Anastasia Dubinina

Inspiration rarely arrives through expected channels. I came to Warsaw with literary intentions but found myself instead immersed in the 67th Warsaw Autumn Festival (Warszawska Jesień)—Poland’s premier contemporary classical music event that transforms concert halls, churches, and unconventional spaces across the city into laboratories of sound exploration. The experience has proven unexpectedly nourishing for my […]

There is something about geological extremes that resets the human perspective. In the past month, I’ve found myself drawn to landscapes that speak of time’s immensity—first the ancient granite formations of Karelia in northwestern Russia, then the otherworldly limestone chambers of Damlatas Cave in Turkey. These contrasting environments—one vast and exposed, the other enclosed and

Cities reveal themselves differently after sunset. Budapest, already mesmerizing by day with its neo-Gothic parliament and art nouveau facades, transforms into something truly magical in the evening hours. For the past three nights, I’ve been attending performances at the Budapest Summer Festival, where the illuminated Chain Bridge and Buda Castle provide a backdrop so spectacular

Cities reveal themselves most honestly during moments of collective celebration. This past weekend, I discovered Belfast in precisely such a state of joyful self-expression during Culture Night—an annual September event that transforms the city’s streets into an expansive, democratic canvas for artistic expression of all forms. I stumbled upon this festival entirely by accident. Having