The history of our streets - Camberwell
Me and My Leica: Manchester - by Roy Katzenberg
Transported Back to the Regency - the Astonishing Sir John Soane's Museum
My favourite piece in the Library, without a doubt, has to be the Astronomical Clock. Deigned by Raingo in Paris, it has been French polished to a marble finish It’s a highly complex mechanism. showing an intricate model of the solar system...the rotation of the earth on its axis and the phases of the moon...
Notting Hill - in pictures - August 2017
Elegant and Exclusive - a wander in Notting Hill
Balenciaga - the Master of Couture
Over time, Balenciaga's designs became more linear and sleek - look at Ava Gardner and Jackie Kennedy in his creations, if you want proof of it. The ground floor of the exhibition (which, by the way, is beautifully curated) is dedicated to his clothes and accessories and if you're a fashion guru you're going to be in seventh heaven...
The Elegance of Fitzrovia
Just north of Soho, and not far from Bloomsbury or Marylebone, it has wonderful squares, great pubs and a rich literary past (but more of that later). From the 1930's onwards, the area between Gower Street (today home of the University of London) and Great Portland Street became known as Fitzrovia, but its history goes back as far as the 1750's, when Lord Charles Fitzroy began developing the land...
Maybe it's Because I'm a Londoner...(that I love London Town)
Me and My Leica: London - by Roy Katzenberg
Murder Most Foul - Shady Dealings in the Guatemalan Jungle
We took trips out to local caves, led by Mike, who knew the area like the back of his hand. Communal meals were served every night, and there was no typical guest either. From young backpackers to middle-aged couples and retirees with a sense of adventure, you never knew who you'd end up sitting next to. The only thing you were assured of was engaging company...
The Ten Commandments of Air Travel
"Gone Burning." A Software Engineer in the Desert...
Trance, Art and Self-Expression in the Negev - 'Midburn' turns Four
With giant art installations, trance music that rocks the desert stillness for days on end, or 'hugging areas,' creativity is the name of the game. Enormous emphasis is also placed on teamwork and community spirit - whether you're camping 'freestyle' or part of a an organised camp, you're expected to contribute, voluntarily...
Travelling the World - One Couch at a Time...!
Established as a non-profit, the idea was to connect people around the globe - between those who had a couch to spare (and were happy to host) and those who were looking for one. And this wasn’t just about affordable travel either - it was also a way of getting immersed in local culture. Today, it’s beloved by millions, myself included.
"A Field Guide to Getting Lost" - Rebecca Solnit
Received wisdom, of course, points to getting lost as something negative - which Solnit disagrees with entirely...“The question, then, is how to get lost. Never to get lost is not to live, not to know how to get lost brings you to destruction and somewhere in the terra incognito in between lies a life of discovery.”
A Wander Round the Town - Ramallah Part III
I figure it's time to make a pilgrimage up to the Mukata’a -a two-block compound with a white tower that is seen easily from all over the city. In it are certain government offices but the big draw, of course, is Arafat's mausoleum, which is next door to the building where he was held under siege by the Israeli Army in 2002. It's a quiet, yet grand area, complete with marble flooring. A long courtyard leads you into his tombstone where (as long as you aren't obnoxious or disrespectful) photographs are allowed...
Across the Checkpoint - Ramallah Part II
Amazingly, at the checkpoint itself, there are no guards from either side of the divide. It really is an 'empty' order. I walk through a dusty, dilapidated area (that, for some reason, reminds me of an abandoned cow shed on my friend’s kibbutz). No-one asks for my passport, where I’m heading and whether it’s business or pleasure. All I see is a sign, stating that Israeli citizens should beware, as they are now entering Area A which, technically, is illegal...
"Off the Map" - Do Good Fences Make for Good Neighbours? Ramallah Part I
Why the wariness, I asked myself, the tacit assumption that crossing this fence was tantamount to taking my life in my hands? Would they have responded the same way, had I told them I intended to spend a weekend in Benin, Brazil or Bhutan? What was it about my impending trip just an hour up the road that filled them with secret, and irrational, dread...?
