We may not have done nearly as well eating in Malaysia’s “Foodie Capitol” as we had hoped but that didn’t stop us from feasting on an impressive smorgasbord of a different variety. And while we would never claim George Town is an obviously beautiful city in the way that, say Hoi An in Vietnam is, there are enough pockets of visual attractions scattered about town to make it a worthwhile place to explore. Just be prepared. As with its culinary treasures, George Town plays a bit coy by hiding some of its best bits in out of the way places.
With over 23 million Instagram posts already hashtagged #vacation, competition is increasingly fierce for most photogenic holiday background. Those looking for a little inspiration might consider checking out the latest batch of travel photo submissions from National Geographic’s 2015 Traveler Photo Contest.
Curated especially for Quartz, and captioned by the photographers themselves, the scenes below range from city heights to sacred caves and offer inside tips to the most remarkable views in Thailand, Brazil, Abu Dhabi, Greenland, the Caribbean, and elsewhere.
A group of young monks visiting Khao Luang cave in North Phetchaburi, Thailand.(Carlo Murenu / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
A cyclist passes through the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia(Angiolo Manetti / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
Aerial image of a woman doing kayak in Lagoa da Conceição, Florianopolis, Brazil.(Chris Schmid / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
A stunning sunset colors the floating icebergs of the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon in Iceland. It was a cloudy day so this amazing sunset has been unpredictable, but once we were there, it’s been like living in a dream.(Francesco Riccardo Iacomino / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
People relaxing in hammocks around 40 meters above the ground. This took part in an annual highline meeting in Monte Piana, in the Italian Dolomites last autumn. For some it might look like a nightmare to dangle so far above the ground but for some this was just the way to take a rest.(Sebastian Wahlhuetter / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
Whitefrost over Pestera village in Romania(Eduard Gutescu / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
A diver stand up front of the Hilma Hooker wreck. He look this boat and seem think it will never go away…it is sure. Also the bubbles seem make an interrogation point. The Hilma Hooker is a 200ft boat wreck. It rests with 100ft of water in the Caribbean Sea in Bonaire (a famous destination for scubadiving).(Marc Henauer / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
The photo is taken near Andaman islands while diving with a unique elephant, who likes to swim in the sea. It is one of the brightest experiences I’ve ever had.(Mike Korostelev / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
A shot at the church in lake Bled at sunrise.(Ruzdi Ekenheim / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
On a very cloudy day, the shoot was taken from a hotel in Copacabana (sic). The wind was strong, so clouds were passing by very fast. I had a brief moment to take the photo capturing the whole Corcovado in the background, before the clouds covered it again. Due to a visual effect, the shoot looks like it was taken from above, but in fact was taken from below the Corcovado.(Hector Olea / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
It’s hard to find words to describe this scene other than “wow.” By the time the sun finally made it above the horizon on this day in early January in the Lofoten Islands, the entire world had turned cotton-candy pink. We sprinted around trying to capture every possible angle in the perfect light…only to realise that it wasn’t going away. In the end, it lasted for over two hours — the entire time that the sun was on the horizon before it set around 1.15pm. (Kristin Repsher / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
A monochrome version of Paris viewed from Montparnasse. I wanted the city reflects in the background behind the Eiffel tower. The bright sun from the sunset in the west brightened up the left portion of the image.(Jaco Marx / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
Enter your own photo on the National Geographic website. The grand prize is an eight-day National Geographic photo expedition to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal, for two.
Recently, I had the opportunity to spend one day in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. In my mind, there was always this idea of Brussels as the little sister of Paris, and I was wondering if it’s worth visiting.
And judging by its appearance, Brussels actually IS Paris’ little sister. And this makes sense: In the middle of the 19th century, then King Leopold II along with Mayor Jules Anspach decided to tackle an ambitious endeavor: the urban restructuring of Brussels. At the time, Belgium hadn’t been an independent country for long and a new urban planning was supposed to turn the city into a prestigious capital.
Baron Haussmann (Wikipedia)
Anspach had been a great admirer of Baron Haussmann, the man who carried out the massive modernization program of Paris between 1853 and 1870. Paris as we know it today is mostly due to him:…
I’m sure you’re all scratching your head while contemplating this vitally important question. And I can relate to your cluelessness as Liege is a city that usually doesn’t make the top of a traveler’s bucket list.
But Liege taught me to never underestimate an under-the-radar destination. It may not be as big or flashy as more renowned places, but discovering the hidden gems of a city can be a pleasure in itself. My surprise was all the bigger as I stumbled upon a railway station designed by a well-known Spanish architect, a never-ending stairway, and a photographer’s paradise that I had entirely to myself.
I only had an afternoon in Liege, and as it so often turns out in traveling, in the end I was sad that I hadn’t had more time to explore the city (and nobody paid me to say that).
This blog is devoted to legal, historical and human rights matters, in which issues of general concern are addressed freely and spontaneously. It is intended to further an informal exchange of views in the democratic spirit of freedom of opinion and respect for the opinions of others, in an effort to understand rather than condemn, to propose constructive solutions rather than grandstand. The perspective is both from inside and outside the box and the added value lies more in the questions than in the answers.
Ilôt Sacré, Brussels’ Old Town 
Baron Haussmann
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