Japan is a country best represented in visual details. At least, based on my experience of its two capitals
(ancient and modern), I found endless examples of visual delights. The elegant rope ties of a handmade bamboo
fence at Nanzen-Ji temple in Kyoto. The shiny perfection of a plastic food display in a restaurant in Kyoto's
underground shopping mall. The ghostly beauty of falling snowflakes seen from the 53rd floor of a skyscraper
in Tokyo's Roppongi Hills. And on and on...
Read the rest of: "Pathways of Japan"» 
The current issue of the Economist (June 10th-16th 2006) has a short article ("Deadly Beauty", p28)
on the popular if macabre use of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California - namely, on its function
as the perfect suicide locale. Apparently, the 4-foot-tall railing deters only the most hesitant
would-be suicides.
As for the rest, according to the data published in the article, the Golden Gate Bridge with its
two-per-month attempted suicide rate is the most popular place in the world to call it quits.
(Far from everyone succeeds, though)...
Read the rest of: "Heaven's Golden Gate"»
On your tour of Italy you may have
reserved a day or two to see Florence. The names are probably already
echoing in your mind: Piazza delle Signorie, Palazzo Pitti, Giardini
di Bobboli, Galleria degli Ufizzi, Il Duomo, Davide, Dante...
But even if you've been running around Italy trying to see and do
everything, I advise you to take it slow once in Florence.
Relax and enjoy the city at the heart of Tuscany...
Read the rest of: "Slow Lane in Florence"» 
If the pace of Guadeloupe becomes too frantic for you
then it is time to visit Marie Galante, a smaller
offshore-offshore island where you will find even
quieter beaches and towns, reminiscent of Guadeloupe
as it might have been fifty years ago...
Read the rest of: "Marie Galante"»  "Luba Lounge" is gone, and we've been mourning the loss. The next step in our grieving process was to visit Vinyl, which has taken its place on Bleury St. just below Sherbrooke. After a Friday night film fest at Cinema du Parc we decided to check it out.
Read the rest of: "Vinyl Bar"» 
From May 31st until June 4th, Montrealers and those who find themselves at the 45th parallel will
be able to enjoy the annual jamboree of electronic music and "new technologies" called MUTEK.
This year, the only name I recognize on the program is that of Richie Hawtin (he plays outdoors in Parc
Jean-Drapeau on the 4th).
That either says something about the festival's inability to attract more headliners
or, more likely, it says something about how clueless I've become on the subject of electronic music.
Or, possibly, it says both.
Anyway, you now have less than a week to get to Montreal and catch the groove:
www.mutek.ca.
Whale watching in British Columbia was not what I
imagined. My reverie of Free Willy frolicking in the
sun was replaced by a freezing reality as we set off
from the harbor.
Read the rest of: "Whale Watching in British Columbia"» 
Expect the unexpected. This is our mantra when we travel abroad. Lost luggage, misplaced reservations, poor directions, delays at the airport-all are possible, but so are unanticipated pleasures.
It was just an overnight trip, a convenient stop en route to Malpensa Airport in Milano. We had booked one night in the Hotel Excelsior San Marco in Bergamo, but this quick stop turned out to be one of the highlights of our vacation.
Read the rest of: "Bergamo: A City of Surprises"» 
I have to admit that the first thought that went through my mind
when I saw this photo was that I was looking
at a doctored image - something that aimed to demonstrate just how good a result one could
achieve with a little knowledge of Photoshop.
But as it turns out, the place really exists; not only that, this (real) photo actually
captures one of the best views the Municipality of Ipiales (Nariño Province, Colombia)
has to offer.
Read the rest of: "Architectonic Wonder in Colombian Jungle"» 
Madeira is a Portugese island, whose understated charm stems from its natural beauty and the range of environments found there - jungle, coast, mountains, waterfalls, sunny beaches and steep cliffs and in its mild climate.
Read the rest of: "Madeira: a hushed green island of Portugal"»
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