The first time I found myself in a hotel alone was during my stay at the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz. I was 17 years old and I had to stay over for one night while in transit to the Basques region in Spain, where I was to stay over for one night …
Read MoreI closed my eyes, so that I couldn't see the waves that were coming in on us from behind. Mykonos was fading in the distance and could only be seen when we were perched atop one of the giant waves.…
Read MoreThe more we approached, the more its silhouette became clearer, showing its grandeur of rocky mountains that formed a plateau at the top. Before entering the protected little harbour, I noticed a white villa…
Read MoreWhat is left of the old Maritime Republic of Amalfi today? Firstly, the poetry of the landscape. A delicate fusion of natural beauty, historical memories and artistic heritage. The town is nestled at the base of a mountain, sheltered from attacks by land, with only one route of access…
Read MoreWe entered the church through a small door and started to go downwards, so deep that I felt we were entering the very depths of the Earth. It is unbelievable how up-to-date the Vatican is. Automated glass doors opened…
Read MoreA series of very ancient traditions called it the "father Rhine" while its steep valleys, covered with woods and vineyards, are the most representative expression of German Romanticism. The beauty of nature has been placed under the protection of UNESCO…
Read MoreIn Salvador di Bahia, surrounded by forests of palm trees, dunes of white sand that reach even the airport, people smile and have no stress. Women, the shubby Bahianas, wear lacy white dresses, colorful turbans and many necklaces…
Read MoreI remember before landing here, I was looking at the sea from the window of the airplane. Its colour in part emerald, elsewhere blue or turquoise and still further along a gray-blue. The colouration of the water…
Read MoreThere is a wild beauty to Petra, Jordan, both heavy and mournful, that shakes you. These canyons that stand as natural barriers, just north of Aqaba, became the capital of the Nabataeans, a Bedouin tribe that came from the depths…
Read MoreI woke up at 5:45 and at 6:30 we left for the morning safari. I like the sunrise at Amboseli. Fortunately I was not sleepy, so I could photograph elephants, gazelles, buffalo, zebras and baboons. I never imagined how interesting the life of animals was. Locals are the best people…
Read MoreAs before, so even today, many foreigners enjoy having a house in Marrakech. At first they built villas in the French quarter of Gueliz, outside the walls, then larger villas…
Read More.. Fouad left the Cham Palace Hotel in Damascus and entered the car that would take him to the house of the al-Attar family. The sun was setting at that time. The lights had just been lit in the congested avenue…
Read MoreThe Sultanate of Oman, in my eyes, is really like Switzerland because of its order. The roads are in perfect condition, even in the hinterland. In Muscat, the capital city, traffic is thoroughly monitored, people are…
Read MoreHarran, an area righteously boasting of a continuous human presence over the last 3000 years, is located in southern Turkey, not far from the Syrian border. The legend has it that Adam and Eve, expelled from Paradise, eventually traversed…
Read MoreOn that particular day, with her dog sitting quietly at her feet, Josephine announced to me that she would be going to Jerusalem again in a few months. I was glad to hear it …
Read MoreEverything was quiet. It was early morning and the streets of Aswan were empty. Two feluccas were sailing on the Nile, which at that point offered a picturesque site. We left the city and entered into…
Read MoreThese were the hotels of the desert, where the caravans arrived after a long, slow-paced journey under a scorching sun. Pilgrims, merchants, cultured travellers, sitting uncomfortably on the backs of the camels, all following a precise path…
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