ADF News

Unassuming Melbourne: Arts Heart of Australia

As so often in Australia’s history, Melbourne was founded through deception when adventurer John Batman, an Australian who spoke in several aboriginal dialects, made a “deal” with aborigines to lease land on behalf of investors. While offering the Aborigines any compensation at all was progressive in a colonial culture that preferred to simply run them [...]

Booming Taipei: Capital of ROC

After climbing 508 metres up the Taipei 101 tower, the highest structure in the world, it can be seen easily from anywhere in the city, one can look down on the genuine Taipei amidst all the modern buildings: temples, markets, the National Palace Museum and in between them, the many old streets and lanes where [...]

Beautiful Vilnius Lithuania: Famous for its Fantastic Architecture

The Lithuanian city of Vilnius exudes southern charm under the northern sun. Nestled in the natural amphitheatre of the surrounding Lithuanian hills, Vilnilus has much to offer visitors interested in classical architecture. Vilnius, which can look back on a thousand years of Lithuanian history, can boast one of the largest historical town centres in Eastern Europe. [...]

Unforgetable Vienna: by the Danube River

Located in the very heart of Europe, Vienna is both a bustling city and a destination known for its coffee houses, historic areas, stunning parks, elegant squares and romantic courtyards. Vienna means cafe culture, music and wine. Where else can one so happily spend all day sitting in a cafe, reading a magazine, sipping a [...]

Piazza San Marco - One of Venice’s Most Elegant Squares

  One of the world’s most stunning squares, Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) is the heart of Venice, a vast open space bordered by an orderly procession of arcades marching toward the fairy tale cupolas and marble lacework of the Basilica di San Marco. Alwyas packed by day with people and fluttering pigeons, it can be [...]