After some hours at the casino I wondered what to do except gambling in Macau.  I decided to check out the historic center of Macau. On many of my journeys around the world this list have been a good way to learn more about the history of the place I visit. Macao, a lucrative port of strategic importance in the development of international trade, was under Portuguese administration from the mid-16th century until 1999, when it came under Chinese sovereignty. With its historic street, residential, religious and public Portuguese and Chinese buildings, the historic centre of Macao provides a unique testimony to the meeting of aesthetic, cultural, architectural and technological influences from East and West. The site also contains a fortress and a lighthouse, the oldest in China. It bears witness to one of the earliest and longest-lasting encounters between China and the West, based on the vibrancy of international trade. UNESCO The A-Ma Temple is a temple to the Chinese sea-goddess Mazu located in São Lourenço, Macau, China. Built in 1488, the temple is one of the oldest in Macau and thought to be the settlement’s namesake. Wikipedia The temple is open to visitors and ranked as one of […]

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Visiting the 911 Memorial Museum located at the site of the former World Trade Center, now also known as Ground Zero. Entrance to the museum is trough the pavilion designed by Snøhetta. No visitor pass is needed, tickets can be bought at the pavilion. Expect some queuing on busy days. The 911 Memorial Museum serves as the country’s principal institution concerned with exploring the implications of the events of 9/11, documenting the impact of those events and exploring 9/11’s continuing significance. The 911 memorial, waterfall and reflecting pool set within the footprints of the towers. The 911 Memorial is located at the site of the former World Trade Center complex and occupies approximately half of the 16-acre site. The Memorial features two enormous waterfalls and reflecting pools, each about an acre in size, set within the footprints of the original Twin Towers. The Memorial plaza is one of the most eco-friendly plazas ever constructed. More than 400 trees surround the reflecting pools. Its design conveys a spirit of hope and renewal, and creates a contemplative space separate from the usual sights and sounds of a bustling metropolis. The 911 Memorial Museum Entry Pavilion designed by Snøhetta. But your ticket at the booth and then […]

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The legion of Honor San Francisco is a fine arts museum located in Lincoln Park, northwest of San Francisco with views over the Golden Gate bridge. The collection at the museum is spanning over 6000 years and also special exhibitions are featured. Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking was the special exhibit during my visit. From its beginnings in Paris in 1775, Breguet advanced great technical developments such as the self-winding watch, the first wristwatch, the repeating mechanism, and, most notably, the tourbillon—a revolutionary movement that neutralizes the negative effects of gravity on pocket watches. Breguet played a key role in the history of watchmaking, elevating the craft to its zenith by producing finely made watches that were a pleasure to handle and use.The company’s reputation for ingenuity, as well as the reliability and portability of its watches, led to Breguet’s watches being considered objects of great prestige, worn by the powerful and elite in Europe, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Tsar Alexander I, and Queen Victoria. The most famous Breguet timepiece linked to a European monarch is the world-renowned “Marie-Antoinette” pocket watch. This extraordinary piece took 44 years to make and was the most complicated watch of its time. During the […]

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