Art in Newcastle and Gateshead

Thanks to the city's many pubs and celebrated nightlife, Newcastle has long been regarded as one of Europe's party capitals. Many a hen and stag party veteran will recall — perhaps in some cases hazily — moments in the pubs and bars of the Quayside, Diamond Strip and Bigg Market. The city's Ouseburn and Jesmond districts also offer their share of cracking destinations for a few drinks. Yet it’s not just the artists with glasses in their hands that people now associate with Newcastle and Gateshead.

Rocky Mountaineer train guest services

“We go through the Rockies, on the Rocky Mountaineer, but what I think a lot of people don’t realise is that we wind our way through some amazing desert canyons on the first day. They have some big sky vistas. That was a big eye-opener for me, the amount the scenery changes,” said Ira Young, Guest Service Manager on the Rocky Mountaineer.

Rocky Mountaineer train manager interview

“I think, more than any other country on earth, Canada was developed by the railway. It was the promise of a railway that brought British Columbia into the fold. I’m half-American, on my father’s side, and well aware of the American interest in British Columbia. It could have been an entirely American west coast if it was not for the railway. Being born in Canada I’m cognisant of the fact that there would have been no Canada as we know it,” said Zebulon Fastabend, the train manager of the Rocky Mountaineer, about the importance of the railways in Canadian history.

A Maldives local islands visit

Bleached coral crunches under the soles of my sliders as I step along the beach on Huraa Island. Tiny pieces tinkle like glass breaking as I move towards the shoreline. The finger-long chunks of coral look like a cross between pitted, sun-dried bones and white-painted tree branches.