Strangely enough I came across this song, just a couple of days after returning from Madrid, where on my list was a visit to the Museo Nactional Art Reina Sofia. The museum is housed in a former hospital and provides a great space for view modern and contemporary art. It is most famous for the …
Category Archives: Specialist
History in Food I
Esterházy (Torta) Cake is a reminder of the fact that modern day Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of the First World War. It was named after Prince Paul III Anton Esterházy who was an Austrian Diplomat who served at the Austrian Ambassador in London from 1815 to 1842. In Hungary …
Cyprus is my island
“Cyprus is my island. When the going’s rough I would love to find you Somewhere in a place like that… ” David Bowie once again provides our musical inspiration for our travel destination this week. The lyrics above come from the track “Move On”. Bowie’s first wife Angie was actually born on the island and …
Oh Vienna
Voted the most popular song to peak at Number 2 in the charts. Vienna by Ultravox takes us of to the historic city of the same name. Written by Midge Ure about a brief love affair in this is often forgotten romantic city. Initially drawn to Vienna by the “Best Ever British Film” The Third …
Love in Hong Kong
No lyrics to this musical track by Bei Bei and Shawn Lee but the haunting sound of the beautiful 21 stringed guzheng draws you to the east. The video was filmed in London where American Guitarist Shawn Lee now lives, in Los Angeles where we can see Bei Bei playing the guzheng and finally in …
Budapest
“My house in Budapest My, my hidden treasure chest”. Many of us are familiar with the opening lyrics of the George Ezra song “Budapest”. Ironically he had not been to Budapest when he wrote the song, he got drunk and missed his train. However once you start to travel, you should not miss out on …
On a Little Street in Singapore
Written 100 years ago, many of us will know this song from Glenn Miller, Bob Dylan or Manhattan Transfer. Today, it’s the attraction of those “Little Streets” that draw us to this Island State. Those “Little Streets” are the result of Singapore’s multi-cultural, colonial and wartime past and make it a destination in its own …
So sick and tired of the pouring rain I took a train to Morocco just to kill the pain
Sang the American band Moon Taxi in their song entitled Morocco. Maybe they were catching the Marrakech Express 45 years after Crosby, Stills and Nash did the same. Despite the time lag between the two songs, Morocco is still a draw for tourists today. If you fancy getting away from the wet weather of the …
Walk like an Egyptian.
With summer temperatures well up into the high 30s / low 40s you might not want to do much walking in Egypt, however you will want to dive in the Red Sea. With flights now resumed to Sharm El-Sheikh, all of the Red Sea resorts including Hurghada, Marsa Alam, El Gouna and Taba are bookable …
Beware of Dennis the Menace.
So sang Rosemary Clooney in 1953. Over 50 years later and after being battered by Ciara, this weekend it was our turn to “Beware of Dennis”. The name Dennis itself derives from Greek and means follower of Dionysios. So this time out we head off to Greece for a holiday of a lifetime. The birthplace …