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James Dunford Wood has written 136 reviews in 33 countries.
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Works of Art in Florence, Italy
Botticello's Cestello Annunciation of 1489 is a spectacular painting in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence - in the same room as the larger, more well known Botticellos, but along with the Simone Martini painting a few rooms away, a masterpiece of this genre. The Virgin is the epitome of coyness, the Angel one of urgent entreaty. It's interesting to note that here the Virgin appears to be in control, or at least the dominant figure - previous Annunciations had the Angel dictating to a far more passive Mary. If in Florence, you will need to brave the crowds to get in, certainly in season. Let the bus tours and their guides swirl around the Venus, and sneak over to gaze at this painting for a while. You may be, relatively, undisturbed. |
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Best Hotels in Muscat, Oman
Great service, small hotel, with a good selection of activities: try the Dhow private charter, or a guided safari to Wahiba Sands, with dinner with the Bedouin. |
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Churches & Abbeys in Kashmir, India
A stunning monastery 70km out of Leh in Ladakh, high in the Himalaya. Isolated and magnificent, well worth the 3 hr bus journey from Leh through beautiful scenery. A working monastery, founded in 1829, with a school for children. |
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Road Trips in Santa Cruz, United States
Spectacular route - best driven north-south so you have the coast on your driving side. First stop Monterey, for the world famous aquarium, and in season (spring and late autumn), a trip out to see the whale migration. A visit to Carmel is also well worth it. Then on to Big Sur, with its redwoods and beaches, and on down to Hearst Castle. Final stop Santa Barbara. Expect fog and rolling mist on some stretches at all times of year. |
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Squares, Streets & Urban Spaces in Venice, Italy
Piazza San Marco - St Mark's Square - is one of the grandest urban spaces in the world. The time to come is early evening - as the heat of the day is cooling, find a seat outside at the Caffe Quadri or Lavena and listen to the orchestra while sipping your Prosecco. OK, so it will cost you an arm and a leg, but where else can you sit with these views, listening to this music. Magical - a before you die experience if ever there was one. |
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