Stockholm

A wonderful long weekend in Stockholm, Sweden - the 40th country I visited in my life! Thanks to our special hosts Saba and her boyfriend, we enjoyed the city at its maximum. Built on 14 islands, you have to keep crossing bridges all the time, and all the areas are very interesting and charming. The Gamla Stan (the old town), Sodermalm and Sofo, the centre, various great museums such as the Vasa - hosting a warship from 1628 and the Fotografiska, the Stockholm Palace and Drottningholm... We also did a boat trip on the archipelago, astonishing! ...and not to miss some shopping at H&M!

The Getty Center

The Getty Center, well-known for its architecture by Richard Meier and astonishing views overlooking Los Angeles (it's incredible to realize the quantity of smog over the city, you cannot even see the ocean but just ships in the middle of the fog!). The atmosphere is very clean and relaxed, being on a hill with beautiful gardens, especially the Cactus Veranda, which I of course loved!

The highlights were two very interesting exhibitions: the photography of Ed Ruscha, and a video art installation by Werner Herzog: Hearsay of the Soul. I especially appreciated Ruscha's works "Every Building on the Sunset Strip" (1966), presenting all of the structures on Sunset Boulevard between Beverly Hills and Laurel Canyon, a twenty-four-foot-long double view of both sides of the street meticulously collaged together; and "Pacific Coast Highway" (1974), using the same automobile-based system to photograph the panoramic view of the highway.
Definitely a place you must visit in LA!

 

Osaka

A day in always more modern Osaka for the Grand Front Osaka opening to meet some friends...

Kyoto's temples

Some of my favourite spots in Kyoto...

Heian Jingu, Tofuku Ji

Toji, Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji

Kiyomizudera

Kurama Dera

Kyoto

The city I love...

Sakura & Momiji

Tottoro, white peacock at 妙説庵, turtles at Fushimi Inari, Tofukuji

Kyoto JR Station, Kyoto tower

Hairdresser..., Tatami maker

Kamogawa, Lake Biwa (Omimaiko, Shiga)

Fushimi Inari

Fushimi Inari Taisha is definitely one of my favourite temples in Kyoto. I climbed the mountain, walking under thousands of tori, many times but the atmosphere is always so magic, mystical as the first time and it's always a surprise...