#LIKEACHALLENGE 

I never thought I’d be living through a sci-fi film script. I happen to work in TV, so I don't say that lightly. A couple of months ago I was re-watching Steven Soderbergh's film Contagion. In a nutshell, the story is about a deadly virus, the worldwide struggle to curb its spread and the panic that ensues. Sounds familiar? I had popcorn and all the trimmings. The coronavirus was just beginning to crop up in the news, but it was all happening somewhere far away. But fast f

A few weeks ago, pre-coronavirus lockdown, I headed for a 36h city break to Munich. I ticked off my first ballet of 2020 and looks like it might be my last for a while (Covid incoming...) . I got to see Lady of the Camellias set to the magically melancholic music of Frederic Chopin - a nice Polish touch to this Bavarian trip. The story behind Lady of the Camellias was created by a 23 year old French writer Alexandre Dumas, and the ballet version is set to the piano masterpi

I was planning to stick to Europe this year, but ended up watching Misty Copeland in New York, followed by United Arab Emirates. Dubai: a very last minute trip and a perfect pre-xmas present. It's my childhood city, which until now, I only knew from photos my mum keeps in the family albums. I was too little to remember anything. Well, apart from random flashbacks of the swimming pool at Hilton Hotel... I had selective memory for good hotel pools as I baby, clearly. Just li

This epic challenge, which I've tried to kick off for a couple of years now, is finally back on track (*SEE UPDATE END OF 2025;) It was inspired by the book called 'Play it again' by Alan Rusbridger. He is the ex-editor of the 'The Guardian' and a keen pianist, who decided to learn Chopin's Ballade nr 1 in G minor while running one of Britain's biggest newspapers and kept a diary of his progress. The book was actually one of my inspirations to create this website. The Balla

I’ve seen Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ at least a dozen times. Usually around December, as it’s a very Xmassy affair. This year I managed to tick this box twice, in Dubai and a few days ago in Warsaw. The Grand Theatre / National Opera in Warsaw is the very first opera house I ever visited, so it holds a special place in my heart. I don’t remember what I went to see and when exactly it was, but my classical music upbringing is strongly rooted in Warsaw,

Just a few highlights from seeing the amazing Misty Copeland live in New York (sorry in advance, I have no big close ups as was sitting higher up, but she is magical, trust me ;) Surprisingly she was dancing to the…Beach Boys on this occasion, which was a whole new ballet experience for me to say the least, but thoroughly enjoyable. And I loved the lavish architecture of the David H. Koch theatre, open back in 1964, which is the home for the New York City Ballet and the Ame

I have a back log of posts I’d like to share with you, starting with Mallorca. It’s one of my fave places in the world and if you haven’t been there yet, here’s 10 very best things about the biggest island of the Balearics. You get the best of both worlds : beautiful beaches and mysterious mountains all on the same island. You get a great city vibe in Palma and the scenic, untouched countryside in the north, east and south. Luxurious hotels or rustic, quirky hostels, wh

The Prague National Theatre, Narodni Divadlo , is a fantastic 'to do' when in Prague. The neo-renaissance building stems from the second part of the 19 th century and is a real pleasant treat for the eye! Enjoy the photos :) I went to see The Love for Three Oranges (quite the title;). It’s an opera by Sergei Prokofievwith a French libretto based on the Italian play with the same title (internationalJ. The opera actually premiered in the USA, at the Auditorium Theatre in Chi

In amongst doing shoots and pitching shows, I found some time to eat NY. It’s impossible to cover such a massive foodie scene in a few days (frankly, even a whole life is not enough), but I gave it a shot. Here are my top faves from the last weekend, in no specific order. I was based in the heart of Manhattan, not far from the Empire State Building, so started with what was around my hotel. I ended up at one of the local Korean joints, Samwon Garden ,apparently one of the