I went to the Classics on the Common event in Harpenden this week, which is a series of classic vehicles that are presented on the various green areas in the centre of the Hertfordshire town. The event has been going on for twenty years now, and there were several hundred vehicles – of various forms…
I mentioned previously about some of the great sites from various parts of our history that are managed by English Heritage, and among these is Ashby de la Zouch castle. As the name suggests, the town has a Norman connection, with the castle dating back to a 12th Century fortified manor house, which was extended…
I wrote recently about a trip to Luang Prabang in northern Laos, which we used as a base to explore the area. One of the places that we visited from Luang Prabang is the Pak Ou caves, about 25km north, towards the Chinese border, along the Mekong river. We got on our boat in…
Luang Prabang in the north of Laos is the former Royal capital of the country, and was once the capital of the country of Luang Prabang, one of the three countries that came together to form modern Laos. It remained the royal capital until 1975, when the country became communist, under the Pathet Lao regime. …
I wrote recently about being at the Wat Phu temple complex near Champasak in Southern Laos, and how quiet this was compared to the more tourist filled Khmer temples near Angkor Wat in Cambodia. One of the nearby places that appears on the tourist people for more people is the Four Thousand Islands area of…
Most people have heard of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the famous temple complex, and increasingly, people have heard of some of the nearby temples like Ta Prohm, that I have previously mentioned. However, there are a series of impressive ancient temple complexes in the region that are less famous, but are still remarkably impressive. Among…
The “Barbuda” part of Antigua and Barbuda is often overshadowed by its larger partner, to the extent where I have been asked if I meant Bermuda or Barbados when I mentioned visiting Barbuda, but this smaller of the two islands is quite spectacular. It is smaller than Antigua, and much less populated, with the 2011…
I wrote previously about New Year 2011, which I spent in New York, and commented that although it was a spectacular evening, the sunrise the following morning was not as spectacular as that the previous year: New Year Sunrise in Cambodia. I had arrived in Siem Reap early on the morning of the 31st, having…
New Year seems a long time away, it currently being the middle of July with the sun shining, but for some reason, I have been reminded of a New Year in New York. I spent the New Year to welcome both 2012 and 2013 at home, which in recent years has been quite a…
I have mentioned two of the more dramatic displays at the 2013 Heart of the Forest Festival in Measham, Leicestershire, and thought I should recap on some of the other events that were going on. The village is in the middle of the National Forest, hence the name, and the annual festival in the village…
I have mentioned before that I grew up in the town of Larne in Northern Ireland, and that this is a ferry port, with me being mistaken for taking part in an air sea rescue there, as well as pointing out the rather noticeable landmark of Chaine Memorial Tower, which is very visible to those…
A few weeks ago, I found myself at the Lotus Formula One headquarters, in rural Oxfordshire, and the trip home involved driving through Banbury. For many people, the word “Banbury” is often followed by “Cross”, and may involve riding a cock horse. For those who are not familiar with this, there is a nursery rhyme…