Katara Cultural Village was constructed on reclaimed land along Doha's coastline as a centre for culture and the arts. It takes its name from the original one for this region, Catara, the first record of which appears in Ptolemy’s Geography, written c. 150 A.D.
-
-
Opinion is very much divided on the topic of street art and graffiti. Some dislike it all, regardless of the skill (or lack of it) of the artist. They feel it disfigures a cityscape, rather than enhances it. Others love it for its rebellious nature, again regardless of the skill (or lack of it) of the artist.
-
When you only have one day to explore a city, being ‘small enough to be easily understood’ is a real plus point. And one day was all we had, on this occasion at least. But we really took to Helsinki, so maybe in the future we’ll come back for a more in-depth look.
-
Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever seen one? Maybe not, but there is one sort of ‘ghost’ we can all see: the ghost sign. I’m not a dedicated ghost sign hunter, but I do like to spot them and always take a photo when I do.
-
The Nevada ghost town of Rhyolite was once very grand, but was very short-lived. The mine got into financial difficulties in 1910, five years after opening, and closed the following year. With no work in the area the population of Rhyolite declined rapidly, to below 1,000 immediately after the mine’s closure and close to zero by 1920.
-
There are times on every road trip when you have to focus on exactly that, the road. Days when it is more important to cover the miles and get from A to B, stretches when major sights are few and far between. But even on these days it’s good to stop from time to time and take a breather.
-
However much you plan a trip there will be some moments and places you didn’t expect. Places that weren’t on your itinerary but catch your eye, or simply provide a convenient pitstop. Places that delight you all the more because you expected little of them. Such serendipity is one of the joys of travelling. On our recent California trip, Eureka was such a place.
-
Growing up in 1960s London suburbia my imagination was fired by all I saw and heard about hippies. Their lifestyle, their messages of peace, their long flowing skirts and yes, flowers in their hair. So much more appealing than my bottle green school uniform with its regulation skirts just above the knee!
-
When we stayed in Ferndale in northern California in late September the town was already going mad for Halloween. As we walked along the one main street decorators were out adorning shop fronts with orange bunting, placing numerous skeletons on all the buildings, and chatting to business owners about their own additions to the town’s displays. Of course it was all in fun, not to scare!
-
On the first day of our most recent visit to Paris we got wet – very wet! But we had a lot of fun too and found some places to explore out of the rain that made the day memorable. After all, what is a bit of water if you’re in your favourite city?
