During my travels I’ve seen a lot of statues depicting dragons. Saint Georg and the dragon is a popular motif all over Europe. I especially liked the dragons of Ljubljana, where I crossed the Dragon bridge and saw the city emblem feature a dragon. But Krakow is probably the only place I know where you can actually visit a dragon den.
The Portuguese town of Sintra is famous for many beautiful castles. Palácio Nacional da Pena is arguably the most stunning of the lot. It stands proudly on a hilltop in the mountains above Sintra. Construction started with a chapel built in the Middle Ages, which was later turned into a summer residence for the royal family in 1847. Heavily inspired by German castles, it also features Islamic elements.
Since two of my biggest interests are traveling and movies, one might guess that I’m naturally attracted to films with a touch of travel inspiration. Here are a few of my favorite examples, most of which I have visited the recording site location.
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of staying at the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore. Completed in 2010, it is the world’s most expensive casino featuring 2500 rooms, a mall, a museum, celebrity chef restaurants, ice skating rink and of course the famous infinity pool at the top.
Wait what? Ålesund who? Even though nowhere near as remote as Tromsö or Svalbard, it still feels like I’ve reached the very end of Norway. Why someone chose to start a town out here in the rugged island semi-archipelago is a mystery to me.
The streets are alive with the sound of Salzburg, to paraphrase that movie from 1965. The city feels alive and buzzing despite often being reduced to a tourist frame, compared to big brother Vienna.
So I’m back from another trip to Berlin. This unique city has a kind of deliberate urban decay which I find quite compelling.
Yes, I’m actually in Bruges. It’s not just a pun to the movie bearing that name. The medieval town is like a construction from a fairy tale, with cobbled streets and winding alleys. With a lot of canals, it reminds me of Amsterdam or Venice.
Singapore is one of the most dynamic cities of Asia right now. By extensive use of landfill with sand bought from Indonesia and Cambodia, the bay area has expanded greatly in the last few years and tall buildings pop up everywhere.
After experiencing the lovely urban chaos of Kuala Lumpur, these islands feels like a daytime dream. Epic palm trees and crystal clear water frames a picture so perfect it feels like it’s rendered by a computer. Every direction I look reminds me of a desktop wallpaper.
