Culture 
Croatia: Dubrovnik, the pearl of the Adriatic(0)
If you are in a hurry, you can see Dubrovnik in 30 minutes and check it off your UNESCO World Heritage sites on top of that. That’s how long it takes to walk at a leisurely pace the 400 meters of its main street, the Stradun, from the Pile to the Ploce city gates – [...]
Estonia: a frightening experience in Tallinn’s KUMU museum
The KUMU contemporary art museum in Tallinn, Estonia, is one of those iconic buildings you don’t forget: clean lines, generous spaces, windows that catch as much light as possible. No wonder Finnish architect Pekka Vapaavuori’s design won the prestigious European Museum of the Year Award in 2008. So whenever I visit Tallinn, I always make [...]
Japan: Adachi Museum of Art near Matsue
The Adachi Museum is one of those pearls you find in the Japanese countryside. Easily reachable from Matsue, it is certainly worth a visit if you are interested in Japanese gardens and art, in that order. Founded in 1980 by Adachi Zenko, a self-made merchant millionaire, garden and art lover as well as philosopher, Adachi [...]
Japan: Otaru’s lights and lanterns
Once a flourishing port specializing in the herring trade, Otaru, on Hokkaido’s west coast and about an hour’s train ride from Sapporo, has found out that the tourist trade is far more profitable these days. Since Otaru has a picturesque canal lined with old warehouses, why not make an “Illuminated Night Path” with lanterns on [...]