Mostar Day Trip -Part 2

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

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

Sights from the moors

During our days out on holiday we spent quite a lot of time just driving around.  The weather was entirely perfect every day and we all enjoyed just being somewhere where there were no people and often no birds or animals either.  There aren’t many places in England where you an drive around for an… Continue reading Sights from the moors

Day 5 of my holiday – Killhope Lead Mine

As I mentioned in previous holiday posts, the entire area of NorthEast England is rich in heavy industry and particularly mining history. Despite there being centuries more material underground, most mines are now closed as it is somehow supposedly more economical to get raw materials from China or Australia. Just a 3 or 4 miles… Continue reading Day 5 of my holiday – Killhope Lead Mine

Castlerigg Stone Circle and the Lakes

Following my early morning walk to the abandoned mine, we headed out for a day of touring. We headed towards The Lake District, a large area designated a National Park containing many of England’s highest mountains and numerous large lakes as well as smaller lakes or tarns situated high up in the mountains as a… Continue reading Castlerigg Stone Circle and the Lakes

Holiday day 3… The Beamish Open Air museum

It’s often said that one never visits the touristic places near to where one lives. I never went on the London Eye until a family from Chicago paid me too. The Beamish Open Air Museum is a likely unique museum dedicated to preserving and informing future generations about the special industrial heritage of working class… Continue reading Holiday day 3… The Beamish Open Air museum

Knebworth House – It was a dark and stormy night…

One of the houses that I enjoy visiting but don’t actually get to very often is Knebworth House.  It is an extremely distinctive looking country house in northern Hertfordshire just above London. The house has been in the hands of the Lytton family since 1490 and over the centuries the house has evolved from a… Continue reading Knebworth House – It was a dark and stormy night…

Photos from St. Paul’s Cathedral

This Monday I had the chance to do something I don’t get to do very often and that is enjoy London as a tourist.  It’s easy when you live and work here to get bogged down with the traffic congestion and crowds and not make the most of the place.  So on MondaI went and… Continue reading Photos from St. Paul’s Cathedral

Visiting places from the movies or Shaken, not stirred – My new James Bond tour of London

Many of you know that when not writing my little heart out, I run and guide private guided tours with my company, Ye Olde England Tours.  One of my most popular tours I run is one dedicated to Sherlock Holmes and particularly the BBC series Sherlock where I take fans of the super sleuth and… Continue reading Visiting places from the movies or Shaken, not stirred – My new James Bond tour of London