Syros, Greece: Hidden Gem of the Aegean

It’s that time of year again, when many of us are planning our summer vacations. Perhaps Greece is your next destination, and while there you’re planning to visit the islands. Why not visit one of the less popular ones, like Syros found in the Cycladic cluster of islands in the Aegean.

Few are familiar with Syros, and if they are, it is in passing. Syros, is the capitol of the Cyclades and has made significant contributions to the Greek culture and economy. Syros was once the epicentre for justice, medicine and architecture for the Cyclades until the early 1900s.

Picasso Exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario

          Join me next month as I visit the Picasso Exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Canada. Having seen some of Picasso's artwork at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, I look forward to seeing his work in my own backyard, so to speak.
          I will always remember Picasso's famous and awe-inspiring mural-size (11 ft by 25 ft) canvas, Guernica, depicted below. The painting, in black and white, is about the devastation of war and its impact on everyday people. Picasso painted this oil on canvas to bring attention to the German bombing of the town of Guernica in the Basque region, during the Spanish Civil War.

An Interview with Doug Spencer: Author, Film-maker and World Traveler

IRENE: Join me for a candid interview with Doug Spencer, published author, film maker, world traveler and Gemini Award-nominated director. Doug, thank you for joining me on Around the World Travel Blog.

DOUG: Thanks Irene for the invitation to speak to you and our fellow travelers.

IRENE: How did you become interested in travel? 

DOUG: My father was an adventurer who wanted to join the Air Force during WWII as a means to travel. My mother died young. She was 27. She left behind four children, including me. My travel is an homage to my mother. I’m living her fantasy life because I know that she would have wanted more out of life than just raising kids.

IRENE: Where was your first travel adventure?

Christmas in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

         We spent a fabulous five days with family in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where southern hospitality knows no limits.
         We had been in Tuscaloosa back in May and witnessed the aftermath of the devastating tornado that had hit the area in April, 2011. Today, while much of the debris has been removed, many homes remain in desperate need of repair. Some are abandoned, without indication of returning owners. Some of the homes have been rebuilt or are in the process of being restored. None-the-less, it is a long journey back to the oak-lined streets that are now bereft of much of the splendour of these graceful trees. Read the story, 40 Seconds, which was inspired by the events of the tornado
         But all is not doom and gloom.

Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde

     I was thrilled to hear that the art of Marc Chagall was leaving its home at the Centre Pompidou in Paris for a short stay at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). The exhibition, entitled Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde was not only a tribute to the artist and his work, but also other Russian artists such as Vassily Kandinsky, Alexei Jawensky, Natalia Goncharova and Alexander Archipenko, among others. Most were from Vitebsk and the Ukraine, former regions of the Russian Empire.

     The combined works of these artists depict a world that is simultaneously surrealistic and thought provoking. This form of art was prolific between 1890 and 1930, although some experts would argue that the movement lasted much longer.