Tag Archives: Landmark

Trakai – Historic Town Built on Water

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Trakai - Historic Town Built on Water

Today was going to be my third and final full day in Lithuania, and it looked as though the good weather was going to desert me. I had it in mind to go to Trakai, which is without doubt, one of Lithuania’s most popular tourist destinations, but I had my doubts as to how successful the day would be, especially as the holiday season was now in full swing.

I’m not one of those people who avoid such places (after all, they’re popular for a reason), but I’ll always try to time my visit accordingly. Today though, even if I could justify the effort in getting from Kaunas to Trakai, I was only ever going to be able to be there when it suited the public transport system, and not when it suited me.

After giving it some thought, I knew I would never have another chance to see the place that is so revered by the Lithuanian people, and so I decided to bite the bullet and catch the early fast train to Vilnius again – the same one as I took yesterday.

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Originally posted 2019-09-23 14:24:54.

The Siegessaule

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The Siegesaulle

In the middle of The Tiergarten at Grosser Stern, stands the Siegessaule, or Victory Column, and if you’ve got €3 – and the energy – it’s possible to climb the 285 steps to the viewing gallery that sits just under Victoria, the Roman goddess of Victory.

The monument was designed by Johann Heinrich Strack, and the 8.3m golden statue on top of the column was added by Friedrich Drake and represents both the Goddess of Victory and Borussia, the Latin name for Prussia. Her face is supposedly based on Drake’s daughter and known as the Goldelse (Golden Else), or roughly translated as ‘Golden Lizzie’.

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Originally posted 2018-07-31 09:30:50.

The Fernsehturm

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The Fernsehturm

At 368m, Berlin’s TV Tower is the tallest structure in Germany, so there’s no excuse for not seeing it. There’s an enclosed viewing platform at 203 m, and fortunately you don’t have to climb up the 986 steps because one of the two lifts will whisk you up there in just 40 seconds. It’s a good job the lifts are quick because they’re not very big and waiting times can be considerable.

Almost 1.2m visitors a year pay to come for a panoramic view of Berlin and if you don’t mind paying an extra premium you can have a fast track entry. Better still if you can get here for the 09.00 opening you won’t need to pay the extra and you won’t have to wait long either.

The prime reason for building the TV Tower wasn’t to give tourists a grandstand view of Berlin of course, but to provide radio and television transmissions, and also no doubt, to make a political statement that the GDR was capable of building structures every bit as impressive as those across the wall could – and in this instance, in my opinion, they were right.

Construction on the tower started in 1965 and took four years to build with the first broadcasts beginning on 3rd October 1969. There are some old film clips of its construction dotted around the tower which are well worth looking at if you have an interest in this sort of thing.

Most people come up here purely for the views though, and I learnt a long time ago that these high viewpoints are rarely worth the effort, time, and cost, if the conditions aren’t favourable. The trouble is that I don’t always listen to my own advice and came up here regardless.

If on the other hand, you’re luckier with the weather than I was, and the observation deck windows have been cleaned, then you’ll no doubt have some extraordinary views of this extraordinary city.

For all the latest information take a look at the official website.

https://tv-turm.de/en/homepage/

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Originally posted 2018-05-03 16:49:01.

The Grote Markt

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The Grote Markt

If someone was to ask me what Belgium is famous for, I would have to include Moules et Frites, beer, and maybe chocolate, but I would also have to add town squares to the list. It may sound a bit odd to lump a town square with food and drink, but they go together like Laurel and Hardy or Starsky and Hutch. In fact, I can’t think of anything better than to sit in a Grand Square with a plate of Moules et Frites and a Belgian beer.

The Grand Place in Brussels is probably the best-known square, but Antwerp has a pretty good one too, but as we’re in Flanders we’d better call it the Grote Markt.

The square is triangular in shape, if that makes any sense, and is dominated by its wonderful 16thc City Hall. In front of it is the Brabo Fountain, a famous Antwerp symbol, which requires further explanation.

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Originally posted 2018-04-08 10:02:33.

The Forth Bridge and the Firth of Forth

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The Forth Bridge and the Firth of Forth

The Forth Bridge has to be one of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks, and is only around 10 miles from Edinburgh city centre.

Some people refer to it as the Forth Rail Bridge in order to distinguish it from the much later Forth Road Bridge, but it was never officially called that.

Both bridges, along with the new Queensferry Crossing, span the Firth of Forth between South Queensferry in West Lothian and North Queensferry in Fife, and just in case you’re wondering, the name Queensferry originates from the ferry that was established by Queen Margaret in the 11th century, and which continued operating right up until 1964.

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Originally posted 2018-12-09 10:41:14.

Edinburgh Castle Pt 2 – A General Tour

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Edinburgh Castle Pt 2 - A General Tour

On entering the castle you’ll be given a map which follows the easiest route up to the top, which is not only wheelchair and pushchair friendly, but also follows a numerical sequence.

Passing through the Castle Gates will bring you to the Argyle Battery where everyone stops for a view out across he city. It’s a natural thing to do, but there are even better views higher up, so it’s not essential to stop here if there are too many people milling around, and you can always stop here on the way back.

Next to it is the One ‘o clock gun and the Redcoat Café which is a convenient place to have a quick coffee and make some plans on what you want to try and see while you’re here, because as I said in my Introduction you may not have time to see everything.

The One ‘o clock gun is fired everyday at one ‘o clock except Sundays, Christmas Day and Good Friday. The spectacle is similar to what happens at Greenwich, but with a twist.

Over on Calton Hill, at the top of Nelson’s Monument, is a time-ball, which just like its London counterpart, was introduced to help ships (in the Firth of Forth) to calibrate the time with the sun in order to aid navigation. This, of course, was when timekeeping wasn’t as sophisticated as it is today. The ball was dropped at precisely 1 o’clock and as long as the weather was clear enough then everything was ok – but the weather in Edinburgh isn’t always clear enough – and so a gun was used to compliment the visual aid.

Apparently, due to the speed of sound, it takes 10 seconds for the signal to reach Leith, and the ships took this into account when setting their timepieces. You may want to do the same because for the gun to be heard out in the Firth of Forth it means that you may not want to stand right next to it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

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Originally posted 2018-04-23 17:38:47.

Edinburgh Castle Pt 1 – Afore ye go

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Edinburgh Castle Pt 1 - Afore ye go

Edinburgh Castle is the most visited paid for tourist destination in Scotland, and like any major attraction, some forward planning will help make your visit a more pleasant experience.

The official website gives all the latest practical information and advice (https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/), but I would particularly draw your attention to the fact that a timed ticketing system is now in operation, and to be sure of being able to visit at a time that suits you best it’s going to be worth considering booking online in advance – and it’s cheaper.

The admission prices may appear to be a bit steep but bear in mind that there are no extra charges once inside the castle and you can spend a fair amount of time here. We spent 4 hours wandering around and ran out of steam before we ran out of things to do, so I’ve decided to break my article on Edinburgh Castle up into different sections so that people can have an idea on what to expect.

Accessibility, even though it’s on a volcanic crag, is relatively easy around the grounds, although there is a slope up to the top. However, some of the indoor highlights are not suitable for wheelchairs and the website lists which ones they are.

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Originally posted 2018-04-22 17:29:27.

Lindisfarne Castle

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Lindisfarne Castle

Northumberland, being next to the Scottish border, is castle country. Apparently, it has more castles than any other English county – and I can quite believe it. One of these castles is perched on top of a mound of volcanic rock, known as Beblowe Crag (or Craig), here on Holy Island.

As the Vikings proved, Lindisfarne was vulnerable. The natural harbour provided protection for ships, but the island itself wasn’t safe from invaders: The Vikings may have gone, but there was still a threat from the Scots, and when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, including Lindisfarne Priory, an opportunity presented itself to put the priory’s remains to good use.

Initially, the Priory church was used as a naval storehouse, but as the need for reinforcing Beblowe Crag as a defensive fort became more important, then the stone from the Priory was used to build a new fortress.

However, the need for strong defences against the Scots became virtually unnecessary with the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of England, and consequently uniting the two kingdoms together:

Apart from the Royalist castle surviving a six-week siege during the Civil War and a short-lived Jacobite takeover in 1715, in truth, the castle didn’t really see that much action.

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Originally posted 2019-08-18 16:46:46.

Bamburgh – Historic Castle in a Wonderful Location

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Bamburgh - Historic Castle in a Wonderful Location

Bamburgh Castle can be seen for miles, and as you get closer to it you can see that it sits on top of an outcrop of igneous rock which forms part of the Great Whin Sill – a geological formation that for anyone who has been along Hadrian’s Wall will probably recognise.

The site was occupied by Ancient Britons even before the Romans arrived, and when the Romans left in the early 5th century the Celts were back in control – but not for long.

The Dark Ages brought an influx of invaders from the continent which resulted in the land the Romans called Britannia being carved up into various kingdoms – Anglo-Saxon Northumbria being one of them.

The first Anglo-Saxon King to rule from Bamburgh was King Ida who took control from the Din Guarie tribe in 547 and even though there must have been a fortress here before, it was from this time that we have the first written record of one.

The castle was of wooden construction and, according to that great early historian the Venerable Bede, it didn’t get its name of  ‘Bebbanburgh’ until King Ida’s grandson, Æthelfrith, passed it on to his wife Bebba.

The original wooden fortification was destroyed by the Vikings in 993, but William the Conqueror could see that he would have the same trouble as the Romans if he didn’t build another one to keep the Scots at bay and the northerners in check, but this time it was built in stone.

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Originally posted 2019-08-04 22:33:57.

Tower Bridge

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Tower Bridge

Some bridges have a great design and some are just practical, but what captures my imagination about Tower Bridge is its ability to achieve both.

40,000 people a day still use the bridge in one way or another, but ships passing underneath still have priority, and that’s around a thousand times a year: Even President Bill Clinton’s cavalcade on a state visit got split up when they didn’t time it right.

The need for another crossing downstream of London Bridge came about with the growth of London Docks.

The Industrial Revolution and the ever-expanding British Empire helped the burgeoning London Docks become the busiest in the world, and apart from providing access across the river downstream from London Bridge for the first time, the new Tower Bridge was going to have to allow shipping access in and out of the Pool of London.

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Originally posted 2018-10-19 16:33:18.

A Hospital Fit For Heroes

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A Hospital Fit For Heroes

Taking a Boat trip down to Greenwich has to be one of the best days out in London, but unless you know exactly what you want to do when you get there, it’s worth dropping into the excellent Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre first before dashing off like a headless chicken.

If you’re anything like me, a day in Greenwich will be nowhere near enough, but for the purposes of expediency, I’m going to start my virtual tour of the town at the Old Royal Naval College, which the visitor centre is part of.

Greenwich has an exceptional maritime history, and next to the visitor centre is the Old Brewery, which used to supply sailors of the Royal Hospital for Seamen with their daily allowance of 4 pints of beer, but which now serves people like you and me, and although I suggested coming to the visitor centre first, I’m also suggesting that you leave the Old Brewery bar to last – otherwise you might not end up going anywhere.

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Originally posted 2019-06-19 21:10:41.

The Tower of London Pt 2 – The White Tower

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The Tower of London Pt 2 - The White Tower

The Keep, known as the White Tower, is the oldest part of the Tower of London and therefore seems as good a starting point as any, both for this review, and for a tour of the Tower.

After William the Conqueror’s successful invasion of England in 1066 he needed to secure its most powerful city, and by building an intimidating fortress in a strategic position next to the River Thames, there was going to be no doubt as to who was the man now in charge.

Work started on the Keep around 1078 and wasn’t completed until 1100, 13 years after William’s death.

It would have been the most formidable stronghold in the land when it was built, and was never intended to be used as a palace.

The White Tower – given its nickname after Henry III had it whitewashed – became more of a place to store arms and munitions than anything else and this is reflected in what there is to see inside.

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Originally posted 2019-01-21 09:51:06.

County Hall and the London Eye

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County Hall and the London Eye

Next to the London Eye on the Lambeth side of Westminster Bridge is the former County Hall, which in my view, is the best-looking building along the South Bank section of the Queen’s Walk.

Work started on the colonnaded building in 1910 to house the offices of the London County Council (LCC) which was formed in 1888. Unfortunately, WWI held things up and it wasn’t finished until 1922. The adjacent north and south blocks were added in the 1930s and the whole complex is now a Grade II listed building.

1965 saw the LCC give way to the newly formed Greater London Council (GLC) which during the 1980s came into conflict with Margaret Thatcher, the incumbent conservative Prime Minister.

During this period the GLC was a Labour controlled council led by the controversial Ken Livingstone. ‘Red Ken’ as he was dubbed by the press, took the opportunity of the location of County Hall to get under the government’s skin. Situated just across the river from Parliament, the GLC raised large banners highlighting the unemployment figures for all to see.

Margaret Thatcher’s response was to add to the unemployment figures by abolishing the GLC, and Red Ken found himself looking for another job.

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Originally posted 2019-03-01 16:06:41.

London Bridge City and The Shard

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London Bridge City and The Shard

London Bridge City didn’t exist forty years ago. Actually, that not’s strictly true – it’s just that it wasn’t called that. It was probably the marketing men that came up with the name for this riverside location on the south bank of the river between London Bridge and Tower Bridge.

This must have been a developer’s dream after Hay’s Wharf closed down in 1970. London Bridge, if you remember, was the first ever river crossing to connect London from the south, and even after William the Conqueror became King of England in 1066, the former Anglo-Saxon religious centres of Canterbury and Winchester still had a strong influence on how the country was run.

Under the circumstances, it’s therefore quite understandable how this area came under the ownership of several leading religious figures who wanted to live next to the river, from where they could easily sail up to Westminster.

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Originally posted 2020-09-09 16:17:09.

Marble Arch and the Tyburn Tree

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Marble Arch and the Tyburn Tree

Marble Arch lies at the junction of Oxford St, Bayswater Rd, Park Lane, and the Edgware Road, and it wouldn’t be difficult to imagine that the landmark once stood on an island in the middle of traffic mayhem. Thankfully, somebody had the sense to landscape the area around the monument to give it a bit more dignity, but it wasn’t meant to be here in the first place.

It was originally built for King George IV who inherited Buckingham Palace from his father George III in 1820. In 1827 his extravagant tastes led him to commission John Nash to add the arch as a state entrance, but within three years his own life had come to an end.

The monument was faced with Carrara marble and based on the Constantine Arch in Rome, but an equestrian statue of George IV was never added because the King’s successor, William IV, refused to stump up the rest of the cash to finish off his predecessor’s self-indulgence.

After the death of William IV in 1837 the crown passed to Queen Victoria who became the first monarch to actually live in Buckingham Palace, but she found it too small and began a programme of enlarging it. The plans included removing the arch, and in 1847 it was decided to relocate it to Hyde Park.

The transfer was completed in 1851 and the arch was used as a ceremonial gateway into the north-east corner of the park at Cumberland Gate – and a police station until 1968!

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Originally posted 2018-04-28 10:10:52.

Trafalgar Square

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Trafalgar Square

 

London’s foremost meeting point for social and political gatherings, Trafalgar Square takes its name from Horatio Nelson’s famous victory over Napoleon’s French and Spanish fleets at Cape Trafalgar in 1805. The battle cost Nelson his life and he’s remembered here with a 170ft column, at the base of which are four lions cast out of his enemy’s bronze cannons.

What started out as mews for the horses of Whitehall Palace, the area now occupied by the square was transformed in the early 18th century by the architect John Nash. It’s had several makeovers since, the latest being in 2003. The road between the National Gallery/National Portrait Gallery and the square was removed and replaced with a terrace making the whole thing much more pedestrian friendly.

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Originally posted 2017-12-23 09:12:57.

Westminster Abbey – Pt 7 Poets, Parliament and a Church for the People

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Westminster Abbey - Pt 7 Poets, Parliament and a Church for the People

I get the feeling that my previous post had too much information for some people, and so for this final chapter about Westminster Abbey I’ve cut down on the claptrap and increased the number of pictures. I hope this meets with everyone’s approval.

On leaving Henry VII’s Lady Chapel, head left down the South Ambulatory (which I covered in Part 5) towards the South Transept and Poets Corner. It’s one of the most popular places to visit in the abbey and the numbers are swelled by those who are looking to take the weight off their feet, especially as this is the first place seats are provided since leaving the nave.

There are over a hundred poets and authors buried or commemorated here and the size of the monument doesn’t always reflect on how famous they are, but none of the memorials are as large as those in the Statesmen’s Aisle in the North Transept opposite. It got me wondering though as to who decides whether a person warrants a burial or memorial in the abbey at all, and the answer is quite simple – the Dean. Incidentally, it’s rare for a recently deceased poet to be included in Poets’ Corner, as like anyone else, they can be flavour of the month one minute and the devil reincarnated the next.

The first poet to be buried here was Geoffrey Chaucer in 1400, not because he was the author of the Canterbury Tales, but because he was Clerk of the King’s Works in the Palace of Westminster across the road. His burial place was initially marked by a plain slab, and it wasn’t until 1556 that the present marble monument was erected in his memory.

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Originally posted 2023-04-09 11:50:47.

Westminster Abbey – Pt 6 Henry VII’s Lady Chapel

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Westminster Abbey - Pt 6 Henry VII's Lady Chapel

In previous posts we’ve seen how Westminster Abbey started off as a Saxon monastery, then rebuilt by Edward the Confessor in the Norman style, and finally transformed into a Gothic church by Henry III and his successors, but in my view, there was one other architectural development that surpassed them all – Henry VII’s Lady Chapel, and to do it justice, this will be one of my longer posts, so you might want to think of putting the kettle on first if you intend staying with it.

Before describing this breathtaking chapel in more detail, I think it’s worth explaining the reason why Henry VII wanted to pull down Henry III’s perfectly good chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the first place. The simple answer is that he probably wanted to be buried in a chapel that nobody could forget, but there was a bit more to it than that.

If you remember, in Part 5 we saw how St Edward’s shrine was surrounded by the tombs of another five kings. Apart from Henry III who had the chapel built, we can also find the final resting places of Edward I, Edward III, Richard II and Henry V – all of whom were members of the Plantagenet dynasty. Altogether, there were a total of fourteen Plantagenet kings, including five Henrys (from Henry II to Henry VI), and if you’re still with me, you’ll notice that Henry VII wasn’t one of them, and that’s because he was to become the first Tudor monarch.

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Originally posted 2023-04-02 15:40:05.

Westminster Abbey – Pt 5 St Edward’s Shrine and Medieval Tombs

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Westminster Abbey - Pt 5 St Edward's Shrine and Medieval Tombs

Our  tour has now reached the most sacred part of the abbey – St Edward’s Shrine. His body lies in a chapel located behind the High Altar and circumnavigated by the North and South Ambulatories, but before I go any further I have to tell you that access isn’t freely available to the general public. The reason given is that the Cosmati studded shrine is very fragile, and whilst that is undoubtedly true, I suspect it’s also to do with the fact that the abbey would prefer the chapel to be treated with the utmost reverence. There are however, a few ways to gain admittance, and I’ll come to that in due course. Meanwhile, I’ll try and explain who St Edward was, why he was revered by Henry III, and what other tombs you can see here.

Edward was born in Islip, Oxfordshire sometime between 1002 and 1005. His parents were the Saxon king, Ethelred ‘the Unready’ and Emma of Normandy, but his father’s altercations with the Danes ultimately led to the House of Wessex losing control of England to the Vikings, and most of Edward’s early life was spent in Normandy.

While in exile, Edward developed a love for the simple life, and although there would have been doubts as to whether he would get to inherit his father’s kingdom, he pledged to make a pilgrimage to Rome if ever he was. In 1042 the opportunity came when his half-brother King Harthacnut died, and Edward’s claim to be the rightful successor gained general acceptance. He was crowned King of England in Winchester Cathedral on 3rd April 1043.

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Originally posted 2023-03-20 15:25:48.

Westminster Abbey – Pt 4 The Coronation Church

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Westminster Abbey - Pt 4 The Coronation Church

Westminster Abbey is known as the Coronation Church, and on 6th May, King Charles III will become the 40th monarch to be crowned here, and at the age of 74, he will also be the oldest. Along with his wife and consort, Queen Camilla, the Gold State Coach will bring the couple from Buckingham Palace to the abbey in what is known as the ‘King’s Procession’.

There won’t be that many people who saw the last coronation, and although this one is bound to include a certain amount of pageantry, there will be some differences. Preparations would have undoubtedly been finalised, but the arrangements and timing have yet to be officially announced, but it seems likely that the ceremony will reflect a mixture of traditional and modern Britain.

I expect the royal couple to enter the abbey through the West Door where the procession will continue up the nave towards the quire screen. An anthem written by Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of twelve new pieces of music commissioned by King Charles for the occasion, and it remains to be seen whether it will have the same impact as Handel’s Zadok the Priest which was written for the coronation of  King George II, Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance (for Edward VII) or William Walton’s Crown Imperial (George VI).

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Originally posted 2023-03-14 14:54:04.