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Some of the places
already on
My Favourite Planet
  Planet Earth

England:

   Avebury

France:

   Paris

Greece:

   Athens

   Kastellorizo

   Kavala

   Patmos

   Pella

   Samos

   Samothraki

   Veria

Turkey

   Istanbul

   Ephesus

   Selçuk

   Kuşadası

   Pergamon
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My Favourite Planet > English > news
news on My Favourite Planet
 
"News has a kind of mystery."

From the opera Nixon in China by John Adams and Alice Goodman
 
The Acropolis photo gallery at My Favourite Planet

Climb up to our new
Acropolis gallery.
MFP goes totally Athens

1 December 2011

The first part of the My Favourite Planet illustrated guide to Athens goes online today. There are already 36 pages of photos and information about the Acropolis online, and we will be continually adding to the guide over the next months.

The MFP guide to Athens is being organized as a series of galleries, one for each of the city's districts, sights and sites, with original photos as well as historical and cultural articles on every page. The Greek capital is most famous for its ancient monuments and museums, but we also hope to bring our readers something of the flavour of contemporary Athens too.

We hope you enjoy it. As ever, we invite to join in by sending us your photos, videos and words. If you have a favourite hotel, restaurant, bar, street or area in Athens (or anywhere else in the world), feel free to get in contact.

Visit Athens on My Favourite Planet.
 
Biography of the French archaeologist and politician Charles Ernest Beulé in the new People section on My Favourite Planet

Read the profile of
Charles Ernest Beulé.

People's planet

30 November 2011

My Favourite Planet is pretty place-oriented, but people do sometimes get a look in. While compiling articles for our new guide to Athens,
it became clear that certain names and faces were cropping up regularly during the city's history. Some of the personalities are well known, while others remain more obscure and difficult to find out about, even in our wonderful wiki-world. So we decided to devote some space to the people on this planet, which also saves us having to keep explaining who they are on every page where their name appears; cuts down on the footnotes too.

The first - and we have to admit, so far the only - person in our brand new people section is the 19th century French archaeoligist Charles Ernest Beulé, who achieved the unusual distinction of being the only archaeologist to have an ancient Athenian monument named after him. Hardly earth-shattering stuff, but we had to start somewhere, didn't we?

Hopefully, Monsieur Beulé won't have to remain alone long, and will be joined by more scintillating society sometime soon.

See the new section: People on My Favourite Planet.
 
The Mysterious Edwin Drood's Column - the 9 / 11 attacks - Ambivalent anniversaries at My Favourite Planet

photo: TheMachineStops
9 / 11 – 10 years after

6 September 2011

Over the coming week the world's media will be incessantly revisiting the horrific terrorist attacks on the USA on 11th September 2001, a series of events which led to seemingly never-ending wars and which continue to affect the lives of millions of people across the planet.

Like the assassination of President Kennedy, the attacks were televised globally and have left a psychological imprint on a generation. Doubtless, journalists will be asking people the question: "Do you remember where you were when those planes hit the Twin Towers?" Edwin Drood remembers exactly where he was, and in his latest blog, Ambivalent anniversaries part 1, he asks, among other things, where are we at now, and how will this era look to future historians? "History", he reminds us, "has a way of dulling the edges of horror".

Edwin Drood's Column, every Tuesday on My Favourite Planet.
 
The Cheshire Cat Blog - Desperately seeking summer

Desperately seeking
summer

What happened to summer?

August / September 2011

It's been a pretty dismal summer in the northern hemisphere of our favourite planet. In an attempt to brighten up our cloudy days, The Cheshire Cat and a few of his pals went off in search of some sunshine. What they came back with can be seen in the BUMPER SUMMER SPECIAL EDITION of The Cheshire Cat Blog, in two parts:

Desperately seeking summer - Part 1

Desperately seeking summer - Part 2

The Cheshire Cat Blog appears every month on My Favourite Planet.
 
Istanbul wedding dance, featuring a video of Kochek dancers in action at The Cheshire Cat Blog

Köçek dance video

in

Cheshirecolor ®
My Favourite Planet's first video

1 June 2011

The latest The Cheshire Cat Blog, Istanbul essentials - Part 3: Istanbul wedding dance, features My Favourite Planet's first ever video with rare footage and photos of köçek dancers - men in skirts - dancing at a street wedding celebration. Not to be missed.

Be sure to turn down the volume of your computer's speakers or headphones before you start the video: the traditional Turkish music gets pretty loud and raucous.

The Cheshire Cat Blog appears every month on My Favourite Planet.
 
The Fortunate Isle: The mysterious case of the invisible island Afortunada at The Cheshire Cat Blog

The Fortunate Isle

Lucky old island

April 2011

When The Cheshire Cat received an unexpected e-mail in Spanish, announcing that a statue of him was about to be unveiled, he was delighted, baffled and bemused. Who was the mysterious Mayor of Afortunada? And where on Earth was this place anyway?

With the help of an academic author in Madrid, a Swedish geologist and a 15 year-old computer wiz, we discover an unknown island far out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Explore the hows, wheres, whys and what-have-yous at
The Fortunate Isle: The mysterious case of the invisible island of Afortunada
 
Edwin Drood's Column - the weekly blog by the Mysterious Edwin Drood at My Favourite Planet

Edwin Drood's
Column


DROOD
50th

EDITION

Drood turns 50 - pages

29 March 2011

The Mysterious Edwin Drood has just posted his fiftieth blog
"The marriage of the Arnolfinis", as Edwin Drood's Column
goes into its twelfth month of publication and Drood continues
pole-vaulting jauntily from one international topic to another.

The Drood has just sent us the following communiqué:

  Many years ago I saved this tiny press snippet, in the hope that it might come in useful one day: “Mrs Linette Crawley of Weston Leigh missed being crushed on Monday when a bulldozer demolished her home by mistake.” Just popped out for a packet of Woodbines and missed being crushed. Tough luck, Mrs Crawley, maybe you’ll be home next time. Meanwhile I have been fortunate enough to reach the age of fifty, well sort of, in a virtual way without either being crushed, lynched, flogged or burned at the stake (although there have been some close shaves). Today I was informed by my editor that I've now been doing this for a full fifty episodes. Not bad for something that started as a test balloon.

Yes, today’s posting is really the 50th edition of Edwin Drood's Column on My Favourite Planet. In the meantime I have a community of readers in places as far afield as Tokyo, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Oxford, Bristol, Sofia, Copenhagen, Tallin, Cologne, Windhoek, Wellington, Antwerp ... although, as far as I can gather, they all know me either personally or round a couple of corners. It would be great to speak to a wider audience, but this can only happen if you all wave the flag a bit. so please, big up the Drood and spread the links around.

50 episodes of Droodian invective and perspective, wow! Tempus bloody fugit. Break out the Mazeltov cocktails. Slaughter the fatted calf. Or better still, cross the channel to be present at the wedding of Benjamin Arolfini and Diana Williams, with all that this entails in opportunities for social commentary and shrewd observation.
 

Edwin Drood's Column appears every Tuesday on My Favourite Planet.
 
Mersey beats Part 1, She gives me religion at The Cheshire Cat Blog

Mersey beats

Mersey beats

February-March 2011

The Cheshire Cat walks the streets of Liverpool and finds a city proud of its past, looking to the future and moving to the beat of a different drum.

Mersey beats, Part 1: She gives me religion takes a look at faith in the city. Liverpool has two main religions: one is the worship of great gods who do battle on holy turf amid a mass of true believers, and is known as football; the other one happens in churches ...

This mega-blog is so big that we decided to present two months-worth
of blog on one page, rather than splitting it up.

Usually, The Cheshire Cat Blog appears every month on My Favourite Planet.
 
Winter wonderlands at The Cheshire Cat Blog

Winter wonderlands

Winter wonderlands

January 2011

Following on from December's Snowstorm Blues, The Cheshire Cat continues the wintery theme into the new year with Winter wonderlands, a photo essay on the snowbound northern hemisphere from USA, Wales, Belgium and Germany, by: Lesley A. Smith, David Elis-Williams, Gordon Mcleod, Mark Mallett, Martine Passagez, Konstanze Gundudis, Peter Hinze and David John.

Due to "technical reasons" (which usually means something is on fire), for the present,
The Cheshire Cat will be appearing monthly rather than weekly.
 
Snowstorm Blues, The Cheshire Cat Blog sings the winter blues in Berlin

the Snowstorm Blues

Yuletide caterwaul

9 December 2010

After a short break, The Cheshire Cat returns to find northern Europe snowbound and invites you to join in a rousing chorus of the Snowstorm Blues.

The Cheshire Cat Blog at My Favourite Planet Blogs
 
Hugh Featherstone, singer-songwriter

Hugh Featherstone

My Favourite Song

15 November 2010

The name "My Favourite Planet" was inspired by the song of that name by the British musician Hugh Featherstone.

We have now received permission to put the song online so that you can listen to it while browsing this website.

Listen to the song My Favourite Planet

(opens in a new window)
 
The Cheshire Cat Blog at My Favourite Planet Blogs

The Cheshire Cat Blog

Feline blog capers

Thursday 16 September 2010

The new blog The Cheshire Cat is launched today, with photo essays, articles and postcards by various authors in different parts of the world.

The first Cheshire Cat posting Istanbul essentials - part 1 is a photo essay taking a sideways look at the city, as a foretaste of the My Favourite Planet guide to Istanbul which will be appearing soon.

The Cheshire Cat Blog at My Favourite Planet Blogs
 
Earth 2.0 - the imminent major upgrade for Planet Earth

Earth two point oh

Earth 2.0

September 2010

In case you haven't heard (where have you been?),
Planet Earth is about to get a major upgrade.

Be the first in your galaxy to read this major
in-depth preview of Earth2.0.

This article is part of our new section Guide to Planet Earth, yet another work-in-progress at My Favourite Planet.
 
ants on holiday by David John

   "ants on holiday"

photo: © David John
The mysterious Edwin Drood returns

August 2010

Why is the US media getting in such a lather about where first lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha go bathing? What's the difference between altruism and philanthropy? And what would you say to your God if you met Him while abseiling?

After his short summer break, the Mysterious Edwin Drood is back to answer these and other burning questions in his own inimitable way in his weekly blog.

Edwin Drood's Column appears every Tuesday
at My Favourite Planet Blogs.
Spring break extended until September, say writers

 
My Favourite Planet photo by Gordon Mcleod

My Favourite Planet photographer checks his
F-stops in Penmon Priory,
North Wales.

photo: © Gordon Mcleod
July 2010

It seems like My Favourite Planet correspondents are permanently on vacation. But don't let the sun-drenched snapshots and retsina-smeared postcards fool you: these are hard-bitten professionals on a mission. Well, at least that's what they tell us. They occasionally drop us a line from Ladakh, Saigon, Boston, Rhodes, Gran Canaria or some other exotic location, claiming to be on the case night and day.

Maybe one day their pithy articles, inciteful guides and breathtaking photos will finally arrive in the editors' inbox. We twiddle our editorial thumbs in anticipation.

Meanwhile, others have been busy and work will soon begin on the My Favourite Planet guide to Istanbul which should appear in November. This will be followed through Winter and Spring by Athens, Berlin, London, Liverpool, North Wales, Delphi, Aegina, Thessalonica, Amphipolis, Thassos, Philippi, Didymoticho...
Stay tuned to this planet.
Short guide to small planet for smallest person

 
Selenia with truck by Martine Passagez

   "Selenia with truck"

photo: Martine Passagez
June 2010

If you are new to this planet and would like not only to survive but also benefit from and perhaps even enjoy your stay here, you may find Edwin Drood's Short guide to small planet for smallest person a good place to start. The Mysterious Edwin Drood points out some the bounties and pitfalls of life on Earth.

Edwin Drood's Column appears every Tuesday at My Favourite Planet Blogs.
My Favourite Planet reaches up to the blogosphere

My Favourite Planet launches its first blog

 
Edwin Drood's Column - the weekly blog by the Mysterious Edwin Drood at My Favourite Planet

The Mysterious
Edwin Drood

May 2010

Once a rarefied space, the blogosphere is quickly becoming one of the busiest places around the globe.

Not to be left out, My Favourite Planet sent its own balloon aloft in May in the shape of Edwin Drood's Column. The mysterious Mr Drood's weekly blog articles contain strong opinions on the latest news and events around the world - and they are not just hot air. His searing gaze is directed on a wide variety of topics: from the economic crisis in the Euro Zone, through the weirdness of North Korea's leadership to the search for extra-terrestrial life.

Edwin Drood's Column appears every Tuesday on My Favourite Planet.
New My Favourite Planet Group page on Facebook

February 2010

My Favourite Planet has launched a Group page on Facebook, so now you can communicate directly with us, write your messages and comments, post photos and videos or even start a discussion.


My Favourite Planet Group page on Facebook
Visit the My Favourite Planet Group on Facebook.

Write a message or comment, post photos and videos,
start a discussion...

The world isn't getting smaller - official

January 2010

The planet may not be shrinking, but My Favourite Planet is steadily growing. In just over one year we have already already published more than 850 pages of information, photos and maps. That means we are producing an average of over 70 pages every month.

Each week we are adding new pages of information and photos. The latest additions are Pergamon and Selcuk in Turkey, the Greek island of Kastellorizo (including a detailed map) and Avebury in England. On our German pages there's a travel article on Bali by Peter Hinze.

My Favourite Planet is written and produced for travellers by travellers. We're the kind of people who would rather be out and about rather sitting down to write, translate, edit, sort, check and programme content for web pages. That's why it takes so long to get things online. At present we have material for more than 100 locations in over 15 countries to work on, so we hope our readers have patience with us and keep visiting this site.

As ever, we remain grateful to all those of you who send us comments, corrections, complaints, contributions (in words and pictures) and even praise. Thanks. Keep reacting and interacting.
 
 

My Favourite

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Edwin Drood's Column - the weekly blog by The Mysterious Edwin Drood at My Favourite Planet Blogs

Edwin Drood's
Column

The Cheshire Cat Blog - travel articles, photo essays and videos at My Favourite Planet Blogs

The Cheshire Cat
Blog

Guide to Planet Earth at My Favourite Planet

Guide to Planet Earth
My Favourite Planet

My Favourite Planet

My Favourite Planet

detailed map of Kastellorizo island, Greece at My Favourite Planet

detailed map
of Kastellorizo


My Favourite Planet

My Favourite Planet

My Favourite Planet

My Favourite Planet

photos of Kastellorizo island, Greece at My Favourite Planet

photos of Selcuk Turkey at My Favourite Planet

My Favourite Planet
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Vyzantino Greek Restaurant, Plaka, Athens, Greece
NEWGEN Travel Agency, Athens, Greece
Mavi Onur Guesthouse, Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey
to Koutouki tou Kallinikou, Greek taverna, Iroon Polythechneiou 109-111, Kaisariani, Athens, Greece
Big Dino's Galini, self-catering beach hotel, Nea Vrasna, Macedonia, Greece

George Alvanos

furnished rooms
in Kavala's historic Panagia District

Anthemiou 35,
Kavala, Greece

+30 2510 221 781

Olive Garden Restaurant

Kastellorizo, Greece

+30 22460 49 109

kastellorizo.de

Papoutsis
Travel Agency


Kastellorizo, Greece

+30 22460 49 286

greeklodgings.gr
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