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Literary Lisbon – book shopping with a map
“Better to go barefoot than without books” ― Icelandic proverb You’ve probably heard of Shakespeare and Company in Paris or the stunning Livraria Lello in Porto, but have you been to any of the bookstores in Lisbon? According to the World Cities Culture Forum, Lisbon has 35.97 bookshops per 100 000 people, which makes it the most bookish city in the world. It’s home to the oldest, the smallest, and one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. And no, these aren’t all the same place. Let’s explore some of Lisbon’s literary gems! There are many more bookstores in Lisbon. This post features only places that I have already visited. Lisbon Book Fare –…
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A Photo Tour of Katowice: Street Art, Neons, and Architecture
Katowice is where your childhood dreams of living in space, like the Jetsons family, can come true. While there are no flying taxis, the city has its own ‘flying saucer,’ non-pneumatic (yet!) glass elevators, and the Cosmos Cinema (Kino Kosmos). At night, the neon-lit streets are full of little alien-like figures called Beboks. Fans of the space age and modernism will never tire of exploring the city’s out-of-this-world architectural gems. I visited Katowice for the European Science Open Forum 2024, held at the International Conference Centre (which sits on an old mining waste dump site!). It was my first time in the city, and during the day, I soaked up presentations about transformation, innovation,…
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Mini Stories #4 : Breakfast at Karmelitermarkt: Vienna’s Slow-Travel Gem
Do you know the feeling when your weekend trip itinerary is packed because you just want to see it all, but you wake up in the morning and just aren’t in the mood? Instead of exploring all the magical corners of the city, you prefer to take it slow. That’s exactly what happened on my recent trip to Vienna. I looked through the window at the golden leaves and the grey sky and I found myself craving the cozy warmth of October—something the hotel buffet simply couldn’t provide. For an authentic Viennese experience, I decided to do what the locals do on Saturday morning – visited the farmers’ market. Slow-travel…
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Thieves’ Market in Lisbon and the Woman in Pink Scarf
Gloomy Saturday, June 2024 – day in Alfama (Lisbon, Portugal) We took the Azul metro line (blue line) towards Santa Apolónia. It’s only five stations from Marquês de Pombal. The Woman in the Pink Scarf sat across from me. She wrapped her head in a scarf decorated with golden and blue sardines swimming in pink waters. The vibrant flowers on her blouse complemented the pastel pink shade of her loose trousers. She answered a call with a smile, her golden watch glinting on her wrist. That morning, we were heading to the flea market at Mercado de Santa Clara, often called the Thieves’ Market (Lisbon’s oldest flea market, open every…
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Cracow Museum Marathon
Cracow – a city where every corner whispers history. And what better way to unveil the secrets of its past and present than to run a museum marathon? Every day, different museums offer free entry with Tuesdays featuring the most attractive selection. And the great news is that many of them are located within or close to the Old Town, so it is possible to just walk from one place to another. From Chelmonski to da Vinci From outside a beautiful palace, inside a modern exhibition space – Czartoryski Museum is displaying one of the most expensive art pieces in Polish collections – The Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da…
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Sunrise in Nexø
It’s 4 in the morning, and the sound of my alarm clock brutally disturbs the perfect silence of this blue hour. It’s still a bit dark outside, but we don’t need to turn the lights on. A cold breeze enters the room through the small basement window.We prepared everything in the evening, and now we just need to get dressed, pack our cameras, and walk for about 3 minutes to the beach. Nexø is still asleep. In the harbour, the boats are slowly swinging, waiting for the first cruise, and the doors to the sand sculpture museum are still closed.Only the birds have started their day already. One proud seagull…
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Aurora and the Botanic Garden in Cracow
“Let me take you into the garden, into the garden I’ll be there, painting the flowers, give them color I’ll be there” (AURORA – The Secret Garden) Morning wonders Cracow – Tuesday morning in September. While most people were rushing to get to work, I hopped on one of the crowded blue trams to Rondo Mogilskie. Only a few steps away from this stop there is a peaceful oasis in the center of the city – the Botanic Garden of The Jagiellonian University. At 9 a.m. it was still empty, but I noticed some wheelbarrows full of old leaves and garden hoses ready for watering the plants – signs that…
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Botanic Garden in Berlin – one-hour photo challenge
Imagine you have a chance to photograph a new exciting location but you have only 1 hour to spend there. Do you run like crazy and take as many shots as possible hoping some of them will be treasures worth keeping? Or do you look for an unique frame and spend the entire time making sure it is perfect? Why not striking a happy medium? With the following easy photo challenge ideas, you will make the best out of this experience, coming back come with several great pictures. Recently, I had a chance to go to the Botanic Garden in Berlin, but I had very limited time. I wanted to…
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Munich – spring blossoms photo tour
Spring in Munich is in full swing from March to May. It is the perfect time when crocuses and snowdrops are still popping out while cherry trees are starting to bloom. It is the best time for a spring blossoms photo tour!No matter if you are into botanical photography or you just prefer to mindfully admire the flowers on a slow walk, you may want to know where to find them. So I prepared for you the map of the best spring blossom spots in Munich. The list is not exhaustive since beautiful trees and little gardens can be found in any corner. For flower photographers winter months can be…
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Mini Stories #3: Nature Photography Contest
In 2020 Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry organised the Nature Photography Contest. It was the very first photo competition I took part in. The goal was to explore and document the diversity on the campus in Martinsried. This research institute is surrounded by the city forest and fields full of plants and wild animals. Employees built bird tables and squirrels are their frequent guests too. The gardeners make sure that the meadows are not completely cut in summer to leave space for bees and butterflies. And it is not uncommon to meet goose families walking around the pond, which is also a home for fish, dragonflies and moorhens. However, it…
