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”

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”

Churches of Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, one of the three Baltic countries that achieved independence from the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Tallinn has many houses of prayer, including a Roman Catholic Church, within its old town walls. The spires of some of these churches dominate the skyline. The old town is aContinue reading “Churches of Tallinn”

Travel Poetry – 1

I have decided to try a new genre called Travel Poetry – I hope you like it. Small squads of tourists heading to the palace in Kadriorg Park, each with a different photo to take, It is a mini-Versailles according to the locals. The President’s pink house is there for all to see cyclists, sunbathers,Continue reading “Travel Poetry – 1”

Fine art or daring design? 13 must-see new galleries and museums in Europe

Gallery launches and long-awaited re-openings of some of Europe’s famous museums are taking place at many great city-break destinations this year

A local’s guide to Perth, Western Australia

As Qantas launches London-Perth, the first non-stop flights between the UK and Australia, Anna Reece of the Perth Festival picks her favourite cultural venues, restaurants, bars and beaches in the city

Seals the deal: a winter wander on the Lincolnshire coast

In winter, visitors can get close to hundreds of mating and pupping seals on the coast between Grimsby and Skegness, while sandy shores offer bracing walks and some of the UK’s finest seafood

Kraków’s Lenin Steelworks: a rare view of a socialist realist gem

The interior of the plant in Kraków’s utopian socialist new town is preserved in all its 1950s glory, a fascinating window on Soviet-era design