For the 12 million immigrants who entered America through New York between 1892 and 1924, the Statue of Liberty provided the sign that they had arrived at the land of their dreams. To them the uplifted torch at the top of the structure on an island off Lower […]
There is something immensely pleasurable about people watching in bustling city centre railway stations. Office workers rush to catch their commuter service home, friends meet on the concourse and tourists catch a train to explore another part of town. Many have cars on their driveways and planes can […]
Chelsea Market is a food-lovers paradise, with over 35 outlets ready to entice New Yorkers and visitors through its doors by serving everything from upmarket doughnuts and Cambodian sandwiches to oysters and Japanese-inspired Mexican dishes. I visited in the morning for an excellent breakfast sandwich of bacon, egg […]
Guest post by Oliver Clark History hangs heavy over Poland, a country that has suffered more than most from war, conquest and subjugation before finally re-emerging free once again in the 20th century. But Malbork castle, just outside Gdansk, bore witness to one of the brighter moments in […]
Take plenty of pictures if you visit Gdansk Shipyard anytime soon: change is in the air. Exploring this once-bustling industrial district on Poland’s Baltic coast, there were a few large vessels lying in dock and cranes towered on the horizon when we visited. But given that most of […]
To understand the history of Cordoba in a nutshell it is only necessary to visit one building. The Mezquita is the oldest Islamic structure in Spain and one of the greatest ever built for the religion the world over. Intriguingly now housing its Christian cathedral, nestled inside this […]
For the last three weeks, I’ve posted a series of blogs focusing on the lasting legacy of some of Cambodia’s sometime extremely dark history, namely the Khmer Rouge, as well as more ancient times during the Khmer Empire. The country continues to face problems and progress is blighted […]
Sunrise at Angkor Wat is a spectacular sight that’s worth getting up for. As the rose over the largest religious building in the world, monks could be heard chanting in the distance. Sitting on some steps at the edge of a lily pond, with the towers of the […]
For what was once a city of ghosts, Phnom Penh has undergone a rapid transformation in recent years and is today a bustling metropolis. Tuk tuks can whisk visitors through the busy traffic to restaurants serving cuisine from pretty much any country in the world. Happy hour rings […]
Museums around the world are always on the look out for new ways of bringing history alive, but nothing could prepare me for what I was to experience at the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal crimes in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. No fewer than three survivors of this former […]
Past In The Present 