

Dispatch from wintry London: walking another part of Regent’s Canal, dropping by Greenwich, about the Thames
We went walking around town in London early this December. And what did we find? First was the wonderful Christmas atmosphere at Trafalgar Square. While the “Christmas market” itself is relatively small and nothing to write home about (the top 3 by our word-of-mouth research is “Christmas by the River” at London Bridge, Spitalsfield Christmas Read more

An autumn round-up from London, Paris, Antwerp and Sydney
Now that autumn coolness has descended upon us (at least those of us in the northern hemisphere), we can definitely remember the very hot Europe we were in this late summer, London followed by Paris followed by Antwerp, and before then we were in “southern winter” in Sydney. “The world” as we found in these Read more

Smart cities remix: sustainability that is fun, green, and amazing
With many countries experiencing an energy crunch and gas prices going through the roof, and as many cities around the world are still recovering from Covid restrictions and Covid-related angst, we must share some promising and even amazing ideas that we’ve seen in our travels to many cities in the world. In fact, there’s been Read more

Why fly when you can float?: London, Paris and a floating farm?
Wouldn’t you want to know about some of the magical ways to experience a city from “above”? Paris … When in Paris, you can find your way to the Promenade Plantée that is an elevated walkway built around a disused railway line about three floors above ground level and winds its way “above” Paris in Read more

Summer in Melbourne #1 (forget about the Greek alphabet soup …)
Madeleine is going all the way to Melbourne! To celebrate this and as it is summertime in Australia, we thought to offer 10 ideas on how to enjoy summer in this city in this time of social distancing … In fact, with all the space it has, the outdoors lifestyle and its adventurous spirit, Australia Read more

“Stuck” in Hong Kong? Travel round the world with 8 hidden and not-so-hidden cafes
There are many hidden and not-so-hidden coffee places in Hong Kong … here we share with you 8 special ones that reflect a diverse range of cultural and culinary influences from our address book … Visit Mount Fuji at Grandmama Café in Tsim Sha Tsui (or “TST”) (176 Nathan Road, Jordan is the nearest MTR Read more

Rethinking cities #5: Madeleine scoots round town and learns that God is in the details!
The age of scooter sharing is upon us. Ever since cities like Paris started with its vélib scheme, scooters, bikes, and mopeds have been taking over cities around the world. In Paris itself, there is a strong love for vélos and the government’s scheme is now not the only choice, with several new dockless options Read more

Rethinking cities #4: Madeleine looks for cities powered by renewable energy
We like cities with clean air. It’s lovely to see the sights of the cities of the world without having to suffer air pollution or worrying about one’s health. Our hearts leap when we arrive in a city and the first thing we can feel is the clean air. Especially for us folks at Madeleine Read more

Whiz around Paris and ponder on liberty
Parisians take their liberté seriously! There is of course the history of their nation and the Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen of 1789 being considered one of the most important documents that have shaped the world in terms of the idea of freedom for all mankind, and having in part Read more

Stormy travels into July: the “disappearing” city that needs a rainbow
July is almost upon us: ’tis the season for strawberries, summer operas, fashion shows, and Wimbledon is back after last year’s unprecedented hiatus. But in Hong Kong, the weather is stormy, the mood is grey, the summer local fruit is more lychee than strawberry (and yes some lychees are grown locally … you may even find Read more