If you know India you’ll be aware that the name Chennai quickly gained acceptance after the city was officially renamed, from Madras, in 1996. This city, the capital of Tamil Nadu, is often regarded as the gateway to southern India.
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If you’re feeling positive you might be tempted to translate the name of Lisbon’s Forte do Bom Sucesso as ‘Fortress of Good Success.’ That would be a decent stab at a literal rendering though it’s usually known in English as the Fort of Bom Sucesso.
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In The Companion Guide to Northumbria Edward Grierson describes Warkworth as “one of the most exciting small towns in Britain.” After a stroll through this settlement of 1,000 people I’d probably have chosen the word ‘relaxing’ or perhaps ‘picturesque’ rather than ‘exciting.’
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I’ve pulled on a disposable overall, I’m holding a torch and have a camera slung around my neck. If it wasn’t for my floppy black wellies you might take me for a crime scene investigator. The kit is compulsory for tours of Antwerp’s underground canals, the ruien as they are known here.
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Thrissur, in India’s southern state of Kerala, is well-regarded for its educational establishments. A dozen engineering institutes, four medical colleges and Kerala Agriculture University number among the places of learning based in the city.
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The Centro de Arte Manuel de Brito, known in English as the ‘Manuel de Brito Centre of Art’, is located in Alges, Portugal.
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The coastal city of Mahabalipuram, 60km (40 miles) south of Chennai, is a popular spot with backpackers and culture lovers touring southern India. Locals know this place as Mamallapuram and it’s a place that I’ve grown fond of, visiting several times in recent years.
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It’s a breezy, overcast day in Amsterdam. I’ve just walked through a tunnel beneath the railway platforms of Centraal Station and I’m standing by the waterfront. My goal - the sleek, angular, Eye building - lies over the choppy river Ij.
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“I have had several unforgettable moments. In 1976 an elk jumped onto the car and smashed the window and door. Nothing happened to the animal, but car was not very nice looking afterwards. Happily nothing happened to us but we were shocked,” says Anne Kurepalu, my guide in Estonia's Lahemaa National Park.
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Many attractions and museums claim to have no match; not this one though. Tomar’s Museu dos Fosforos Aquiles da Mota Lima (‘The Aquiles da Mota Lima Museum of Matches’) is home to Europe’s biggest collection of matchboxes, many of which still hold their original contents.
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