There aren’t many cities in the world I’ve struggled to like but Mexico’s capital is one. Perhaps it’s my age? These days I find it harder to cope with chaos, noise and millions upon millions of people all being in the same place at the same time. It’s one reason I went off London. Mexico…
Tag: Temples and churches
The mystical city of Teotihuacán in Mexico
The ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacán has striking pyramids and grand avenues, yet little or nothing is known of the civilisation responsible for its construction. But whoever they were, you can’t fault the scale of their ambition. The city contains the third largest pyramid ever built – the mighty Pyramid of the Sun – and…
Exploring the Norfolk of my ancestors
In centuries past my ancestors ploughed the fields of Norfolk, worked as publicans and labourers in its towns and villages and worshipped in its many churches. But it wasn’t until our 2020 staycation – replacing a coronavirus-related cancellation of our Japan holiday – that I finally got round to visiting the places they called home….
A stormy weekend in Norwich
Norwich was England’s second city in the distant past, back when East Anglia’s wool and agriculture powered the medieval economy. It may not play such a crucial role in the nation these days but Norwich makes up for it in character, history and charm. I imagine it would’ve been low down on our list of staycation destinations were it not for the…
Cordoba’s Mezquita, an architectural masterpiece
The magnificent Mezquita in Cordoba is without doubt one of the world’s great buildings, once a mosque and now a cathedral. It’s also somewhere to shelter from the city’s oven-like heat, for even at the end of September the thermometer was recording late 30s centigrade. I really struggle with the heat and spent much of…
Ranakpur and an Indian road trip
It goes without saying that India is vast. Travelling from one city to another involves hours and hours of travel, with lots of hassle thrown in. By the time we’d settled into our second week we’d travelled by plane and train, so it was time for the automobile to take a bow. Hiring a driver…
A trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal
Agra is dirty, full of litter and shambolic, yet it’s home to the world’s most beautiful building – the Taj Mahal – and a spectacular Mughal-era fort. We couldn’t go all the way to India and not visit Shah Jahan’s monument to love but we almost didn’t make it because our Graham woke on the…
The temples and gardens of New Delhi
Delhi assaults the senses. It’s polluted, noisy, smelly and can look as rough as fuck but just when you think you can’t take it anymore, there are glorious gardens and majestic temples that restore one’s faith in the city. Many are in the districts to the south of the historic centre, in New Delhi, Mehrauli…
A visit to the abbey town of Echternach
Plans to visit the picturesque castle that stands on a bluff overlooking the village of Vianden in rural Luxembourg were scuppered by that old favourite of a British weekend, railway engineering works. So we found ourselves in the city’s central station trying to work out what to do with our Sunday. I didn’t want to…
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…
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…
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: A beautiful garden in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district
Could we ever escape the overwhelming crowds of Kyoto? Would the attractions on the edge of the city, in Arashiyama, be less busy? Not really as it turned out because, let’s face it, it’s a district that boasts some of the city’s most picture-perfect destinations. However, we did find peace and quiet in Okochi Sanso,…
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…
Japan: A tour of historic Takayama
At first sight Takayama looks much like any other Japanese town or city, with lots of post-war development that lacks any real charm or character. Perhaps understandably, the priority after the devastation of the Second World War was putting roofs over heads rather than architectural quality. Perhaps too, the Japanese prefer practicality and resilience rather than…