Travelsmartplanet

Here are two painted versions of Renata Kawepo, Tama ki Hikurangi found in the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki. The first painting is by Gottfried Lindauer, the portrait artist, who painted most of the famous leaders. The second one, in a more modernistic style, is by Ayesha Green who shares a tribal connection to Kawepo being of Ngati Kahungunu, from the Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand. Renata Kawepo is buried there.

Thought this was chicken wings joint as it is in the area of the Pike’s Place Market in Seattle. Boy was I wrong – it’s a flight simulator which focuses on scenery rather than stomach-churning dips. The life-like soaring vignettes from the ocean to the forest to the mountains are enhanced by effects like a light mist spray near Snoqualmie Falls and a pine scent in the woods.

A different view of the ferris wheel over the Seattle waterfront.

You can get a nice view, cool breezes on this walkway behind the Pike’s Place Market in Seattle. Note the ferris wheel in the distance. Do you think the people walking are noticing anything other than their phones?

We love the contrasts of architectural styles as we walk through cities. This one’s in Seattle, WA.

Seattle’s history of architecture styles can sometimes be glimpsed all at once.

Who would guess a shoe museum could be such fun, so informative and so creative? The history, the designers, the famous shoes and the oddities will please just about anyone who comes here.

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Different architectural styles line the riverside walk in Lucerne.

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The beauty of taking a Bateau Mouche ride on the Seine is the joy of going under so many famous bridges – and learning the history effortlessly as you go. This one is the Pont Alexandre III built between 1896 and 1900, the most ornate one and a Paris historical site. Four gilt-bronze statues of Fames watch over the Beaux-Arts style bridge. The exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses celebrate the Franco-Russian alliance enacted in 1892 by Tsar Alexander III. His son Nicholas II laid the foundation stone in October 1896. In the same political spirit, the Trinity Bridge in Saint Petersburg was designed by Gustave Eiffel, and the first stone was laid in August 1897 by French president Félix Faure .

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In Vienna, you get the privilege of traveling in style – that is, 19th century Royal Hapsburg style.