I got an acute sense of time passing inside Rome’s Pantheon. Not only because it was built almost two millennia ago, but because its ancient architecture acts as a colossal sun dial.
Well before sunrise Angkor Wat is bustling. Loaded tuk-tuks pull up in front of the iconic facade of Cambodia’s largest temple and immediately cameras start clicking. This is always how another day begins at the famous complex.
Lille’s complex history is visible in the architecture of its prominent buildings. From the cobbled quarter of Saint André, to the tinted glass of the Euralille shopping centre, a walk through the city tells a story of constant evolution through the diversity of its façades.
Around the coastal city of Dubrovnik, solid ochre stone drops directly onto natural cliffs that plunge into the turquoise sea below. The ramparts of its protective walls once used for defence and embattlement, today stage thriving activity of a different kind.
Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sintra was once inhabited by the Moors who dominated most of the Iberian Peninsula from the 8th century onwards. The Moorish castle ruins atop Sintra’s hill peak are testament to their long and successful stay.
My trip to New York came at the end of a tumultuous year. It wasn’t a holiday that was wanted, but needed. I couldn’t wait to escape and breathe different air to bring in the New Year.
In early autumn, Canberra’s political and cultural centre takes on a different hue. Even the deep reds and picturesque rustiness of the trees encircling Lake Burley Griffin can’t compete with the vivid glow of the annual Enlighten Festival.