Tag Archives: sculpture Sri Lanka is said to be the oldest continually Buddhist country in the world. When Buddhism first spread beyond India, the two countries that embraced the teachings were Gandhara (lands that are now in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan) and Ceylon (called Sri Lanka since 1972). Buddhist scholars believe that the Buddha visited the island […]  When you grow up and live in The Colonies, a visit to England can feel like a cultural homecoming. So much is familiar! You recognise places you’ve never been, and half-remember stories you’ve never heard. I had always wanted to visit the Lake District: images of that pastoral countryside had somehow taken on a mythical […]  “Funiculì, Funiculà!” I find it impossible not to sing the popular Neapolitan tune – at least in my head – whenever I ride a funicular railway. The song was composed in 1880 to commemorate the then-new funicular track up Mount Vesuvius. Cable railway systems, designed for steep slopes, have been in use since the 1820s […]  It’s easy to fall in love with Bali. The beaches are beautiful, the food is wonderful, the people are friendly, and the culture is unique and richly rewarding. This little Indonesian island was doubly blessed: firstly, with abundantly productive fields, and secondly, with people who were cooperative, rather than overly competitive, and who therefore shared […]  I’ve said it before – and probably more than once: I love Europe! I love how you can wake up in Switzerland, explore and have lunch in Italy, and be back in Switzerland – and in a different region and city! – in time for dinner. My husband and I were enjoying a long sight-seeing […] |
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