Labyrinth

It was quite impromptu when i decided to escape from my boredom to the epicentre of Europe recently. Yet, it was not in the least a typical holiday as others might think. Thus, the pics below don't represent the major landmarks (except the main plaza) in the capital but just some snapshots i took on my way to the "labyrinth". Here, I present you, the downtown Brussels, in retrospective images.

soulmate

" But how will i know who my soulmate is ? " " By taking risks," she said to Brida. " By risking failure, dissapointment, disillusion, but never ceasing in your search for love. As long as you keep looking, you will triumph in the end ".

Brida by Paulo Coelho

Sighisoara, Transylvania

Dracula was born here .. what??? Yes .. He was ... but not the vampire count from the gothic horror story ... he was Vlad Tepes the Draculea (pls read my first entry for details).

This medieval citadel town was first settled by the Romans then the Saxon colonists in the 12th century.

The central Sighisoara features a small medieval fortified town. It has been listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site and is considered as one the most beautiful and well preserved inhabited citadel in Europe.

Below : The view of the clustered and compact town

Above : The clock tower dates back from 1280 and once housed the town council

Half a millenium old townhouses with bright colours

In 2006, the municipality hired an announcer with traditional outfit and snareless drum to greet passers by : "The gates of the Citadel are open for you ... welcome ". The announcer, interestingly, could greet in various languages including Malay.

candid here and there

Joyride

take a break

stand by me

Esperandote

S.O.S.

return to the woods ......

Just a matter of taste

Bought it upon recommendation of a friend. Artist : Simeon Gonzalez fr. Peru. Oil on Canvas. http://www.novica.com/artistdetail/index.cfm?faid=6413

I found this piece when i was on a one-day transit in Ho Chin Minh en route to Laos for a meeting. After such a long walk, i finally saw this interesting art work with different techniques applied on it. Oil on canvas plus stamping technique and a small piece of cloth pasted on it. Artist : Xuan Chieu fr. Vientnam

A gift from a friend. So sad that we are not in the talking term now but i like the painting though. Artist : Unknown fr. Hong Kong. Oil on canvas

Artist : Unknown fr Von Jolly Boutique, Malaysia. Batik

Bought it in Quito during a business trip. A typical image of south american native in a flower farm. Artis : unknown fr. Ecuador. Oil on canvas

Both of the paintings were on display in a coffee shop in downtown Vientienne, Laos. Artist : S. Mick fr. Laos. Water colour on recycled paper.

A gift from a friend who used to live in Peru. I told him to get me a semi-abstract painting which depicts the typical image of Peru / latin america. I think he did a good job. Look at the musical instruments and the hats. :) Artist : unknown fr. Peru. Oil on canvas.

Found this painting on display in one of the japanese restaurants in Santiago while having lunch. Called the owner, got it delivered, voila, it is mine. Artist : D. Alvarez fr. Chile. Oil on Canvas.

Istanbul, in a nutshell

Istanbul needs no introduction. For 16 centuries it was a great imperial capital, first of the Byzantine Empire and then of the Ottoman sultans. Nowadays, Istanbul is a frenetic city filled with a wealth of culture, history, monuments and nightlife. There are more than 100 places worth visiting in Istanbul, thus one should spend not less than 4 days to give more justice to this magnificient place. If you are short of time, perhaps you could concentrate on the famous places around the Sultanahmet area as shown below.

Haghia Sofia a.k.a the church of holy wisdom. More than 1,400 years old, a testament to the 6th century Byzantine Capital. In 15th Century, the Ottoman converted it into a mosque. Has spectacular patterned mosaic ceilings.

Blue mosque, the most famous landmark built between ( 1609-1616). Personally I find it a bit over-rated but worth visiting. Tour guide is not necessary to visit this place. Interesting light and sound show in the evening.

The interior of Blue Mosque.

The bridge spanning the Bosphorus, the straits separating Asia and Europe, which join the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Cruising Bosphorus straits is one of the must-to-do trips in Istanbul . Usually half day tour.

Shopping frenzy at Grand Bazaar. Everywhere goods tumble out of shops onto the pavement. Lots and lots of jewellery, leather products, souvenir items, imitation goods, textile etc. Bargain is a must. Dont be tempted by their persuasive skills.

Entrace to the Topkapi Palace. The principal Palace of Sultan Mehmet II, a big compound with enormous pavilions and courtyards. Dont miss the Harem, the section where sultans' wives and concubines lived. At it height, the Harem used to accommodate 1000 concubines. The tour guide told me that all the concubines were not turkish but from the countries conquered during the Ottoman empire. Can be on guided tour or as an option, visitors can also rent a listening device in order to have their own tour. Dont forget to visit the Treasury where all the gifts and jewellery of the Sultans are kept. The biggest diamond in the world is on display too.

Ritual spinning dance of Mevlevi Sufi. It is believed to be a form of meditative ritual to bring the practitioner into direct communication with god. 30 minutes show performed at a hall in the train station in downtown.

Cologne

I made a promise to visit my Iraqi friend in Cologne/Koln after I missed his wedding there last august 08. Lucky enough to discover a reasonable fare offered by Germanwings, I finally landed in this one of the oldest cities in Germany (founded by the Romans in 38 BC) on 15 Nov 08. Despite all the famous historical sites and the cultural centres, this trip was nothing more than a party frenzy for me. Thanks to Kramer for taking me around despite your not-so-well health condition. Thanks also to Brandon for taking the trip all the way from Bucharest just to spend the weekend here with me. Though you can be pain in the !@#(* sometimes, you are such a good company. Whatever happened in Koln, ended in Koln. Above: We took the tram and walked pretty far in the cold just to get to this scenic view of Koln. It was worth it. Koln is basically famous for its Cathedral a.k.a Dome. The cathedral is a World Heritage site and is one of the world's largest churches Because of its enormous twin spires, it also presents the largest facade of any church in the world. The construction began in 1248 and took over six hundred years to complete, until 1880. It is 144.5 metres long, 86.5 m wide and its two towers are 157 m tall.

I will definitely return to Koln.