At the end of February 2015, I stayed again at Reids. A year ago, it has changed its name to Belmond Reid’s Palace Madeira. After 30 years, the French railway company SNCF, who owns...

Biography of the Chris King, the head chef at the restaurant Roux at the Landau at the Langham London Hotel Chris King is the...

Photos, history and review the Pestana Palace, Lisbon. The city of Lisbon offers several hotels in historic palaces. Probably the most exiting of them is the Pestana Palace, a five-star...

Update added on October 19, 2010: In the evening of October 18, 2010 Netanyahu came to the conclusion that the loyalty oath...

The biography of Yves Klein, largely based on With the Void, Full Powers Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de Yves Klein was born in Nice (France) on April 28, 1928. His father...

Together with the Latvian Elīna Garanča, the Italian Cecilia Bartoli is one of the world’s leading mezzo-sopranos. Cecilia was born in Rome on June 6, 1966. Both her parents,...

A history of Aromatherapy Aromatherapy dates at least back to Ancient Egypt. Embalming, mummification, fragrances for daily life,...

Jezebel is a 1938-movie that made Bette Davis a star (DVD: Amazon.com, Amazon.de). The title gets explained when the film character Julie Marsden (Bette Davis) emotionally asks her aunt...

The city of Basel currently holds two outstanding exhibitions: one about Van Gogh’s landscapes, the other about Alberto Giacometti. Both are highly recommendable. Here some...

In the Shia tradition, it is the custom to hold a memorial service 40 days after a person’s death. That’s what...

You cannot judge politicians by their words. As long as bold statements have not translated into actions which have delivered results, it is impossible to judge them. Barack Obama is still...

After a decade in the political desert, today’s Likud leader Benyamin Netanyahu did everything to return to power. The result is a gigantic cabinet with 30 ministers as well as 9...

A history of Brown’s Hotel The city of London is full of luxury hotels, but only a dozen or so are worthwhile staying at. One of the finest addresses is Brown’s Hotel...

Results and analysis of the February 10, 2009 Israeli election With 99% of the ballots in the Israeli election 2009 of February 10 counted, the Kadima Party of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni...

A long and outstanding history The hotel to many just known as the Danieli has a long and outstanding history. The building of the Venetian luxury hotel Danieli dates back to the late 14th...

Update added on January 3, 2009 at 22:07 Swiss time: Israeli ground forces have entered the Gaza Strip today. The Israeli defense...

The St Regis Grand Hotel Rome offers probably the most outstanding history of any hotel in the eternal city. In 1894, it started as the Grand Hotel, a brainchild of the most mythical name...

The management contract with the Indian Oberoi group ended on December 31, 2012. The Egyptian General Company For Tourism & Hotels (EGOTH) is currently selecting a new management...

Added on May 28, 2017: In the evening of May 26, 2017 Zbigniew Brzezinski passed away in Virginia at the age of 89. Book review: Zbigniew Brzezinski: Second Chance. Three Presidents and...

The exhibition Biedermeier: The Invention of Simplicity was originally conceived at the Milwaukee Art Museum and then...