The Sydney vs Melbourne rivalry only seems to grow more intense each day. But what is it really all about? It’s obviously about more than just football and beaches. We decided to delve into the differences between Australia’s two biggest cities. Some of these comparisons you might find surprising, others you might have already stowed … More

How lucky is Spain? The country is not only home to Barcelona and Madrid, a dynamic duo of culture, arts and nightlife prowess but also boasts a tremendous support cast in the likes of Seville, Valencia, Salamanca and San Sebastian, to name but several. And then you have the Mediterranean and the idylls of the … More

The excellent 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, about 85-year-old sushi master and Michelin 3-star chef Jiro Ono, has many takeaway lessons. One that explicitly emerges, however, is the single-minded meticulousness of purpose that seems to drive Japanese artisanship and craftsmanship. It is a national and cultural sensibility that fetishises delicacy, refinement and the pursuit … More

How can a building ever be the “best”? Can such a loaded word ever universally apply to a single human-made structure (or anything for that matter, as in, this gelato is the best)? Example. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the most dominant skyscraper on the planet – by far – but is it the … More

One of the top lures of the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt and, indeed, the Arab world and Levant as a whole, is the food. Or the foods, to be more precise. The smells of the markets and suq stalls, the skillful use of spices, the gorgeous artistry and care that props … More

There is just no city like it is a phrase we use liberally in these parts and, more often than not, accurately so. It stands to reason, after all, that every city is singular in some way. If that is so, however, we can surely declare Venice to be singularly special. How to sum up … More

On the face of it, Bali seems to be one of those fortunate tourist hot spots immune to dire global economic circumstances. Just have a gander at the statistics for 2011, when visitor numbers to the island from nine of the ten top nations of origin shot up. The lone exception was Japan, which, when … More