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: UNESCO World Heritage
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 Iguazú Falls in Argentina
Picture the scene. You’ve travelled half way round the world to see one of the planet’s greatest natural wonders, only to be told that it’s closed. Imagine the crushing disappointment… So it was for us in Argentina after arriving from Buenos Aires at the Selvaje Lodge Hotel in the jungle half an hour’s drive from…
To the Salinas Grandes, high up in the Andes
The twisting roads of the European Alps in winter offer memorable views of snow-capped peaks and soaring pines. Come summer, cattle graze on verdant meadows filled with colourful wildflowers. But thousands of miles away in the Andes of north-west Argentina the mountains couldn’t be more different in the middle of a Southern Hemisphere spring. This…
History and waterfalls in Quebec City
If Montreal is the brazen youth of the French-Canadian province of Quebec, the capital Quebec City is the maiden aunt. Staid, proper and well turned out, it’s also packed with history and great architecture. At times it’s got the look and feel of an ancient French village. But this is also where the indigenous people…
Cologne and its architecture
Cologne, like many German towns and cities, was left devastated by the Second World War. Photos of the aftermath show piles of rubble, the bare bones of buildings and its famous cathedral scarred by allied bombers. The post-war resurrection brought with it some recreation of the old, but the city’s planners weren’t afraid to embrace…
Granada: Beyond the Alhambra
The Emirate of Granada was the last bastion of the Arabs who ruled much of the Iberian Peninsula from the 8th century until 1492. In January that year the sultan surrendered to the Christian forces and the Alhambra fell. It may have been the end of the Moorish rulers but much of what they built,…
The Alhambra, Granada
The guidebooks tell us that the Alhambra in Granada is one of those sights that just has to be seen at least once. But is it worth the aggravation, worth putting up with the crowds? Is it worth the hype? During our week in Andalusia we had the chance to find out. A mix of…
Cordoba: A palace, patios and tapas
Visiting Cordoba is like visiting an old friend. It’s a recognisably Andalusian city with its cobbled alleys and white-washed terraces highlighted in reds and ochres. Like Seville and Jerez, Cordoba has an historic heart with obvious Roman foundations and a street plan that reflects the medinas of Arab cities. There’s an atmospheric Jewish district of…
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…
Exploring Krakow, night and day
You’ve got to love a city when two can eat a hearty meal in a city centre restaurant, consume two beers each and be charged a total of less than £30 for the pleasure. Welcome to Krakow… OK, our choice of eatery wasn’t exactly Michelin-starred but, while Restauracja Polska must have had a particularly unimaginative…
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…
Lebanon: Jeita Grotto and Byblos
Lebanon is big enough to pack a punch, but small enough that we could do the trips without having to switch hotels. In one busy morning we got to see a majestic grotto and an ancient city on the coast. But with the country’s roads making a fairground bumper car ride look polite, there was no…
Lebanon and the shadows of Rome
“You can’t drill a hole in Lebanon without finding Roman remains,” our guide explained as we waited to explore the extraordinary temples at Baalbek. He may have been exaggerating for the benefit of his assembled band of tourists but there’s no denying that the country is rich in the remains of empire. From the rooftop…