Mesendorf (staying at the Gasthaus) is a beautiful, Romanian rustic village with a winding lane up to the church and long views back across ‘green and pleasant lands’. A blacksmith – a vital part of life here – has a small hut at the back of a gated homestead. This was going to be special …
The British tradition of remembering Guy Fawkes and the failed Gunpowder Plot in 1605 is still celebrated in November with fireworks. Most people have forgotten the treason and why the day is commemorated but, though the selling of fireworks in the city, are now restricted, it is still in our psyche to go watch a …
Exeter is the county town of Devon in the South West of England i.e. it’s a big old place. Yet as you follow the road to Topsham, one minute you are in suburbia and the next . . . a quaint ‘town’ (the 2021 census the population was 4,146) full of historic references from its …
Sometimes, it is obvious. For example, Coalhouse Fort was built to guard the lower part of the River Thames from attack from the French in the 19th century. It is a solidly built building surrounded by a wide water-filled ditch. It isn’t pretty but . . . maybe it was enough for people to feel …
There is a very special place in Rhodes Town that is dear to our heart. We first arrived to Spirit of the Knights in June 2014 where Felicity Marshall, a British mosaic artist decided to restore a 14th century crusader mansion in the Medieval town of Rhodes along with her son, Alex. There are six …
It started with a text message, “Get your camera ready tonight . . . it’s the buck moon”. So there we were all set up on a beautiful summer’s night above Firestone Bay, Plymouth waiting for the moon rise. We had the ‘app’ so had worked out the ‘where’ allowing for the cliff getting in …
Sometimes in our South West corner of Britain, we have what we call ‘the San Fransisco effect’. Basically, the cold air from the sea hits the warm air of the land causing fog. That week, we had had a lot of heat. Throw into that mix the River Tamar, clear skies, lights winds . . …
Copenhagen – capital of Denmark. It has been around as a ‘Havn’ from around AD1000 initially prospering from the shoals of herring in its waters. It certainly has had its fair share of ‘moments in history’ – civil war, losing territories to Sweden, The Great Fire of 1728, battles with the British navy, being occupied …
Growing up in north London, birds did not feature a great deal – too much traffic. However, I clearly remember as a child going to sleep in the spring/summer with bird song. I now know that to be a blackbird . . . as it says ‘on the tin’ this is a bird that is …
This year was different. Usually we visit The Yard in Bath around December to immerse ourselves in the Christmassy vibe – soft lights, the smell of a real tree and an excellent location for Theatre Royal, good restaurants and the stunning Christmas market amongst the warm, honey coloured stone of the Georgian period. This year, …