Alison Stewart's Blog, page 7

Bonn – the town that became Germany’s post-war capital

Bonn, which John Le Carre called “a small town in Germany” in his eponymous cold war thriller, once stood alongside Paris, Washington and London as an important Western bloc bulwark against the Soviet Union.

For 41 years from 1949 to 1990, Bonn was Germany’s new capital, replacing Berlin, which was divided by the Iron Curtain and tainted by Third Reich associations.

The year 2020 will mark a discomfiting 30th anniversary for Beethoven’s birthplace on the banks of the Rhine, the year she was stripped of her status.

Here is my story, published in Fairfax Media’s The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age Traveller on March 17, 2018 and also online here:

http://www.traveller.com.au/bonn-the-town-that-became-germanys-postwar-capital-h0xe7o#ixzz5AztCL9Sc

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Room with a View – little Venice hotel with a rare feature

A little hotel in Venice, the San Sebastiano Garden, is a 15th-century peach-and-cream hotel in Dorsoduro – the less touristy sestiere (district) of the city’s historic centre but still only about 15 minutes’ stroll from St Mark’s.

It has some spacious rooms, the plumbing works, and, most wonderfully, as its name suggests, it has that Venetian hotel rarity – a garden.

Here’s my story published on February 20, 2018 in Fairfax Media’s The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age Traveller and online:

http://www.traveller.com.au/hotel-san-sebastiano-garden-the-unique-15th-century-venetian-hotel-with-a-rare-feature-h0wbub#ixzz58AT2shSK

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Bold, beautiful Bratislava – from baroque to brutalist

You only have to look down from hilltop Bratislava Castle to see how the city’s architecture starkly reflects history’s extremes.

Here’s my story published on February 7, 2018 in Fairfax Media’s The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age Traveller and online:

http://www.traveller.com.au/bratislava-slovakia-a-stunning-stop-on-a-cruise-down-the-danube-h0qgs4#ixzz58ARLU9te

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Haarlem – Little Amsterdam

There’s a wonderful alternative to Amsterdam for tourists tired of the crush. Only a hop, skip and jump away is the little jewel of Haarlem.

Here’s a screenshot of my story published in Fairfax Media’s Good Weekend Magazine on February 8, 2018 and you can read it online here:

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/hollands-historic-haarlem-a-miniature-amsterdam-minus-the-tourist-hordes-20180125-h0o2rm.html

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New Zealand’s secret volcano pool

Discover a secret thermal pool at the base of a volcano, courtesy of the lovely Solitaire Lodge, which reclines on a private lake peninsula, 30 minutes from Rotorua.

You can read my story published in Fairfax Media’s The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age and online at Traveller.com.au:

http://www.traveller.com.au/new-zealands-secret-volcano-pool-the-bath-of-a-lifetime-gwkedi#ixzz55igrReBy

Follow us: @TravellerAU on Twitter | TravellerAU on Facebook

 

 

Dubrovnik’s Summer Festival

It’s a fantasy for romantics – a medieval walled city whose gorgeous forts, palaces, churches and squares are transformed for a short time into a consummate set for theatre, concerts, ballet, dance, film, comedy and opera.

Here’s a screenshot of my story about Dubrovnik’s annual summer festival published in Fairfax Media’s The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age Traveller on January 27, 2018.

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Or you can read it online here: http://www.traveller.com.au/croatia-dubrovniks-summer-festival-is-one-of-europes-best-arts-events-h0krwz#ixzz55WhgEieF

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Emirates Flight Test economy – Sydney to Dubai

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And you can also read it online at Traveller.com.au here:

http://www.traveller.com.au/flight-test-emirates-h0e1ln

 

Coimbra – beautiful the first time, perfect the next

Portugal is a magnificent country and Coimbra stands as a real jewel in the Portuguese crown. Do visit!

Here’s a screenshot of my story which appeared in Fairfax Media’s The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age Traveller on January 20, 2018. You can also read it online at:

http://www.traveller.com.au/coimbra-portugal-beautiful-the-first-time-perfect-the-next-h0f2p1

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The Weight of Water – how the life aquatic informs our travels

Finding the perfect wave. Sampling the sea’s bounty. Experiencing the dynamism of the Earth’s hot springs. Witnessing the potency of monsoon rains. Exploring the life aquatic. Our passion for water is an impetus to travel and a powerful influence on our collective psyche.

Here is my cover story on the importance of water in our travels, published in Fairfax Media’s The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age Traveller on January 13, 2018.

In it, eight of us (Traveller writers) celebrate in different, and unexpected, ways the essential role water plays in our travels and leisure time.

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You can also read it online here: http://www.traveller.com.au/wet-wet-wet-the-lure-of-water-h0ffad#ixzz54ESKiX9z

 

Life and Death in the Kgalagadi

The world jostles with sound and fury but there are still pristine places like the “great thirstland” of the remote Kalahari, an ecosystem empty of people, yet rich with game.

Here’s a screenshot of my story, published in Fairfax Media’s The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age Traveller on December 10, 2017, plus there’s a link below for the online version:

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Read more: http://www.traveller.com.au/on-safari-kgalagadi-transfrontier-park–south-africa-and-botswana-gzzje3#ixzz50zzkJUgx

Follow us: @TravellerAU on Twitter | TravellerAU on Facebook