My Personal Favourites for 2023

A photo becomes a favorite for various reasons. While it might not hold the same significance for everyone, for me, it’s the attached memories that make it special. Linked to Patti’s LAPC Challenge “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes…

Tuesday Streetart – Banksy Originals- 21

BRISTOL, UK Here are two original murals by Banksy in Bristol. Well-hung Lover is best viewed from the Park Street bridge above Frogmore Street, as the work is approximately five metres above street level. The attention to detail is impressive because the windows are of the same size as those on surrounding buildings. The Girl…

Tuesday Streetart by Otto Schade – 20

LONDON, UK A typically painted interwoven ribbon creation by Otto Schade can be seen in Hawley Street in Camden Town. It is Amy Winehouse plus other examples of his work. This is a scheduled post for this week.

My 2023

My last post for this year is a look-back on the year that was. So many memories made and much to be grateful for. Linked to Cee’s FOTD and to Xingfumama’s Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge ————————- oOo ————————- Wishing all of you a blessed Christmas Season and joyous New beginnings… ————————- oOo ————————- “No matter…

Tuesday Streetart Red Flowers -19

CATALUNYA, BARCELONA, SPAIN It’s such a waste when people vandalise a gorgeous mural. I found this one in Barcelona. It is a mural entitled Red Flowers by Bronik. _______________________________oOo____________________________________________ *Five days before Christmas, amidst the festive preparations, my husband and I find ourselves contending with COVID. Thankfully, our symptoms aren’t severe, marking our first experience…

A walk through Casa Batllo

TRAVEL DIARY BARCELONA 1: After tiring our legs out in Paris for four days, hubby and I opted for a more leisurely pace in Barcelona. Our plan: two key attractions at the most daily, with the rest of the time dedicated to leisurely strolls around the city. Walked approximately 25 minutes from our hotel to…

Gaudi’s Chairs

BARCELONA, SPAIN Gaudi, famous for buildings like Casa Batlló and Sagrada Familia, also crafted impressive furnitures like these. Let me share with you some chairs inside the Casa Batllo that he designed.

Christmas comes alive in Covent Garden

COVENT GARDEN, UK I immersed myself in the enchanting ambiance of London, where every corner from pubs to alleyways to doorways are adorned with twinkling lights and festive wreaths. This is Covent Garden in the West End area with some of its festive doors. Linked to the last edition of Dan’s Thursday Doors Challenge for…

Pink Flowers at the Quinta

Dictionary says that in Portugal, a Quinta is a large house in the country or on the outskirts of a town. These are pink flowers with the backdrop of Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal. Linked to Cee’s FOTD Challenge Photo taken in October 2023

Parisian Art Exploration

TRAVEL DIARY: PARIS 3 On our final day in Paris, October 11th, we aimed to explore as many Art attractions as we could before leaving. Initially, our plan was to visit Sainte Chapelle, but without a prebooking, the lengthy queue stalled our progress for 30 minutes. We opted to change course and explore another destination…

A magical journey

“Life is a magical journey, so travel endlessly to unfold its profound and heart touching beauty.” – Debasish Mridha I started traveling later in life. Growing up in a third-world country where travel was mostly for the wealthy, my dream of visiting magical places like Disneyland only came true when I went there with my…

McKenzie Gardens

A lovely place to sit, walk, and enjoy the sights, perhaps even catching a glimpse of a playful squirrel. This is McKenzie Gardens in London. Linked to Xingfumama’s Pull Up a Seat Challenge

Urban sketching tools

Urban Sketching is the act of drawing or painting on location in the cities or towns that you live in or travel to. It is your own visual diary of what you found inspiring or note worthy. I have been doing this form of art for 2 years now and I am absolutely enjoying it….

Strolling Through the City: A Parisian Adventure

TRAVEL DIARY: PARIS 2 On October 10th, we embarked on the Batobus, eager to explore multiple stops with the flexibility of hopping on and off. Linked to Jo’s Monday Walk First stop: Jardin des Plantes. Walked by without going in—hubby and I weren’t too interested. Went past the Botanical Gardens… This is the stop where…

Liverpool Tuesday Streetart -17

LIVERPOOL, UK Visited Liverpool for a night during our road trip, and stumbled upon a captivating 3D mural with three walls near the Cavern Club, just across from Jollibee.

Rue de L’Abreuvoir Windows

Rue de L’Abreuvoir and its aurrounds is a little Parisian paradise in Montmartre. It has cobbled streets, ivy covered walls, pink coloured cafes that makes it the prettiest street in Paris. Here are some of the lovely windows that can be seen here. Linked to Xingfumama’s Whatsoever is lovely Ludwig’s Monday Window

London Public Art for a Cause

Discovered a Gorilla Trail in the heart of Covid Garden in London. Was disappointed that I just saw 3 instead of the 15 life size gorillas that was scattered there. This trail aims to show the beauty of this endangered species as well as educate the people on what is being done to help their…

Seating Benches in Montmartre

A picturesque park in Montmartre with abundant green benches. It is a quaint haven where one can sit to while away the afternoon, far from the noise of the city.

Entrances of Montmartre

Today’s post is a journey to the streets and doors of Montmartre, Paris. With its cobbled streets, ivy covered walls, stunning basilica … Montmartre is full of charm! Linked to Dan’s Thursday Door Challenge A pretty door in Rue de I’Abreuvoir, one of the prettiest streets in Paris. Green doors still on the same street….

Light fixtures

For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge I am featuring the different styles of lamps in France, Spain, Portugal and the UK. Old fashioned house lamp in the Cotswolds, UK Quinta da Regaleira ceiling lamp in Sintra, Portugal Classic lamp post in Barcelona. Old style wrought iron lamp post also in Barcelona,Spain Abney Park in Stoke Newington,…

A day in Montmartre

TRAVEL DIARY: MONTMARTRE 9th of October, our day started off early with breakfast at our hotel at 8 am. It wasn’t the usual buffet breakfast but wow was it so yum and healthy-ish. Great start of the day. Went on the metro just a 1 minute walk from our hotel. Emerged from this Metro station…

Tuesday Blue Streetart Window – 16

BRISTOL, UK After weeks away, I am back with my weekly streetart post linking it with Ludwig’s Monday Window Challenge. This is a fun challenge for me because I love searching for Streetart everywhere I go. It is not hosted by anyone, so if you want to join in, just post a photo. I found…

Capturing Moments and Embracing Empty Spaces

I am linking this to Patti’s Empty Spaces LAPC , Xingfumama’s Whatsoever is lovely Challenge and for Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday for this week. These are photos that I took with my IPhone during my travels from October to early November this year. What lovely memories…

Seats in Park View Cafe

There was a train strike last 11th of November so we decided to just stay local and stroll in Finsbury Park. About an hour walk and it was time for brunch at the Park View Cafe Some round tables and chairs. Linked to Xingfumama’s Pull up a Seat Challenge

Paris, here we come…

TRAVEL DIARY: PARIS 1 We took the Eurostar from London to Paris on the 8th of October. The moment we emerged from the bustling Gare du Nord station in Paris we were greeted by a spectacular view and sunshine. The hotel we reserved on Belleville turned out to be small, but it wasn’t as tiny…

The windows of Liberty

Liberty is a luxury department store in London and the building dates back from 1875. It is one of the most iconic stores in Regent Street. The Liberty Clock is a mechanical clock that was completed in 1925. I like how it looks like clocks that you may find in European Old Towns. Linked to…

Looking up, looking down in Sintra

Situated only 25km from Lisbon, Sintra is a picturesque town that has extravagant palaces, ancient castles and stunning scenery. One of the most popular day trip from Lisbon that people take is to see the colorful Palácio da Pena. This spectacular castle is located high in the Sintra Mountains and is considered one of Portugal’s…

Finsbury Park doors

TRAVEL DIARY: LONDON Departed Melbourne on October 4th, I endured a challenging 25-hour flight (including stopovers and layovers), finally reaching Heathrow Airport in the early morning. Upon our early arrival in London at my son’s place, I resisted the urge to nap, aiming to maintain my sleep schedule. Instead, I took a stroll around my…

Night sky in Porto

This is what you get when you mix a beautiful church a cloudy sky and a full moon… Took this photo with my iphone when we passed by the Church of Saint Ildefonso in Porto. The blue and white tiles on the walls of the church is very impressive. Linked to Hammad’s Weekend Sky