On a recent visit to Belgium, I was both challenged and surprised with what I experienced; a restored heritage village whose retail offer was just a bread vending machine, enjoyed gourmet food, drank Leffe abbey beer, visited a castle haunted by a KKK look-alike ghost, had breakfast with pensioners visiting the many scenes from the famous … Continue reading The great Brexit debate
Forget the Taj Mahal, Tutankhamen's Tomb or even Tower Bridge: all grand in their own right, statements of wealth, status, conquest and achievement of the privileged elite and their contribution to society. Head instead to a place that is the ultimate leveller, a place where death insists the great and good spend eternity lying cheek by jowl with the infamous, … Continue reading When a man is tired of London, he should head to Highgate Cemetery
It’s not very often the men in suits upstage a Roman antiquity. I was invited to the special opening of “Predators and Prey: A Roman mosaic from Lod, Isreal” at the splendid Rothschild mansion of Waddesdon Manor in leafy Buckinghamshire, a short train journey north west of London. The reason we were there was kept under … Continue reading A rallying cry from London’s Mayor: Let’s put the grout back into Britain!
England is full of quaint customs - some funny and others frankly bizarre. Some with origins lost or simply re-invigorated to suit modern tastes and bank holidays. Swan Upping is neither. Firmly routed in the 12th century, it is both necessary for conservation of mute swans and acts as a gentle reminder of just who … Continue reading Mind the Swan Uppers on your way up the river!
I have long wanted to return to Hogarth’s House and the lovely spring weather drew me westwards, along the river path from Hammersmith towards the pretty village of Chiswick, a mere six miles from Charing Cross.London in the springtime; coats left at home, pink cherry blossom, LBJ’s (little brown job’s) busy in the warm sunshine, … Continue reading Marooned beside London’s ugliest roundabout, sits a handsome 18th century house
I sometimes wonder if visitors who are in east London think they are there by accident, or have been mistakenly sent there by their friends or hotel concierge who are playing some sort of cruel joke. I tend to find myself on a busmans holiday whenever I set off on a day trip and this … Continue reading It’s all about location location location.
The UK is fortunate to have some of the best museums in the world, stuffed full of treasures and cultural gems that are a veritable feast for visitors. It’s been more than 11 years since the government’s decision to stop charging for admission to England’s national museums. Figures released by the Department for Culture, Media … Continue reading There is no such thing as a free lunch, in a free museum
Is Twitter full of wasted opportunities and big ego’s? I have my ups and downs with Twitter, but what gives me great pleasure, is connecting with like-minded tourism professionals from other parts of the globe, most of whom I would otherwise never have ‘met’. We interact, share good and bad news and stories about the … Continue reading Tweeting #Travel and #Tourism
Mary Tebje 