Author: Ms. R.

In a residential area full of ordinary family homes in Černá Pole, Brno, there is a hidden “Salvador Dalí-esque” gem near the tram line. The first thing any viewer of the building will notice is the bright shades of purple that grace the facade, and a pair of huge hands jutting from the building holding a tree. The outside of the house features large paintings of a train and a melting clock.  This surreal piece of architecture is the work……

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Besides zipping travelers across the island, the Montreal Metro doubles as the city’s most expansive art gallery. Each of its 68 subway stations is a distinctly designed synthesis of architecture and art, and many prominently feature sculptures, mosaics, and stained glass. Even for longtime residents, visiting a new stop for the first time can feel like an adventure. Two of the most photogenic artworks in the metro are no doubt the stunning stained glass windows at Charlevoix station. On……

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It’s not everywhere that you can enjoy a purely plant-based buffet followed by the communal recitation of the “Ceremony of Repentance of the Great Compassion with a Thousand Hands and a Thousand Eyes.” But at Dharma Realm, you can. This century-old Buddhist temple, built in dedication to Guan Yin, the goddess of compassion, offers a rare tranquility within the bustling confines of Kuala Lumpur. It was one of the first temples in the city to be built with brick and tile…….

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During the 18th and 19th-centuries, 12 forts were constructed around Konigsberg as defensive fortifications. These German forts were called the “Night feather bed of Konigsberg”. All the forts were designed with bricks and concrete, and were built in a uniform manner.  The fort was attacked by the 43rd Soviet Union Army during the East-Prussian Operation of 1945 and put up a fierce defense. On April 6, troops blockaded the entrance in an attempt to push back Soviet forces. For……

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Complete with water lilies and weeping willows, visiting this series of gardens boast over 70,000 different plants. Walking through it feels like into an Impressionist painting, and for good reason. Rather than attempting to copy the gardens from Claude Monet’s home in Giverny, these gardens in Japan‘s Kōchi Prefecture have actually brought the artist’s paintings to life. There are three separate gardens that aim to capture three periods in Monet’s artistic style. The most iconic is probably the Water……

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When Bishop Timothy of Evia visited Mount Penteli in 1578, he found dozens of monks living in poorly maintained buildings with dozens more living in caves on the side of the mountain. With backing from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and financial assistance from a wealthy Athenian family, he acquired land on the south side of the mountain. The land was the site of a 10th-century monastery destroyed by the Ottomans in 1465. Bishop Timothy and the local monks constructed……

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No one envied medieval monks for their diets. On the four days a week they didn’t fast, meat was still largely forbidden, barring illness or special occasions. Their one carnal luxury was fish; they made sure to keep plenty on hand.  Many abbeys featured early fish farms called stew ponds, where fish could breed, live, and grow into monks’ favorite lunch. With the dissolution of monasteries in the 1500s, many stew ponds were reclaimed by nature. The one at……

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Hidden below the Rotterdam cube houses is the cute-as-a-button Schaakstukkenmuseum, or Chessmen Museum. With hundreds of complete, unique chess sets on display, this tiny museum has something for everyone—even the chess averse. Schaakstukkenmuseum opened in 2006. Many of the pieces on display inside come from the private collection of the museum’s founder, Ridder Dijkshoorn. The collection is changing all the time as new pieces go up for display and temporary exhibits rotate through the space. In a recent count, the museum held……

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