My guide for tour of Mostar was to be Armina, a friendly and talented young lady who led me around the city for over an hour. Mostar was famously perhaps the most devastated city in Yugoslavia, it being divided between Muslims and Christians. Like many in the city, Armina though a Muslim, thinks in the… Continue reading Mostar Day Trip -Part 2
Category: history
Day trip to Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina
One of the attractions for me to come to Dubrovnik was not just to see this magnificent city and the beautiful Croatian coastline but because of its close proximity to the other former Yugoslav republics, all of whom are now countries in their own right. One of the places I have always wanted to visit… Continue reading Day trip to Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina
Fort Lovrijenac, Fort Imperial & the Dubrovnik Cable Car
Fort Lovrijenac is an imposing 3 sided castle overlooking the main entrances to Dubrovnik by land and sea. It is said that in the 11th century the rising maritime power of Venice identified the rocks on which it is built as being an ideal location to build a fortress. However the industrious people of Dubrovnik… Continue reading Fort Lovrijenac, Fort Imperial & the Dubrovnik Cable Car
Walking the walls of Dubrovnik
My first full day at Dubrovnik had a mighty big to-do list even if I were only to visit the highlights. Of course if you come to Dubrovnik and only do one thing, walking the city walls is that thing. I went up on Sunday morning at 10am and for the price of 100 Kune… Continue reading Walking the walls of Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik Day 1
I remember wanting to visit Dubrovnik even as a teenager. I was a well-read child (quelle surprise) and somehow even in the 1980s I was well aware of it. As a near adult, Dubrovnik hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Yugoslavia was falling apart and the majority Serbian population were doing their best… Continue reading Dubrovnik Day 1
Shot at dawn – Remembering those who bravely died as cowards
November 11th is Armistice Day and I thought I would write about an aspect of WW1 which is often forgotten, the sad stories of those who were shot by their own side. Over 300 Commonwealth soldiers were shot at dawn, a euphamism for being executed by their own side with 291 of them being British, 25… Continue reading Shot at dawn – Remembering those who bravely died as cowards
The tragic story of Sidney Ashcroft & the Guernsey Eight
As we approach Armistice Day, I thought I would write on another history related item, this time from WW2. Not many people know that part of the British Isles was conquered and occupied by Nazi Germany. The Channel Islands, in the English Channel lie around 90 miles south of the British mainland and the small… Continue reading The tragic story of Sidney Ashcroft & the Guernsey Eight
The incredible true tale of Job Maseko – The man who sunk a ship whilst a prisoner.
As today is Remembrance Sunday, I thought I would share a short account of someone who is rarely spoken of outside his homeland but whom I have been a fan of for many years. For most people when they are taken prisoner, their war is pretty much at the end, which is often a good… Continue reading The incredible true tale of Job Maseko – The man who sunk a ship whilst a prisoner.
The Enfield Poltergeist
It’s Halloween time again and this year I’d like to tell you about one of the best documented and most irrefutable cases of otherworldly spookiness that shook London in the 1970’s and quickly came to be known as The Enfield Poltergeist. It centred around an otherwise unremarkable council semi-detached house in Green Street, Enfield, North London… Continue reading The Enfield Poltergeist
The Battle of Agincourt & Why It Still Matters Today!
Today marks the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, one of countless historical battles one has to remember if you are interested in English or British history. This one though has gained something of a mythical status. In its own way the Battle of Agincourt made England; as surely as Magna Carta, the Book… Continue reading The Battle of Agincourt & Why It Still Matters Today!