[No Durian - Singapore]
Singapore is well known for being a “fine city”. There are signs everywhere stating how much each fine is. Curiously there is no fine amount for the eating of Durian in public.
Good Idea: Dial a Coke – Singapore
[Dial a Coke - Singapore]
Use credit on your mobile phone to buy a drink at this vending machine.
East meets West – Singapore
[Sit or Squat - Singapore]
Public toilets in Singapore offer you the choice of sitting or squatting toilets.
Poste Vaticane
The Vatican City is the smallest independent nation in the world. Despite its tiny size of 44 hectares (108.7 acres), it does have its own post office, fire brigade and police service.
[Vatican City Post Box]
Swiss Guards, Vatican City
[Swiss Guards]
The Swiss Guard at the Vatican City has served the popes since the 1500s as the papal army.
Swiss Guard
Learned Pig, Siena – Italy
Learned Pig, Siena – Italy.
Nuts about Nutella, Bologna – Italy
Spend longer than 5 minutes in Italy and you will realise that Italians are nuts about Nutella. Here is a cafe dedicated to the chocolatey spread in Bologna.
[Nutelleria - Bologna]
City of Joyce – Trieste
Trieste is situated in the North East corner of Italy. I knew very little about Trieste, as it seems most people do as well. I did know that James Joyce spent 11 years in exile from Ireland here.
Trieste is a beautiful city with its Adriatic waterfront, grand apartments and commercial buildings and, weather permitting, the Alps as a backdrop. All this and hardly any tourists. If you were to go into exile in a city in Europe, then I can think of no better place – no one would find you here.
Trieste was the principle port for the Habsburg Empire when it controlled these lands. So the city looks Austrian but it feels Italian. Here you find Vienese style cafes alongside Italian pizzarias.
[Trieste is home to Illy]
The lack of crowds is more apparent if you have just come from Venice, two hours train ride west of Trieste.
[James Joyce]
[James Joyce Hotel]
Joyce’s time in Trieste is honoured with a statue and a hotel named after him.
Cheap eats in London
[Indian Veggie Buffet]
I was taken to this place by a friend, otherwise I would never have found this place. £2.95 all you can eat is one of the best deals in London. It’s in Chapel Market near the Angel tube station.
Cary Grant, Bristol – UK
[Cary Grant]
Archibald Alexander Leach, born in Bristol, England in 1904. Most people know him as Cary Grant.