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Recent Articles
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Margate and the Highs and Lows of an English Seaside Town
"On Margate Sands. I can connect Nothing with nothing. The broken fingernails of dirty hands. My people humble people who expect Nothing." TS Eliot wrote this while convalescing in Margate ...
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Ramsgate - Touched by Royalty and Saved by its Tunnels
The Royal Harbour of Ramsgate in Thanet, Kent is a picturesque jumble of boats, buildings and arches. After enjoying the panorama from the road above I walked down Jacobs Ladder to the water’s edge. Jacobs Ladder was built in … The stairs emerge by the Sailors’ Church which is next to the old…
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The Royal Harbour Hotel and The Empire Room Restaurant in Ramsgate, Kent
Ramsgate in Kent is second only to London for its Georgian. There are over four hundred of these beautiful houses many of which have been designated Grade 2 listed buildings due to their architectural value. Listed buildings are restricted regarding changes made to the structure of the building.…
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Swanage – A Story in Stone
As I meandered through crowds of holidaymakers dodging swinging buckets and whirling spades I found it hard to believe that Swanage had once been a simple fishing village on the Dorset coast. In those days the centre of the community had been the Mill Pond and it was here I began my walk around…
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Afternoon Tea at Blenheim Palace
It was a splendid English afternoon tea. Miniature smoked salmon blinis, tiny quiches and bite-sized sandwiches graced the bottom plate of our three-tier cake stand. Plump scones, pots of jam, a small dish of fresh cream and fluffy Bakewell slices crowded together on the second tier. And on…
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A Portrait of Pom - our guide in Luang Prabang, Laos
Luang Prabang may no longer be the Royal Capital but it is still considered the main centre of Buddhism in Laos. I was delighted when we met our guide, Khampom or Pom, to discover that he had been a Buddhist monk for fourteen years. Who better to show us around the city?
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Folgaria - a Fun Place to Ski in Italy
Folgaria is simply that – a fun place to ski. This attractive Italian resort has five separate ski areas and one of them, Costa, is accessed by the tourist train that runs regularly throughout the day. The only place I know where a little road train transports tourists and skiers. The latter are…
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Marwell Zoo – My Self-Guided Safari Walk
“I can't remember how much I spent on animals but I do remember selling my Rolls Royce to buy some zebras” So said John Knowles, founder of Marwell Zoo in 1972 and now home of the biggest collection of ungulates in Europe.
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Lost Luggage - How I Coped and What I Learnt
I was thrilled at the prospect of eight weeks travelling through India – a mixture of work and leisure. After two weeks, when I took my first group of tourists to Delhi airport I changed my routine. Because I was staying in India I did not, as usual, separate my hold luggage and hand luggage…
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The Sound of Stefano
I have always been proud of being British and my heritage than includes the Changing of the Guard, Trooping the Colour and fish and chips but the British Brass Band was never on my list, that is, until I met Stefano ...
