Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, has a certain frontier town feeling to it despite formally being a cathedral city. The harsh surroundings and the small-scale building stock contribute to this feeling, as does the smallness of the place (about 2000 inhabitants). The harbour has the wreck of ‘Lady Elizabeth’ to remind everybody ofContinue reading “Stanley, Falkland Islands”
Author Archives: vvanhanen
Carcass Island, Falkland Islands
The Falklands consist of 778 islands (see below), of which one is Carcass Island in the Northwestern corner. As usual it is windy and desolate, but there are people living here. Not many, but a child was happy in a swing while tourists filed past on their way to see more penguins. The path toContinue reading “Carcass Island, Falkland Islands”
New Island, Falkland Islands
The nature reserve at New Island South has plenty of the native birds of the Falklands – and the word ’windy’ does not even begin to describe the gales blowing from the sea (below). The rockhopper penguins (below left) seem positively to revel in the wind, as theirt colonies are mostly on the windier partContinue reading “New Island, Falkland Islands”
West Point Island, Falkland Islands
At the Northwestern part of the Falklands there is a small windswept island that houses a few humans (one farm) and plenty of birds. There are few trees, although the original vegetatlion (tussac grass, below) is slowly being reintroduced). The birds do not pay much attention to visitors and go about their business, whether courtshipContinue reading “West Point Island, Falkland Islands”
Cinque Terre – The Fabulous Five
The five towns on the Riviera di Levante that together form the Cinque Terre take full advantage of the rocky coastline, designated as a national park. There is a hiking trail connecting them, as well as frequent boats and trains. Each of these provides a different view to the small towns, although the rocky coastContinue reading “Cinque Terre – The Fabulous Five”
For Genoa and St. George
The reputation of Genoa rests on its past as a powerful maritime republic and Venice’s competitor for sea power in the Mediterranean. However, these days it is more of a modern port than Venice’s competitor for the tourist business. Unfortunately the city carries visible scars from 1960s urban planning (above), although many of its gloriousContinue reading “For Genoa and St. George”
Passau – fit for a bishop or two
The Bavarian town of Passau sits at the point where rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz conflux. It is a cathedral city, and used to be the seat of the largest diocese in the Holy Roman Empire. It was established by an Anglo-Saxon monk, St. Boniface, in 739. The complexities of the setup of the HolyContinue reading “Passau – fit for a bishop or two”
A temple of knowledge
Books burn – easily. Also those in the Library of Congress that was established in 1800. First the Brits burned it down with the rest of the Capitol in 1814. It befell to Thomas Jefferson, who owned the largest personal. collection of books in the US, to sell his 6500 books to the nation toContinue reading “A temple of knowledge”
A new train shed in NYC
The destruction of the old Penn Station in New York in 1963 was pure vandalism – this 1910 structure was modelled after the baths of Diocletian, and provided a suitable combination of steel construction and Roman-inspired grandeur for the golden age of train travel. The rabbit warren of the modern Penn Station that followed wasContinue reading “A new train shed in NYC”
Ribe: Medieval magic
Ribe is the oldest town – and had the first church – in Scandinavia. It was founded early in the 8th century and became quickly a thriving port. The current cathedral (below) was completed in 1250 after more than hundred years of works, although it sits in the place of an earlier church from the middleContinue reading “Ribe: Medieval magic”
Rails, wines, worlds 