history and culture. The entire “Old Town” which is the archaeological park itself has been designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Kandy - Sri Lanka

Kandy – Sri Lanka

Post published:25 September 2016
Post category:Asia Sri Lanka

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Last capital of the ancient kings’ era of Sri Lanka

Our next destination in Sri Lanka, a day trip from Colombo to Kandy, the cultural capital of the country, and one of the most historical cities. This would also be our last day having the base in Colombo before moving north to Anuradhapura as our next base and continue with our tour through the remaining must-see places in Sri Lanka. For now, a great day in Kandy totally different to the day before in Galle. Both unique in their own character and history. While one is a masterpiece combining Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial influence, Kandy in the other hand is the masterpiece of several kings. The very last of the places to surrender to the British rule, yet never conquered in full by the Portuguese and Dutch.

Kandy is the second largest city in the country after Colombo. But bear in mind one and the other are nothing to compare. In Sri Lanka the great majority of population is living in metropolitan Colombo, hence Kandy feels more like a village rather than a city. It does have in any case, a very well defined and compact city centre where the large majority of the historical sights are, with the Royal Palace complex the reason number one why to visit the city.

Although the entire Royal Palace complex has been designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site, the main reason behind is the Temple of the Tooth Relic. One of the most sacred places in the entire Sri Lanka, and one of the most traditional cities in the country; somewhat slowly developing in the shadow of the frenetic construction and thriving live day and night of Colombo. (more…)

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Galle - Sri Lanka

Galle – Sri Lanka

Post published:24 September 2016
Post category:Asia Sri Lanka

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Best preserved example of Portuguese fortified city in Asia

Our next move in Sri Lanka after visiting its fascinating capital city, Colombo, (and still our base for the next days); we take the advantage of the small distances in the country for a day trip to one of the most historical cities, Galle. First taken by the Portuguese as their colony in 1502, they built its fort which until today it remains as the most complete, largest and best preserved example in the whole of Asia, although greatly revamped and enlarged when the Dutch took over.

It was until 1640 that the Portuguese surrendered to the Dutch East India Company who then built pretty much the proper city and not just a military post as was before. From 1796 the city and the country itself would pass onto the hands of the last colony, the British. Over the centuries of 3 different colonial periods, the city grew in prosperity, being the largest port city in Sri Lanka, something that never changed since at least 1400 BC with the trade route, with Sri Lanka the largest export of cinnamon.

Being in Galle is transporting yourself to the past. While we are much more used to visiting former Spanish colonial cities in Central/South America and already experienced few times that feeling, in Asia is somewhat different. More exotic if I have to find a word for it. And it does still feel the same even though we’ve been to many beautiful colonial cities in this part of the world. The more similar to Galle could be Goa, Macau, Batavia (the old town of Jakarta), Jogjakarta, Surabaya or Malacca to name some former Portuguese and Dutch. British are many more, but Galle has its uniqueness in having retained majority of the Portuguese and Dutch constructions, urban plan and flair. (more…)

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Helsingor - Denmark

Helsingor – Denmark

Post published:30 August 2016
Post category:Denmark Europe Northern Europe

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Set of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet

Moving onto one more last city to visit in this trip, was a choice between Helsingor, north of Copenhagen, or Roskilde at the west. Both very beautiful cities, both home to an UNESCO World Heritage Site, but was decided to be Helsingor for having more places to visit, being a bigger city and because we did have the time for this, enjoying pretty much most of the day before returning to Copenhagen to pick our luggage and fly back to London. And that was a very great choice what we did!

After all, any further days in Copenhagen would have been too much, and bearing few extra sights here and there, we did already see everything in 2 full days. Furthermore, we spent the entire day yesterday in Malmo, Sweden, so this was a perfect occasion to visit something else, leaving for a future trip the visit to Roskilde for example, among other cities.

Helsingor is way smaller than Copenhagen, with not even a fraction of the hundreds of sights you find in the capital everywhere, therefore you can easily plan for time, little over half a day. Once you visit its old town core and harbour and its UNESCO World Heritage Kronborg Castle, the rest will lie in between at easy reach from each other. In theory my original plan was not just visiting Helsingor, but also Roskilde, although as I knew I was with my family and we take more time than when I travel with friends, I preferred to have this day more relaxed than the previous three when we did not stop on and on. (more…)

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Copenhagen - Denmark

Copenhagen – Denmark

Post published:28 August 2016
Post category:Denmark Europe Northern Europe

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Køpmannæhafn: Merchants’ Harbour

This year is been a mix of going to places never visited before, and returning to many others as a second time with others, pretty much, a yearly return in order to visit other cities and landmarks nearby. It’s great to have so many cities in a radius of around 3 hours flight max, making it extremely easy and convenient to keep doing what I love the most: to travel. In this case, it’s the second time I come to Copenhagen, 5 years and a month to be precise after the last visit, and for a bit longer this time but a similar route to include Malmo in Sweden and other smaller cities in Denmark. A nice 4 days with my family this time, as it is normal for us to do at least a yearly holiday the four of us, mum, dad, my brother and I.

Once more, I take the chance to completely remake this guide for the city I did create few years back now that I have way more and better up to date information, and a nicer way in listing the sights perfectly by neighbourhood and in an sense order for easy following a route and not missing anything.

Denmark is somehow, one of the less visited countries from the many I’ve been. But in the other hand, this is a small country with an extremely centralised economy and population most of which living in the capital and its metropolitan area. We’ve been many years ago at the second largest city, Aarhus, and that already felt very small. Bearing these cities, there is only one more you can fly from London, this is Billund, famous for being home to one of the largest Legoland parks in the world. (more…)

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Paris - France

Paris – France

Post published:7 August 2016
Post category:Europe France Western Europe

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La Ville-Lumière: The City of Light

Returning to Paris, probably the 6th time I come in my life, but still great as usual. There is a bunch of cities I never mind returning, most of which I do yearly as is Brussels, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid of course as it is my home town, and Paris for sure. This time, with 2 more friends, a great group the four of us full of joy and laughs. Therefore, and although I did have a great guide for Paris already created in my blog, I will be just making a brief make over and update here and there to make it even better. Rewriting parts, updating others, but still retaining the format for a perfect three day visit under the what to see and do section since that is the ideal time you should plan when visiting Paris for the first time. Then with the time, at future trips you might do, enjoy doing something different. Paris is one of those cities where on every visit you will end up discovering a new corner.

It does not matter the times I have been; my impressions are still the same. On one side I really love the city, because of its great urbanism, architecture, beauty, elegance and somewhat opulence; but in the other hand, it does not feel too secure, the transports are not efficient (specially buses) and the inaccessibility of the metro system where a escalator or lift seems to be a piece on engineering not invented yet. Air conditioning? Who needs that! Whoever thinks that London’s tube in summer is hot and sweaty, here in Paris you should think twice. And while it is true that new trains are phasing out the older ones, it will take several years for a proper upgrade. Anyway, the point is there. Every city has good and not so good sides. This is what makes the difference from one place to another, country to country.

What is unique in the city is its massive urban planification. The work of Georges-Eugène Haussmann between the years 1853 and 1870 where most of the medieval city was torn-down to make way for straight wide avenues, parks and large squares interconnected by streets following a perfect pattern; creation of a new sewage system and embellishment of the city with monuments and public fountains. One of his key elements is the Haussmannian apartment block, or Parisian apartment block, where he treated the buildings not as a single element, but as an homogeneous whole. Equal heights and proportions, similar to each other if not symmetrical. This is what makes Paris one of the most elegant and perfect cities in the world, however, can result “boring”. Everywhere you go and look, it’s the same, in a same palette of colours; monotony only broken by the landmark constructions such as the Opera Garnier, or Place de la Concorde, the Arch de Triumph, Place de la Bastille, Place Vendome and so on.

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Four Lifts of the Canal du Centre - Belgium

Four Lifts of the Canal du Centre – Belgium

Post published:30 July 2016
Post category:Belgium Europe Western Europe

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The last 4 hydraulic lifts from the 20th century in operation in the world

The Four Lifts of the Canal du Centre is the continuation of the previous travel guide on the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia. Both of which the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that we visited at the same time along the same route we planned for today. Since all these places are scattered through the same region, our starting point for this tour was the farthest to the east from our base, Brussels, to then continue in the easiest and simplest route to reach all the other sites along towards the last one, the farthest to the west before heading back to our base.

While the 4 mining sites are all within a trench of 150 kilometres from the Blegny Mine at the east and the Le Grand Hornu in the west, the 4 hydraulic lifts of the Canal du Centre are all located in La Louviere, spamming less than 8 kilometres apart. In this short distance the difference in the level of water between the river basins of the Meuse and the Scheldt is 66 meters. The solution to this was the set of 4 boat lifts we still see today, with the Houdeng-Goegnies built the first in 1888, and the remaining 3 in 1917.

Nowadays, their operation is reduced to only recreational use since the construction of the Strépy-Thieu boat lift that bypasses the older structures in a single lift rising boats 73 meters. Right until January 2016 it was the highest in the world, nowadays eclipsed by the Three Gorges Lift in China. (more…)

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Major Mining Sites of Wallonia - Belgium

Major Mining Sites of Wallonia – Belgium

Post published:30 July 2016
Post category:Belgium Europe Western Europe

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Industrial Valley of Belgium

Belgium, a small country but so much to offer to any visitor. I cannot count any longer how many times I’ve come to everywhere, especially Bruges, Ghent and Brussels, yet never getting tired for returning to Brussels. One of my favourite European cities with difference and because of its pretty much central location in the country, easy for making it the base and visiting other places around. If this is your first time travelling to the country and planning a visit to Brussels, then it’s best you check the separate travel guide for it, just simply click here. Right now, I will be splitting into 2 different guides all the places that we planned for this weekend.

In order for me to plan where else to go within a country and what is there worth to visit and keep returning to that country, sometimes often, I usually check the UNESCO website in search of UNESCO sites. This is already a very solid base that has never failed to us, not to mention we are strongly UNESCO sites seekers. So in this occasion, I could work out and prepare another great trip full or surprises: The Four Lifts of the Canal du Centre and the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia, all of which scattered along some 100 kilometers between the farthest ones, all the others in between more or less near each other, and south of Brussels. From near Liege at the east to Saint-Ghislain in the west, you will see it makes perfect sense to follow an east-west or west-east order since once site comes after next.

Either if this is your first time at 19th/20th century coal mines or if you’ve visited elsewhere some other mines, it is guaranteed you will love it! Not only the incredible underground tour at the Blegny Mine, but also the beautiful pieces of industrial architecture that was raised above, some of which influenced in the art-nouveau style. (more…)

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