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Mykonos: the modern thrill of ancient Greece

The Greece I found; after a train to Bari and a ferry to Korfu, was different from Miller´s untrodden paradise. Still, I fell in love with it forever; I fell in love with its musical language, its delicious food, its people, its traditions, and the sheer beauty of its perfect little white towns overlooking the blue Aegean sea. … Mykonos: the modern thrill of ancient Greece

ERCOLANO RUINS: Beyond Pompeii

Anyways, after this colorful ride, we were in Herculaneum. The differences with Pompeii are directly apparent on arrival. This is like looking at a whole city from above, only the roofs have been removed. Buildings here are much better preserved than in Pompeii, as Ercolano inhabitants were killed by the tremendous heat, and not by the ashes.

Herculaneum used to be a beach resort for rich Romans, so the ruins, located below ground level, are looking at an imaginary sea, as the water has long ago retired. Pompeii is huge, while Ercolano is rather manageable and, provided you have a good guide, you can get a pretty clear picture of it in one day. … ERCOLANO RUINS: Beyond Pompeii

Love story at the Llamadas: Candombe drumming and amour in Montevideo

We followed the drummers dancing like crazy. The llamadas consist of each group playing and dancing candombe and walking for some 10 blocks over a street called Isla de Flores. They start around the corner from my apartment, actually, but our seats were near the end of the line, so, when we followed the drummers as they exited the gates, police closed them behind us and said we couldn´t go back inside.

Ana couldn´t care less: she was going to be reunited with him, and nothing else mattered. … Love story at the Llamadas: Candombe drumming and amour in Montevideo

An Egyptian mirage: Mayhem in the land of the pharaohs

In a country where a blogger goes to prison for four years after criticizing the president, it is no secret that freedom of expression has been a standing concern.
After 30 years living in an ipso-facto dictatorship under Hosni Mubarak, it seems that Egypt has had enough.

However, when I saw images of an Egyptian museum after it had been ramsacked during protests, I felt a sense of terrible loss. … An Egyptian mirage: Mayhem in the land of the pharaohs