The Palace of Versailles is one of the most magnificent buildings in the world… but its most famous room has a bloody secret…
Along the banks of the Seine
Paris is a large city and it can be hard to know where to start. But a five kilometre stretch of the River Seine has almost all of the tourist gems.
Bordeaux: The City of Water
One of the most beautiful cities of France, Bordeaux, is normally known for its wine. But visit and you’ll see it has a special link to water as well.
London Olympics: Sneak peek!
London’s Olympic Stadium London’s Olympics Games are just around the corner and in the host city there’s a buzz developing that even the British composure can’t mask. As the 2012 signs and flags begin to appear in the streets, the last of the construction and makeovers are being hurriedly finished. At the Olympic Stratford site […]
Sign of the time
Changing the name For as long as any of us can remember, it’s been called Big Ben. The clock, faithfully telling the time for more than a century, high above the UK’s houses of parliament, has become one of the most iconic images of London and England more general (up there with the Spice Girls, […]
Pomp and circumstance
It was meant to be a big jubilee celebration for the Queen and her subjects. So how did so many of them get treated so badly in the chaos?
The rejuvenation of the crown
Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee It wasn’t so long ago, I recall, that the Royal Family was a bit of a joke. An entire generation of them seemed unable to keep their private lives out of the tabloids with their adulterous, gaffe-prone, toe-sucking scandals. And the response to it all from the top left the […]
Protecting the world a seed at a time
The Kew Gardens in London are much more than just a park. They’re at the centre of efforts to protect the world’s plant species.
Newcastle is changing
Above ground, the English city of Newcastle is changing. The symbols of industry have shifted from the practical to the nostalgic.