When Brad Haddin hit Ben Stokes back over his shoulder to clear the boundary before 78,000 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 27th of December, 2013, the world record for number of sixes in a Test series was broken. It was the 52nd six and it came in the fourth match in the five… Continue reading
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 →
Duke gastropub gains high praise for serving sustainable fish
How often to customers in pubs and restaurants, when ordering fish, make their choice according to the sustainability of that particular species? How many decide not to ask for fish at all because the menu doesn’t tell them where it came from, and the serving staff can’t advise them either? The answer to both questions… 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 →