What I love about this historic samurai abode is its intimate Japanese garden in the heart of the house. The Nomura Samurai House, together with the Kenroku-en Garden, makes Kanazawa a must-visit for anyone who is interested in Japanese gardens.
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My first visit to Prague was more than five years ago. I thought it looked like it was made up of giant, colourful wedding cakes and imagined that Disneyland must have been inspired by Prague. It was interesting to have visited the city but I didn’t think I would return. Recently, work brought me back…
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Victor Horta is regarded as the father of Art Nouveau architecture and designed some of the most iconic buildings in Brussels. Sadly, many of his early Art Nouveau creations, most notably Maison du Peuple, were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s as these were deemed old fashioned. 120 years ago, Horta was commissioned to design…
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I’m sure many photos of religious edifices (mosques, temples, churches, etc.) have been submitted to this week’s “Intricate” weekly photo challenge. And I wanted to offer a different perspective… Here is a photo that I took on a recent trip to Istanbul when we were walking around the courtyard of the Sultanahmet Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616, it…
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I was recently in Abu Dhabi for work. Even though I had been to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on two previous occasions, I decided to revisit the mosque. It was the first time that I was at the mosque on my own (instead of hosting journalists). Going through the photos that I’ve taken at the…
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If not for Guy and Léona Dessicy, Brussels would have lost another Art Nouveau masterpiece. I had written about Maison Cauchie in a post earlier this year after my first visit. Last month, I got to enjoy some rare Asian tea at Maison Cauchie (thanks to Jing who runs the excellent Source de Lumière tea shop). Before…
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Berenice Abbott recognised in Eugene Atget’s images of Paris his ability to fill ‘inhuman architectural photography with human experience’. This set the tone for my recent visit to the Constructing Worlds: Photography and Architecture in the Modern Age exhibition at the Barbican Centre in London. 18 photographers, 250 images. The works are shown in chronological order: Starting with…
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Did you know that Ghent has more listed buildings than any other city in Belgium? Just take a walk along the picturesque Graslei harbour. The former port area features an impressive row of guild houses and each medieval building has a story behind it. For instance, Vrije Schippers was the guild house for the local bargemen, who had the right of…
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For one weekend a year, the public is invited to visit and discover Brussels’ historic monuments and city landmarks through guided tours and walks. Titled Journées du Patrimoine / Heritage Days, this annual event usually takes place on the last weekend of September. I had missed the Journées du Patrimoine in previous years as I wasn’t in town. So even…
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Angelina Hue 