Chasing Lenin – The Belarus Edition

Continuing on from my previous posts, Jessie The Wandering Kiwi and I continued to chase monuments to Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov aka Lenin (1870 – 1924) and other Soviet leader in Eastern Europe, along with those dedicated to the glory of the former Soviet Union. This time in Belarus. The massive Lenin statue in front of the…

Chasing Lenin – The Moldova Edition

Continuing on from my previous post, my friend Jessie (The Wandering Kiwi) and I were recently travelling together  in the Wild Wild East of Europe (Ukraine, Moldova, Transnistria, Belarus and Poland) and we decided we wanted to track down statues, monuments and the like dedicated to the glory of the former Soviet Union and in…

Snapshots of Europe: Predjama Castle, Slovenia

Predjama Castle sits majestically in the middle of a 123 metre high cliff,  deep in the south-western country side of Slovenia. In the valley below, the River Lokva disappears beneath the castle and deep underground. A winding country road makes its way through the hills to the small village of Predjama and the castle which in one…

Snapshots of Europe: Lake Bled, Slovenia

Lake Bled in the Julian Alps of northwestern Slovenia is a stunning place. I waited a day to travel from Ljubljana to Bled to avoid a rainy day and my decision totally paid off! Walk the shores of the lake, take a boat out to Bled Island to see the Assumption  of Mary church or…

Snapshots of Europe: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana, the dragon city (the symbol of the city and on the city coat of arms, symbolising strength, courage and might), is the capital of Slovenia and a charming place with a long history dating back to the Roman military and beyond (the first settlers were there around 2000 BC but true urban settlement did not begin…

Snapshots of Europe: Bratislava Castle, Slovakia

From its hilltop perch, Bratislava Castle dominates the city skyline of Bratislava (it is a national museum with various exhibits). Construction of the various forms of the castle was conducted between the 9th century and 18th century (first it was part of the Kingdom of Moravia, then Hungary, then Czechoslovakia and today Slovakia). An accidental fire begun by soldiers…

Snapshots of Europe: Heidelberg, Germany

Heidelberg (founded 1196) in south-west Germany on the Neckar River, with its wonderful old town, the castle on the hill, the Old Bridge and the surrounding foothills of the Odenwald Forest make for great views and a fine walking destination. Heidelberg is the first in a series of city and travel snapshots of my 2015 journey through central and…

All That is Solid Melts Into Air

Following on from seeing a bunch of heavy metal gigs in Toronto, Canada I have some exciting music related news to tell. A few months ago I was asked by the Southbank Centre in London, UK  if I would be willing to include one of the photos I had taken at the 2012 Download Festival in Donnington, UK in their upcoming Jeremy Deller Curates: All That is Solid…

Download Festival 2012 – The Sunday (BLACK SABBATH!!!)

After a long but excellent Saturday at the 10th anniversary Download Festival in Donington, UK which featured Metallica,  I set off for the Sunday session. This for me was the one I had really been waiting for as Black Sabbath were headlining that night (I have only been waiting to see them play since I first heard Sabbath as a teenager!). Sabbath…

Download Festival 2012 – The Saturday (Metallica & Co)

In June 2012 I attended the 10th anniversary Download Festival in Donington, UK (at the foot of Donington Castle and right near the Donington Raceway). This is the ultimate Heavy Metal and Hard Rock festival in the UK! It runs for 3 days and headlining acts included Metallica and Black Sabbath. Even with all those people it never felt too crowded…

London Town

London was all bright and shiny, what with the Queens Jubilee (60 years on the throne) and the Olympic Games happening. Here are a few snapshots from my visit there prior to the games in early June 2012. There is always a buzz of activity around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. Many of London’s famous…

Nottingham and the legend of Robin Hood

On my recent trip to the UK (June 2012) I stayed in Nottingham a city in the East Midlands area of the country. Nottingham is a place that will forever be linked to the legend of Robin Hood and the nearby Sherwood Forest. This was not the reason I was there, that was to go to the Download…