Category Archives: Travel

Summer Beach Walks: ‘Piriápolis’ In Uruguay

Filmed in February 2021

Piriápolis is a city on southern Uruguay’s Atlantic coast. One of the country’s earliest resorts, it’s known for its belle époque–style buildings, like the waterfront Argentino Hotel. Near yacht-filled Piriápolis harbor, a chairlift leads up Cerro San Antonio, a hill with a small whitewashed chapel and a lookout point. The waterfront promenade of Rambla de los Argentinos curves around the bay and Piriápolis Beach. 

Maldonado is the capital of Maldonado Department of Uruguay. As of the census of 2011, it is the seventh most populated city of the country. Maldonado is also the name of the municipality to which the city belongs. 

English Country Homes: ‘Wilby Hall’ In Norfolk

Wilby Hall is believed to have been built by Sir Thomas Lovell and lived in, among others, by Sir Robert Wilton, a friend of Oliver Cromwell, who is thought to have stayed at Wilby Hall during a visit to Norwich.

Of special interest to lovers of historic houses is the fact that, throughout its existence, successive custodians — including Russell — have taken care to conserve the many original features of the 6,183sq ft hall, which offers accommodation on three floors, each room having a specific purpose.

Of particular note are the impressive drawing room, the delightful sitting room with its distinctive wallpaper and handsome fireplace, the cheerful kitchen/breakfast room and the charming library.

Wilby Hall is approached from the east along a sweeping, tree-lined gravel drive that allows tantalising glimpses of the splendid brick-built house. To the north of the main building is an Elizabethan walled garden, formally landscaped with box and yew hedging, yew topiary, herbaceous beds, a pond and ornamental trees. A south-facing garden comprising a large expanse of lawn stretches to the moat that borders the lawns from east to west, with mature broadleaf woodland beyond.

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Desert Homes: Rancho Mirage, California (Video)

Masterfully renovated while holding true to its Frank Lloyd Wright architectural influence, this inspiring contemporary estate is situated on a prime south-facing lot spanning near an acre off historic Clancy Lane. If you’re an enthusiast of geometric design, long driveways, wrap-around covered patios, numerous banks of windows, spacious mature grounds, and direct mountain vistas from the interior this is the residence for you.

Additional features include: owned solar power system; forty foot long saline pool with automatic cover; elevated ceilings and smooth plastered walls; strikingly conceived fireplace wall; sleek open kitchen concept with stainless steel Sub Zero appliances and drop down range hood, custom built in cabinetry throughout, large wine storage cooler, and perfectly framed mountain view setting; master retreat with true indoor/outdoor living and private patio area, and an enormous tiled focal wall in the well-appointed bathroom; ideal bedroom separation with three upper bedrooms and two lower; all bathrooms throughout have been exquisitely remodeled; open air Zen atrium; sizable putting green; porcelain tile with ‘cement look’ flooring, expansive misting system, and ample parking options including three car garage.

Mark Hagedorn is the residence’s esteemed architect, and he was trained by Wright’s chief draftsman John H. Howe, who was aptly nicknamed ‘the pencil in Wright’s hand’.

Walking Tours: ‘Meiningen In Central Germany’ (4K)

Meiningen is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 25,000. Meiningen is the capital and the largest town of the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district. From 1680 to 1920, Meiningen was the capital of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen.

Recorded 04 – 02 -2021

Aerial Views: ‘Lofoten Islands In Norway’ (Video)

Lofoten is an archipelago in Norway. Its known for its dramatic scenery, with peaks like the Svolværgeita pinnacle jutting up into the sky. Himmeltindan Mountain sits on Vestvågøya Island. The nearby Lofotr Viking Museum features a Viking longhouse reconstruction. Cycle routes cover the islands, passing through fishing villages like Henningsvær, which has colorful buildings lining its waterways.

City Views: Montgomery – Capital Of Alabama (4K)

Montgomery is the capital city of Alabama. The black granite Civil Rights Memorial and adjacent exhibition center commemorate the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, a hub for the Montgomery bus boycott. Close by is the domed, 1850s Alabama State Capitol. East of downtown, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts displays porcelain and American and African art. 

Views: ‘Washington D.C.’

Washington, DC, the U.S. capital, is a compact city on the Potomac River, bordering the states of Maryland and Virginia. It’s defined by imposing neoclassical monuments and buildings – including the iconic ones that house the federal government’s 3 branches: the Capitol, White House and Supreme Court. It’s also home to iconic museums and performing-arts venues such as the Kennedy Center.

Evening Walks: The High Line To Hudson Yards, NYC

The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. The High Line’s design is a collaboration between James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf. 

Aerial Views: ‘Prague – Czech Republic’ (Video)

Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic, is bisected by the Vltava River. Nicknamed “the City of a Hundred Spires,” it’s known for its Old Town Square, the heart of its historic core, with colorful baroque buildings, Gothic churches and the medieval Astronomical Clock, which gives an animated hourly show. Completed in 1402, pedestrian Charles Bridge is lined with statues of Catholic saints.