Harry’s Ramblings; Eastbourne’s cinema of dreams
The cinema came to Eastbourne in the 1890s, it’s not recorded where, but it must have been close to the town centre. Eastbourne is one of those strangely traditional...
Musical genius Mozart and his beloved Prague
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, named after the baptismal record of Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart (January 27, 1756, Salzburg – December 5, 1791, Vienna) was an Austrian classical music composer...
Steve’s Sojourns: Murals and Markets in Sardinia.
Sardinia is one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean. Its main delight is you never know what you’re going to find in some of the small villages...
Feed your body and soul in Conques – Meanderings through France n° 201
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Conques is a superb village east of Cahors and Bergerac in southwest France. Set in a remote semi-mountainous region,...
Malta Diary Did Malta’s Neolithic inhabitants prefer to worship Astarte rather than Tanit? Were sacrifices of babies and children carried out?
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Worship of the Goddess-Deity TANIT stretched back to Neolithic times and filtered down to the...
A Stranger in Vegas The Clark County Museum
Halloween is around the corners, and I have been thinking of something exciting to do. It’s been a very long time since I’ve experienced something unusual but at...
ANCIENT ANIMAL POUND RE-OPENS IN COVENTRY
The problem of stray animals is nothing new as Ann Evans discovers as a 400-year-old animal pound is reopened in Coventry. Marking the start of Coventry’s...
Victorians with smelly feet
I used to be a volunteer usher at my local Royal Hippodrome Theatre here in Eastbourne, so it was a natural progression to become a theatre guide. It was...
Celebrating Leonardo and Chambord 500th anniversary – Meanderings through France n° 200
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Once again Chambord was in the spotlight to celebrate the 500th anniversary of its foundation. Works began on September...
To prove that car fans can never get enough of what they want, the ‘new’ Bentley Blower…
IAIN ROBERTSON Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover and a couple of other carmakers have been dabbling in the classic car scene, reports Iain Robertson, by revisiting their pasts and...
Malta Diary A new humane outlook at what is termed to be “the world’s oldest profession” – Malta proposes to decriminalise prostitution
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: The so-called ‘profession’ of a prostitute, also known as hooker, whore, street-walker, lady of the night,...
Welsh Witterings: Summer, Puddings and Filming
Lately I keep receiving e-mails telling me that now the Summer has drawn to a close I need to be doing everything from buying woolly boots, to shopping for...
COVENTRY’S LADY GODIVA The City of Coventry is famous for many things, Ann Evans tell the story of its most famous woman – Lady Godiva.
A visit to Coventry would not be complete without discovering the city’s most famous woman from history, Lady Godiva. A bronze statue in her honour stands...
Steve’s Sojourns A river cruise down the Rhone with Shearings/ARosa
I like a river cruise! So we tried one with Shearings on the ARosa Stella with only 160 people on board. The ARosa Stella is not as grandiose...
18-19 Harry’s Ramblings. Camera Obscura latest
Eastbourne has a camera obscura atop the building at the end of its Victorian pier. Originally built in 1870, the pier had two previous buildings, both theatres, until the...
Was the Charles Bridge mortar watered with wine and milk?
Charles Bridge. One of the symbols of Prague. The oldest standing bridge over the Vltava river in Prague and the second oldest preserved bridge in the Czech Republic. Thousands...
Steve’s Sojourns The Bass Rock
The Bass Rock is the largest single island gannet colony in the world and described by Sir David Attenborough as one of Earth’s twelve wildlife wonders. Most people...
Sweet Indian summer in Nantes – Meanderings through France n° 199
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny According to opinion polls Nantes is one of French people favourite towns where they would love to live. Ideally...
Steve’s Sojourns A Place to stay in NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND
Sandwiched between Scotland and England Northumberland has drawn its lifeblood from both. If Scotland were to be described as red and England as yellow then Northumberland would be classified...
Malta Diary Malta once more riding on the crest of a Mediterranean tsunami – will it sink beneath the waves?
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Not for the first time in its history, Malta is once more riding the waves...
DISCOVER COVENTRY’S HERITAGE
Photos by Rob Tysall, Tysall’s Photography Ann Evans reminds us that Coventry’s Heritage Open Days are almost here. The City of Coventry is steeped in history and...
Harry’s Ramblings, The Crumbles. A murder in Eastbourne
‘Mum, can I go on holiday to Eastbourne, please. Only for a week’. ‘But Irene, you’re only 17’. ‘Yes, but you let me go to Brighton on my own...
Steve’s Sojourns – Allier France
Nine times out of ten if you took a map of France and stuck a pin in what you thought was the exact centre of the country you would...
Fontevraud Abbey, the impressive Plantagenet family necropolis – Meanderings through France n° 198
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Fontevraud Abbey is one of the largest monastic cities in Europe founded in 1101. Two great historical characters, Robert d’Arbrissel...
Malta Diary Hip-Hop Hooray – and throw in some rock, some rap … and Malta is making its mark in the world of festivals and concerts
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Right ho – so yes, there is an age gap, a great age gap and I now stand (or...
Taxi Noir: The Knowledge (Part 2)
Welcome to Part Two of a run-through of the Knowledge of London, the training that London taxi drivers have to go through to get licensed. The first part is...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 3 The Door of No Return
The Castle stood white as skimmed milk on its small rocky ledge. The mood of the Atlantic came in powerful angled waves, slamming against the rocks but having little...
Visit the Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum
Photographs Rob Tysall, Tysall’s Photography Discover the history of Rugby Football at the Webb Ellis Museum, Ann Evans reports If you are enjoying the International Rugby coverage on TV...
Harry’s Ramblings Eastbourne’s early music hall
Before the railways came to Eastbourne in 1849 on England’s south coast between Brighton and Hastings, it was quite a small series of almost joined hamlets, certainly less than...
Karnak – the largest ancient religious site in the world!
Egypt – sea, sand, heat, camels and yes, also rich history. About 3 million people go to Luxor annually. On the northern outskirts of Luxor, on the central Nile,...
A festive “grape harvest day” in Cheverny – Meanderings through France n° 197
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny For the ninth consecutive year winegrowers and winemakers of the Cheverny DOC organize a wine festival on Saturday 7...
Welsh Witterings: Busy Times
The chaotic rhythm of my life continues this week as I try to complete deadlines, raise four girls, deal with the washing mountain and prepare for my television appearances...
A Mini Celebration
Photos courtesy of Rob Tysall, Tysall’s Photography It was back to the 1960s for the 60th birthday of the iconic Mini. Ann Evans reports. ...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 2 Ghana; Kwame Nkrumah – Changing Course
Arrive in Ghana and it doesn’t take long before you start to acquaint yourself with two impressionable forces. The heat that pulls you down and the courage and vision...
Steve’s Sojourns. Sniffed by the Inuits.
Fancy being sniffed by the Inuits? Well if not and you land on the small community of Oqaatusat in western Greenland be ready! I heard the sound of the...
Harry’s Ramblings Eastbourne Seafront
This is an hour long stroll along Eastbourne’s seafront from the pier to the bottom of Beachy Head, called Holywell. It is all on the flat, is about 4...
Dramatic landscapes and stunning sunsets on Dartmoor
Dartmoor, in the English County of Devon covers some 360 square miles and is an area of truly dramatic landscapes. It is the largest area of open country in...
Fort La Latte, Brittany’s most visited castle – Meanderings through France n° 196
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny Fort La Latte is an ancient medieval fortress built on top of a pink sandstone cliff overlooking the Channel, a...
A Place to Stay. Hotel Bon Sol & Spa, Majorca
I spent two nights at the Hotel Bon Sol Resort and Spa, five miles from Palma, Majorca. Mallorca (or Majorca – both spellings are acceptable) is still a virtually unspoilt...
A Place to Stay. Steve’s Soujourns The Battlestead Hotel
The Northumberland countryside between Hexham and Bellingham has some of the most beautiful scenery in the north of England and a short drive away from the majestic Kielder Water...