An online thesaurus has 493 synonyms for the word ‘penis’. You might be amazed by that. I am. (You can see them here … if you like.) I admit that I found that many of them were completely unknown to me. But I bet that Sigurður Hjartarson is familiar...
Are we seeing the future of art exhibitions here? The exhibition, which is in Toronto at the time of writing, has been seen by over 2 million people in Paris.I believe that the video below can explain more clearly about the exhibition – the world’s first...
I don’t know about you but I don’t think I’ll find myself in United Arab Emirates in the near future. But nevertheless, I’ve just spent the morning checking out the exhibits and the remarkable architecture at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Before I...
When I was a kid, my dad’s business was the motor trade. His businesses sold cars, repaired cars, sold petrol, sold oil … this was a long long time ago and it seemed that this relatively new business – based on the motor car – would be around...
Okay. Recently I wrote about the Shivering Sands Army Fort and described it as one of the spookiest places I’ve ever seen. Actually, it’s a toss-up – England’s Shivering Sands or Germany’s Ferropolis. You can get a glimpse of what the...
A modern castle – that’s what it was called when it was built. And remarkably, that was seventy years ago. It was seen as being astonishingly modern, nested as it was in the countryside of the somewhat traditional Northern France. It was created as the...
Clocks – marvellous things. Strangely, clocks and watches are still popular, despite the fact that we have digital readouts on our phones, laptops, car dashboards, cookers, microwaves and so on. True, clocks are more likely to be decor items these days and...
Now you might have heard the expression ‘as dim as a Toc H lamp’ or you could be familiar with a track called Pow R. Toc H.from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. So it may be that you’ve heard of Toc H but do you know what it means?...
Now, Jeremy Clarkson and I have very different views on one certain subject.His views have been widely aired on TV and in print and mine, sadly, haven’t. On this particular subject though, Jeremy and I – were we to meet in a cosy pub somewhere for a chat...
There are two museums in England dedicated to the work of sculptor Barbara Hepworth. This one, the one in St Ives in Cornwall, is where Barbara lived and worked until her death. She and her husband, artist Ben Nicholson, had moved to St Ives at the outbreak of war in...
I guess that the clue is in the name. A feature with a German name in Italy does make you wonder just what it is and (if you’re me) whether it’s a relic from the Second World War. Kleine Berlin is a network of tunnels and yes, the tunnels were built during...
Forget things that go bump in the night, this is one of the scariest things you’ll ever see.Now housed in the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in Oregon, the Spruce Goose is simply enormous. The WW2 enemy can thank its collective lucky stars that this...
It calls itself ‘Denmark’s Most Distinctive Museum’ and I’m certainly not going to argue with that. It’s been open since 1935 and was the brainchild and creation of Danish artist, Anders Bundgaard. Originally a limestone mine, the museum...
For many years, the Chamberi station – part of Madrid’s metro system – was left abandoned.It was part of the original underground when it was built in 1919. It was one of the eight stations that formed the original network and was designed by...
I wasn’t really sure that there were any of the old telephone boxes left in England but there are – about 8,000 of them apparently. Why, I’ve no idea. I don’t know about you but I honestly can’t remember the last time I use a public...
You might have heard of Woody Guthrie, especially if you’re from the USA or if you know about USA music in the 1950s and 60s. And if you were of a hippy-ish, anti-Vietnam war persuasion in the late sixties you might remember the song that made his son Arlo...
Human rights is an issue that has been sneaking into our society so gradually that we tend to think that the days of persecution and prejudice are a thing of the past. People in our society who stereotype or speak ill of an ethnic group are viewed with distaste and...
‘Magnificent, moving and utterly haunting’ is how one reviewer sums up this unusual museum. Yes, you can certainly call a visit to this museum ‘dark tourism’ but it gives the strange details of an event that is mostly unknown outside Italy. And...
San Servolo was once known, eerily, as ‘the island of the mad’. This is because for many years it was an asylum for the insane. Before that, it was a monastery and during that time, the monks were joined by nuns who were escaping from a dramatic seaquake....
It’s likely that every New Year’s Eve you and your friends sing Auld Lang Syne. You might know that it was written by Scottish poet Robert Burns. And as his active years were in the 1700s, that shows just how old the song has been around. And it all...
Anne Lister was born in 1791 in Yorkshire. That’s many years before homosexuality became legal in Britain and at that time, the word ‘lesbian’ didn’t exist but nevertheless, Anne grew up to be a pioneer in the world of being true to her own...
I was just a kid but I remember the time when a whole new era started. It was a medical breakthrough that happened on the other side of the world but it was exciting news.It was 1967 and in South Africa, a team of surgeons had just completed the first successful human...
If perchance you were a child in the twentieth century – as I was – or if you are a devotee of classic comics, then the name of Hergé will be familiar to you. That’s because it was dramatically announced at the beginning of each television episode of...
It’s one of those things I’d never really thought about. Of course, we’ve all heard of gunpowder and explosives but it had never occurred to me to wonder where these products actually came from. Where were they made? Visit the Waltham Abbey Royal...
I’ve rarely seen street art that I haven’t appreciated. And that appreciation is doubled – no, much more – when the venue is the Berlin Wall. When the wall came down in 1989, artists from all over the world commemorated this with the creation...
I’m bonkers about cats, I admit it. My lovely boy, Stan, is possibly the best cat ever in my particular world. So I’m not in the least surprised that in Amsterdam there’s a museum devoted entirely to fantastic felines. How did this come about? Well,...
At first glance, Bletchley Park looks simply to be a rather ornate English country house. It’s only about 50 miles from London – to the north – and was built in the late nineteenth century. It has elaborate features, as you can see in the photographs...
Are you in love with signage the way I am? I know that some people might think that having a passion for signs might indicate a person who is a bit, well, odd – but the Neon Museum in Vegas is my idea of paradise. Well, one of my ideas of paradise… Las...
It looks like an ugly lump of concrete and … well, it is. It is also a protected historic monument. Really. The fact that it dates from 1941 gives us a clue as to why it’s a historically important structure. And its name? Schwerbelastungskörper means...
It’s certainly not the best looking house I’ve ever seen but it is supposed to be decidedly spooky. And with its history, it’s hardly surprising. The architecture is interesting, to say the least, but this house – which is now a museum –...
I know, it’s a real cliché to say ‘step back in time’ but nevertheless when you visit Den Gamle By in Denmark that’s what you’re doing. Den Gamle By is the old town of Aarhus and has been preserved as an outdoor museum. The photographs...
I suspect that you and I could start a conversation about the purpose of art, and what is art for, and what is the importance of art … and I think we’d still be talking about it in a week’s time. There’s a lot of ground to cover there....
You can’t stay at La Concha Motel in Vegas anymore, but you can visit to see the astonishing lobby building. (As seen in the photograph above). The lobby building, which was initially erected in 1961, has been restored and is used as the visitors’ centre...
If you’re American, you might not be as gobsmacked by this as I am. To me, it comes into one of those only-in-America categories. But the Wienermobile – for that is what the vehicle you see illustrated is – really is a thing. I admit that I had to go...
In this context, ‘popular’ refers to folk art – art and creative activities that are traditional to the people of Mexico. The museum opened in 2006 and it’s located in an old firehouse that was designed in the 1920s by architect Vicente...
Vasa was (is) a Swedish wooden warship that sank on its maiden voyage. This happened in the full view of onlookers. It was an extremely beautiful ship although not as much care was taken with its seaworthiness as its extravagant exterior. However, shipbuilding...
The man who is credited as its inventor, Buckminster Fuller, doesn’t describe the Dymaxion as a mere car. This is because it was intended to evolve further into a flying vehicle. Unfortunately the technology to create this was not available in the 1930s when the...
It’s very likely that you’ve heard about Colditz Castle. Even though it became famous (or rather, infamous) eighty or more years ago the very name can still give us a shiver. That’s not because it’s been the setting for a spooky film or because...
St Fagans National Museum of History in Wales has many outside exhibits that are either original historical buildings or, in the case of the Iron Age roundhouses, replicas of ancient structures. So it might surprise you to know that one of the most fascinating...
For people of my generation anyway, if we were asked the question ‘what subject did you really dislike at school’ then many of us would have the same answer. Mathematics! I don’t really know why that is but I have an idea. Could it be that it was...
Built in 1934, this modernist building housing small but efficient (and wonderfully designed) apartments became popular with its inhabitants – and those inhabitants included artists, designers, writers, architects … and even spies. Today the building is...
Well, here we have two very different musicians. One, in recent memory, lived in the twentieth century. The other in the eighteenth. But surprisingly, only a wall separated their living quarters. George Handel lived at 25 Brook Street in Mayfair. Two hundred years...
In 1799, English poet William Wordsworth, moved into Dove Cottage – a former inn – near Ambleside in what is now the stunning Lake District National Park. The area is justifiably famous for its hills, mountains, waterfalls and lakes. A couple of years...
United Record Pressing opened up for business in Nashville in 1949. The business was a success – creating the new and popular vinyl records. It was a specialist business indeed. As the business expanded into the fifties and early sixties, it was Motown music...
It was June 10th, 1944 – at the height of World War Two. The village of Oradour-sur-Glane in Nazi-occupied France was destroyed by the Germans. The inhabitants, over 600 men, women and children, were massacred. In the entire village, there were only six...
Imagine. You’re going to stay at a private island in sunny California. It has amazing wildlife and a fascinating history. What’s more, it’s not going to cost you a penny – your stay will be absolutely free of charge and even all your meals will...
Way back in 1990, Flo Hayler started collecting Ramones memorabilia. He collected tickets and t-shirts, posters and pants. These were to form the basis of the Ramones Museum in Berlin. Yes, you’re right of course, the Ramones are mostly associated with their...
Even though French iconic singer Edith Piaf died as long ago as 1963, most people would recognise her voice today. Even those who aren’t old enough to remember her will probably know this: And there is a private museum dedicated to her in Paris. It can be...
There is a state in Western Australia called Dardanup and within that area is Ferguson Valley. There’s not much there, really. A timber mill was there back in Victorian times but it closed in 1929. In 1950 the town there was mostly destroyed by fire. Yet...
So you happen to be in Iceland, in Reykjavik. And you see that there’s a museum ahead – it’s the Icelandic Phallological Museum. Do you go in? Actually, I suspect that the real question here is who thought about having a willy collection in the first...
A recent study showed that the majority of travellers visit at least one attraction during their vacation. That’s no surprise. But what is surprising is what type of attraction is most favoured by American tourists. Another interesting feature of the study is...
An astonishing place, the National Memorial Arboretum in the UK exists especially as the nation’s tribute to the men and women who have been killed, injured or afflicted by war and in the service of their country. It was conceived in 1988 and designed to be a...
There are over 60,000 stolpersteine in various places throughout the world. If you’ve been to Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy … most of Europe … then the chances are that you’ve seen at least one. If your trip is in the future, watch out...
Definitely falling into the category of dark tourism, Peenemünde is decidedly spooky. It is located on the island of Usedom in the Baltic and since the nineteenth century was a vacation venue for Prussian royalty and German nobility. But, in common with several other...
Love locks have a history that goes back to the First World War but the craze really started to take off in or around 2000. What is a love lock? A couple will purchase a padlock – normally of the common or garden variety – they scratch their initials on...
Prince Rainier of Monaco, who lived until 2004, was a well-known monarch. He is probably best known, in the United States in particular, for marrying American actress, Grace Kelly, in 1956. What is less known is that he was an avid collector of the finest automobiles...
Even if you don’t remember the punk movement of the seventies and eighties, if you’re visiting Reykjavík then this might be the perfect novelty museum for you to visit. And appropriately (some would say) the museum is located in a disused underground...
If you’re visiting Florence, then the chances are that the Piazza della Signoria will be on your to-do list. This ancient piazza abounds with the most fabulous architecture, sculpture and history. Every day the piazza is bustling with travellers and locals who...
Stuttgart, in the Baden-Württemberg area of Germany, is an ancient city with so much to see and do for travellers. But if you’re keen on cars or if you’re a motorsport fan there are even more reasons to visit this fascinating place as Stuttgart is often...
This strange but totally fascinating place is a must when you’re visiting Oxford in England. There are so many things to see and do in the area and the Pitt Rivers Museum – which is hidden away – should definitely be on your list. The exhibits are...
If you understand basic French then don’t worry, I’m not suggesting that you visit a swimming pool. Well, not quite. La Piscine (meaning the swimming pool) used to be just that, having been built in the northern French city of Roubaix for the benefit of...
If you are vacationing in Scotland and are thinking of visiting Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh (and what tourist doesn’t?) you may wish to include in your itinerary a visit to some of Edinburgh’s museums. The city has some wonderful museums but if you are of a...
