Travel

If Picasso could cook

Taxi drivers seem reluctant to make the 15 minute journey from the Nanjing business district to the infamous French Concession area of Shanghai where our destination ‘El Willy’ is discreetly tucked away. On arrival, we walk towards the faint glare of candle lit lanterns which become brighter and more visible as we approach. And then, all of a sudden, a very different Shanghai exposes itself to us. One that immediately makes you forget which corner of the earth you are in… Goodbye Shanghai, hello Europe! We arrive at the restaurant owned by Chef Patron Guillermo Tullera Moreno (hailing from Barcelona, Spain), affectionately known as “Willy”, after which he named his first restaurant>>>

Another time, another world

I believe that the trip we took around Iran was a common itinerary for foreigners in Abadan like ourselves who had one two-week "annual leave" during which to see the rest of the country. There's probably no need to identify each photo. The itinerary and particular views are largely in this order: train to Tehran with views of Qom; Tehran railroad station, Majlis, street scenes, American embassy, bazaar, Darband, Golestan Palace, carpet cleaning at Cheshme-Ali, Rey, railroad to Babol, Babolsar, Ramsar, Rasht, bus to Tehran via Qazvin, Esfahan, Shiraz, Persepolis>>>

The Doctor and the Sea

Zia Emami-Ahari is an Iranian-born retired orthopaedic surgeon. After retirement at the age of 63, he set out to realize a boyhood dream and test the resilience of mind and body of a person at his age. He undertook a mainly single-handed sailing journey on board Athesa a 31-foot sailing boat. The journey took him from Västerås in Sweden to the San Francisco Bay in the US. Following the termination of the journey, he continues sailing. He has in the meantime written a book about his adventures. In this book he describes his experiences while crossing the oceans alone, facing quite precarious situations and enduring harrowing feats>>>

Stockholm's summer

More than one city in Europe fancies itself being Venice of the North. About two decades ago, I was in Belgium’s Bruges, a famous contender. It was charming, but in the fog of November, not exactly Venice. Stockholm, under the magical Northern light of the sun in the summer of 2008, gave pleasure comparable to Venice. Perhaps even more, because the waters that surround the 14 islands which make up Stockholm were immaculately clean. There was also music in the air, and magnificent architecture to tell an intriguing history. You took ferries for public transportation. The rest of the time, you floated in the languor of the place.>>>