The late great architect Zaha Hadid designed some of the very best modern buildings. Her aquatic centre in Stratford’s Olympic Park, to take just one example, is the greatest of the London 2012 venues. But it’s odd that her reptilian, ultra-modern and oh-so organic designs are found scattered across the seemingly conservative Austrian city of…
Author: Stephen
A return to the Cutty Sark, London
The Cutty Sark is one of the most famous ships in the world. I first visited her as a boy on an outing to London and although I’d lived not far from her over the years, it wasn’t until the ship had undergone a multi-million pound restoration that I returned. The famous tea cutter has been…
The Partnach Gorge, Garmisch-Partenkirchen
If I was given the chance to live abroad, the Alps is where I’d buy my dream home. They’re perfect for sunny walks in summer, skiing in winter and natural wonders all year round. Natural wonders like the Partnach Gorge at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany. We spent a week in the Bavarian town late one summer (by coincidence…
In winter: Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia
We’re a pair of old romantics. We visit cities in the middle of winter in the hope of finding snow that’s knee-deep on the ground, of discovering cosy bars with roaring fires. It’s why we went to Ljubljana, the modest capital of Slovenia. The old Communist bloc country was indeed dressed in snow. In parts…
The Vasa – Stockholm’s star attraction
As a teenager I watched on TV as the battered remains of the Tudor warship Mary Rose was rescued from the muddy depths of the Solent. Some years later we visited Portsmouth to see her skeletal remains, now preserved and the centrepiece of a museum. Hers was a remarkable story of survival beneath the seabed,…
The magical desert of Wadi Rum, Jordan
There are some places on our delicate planet that live long in the memory. The desert of Wadi Rum in Jordan is one. One early spring evening, perched on a rock high above the desert floor, we watched the sun go down on the horizon. We stood in awe as it slipped slowly behind the…
Hello world…
Welcome to my travel blog, where I share with you the places I’ve been to, the places I want to go to and any other random thoughts I have about holidays and travel. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy going away on my hols! Stephen