Tag Archives: what to see

UBC Vancouver

Surrounded by lush rain forest, the campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC) protrudes into the Pacific Ocean. Most of the Point Grey peninsula is given over to the Pacific Spirit Regional Park, an area of Pacific red cedar. Some 34 trails meander for over 50 kilometres through this park. When hiking here, youContinue reading “UBC Vancouver”

District 6 Museum

Back in Cape Town, the most poignant symbol of the apartheid regime is the District 6 museum. District 6 was a vibrant community of Cape Malays, Indians, Blacks, and a few Whites until 11th February 1966, when the apartheid regime declared District Six a whites-only area under the Group Areas Act. By 1982 60,000 people hadContinue reading “District 6 Museum”

Robben Island

Once on the island everyone has to get on a bus and be escorted around the island before visiting the prison. The most poignant place is the house of Robert Sobukwe the founder of the Pan Africanist Congress. Sobukwe was in solitary confinement and wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone – however he did giveContinue reading “Robben Island”

Slave Lodge, Cape Town

The Slave Lodge was built in 1679, making it the second oldest colonial building in South Africa and was owned by the Dutch East India Company, who maintained a settlement at the Cape and needed the slaves to support its profitable Asian trading operations. It continued to be used until 1834 when slavery was abolishedContinue reading “Slave Lodge, Cape Town”

Cape Town

No matter how many times I gazed at Table Mountain, rested on the Atlantic beaches, or savoured the food at one of the many restaurants at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, I could never really escape the history of Cape Town. Robben Island, the Slave Lodge on Wale Street, and the Bo Kaap district allContinue reading “Cape Town”

Churches of Riga

The church of St James in Riga, Latvia, is the seat of the city’s Roman Catholic archbishopric. It occupies an important position opposite Latvia’s Parliament. The first reference to St.James’s Church was in 1226. The first few centuries of its history were uneventful as it served as a local church. Then, after the Reformation theContinue reading “Churches of Riga”

A local’s guide to Havana, Cuba: 10 top tips

Cuba’s capital is changing and a lot of the cutting-edge art and new wave restaurants are in characterful districts away from the much-visited old city

Fast-tracked to Amsterdam’s high life and new hotels

Now only a non-stop train ride from London, the Dutch capital offers calm beauty and eco innovation amid the beery hedonism

A local’s guide to Dundee: top 10 tips

The city’s beautiful waterfront is being reinvigorated thanks to a £1bn makeover, with the stunning new V&A museum, the first outside London, as its centrepiece