Blood bank, Romanian style

We have the Red Cross, the Romanians have ...

Beautiful, bustling Podgorica: when will this pleasure ever end!

Albanian holiday options

It's not London, it's not Rome, it's not Paris: it is Skopje!

When modernism goes wrong: Moscow skyline

The little church who didn't give up!

Once upon a time, there was a lovely little church in Moscow. Then the evil communists built all their horrible buildings. And then all the horrible capitalist Mercedes Benz black cars tried to poison it. But the little church somehow survived (somehow).

Moscow - one sunny afternoon out of 8

Rome in August - hello humidity!

It was so, so humid in Rome during the day. Luckily in the mornings and evenings it was cool enough to enjoy things. Note the terrible fashion statements - and it was not just tourists who looked terrible. I was shocked.

Summer in Albania - few shots of a tough life

Night view from my glamour apartment

KL - Petronas Towners (they are so tall!)

They are so, so tall. The tallest in the world according to the Malasyians, who are very proud of all things Malay.

Coffee on the Danube, Belgrade, start of summer

Some scenes from Belgrade, June 2011

It is such a mix or architecture, and all together. Fun to go walking and looking up.

Modernist cafe, Belgrade's central park

There are lots of interesting buildings in Belgrade, including this modernist one from the 1960s or 1970s, which has just been renovated as part of the park's renewal.

Kazan, central Russia, casual group photo

This is a shot taken inside the fortress in Kazan, the capital of Tartarstan. The Tartars are, as you can see, big on mosques. Nice weather, and good view of the Volga river.

Red Square - smaller than it looks on TV

Between Sydney and Moscow

Hard to believe

but true - amazing that they can still get away with this.

Gaudi (more is more)

I cannot get enough of Socialist realism

Memorial to the patriots of WWII, Belgrade, Serbia

Even sweeter - in Belgrade

Sweet

Palazzo Farnese to the right

They seem to build palaces in tiny streets - maybe real estate is expensive here. Thank heavens for these little Smart cars and minis. On the inside the palazzo is pretty impressive but, especially the ceilings.

Another shot from the roof terrace of the FAO building - doing some heavy research in between admiring the views.