Following on from my previous posting about Tunisia, this post focuses exclusively on the country’s fabulous mosaics. I do not usually do single issue posts, but the mosaics were so impressive it seemed a pity to only show a couple of pictures of them. Mosaics are images made from putting together small roughly square pieces […]
The North African country of Tunisia is a place I had wanted to visit for some time. Earlier this year, I finally got myself organised, booked a hotel and hopped on a plane. I was not disappointed with the experience. Tunisia lies at the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains. Although the Sahara desert reaches […]
Djibouti is one of Africa’s smallest countries. Located in the Horn of Africa between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somaliland, it has just 850,000 inhabitants. It used to be a French colony, but in 1977 became independent. Alongside Arabic, French is still an official language and there’s a clear French influence in the country’s cuisine. Djibouti’s strategic […]
2016 was a year full of surprises for many people. Looking back on it, few people – myself included – were sad to see the year end. But then I began going through my photographs of 2016. I realised that, beyond the year’s horrible headlines, I can look back on some great moments and trips to fascinating […]
Isfahan is a highlight of any visit to Iran. A city of boulevards and bridges, palaces and parks, mosques and minarets, it retains much of its past glory and is famous for its Persian–Islamic architecture. With a strategic position on the main north–south and east–west routes crossing Iran, the city was once ranked alongside Baghdad […]
Shiraz, in the south of Iran, is known as the city of roses and nightingales. It’s also renowned for its poets, literature and wine. Indeed, it’s from Shiraz that the eponymous grape, so beloved of wine drinkers, comes – although under the country’s strict alcohol laws you’d struggle to find any wine on sale here. […]
In my first post about Iran I said that there was much more to the country than tiled domes and minarets, and classical Persian architecture in ancient cities surrounded by desert. This remains true, but the domes, minarets and classical architecture do, of course, exist. Yazd, Esfahan and Shiraz are three places which feature on […]
The Palace of Versailles is one of France’s top tourist attractions. In recent years, internationally renowned artists have been invited to display their works in the palace and its grounds. In 2016 it was the turn of Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, known for his unusual pieces. Having not been to Versailles for some time, this […]
