A quick march around York’s World War II and Cold War history

You’ve been mesmerised by the Minster, shuffled down the Shambles, and wandered around the walls … you may be forgiven for thinking that York’s history stopped sometime around the time of the Tudors. You’d be wrong. Andrew and I checked out five of York’s military museums to get under the skin of our city’s World War II […]

How to spend a full day walking York city walls

York Gatehouse Coffee - York city walls walk

This locals’ guide to York city walls features several hot spots that make this English city so special. Plus: I include some insider tips about the off-wall places you shouldn’t miss. You could walk the 3.4km around York city walls in an hour or so. But, take in sights and the occasional pub en-route, and that hour could […]

DIY your Lisbon architecture tour with this guide

Lisbon architecture - azulejo tiles

The architecture of Lisbon has been influenced through history by its rulers, its seafaring exploits and a great big earthquake. DIY your own tour of Lisbon architecture by time-travelling through the Portuguese capital. The Moors – Arabic influence in the architecture of Lisbon Lisbon was under Moorish rule from the 8th-12th centuries. The current Castelo […]

Bologna – where hipsters meet history

Bologna - Via Clavature

Famed for its porticoes, leftish tendencies, and a deserved foodie reputation; Bologna and its surrounds echo with the united footsteps of old and new. It’s a city where hipsters meet history. Cyclists’ simultaneously pedal slowly and talk quickly on their mobile phones. Students in converse trainers and skinny jeans chat to their amici, smoke curling from their cigarettes, as they scuffle […]

Budapest – what was life behind the Iron Curtain like?

life behind the Iron Curtain

Whilst the history of post-war Communism is likely to show up in a classroom textbook or a museum; I wanted to know what life behind the Iron Curtain was like in my lifetime. Budapest’s museums and tours help me tell the story of Csilla, my Hungarian alter-ego. Here’s her story. 1987 – behind the Iron Curtain My […]