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7 sweet spots in Bordeaux & Saint Émilion
A few months ago, I visited Bordeaux, the capital and the largest city of both the wine-growing Gironde department and the much larger Nouvelle-Aquitaine region (which also includes Limoges and La Rochelle). Whilst there, I discovered there’s much more than wine to France’s sixth-largest city. In fact, Bordeaux, home to 362 ‘monuments historiques’, is a classified ‘City of Art and History’ and has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as ‘an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble’. What is more, it is also a great destination for foodies, including those (like myself) who have a sweet tooth. Today, I will focus on the sweet spots of Bordeaux, as well…
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12 Haruki Murakami books to read
Earlier this year, I published the post ‘23 Japanese books to read in 2023’. This was later followed by the post ‘9+1 Japanese literature classics’. Neither of these posts included any books by Haruki Murakami. The reason was that I was planning to publish another post specifically discussing some of his works (those I’ve read so far that is). Here it is. Novels by Haruki Murakami My fascination with Japan, which I am yet to visit, began in childhood. However, I was in my 30s when I first read a Japanese novel, Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. Since then, I have read many more Japanese novels. Through those, I have learned a lot…
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Bordeaux neighbourhoods: saints, churches, wine
Bonjour! Today is Bastille Day, also known as la Fête nationale française, or le 14 juillet. The French National Day is the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789. I would like to take the opportunity to share some tips about Bordeaux, France’s sixth-largest city, which I visited (for the first, but certainly not the last, time) a couple of weeks ago. A port city on the Garonne River in southwestern France, Bordeaux is also known as Port of the Moon (Port de la Lune). It is the capital and the largest city of both the wine-growing Gironde department and the much larger…
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9+1 Japanese literature classics
A few months ago, I published the post ‘23 Japanese books to read in 2023’. Since then, I’ve read a few more books from the Land of the Rising Sun (but I’ve still not been there). Among those, there are a few Japanese literature classics, which I would specifically like to discuss today. In writing this post, I’ve made two rather controversial decisions. First, to include works by Kazuo Ishiguro. Born in Nagasaki, Ishiguro moved to the UK at the age of 5, and has been a British citizen since 1983 (Japan does not permit dual citizenship). Even though he writes in English, and most of his books have little to…
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Nordic Noir: 20 Scandinavian TV series to watch
The winner of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest was rightfully Sweden with the song “Tattoo”, performed by Loreen. Although Sweden won the jury vote and the overall competition, it actually came second in the public vote. Neighbouring Finland might have won the public vote, but came second overall (in my opinion, it should have come last). Sweden’s other neighbour, Norway, finished fifth, whereas Denmark and Iceland did not qualify for the final. Inspired by Eurovision, today I’m reflecting on the Scandinavian TV series (mostly crime dramas) I’ve recently watched (as well as some older ones). 20 Scandinavian TV series to watch I have previously written about Norwegian, Finnish and Icelandic TV series, but…
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A short stay in Milan
I recently wrote about my skiing holiday in Madonna di Campiglio, a village and ski resort in Northern Italy. I combined my holiday with a few days in Trento and Milan. Trento, the gateway to Madonna di Campiglio, is an hour and a half by train from Verona, and two hours and a half from Milan, the second-largest city in Italy and capital of Lombardy. Since I’d been to Verona before, and considering that there are far fewer international flights to Verona than to Milan, I decided to fly to Milan and spent the night there. The following day, I took the train to Trento, where I spend another night.…
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Skiing in Madonna di Campiglio, Trentino
I recently went on a skiing holiday in Madonna di Campiglio, a village and ski resort in Trentino, in Northern Italy. This was my second skiing holiday in Italy. I had previously gone skiing in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a town and ski resort in Veneto, due to co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics (together with Milan). Trentino is renowned for its mountains, such as the Dolomites, which are part of the Alps. It is one of the two autonomous provinces of Italy. The other one is the neighbouring South Tyrol, officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol), an autonomous region…
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23 Japanese books to read in 2023
World Book Day 2023 will be on 2 March 2023. To mark the occasion, I have compiled this list of 23 Japanese books to read in 2023. A fan of Japan (a country that I am yet to visit) and literature, I have read quite a few Japanese books in the recent years. A year ago, I joined the Virtual Book Club: Japanese Literature on Meetup. This is a book discussion club that meets online once a month. Before each meeting, a Japanese book (that has been translated into English) has been selected for the attendees to read, whereas during the 90-minute meeting the attendees share their thoughts, impressions and reflections…
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Top 7 tips for a winter visit to Reykjavik
It all started a few months ago, when I attended an Icelandair-sponsored event in London. Iceland had already been on my bucket list for quite some time, but remained the only Nordic country (excluding the autonomous Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland Islands) I was yet to set foot to. In fact, I wanted (and still do) to visit the Land of Fire and Ice in the summer and go on a road trip around the country. Tempted, however, by an Icelandair promotional deal, I booked a 3-night round-trip to Reykjavik for mid-January, an ideal time to see the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights were spectacular – and my photos do…
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Beyond K-pop: the culture of South Korea
The recent increase in the global popularity of South Korean culture is commonly referred to as ‘K-wave’, ‘Korean wave’ or ‘Hallyu’. It’s been almost 3 years since ‘Parasite’, directed by Bong Joon-ho, won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. This was a historical moment: ‘Parasite’ was the first South Korean film to have been nominated in these categories, as well as the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since then, I have watched many more films from South Korea, a country that I’m yet to visit, and I have been slowly riding the ‘Korean wave’. Today, I’d like…