Following Leonardo

2019 commemorates the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci and there are many special exhibitions featuring this work. Ever since studying him in school and later at university, I have been fascinated by his work. Being interested not only in painting, but also in invention, drawing, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, […]

Camellia Festival in Locarno

Every year around the end of March when the camellias begin to bloom, people head to Locarno to visit the camellia festival. Boasting over 950 different camellias, Locarno features one of Europe’s most important camellia parks. Walking through the park, many different languages can be heard. During the festivities there are concerts, stands with information […]

A Day in Funchal

On our last full day on the island of Madeira we took the cable car down from where we were staying Monte and spent the day roaming the streets of the capital, Funchal. Our first stop was the famous Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmer’s Market) which is in every guide book. While it was interesting to […]

A Burst of Spring

Spring: that time of the year when the cycle begins again. When bulbs push up their leaves and boast colorful flowers, when meadows seem to go from brown to green within days, when trees are covered with clouds of white and pink blossoms. This year, spring came late but then let everything happen at once. […]

Madeira’s Gardens

When talking about Madeira, someone will inevitably say: oh, the island of flowers! It’s true that at any given time something is in bloom. In fact, Madeira was the first place I saw poinsettias growing in someone’s garden. Since then, I’ve seen poinsettias on the islands of La Palma and La Gomera, but that first […]