Berlin Museum of Photography
If you appreciate good photography then you’ll probably already know that a visit to Berlin’s Museum of Photography should be part of your itinerary while visiting the German capital.
Places to visit
Visiting Lumiere Durham festival of lights
“Lumiere was born in Durham in 2009 and became a blueprint for later festivals elsewhere,” said Helen Marriage MBE, the director of Artichoke, the creative agency that initiated Durham Lumiere in 2009. The event spawned Lumiere London plus a festival of lights in Northern Ireland’s second city.
South India’s Golden Chariot luxury train
The Golden Chariot is south India’s answer to the Palace on Wheels; this is a luxury train transporting tourists in five-star comfort between sites of cultural and historic interest.
Kerala houseboating on the backwaters, India
Stress is a distant memory as we glide, in defiance of the passage of time, in a houseboat on Kerala’s placid backwaters. For centuries people survived on board these vessels without watches, mobile phones and laptops, so for the three day duration of this trip I’ve packed mine away and pledged to undertake a digital detox.
Hamburg Christmas Market in Germany
Members of a band wearing Tyrolean style felt hats stand playing jaunty, accordion-led music under the entrance to the log cabin. The scent of pine makes me think of the Alps but this is the Roncalli Christmas Market in central Hamburg.
Géoparc de Percé UNESCO Global Geopark
The explorer Samuel Champlain named the landmark le Rocher Percé, which means ‘pierced rock’, because of the arches, worn into the vast, cliff-like rock by the sea. Around 433 metres in length and 88 metres high, it is reminiscent of a stone iceberg jutting from the water. Around 150 types of fossil have been found in the limestone rock, which forms part of Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé, along with the nearby Bonaventure Island.
SchweineMuseum Stuttgart, Germany’s Pig Museum
The museum’s strapline is Kunst, Kultur und Kitsch meaning 'art, culture and kitsch'...the SchweineMuseum has exhibits which appeal to adults and others that kids will love. It’s a quirky, fun place to visit and well worth a look next time you’re in Stuttgart.
Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in Bamberg
Every three years a number of the world’s leading young classical music conductors travel to the German city of Bamberg. Last month, from 7 to 14 June, the fourth International Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition was held.
Art museums in the Netherlands
I think that the Netherlands does museums incredibly well. It’s fair to say that the country has several world-class art museums. Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Mauritshuis in The Hague all fall within that category.
Things to do in Tampere, Finland
For first time visitors to Finland, Tampere may not be the obvious choice of destination, but the country's largest inland city is a pleasant starting point if you want to gain an insight to the cultural soul of this Nordic nation.