Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

When deciding to go to Fuerteventura for a 5 days getaway I knew almost nothing about the island and had no expectations whatsoever except getting away from a grey, cold UK to sunbath and enjoy some pleasant weather.

The island surprised us from the first glance: an arid, moon-like, volcanic landscape, bathed in the waters of the Atlantic ocean.

One of the main reason to come to Fuerteventura are the beaches and their diversity: from the white sand beaches on the west coast to popcorn like pebbles ones.

The most spectacular, by far, is the remote, hard to reach Cofete beach: the off-road 50min drive is so much worth it since this beach takes your breath away from the first time you see it from afar. It’s a very long beach, bathed on the one side by the majestic, wild Atlantic and on the other side by an imposing range of mountains.

One other element that makes this beach spectacular is the surprising presence of the Casa Winter, a villa around each plenty of mysterious stories have been born, the most likely one being that it’s a house where Nazis where gathering to plan next steps in the WWII.

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Another wow part of the island are the Corralejo sand dunes that make you feel you are in a proper dessert.

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The mountains and their miradors are also spectacular. The landscape is different from one range to another and it awards you with beautiful views.

Other visits we’ve done are:

Betancuria, the most touristic village of the island, a place like a oasis in the mountains.

Salinas del Carmen, a place where you can see how salt is extracted from the sea using traditional methods.

Wine tasting at the only vineyard on the island: Conatus. The visit was informative but the wine was nothing special.

Food, the main reason I travel, was not exactly what I expected. Canary islands being part of Spain, I imagined it will be a foodie paradise. Instead, the coast is just touristic traps. If you want to eat decent you need to drive to the mountain villages. The main dish on the island seems to be croquettes of all kind. Goat is very present on the island, therefore they are famous for goat meat and goat cheese. Another surprising food element of the island is the Gofio, a mix of roasted cereals transformed into a flour that is considered a super food and it is quiet versatile since it can be turned into both savoury and sweet dishes.

So, if you are wondering if it’s worth visiting Fuerteventura, the answer is a definite YES! But do make sure you do it in off-season period since in full summer it must be overly crowded.

Naxos & Koufonissia

Naxos, the biggest of the Cycladic islands is that kind of island I always had on my list since it not only offers you the incredible emerald waters of the Mediterranean, but it’s also a big enough island to keep your exploration mood on for a whole week.

Our headquarter was in the Chora, the main city on the island. The most beautiful part here is the old town with the castle. Have a stroll in the labyrinth-like, narrow streets of the Venetian Castle to admire the charming houses and courtyards.

A must see place is the Ursuline Nuns School, the first school for girls in Greece, allowing women to have access to higher education, dating back to the 17th century. Inside the school, you will find Avaton, the rooftop bar with the best view over the Chora and the surroundings.

In terms of beaches, our favorite one was Maragkas cause it is a long, narrow beach, peace and quiet and with amazing colors of the sea. Another nice one was Mikri Vigla, with a really wide beach, pretty windy and full of surfers. We also checked the very much recommended Hawaii beach, but it was way too crowded to be able to enjoy it.

A totally unexpected place we saw was the abandoned hotel in Aliko. It is a huge complex of hotels, left in ruins for decades now and which has become an attraction due to the graffiti you can admire there.

And speaking of ruins, the most surprising place for me on the island of Naxos was the abandoned Jesuit Monastery in Kalamitsa. Even if it is totally hidden and not at all taken care of, this place has a special vibe. Dating back to the 17th century, this used to be a summer resort for Jesuit monks.

Another discovery in Naxos where the abandoned kouros statues. Throughout the history, Naxos has been known for its excellent marble quarries that can be seen even nowadays while driving around the island. In ancient times, kouros statues where ordered for temples all over Greece. Those statues were roughly shaped on-site at the quarries, the final details being carved at the final destination. During transportation, many of those statues would break and were left abandoned at the quarry. Therefore, you can find many of such damaged kouros statues all over the island.

The places you should, by no means miss when in Naxos, are the mountain villages. They are real oasis of green with stunning views over the valleys.

In Chalki, stroll around the cute streets and do not forget to try the galaktoboureko and the citron liqueur.

In Filoti, get lost on the small upper streets of the village, admire the graffiti and do not forget to enter the most picturesque shop on the island, Theonas old shop, which will definitely make you travel back in time.

And if you really want to travel to another world, go to Moutsouna, a remote, small sea-side village, which developed around the nearby quarry of emery. The road to the village has some spectacular views and will lead you to a small beach with the only natural port on the island, where I really had that nice feeling of a “dolce far niente” summer afternoon.

While in Naxos, do take a boat to Koufonissia, the nearby little Cycladic island with small beaches and an unbelievable color of the water.

Last but not least, Naxos is a gastronomic destination. So, eating was one of our favorite thing to do there. One advice that I can give you: do not eat in the chora. If you want to have unbelievably tasty meat and vegetables, go to the villages around.

Of castles and gardens around the Midlands, UK

Calke Abbey

Calke Abbey was never actually an abbey. It started to exist as an Augustinian priory in the 12th century and later on, in 1701-1704, a Baroque mansion was built on the site.

Although the building itself is in a state of decline, the whole domain is worth visiting. When we’ve been there in October 2021, we had the chance to see a pretty impressive pumpkin exhibition as well as the splendid garden full of dahlias.

2. Elvaston Castle

Degraded gothic mansion with beautiful gardens and a large domain to walk around.

3. Wallaton Hall

Built between 1580-1588 in Elizabethan style, the house is part of a big park in Nottigham.

4. Newstead Abbey

Newstead is a monastic Abbey from the late 12th century and former home of Romantic poet Lord Byron who lived here between 1808-1814. Many of his personal objects and books can be seen in the exhibition inside the house. His beloved dog, Boatswain is buried on the estate.

One of the late owners of the house had a daughter passionate about Japan. Therefore, many objects brought from Japan can be admired inside the house, as well as a Japanese garden.

5. Warwick Castle

Situated on the river Avon, Warwick castle is a medieval castle built by William the Conqueror in 1068 and fortified later on, in the 14th century.

It has several towers offering a splendid view over the surroundings.

Inside, an impressive collection of amours and weaponry can be seen as well as very well preserved furniture and objects belonging to the various owners of the castle.

6. Belvoir Castle

This castle was on our list for a long time, since scenes from The Crown have been shot here.

We got to visit it during a weekend when the theme was the 40’s and there were all kind of activities around (live music, WWII-related exhibition).

The setting stands out since the castle is situated on a hill top, with a splendid 360° view over the valley and the domain around.

In front of the castle, on a cascade like ground, there is a nice rose garden, with some really interesting statues.

Inside the castle, apart the well preserved furniture and decorations and the collection of weapons, what was really interesting was a collection of eggs of all sizes from the birds living in the county.

Kefalonia & Ithaka

Because I’ve never been to an Ionian island before I’ve decided to first explore the biggest of them: Kefalonia since it’s a diverse island, offering you plenty of choices during a week holiday.

Our headquarter during our stay in Kefalonia was in Argostoli, the capital of the island which is situated in a convenient spot allowing us to reach different parts of the island easily.

First day in Kefalonia we went to explore the beaches in the North part, around Fiskardo: Dafnoudi and Kimilia. They are hidden gems, not reachable by car. In order to get to both of them, we had to walk for about 20min on a nice, shaded path. Once we reached them, we had a wow moment: a little white pebbled bay with calm, crystal clear emerald water opened in front of our eyes. Do not forget to bring a little snack and some cold beverages with you since none of them has any facilities.

We ended our day with a stroll in Fiskardo, a charming Venetian fisherman’s village, with a busy bay at sunset. The promenade along the bay offers a huge variety of tavernas and bars. After a full day beach hopping, we had a nice dinner in a fish taverna.

While walking along the promenade in the bay, something draws our attention: some delicious looking sweets in Melina Patisserie. So, we’ve decided to sit down and give it a try: best decision ever since we’ve had a divine lemon pie (the specialty there) as well as a yummy banoffee cake. A must try while in Fiskardo!

Day 2 in Kefalonia was dedicated to the well-known caves on the West side of the island.

Drogarati Cave was a nice surprise since we went there with not such big expectations. But we were impressed by this huge cave, with an impressive main room, with interesting formations of stalactites and stalagmites. Do put it on your list when around this corner of the island.

But one of the main attractions on the island is the Melissani Cave. After waiting for a bit to enter the tunnel leading to the cave, once our turn came to get into the boat and have a tour on the lake, we got to understand why it is considered to be a natural wonder: the rocky cave lost its ceiling and is now filled with water changing its color depending on the light of the day, from deep blue to a fantastic emerald. The lake is about 160m long and 35m wide, with interesting stalactites and stalagmites formed on the inside of the cave. This scenic place gave birth to many legends and myths. The lake was said to be the place of worship dedicated to Pan and Nymph Melissani. Myths mention that Melissani committed suicide and fell in the lake because Pan was not responding to her love for him.

And what a better way to end the day if not by relaxing at Antisamos beach, a long sandy beach surrounded by green mountains, with a stunning view point just a few hundreds of meters before reaching it.

Day 3 in Kefalonia was dedicated to the highlights of the island: Assos village and Myrtos beach.

Assos is impressive even from a far distance. On the way to the village, you feel like stopping every 5min to admire the landscape from the view points which offer you a great image of the village and the surroundings.

Like Fiskado, Assos is a Venetian fisheman village, but tinier and more calm. After a walk in the village, we’ve decided to hike up to the castle. On the way there, we took the renovated stone path which offered us amazing views over the amphitheater in which the village is set.

The hike up lasted about half an hour. Up there, there is not much left of the castle, but on the way back, we’ve chosen to take another small path along the seaside which rewarded us with some breathtaking views.

Not far from Assos lies the most known beach in Kefalonia: Myrtos. After seeing this wonder with our own eyes we got to understand that it’s for a good reason why this beach is very often listed among the most beautiful beaches in the world. It is simply stunning. But watch out: this beach can be very dangerous if the sea is agitated like in the day we’ve been there when the waves were so strong that we couldn’t enter in the water.

Other beaches we’ve hopped on were Xi and Vatsa on the Lixouri side, Skala in the south and Platis Gialos near Argostoli.

While in Kefalonia, we couldn’t miss the chance of a day trip to Ithaka. For any bookworm like me, this island is a fascinating one. It’s not just Homer’s Odysseus’s kingdom, but it also gives the name to one of my favorite poems, Cavafy’s Ithaka. It’s a symbol of spiritual quests and the destination of every man’s journey through life.

From Kefalonia, Ithaka is less than an hour by boat. The capital of the island is Vathy, an amphitheatrical, huge bay with a narrow entrance.

In Ithaka, we went for an amazing half an hour hike to reach Gidaki beach. Being there early in the morning, we had the chance to enjoy the calmness of this great beach before the hoards of tourists coming with the boats started to show up.

On the way back, we’ve enjoyed some more stunning views.

Another great beach in Ithaka was Skinos: the pure definition of serenity and calm.

Off the beaten track in Thailand: Khao Sok National Park

If there’s one MUST SEE place in Thailand, that’s Khao Sok National Park. It’s the place to be if you wanna get away from the hordes of tourists and enjoy some breathtaking scenery.

Located in southern Thailand in Surat Thani province, this massive national park is 739 square kilometers, including the stunning Cheow Lan Lake, which sprawls in the middle of the park. Huge karst mountains rise from the water, some reaching over 900m.

In order to enjoy a full experience, we’ve booked a 2 days trip with an overnight stay at the floating bungalows on the lake.

Being over 160 million years old, the evergreen rainforest here is one of the oldest in the world, some saying that the biodiversity here exceeds that of the Amazon. I can tell you for sure that I felt like in a David Attenborough episode of Planet Earth while going with the boat around the jungle, to observe birds or playful gibbons jumping from the high branches making long, Tarzan-like swings through the trees. What a show!

It’s here that I saw one of the most stunning sunsets and sunrises in my life.

Another experience to remember was the Nam Taloo cave. In order to reach the cave, we did a 2h trekking inside the jungle. Amazing experience! Since you get to hear all kind of noises of birds and animals. But the real adventure begun once we’ve reached the cave. Apart the unique stalactites and stalagmites there, we had to watch out where we were stepping cause it was full of spiders and bats. Also, what makes this cave adventurous is the fact that from time to time, there are very narrow passages or parts where you need to swim in order to move forward.

Yes, Thailand is not just luxuriant islands: it is also home to one of the most amazing ecosystem on Earth. Do put Khao Sok Park on your bucket list!

Mesmerizing Bangkok

Bangkok is the kind of city that makes your head spin. From street food at literary every corner of the street to luxurious restaurants, from the tuk tuks honking to the quietness of Lumpini Park, from huge street markets to impressive shopping malls, from the ugliness of the street wires to the jaw-dropping architecture of the temples, Bangkok has it all.

For a foodie like me, walking on the streets of Bangkok was a mesmerizing experience for my senses. The aroma of frying meat and the smell of the countless spices used in the Thai kitchen are switching on your appetite right away. The colors of the various dishes are also very attractive and make you hesitate on what to try first.

Apart street food, a unique experience in Bangkok was the dinner at “Cabbages and Condoms” an unconventional restaurant where all the decoration is made out of condoms and all kind of posters trying to raise the awareness about the importance of protected sex. The initiator of this restaurant named it like this because he wanted condoms to be as easy to find as cabbage is. Therefore he created this unique space where sex-related topics are not a taboo anymore. After having dinner here and paying your bill, you get condoms for free.

Also, a must-do experience in Bangkok is trying one of the countless roof-top bars that can be found in the skyscrapers around the city. We’ve been to The Marble Bar. The infinity pool and the view from the 28th floor of the hotel was simply breathtaking.

Apart being a foodie city, Bangkok is also a holy city. Temples can be found all around the city. But the most impressive ones are along the banks of the Chao Phraya river. From the Grand Palace to Wat Pho or Wat Arun, you can admire the countless shapes of Buddhas, the most impressive one being the Reclining Buddha, a 46m long and 15m high statue, all covered in gold.

For me, the most impressive of the temples was Wat Suthat, one of the oldest temples in Bangkok. We visited it at night, during a procession and I was impressed by a white net hanging over the courtyard of the temple, with knots hanging from it. After doing my reading I got to understand that in Buddhism, the endless knot symbolizes the endless cycle of birth and death, of wisdom and compassion

What makes the temples even more beautiful are the colorful flowers brought as an offering to Buddha. The most peculiar flower is the lotus flower which is the symbol of fortune in Buddhism. If you want to awake your senses even more, visit one of the flower market to admire floral arrangements, from simple to very elaborate ones.

And because Bangkok is a city that never sleeps, you should definitely end your day by trying the vibrant night life. A light, touristic option is Khao San Road the so called back-packers street, full of bars and nightclubs.

If you want to dive into the more dark part of Bangkok, stroll around the Red Light districts of Soy Cowboy, Patpong or Nana Plazza. It’s here that you will get to understand why Thailand is known to be an attractive sex tourism destination. Here, you can enter in one of the go-go bars where striptease shows are performed, as well as impressive lady-boys shows.

It’s chaotic, it’s busy, it has it all: it’s Bangkok!

Mi Habana

Havana is a captivating city with a twist, as the history of Cuba is. Every street has a story to tell. There’s on one side the grandeur of the colonial houses or mansions of the rich people living here in the 50’s, and on the other, the decadence of a city in crumbles.

Habana Vieja, the colonial citadel, a UNESCO heritage site, has been recently restaured and it gives you a glimpse of the colonial past of the city. Stroll around the streets and admire the numerous squares such as Plaza Vieja or Plaza de la Catedral.

A great viewpoint is the 35m tower in Plaza Vieja which hosts the Camera Obscura, an optical device invented by Leonardo da Vinci, which gives you a 360° view of the surroundings.

While walking the streets of Havana you will for sure notice the Art Deco Bacardi building which is a whitness of Cuba’s history related to sugar cane plantations and rum production.

El Callejon de Hamel is quiete an insolite street of Havana where you can admire colorful murals and sculptures made of everyday life objects. It’s a mix of surrealism, cubism and abstract art around themes related to Santerria, an Afro-Cuban religion quite spread in Cuba. The main artist putting in place this project is Salvador who is really appreciated around since he managed to transform a rather obscure part of Havana in an attraction for tourists.

The street is also the gathering place of rumba dancers, every Sunday afternoon.

After you finished strolling the streets in Havana Vieja you should not miss a walk on Malecón at sunset. This waterfront esplanade 8km long is an emblematic place of city. Although the road is quite busy with traffic going up and down the street, Malecon is the place where many Cubans enjoy coming. At sunset you can see lovers embracing, fisherman or people just gazing at the see.

Along Malecon you can also see some well-known buildings such as Hotel National, a famous gathering place of gangsters from the 50’s, when Havana was named the Las Vegas of the Carraibeans, the Sin City of Americans flewing the prohibition.

A trip to Cuba would not be complete without seeing Plaza de la Revolution, an iconic place in Havana, one of the largest squares in the world (when the pope Jean Paul II visited Cuba, a million Cubans gathered there). It’s where you can admire the giant mural of Cuba’s revolutionary hero Che Guevara. Below, you can see his most famous utterance “Hasta La Victoria Siempre.”. Later on, in 2009, a portrait of Camillo Cienfuegos, was added in the nearby building. On the opposite side, a memorial of Jose Marti, the revolutionary liberating the Cubans from the Spanish colonizers, another national symbol.

Fabrica de Arte Cubano is the place to be in Havana. A buzzy creative hub in Vedado that is really worth visiting since you can see in one place exibitions, concerts, dance performances, theather etc. We went there 2 nights because we found the place fascinating.

If you are a fan of Gaudi then one place you should not miss in Havana is Fusterlandia: half an hour away by bus, Jaimanitas neighbourhood has been completely transformed by the Cuban artist Jose Fuster into a very colorful one where you can admire “naïve” mosaics on various themes.

Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón is the Père-Lachaise of Havana. Designed by a Galitian architect it is a huge grid streets. Impressive mausoleums and chapels from Renaissance to Art Deco style can be admired there. This is the burial site of many remarkable artists, but the main reason why I went there was to see the tomb of Ibrahim Ferrer from Buena Vista Social Club.

Cuba, Viñales – the tobacco paradise

Less than 3h away from Havana lies the Viñales Valley, a very spectacular landscape where as far as you can see there are green tobacco plantations on red ground and, from place to place, pop-up rounded, tower-like, steep-sided limestone hills called mogote.

The tour in Viñales started directly with a visit to a tobacco plantation.

The tobacco used for the cigars goes through quite an elaborated and fastidious process before becoming the famous Cuban cigars.

The tiny little seeds of tobacco are pre-planted in a special place, until they germinate. Then, each little plant is put into the ground one by one.

Once the tobacco is ready to be picked-up, the leaves are picked separately, according to the layers they belong to: the first layer, the most exposed to the sun is the strongest. Then follows the middle layer and then the down one, the weakest.

After being picked-up, the leaves are hanged into a special place, with very good ventilation, to dry. Once the leaves are dried, they are put to macerate so that they can be manually folded afterwards. After maceration, the central root of the leaves is taken away because it’s the part of the leave where nicotine is concentrated.

Each cigar contains 5 leaves of tobacco and are manually folded and rolled. The most famous cigars were named after classical novels (Romeo and Juliet, Monte Cristo) because in the cigar factories, there is a person who reads with a loud voice novels, to keep the mind of the people who are rolling 8h/day cigars, occupied.

The producer of tobacco are obliged to sell 80% of their production to the state, for a derisory price compared to the work needed to cultivate and harvest the tobacco. The rest of 20%, they make themselves cigars and they sell them to tourists who visit their farm at a price under the price of original cigars, but way better than what the state pays them. Of course, we couldn’t leave the plantation without buying some cigars: after some negotiation, I payed 25CUC for 10 cigars.

The landscape around us was so unique and beautiful, that we started to explore it right after settling down in our casa. The first trekking tour we did was from the village, up to the Los Jasmines Hotel where there are various miradores (belvedere points). This is where we enjoyed a Pina Colada and admired the sunset, everything on the rhythms of an amazing salsa group which was heating up the atmosphere.

The second day in Viñales we decided to walk around the valley by our own. Even if everybody tries to sell you a tour around, no need for a guide. We had Maps.me and it was really easy to find our way by our own. We made a tour including Cueva de la Vaca, Muro de la Prehistoria and Los Aquaticos.

At the entrance of Cueva de la Vaca there was a climbing wall where some people were climbing the mogote. In Cueva de La Vaca, you can literally pass through the cave and get on the other side where the path continues through the valley.

Next stop in our hike was El Muro de la Prehistoria which, in my opinion is an ugly painting covering a huge climbing wall.

After this, we headed to Los Aquaticos, a family living quite isolated, on one of the mogotes. They are called Los Aquaticos because they never take pills. Instead, they heal all the illnesses they have with water from the river passing behind their house. When we reached their house, only the mother of the family was at home, unpeelling some coconuts in order to prepare a cake. We have drunk a mango juice, chatted a bit with the lady and enjoyed the amazing view over the valley.

Although horse-riding is very popular in Viñales, the 3rd day, we decided to rent some bikes and go around cycling.

The highlights of the day was El Vale del Silencio, with beautiful views, Cueva del Indio and Cueva del Palmarito.

Viñales was, by far, my favourite place in Cuba. The green of the tobacco fields, the red of the ground and the amazing mogotes, together with the relaxing atmosphere of the village, made it a perfect stay.

People of Cuba

The main reason why I travel is to meet people from all the corners of the world. Through the interactions with them, I get to understand different aspects of their country, culture and way of life.

“When we have a problem, we turn on the music and we dance. No need for therapy.” This is what Carlos, a guy I met in Calejon de Hamel in Havana, told me. I think this is something emblematic for Cubans: music is their life. There’s music at every corner of the street. If I were to associate Cuba with a sound, that would be the sound of maracas, the instrument present in every group of Cuban music.

And together with music, of course, comes the dance. The way they move on the Afro-Cuban rhythms is crazy. And you cannot stay aside. There will always be a Cubano who will invite you dance and, even if you have no idea how to do it, they will make you dance.

Most of the life in Cuba takes place on the street. It’s as if the street is part of the Cubans house. You will always see them on the steps of the entrance, talking with their neighbors, greeting passers-by or hitting on the girls. “Hola chica! Que tal?” it’s what you’ll constantly hear while walking on the street.

“Sepollia!Pan!Dulce” it’s also part of the sounds you very often hear from the people selling things on their 2 wheels shops.

Queuing is also one very peculiar thing is Cuba. If you see an empty shop and many people queuing it means that in a while, a truck with rice, bread or beans will come and people will be able to buy their ratio of food. Every Cuban has a “green book” that they can use to buy those basic products representing their monthly ratio of food.

One thing that strucks you as a traveler coming from the Western world is that there are very few shops and that most of them are empty. I was wondering where do they buy their clothes until I came across a market where people who have relatives leaving abroad are selling clothes at very big prices. This “illegal” commerce has been legalized by the government because they realize it’s a good source of money.

Tourism is the main industry in the nowadays Cuba and many jobs related to it have been liberalized. Any Cuban can open a casa particular (a kind of Airbnb), a palabar (local restaurant) or make a taxi business. Those services are not cheap, which means that people are earning quite some money out of it. The problem is that even if they have the means to buy things, they have nowhere where they can do it, except the black market.

Even though in the bookshops you can only find books about Fidel and Che, Cuban people are very educated ones, Cuba being no 1 in terms of alphabetization (99,7%), thanks to the measures taken by Fidel right after the revolution (free education and health to all the citizens). Educated people is one of the goods Cuba is exporting, a well-known example being the exchange between Cuba and Venezuela: doctors in exchange of petrol.

The access to the Internet is still a luxury. You pay 1CUC/hour and you need to go in search of the few spots in the towns where there’s wi-fi. Despite this, Cubans are updated with the latest news in terms of music and movies because weekly, they buy a USB key which contains the latest episodes of their favorite series or the latest album of their favorite singer. The complete package of such precious information costs 10CUC, while the salary of a Cuban is around 20-30CUC.

Despite the fact that religion was forbidden during the Fidel era, Cubanos are strong believers. Apart the Catholicism imposed by the Spanish colonists, a very popular religion in Cuba is Santeria or Yoruba, a religion from Nigeria, with gods having equivalents in the saints of Catholicism.

Another aspect which stroke me right from the moment I landed in Cuba was the way the girls dress. In the airport, the police girls were wearing super short skirts and very stretched t-shirts. “Our only freedom in Cuba is out own body” it’s what a girl I spoke with told me. And you can definitely see this freedom manifested in the way they dance and dress.

While walking on the streets of Havana and Ciengfuegos, I saw many young girls wearing fancy dresses and participating in photo-shooting. I was told that this is a present received by all the girls turning 15 years old: fiesta de quince.

Los Cubanos are fascinating people, with charming smiles and very joyful. Go get to know them! We, Westerners, definitely have some lessons to learn from them.