Sydney Colony Meets Bollywood (Australia)

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In the style of a live Bollywood production and framed by the magnificent backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and Campbell Cove, Fire Water is the modern retelling of the brave voyage of merchant Robert Campbell’s tall ship in 1797 (less than ten years after Australia was colonised). Told through the eyes of an 11 year old Indian-Australian girl via a FaceBook video projection, the story details the arduous journey from Calcutta of a vessel laden with 30,000 litres of rum and food shipwrecked 500 kilometres from Sydney.

Recreated on the harbour, the theatrical display highlights the dangerous overland journey the crew make from their shipwrecked craft to Sydney through pop-up characters, before returning to their vessel with assistance.

To thunderous orchestral music, the finale sees the hauntingly lit ship enter Sydney Cove, sailors acrobatically descending ropes and barrels of the precious liquid being joyously offloaded to the shore. Colourful smoke billows from the ship in the style of a modern day Indian festival.

Entertainers in strange outfits stroll the harbour foreshore, delighting youngsters with their colourful outfits and strange antics.

Fire Water is one part of a month long festival in Sydney, now in its second year. The Vivid Sydney festival features a program of events including the dazzling lighting of Sydney Opera House sails in an ever-changing array of abstract patterns (see 2009 Opera House lighting photos),a concert for dogs and the celebration in lights of Australia’s most significant early governor, Lachlan Macquarie, who started his eleven year reign two hundred years ago (see Macquarie Visions).

With the crowds out on the days I visited the various events, I suspect that Vivid Sydney is likely to be around for a while.

Cote d'Azur Villas (France)

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The Cote d'Azur, also knows as the French Riviera or Gold Coast, is located on the southern end of France along the Mediterranean Sea. With a climate that boasts over 300 days a year of sunshine and mild temperatures, beautiful azure waters, and the Alps as a backdrop, this area has long been one of the most sought-after havens by those searching for the ideal spot for truly luxurious relaxation in one of the many Cote d’Azur villas.

The French Riviera has an almost tropic climate, making it the perfect spot for all types of outdoor sports and leisure activities. Beautiful villas dot the beaches and hills, and lovely yachts dot the waters. At least 90% of all superyachts dock in the waters of the Cote d’Azur during their sailing lives, making it a haven for seagoing luxury.

Hiring your own villa may be the best way to see the Cote d'Azur. By renting your home, you have a base of operations from which to explore this beautiful area, and can enjoy the excitement of all the Cote d'Azur has to offer.

The cities of this area, Nice, Antibes, Saint-Tropez, and Cannes, have become symbols of the best in art, jazz, shopping, and film. It is not unusual to spot movie stars and the super-rich enjoying the beautiful atmosphere of these towns, or enjoying playing in the bright waters and wandering through the lovely cities and villages.

The cities of the Cote d'Azur combine Old-World charm and history with modern amenities. Side-by-side with the narrow, winding streets and ancient buildings of the old cities exist the exciting, vibrant markets and shopping rows with shopping opportunities ranging from antiques to some of the most-coveted and exclusive labels in the world. Art has always been a significant feature of these cities, whether it is painting, writing, or film, and many artists have found their inspiration here.

Wonderful sightseeing is only a step away from your villa. You can take a drive through the beautiful countryside, rent a bicycle and explore the lovely hills around the coast, book a tour covering the history of the area, or just wander along the narrow, cobbled lanes of the old cities. Whatever you choose to do, you will find no shortage of beautiful architecture, churches, and natural wonders. The cities abound in museums, cathedrals, and other points of interest. The countryside is also worth any amount of sightseeing, simply to enjoy the beauty of the natural surroundings.

Photo Credits: St Tropez Harbour, Sailing Sunset, Beads, Antibes Street

The Jean Sibelius Monument (Helsinki, Finland)

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Walking towards Helsinki’s exceptional Temppeliaukio Cathedral, built underground hewn from solid granite, is a striking monument to Finland’s finest composer, Jean Sibelius. Built from more than 600 steel pipes in the form of organ pipes, reactions vary from praise to disappointment at the modern surrealist memorial.

Personally, I loved the monument, glittering in the warming rays of the Helsinki sun, the trees of the surrounding park reflected off the various lengths of silvery pipe. The organ pipes gave a sense of his prodigious musical achievements with a striking and memorable sculpture. Artistic travellers stooped, laid down and leaned to get their perfect angle to photograph this unusual monument.

Next to the organ pipes is the silvery moon-shaped head of Sibelius set on stone with two artistic blobs of quicksilver. While glistening in the sunshine and despite Sibelius’ striking visage, I found the head somewhat tasteless.

Also worth a brief stroll is the neighbouring cemetery. Packed with presidents, prime ministers, military, artists, actors, sportsmen, authors and other significant Finns, the graves nestle peacefully in a tranquil tree-filled peninsula. Armies of tiny squirrels disrespectfully dance across the graves chasing morsels of food fallen from the overhanging trees. Somewhat surprisingly, Jean Sibelius doesn’t feature among the numerous tombs.

While the Finnish suburb of Töölö would be unlikely to attract many visitors without the remarkable travel wonder of its modern cathedral, it warrants a brief stroll to enjoy the restful parklands of the area and to enjoy the sparkling silvery monument to Finland’s most famous composer. Do you like either or both of the sculptures?

Helsinki Vacations

Seven Traditional Dishes You Can Try in Lithuania

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Guest post by Lithuanian tours company, Baltic Travel

Traditional Lithuanian food is filled with simple, tasty dishes following the traditional saying “who eats well, works well”. In the last 25 years, there have been more fruits and vegetables available across the four seasons. Before that, the food served reflected the time of the year. Lithuanian dishes often contain potatoes, rye, beet roots, mushrooms, dairy and meat. Below are seven traditional Lithuanian dishes.

Skilandis

Minced meat is stuffed into pig stomach with garlic. It is then cold-smoked and matured. Many smoked meat products are popular in Lithuania.

Šaltibarščiai / Barsciai Borscht (Cold / Warm Beetroot Soup)

Cold borscht for summer contains shredded beets, cucumber, dill, and green onions with cold soured milk or kefir. Sides are most often potatoes either hot boiled or fried, or a sliced hard-boiled egg. Barsciai borscht, hot beet soup, is the winter counterpart, served either without cream or with sour cream or buttermilk and mushrooms.

Juoda Duona - Black Rye Bread

Bread has played a role in rituals and ceremonies throughout Lithuanian culture. The dark rye bread is fragrant and heavy. It can be served with any meal of the day, though it is not seen as often these days.

Gira

This traditional drink is also popular in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe. It is made from the black rye bread and is considered a soft drink despite the alcohol content, about 0.05 to 1.5%. This unique-flavoured beverage may have fruit, raisins, berries or birch sap added.

Didžkukuliai or Cepelinai

Cepelinai are large potato dumplings stuffed with meat. A vegetarian alternative uses curd filling instead of meat. It’s generally served with sour cream, mushrooms, or pork rind called spirgai.

Potato Pancakes - Bulviniai Blynai

Potato pancakes are often served with sour cream or mushrooms. The pancake is closer to a crepe. They can be made from yeast-risen batter or be very thin.

Kūčiukai or šližikai

Small pastry rolls baked and served with poppy milk and served on Christmas eve. Leavened dough is used with the milk from crushed soaked poppy seeds and sweetened with sugar or honey.

These rich Lithuanian dishes are the hallmark of a society that loves to eat and shares that love by cooking and serving others. The simple flavours are combined for a variety of unique, tasty dishes that provide a cultural highlight of any visit to the Baltic nation of Lithuania.

Photo Credits: Trakai Castle, Skilandis, Šaltibarščiai, Black Rye Bread, Gira, Cepelinai, Potato Pancakes, Kūčiukai

Escher Optical Illusions: Mathematics or Art? (The Hague, Netherlands)

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Entering the travel wonder of the Escher Museum in The Hague (Den Haag) is to enter a world of optical illusion. As much mathematics as art, M. C. Escher’s works mainly feature lithographs of impossible shapes, metamorphosing figures, imaginary worlds and strange perspectives.

I knew of Escher’s works through a special mathematics display I attended many years ago and was pleased to know that Escher’s treasured works finally went on display in a historic Dutch Palace in the nation’s political capital in 2002 (and only an hour’s travel from Amsterdam).

At first it seemed strange to place such modern and challenging surreal works in a mid-1700s royal palace, but the wide open uncluttered rooms leave plenty of space to enjoy the strange pictures.

The first floor covers his early works of more traditional landscapes but the second floor displays Escher’s finest works. Waterfall features flowing water which drives a watermill wheel where the water impossibly continues to flow downhill. Closer inspection shows that the left tower is one storey higher than the right tower, though both look the same height. In a similar vein, Escher’s Ascending and Descending shows a set of four connecting staircases where people are either permanently walking up the stairs or down the stairs.

My personal favourite is Belvedere where a ladder from inside a building looks natural but is enabling someone to climb to the outside of the same building. Columns connect erratically while a man sits relaxed on a bench idly challenged by a strange cube. Bizarrely the lower floor features a gaol where a prisoner’s pleas fall on deaf ears.

Metamorphosis pictures reveal birds seamlessly changing to fish and back again while another shows horses converting into fish.

The rooms are lit by the graceful addition of fifteen artistic chandeliers designed for the museum by the Dutch sculptor Hans Van Bentem. Shaped as skull and crossbones, umbrella, dolphin, seahorse and more, the chandeliers add a beautiful touch to the abundance of Escher’s drawings.

The third floor is a virtual reality multimedia world where visitors can experience and become part of the art. The Escher Room is setup to have two people standing in opposite corners, one looking gigantic and one looking much smaller. Another area lets visitors frustratingly try to construct an impossible triangle.

Short films effectively add to the display with Escher recording several interviews and videos throughout his life.

Escher in Het Palace (Escher in the Palace) is a superb tribute to Escher’s fine artworks. Enjoy the works and answer the question: Is Escher a mathematician or artist?

Note: Enjoy more of Escher's art in the picture gallery at his offical site (the latter years are the most interesting).