magazine on travel

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TABLE OF CONTACT
INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................3-4
NORTHAN ISLAND’S..........................................................................................................6-7
Italy.........................................................................................................................................10-11
South Africa .........................................................................................................................15-16
Paris.......................................................................................................................................18-19
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Nowadays we’re used to thinking of travel as the ‘fun’ bit of life, but enjoyment isn’t a reason why it
shouldn’t also do some very serious things for us. At its deepest level, travel can assist us with our psychological
education. It can – when approached the right way – play a critical role in helping us to grow into better versions
of our normal selves. When it corrects the imbalances and immaturities of our natures, travel reveals its
full potential to function as a form of therapy in our lives.
But in order to
work a therapeutic effect, we
need to change
how we go about choosing our
destinations.
We should recognize that we’re
badly served
here by the travel industry,
which cuts the
world up into material categories
almost en-
tirely unattained to the needs
of our souls. It
will lay before us options like
‘outdoor fun,’
‘family adventure’ ‘culture
weekends’ or
‘island hideaways’ – but leave
it unexplored
quite what the point of these
destinations
might be when considered
from the point
of view of our psyches
Without any-
thing mystical being meant by
it, all of us are
involved in one way or another
on what could
be termed ‘an inner journey’:
that is, we’re
trying to develop in particular
ways. We might
be searching for how to be
calmer or how
to find a way to rethink our
goals, we might
long for a greater sense of
confidence or
an escape from debilitating
feelings of envy.
Ideally, where
we go should help us with our
attempts at these
longed-for pieces of psychological
evolution.
The outer journey should assist
us with the in-
ner one. But for this to happen,
we need to be
clearer in our minds both what
we’re searching
for inside and what the outer
world could
conceivably deliver for us.
In part, this requires us to look at the globe in a new way. Every destination we might alight upon contains
within it qualities, virtues one might say, that could conceivably support some move or other on a person’s inner
journey. There are places that could help with shyness and others with anxiety. Some places might be good
at reducing egoism and others might be good for helping us think more clearly about the future.
No one has yet written a psychological atlas of the world, outlining the so-called psychological virtues of places,
but it’s a project that urgently needs to be undertaken. Such an atlas would align destinations with their inner
potential. For example, we’d see that the Utah desert is both a physical destination – made up of 200 million-
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Many people ponder what they should do for a vacation and I realized a lot of people don’t seem to share my
views about traveling. I believe it’s very important to see the world and different cultures. It lets us open our
minds to new things and we get to experience life in exiting different ways.
Traveling gives us the opportunity to disconnect from our regular life. You get to forget your problems/issues for
a few weeks, it can also help you figure things out that you would not have understood without the distance traveling
can give you. We all have crazy schedules, work and a family to take care of, going away alone or with some
friends can give you distance and perhaps even make you realize how important these people are for you. Like the
saying says: we never know what we have until we lose it.
Another great benefit is the relaxation you get to do. It’s nice to live life to its fullest and enjoy a stress free time
with yourself. Going on vacation lets us recharge our “batteries” by disconnecting us from our regular life. When
we come back we feel invigorated and we are happy to be back in our day to day routine. It’s a very good stress
remover that has a lot more to give than most people are willing to accept.
Traveling increases our knowledge and widens our perspective. To view new customs, different ways of living is
fantastic for the mind. It gives us a new perspective about life and especially our life, it can help us change some
of our habits or even create new ones. When I travel I usually make it a point to try new food, some cultures
don’t have fries in their diet and they are all skinny, others use spices to give taste and not oils or fats. Discovering
different values and ways to get by in life is really interesting. You also need to visit exotic new places and discover
what this wonderful world has to offer.
New experiences increase our resourcefulness by living situations you would never encounter at home, this is
great experience for you when you come back to your routine. I have noticed that people who traveled a lot in life
were ready to embrace change and have a natural ability of overcoming problems that others would frown upon.
When traveling with friends or family it creates memories for a lifetime. These memories will create a bond that
nothing can erase no matter what
happens with the friendship/relationship.
It can also give a new perspective
on the relationship and cement the bond
forever. It also gives nice stories
to tell people afterwards, you can create
photo albums about your trips and
when you feel nostalgic you can take an
hour of your life and experience the
trips again by looking at your pictures.
It’s never been this cheap to travel.
With soaring oil prices the cheap travel
era might be coming to an end.
However there are still many budget
airlines fighting for your dollar
right now. With the internet and all the
new technology, you can plan your
trip exactly the way you want it. You can
choose your budget, the duration
of the trip and what you want to do. I
suggest to read travel and see what
others are experiencing, you can save
yourself a few hurdles by reading
about their trip.
If you have some time off I suggest
to take that trip and experience what
life has to offer. Don’t wait or tell
yourself there will be a better time to go.
Take the risk, the opportunity and
buy your plane ticket right now and leave.
When you come back you won’t
be sorry that you left, on the contrary
you will be thinking of your next
trip the second you come back from the
airport.
Feel free to let me know how traveling helped you out, what new experiences you lived and how they helped you
in your life.
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With a growing array of open-air bars, arts venues, and restaurants, Belfast is quickly becoming an attractive
destination for travelers. Stay at the design-forward Bullitt Hotel (inspired by the Steve McQueen film), which
opened in October with casual, well-appointed rooms and complimentary grab-and-go breakfast granola. Check
out arts organization Seedhead, which runs street-art tours and hosts pop-up cabarets around the city. The
Michelin-starred OX and EIPIC lead the fine-dining pack, but also visit Permit Room, with its internationally
inspired breakfast and locally roasted coffee. Noteworthy new nightlife spots include the Muddlers Club, a stylish
restaurant and cocktail bar in the trendy Cathedral Quarter, and Vandal, a graffiti-adorned pizza place that turns
into a late-night club, on the top floor of a 17th-century pub.—Nell McShane Wulfhart If you’ve a taste for whiskey,
then your exploration of the coast should include a visit to the distillery at Bushmills, only 4km southwest of
the causeway. It’s been distilling whiskey since 1608, making it the world’s oldest (legal) distillery. Along the way,
you’ll discover that it’s made with Irish barley and water from the local river before being matured in oak barrels.
All very interesting, sure, but the reward for the crash-course in distilling is a sip of the blessed stuff. The nearby
Bushmills Inn is one of the best places to stay in Northern Ireland, with a superb restaurant and lovely rooms.
A spectacular ‘fore!’ “… I went to Belgrade with no expectations of
décor, images, gaiety, anything interesting, and
Even the casual hacker
now I am a complete victim of its seductive
will know that Royal Portrush is regularly
featured on any list
charm that I must say goodbye to it with the
of the world’s best courses. It will play
host to the Open Cham-greatest pain. This is a new sensation: falling in pionship in 2019, but in the meantime,
you can challenge yourlove
with a city.
self on its most famous holes, including
the waters-edge White
Rock (5th) and Calamity (14th), one
of the hardest par-
threes in Ireland. The lesser-known but
equally beautiful Portstewart Golf Club is only a few kilometers away; its Strand championship course hosted the
2017 Irish Open. And, if you’re looking for a memorable bite, the local strand is home to Harry’s Shack, a fabulous
restaurant in an old shack managed by the National Trust. You’ll need sea legs and a steady gaze to cross the
20m-long, 1m-wide rope bridge that links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrick-a-Rede. The bridge sways
and lilts 30m above the swirling sea below, but don’t worry: it’s closed if the winds get too hairy. Once you’ve
reached the island, there are gorgeous views of the rugged coastline and Rathlin Island. It’s incredibly popular
so be sure to turn up early to secure a ticket in high season . It’s not often that a classic bucket-and-spade beach
town emerges as a gourmet hotspot, but that’s exactly what’s happened to Ballycastle, at the eastern end of the
Causeway Coast. Highly recommended is Caroline Redmond’s Ballycastle Food Tour, a three-hour exploration
of the very best of local producers, including the seafood chowder at the Central Wine Bar and the friands
– sweet almond cakes – from the Ursa Minor Bakery. In between you’ll try locally made black puddings and
cheeses – and keep an eye out for smoked fish from North Coast Smokehouse and beer from Glens of Antrim
Craft Ales & Beers (glensofantrimcraftaleandbeers.com). Also worth checking out is Thyme & Co and, of course,
Morton’s – maybe the best fish and chip shop on the whole island.
Walk along the King’s Road
When James Stuart built Gracehill House in 1775 and then planted an avenue of 150 beech trees to impress visitors,
he couldn’t have guessed that two centuries later his eerily beautiful road would be an eye-catching feature
in the hit series Game of Thrones. The Dark Hedges is now one of the most photographed sights in Northern Ireland
– and its fame brings the crowds. Thankfully the road will soon be closed to traffic, meaning visitors can appreciate
this stunning bit of green-fingered artistry without the cars. If you’re looking for more Game of Thrones
locations, Ballintoy Harbour, Cushendun Caves, Downhill Beach and Murlough Bay also appear in the show.
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The commune is situated on the coast of Northern France and is famous for the
amazing cliffs. For ages the rocky arches were visited and painted by artists like
Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet. Today the scenic spot attracts
many tourists and photographers
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This is one of our most favorite natural wonders!
The fjord is a favorite tourist destination in
New Zealand and owns a legendary appraisal by
Rudyard Kipling, who called it the eighth Wonder
of the World. The fjord has two waterfalls – Lady
Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls, accompanied by
the hundreds of temporary falls after a heavy rain.
Well developed tourism provides with the best
service and tours to this magnificent place.
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he Colorado River bend belongs to the Glen Canyon chain. What is unusual about it,
is that you can see it from the cliff above, since the Bend is surrounded with canyons.
No need to fly with a helicopter to view this natural beauty. The sun fills in with light,
therefore many gorgeous pictures have been created by the hikers. A really good spot for
travel photography.
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Built in the 13th century, the castle belonged to the Clan
Mackenzie. It was exposed to a lot of aristocratic dramas
and finally fully destroyed by the Jacobites in the 18th
century. The castle’s renovation started in 1919 and was
finished in 1932, making it one of the most popular castles
in Scotland today.
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Lisbon will be the first port of call but it will
take two days sailing to get there. I wait patiently
in the embarkation lounge until my
number is called and then swiftly make my
way to the cabin on deck 6. They’ve upgraded
me and I’m right at the front with a large window
overlooking the bows. There’s one double
bed, enough hanging space, and dressing table
right by the window, as well as two armchairs.
Braemar has three restaurants, Thistle, Grampian
and The Palms and I’m heading to dinner
in the Thistle. This is the largest and I’m shown
to a large table with other singles who I’ll get
to know very well over the next few days.
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There’s a choice of two starters, three soups, two salads and
four main courses, plus fish of the day and a British speciality.
The food is good, waiters are friendly and they keep the
wine topped up.
This is my first cruise on a large boat, although the Braemar
is smaller than most, at a little over 24,000 tonnes and holding
only 930 passengers. There are eight decks with the top
one containing two pools and a couple of Jacuzzis and rows
of sun beds. I take a look but am not expecting to make
much use of them as the sea has suddenly turned rough as
we go through the Channel. Indeed, lying in bed later, it
seems that my cabin is bearing the brunt of it, being high
up and right at the front. It doesn’t disturb me too much but
other passengers don’t get much sleep.After a couple of days
of rough seas, the sun begins to break through and the ship
settles into a pleasant rhythm. Lisbon is sunny and warm
and I explore the historic Alfama district before taking a trip
to the historic town of Obidos, around an hour to the North

In the summer, this is so packed with tourists that it’s almost impossible to walk in the main street but this time of year
it’s pleasantly quiet. I do a tour of the ramparts, not for the faint-hearted as there’s no guide rail and the path is quite
narrow. We sail in the evening and next day brings us to Portimao, on the Algarve. This is a centre for sardine fishing
and small restaurants on the sea front serve them up grilled. I’m fancying a swim so make my way to the beach of Praia
de Rocha, a wide stretch of golden sand backed my rocky cliffs. The water is fresh, not warm enough to linger, and I’m
one of the few brave souls to tackle it. The famous Gothic cathedral is the third largest church in Europe after St Peter’s
and St Paul’s, and contains the elaborate tomb of Christopher Columbus. I climb to the top of the 100m Giralda tower,
formally a minaret, taking a series of ramps, rather than steps. It was designed this way so the Iman could get up for the
call to prayer on a donkey. The Alcazar, just opposite, is a royal palace that also has Moorish origins and the upper parts
are still used by the King of Spain when he’s in town.
In the afternoon, I cross to other side of the river and explore the Triana district,
all narrow alleyways and once home to the city’s gypsies. It’s undergoing a process
of gentrification but I stumble on a small bar where outside, two guitarists are
accompanying a young woman singing and stamping flamenco. This is decidedly
not for tourists so I linger and enjoy the music.
The next day is spent at sea and the weather is so warm that it’s pleasant to sit out
on the top deck and take in the sun. For my pre-dinner aperitif, the Observatory on deck 8, with its large picture windows,
becomes a regular haunt. The main evening’s entertainment happens in the Neptune Lounge where an excellent
Filipino band backs various singers and one night have a show to themselves. Other nights see comedians, magicians
and variety with the ship’s resident entertainers.
In the afternoon, I cross to other side of the river and explore the Triana district, all narrow alleyways and once home
to the city’s gypsies. It’s undergoing a process of gentrification but I stumble on a small bar where outside, two guitarists
are accompanying a young woman singing and stamping flamenco. This is decidedly not for tourists so I linger and
enjoy the music.
The next day is spent at sea and the weather is so warm that it’s pleasant to sit out on the top deck and take in the sun.
For my pre-dinner aperitif, the Observatory on deck 8, with its large picture windows, becomes a regular haunt. The
main evening’s entertainment happens in the Neptune Lounge where an excellent Filipino band backs various singers
and one night have a show to themselves. Other nights see comedians, magicians and variety with the ship’s resident
entertainers.
In the afternoon, I cross to other side of the river and explore the Triana district, all narrow alleyways and once home
to the city’s gypsies. It’s undergoing a process of gentrification but I stumble on a small bar where outside, two guitarists
are accompanying a young woman singing and stamping flamenco. This is decidedly not for tourists so I linger and
enjoy the music.
The next day is spent at sea and the weather is so warm that it’s pleasant to sit out on the top deck and take in the sun.
For my pre-dinner aperitif, the Observatory on deck 8, with its large picture windows, becomes a regular haunt. The
main evening’s entertainment happens in the Neptune Lounge where an excellent Filipino band backs various singers
and one night have a show to themselves. Other nights see comedians, magicians and variety with the ship’s resident
entertainers.
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Although Mexican artist Diego Rivera
is well known today for his tumultuous
marriage to fellow artist and pop
culture icon Frida Kahlo, his artistic
genius should not be overshadowed.
Rivera remains one of the greatest muralists
of all time. And the best place in
the world to see his greatest works is
Mexico City.
The epic size of Rivera’s murals and
the painstaking detail with which they
were rendered will have you squinting
in concentration, trying to tease
stories from his multifaceted works.
His wall-sized murals contain many
themes, all competing against each
other for attention.
Rivera painted in the fresco style. His
more restrained murals depict the
daily life of indigenous people in Mexico,
such as his renderings of women
selling white calla lilies in the marketplace.
Rivera lived from 1886 to 1957, witnessing
the Mexican Revolution as a
young man. He was a Communist, so
political themes and workers rights
figure prominently into his works. He
also inserted his beloved Frida into
several of his great murals.
Searching for Rivera’s best murals in
Mexico City can feel a bit like a treasure
hunt. The four locations below
feature some of his most famous pieces.
They are all conveniently located
within walking distance of each other
in the city’s Centro Historico, or Historic
Center.
With lots of walking, you can see them
all in one day!
(1) Palacio Nacional (Plaza de la Con-
A huge mural by Rivera can be found
right off the national palace’s courtyard,
facing you as you walk up the
stairs. Painted between 1929 and
1935, the mural tells the history of
Mexico, and wraps around the wall.
Front and center is an eagle grasping
a serpent, just like the central
emblem in the Mexican flag. The
eagle stands on an Aztec calendar
stone. Above, men grasp a banner
that reads Tierra y Libertad, land
and liberty — the slogan of Mexican
revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata.
Zapata and other revolutionary
leaders are pictured in the mural.
Once you come up the stairs, you will
see murals depicting indigenous life
in Mexico prior to the arrival of the
Spaniards.
A striking young woman carrying
calla lilies on her back appears in the
first mural to the left after ascending
the stairs. Disconcertingly, a man
standing next to her holds a severed
arm. Rivera’s murals cover two levels
of the interior courtyard of the Mexican
government’s public education
ministry.
As with the palace, because this is a
government office, you will be asked
to leave your picture ID at the door.
The open courtyard is filled with a
garden at its center, creating a very
tranquil setting to wander and appreciate
the frescoes by Rivera covering
the walls that border the courtyard.
The first level includes murals that
depict life in different regions of
Mexico. The murals reflect popular
and religious traditions, as well as
the lives of laborers and agricultural
workers.
Workers are constantly restoring
the fading murals. According to
the Education Ministry, the murals
have been going through a
conservation program since 1990.
Rivera painted the murals between
1923 and 1928. This small museum
is built primarily to house one of
the Rivera’s most famous murals,
pictured below: “Dream of a Sunday
afternoon in Alameda Central
Park,” painted in 1947.
The museum provides a chart that
helps the viewer understand who
each of the multitude of figures in
the painting represent.
If you want to take a photo, you
must pay a small fee of a few pesos.
The panel that attracts the most
attention is of four famous figures:
from the left, there is Rivera as a
young man with Kahlo standing
behind him. Then there is the
elegantly dressed skeleton (La
Catrina) and the famous Mexican
artist and printmaker Jose Guadalupe
Posada at the far right, holding
a cane. Posada prominently featured
La Catrina in his own prints,
beginning in 1910. He used the
image to mock the upper classes.
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“As an artist I have always tried to be faithful to my vision of life, and I have frequently
been in conflict with those who wanted me to paint not what I saw but what they wished
me to see,” Diego Rivera.
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There is no escaping the romance of Paris. In the
early 19th century Paris revelled in the artistic and
literary liberation of Romanticism, yet this graceful
city has always inspired love. It permeates through
the city where loved-up couples laze in its manicured
gardens, get intimate in candlelit wine bars
and stroll along the Seine arm-in-arm at sunset. 1.
Take in the view from the Eiffel Tower
It’s no surprise why the Eiffel Tower witnesses so
many marriage proposals: scaling the three floors of
the 324m Parisian icon to the sweeping panoramic
views of the city is utterly romantic – and even
more irresistible with a glass of pink Champagne in
hand at the top-floor Champagne Bar. Rev up the
romance stakes with an ascent after-dark when the
tower sparkles every hour on the hour with 20,000
gold lights
2. Say ‘Je t’aime’ in Montmartre
Montmartre and its signature Basilique
du Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart Basilica)
is a place of pilgrimage for romantics
as well as the religious. Steep staircases
scale the hillside to the basilica’s lofty
dove-white domes, from where vistas
of the city – from the front steps or
from inside its main dome – are second
to none. Delve into the fabled heart of
this artist neighbourhood at the Musée
de Montmartre, set in the 17th-century
manor where Impressionist painter
Renoir and later Realist painter Suzanne
Valadon had studios. The intimate garden
here – with a rope swing hung from
a tree evocative of Renoir’s The Swing
(1876) – is particularly romantic
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Weave your way to place des Abbesses and discover how to say ‘Je t’aime’ in 250 languages on the Le Mur des Je
t’aime. Dedicated to love, the I Love You Wall, painted on enamelled lava tiles, is the creation of artists Frédéric
Baron and Claire Kito. 3. Admire the French Romantics
From place des Abbesses walk south to the Musée de la Vie Romantique, incongruous yet still at home in red-light
Pigalle. The romantic mansion with
green shutters and tangled
garden sits in a cobbled courtyard at
the end of a tree-shaded alley.
Writer George Sand and painter
Ary Scheffer lived here, and
objects exhibited create a wonderful
flashback to Romantic-era
Paris when Chopin, Delacroix et
al attended salons in the
house.
Admire works by Romantic painter
Delacroix in the Louvre and
Musée d’Orsay (in either museum
hook up with THATLou
for a love-themed treasure hunt).
Or head to Delacroix’s
studio-home Musée National Eugène
Delacroix to peek at more
intimate works like An Unmade
Bed (1828). In the genre
of sculpture Rodin was the man: be
inspired by his The Kiss
(1889) and other curvaceous works at the Musée Rodin.
Writer Victor Hugo was another great French Romantic, inspired by Notre Dame. Get close to him at house-museum
Maison de Victor Hugo on place des Vosges – a city square full of romancing couples on warm days 4. Discover
covered passageways
Indulge in the romantic nostalgia of 19th-century Paris in the Right Bank’s covered shopping arcades. Browse antique
and secondhand bookshops in Passage Verdeau, and doll house miniatures and old-fashioned toys in Passage
Jouffroy. Tea room Le Valentin seduces with homemade gâteaux (cakes).
Stroll south to Passage des Panoramas, the first arcade to be lit with gas lamps in 1817. Vintage boutiques burst with
collectibles here (stamps, coins, medals, postcards etc) and old-world bistros mix with on-the-trend eating addresses
like gluten-free Noglu and Philippe Starck’s Caffè Stern in an old engraving workshop at No 47.
From Passage des Panoramas continue to Jardin du Palais Royal, wrapped within the elegant arches of Galerie de
Montpensier
and Galerie de Valois. Guy Martin’s gastronomic Le
Grand Véfour
here is the last word in 18th-century opulence.
5. Stroll arm- in-arm down Canal St-Martin
finer spots for a romantic stroll or cycle than along
19th-century tow paths of tranquil Canal St-Mar-
the iron footbridge by the intersection of rue de la
Belles and quai de Jemmapes to watch the vintage
swing open to let canal boats pass. Or grab a wa-
Chez Prune to boat-watch and fall in love with this
Soho-boho quartier.
feast on traditional French in the vintage romance
sonnier or play it cool with a bottle of wine from
and a pizza to take away from Pink Flamingo.
There are few
the shaded
tin. Linger on
Grange aux
road bridge
terside pew at
fashionable
For lunch
of Le Chan-
Le Verre Volé
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