Athens, circa 2009. We were only supposed to stay in Athens for a few hours but we hit a transit strike in Italy and missed our flight to Santorini so we decided to stay two days in the capital of Greece before we headed our next destination (Istanbul). As much of inconvenience as this transit strike was at first (more on that later), we ended up having lots of fun in Athens and I’m glad we got to visit this fascinating city.
This is the Colonne Nelson in Old Montreal, near Place Jacques-Cartier. It is dedicated to Admiral Horatio Nelson who fought and died during the War of the Third coalition (1803-1806).
Last week I started sharing my current top 10 travel bucket list. In the upcoming weeks I will be sharing musical playlists for each of the ten countries in my Top 10. I started out with Sweden and today I am sharing the list I have made for Brazil:
Brazil has a rich musical culture that is known around the world. Some of the most famous songs of all time have been written by Brazilian composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. Bossa nova and samba are the most recognized genres, but there are so many more to be discovered in the country with the biggest population in all of South America. Today, bands often incorporate rock and electronic sounds into their songs, creating new styles such as funk carioca.
Here is the list of artists featured on the Soundcloud playlist I have created so you can get a taste of the country’s sound:
Alventino Calvacanti, Os Mutantes, Ceu, Bonde do Role, Cibelle, Seu Jorge, Maria Rita, Bebel Gilberto, Wanda Sa and Marcio Faraco
Here are some beautiful photos of Brazil by National Geographic photographers:
In the coming weeks I will be making playlists for the following countries which are also in my top 10 travel bucket list:
Argentina, South Africa, Turkey, Cuba, New Zealand, Portugal, United Kingdom and Senegal
This summer, I made a promise to my boyfriend: We’d go biking together. The thing is that I hadn’t been on a bike in at least 10 years. I was secretly terrified and kept putting it off until it felt silly to do so. There was no way I would dare to ride on the city streets, even on the well designed bike paths. We found the perfect spot for me to feel comfortable as I straddled the rental bike, looking like a little kid learning to ride for the first time: the Musée plein-air de Lachine (Lachine outdoor museum).
Here are a few photos of the beautiful park where you can check out 50 giant sculptures scattered all around the bike path and the edge of the water.
I’m slowly working through my travel bucket list. Every few years I do a list of 10 countries I must visit before I die. When I get to cross one off the list, I add a new one in its’ place. I’m such a travel freak that whenever I’m not traveling, I feel the need to do it virtually. One of the ways I do this is to listen to music from all over the world. Over the next few months, I’ll be posting playlists I have created for each country that is on my current top 10.
Here is my list, in no particular order:
Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, Cuba, New Zealand, Portugal, United Kingdom, Senegal
First featured country: Sweden
I created a list of 10 songs by Swedish acts that are interesting to discover. You’ll notice that all of the songs are in English, I didn’t do that on purpose. Many of Sweden’s artists choose to sing mostly in English, perhaps so they can reach a wider audience. The music produced in Sweden is undoubtedly varied, but many artists hailing from the Northern European country are known for their experimental sounds and daring aesthetics.
Artists included in this playlist (in the order that they play): Ane Brun, Lykke Li, Fever Ray, Robyn, Shout out louds, First Aid Kit, Loney Dear, Anna Von Hausswolff, Jose Gonzalez, El Perro del Mar and Peter Von Poehl.
Enjoy!
For inspiration, here are some gorgeous photos that were submitted by users on Your Shot by National Geographic:
A storytelling home by Léa Plourde-Archer 