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Upstairs, Downstairs

Urban renewal is nothing new; it was on Napoleon III’s mind when he placed Baron Haussmann in control of rebuilding significant portions of Paris more than a century and a half ago. Haussmann selected the site of  the Opera House,…

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Backstage

Well, we’re not exactly backstage here; in fact, we’re in box number 29, if I remember correctly.  I have a number of images of the splendid Palais Garnier, the Paris Opera House, but we’ll start with this bit of organised…

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… And How Would You Feel?

…  if you’d been pulled from your natural environment, shipped off to market and put on display for consumption? Being the mother of a vegan certainly affects one’s perspective but, seriously, how could one not respond to this face?  It…

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Waiting for Business

Here, in the shelter of shade outside the Seville Cathedral, these horse and carriage drivers held a striking affinity to cabbies outside any airport  or hotel. Although this group appeared to be more relaxed than their counterparts who queue up…

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Capoeira in the Latin Quarter

Paris’ Latin Quarter, after the Bastille Day parade and afternoon celebrations, and yet a couple of hours before people began jockeying in earnest for position near the Eiffel Tower and along bridges for views of the fireworks … Tourists, whether…

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Pucker Up

If you ever read the Brothers Grimm,  who popularised folk tales such as Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White, you may also know the story of The Frog Prince. There are various iterations of the tale, which sees a…

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Gaudi’s Barcelona

This is the house that Gaudi built, in Park Güell. Like many, we chose to visit Barcelona based in part on word of the wonders of architect Antoni Gaudi i Cornet. This Catalan genius was born south of Barcelona in…

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Gelato Girls

If you’ve not yet been to the island of Mallorca, Spain, add it to your travel list. Take a stroll down Palma de Mallorca’s Passeig des Born, and you’re in for all sorts of treats!

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Dominoes

Pick a bike, any bike. On a dreary Vancouver day earlier this year, this colourful array of bikes, so neatly arrayed, called to mind a stack of dominoes awaiting a gentle prod to set things in motion. Silly thoughts aside,…

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Big

When you’re little, everyone and everything around you can seem big, but just consider the size of the statues around this little fellow in the blue shirt. Scale can be fun. While the painted orca is roughly two meters high,…

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