It is amazing where music will lead you. In this case – to a shotgun shack in the Appalachian Mountains and an art deco railway carriage in Chattanooga. Recently we went to a gig by US folk artist Diana Jones. She sings songs of Appalachia. Mine disasters, murders – cheerful stuff. She’s very good…
Continuing my present habit of visiting troubled parts of the world, last week I found myself in Jerusalem. The city’s history stretches into the distant past – but it seems always to have been embroiled in conflict… According to the history books (well – Wikipedia) it has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked…
This week, I spent a lovely evening at the Louvre in Paris. Spring in Paris is tourist season. (Let’s face it, every season in Paris is tourist season) Despite this, the midweek late evening opening was not as crowded as other times. And yes – this is another one of those blogs with many…
I never thought I would go to Iraq. The Middle East has always fascinated me – its history and its culture. I remember learning about the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers – the cradle of civilization – when I was at school. I’ve been to other parts of this region before, but the troubled and tragic…
I had a rare treat last week – while back in the UK for a few days, I was taken on a walk through the pages of a book My friend Jean Fullerton writes fabulous books – set in the East End of London. I had read three of them – and the fourth was…
A trip to Caribbean – that can only mean one thing – Captain Jack Sparrow. With this in mind – and clutching my camera, I set out from my hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico in search of pirates. And if you’re looking for pirate – where else but in a fortress. It’s really…
The New York Subway is a place of endless fascination… its dark and noisy and hot (or freezing cold). In a single journey, I can hear half a dozen languages spoken, converse with a man in a gorilla suit, listen to a remarkably good (or bad) busker and be tempted to buy anything from…
There was one day left of the Janet and John Holiday Experience… After a couple of days of missiles and explosions, star gazing and sunset walks, it was time to end the trip with something completely different. After missing the Aliens at the VLA, and the ocean at white sands – there was another…