Pandalmania at Durga Puja

Durga Puja is Kolkata's largest festival for the year. It is a celebration of the Goddess Durga but also an opportunity to get together with friends and family.

Images of Durga are made for months before being placed in elaborate pandal's. These are temporary structures made for the festival in each neighbourhood. Some are as elaborate like a castle while others more modest. Despite the heat everyone takes to the streets and strolls around to each pandal admiring the artistry and paying their respects. Those who are wealthy have an image in their home. At the end of the festival the image is given back to the River Hooghly in an elaborate ceremony on the ghats.

Saint Basil's Cathedral - Moscow.

One of the highlights for any visit to Moscow is Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. It is easily one of the most recognisable buildings in Russia. Certainly as you walk across the Red Square, Saint Basil's can't help but catch your eye. Such a unique style of architecture and striking colours.

While not as spectacular perhaps as the outside it is fascinating to take a tour inside Saint Basil's. There are excellent audio guides to explain how each addition was made to the Cathedral. One of the highlights was listening to the choir singing.

Penguins - Simons Town - South Africa

Simons Town is a small coastal village just out of Cape Town in South Africa. The most remarkable things living in Simons Town are the colony of African Penguins. Most of us have a fascination with these beauties. Here on the beach you can see the penguins walking in and out of the water and get a close up of their lives.

For more the story and photographs on Cape Town see the ZeeGlobe website.

Santiago de Cuba Carnival

Santiago de Cuba - one of Latin America's most authentic carnival events.

Szechenyi Bath and Spa - Budapest

Szechenyi Spa Baths from ZeeGlobe on Vimeo.

Szechenyi Baths and Spa are some of the oldest in Budapest a town renowned for it's thermal waters. This complex first began on this site in Pest in 1881 and has obviously been added to and renovated since then. You can come along and enjoy the pools or have a spa treatment. One of the most popular features is to come and play chess while sitting in the pool.

Berlin - A City reborn

It is no news to the global art world that Berlin has been not so slowly rebuilding. Cheap prices and a blank canvas has made this one of the worlds artist melting spots. At every turn there are creative buildings, sculptural works, art galleries and tributes to the past.

Just one example is  Molecule Man, the work American artist Jonathan Borosky. Said to represent unity and wholeness.
What remains of the wall itself has become a work of art, particularly the section known as the Eastside Gallery. Artists from all over the world have celebrated the fall of the wall.

Architects have also had a creative hand in rebuilding and created symbols of unity. This bridge behind the new Bridge over the River Spree joining East and West.

Modern Berliners have been setting up clubs and pubs anywhere in recent years - many of the clubs have now become infamous and set the pace internationally. An example of making the most of things is the beach bars the are all over the city. Grab a cold beer and deck chair and relax almost anywhere but many are beside the river

White nights in Saint Petersburg

Before arriving and experiencing the white nights for myself I was wondering what it might be like. What does it look like? Daylight 24x7? How does it make you feel? So now having been to Saint Petersburg and experienced the white nights - I too now struggle to describe it. The skies are not in perpetual midday light. However it stays feeling like daylight til midnight and then it feels like twilight. The sky turns a lovely dark blue which is an amazing backdrop to the illuminated buildings.

People feel more energised than is typical for night so you find yourself joining people for a stroll around the city. As its summer the cooler evenings make for a more pleasant walk anyway. Many of the cities museums have gotten into the spirit and you can for example climb up to the platform of Saint Isaacs Cathedral at 2am.