On the Jane Austen trail – in Chawton and Winchester
If you’re a fan of Jane Austen’s novels, many of which have been adapted for TV or film, you’ll be fascinated to discover the connections …
Culture
Houston we have a problem! – At the Space Center Houston
The year was 1969 as I sat sleepy-eyed on my parents’ bed, watching the flickering black and white TV image of the first man to …
The best of the best Piazzas in Rome
Imagine it’s a hot Roman summer’s day, you’ve spent the morning exploring ancient ruins, museums and art, and let’s face it, as beautiful as it …
Religious art at the Zakynthos Museum, in Zante town Greece
The Zakynthos Museum in Zante town houses religious artworks that were recovered from churches in Zakynthos after the earthquake. In 1953 a terrible earthquake struck …
Lost in the Hohensalzburg Fortress in Salzburg
The Hohensalzburg fortress was top of our list of things to do in Salzburg, as it seemed to be mentioned by practically everyone who gave …
Visiting the Karen Blixen museum near Copenhagen
Why did I want to visit the Karen Blixen Museum near Copenhagen? Karen Blixen returned from Kenya to her family home to write her book, …
Marianne North Gallery at Kew Gardens – beautiful botanical paintings
When I first visited the Marianne North Gallery at Kew Gardens a couple of years ago, I was completely entranced not only by the beautiful …
The Moorish charms of the Alhambra in Granada – Spain
I might have realised that the Alhambra in Granada is one of the foremost tourist attractions of Spain when we arrived late morning to be …
Boot slapping, skirt twirling, Hungarian folk dancing – at the Festival of Folk Arts in Budapest
On our visit to Budapest in August 2010, we did the usual tourist thing of visiting the main sites of the Castle district and came …
A guide to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, reopened in 2011 following a 4 year reconstruction project that cost an eye-watering £112 million to complete. For those …
The Festetics Palace and the marzipan museum at Keszthely – in Hungary
During our family holiday at Lake Balaton in Hungary, we took a day trip to Keszthely, an elegant resort on the shores of the Lake …