Call me uncultured but I’ve never been into William Shakespeare. I was made to read As You Like It at school but that’s about it. However, the man’s life and the mysteries that surround it are intriguing. So off we trotted to Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire for a family event, staying at the Q hotel, with…
Tag: History
Tenerife: A drive to La Laguna
If I learnt anything in Tenerife, it’s never to trust a sat-nav. After the traumas of getting to Teide, our expensive piece of tech managed to land us, somewhat embarassed, in the pedestrianised shopping streets of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of La Laguna. All I wanted to do was park the car but it…
A visit to La Oratava in Tenerife
We went all the way to Tenerife for winter sun and relaxation only to find a depressing layer of cloud that refused to budge from the volcanic mountains around Puerto de la Cruz. So while the Hotel Botanico pool may have looked inviting, it was a bit too cold to sit out, read and swim –…
Going weird: The ossuary at Kutna Hora
I’ve been around a bit and seen some weird and wonderful things. But the Sedlec Ossuary at Kutna Hora, deep in the Czech Republic, has to rank as one of the strangest. For those who don’t know, an ossuary is a resting place for human skeletons. At Kutna Hora, which we found about an hour outside…
Brittany: The stones of Carnac
I’m sure the beach at Carnac is one of the best in Brittany. Long and sandy, protected by dunes, overlooked by some handsome homes and towering trees, it promises much. But during our June stay it rained, and rained again. And when it didn’t rain, the wind blew and the clouds blocked out the sun….
Zurich: Churches and gardens
It was our final day in Zurich and raining again. But we filled it by exploring chilly churches and tropical palm houses. I slept late so we dispensed with breakfast and got ready to check out of the Hotel Europe – a lovely place with charming hosts but somewhat lacking in very necessary double glazing. A…
Alcatraz
Some tourist attractions are a class act while others really manage to screw up the experience. Alcatraz in San Francisco may be a tourist trap but it’s a winner from start to finish. It’s deluged with humanity, which is ironic for a place that many tried to flee during its time as a military prison…
Seville: From the cathedral to the river
As a young and angelic choirboy in the early 1970s I sang every week to the glory of God at St John’s Church in Caterham. But the experience never left me with a lasting faith. Listening to Canon Vile droning on from the pulpit, the endless hours of practice and the weekly Sunday school visits resulted in a…
Seville: Noble homes and spectacular plazas
Picking a good hotel is all about research and we’re in the habit of choosing some great ones. The Palacio de Villapanes ranks among them. Once the home of a noble Seville family, it boasts luxury bedding, great service and fancy design. A giant coat of arms on the grand marble staircase is one of the…
Seville: The Alcazar and the Metropol Parasol
On days when the news is dominated by atrocities and stories of hate, I find it good for the soul to go to somewhere like the Alcazar in Seville. It is a place of beauty, the work of generations of craftsmen and visionaries from many races and religions. It was our first full day in Andalusia,…
The palace and monastery of El Escorial
Madrid is such a great city that it’s tempting to spend an entire visit deep in its wonderfulness. There’s so much going on, so much of a buzz and so much to see. But with our love of a good palace, we just had to visit El Escorial. The complex, which was both a palace and monastery,…
Croatia: Joining the crowds in the city of Dubrovnik
The admirers of cliche tell us that travel broadens the mind. But it’s also a curse. There are times when we, as tourists, threaten to overwhelm and destroy the very destinations we’ve travelled so far to see. Dubrovnik’s old town is but one example. Croatia’s most popular destination, it’s a city under seige from swarms…
Chatsworth: A day out at a Derbyshire country house
It must be tough being a duke. There’s the grand country house to call home, no end of properties to rent out to the peasantry, stunning artworks to hang from the walls, acres of land to farm and gardens to landscape. Chatsworth, the spectacular Derbyshire estate of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, has all…
Japan: A day of temples in Kyoto
Kyoto is a city bursting with history, glorious temples and gardens of exquisite beauty. The challenge for visitors is to narrow down this embarrassment of riches, to select the handful of attractions to visit during a short visit. We’d already visited some of Arashiyama’s great draws but with just one day left in the city it was…
Japan: The train to Kyoto
Our stay in Takayama was over and it was time to head to Kyoto, the historic heart of Japan and the climax of our fortnight-long trip. Takayama had made for an interesting diversion, offered a taste of a smaller Japanese city, but three days was enough. Indeed, people we’d met there were surprised we’d stopped for so…