Quixoticguide
Hi, I’m Maarten Van Den Driessche, a curious human, aviation enthusiast, vexillophile, world traveler, and food lover with over 14,000 days of life experience.
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Bishoftu International Airport: Ethiopia Is Building Africa’s Next Aviation Megahub
There are airport expansions, and then there are infrastructure projects intended to change a country’s position on the world map. Bishoftu International Airport belongs firmly in the second category. Ethiopia has begun work on a new $12.5 billion international airport near Bishoftu, around 40–45 kilometres from Addis Ababa. When fully developed, Ethiopian officials expect it…
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9 September in North Korea: The Day the DPRK Was Born
There are countries where national days are celebrations. There are countries where they are exercises in collective memory. And then there is North Korea, where 9 September is part celebration, part political ritual and part declaration that the state itself has survived. Every year on 9 September, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea celebrates the…
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The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel: Europe Is Building a Shortcut Beneath the Baltic Sea
Europe is quietly removing a sea crossing from the map. Between the Danish island of Lolland and the German island of Fehmarn, one of the continent’s most ambitious infrastructure projects is taking shape beneath the Baltic Sea. The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will stretch for approximately 18 kilometres, creating a permanent road and railway connection between Denmark…
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Danzig Is Still There — It’s Called Gdańsk
Walk through Gdańsk today and it feels unmistakably Polish. Polish flags hang from buildings, Polish is spoken in the cafés, and the city is one of the most important cultural and economic centres on Poland’s Baltic coast. But look at an old German map and you will find another name in exactly the same place:…
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Beirut: Where the Cracks Let the Light In
Beirut has never been a city of perfect surfaces. Its walls carry scars. Its buildings lean into history. Old balconies sit beside new glass, bullet holes beside cafés, ruins beside gardens. Everywhere, the city seems to whisper the same lesson: survival does not mean returning to what you were before. Sometimes the crack becomes part…
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The Cobra Effect: How Trying to Solve a Problem Can Make It Worse
There is an old story from Delhi that begins with cobras. And like many good stories about governments, it ends with considerably more cobras. During British rule in India, so the story goes, the authorities in Delhi became concerned about the number of venomous cobras roaming the city. The problem seemed straightforward enough. Too many…
Where Curiosity Leads
Travel is more than ticking countries off a map. It’s about discovering the stories behind places, understanding the people who call them home, and seeing the world through new perspectives.
Quixotic Guide is a collection of destinations, cultures, history, aviation, food, and ideas, created for curious travellers who want to go beyond the guidebook. Whether you’re planning your next adventure or simply exploring from home, every article is designed to help you understand the world a little better.
Explore Beyond the Tourist Trail
- 🌍 Discover fascinating destinations
- 🏛️ Understand history and cultures
- 🍽️ Explore national dishes and traditions
- ✈️ Travel smarter with practical guides
- 💡 Gain context behind the headlines
- 📖 See the world through curiosity
“The more you understand a place, the more meaningful your journey becomes.”
My Travel guides
- Not instructions, but orientation.
- These guides explain how places work — so you don’t just visit, you arrive.
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” –
Ibn Battuta
Maghrebi traveller