I wrote this in 2011, more in tribute to the liberating power of satnav than as a homage to Hollywood, which is really a world-wide community of sitting with strangers in a darkened space and being transporting to the far corners of the imagination by images and music. Los Angeles’s dubious reputation is “The city… Continue reading
Browsing Category Travel
Belfast at peace: Lonely Planet’s choice of top place to visit in 2018
April 2018 marked the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The 30 years before that was marked by bitter violent conflict. In the closing days of 2018 there is renewed verbal animosity, not from the province itself, but from politicians in Westminster over the status of the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish… Continue reading →
Rotterdam’s revival – how direct London trains will boost Holland’s second city
Eurostar launches direct services between London, Rotterdam and Amsterdam through the Channel Tunnel on 4 April, 2018. The first passenger train, for the press and “invited guests” (above), ran on Tuesday, Feb 20th, 2018. The inaugural train was slowed by the congestion caused by regular domestic services in Holland, but it still arrived early at Rotterdam Centraal. From London that… Continue reading →
1066 Country and all that – Hastings battles up the South Coast rankings
President Macron has announced that the Bayeux Tapestry will be loaned to Britain. This will be the first time in 950 years that it is left France, although it’s likely to be five years before it arrives here. It is not known where the tapestry will be displayed in Britain, although the British Museum must… Continue reading →
Bamboos and balms in the Hertfordshire hills – how Champneys corners spa appeal
Updated, Jan 2018. Once the standard dress in this lesser stately home in the Hertfordshire hills would have been the morning suit and the crinoline. Today the everyday garment in Champneys is the fluffy white dressing gown with fur collar. After early misgivings, I decided to wear mine around the place too, taking heart from… Continue reading →
In the house where Dylan Thomas set “A Child’s Christmas in Wales”
This is the time to think of Christmas books. Dickens started our passion, but who has time for the whole of Pickwick Papers, unless you just read the snowy, seasonal scenes? A Christmas Carol is a possibility, but, weighed down with Victorian sentimentality, it lends itself to cinematic or theatrical adaptation rather then a comfy read in… Continue reading →