A city rebuilt from rubbles - Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret 1181; Gastronomic meal of the French 00437; Artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread 01883 Le Havre at dusk What and Why The once beautiful port city of Le Havre , depicted by Claude Monet 's famous painting of his hometown ' Impression, Sunrise ( French : Impression, Soleil Levant ) ' was totally devastated during the Battle of Normandy and its Operation Astoria , when the Allied powers bom

City sitting on seven hills, mixed with rich maritime history and contemporary culture - Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon 263; Fado, urban popular song in Portugal 00563 Rua Augusta Arch - main entrance gateway of the city Another relocation, this time to Southampton , another hiatus of my blog. Based on popular demand, I am on board again. What and Why Lisbon ( Portuguese : Lisboa ) , sitting on seven hills, occupies a unique space in Europe’s hist

Final destination of the Saint James' Way - Santiago de Compogstela (Old Town) 347; Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain 669 Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela from Praza de Praterías What and Why Santiago de Compostela is genuinely an underrated city in terms of tourism, cultural heritage and history. Legend has it that Saint James (Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, Yaʿqōḇ ) , one of the first apostles of Jesus (Hebrew: ישוע, Yeshua ) was executed

Ancient Egypt royal necropolis and monuments in an ancient capital - Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis 87 Valley of the Kings with Al-Qurn as the backdrop What and Why Luxor ( Arabic : الأقصر, Al-Quṣūr ) stands as one of the most iconic and culturally rich sites in the world. The modern city morphed from the ruins of Thebes (Greek: Θῆβαι, Thē̂bai ) or in Egyptian ' wꜣs.t' and was the capital of ancient Egypt (مصر , Miṣr ) during parts of the Middle and New Kingdoms (

Historic and gastronomic centre of France with hidden corridors - Historic Site of Lyon 872; Belfries of Belgium and France 943; Gastronomic meal of the French 00437; Artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread 01883 Restaurants along Rue Saint-Jean What and Why Against common beliefs, the gastronomic centre of France is not Paris , but Lyon . So much that Lyon is inscribed as the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy . The city has apparently more restaurants per capita

The Russian Versailles, Russian Amsterdam and its old citadel - Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments 540 Fountains of Peterhof What and Why As blogged in Saint Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург) | City Centre , the city of Saint Petersburg ( Russian : Санкт-Петербург, Sankt-Peterburg )  is a city built from scratch with a European model in mind, almost fully conceptualised by Peter I (Пётр I, Pyotr I ,   né Пётр Романов, Pyotr Romanov )  in the early

Fortified city protected by three mediaeval castles - Three Castles, Defensive Wall and Ramparts of the Market-Town of Bellinzona 884 Castelgrande ramparts (from internet) What and Why Bellinzona , located near the foot of the Alps ( Italian : Alpi ) at the canton of Ticino , houses a group of important and well-preserved mediaeval fortifications to shelter herself from foreign invasion. These fortifications come in the form of castles and ramparts and they collectively

Beautiful European-styled city in the North - Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments 540 Hermitage at the background through the staff building What and Why Founded by Peter I ( Russian : Пётр I, Pyotr I , né Пётр Романов, Pyotr Romanov ) in 1703, Saint Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург, Sankt-Peterburg ) is definitely one of the most cosmopolitan and culturally significant cities of Russia (Россия, Rossiya ) . Upon completion of the city within ten

Cultural and historic confluence of ancient Egyptian and Nubian civilisations - Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae 88; Handmade weaving in Upper Egypt (Sa'eed) 01605 Philae Temple from river cruise What and Why Aswan ( Arabic : أسوان , ʾAswān ) , located in southern Egypt (مصر , Miṣr ) on the banks of the River Nile , is a city of great historical and cultural significance. With a history that stretches back thousands of years, Aswan has been a cultural crossroad an

The heart of wine-making and Romanesque architectural heritage - Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion 932; Gastronomic meal of the French 00437; Art of dry stone construction, knowledge and techniques 02106 Saint-Émilion vineyards What and Why Nestled in the heart of the Gironde region of France , Saint-Émilion is a name that resonates deeply within the world of wine . This picturesque mediaeval village, surrounded by gently rolling hills and vineyards ( French : vignobles ) , is

' Above there is heaven, below there is Suzhou-Hangzhou ': for gardens, canals, food, operas, silk and scholastic activities - Classical Gardens of Suzhou 813; The Grand Canal 1443; Kun Qu opera 00004 Canal in Suzhou This post marks the 5th anniversary of my blog. What and Why The quote ' Above there is heaven, below there is Suzhou-Hangzhou ( Chinese : 上有天堂、下有苏杭 , Shangyou tiantang, Xiayou Su-hang ) ' aptly describes how beautiful Suzhou (苏州) has always been in the eyes of

The first capital of Russia, a major trading post and another centre of Russian Orthodoxy - Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings 604 Millennium Monument What and Why While Veliky Novgorod ( Russian : Великий Новгород) is so-called the 'new city', it is actually one of the oldest cities in the history of Russia (Россия, Rossiya ) . The city was founded in 859 by the Varangian (Old Norse: Væringjar ) prince Rurik (Рюрикъ , Rjurikŭ ) , which began the ruling dynast

Spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church - Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad 657 Trinity Lavra of Saint Sergius (from internet) What and Why The beautiful Trinity Lavra of Saint Sergius ( Russian : Троице-Сергиева Лавра, Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra ) is a lavra ( ла́вра) and the most important Russian monastery , being the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church (Русская П равославная Ц ерковь , Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov'

A Carthaginian trading post with a syncretic urban structure and culture - Kasbah of Algiers 565; Knowledge, know-how and practices pertaining to the production and consumption of couscous 01602; Arabic calligraphy: knowledge, skills and practices 01718; Arts, skills and practices associated with engraving on metals (gold, silver and copper) 01951 Kasbah of Algiers What and Why The kasbah or casbah of Algiers ( Tamazight : ⵍⴷⵣⴰⵢⵔ, Ldzayer ) is a chaotically beautiful eclect

The only remaining wonder of the ancient world - Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur 86; Koshary, daily life dish and practices associated with it 02278 Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khafre What and Why There is absolutely no need for any introduction to the pyramids of Egypt ( Arabic : مصر , Miṣr ) . Pyramids are the oldest but the only standing seven wonders of the ancient world , standing on the various sites for more than 4,500 years! Unless

A small Russian former capital with more churches than anyone else - White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal 633 Suzdal What and Why Just 25 km north of Vladimir ( Russian : Владимир ) (see our blogged Vladimir ( Владимир ) sits one small town of with a glory history Suzdal (Суздаль) . The historic town dates back to the late 10th century and it became a principality in Rostov-Suzdal (Ростов-Суздаль) in the early 12th century. Later in the mid-12th century this principal

4000-year old Neolithic village and culture in a remote island of Scotland - Heart of Neolithic Orkney 514 Skara Brae village What and Why In the islands of Orkney of Scotland stands four main archaeological sites of the Neolithic age of mysterious origin. These four sites have been marked to be founded from 3200 to 2500 BCE and are actually older than the Stonehenge as blogged in Amesbury or the pyramids in Giza (الجيزة) . They also draw comparisons of my visit to the

White-stone architecture along the Golden Ring - White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal 633 Assumption Cathedral (from internet) What and Why Vladimir ( Russian : Владимир) , together with Suzdal (Суздаль) , was one of the major principalities of mediaeval times that succeeded Kievan Rus' (Old East Slavic: Роусь, Rusĭ ) that dates its foundation back to the 10th century. The city prospered when it became the capital of the joint principality of Vladimir-Suzdal (Владимирско-

The picturesque unknown capital of Switzerland retaining a provincial atmosphere - Old City of Berne 267 Marktgasse What and Why With such a picturesque landscape, arcades and water fountains in the Old Town ( German : Altstadt ) , the city of Bern is easily one of Switzerland's ( Schweiz ) most beautiful towns. Ever since its foundation in the early 12th century, the city has always brimmed with a provincial town atmosphere while carrying the important title of the de fac

The fortress of political might and fear continued - Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow 545 Kremlin What and Why Built as early as the mid-12th century, the Kremlin ( Russian : Кремль, Kreml' ) is now home to the president of Russia (Россия, Rossiya ) and the epicentre of post-cold-war Russian politics. The Kremlin has survived almost a millennium of upheavals, change-of-hands, vandalism and reconstruction, the fortress-complex symbolises the political forte Russian leadershi