Most people in the UK are familiar with the Mary Rose, the famous ship of the English navy under Henry VIII which was sank in battle in 1545 before being recovered in 1982. Sweden has its own ship with a similar history, the Vasa, a 64 gun ship, that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628,…
I’ve spent today walking about Copenhagen as a tourist, something I can reccomend. The pretty harbour and lovely cafes that make up Nyhavn, the fun that is Tivoli Gardens, and the palace and the Changing of the Guard are all great to see. We were walking to Nyhavn from the changing of the guard when…
On my recent trip to Poland, I went to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine, near Krakow. I was aware of the mine as a key tourist attraction, although had never been on any of my previous trips to the city, and as we were driving more or less by the entrance, it seemed a good opportunity to…
On my recent trip to Poland, I went back to visit Wawel, or Krakow Castle again. I have been there a few times, but even in a city with so much impressive architecture and grand buildings, the castle that dominates one end of the old town is a must see. There have been buildings on…
I was in Poland recently, which involved flying to and from Lublin airport in the east of the country. Although there has been an airfield in Swidnik – the town near Lublin that is home to the airport – since 1939, and an aviation factory building helicopters since 1956, there has only been a commercial…
I mentioned recently that I was in rural Spain, and although staying near the sea, there is an impressive series of mountains near by. Driving on the mountain roads of Spain is quite an experience, with plenty of narrow roads filled with bends winding around the hills, frustratingly short of places to stop to enjoy…
Have you ever wondered how many planes are flying over your head at any given time? There are probably more than you think, and the development of social media and a series of apps that help track them have been enlightening for the aviation geeks among us. If you are in Europe, or in the…
I am currently in Krakow, Poland, which for anyone who has not visited, is both a rather historic and a rather pretty city. It is the second largest city in Poland after Warsaw, and is a former national capital. The city dates back to the seventh century, and the old town is a UNESCO World…
I blogged recently on travelling in part of the Balkans, in the guise of Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Another interesting part of the region that does not normally rank highly in the tourist lists is Albania. We visited Skoder in the north of Albania, and the nearby Rozafa castle. Albania is an interesting country with a…
Bosnia – or rather, Bosnia & Herzegovina – is not necessarily the first part of Europe that comes to mind when people think about holiday destinations, but it has, like most of the world, some remarkably beautiful places. One of the places in particular that is worth visiting is the city of Mostar, in the…