Until recently our tourism industry assumed that tents, and most other variants on outdoor living, and for good reason, were for masochists. We British can be as hardy and stoical as the next nation in a crisis, but most of us sensibly shun sleeping under canvas for recreation anywhere north of a French campsite. If… Continue reading
Browsing Category Travel
Derry builds on its great year of culture and renaissance
Derry~Londonderry is a fine destination for connoisseurs of the old European City. Its spectacular city walls (above) match any in Europe. Derry~Londonderry ended its great year as the first UK City of Culture in 2013 as the venue for the announcement of the winner of the Turner Prize 2013. All four short-listed artists were displayed in the… Continue reading →
Americans cast a winning vote for Chester
Americans have stepped beyond their traditional list of preferred cities and towns in the UK, and have given Chester their vote ahead of them all as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. The only places ahead of Chester in the poll by USA Today were all in Europe – Riga in Latvia, Bergen in Norway,… Continue reading →
Time to pause in Exeter, no longer the West Country’s hurry-on-past city
It was always so easy to hurry on past Exeter, on the way to the seaside resorts of Devon and Cornwall. But there are good reasons to resist the siren call of the beach, at least for a while. My list of the things to see and do in this ancient Devon city include Britain’s… Continue reading →
Call of the Goldfinch: acclaimed new novel set in Amsterdam
The New York Times placed Amsterdam sixth on its list of “The 46 Places to Go in 2013″. It’s been a significant year for the city, with the reopening of the Rijksmuseum after 10 years of renovation. In 2016 it will be linked by direct trains from London. The city has been given another, unexpected boost…. Continue reading →
Dylan Thomas – the end story in New York City
Dylan Thomas, the greatest Welsh poet, died in New York 60 years ago, on November 9th, 1953 shortly after his 39th birthday. According to the medical record, he died as a result of an alcoholic “insult to the brain” – the result of a drinking session after which, it is often, perhaps erroneously, reported that… Continue reading →