City Breaks: Recent Episodes
City Breaks
Travel podcasts for city break fans. All the historical and cultural background you need to enjoy your visit.
This final episode in our Stratford-Upon-Avon mini-series revolves around all things theatrical. First, there's a little history on where in the town Shakespeare found his inspiration, then there are 'visits' to all three Royal Shakespeare venues as well as information on the company's museum of props and costumes. Whether you want to discover Stratford's theatres, see a play or learn more about life behind the scenes, all you need to know is here.
Reading Suggestions
Know-it-All Shakespeare Edited by Ros Barber and Mark Rylance
The Man who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench
Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell
Links for this post
The Royal Shakespeare Company
The 3 Stratford theatres
RSC information on Shakespeare
RSC Public costume hire
The Play’s the Thing (exhibition)
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Stratford-Upon-Avon mini-series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting:
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Stratford-Upon-Avon has many charms – its Tudor ambiance, its riverside setting – but really there’s only one reason why it attracts up to 6 million visitors in a year. Shakespeare. And this episode is dedicated to places where you can 'find' him there today. There's a little biographical background, focussing mainly on his Stratford years and a run-through of five of the most significant places in his life which you can still visit today. As usual, there is much more detail on the podcast.
Reading Suggestions
Shakespeare The Biography by Peter Ackroyd
Hidden Shakespeare by Nicholas Fogg
Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Links for this post
Shakespeare’s Birthplace
Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guild Hall
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
New Place
Holy Trinity Church
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Stratford-Upon-Avon series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Ok, so Stratford-upon-Avon is not actually a city, but as a town which punches well above its weight historically and culturally, we’re giving it an honorary place in the City Breaks collection. This is the introductory episode, with a little geographical and historical context and an idea for a first get-your-bearings walk around Stratford. It will introduce you to Stratford's Tudor gabled houses, riverside setting, swans and boats and, of course, give a flavour of Stratford as Shakespeare's home town, where he was both born and buried and where he bought the town's second biggest house as a retirement pad. So, with no more ado and as the great man himself might have said, shall we wend?
Reading Suggestions
Stratford-upon-Avon Quick Trips by Cynthia Atkins
A-Z of Stratford-upon-Avon by Will Atkins
Secret Stratford by Nicholas Fogg
Shakespeare The Biography by Peter Ackroyd
Links for this Episode
Visit Stratford-upon-Avon
Guided walks around Stratford
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Stratford-Upon-Avon series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Both Vincennes and St Germain-en-Laye make excellent days out from Paris, or even half days as both can be reached by public transport in less than half an hour. Each has a magnificent castle to visit, plus a range of other cultural, relaxation and shopping possibilities. So this episode tells you how to get to each place, following up with what there is to see and do there, plus – bien sûr! – a few of the interesting historical snippets which will inform your visit.
Links for this post
Château de Vincennes
Vincennes Tourist Office
Château de St Germain-en-Laye
St Germain-en-Laye Tourist Office
Espace Vera
Debussy’s Birthplace
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Paris series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
This Paris episode covers two of the most beautiful châteaux in the Paris region. Both are easy to reach on public transport and both have fascinating stories to tell. We cover how to get there, what you can expect to see and make sure we cover the most interesting tales – François I’s show-off gallery, Napoleon’s refurbishment to impress the Pope and the party-to-end-all-parties which went ended in disaster and ruination.
Reading Suggestion
Francis I, The Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda
Useful Links
Château de Fontainebleau
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Paris series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Our Amsterdam Anthology rounds off the series by offering some different perspectives on the city. Here, you’ll find Amsterdam seen through the eyes of writers, some from the past, many contemporary: travel writers, journalists, novelists and an author of short stories. Between them they provide lots of different ways to get to know – or reminisce about! – the city and, we hope, plenty of inspiration for further reading.
Reading Suggestions
My Dam Life by Sean Conlan
Amsterdam Stories by Nescio
Amsterdam by Ian McEwen
The Coffee Trader by David Liss
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
This episode in two halves starts with food in Amsterdam; the street snacks you’ll want to try, the Dutch specialities to look out for in restaurants and a brief introduction to the city’s favourite ethnic cuisine, namely Indonesian. If you don’t know your drop from your rijsttafel, help is at hand. After a brief word on bier and jenever (Dutch gin) and a look at the Heineken Experience and the city’s Brown Cafes, it’s time for shopping: a tour of the best markets and a visit to the two best areas for wandering, browsing and maybe making a purchase or two.
LINKS FOR THIS POST
Kaaskamer
Amsterdam Foodie guide to Indonesian restaurants
I love Amsterdam post on pancakes
Van Wonderen Stroopwafel
Het Oud-Hollandsch Snoepwinkeltje
Café Chris
Café Hoppe
The Heineken Experience
I am Amsterdam post on the best breweries to visit in Amsterdam
Bloemenmarkt
Waterlooplein Flea Market
Previous Episode Tulips and diamonds
Next Episode coming very soon.
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Tulips and diamonds: both figure centrally in the story of Amsterdam. The Netherlands is known as the ‘flower shop of the world’ and a visit to Amsterdam’s flower market a must for any visit. Equally, you will surely want to explore Amsterdam’s heritage as the ‘City of Diamonds’. This episode brings a little background history on both topics, plus ideas for three places to visit to find out more.
Reading Suggestions
The Tulip by Anna Pavord
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
Links for this post
The Tulip Museum
The Diamond Museum
Royal Coster Diamonds
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
This episode covers everything it's good to know before you visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam: a brief biography of Vincent himself, followed by tips on what to look out for in the museum dedicated to his work. To finish, there are ideas for 3 more arty venues to visit in Amsterdam if you want to investigate the city's modern art and street art offerings.
Reading Suggestions
Van Gogh The Life by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith
The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh The Complete Paintings by Ingo F. Walther and Rainer Metzger
Links for this post
Van Gogh Museum
Stedelijk Museum
NDSM Loods
Straat Museum
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
This episode revolves around Amsterdam's top art gallery, the Rijksmuseum. It starts with a little history, explaining how art came to be of such importance in Amsterdam's Golden Age in the 17th century, then continues with some biographical details on the two top artists from the era, Rembrandt and Vermeer. It finishes with pointers to some of their best-known works, plus ideas for other highlights to look out for when visiting the gallery.
Reading Suggestions
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
Vermeer by Christopher Wright
Rijksmuseum guidebook
Links for this post
The Rijksmuseum
Rembrandt House Museum
Old World Voyages blog
Essential Vermeer
Simon Schama, Great Gallery Tours, the Rijksmuseum
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
This episode on World War II in Amsterdam looks at how 5 years of German occupation affected everyone living there and suggests places to visit to find out more. We start with the population in general and the Dutch Resistance Museum, then look at the plight of the city’s Jewish population before finishing with a section on Anne Frank: her story and the museum now operating in the building where she and her family lived in hiding for 25 months.
Reading Suggestions
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Dutch Resistance 1940-1945 by Klaas Kastlein and Michael Wenting
Links for this post
The Dutch Resistance Museum
The Hollandsche Schouwburg Memorial Site
The National Holocaust Museum
Anne Frank House
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
This episode introduces Amsterdam's Jewish culture. There's a little historical context, beginning with the arrival of Jews fleeing from other parts of Europe in the 16th century and ending in today’s city where Jewish culture is centred around the Jewish Quarter. Then there's a description of some of the most significant places to visit, focussing especially on the Portugese Synagogue and the Jewish Museum. The holocaust will be dealt with in the next episode.
Links for this post
National Holocaust Museum
Hollandsche Schouwburg
Portuguese Synagogue
Jewish Museum
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
This episode takes you to Amsterdam's Golden Age, the era when, as the Encyclopaedia Britannica puts it, ‘the little nation on the North Sea was one of the most powerful countries in the world, dominating the seas and flourishing in trade, science and – especially – the arts.' First there's a little history to explain how this phenomenon came about and what it meant for Amsterdammers and for the rest of the world, then we visit three different places in the city where you can find out more.
Reading Suggestions
The Embarrassment of Riches The Dutch Golden Age by Simon Schama
Amsterdam A Brief Life of the City by Geert Mak
Amsterdam A History of the World’s Most Liberal City by Russell Shorto
Links for this post
Rembrandt House
Amsterdam Museum
Rijksmuseum
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
The churches of Amsterdam are not always what they seem. One is more of a national memorial, another is an art gallery and concert venue. A third is a museum where you can learn the story of the hidden churches which opened in the 17th century and where worshippers gathered for over 200 years. They key factor is a date – 1578 – when an event occurred which changed everything: the Alteration. This episode explains what happened and then tours half a dozen of the city’s churches and explains what you can expect to find if you visit them today.
Reading Suggestions
Amsterdam A Brief Life of the City by Geert Mak
Amsterdam A History of the World’s Most Liberal City by Russell Shorto
The Invention of Amsterdam A History of the World’s Greatest City in 10 Walks by Ben Coates
Links for this post
The Begijnhof
The Oude Kerk
The Nieuwe Kerk
The Westerkerk
The Noorderkerk
St Nicholas
Our Lord in the Attic
The canals ARE Amsterdam and Amsterdam IS its canals. This episode is all about them, covering both the engineering genius which gave them their UNESCO World Heritage Site status and their beauty, charmingly different in each season. We bring you a little history, a little atmosphere and 4 suggestions for places to visit to find out more.
READING SUGGESTIONS
Amsterdam A Brief Life of the City by Geert Mak
Amsterdam A History of the World’s Most Liberal City by Russell Shorto
The Invention of Amsterdam A History of the World’s Greatest City in 10 Walks by Ben Coates
LINKS FOR THIS POST
The Canal Museum
The Van Loon Museum
The Willet-Holthuysen Museum
The Houseboat Museum
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Here are 5 suggestions for walks around Amsterdam. They include possible stopping places and between them they offer a way to see something of all of the main parts of the city. We give enough detail to follow the route if you take a map with you and a little info on the main places you’ll be passing, although we’ll be coming back to most of them in later episodes. None will take longer than an hour if you don’t stop anywhere. .
Links for this post
Grand Café Restaurant 1e Klas
Anne Frank House
Royal Palace
Nieuw Kerk
The Houseboat Museum
Albert Cuyp Market
The Reijksmuseum
The Van Gogh Museum
The Stedelik Museum
MOCO
Hop on Hop off bus tours
Boat trips
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Welkom in Amsterdam! This introduction to our Amsterdam series brings you the basic facts - geographical, historical, cultural - which underpin everything. To capture the spirit of Amsterdam, here’s Russell Shorto’s description of the view from his Amsterdam window: ‘the little boats moored by the quay, the row of tilting, gabled buildings on the opposite bank and, on any given day, a couple of bicycles chained to the railing of a hump-backed bridge.’ So, let's go, or as the Dutch say ‘laten we gaan’.
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This last episode on the Valletta series brings you lots of different stories from Malta. We start with a little descriptive writing, factual and fictional, followed by mini-biographies of 4 people who’ve featured in previous episodes but not really had the time they deserve: St Paul, St Publius, Caravaggio and Daphne Caruana Galizia, the high-profile journalist murdered for her stand against corruption in Malta. And to finish, some literary extracts, namely a mystery story set in Malta and 2 World War II love stories. In short, a whole range of new perspectives on Valletta and its surroundings.
Reading Suggestions
The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monserrat
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
Secrets of Malta by Cecily Blench
A Death in Malta by Paul Caruana Galizia
A Sunny Place for Shady People by Ryan Murdock
Links for this Post
Short Lets Malta blog
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Here are our ideas for easy days out from Valletta if you want to explore some of the rest of Malta. We start with the two most popular day trips, to the 3 Cities and to Mdina and Rabat, both very easy to do on public transport. Then we have a look at hop-on, hop-off bus tours and boat trips. You could spend a week in Valletta, you could just as easily spend a week doing day trips with Valletta as a base! Most likely, you’ll do a little of each and this episode will help you plan your excursions to other parts of the island.
The Inquisitor’s Palace
Malta at War Museum
St Paul’s Cathedral, Mdina
Carmelite Priory, Mdina
The Roman House, Rabat
St Paul’s Grotto, Rabat
St Paul’s Catacombs, Rabat
Hop-on Hop-off bus tours
Malta Boat Tours
Luzzu Cruises
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This episode is dedicated to two topics which are very important in Malta - food and festivities. Malta has more public holidays – 14 – than most other European countries, plus a whole range of other feasts and festivals. Of course, food is key to most of them and so this episode introduces you to both. We cover the varied culinary offerings, influenced by so many centuries of foreign cultures coming to the island and then look at the equally expansive range of celebration days, religious, national and cultural. In short, plenty of fun!
Reading Suggestion
Taste of Malta by Anton B Dougall
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This is a pot-pourri episode, beginning with a look at Valletta’s art scene: the National Art Gallery, 3 artists linked to the island and the oratory where the 2 most famous paintings are hidden away. Next, some pointers on the city’s architecture: typical design features and the three main periods, all of which are represented by buildings to look out for in Valletta today. Lastly, a trip to the National Museum of Archaeology, where you can learn lots about the island’s very distant past and pick up some tips to inform visits to the rest of the island.
Reading Suggestion
Seven Temples on Malta by Betsy Ross-Edison
Links for this post
The National Art Museum
The Grand Master’s Palace
St John’s Cathedral
The National Museum of Archaeology
There are traces of World War II everywhere in Valletta. This episode begins with a little history from the period and explains why the island of Malta was awarded the prestigious George Cross. Then we look at 3 museums which all take a different approach, covering the military action here on ‘Fortress Malta’ and also explaining what the war did to the daily lives of its people. We end with a look at some of Valletta’s memorials to this turbulent period, which are all within a few minutes’ walk of each other at the Floriana end of the city.
Reading Suggestions
Fortress Island Malta by Peter Jacobs
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
Churchill and Malta’s War by Douglas Austin
Links for this post
National War Museum
Malta at War Museum
Lascaris War Rooms
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This episode gives a little history on the Knights of Malta and explains where to 'find' them in Valletta today. In fact they’re everywhere, not least in the Maltese Cross you'll keep seeing, on information panels everywhere and in the beautiful buildings they left behind. In fact, they founded the city of Valletta and built it from scratch - Europe's very first planned city.
Reading Suggestions
The Knights of Malta by Joseph Attard
The Shield and the Sword by Ernie Bradford
Links for this Episode
The Malta Experience and the Holy Infirmary
The Grand Master’s Palace
The Armoury
St John’s Cathedral
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Valletta is a very walkable city and this episode offers three walking routes for exploring it. They could be done in a day if you want to see all the main sights quickly, or you could spread them out over a few days, linger a little, go into some of the places we pass by and build up an in-depth knowledge of Malta's capital city. Take a street map with you and you should be able to follow the routes easily.
Reading Suggestions
The History of Malta by Nuria Rehn
Fortress Island Malta by Peter Jacobs
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
A Death in Malta by Paul Caruana Galizia
Links for this post
Our Lady of Victories Church
The Grand Master’s Palace
The Armoury
St John’s Co-Cathedral
Fort St Elmo National War Museum
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Merħba il-Valletta: welcome to Valletta, the capital of Malta. Valletta is a World Heritage Site, small in scale, easy to explore and known for its stunning coastal views and gorgeous architecture. Here you can 'meet' such varied characters from history as St Paul, Caravaggio and the Knights of St John and learn some of the island's most inspiring stories: how Malta triumphed during the Great Siege of 1565 and why the island was awarded the George Cross during World War II.
This is the introduction to our Valletta series and the remaining 7 episodes will bring you all the background history and culture you need to really understand the city. In short, here is all the research you’d do yourself if only you had the time! See below for reading ideas and useful links.
Two useful websites for tourists
Visit Malta
Malta Uncovered
3 Guide Books
Pocket Rough Guide to Malta and Gozo
Lonely Planet Malta and Gozo
Eyewitness Top 10 Malta and Gozo
4 History Books
The History of Malta by Nuria Rehn
Fortress Island Malta by Peter Jacobs
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
A Death in Malta by Paul Caruana Galizia
Maltese Cooking
Taste of Malta by Anton B Dougall
2 Novels set in Malta
The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monserrat
Secrets of Malta by Cecily Blench
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated
Our Marseille Anthology includes some travel writing, plus a range of fiction pieces set in the city. Extracts include Simone de Beauvoir hiking in the surrounding countryside and Jean-Claude Izzo's description of the Italian immigrant community in Le Panier in the 1930s. The Count of Monte Cristo's daring escape from the Château d'If is here, as are a meal of boullabaisse in a waterside restaurant and a visit to the underwater caves where prehistoric man left artwork behind. There are even two passages which help explain why Marseille has sometimes been called 'the wicked city'.
Reading Suggestions
Wicked City by Nicholas Hewitt
Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo
Chourmo by Jean-Claude Izzo
Solea by Jean-Claude Izzo
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
First Fingerprint, by Xavier-Marie Bonnot
The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayl
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
The author and film-maker Marcel Pagnol is inextricably linked with Marseille – where he lived, set some of his early works and is buried – and with the Provencal countryside around the city. The area's garrigue landscape provides the backdrop to his popular autobiographical works, La Gloire de Mon Père (My Father's Glory) and Le Château de Ma Mère (My Mother's Castle) and is also the setting for his gripping novels, Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources. This episode gives a little biographical information, an idea of where to ‘find’ him in the area today and some appetite-whetting snippets of his work.
Reading Suggestions
Autobiographical works
My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle (double volume)
3 Plays set in Marseille (in French)
Marius
Fanny
César
Two novels set in Provence
Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources (double volume)
Links for this post
Information on walks in Marcel Pagnol territory
Marcel Pagnol’s Birthplace
Aubagne Tourist Office
Le Petit Monde de Marcel Pagnol
Village des Santons in Marseille
Guide to La Treille
Château de la Buzine
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
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You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This post introduces you to two great pleasures in this Provencal city: Marseille food and Marseille shopping, beginning with the signature dishes and key ingredients of the city's cuisine, plus a few ideas on where to look for restaurants. Then, we outline key items to buy as souvenirs of Marseille, followed by a rundown of the city's main shopping areas and what you can expect to find in each one.
Reading Suggestions
Garlic, Mint and Sweet Basil by Jean-Claude Izzo
The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle
Links for this post
More Information
Foodie Guide to Marseille
Shopping in the Le Panier district
Eating out in the Le Panier district
Information on Cours Julien
Santons of Provence
Shops and places to visit
Bar de la Marine
Musee du Savon de Marseille de la Licorne
La Cure Gourmande
Olympique de Marseille Souvenir Shop
Torrefaction Noailles
Maison de la Boule
Maison Yellow
Santons Village in Aubagne
3 Santons shops in Marseille
Escoffier
Arterra
Marcel Carbonel
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
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You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Marseille boat trips – those words belong together. But beaches and the Château d’If are also great ideas for trips out from Marseille and so this episode covers all three. Then there are suggestions for other little excursions, to l’Estaque and Cassis, which both mix boating and arty vibes, plus a trip on a coastal train with views a-plenty and ideas for stopping off to explore. To finish, there's a little flavour of the Count of Monte Cristo’s daring – and fictional! – escape from the Château d’If.
Reading Suggestion
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Links
The Château d’If
The Calanques
How to get to the Calanques
Marseille’s Beaches
The Underwater Museum of Marseille
L’Estaque
Cassis
Cassis Museum of Art and Folk Traditions
More on visiting La Côte Bleu
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This episode covers two main Marseille art galleries, the Musée des Beaux Arts and Regards de Provence, and focuses particularly on work on local themes - Marseille itself, and the provençal hinterland. Then there are pointers to 4 more galleries in the city, featuring ethnic, modern and decorative arts, plus a little coverage of some of the most famous artists associated with Marseille: Pierre Puget, César Baldaccinni and Paul Cézanne. Lastly, a reminder that in in this city, art often means street art!
Links for this post
Musée des Beaux Arts
Regards de Provence
Vieille Charité
Musée Cantini
Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Decorative Arts
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This post takes you around La Joliette, the new port area in Marseille and looks at what there is to do there. That includes the city’s two newest must-see museums – one gives you a tour of Mediterranean culture, the other takes you on a virtual exploration of the incredible caves discovered nearby, where the artwork dates back 30,000 years. We also find time for plenty of shopping, eating and culture in both historic and ultra-modern settings, all with a magnificent sea-view backdrop.
Reading Suggestions
Marseille et le Mucem (French only)
Cosquer Méditerrannée (French only)
Links for this post
Guide to La Joliette
The Mucem
The Cosquer Museum
Guide to Les Terrasses du Port
Guide to Les Docks
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
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You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This post focuses on the Le Panier district of Marseille, the oldest and most atmospheric part of the city: think hills, narrow roads, colourful houses, flowers, little restaurants in pretty squares, artisan shops and plenty of street art. Plus two of the city’s big sights, La Charité, the former poorhouse, now a museum centre and the stunning 'Major' Cathedral. As the author Jean -Claude Izzo wrote. ‘To linger in Le Panier is to feel the old heart of Marseille throbbing’.
Reading Suggestions
Garlic, Mint and Sweet Basil by Jean-Claude Izzo
The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle
Links for this post
Self guided walk around Le Panier
La Vieille Charité
La Major Cathedral
Discover Street Art in Marseille
Blogpost: Street Art and Charm in Le Panier
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This episode centres on Marseille’s most popular sights, the Old Port, the hilltop church of Notre Dame de la Garde, and the Canebière, the wide avenue leading back from the port into the heart of the city. After a few snippets of history, we tour such sights as the fish market, the iconic canopy built to mark Marseille's year as a City of European Culture in 2013, an ancient tower and a surprising link to Odessa in Ukraine. We might take the little ferry across the harbour, we'll certainly walk - or maybe take the 'petit train' - up the hill to Notre Dame de la Garde, where a huge golden statue of Mary the Virgin watches protectively over the city.
Reading Suggestions
The Wicked City by Nicholas Hewitt
Marseille Port to Port by William Kornblum
Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo
Links for this post
The Saint Jean Fort
Deportation Memorial
The Petit Train
Notre Dame de la Garde
Boat trips from the Old Port
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
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You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
There are 26 centuries of history in Marseille, which is the oldest city in France! This episode runs through 10 places where you can find traces of key moments in the city's past. They range from the plaque commemorating the founding of Marseille in about 600 BC to the site where you can still see bullet holes from the fight to liberate the city from German occupation in 1944. They’re listed in chronological order, with a few of their stories attached and although this makes a good overview, we've saved some of the 'big-hitters’ such as Notre Dame de la Garde and the Château d’If for later episodes where they'll get a fuller treatment.
Reading Suggestions
The Wicked City The many Cultures of Marseille by Nicholas Hewitt
Marseille Port to Port by William Kornblum
Links for this post
Roman Docks Museum
Saint Victor Abbey
Memorial of the Marseillaise
Provencal Museum
Deportation Memorial
Museum of Marseille History
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Bienvenue à Marseille. Welcome to Marseille, the lively southern French city whose name rhymes with 'soleil'. There's beauty in the Old Port and the stunning coastline, there's history and culture a-plenty in the museums, there's a Provencal feel - boules and bouillabaisse - overlaid with a vibrant multi-ethnic mix. There's a little grit too, for this is the home of Marseille Noir crime fiction and the notorious Château d'If so graphically portrayed in The Count of Monte Cristo.
This introductory episode will help you get your bearings and pick up the basic facts which underpin everything. As the French say, 'On y va!' - Let's go!
Links and Reading
Three useful websites for tourist
Marseille Tourist Office
Marseille Tourisme.fr
About France: a short guide to Marseille
3 Guide Books
The Rough Guide to Provence and the Côte d’Azur
Marseille Travel Guide by Angela J Rea
Marseille Travel Guide by Betty Vanslyke
4 books on Marseille Culture
The Wicked City The many cultures of Marseille by Nicholas Hewitt
Garlic, Mint and Sweet Basil by Jean-Claude Izzo
Unveiling Marseille Your Insider’s Guide to the Multicultural Marvel by Tailored Travel Guides
Taste the World in Marseille by Vérane Frédiani
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Our introduction to literary Bordeaux begins with the 3 most famous Bordeaux authors, the ‘3 Ms’, that is the philosophers Montaigne and Montesquieu and the novelist François Mauriac. There are statues of them all in the city. There are mini biographies and pointers to their works. Then we follow up with more books set in and around Bordeaux - historical fiction, two very different detective stories and the true account of the web of spies – French, German, British – operating in Bordeaux during World War II.
Reading Suggestions
The Essays A Selection by Michel Montaigne
How to Live A Life of Montaigne in 1 Question and 20 Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell
Persian Letters by Montesquieu
The Knot of Vipers by François Mauriac
Thérèse Desqueyroux by François Mauriac
The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick
Bordeaux Private Eye by Rorie Smith
Game of Spies by Paddy Ashdown
Death in Bordeaux by Allan Massie
Link for this post
Musee d'Aquitaine
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This post gives ideas for day trips from Bordeaux, focussing first on nearby St Émilion, attractive both for its history and its world-renowned wine industry. To wander its cobbled streets is to find photo opportunities on every corner, both architectural gems and splendid scenery. Then we cover ways to explore the countryside around Bordeaux and also the beaches and resorts along the nearby Atlantic coast. Hikes and bike rides, boat trips and oyster tastings are all ways to enjoy the Nouvelle Aquitaine culture surrounding Bordeaux.
USEFUL LINKS
Guided Tours in St Emilion
Introduction to St Emilion
The King’s Keep
Les Cordeliers
Macarons de St Émilion
Macarons Moulierac
St Èmilion Open Doors Festival
Ban des Vendanges Festival
Hot Air Balloon Festival
Finding Beaches near Bordeaux
Cycle route from Bordeaux to Lacanau
Hiking trail around Bordeaux
Oyster tasting in Arcachon
Boat Trips from Arcachon
More ideas for trips out from Bordeaux
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Food and Shopping: two of the major reasons for visiting Bordeaux! This episode lists some of top-notch products from Bordeaux’s Atlantic coastline and the rich agricultural land surrounding it and highlights the areas of the city and some of the restaurants where you can enjoy them. Then we do the same for shopping, listing specialities and highlighting the shopping streets and markets you should look out for in different areas of the city. Don’t forget, there’s already been an episode on Bordeaux’s wine.
Useful Links
Bordeaux Food Tours
The Épicuriales Festival
Le Chapon Fin
Grand Hotel, Place de la Comédie
Brasserie Bordelaise
Café du Levant
Les Halles
Le 7 (Restaurant at Cité du Vin )
Galéries des Grands Hommes
L’Intendant
Librairie Mollat
Quai des Livres
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This post introduces 3 Bordeaux art galleries, the long-standing Museum des Beaux Arts (Museum of Fine Arts), the always surprising Musée des Arts Contemporains (Museum of Modern Art) and the Bassin des Lumières, France’s largest digital art gallery where parts of the World War II submarine base have been re-purposed to provide a new way of enjoying art in an unexpected setting. And finally, a little about the Bordeaux-born artist, Rosa Bonheur, 19th century animal painter extraordinaire who has recently been enjoying something of a renaissance.
Reading Suggestion
Rosa Bonheur by Sandrine Andrews (in French)
Useful Links
Bordeaux Museum of Fine Arts
Bordeaux Museum of Contemporary Art
Bassins des Lumières
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Bordeaux wine – could two words be more inextricably linked? No, said the author Henry James: ‘Bordeaux is dedicated to the worship of Bacchus’. This post gives a little background, then focuses on where in the city to find out all about this most important product, whether than is learning about it, buying it, drinking it. We finish with 5 quirky reading ideas, everything from a great wine scandal to what Samuel Pepys thought about Bordeaux wine.
Reading Suggestions
From Bordeaux to the Stars by Jean-Michel Cazes On Bordeaux Tales from the World's Greatest Wine Region by Jane Anson The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide 150 years from 1870 to 2020 by Neal Martin The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace The Bordeaux Club by Neil McKendrick
Links for this post
Self guided wine walk around Bordeaux 2nd wine walk around Bordeaux L'Intendant Bordeaux's best wine shop Cite du vin Huge museum on everything to do with wine 9 km self-guided bike tour of Bordeaux's vineyards 23 km self-guided bike tour of Bordeaux's vineyards 30 km self-guided bike tour of Bordeaux's vineyards Vineyards you can reach by public transport Top pick of vineyards and chateaux to visit Guided tours of vineyards outside Bordeaux Maison du Vin wine-tasting, courses, etc 20 wine bars to visit in Bordeaux Reviews of 2 Bordeaux wine bars Bordeaux Wine Festival 4 days in June Chartrons Wine Festival 2 days in October
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Strolling through Bordeaux today, you can be largely unaware of the fascinating story of the city under German Occupation between 1940 and 1944. This episode recounts a little of the history and highlights three places to visit in the city today to find out more. Prepare for tales of hardship, persecution, courage, betrayal, resistance and, eventually, liberation.
Reading Suggestions Life in Bordeaux under the Occupation by Jane Anson Jewish Fates in Bordeaux during the 2nd World War Game of Spies by Paddy Ashdown Histoire de Bordeaux by Madeleine Lassère (French only)
Useful Links Bassins à Flot Bassins des Lumières Great Synagogue of Bordeaux
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This post is all about Bordeaux's riverside heritage. We’ll be looking at a number of museums which explore the links between Bordeaux, the River Garonne and its trading prosperity, including the dark stain of slavery and how that is remembered in the city today. We end with ideas for the many ways to enjoy the riverside in Bordeaux, plus ideas for exploring the Gironde Estuary and its unique history and wildlife more widely.
Useful Links Musée d’Aquitaine Museum of Bordeaux Maritime History Wine and Trade Museum National Customs Museum Museum of the Sea and Marine Life Tour of the Bridges Walk (self-guided) Bordeaux Tourist Office: ideas for enjoying the River Garonne Boat Trips on the Garonne Bordeaux Tourist Office: Visiting the Gironde Estuary
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This episode 'visits' the Bordeaux of two important past eras: the Roman and the medieval. A little history, plus lots of ideas for places to visit today: the remains of a Roman amphitheatre, turretted towers and the churches which became stopping points on the pilgrims' route to Santiago de Compostela. Plus, of course, the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Reading Suggestions
Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir
The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick
Links for this post
The Musée d’Aquitaine
The Palais Galien
The Grosse Cloche
The Porte Cailhau
Saint Seurin Church
Saint André Cathedral
Saint Michel Church
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This episode takes you on a stroll through central Bordeaux, introducing the highlights and giving a little background history. Key moments from the past include a 12th century royal wedding and the demise of revolutionary heroes who died for Republican values. The architectural highlights include medieval turrets, 18th century mansions and a quayside 21st century stunner.
Reading Suggestion
Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir
Useful Links
Tour of Grand Théâtre
Tickets for the Grand Théâtre
Book ahead to climb the Tour Pey-Berland
Musée d’Aquitaine
The Grosse Cloche
The Porte Cailhau
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Bienvenue à Bordeaux. Welcome to Bordeaux. This relaxed, elegant city is famous for its wine, for its delightful riverside quays and for its layers of history from Roman remains and medieval towers to 21st century stunners like the Miroir d’Eau and the Cité du Vin. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a centre of gastronomy and culture. This introductory episode will help you get your bearings and pick up the basic facts which underpin everything. As the French say, 'On y va!' - Let's go!
2 useful websites Bordeaux Tourist Office Visit Bordeaux
2 Guide BooksLonely Planet Pocket Bordeaux Bordeaux France by P G Preston
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Eight inspirational ideas for novels set in Berlin, all of which bring their own distinctive view of the city. Read them to inform an upcoming trip, to reminisce about the Berlin you have visited or simply to see the city from lots of different perspectives.
Useful LinksThe 8 featured novelsEffi Briest by Theodor FontaneThe Luminous Life of Lily Aphrodite by Beatrice CollinGoodbye to Berlin by Christopher IsherwoodAlone in Berlin by Hans FalladaFatherland by Robert HarrisThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le CarréFriedrichstrasse 19 by Emma HardingBook of Clouds by Chloe Aridjis
2 Berlin anthologiesCity Lit Berlin Edited by Heather ReyesBerlin, A Literary Guide for Travellers by Paul Sullivan and Marcel Krueger
Berlin Tourist Information OfficesInspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
We open with some quotes on Berlin from the likes of David Bowie ('the greatest cultural extravaganza anyone could imagine') and Nikita Khrushchev ('the testicle of the west'), then follows the main content: reviews of 4 non-fiction books which tell the story of Berlin and its residents from different angles. They include a family history, the history of a house, an escape story and an investigation into the inner workings of East Germany.
Reading for this post
The House by the Lake by Thomas HardingStasiland by Anna FunderTunnel 29 by Helena MerrimanRed Love by Maxim Leo
Two Berlin AnthologiesCity Lit Berlin Edited by Heather ReyesBerlin, A Traveller's Guide by Paul Sullivan and Marcel Krueger
Tourist InformationBerlin Tourist Information OfficesInspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Ideas for a day trip from Berlin to Lake Wannsee, where Berliners love to swim and enjoy the lakeside beach and surrounding forest. Plus what to visit nearby - an exotic island, a couple of royal castles, an artist's hideaway, a villa steeped in WW2 history and the real Bridge of Spies. Maybe you need longer than a day to visit, but you can get all the info here in under half an hour!
Useful LinksLake Wannsee Lido Peacock Island CastleGlienicke Palace Glienicke Bridge (The Bridge of Spies)Wannsee Conference HouseMax Liebermann House
Lakes mentionedWannsee - Dämeritzsee - Schlachtensee - Müggelsee - Tegeler See
Berlin Tourist Information OfficesInspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
A visit to Charlottenburg, once the summer palace of the Hohenzollerns who ruled Prussia for 5 centuries. Tips on what to look out for, plus stories of those connected with it: Sophie Charlotte, for whom the original palace was built, Frederick the Great who built a fancy new wing, and the popular Queen Luisa, around whom court life revolved in the early 19th century.
Reading suggestionFrederick the Great: King of Prussia by Tim Blanning
Useful links Charlottenburg Old Palace
Charlottenburg Palace New Wing
Charlottenburg Palace New Pavilion
Charlottenburg Palace Belvedere
Charlottenburg Palace Mausoleum
Charlottenburg Palace Gardens
Berlin Tourist Information OfficesInspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Jewish culture in Berlin goes back hundreds of years and we visit the places where you can discover it. The New Synagogue, also known as the Centrum Judaicum, and the Jewish Museum are the two main centres of Jewish heritage in the city today, but there are others too, plus Jewish cemeteries and memorials and two ideas for guided walking tours.
Reading suggestions The Wandering Jews by Joseph Roth Jews in Berlin by Andreas Nachama
Useful links The New Synagogue The Jewish Museum The Old Jewish Cemetery The Jewish Cemetery The Otto Weidt Museum Walking Tour Discovering Traces of Jewish Life Walking Tour Jewish Berlin Heritage Tour
Berlin Tourist Information Offices Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
An exploration of Berlin as a city of film and cinema. Two museums, a look back at Berlin cinema history and a visit to the Berlinale, the city's annual highly influential film festival. Plus tips on which Berlin cinemas to try out and suggestions for films set in Berlin, some German language (available with English subtitles) and some in English.
Film suggestions In German (all available with English subtitles) The Blue Angel Wings of Desire Run Lola Run Goodbye, Lenin Downfall The Lives of Others
In English Cabaret Bridge of Spies Alone in Berlin
Useful links The Museum for Film and Television The Film Park Babelsberg Berlinale Festival Programme General Information on Berlin Cinemas CinemaxX Odeon Kulturbrauererei Cinema Spandau Open Air Cinema
Berlin Tourist Information Offices Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Fancy adding a theatre or concert visit to your Berlin itinerary? Here's a look at music in Berlin, with snippets of history, from Frederick the Great to Marlene Dietrich, plus a rundown of the main venues where you'll find all best concerts, operas and musicals. Then, an overview of theatre in Berlin, and advice on finding performances to enjoy even if you don't speak German.
Useful links
Music Concert halls (general info) Konzerthaus Berlin Philharmonic Residenzkonzerte at Charlottenburg Opera in Berlin (general info) Deutsche Oper Statsoper Unter den Linden Komische Oper Neukollnischer Oper
Theatre Theatre (general info) Deutsches Theater Theater des Westens Friedrichspalast
General Berlin Tourist Information Offices Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
There’s so much more to art in Berlin than the Top 3 Galleries from our last episode. So here’s a look at an artist who has a museum dedicated to her (Käthe Kollwitz), a 20th century art movement with strong links to Berlin (Bauhaus) and the best of the rest: where to find specialist galleries, modern art and street art in Berlin.
Useful links Käthe Kollwitz Museum Selection of work by Käthe Kollwitz
Bauhaus Archive Museum Selection of Bauhaus work to view online
More galleries Akademie der Künste Asian Art gallery in the Humboldt Forum The Brücke Museum in Dahlem The Georg Kolbe Museum
Modern Art The Hamburger Bahnhof KINDL, the Centre for Contemporary Art The KW Institute for Contemporary Art Berlinische Galerie
Street Art Visit Berlin information on street art 11 ideas for street art tours in Berlin
Berlin Tourist Information Offices Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
There are so many art galleries in Berlin that it's difficult to choose which to visit. We provide a run-down of the top three in this episode and save the best of the rest for next time! So here's what you need to know about the Gemäldegalerie, the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Neue Nationalgalerie which between them cover everything from the Middle Ages to post World War 2.
Useful links Gemäldegalerie Alte Nationalgalerie Neue Nationalgalerie
Berlin Tourist Information Offices Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
What has happened to the GDR (German Democratic Republic), the country which was created when the Berlin Wall went up and which then disappeared when it came down? What was life in East Berlin like between August 1961 and November 1989? And where in today’s Berlin can you find out all about it? Here are three museum suggestions, plus a little of what they tell us.
Reading suggestions for this post Red Love by Maxim Leo Stasiland by Anna Funder The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding
Film suggestions The Lives of Others Goodbye, Lenin
Useful links The DDR Museum The Stasi Museum Hohenschonhausen Museum and Memorial
Berlin Tourist Information Centres Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://citybreakspodcast.co.uk/
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
What has happened to the GDR (German Democratic Republic), the country which was created when the Berlin Wall went up and which then disappeared when it came down? What was life in East Berlin like between August 1961 and November 1989? And where in today’s Berlin can you find out all about it? Here are three museum suggestions, plus a little of what they tell us.
Reading suggestions for this post Red Love by Maxim Leo Stasiland by Anna Funder The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding
Film suggestions The Lives of Others Goodbye, Lenin
Useful links The DDR Museum The Stasi Museum Hohenschonhausen Museum and Memorial
Berlin Tourist Information Centres Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://citybreakspodcast.co.uk/
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
The story of the Berlin Wall will always fascinate. And here it is, along with ideas for three places in Berlin you can visit to see the remaining sections and find out more. Author Rory MacLean summed up the impact first seeing the wall had on him: 'At the heart of the continent were watchtowers, barbed wire and border guards, instructed to shoot fellow citizens who wanted to live under a different government.’
Reading Suggestions Berlin: Imagine a City by Rory MacLean Berlin Biography of a City by Barney White-Spunner Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman
Links
Checkpoint Charlie Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Museum Berlin Wall Memorial Site East Side Gallery Guided tours of the East Side Gallery: either this one or this one
General links Berlin Tourist Information Centres Germany Travel Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
The story of the Berlin Wall will always fascinate. And here it is, along with ideas for three places in Berlin you can visit to see the remaining sections and find out more. Author Rory MacLean summed up the impact first seeing the wall had on him: 'At the heart of the continent were watchtowers, barbed wire and border guards, instructed to shoot fellow citizens who wanted to live under a different government.’
Reading Suggestions Berlin: Imagine a City by Rory MacLean Berlin Biography of a City by Barney White-Spunner Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman
Links
Checkpoint Charlie Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Museum Berlin Wall Memorial Site East Side Gallery Guided tours of the East Side Gallery: either this one or this one
General links Berlin Tourist Information Centres Germany Travel Information
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
The Holocaust Memorial is deliberately sited right in the heart of Berlin because this is a city which does all it can to make sure the horrors of the holocaust are understood by each new generation. This episode begins with the main facts, then focuses on the places you can visit in Berlin today to learn more and to remember the victims, collectively and, in many cases, also as individuals.
Reading suggestions Jewish Girl in Wartime Berlin by Inge Deutschkron The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding Book of Clouds by Chloe Aridjis
Useful links https://www.sachsenhausen-sbg.de/ Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum https://www.museum-blindenwerkstatt.de/de/mbow/ https://www.annefrank.de/ https://www.visitberlin.de/en/block-women https://www.stolpersteine-berlin.de/en/finding-stolpersteine
https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-tourist-info-centres https://www.germany.travel/en/home.html
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
On this episode, we take a tour of places in Berlin connected to World War 2; the square where the Nazis burned books, the stadium where they held their showpiece Olympics in 1936, the sites of their HQ and of Hitler's bunker and the museums which tell tell the story of war, devastation and resistance. A little history and a lot of tips on what to look out for on a visit.
Reading Berlin 1936 by Oliver Hilmes
Useful links https://www.visitberlin.de/en/deutsches-historisches-museum https://www.visitberlin.de/en/book-burning-memorial-bebelplatz https://olympiastadion.berlin/en/guided-tours/ https://www.visitberlin.de/en/topography-terror https://www.life.com/history/after-the-fall-photos-of-hitlers-bunker-and-the-ruins-of-berlin/ https://www.gdw-berlin.de/en/home/
https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-tourist-info-centres https://www.germany.travel/en/home.html
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
A tour of four main squares in Berlin: a little history and tips on what to look out for in each. Baroque beauty in Gendarmenmarkt, the book-burning memorial on Bebelplatz, finding the old East Germany at Alexanderplatz and lastly Potsdamer Platz, the heart of pre-war Berlin which is now an architectural showpiece, and a shopping and cultural hub.
Useful links https://www.visitberlin.de/en/franzosischer-dom-french-cathedral https://www.visitberlin.de/en/deutscher-dom https://www.konzerthaus.de/de/ https://www.visitberlin.de/en/bebelplatz https://www.visitberlin.de/en/st-hedwigs-kathedrale https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-television-tower https://www.visitberlin.de/en/marienkirche https://www.visitberlin.de/en/potsdamer-platz http://qrcobble.com/en/one-of-the-most-innovative-berlin-attraction/
https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-tourist-info-centres https://www.germany.travel/en/home.html
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
There might be fewer 'must-sees' in the western half of Berlin than further east, but they are winners: a glorious park which began life as a 16th century royal hunting ground and is today the green heart of everyone's Berlin; and a fascinating church, rebuilt after the devastation of World War II, combining the remains with a beautiful new church, forming both a memorial of reconciliation and a modern place of worship. Oh, and the city's very classiest department store. We guide you round the area and fill in the history and culture which will enhance your visit.
Useful links
https://www.visitberlin.de/en/tiergarten https://www.berlin.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/3560160-3558930-siegessaeule.html (Victory Column) https://www.visitberlin.de/en/kaiser-wilhelm-memorial-church https://www.zoo-berlin.de/en
https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-tourist-info-centres https://www.germany.travel/en/home.html
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
A wander down Berlin's most elegant street, Unter den Linden, to see its baroque splendour, its iconic buildings - think cathedrals, the opera house and the poignant war memorial, the Neue Wache - and maybe visit a museum or two on an island which is packed full of antiquities and art. Here is a little history, plus lots of tips on how to make the most of a day here in the heart of Berlin.
Useful links
https://www.berlinerdom.de (Berlin Cathedral) https://www.staatsoper-berlin.de/en (The State Opera Unter den Linden) https://www.hedwigs-kathedrale.de (St Hedwig's Cathedral) https://www.visitberlin.de/en/neue-wache-memorial (War Memorial) https://www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/museumsinsel-berlin/home (Museum Island) https://www.humboldtforum.org/en (Humboldt Forum) https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-tourist-info-centres https://www.germany.travel/en/home.html
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
On a first trip to Berlin you'll probably head straight for the Parliament or the Brandenburg Gate. We're doing the same, and handily, they are close together and near to lots of other top sites. We bring you a little history to explain why these two iconic monuments represent everything dear to today's Berliners - lessons from history and the freedom enjoyed in the capital today - and explain what to look out for when you visit.
Reading Berlin, the Story of a City by Barney White-Spunner
Useful links https://www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-tourist-info-centres https://www.germany.travel/en/home.html
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Berlin series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
There's nowhere like Berlin. A turbulent history, an unrivalled cultural richness, green and modern and laid back all at once, truly a city break destination with plenty for everyone. Here is an overview of the series, offering some geographical, historical and cultural details to set the scene for the remaining 19 episodes when we will tour all the main sites, telling you the stories behind them and bringing them to life.
Reading City Lit Berlin edited by Heather Reyes Berlin, A Literary Guide for Travellers by Paul Sullivan and Marcel Krueger
Useful links https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-tourist-info-centres https://www.germany.travel/en/home.html
A tour of Edinburgh through the eyes of the travellers, poets and novelists who captured its essence. London, compared to Edinburgh, wrote Charlotte Bronte, is as 'prose compared to poetry.' Well, we bring you lots of both, from centuries past and right up to the present day.
Useful links:
https://edinburgh.org
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
A chance to dream of wonderful Scottish produce (think highland beef, Scottish salmon, raspberries), to unravel some mysteries (What are rumbledethumps? Or clootie dumplings?), to discover what’s in Scotch broth and what Burns wrote in his ‘Address to a Haggis’ and to reminisce about a proper Edinburgh afternoon tea in the 1920s. We may even mention the deep-fried Mars bar.
Useful links:
https://foodanddrink.scotsman.com
https://www.johnniewalker.com/en-gb/visit-us-princes-street
https://edinburgh.org
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
A tour of Edinburgh's galleries and a chance to get to know some of Scotland's best-known artists and paintings. That includes portraits of royalty and Enlightenment thinkers, plus the great and the good from more recent times: Sir Chris Hoy, Ian Rankin, Muriels Spark and Gray. We also cover Scottish landscape painting and scenes from rural life in the past: Pitlessie Fair, Neil Gow, (18th century touring fiddler extraordinaire), an ice-skating vicar and The Monarch of the Glen.
Useful links:
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/scottish-national-gallery
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/scottish-national-portrait-gallery
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/scottish-national-gallery-modern-art
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/city-art-centre
https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-queens-gallery-palace-of-holyroodhouse
https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/georgian-house
https://www.rbge.org.uk (Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh)
https://edinburgh.org
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Not an episode for the faint-hearted! We have collected together a host of Edinburgh's stories on witches, grave-robbers, spectres and apparitions. Is it the 'majestic gloom' of Edinburgh's dramatic setting? The dark unknowns of the Old Town's tenements and wynds? Or the city's long history of violent murders, plagues and hangings? For whatever reason, Edinburgh is known as 'the city of ghosts' and here is a selection of the tales which explain why.
Recommended Reading:
Ghostly Tales and Sinister Stories of Old Edinburgh by Alan J Wilson, Des Brogan and Frank McGrail
Useful links:
https://greyfriarskirk.com/visit/kirkyard
https://edinburgh.org
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
'It's impossible to live in Edinburgh without sensing its literary heritage everywhere' said J K Rowling and that's why we need a second episode on Edinburgh writers. We bring you the 15th century William Dunbar, writing 'The Thistle and the Rose' for the wedding of James IV and Margaret Tudor; and Ian Rankin, who says each of his novels is 'another piece of the jigsaw that is modern Scotland'; and everyone in between.
Reading Book Lovers' Edinburgh by Allan Foster
Useful links https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/writers-museum
https://edinburgh.org
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Edinburgh was the first city to be designated a UNESCO City of Literature and whole books have been written about its writers and their legacy. The city's Writers' Museum is dedicated to 'the big three', Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Here's a rundown of the life and works of each, plus ideas for where else to 'find' them in Edinburgh today. Enjoy!
Useful links
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/writers-museum
https://edinburgh.org
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
A short bus ride from Edinburgh city centre will take you to Leith, the city's port, or you can go on foot along the mile-long Leith Walk from Princes Street. You'll find a working harbour, a range of pretty cafes, restaurants and galleries, a definite whiff of seafaring, past and present, and one of Scotland's most visited attractions, the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Useful links
https://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk
https://edinburgh.org
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
This is our round-up of Edinburgh's history museums. We point you towards lots of goodies; the original National Covenant document, (4000 signatures opposing Charles I and his liturgical reforms), the dog collar and feeding bowl which belonged to Greyfriar's Bobby, the Lewis chess pieces, the Democracy for Scotland tent ..... Or maybe you just want to hear about the wealth of medical horrors and intrigues at the city's two medical museums. It's all here.
Useful links
https://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/museum-edinburgh
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/venue/peoples-story-museum
https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/auld-reekie-retold
https://museum.rcsed.ac.uk
https://www.ed.ac.uk/visit/museums-galleries/anatomical
https://edinburgh.org
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Suggested walks, starting in the Old Town, with tales from Cowgate and the Grassmarket, Greyfriar's Bobby and J K Rowling's Hogwarts. In the New Town, plenty more squares, circuses and crescents and some idyllic detours, north through Stockbridge to the Botanic Gardens or west into Dean Village. There's Dorothy Wordsworth on Arthur's Seat, the explanation for 'Scotland's disgrace' on Calton Hill and a 'Democracy Trail' around sights of political and historical significance.
Recommended reading Scotland's Democracy Trail by Stuart McHardy and Donald Smith
Useful links
https://www.introducingedinburgh.com/princes-street-gardens
https://www.rbge.org.uk (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh)
https://edinburgh.org
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk/edinburgh
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Update: From now on, City Breaks episodes will go out on a fortnightly basis. Episode 08 of the Edinburgh series will be made available next week, on January 26th and the remainder of the Edinburgh series will follow at two week intervals. The Edinburgh series will be followed by a new, as yet, mystery series. Suggestions welcome! You can e mail us at: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
The highlight of this episode is a visit to the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood. But first, the colourful story of who ruled Scotland over the centuries, the Scottish kings, the ongoing tussles with England, the Act of Union and subsequent rebellions and finally the Scotland Act of 1998 which led to the founding of the new parliament where a speaker could proudly announce that 'the Scottish Parliament, which adjourned on the 25th March 1707, is reconvened.'
Recommended read Scotland's Democracy Trail by Stuart McHardy and Donald Smith
Useful links https://www.parliament.scot
https://www.parliament.scot/visit/virtual-tour
https://edinburgh.org
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Four travel bloggers share their inspirational city break ideas, covering everything from the quirky to the practical. The seven cities featured range over three continents, including cycling the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and making the most of Bangkok's markets, not forgetting five historical gems from Europe. Something, we hope, for every taste and budget. Have a listen!
Useful links our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This week's guest websites
https://sandinmysuitcase.com
https://www.letsgosomewhereelse.co.uk
https://www.theglobetrottingteacher.com
https://www.strayidler.com/home_en.html
A visit to Edinburgh's New Town, with its elegant Georgian streets and squares, to linger a little in the Georgian Museum and to hear tales of the Scottish Enlightenment when, said the editor William Smellie, you could stand at the Mercat Cross and 'in a few minutes, take 50 men of genius and learning by the hand.' And the women? Well, society hostesses Mrs Apreece and Mrs Waddington were much admired, one 'for the vivacity of her conversation' and the other 'for her remarkable beauty and the grace of her manners’
Useful links
https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/georgian-house
https://edinburgh.org
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk/edinburgh
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
We visit Edinburgh's Old Town, or 'Auld Reekie' as the poet Robert Fergusson called it. Thankfully, Daniel Defoe's 18th century warning that when walking the streets at night you risk 'having Chamber Pots of Ordure thrown upon your head' no longer applies. We visit two informative museums - The Real Mary King's Close and Gladstone's Land - and then bring you the story of the city's most infamous resident, Deacon Brodie, pious citizen by day, but at night, 'a gambler and a thief, dissipated and licentious.'
Useful links
https://www.realmarykingsclose.com
https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/gladstones-land
https://edinburgh.org
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk/edinburgh
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
The Royal Mile in Edinburgh is 'one of the fairest streets I ever saw', wrote James Howell in the 17th century. We explore it from top to bottom, highlighting what to look out for and giving a little of the street's turbulent history: proclamations and drunken celebrations at the Mercat Cross, Jenny Geddes hurling a chair at the Reverend James Hannay in St Giles' Cathedral and John Knox raging against idolatry and 'the monstrous regiment of women.'
Useful links
https://stgilescathedral.org.uk
https://www.scottishstorytellingcentre.com/john-knox-house
https://edinburgh.org
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk/edinburgh
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Six more intriguing city break ideas from guest travel bloggers. This month, we cover a couple of European favourites, take in both NYC and Mexico City, venture to Abu Dhabi and go on our first 'virtual trip' to the Jewish Quarter in Prague. As ever, loads of ideas for what to see, do, eat and drink along the way. Have a listen and be inspired.
Useful links our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This week's guest websites
https://whereangiewanders.com
https://travelaroundthegalaxy.com
https://kasiawrites.com/insta-links
Tales from the history of Holyrood in Edinburgh: King David's escape from death while out hunting in the 12th century, inspiring him to found the abbey of the holy rood (cross), a royal wedding designed to unite the thistle and the rose in 1503 and all the drama of Mary Queen of Scots and her life at the palace. (Think intrigues, religious unrest, murders and her eventual flight to England) Hear stories about the later Stuart monarchs and find out what to look out for when you visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse and its beautiful grounds.
Useful links
https://www.rct.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse
https://edinburgh.org
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk/edinburgh
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
A stroll through the history of Edinburgh Castle takes in kings and sieges, feasting, battles, murders and plots. There are plenty of tales of capture and recapture, of English invaders and rival Scottish clans. Find out too what to look out for when you visit the castle today, including The Great Hall, built by James IV to host feasts and celebrations, the little room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son James, born to reign over both Scotland and England, and ancient treasures like the Stone of Scone and the Scottish Crown Jewels.
Useful links
https://www.edinburghcastle.scot
https://edinburgh.org
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk/edinburgh
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our Edinburgh series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Walk the ghostly narrow closes of the old town, visit the elegant Georgian streets of the new town, tour that glorious castle, sample the whisky, the seafood or maybe a tattie scone; it's no wonder that Edinburgh is one of the UK's most popular city break destinations. Here is an overview of the series, offering some geographical, historical and cultural details to whet your appetite for the remaining 15 episodes when we will tour all the main sites, telling you the stories behind them and introducing a wealth of colourful personalities who have influenced the city over the centuries.
Useful links
https://citybreakspodcast.co.uk/edinburgh-01
https://edinburgh.org
There will be no episode this week, but the new series, City Breaks Edinburgh, will begin next week.
www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Our interview with Stefanie Schnellhammer of Keksliebe covers all things culinary: The difference between Keks and Kuchen, how to eat a Weisswurst (and why you should always do it before 11.00 am) and why Prinzregententorte is Munich's favourite cake. She takes us through a number of Bavarian specialities and gives tips on where to find them when eating out in Munich or on a day trip to Lake Starnberg.
useful links
http://www.keksliebe.de
https://www.cafe-luitpold.de
https://www.nymphenburg-sekt-cafe.de
https://www.hofbraeukeller.de
https://www.starnbergersee.de/orte/feldafing
http://www.strandbad-feldafing.de
https://citybreakspodcast.co.uk/munich
We welcome Jax Slisz back for a second week in order to hear about the 2 Munich tours he runs which help him explain some of the darker aspects of Munich's history to visitors: a 3rd Reich Tour and a visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. He talks passionately about what there is to see, why it's important to know this story and how the memories of his Polish grandfather, Alois Slisz, underpin his desire to educate others about this period of German history.
useful links
https://citybreakspodcast.co.uk/munich
https://heartofmunich.com
video on the WW2 memories of Alois Sisz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m680cbtwcDU
After 5 years in Munich, Jax has founded his own tour guiding company, Heart of Munich Tours, and here he tells us what's on offer and shares lots of insider tips: why are Marienplatz and the Hofgarten two of his favourite stopping-off places, what cultural events is the city famous for apart from the Oktoberfest, what's the atmosphere like in the Hofbrauhaus and why is a beer garden only a (traditional) beer garden if it is shaded by chestnut trees?
useful links
https://heartofmunich.com
https://citybreakspodcast.co.uk/munich
Three great travel bloggers share their city break ideas with us: we explore the world from Athens to Kochi and the alphabet from Auckland to Vilnius, taking in Funchal and Seattle on the way and all with lots of ideas for what to see, do, eat and drink along the way. Have a listen and be inspired.
Useful links our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This week's guest websites
https://www.albomadventures.com
https://roadsandrunways.co.uk
https://www.packthesuitcases.com
Part 2 of our interview with Andrea Giordani from Feel Florence, the city's official tourism website, in which he takes us on a journey through some of the highlights of Italy's best-known literary work, The Divine Comedy by the 14th century Tuscan poet Dante Alighieri. 2021 marks the 700th anniversary of Dante's death and so now is the perfect time to get to know more about him and all the reasons why he is so famous, in Florence, in Italy and worldwide.
useful links
https://www.feelflorence.it/en
https://www.feelflorence.it/en/node/44397
https://www.villegiardinimedicei.it
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
The first of a two-part interview with Andrea Giordani from Feel Florence, the city's official tourism website. The 14th of this month is the central day in a year-long series of events to mark the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri, Florence's world-famous poet, author and philosopher (1265-1321). Andrea tell us a little about Dante himself and the Florence he knew, introduces us to his best known work, the Divine Comedy and outlines some of the many events happening in Florence this year to mark the anniversary.
useful links
https://www.feelflorence.it/en
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We interview Helen Farrell, editor of The Florentine, to find out how this publication and website can enhance your knowledge of Florence. She explains their news and listings functions and outlines the wide range of cultural information on offer; everything from new literature set in the area, to the recent celebrations for the 700th anniversary of Dante's death, via - of course! - Florence's recent Cocktail Week.
Helen's Reading Suggestions
Still Life by Sarah Winman
The Bookseller of Florence by Ross King
The Hunting Season by Tom Benjamin
Angels of Mud by Vanessa Nicolson
The Florence Duck Store by Harry Cochrane
useful links
https://www.theflorentine.net
https://www.theflorentine.net/subscription
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Our very first Florence Extra episode with guest Danielle from the Florence-based tour company Ciao Florence who tells us all about the various tours and experiences the company offers in Florence and the surrounding area. She brings a refreshing Florence-based perspective and an insight into many things not covered in the original series.
useful links
https://www.ciaoflorence.it/en
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
More inspiration from three great travel blogs: a Bulgarian city you may not have heard of, (but definitely should not miss), a round-up of Italian cities from the most popular to the charmingly lesser-known, Buenos Aires for beginners and Dubrovnik on the cheap. Plus, of course, a general spirit of wanderlust, appreciation and can-do spirit.
Useful links our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This week's guest websites
https://travelforawhile.com
http://www.italiantripabroad.it
https://www.bigworldsmallpockets.com
Our London Bucket List features a wide range of must-do ideas, some of our own and lots more from our contributors: travel bloggers, historians and a London diarist. Inspiration for all! Useful links
https://www.aworldinreach.com/?s=london+
https://besidestheobvious.net/2021/01/16/the-perfect-london-bucket-list-the-top-70-things-to-do-in-the-capital-of-uk
https://www.berkeleysquarebarbarian.com
https://anhistorianabouttown.com
https://livinglondonhistory.com/londons-ancient-roman-and-medieval-walls-a-self-guided-walk
https://www.diaryofalondoness.com
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That's a big help!
A set-in-London booklist, four reading anthologies based on London and four walking tours focussed on the capital's best-known authors. Plus, a whole selection of snippets of poetry and prose. In short, a comprehensive introduction to literary London and a host of follow-up ideas. This episode brings you everything from Dickens to J K Rowling, from the London of Agatha Christie's 'At Bertram's Hotel' to that of Tarquin Hall's 'Salaam Brick Lane'.
Useful links https://brightnomad.net/books-set-in-london https://www.london-walking-tours.co.uk/free-tours/dickens-london.htm https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/walks-and-itineraries/self-guided-walks-and-trails/shakespeares-london https://www.london-walking-tours.co.uk/the-sherlock-holmes-mystery-trail.htm https://www.getyourguide.co.uk/london-l57/london-harry-potter-walking-tour-t390509 https://www.visitlondon.com
Reading ideas London: An Illustrated Literary Companion by Rosemary Gray The Blue Guide Literary Companion to London compiled by Robin Saikia Fictional London: A Guide to the Capital's Literary Landmarks by Stephen Halliday City Lit London edited by Heather Reyes
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That's a big help!
A selection of readings from diarists who have written about London across the centuries and from travel writers who came to visit. Everything from eye witness accounts of the Fire of London and an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria, to those who hated the London fog and pickpockets and those who admired it as a city full of 'all that life has to offer'. Useful link https://www.visitlondon.com
Reading ideas The Diary of John Evelyn The Diary of Samuel Pepys The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell The Blue Guide Literary Companion to London City Lit London by Heather Reyes London: An Illustrated Literary Companion by Rosemary Gray A London Year by Travis Elborough and Nick Rennison The Traveller's Year by Travis Elborough and Nick Rennison
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
We bring you another selection of City Break Ideas: Boston, USA on the 4th July; art and bubbling mud pools in Reykjavik; ruin bars and Turkish bathing in Budapest; a tour of New York's Grand Central Station; and what to eat at Eggslut in LA. Plus loads more ideas on each of those cities. Obviously. Also, Stolpersteine, an art and holocaust memorial project found in many European countries which everyone should know more about.
Useful links our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This week's guest websites
https://retiredandtravelling.com
https://lanniesfoodandtravel.com
https://adventuringwoman.com
We cover every kind of London shopping experience, popping into some globally recognised department stores, including Selfridges on its opening day in 1909, dropping by foodie havens, the best areas for a little vintage shopping and the cream of London's bookshops. We also call into London's oldest shopping arcade, first opened in the 14th century, as well as one referred to as 'the newest kid on the block.'
Useful links
https://www.foyles.co.uk https://www.hatchards.co.uk https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk https://www.stanfords.co.uk http://www.visitbricklane.org http://www.portobelloroad.co.uk/the-market https://www.leadenhallmarket.co.uk https://www.camdenmarket.com https://boroughmarket.org.uk https://www.burlingtonarcade.com https://www.theroyalexchange.co.uk https://www.coaldropsyard.com https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Windsor: a thousand years of English history. We discuss everything from Edward III's Order of the Garter to Edward VII's new bathrooms, via the purchase of 40 Canalettos by George III and Christmas at Windsor for Victoria, Albert and their children. We visit the royal tombs in the chapel, take an idyllic boat trip up the Thames and pop over the bridge to Eton, home of England's very poshest school.
Useful links
https://www.rct.uk/visit/windsor-castle
https://www.frenchbrothers.co.uk (boat trips)
http://johnlogiemotorboats.com (boats for hire)
https://collections.etoncollege.com/museums/museum-of-eton-life
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
A trip a little way down the Thames for a wander round two of London's classiest areas. Firstly, Kew, with its world-famous botanic gardens and, tucked inside, London's smallest royal palace, namely Kew Palace. Then to Richmond, one-time site of the Palace of Richmond and home today to the capital's largest royal park. History, boating, croquet, it's all here.
Useful links
https://www.kew.org
https://www.hrp.org.uk/kew-palace
https://www.museumofrichmond.com
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if only you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Five travel bloggers, four continents, three blogs with intriguing names, this episode offers a goodie-bag of city break ideas, plus the chance to meet an eclectic mix of people including Einstein and Ho Chi Minh. All three blogs take a seize-the-day attitude to travel, summed up by one in Latin - 'Carpe diem' - and translated into English by another: 'Eat the cake, buy the shoes, take the trip'. Inspiration for all!
Useful links our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This week's guest websites
https://caffeinatedexcursions.com
https://chalkandcheesetravels.com
https://carpediemeire.com
Hear about the great Tudor feasts held at Hampton Court Palace, plus tales of Henry VIII, his various wives, his courtiers and his great friend - and rival - Thomas Wolsey. There are also stories from later eras at the palace, when William and Mary and the feuding Georgian monarchs lived there, plus ideas on what to look out for if you go to visit.
Useful links
https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if only you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
A review of moments of history which have taken place on the River Thames - think Henry VIII and his river pageants or the cranes dipping their heads for Winston Churchill's funeral - plus ideas for places to visit today if you want to enjoy, or learn more about, the great river which has been the lifeblood of the city of London for two millennia.
Useful links
https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/thames-path
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if only you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
A tour of the five Royal Parks in central London, each with its own history and particular atmosphere. Hear where Charles II got into trouble for picking flowers for one of his mistresses, why the name of London Zoo's Winnie the Bear lives on nearly a hundred years after her death and which British Prime Minister was once robbed in Green Park. Find out too where you can hire a pedalo, visit an Italian garden and see some pelicans whose ancestry dates back 350 years.
Useful links
https://www.royalparks.org.uk
https://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if only you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Greenwich is real day out territory from central London, except that one day won't be enough for all there is to see! Hear about lots of Tudor exploits in the one-time Greenwich Palace, find out what makes the Queen's House such an architectural gem, and enjoy tales with a maritime flavour from the Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory.
Useful links
https://www.rmg.co.uk/queens-house
https://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum (also The Painted Hall)
https://www.rmg.co.uk/cutty-sark
https://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if only you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Lots of city break inspiration this month, as we feature three more guest websites and bring you ideas from four continents. Everything from an old City Breaks favourite, to a pink city on the Indian subcontinent and some of Canada's lesser known capitals. Whether you've been, are going, or just like to find out more, we hope you'll like what you hear!
Useful links our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This week's guest websites
https://travellingtheworldin360.blog
https://www.howwetravel.co.uk
https://dreamplanexperience.com
A two-stop tour of north London. Firstly, pretty Hampstead, where Virginia Woolf thought 'it is always spring': lanes and cottages, cafes, antique shops and museums, including the house where John Keats spent his last 2 years in England. And not forgetting its spy connections. Then off to nearby Highgate Cemetery in search of gothic vibes and some famous tombs.
https://burghhouse.museumssites.com (Hampstead Museum)
https://www.freud.org.uk (Freud Museum)
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/attractions-museums-entertainment/keats-house
https://highgatecemetery.org
https://www.walks.com (London Walks)
https://www.visitlondon.com
Recommended Reading
London Walks, London Stories by David Tucker
The Lawn Road Flats: Spies, Writers and Artists by David Burke
Guy Burgess: The Spy Who Knew Everyone by Stewart Purvis
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if only you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
A tour of East London, in search of the Old East End and the area's Jewish and multi-ethnic roots. A little history, ideas for places to visit and some literary inspiration to inform your tour. Before leaving, we pop over to the docks and the London Docklands Museum.
https://www.raggedschoolmuseum.org.uk
https://sandysrowsynagogue.org
https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands
https://www.aladyinlondon.com
https://www.walks.com (London Walks)
https://www.visitlondon.com
Recommended Reading
Constance Street by Charlie Connolly
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if only you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Bloomsbury, London's literary and academic heartland, full of pretty garden squares and the place to find some of the country's top museums, bookshops and libraries. We wander through, pointing out some historical and literary connections and enjoying the very essence of Englishness on offer in this quietly elegant area of the capital.
https://www.britishmuseum.org
https://www.bl.uk (British Library)
https://www.foyles.co.uk
https://www.walks.com (London Walks)
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
We dissect three more great travel blogs and bring you a taster of each, picking out inspiration a-plenty for future city breaks and indeed lots of ideas for other types of travel. There are some city break classics - Milan, Singapore, Malaga - and some more niche ideas: London for the adventurous, 'boozy tastings' from across the world and a visit to a Maid Cafe in Tokyo.
Useful links our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This week's guest websites
https://www.berkeleysquarebarbarian.com
https://lovetravellingblog.com
https://thirstyjourneys.com
London certainly pops up frequently in the novels of England's best-known 19th century author, Charles Dickens, and traces of him can be found all over London. This episode investigates the links and takes in visits to two London museums which are closely connected to him: the Dickens Museum and the Foundling Museum
https://dickensmuseum.com
https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk
https://www.london-walking-tours.co.uk
https://www.walks.com
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Our two greatest authors, Chaucer and Shakespeare, both lived and worked in London for most of their lives. Hear about them and their work, discover the London they knew and find out where to 'see' them in the city today.
https://www.shakespearesglobe.com
https://www.westminster-abbey.org
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Surely no two people left a greater mark on 'their' corner of London, than Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Hear their story and discover the places most connected with them: Kensington Palace, the Royal Albert Hall and a trio of world-class museums, namely the V and A, The Science Museum and the Natural History Museum.
https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace
https://www.vam.ac.uk
https://www.nhm.ac.uk
https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
https://www.royalalberthall.com
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Lots more city break inspiration this month and what a range we have on offer: everything from Glasgow to Tirana, from an old favourite - Seville - to a far less familiar gem, namely Pecs in southern Hungary, and not forgetting a tour of Japanese cities too. Surely there is something for everyone here.
Useful links
our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
https://www.abfabtravels.com https://besidestheobvious.net https://brightnomad.net
In this episode it's all about London as a centre of entertainment. We're going along the Strand, round Covent Garden, popping into the Royal Opera House and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and then on down to Piccadilly and London's theatreland. Enjoy!
https://www.thesavoylondon.com
https://www.simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk
https://solt.co.uk (Society of London Theatre)
https://lwtheatres.co.uk/theatres/theatre-royal-drury-lane
https://www.walks.com
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
A visit to Fleet Street, a focal point for writers, publishers and journalists since the Middle Ages. Hear some of their stories, find out which of their favourite watering holes still exist today and discover two places of interest which you can still visit: the home where Dr Johnson wrote his famous dictionary and St Bride's Church, known as the spiritual home of the media.
http://www.drjohnsonshouse.org
http://www.stbrides.com
https://www.walks.com
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
A wander round the Inns of Court, that most peaceful haven just off some of London's busiest streets. Explore the courtyards and gardens, learn about the ancient buildings where lawyers have been working for centuries and hear how trainee barristers let off steam in medieval times. Find out too what the young Charles Dickens thought about life as a solicitor's clerk here.
https://www.walks.com
https://www.london-walking-tours.co.uk/inns-of-court-tour.htm
https://theroyalcourtsofjustice.com
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
What visit to London could miss out Buckingham Palace? Hear a little history, some trivia and some tales from the balcony. Then find out what to look out for on a visit, before popping next door (twice) to the Royal Mews to meet the horses and to the Queen's Gallery to hear about some of the royal treasures which won't fit into any of the palaces.
https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace
https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace
https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-royal-mews-buckingham-palace
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
We're crossing continents this month. Three continents in fact, as we are bringing you city break inspiration from three more great travel websites and sharing a clutch of ideas from the US and Australia, as well as a selection from France, Germany and the Czech Republic. Do join us!
Useful links
our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
https://www.hannahhendersontravel.com https://bristolianabroad.com https://www.justustwotravel.co.uk
This episode takes you on a stroll through the very heart of London from Parliament Square along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. We pause at the Cabinet War Rooms, the underground maze from which Churchill directed operations in World War 2, then make three further visits: to the Banqueting House, scene of the only beheading of an English king, the National Gallery and the Portrait Gallery.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms
https://www.hrp.org.uk/banqueting-house
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk
https://www.npg.org.uk
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
The building might be a stunning Victorian gothic pile, but the history of the Houses of Parliament goes much, much further back than that. Hear some of the highlights, together with snippets from the speeches which made the greatest impact, and find out too what to look out for on a visit. We'll be popping next door to Westminster Hall too, the scene of some of the country's most momentous occasions: coronation feasts, the trials of traitors and a king, and visits from a pope and an American president.
https://www.parliament.uk/visiting
https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall
https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
A Christmas day coronation-and-riot in 1066, the weddings of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria's coronation and Golden Jubilee, Westminster Abbey has seen them all. Hear the story of its beginning, and tales from across the centuries of just some of the most talked-about events which took place there. Find out too what you should look out for on a visit.
https://www.westminster-abbey.org/ https://www.visitlondon.com/
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Inspiration for city breaks from three more travel websites. We take in Winnipeg in Canada in the company of two of its travel-orientated residents, tour Moscow with a Russian travel-writer and follow an American blogger to explore the far end of the alphabet in the shape of York and Zagreb.
Useful links
our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
https://retirestyletravel.com https://travelcultura.com https://perrytrails.wordpress.com
This episode will give you the background information you need to enjoy your visit to the Tower of London to the full. Find out the main facts such as why William the Conqueror built it in the first place and who was imprisoned, tortured and beheaded within its walls. Get the quirky details too: which animals have been kept there over the centuries and what became of them all in the 1820s, which ghosts are still said to roam the premises, what will happen if the last ravens ever fly away?
https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
This tour of the Square Mile, starts with some stories from its history: medieval days, the plague, the Great Fire and the subsequent rebuilding of the city which became a world centre of finance. We'll hear from many Londoners, such as Dick Whittington, Samuel Pepys and Christopher Wren, and visit some of the places you might want to look round today, including a number of churches and such venerable institutions as the Guildhall, the Royal Exchange and Mansion House, not forgetting the Bank of England Museum.
http://www.guildhall.cityoflondon.gov.uk http://www.theroyalexchange.co.uk https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/museum https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-us/about-the-city-of-london-corporation/mansion-house https://ststephenwalbrook.net https://www.stlawrencejewry.org.uk https://www.greatstbarts.com https://www.stmarylebow.org.uk https://www.visitlondon.com
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time! Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
We begin our tour of London at St Paul's Cathedral, which stands as a symbol of the city and which has so many links to its past. Hear a little of the history of the cathedral itself, listen to stories as varied as Catherine of Aragon's (first!) wedding, Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and the funerals of Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill. Find out too what to look out for when you visit.
https://www.stpauls.co.uk https://www.visitlondon.com
Check our website to find more episodes from our London series or to browse our back catalogue on other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. It helps others to find us.
Red buses and royalty, St Paul's and Piccadilly, London is one of the world's most popular city break destinations. Here is an overview of the series, offering some geographical, historical and cultural details to whet your appetite for the remaining 25 episodes when we will tour all the main sites, telling you the stories behind them and introducing a wealth of colourful personalities who have influenced the city over the centuries.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london
Loads of inspiration for future city breaks from three great travel websites. We're off to the Middle East, then taking in both Tuscany and southern Italy, as well as venturing into Eastern Europe for some New Year celebrations. Something for everyone!
Useful links
our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Colour me Dubai: https://www.colourmedubai.com/ Postcard Stories Blog: http://postcardstoriesblog.com/ Gay Puglia Podcast: https://www.gaypugliapodcast.com/
City Breaks is taking a short break and this update gives you information about that, as well as introducing the brand new City Breaks series which will be launched shortly.
www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Lots of ideas for cities for a Christmas break, plus more inspiration for future city breaks from three great travel websites. There's an Italian slant today, with visits to Turin and Venice, but we also take a look at Bratislava.
Useful links
our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Vire-Volte: https://www.vire-volte.com Travel the World Club: https://traveltheworldclub.com
Some home-grown city break inspiration, plus three intriguing ideas from listeners. One takes us to central Spain, another gives a new take on an old favourite and the third makes a lively suggestion for a city break with music, fun and ghost stories. To finish, there's a selection of spooky tales from other cities.
Useful links
our website: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk to find us on twitter: @citybreakscast
to e-mail us: citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Our latest episode – the last in the Bath series – takes you on a day out to Glastonbury, home of the abbey ruins, the Tor, the King Arthur legends and one of the country's most unusual high streets. Find out what happened to destroy the abbey, why a tree from Glastonbury was on Britain's Christmas stamps in 1986 and what starring role the town played in the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics.
Useful links https://glastonbury.uk https://www.glastonburyabbey.com
www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk/bath
Less than an hour's drive from Bath, Wells is England's smallest city and makes a lovely day out. Hear about the main attractions, including the cathedral and the Bishop's Palace and learn lots of fascinating snippets: everything from bell-ringing swans to England's last fighting Tommy, via a fight in a vineyard, the stabling of horses in the cathedral and a record-breaking Olympic gold medal.
Useful links https://www.wellscathedral.org.uk https://bishopspalace.org.uk https://bishopspalace.org.uk/whats-on/swan-news https://www.wellsmuseum.org.uk https://wellswalkingtours.co.uk/wp https://www.visitwellssomerset.co.uk http://www.wellssomerset.com
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
The first of three episodes suggesting days out from Bath, this one takes you to Lacock and Corsham. Hear about the widowed Mum of eight who founded Lacock Abbey in the 13th century, about the life of the nuns there and the village's role as a popular film set. You've probably seen it in Pride and Prejudice, Wolf Hall or Harry Potter. Secondly, off to Corsham, home of Corsham Court and of a 17th century almshouse and schoolroom.
Useful links
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock-abbey-fox-talbot-museum-and-village http://www.corsham-court.co.uk https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Squeezed into our anthology are lots of authors who wrote about the city and whom you'd enjoy reading before a visit or afterwards when you want to reminisce. Or indeed when you are actually there: a spot of Jane Austen in Sydney Gardens, perhaps. On this episode you will hear a selection of diary entries, travel-writing and fiction, all of it centred on Bath and providing plenty of new perspectives.
Useful links https://mrbsemporium.com (the best bookshop in Bath! Bound to have a good selection of the authors mentioned here, as well as lots of other books on the city.)
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Hear a little of the history of theatre in Bath, including the story of the 'Theatre Royal', now more than 200 years old, and its predecessors. Find out how Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Sarah Siddons made their theatrical name in Bath, and hear about one of the city's finest musical traditions, the genteel combination of tea and music in the Pump Room.
useful links https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk https://www.bathvenues.co.uk/pump-room-history https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
A genteel walk - or 'parade' as it was known in the 18th century! - is a very 'Bath' thing to do and this episode will take you on lots. We visit some of the loveliest parks and explain their history; think Jane Austen at a fireworks display and a brief glimpse of Queen Victoria's ankles. And we suggest some excellent city centre routes which take you past the things you most want to see, plus some more energetic ideas for leaving the city centre and getting out into the surrounding countryside.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Here we present a selection of Bath's best museums and galleries: the Fashion Museum, housed in the Assembley Rooms and featuring clothes, ranging from Elizabethan-era gloves to the very latest 'dress of the year'; the house where astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus; the Postal Museum, telling the story of Bath's revolutionary postmaster whose profits helped finance the Circus and the Royal Crescent and Bath's two best known art galleries, the Holburne Museum and the Victoria Art Gallery.
Useful links
https://www.fashionmuseum.co.uk https://herschelmuseum.org.uk http://www.bathpostalmuseum.co.uk https://www.holburne.org https://www.victoriagal.org.uk https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Jane Austen's novels are a window into life in Regency Bath, a city she lived in for a period and over whose ways she often raised a quizzical eyebrow. Hear what Jane herself did in Bath and how she presented the city in her writing, then find out where in the city today you can have some Jane Austen experiences.
Useful links https://janeausten.co.uk https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bath-assembly-rooms https://www.bathvenues.co.uk/pump-room-history https://visitbath.co.uk/listings/single/pump-room https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/pump-room-restaurant
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Hear what all those elegant visitors were actually doing all day (and evening!) when they came to 'do a season' in 18th century Bath. Find out about the flamboyant master of ceremonies, Beau Nash, and the buildings you can still visit today which will conjure up the atmosphere for you: the Pump Room and the Assembly Rooms.
Useful links
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bath-assembly-rooms https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bath-assembly-rooms https://www.bathvenues.co.uk/pump-room-history https://visitbath.co.uk/listings/single/pump-room https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/pump-room-restaurant https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Bath's 18th century building boom left a legacy of lovely crescents and squares which are still today the most impressive areas of the city. This episode takes a look at how they came to be built, at the design ideas behind them and at what life was like inside, for the wealthy owners and also for their servants.
Useful links https://museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk https://no1royalcrescent.org.uk
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
It's over eleven thousand years since Bladud is said, thanks to his pigs, to have discovered the healing properties of the waters in Bath. This episode looks at stories of people bathing and 'taking the waters' in the city over the centuries, with a particular focus on the medieval and Georgian periods, then bringing things right up to date at the 21st century Thermae Bath Spa.
Useful links https://www.romanbaths.co.uk https://www.thermaebathspa.com
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This look at life in medieval and early modern times in Bath centres on a visit to the Abbey and to the streets around it. Find out why the coronation of Edgar, in Bath Abbey in 973, was so crucial for English history (and for all coronation services in the thousand plus years since then) and hear what to look out for on a visit. Learn too about daily life in the city long before the Georgians and their elegant manners changed things radically.
Useful links
https://www.bathabbey.org https://www.sallylunns.co.uk
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Nowhere in the UK will you see better preserved Roman baths than in the city of Bath! This episode centres on them and on the adjoining museum and explains what you can see there and what they tell us about the life of the Romans who built them: their advanced engineering skills, the key role the baths played in their social and business lives and something about their beliefs and customs.
Useful links
https://www.romanbaths.co.uk
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Our introduction to Bath, which many people think is the UK's most elegant city, will give you an overview, geographically, historically and culturally, and an introduction to the remaining 13 episodes: the places you will visit, the stories you will hear and the characters who have influenced the city over the centuries.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Four more city break ideas to tempt you. This week, a US West Coast city known for its very particular vibe, and Germany's oldest university town where you can walk in the footsteps of philosophers and visit a jail built specially for students. We're also featuring a suggestion for a visit to sunny Cyprus and another to a UNESCO World Heritage site in south-east Asia.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This virtual visit to Paris takes you on a tour of websites, YouTube videos and books which will bring the spirit of the City of Light alive for you even if you can't go there right now. Tour beautiful Paris by day and then by night, find out how to market-shop and then cook like a French chef, cherry-pick from gallery websites and videos on the best baguettes, cheeses and patisserie the city has to offer. Enjoy extracts from the writings of authors who will bring aspects of Paris alive for you. It's the next best thing to an actual visit!
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Among this week's five inspiring city break ideas you will find a smart new city in South East Asia, a picturesque canals-and-cobbles city in northern Europe and our first ever suggestion from North Africa! Plus, new ideas from an old favourite and an Italian coastal resort which is a big hit with British visitors. Plenty of choice!
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This virtual visit to Seville takes you on a tour of websites, YouTube videos and books which will bring the spirit of the city alive for you even if you can't go there right now. Find out - or reminisce - about the enticing blend of medieval and moorish architecture in the Alcazar and the art-deco splendour of the Plaza de Espana. Take a little tour of highlights at the Museo de Bellas Artes or the tapas restaurants in the city centre. Hear what writers who travelled to the city had to say about its food, its Arabic roots and its bullfighting traditions.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Five more inspiring city break ideas, mainly suggested by listeners. There's one of the planet's brashest neon-lit entertainment centres, then there's the UK's smallest city, plus (what some would call) the home of football, a former East European capital with a long and chequered history and a well-known 18th Century centre of enlightenment. Surely something for everyone!
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This virtual trip to Toulouse references websites, YouTube videos and books to take you on a virtual tour of this lovely southern French city, often voted the place where the French themselves would most like to live. Tour the city's streets and squares, find out what cultural treats it has to offer, enjoy some regional cuisine and pay a few out-of-town visits to the Canal du Midi and to two nearby World Heritage Sites: Carcassone, with its medieval hilltop fortress and Albi, home of the Toulouse Lautrec Museum. Whether you are reminiscing or planning a visit, there's plenty to enjoy.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Five more inspiring city break ideas from our listeners. Find out which cities they recommended and why. Perhaps there is something on the list to tempt you to book your next city break!
https://citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Enjoy a virtual visit to St Petersburg, a tour which refers to websites, YouTube videos and books to tell you about the cultural and historical aspects of the city. Fly by drone over St Petersburg, both in winter splendour and during the White Nights, pay virtual visits to the Hermitage and the Memorial to the defenders of Leningrad 'meet' Catherine the Great and Pushkin, find out how to make Russian pancake fritters. All this and more is possible in this episode and will be useful whether you are planning a trip, enjoying reminiscing or just want to find out more.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This is our 100th episode, and after a small celebration of that and some bits and pieces of City Breaks news, we offer you more city break inspiration, via listener suggestions and the fruits of our research. Prepare to feel like booking a trip!
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
If an actual trip to Munich isn't possible just now, you can always enjoy this virtual visit instead. Go on a tour of websites, YouTube videos, books and films which will whet your appetite for the cultural and historical aspects of the city. Pay virtual visits to the Residenz and the main art galleries, 'meet' Ludwig II and his best friend Wagner, then spend the evening relaxing at the Hofbrauhaus. It's all possible in this episode and will be useful whether you are planning a trip, enjoying reminiscing or just want to find out more.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
What kind of city break do you enjoy most? Which city would you like to visit next? Here are five tempting possibilities to consider.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
You can't go to Florence right now. But there's nothing to stop you going on a virtual visit and this episode will tell you all about the best resources to help you do just that. Hear about the websites, videos and books through which you can imagine yourself in Florence, and maybe reminisce a little, or start planning your next actual visit.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
A last look at Paris, this time through the eyes of authors who have set their work there. Four different novelists take us from the observation of murder and its aftermath in dingy 19th century back-street Paris, to an insider’s view of an elegant 21st century apartment block and its inhabitants. We look too at some short story collections, further extending the range of writing styles, eras and corners of Paris which are covered.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
News on what the plans are for the continuation of City Breaks during the coronavirus pandemic.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
A look at Paris through history books and historical novels, offering plenty of reading ideas to inspire your next visit! Biographies of Queen Marie Antoinette or of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir can provide plenty of background material. So too can fiction set in the past, such as Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, or Robert Harris’ treatment of the Dreyfus Affair, An Officer and a Spy.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
This episode sets out to enjoy the work of a number of writers who loved Paris and wrote their memoirs about living or working there. Hear some gossip from 17th century high society via the pen of Mme de Sévigny, enjoy the reminiscences of past writers like Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell and find out about life in more contemporary Paris as experienced by the writer Adam Gopnik or the chef and food-writer David Lebowitz.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We visit the two best-known literary museums in Paris, the Maison de Balzac in the 16th district and the Maison de Victor Hugo in the Place des Vosges and give an idea of what there is to see in each. In addition, brief biographical notes for each author are coupled with extracts to give a flavour of their work, from Eugène de Balzac's novels Père Goriot and Eugénie Grandet and from Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Visits to the Panthéon, where Paris pays homage to France's most respected citizens, and to the city's cemeteries are always fascinating. The world's most-visited cemetery, the Père Lachaise, contains the graves of, for example, Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf, those in Montparnasse and Montmartre are also the last resting place of many famous writers, musicians and artists. We also take in Passy, the burial ground at the elite end of the city and the Picpus Cemetery, with its gruesome reminders of so many victims of the Revolution.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
'The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay. I heard the laughter of her heart in every street café.' (Oscar Hammerstein II). Paris welcomes you to its corner cafes, its bistros and its restaurants. Discover the history of the Paris café, with its properly attired waiters, its bread baskets and its cluster of little tables, spilling their contents onto the pavements. Find out about the 'must-visit' establishments and the famous Parisians who made them their own.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Shopping in Paris is always a delight, whether you are popping to a local food market to choose some of the very best seasonal produce, wandering the 'passages', the maze of little covered shopping arcades dating from the nineteenth century or visiting one of the high-end department stores whose art deco interiors and piled-high top brands lure visitors from all over the world. From the macaroons of Ladurée to the latest word in fashion footwear from Christian Louboutin, you will find it all in Paris.
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A rundown of some of the events and 'happenings' in Paris which celebrate modern art, plus a visit to three of the big hitter museums where you can see 20th and 21st century works: the National Museum of Modern Art in the Pompidou Centre, the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art and the Musée Picasso. To finish off, some ideas on other places to enjoy contemporary art in all its many forms, be that painting, sculpture, sound and video installations or photography.
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The world's grandest art gallery, the Louvre's enormity presents both a pleasure and a challenge. It is said that it would take a hundred days to see everything, if you stopped at each exhibit for 30 seconds. So this is a whistle-stop and rather esoteric tour, stopping off at some pointers to French history and at some representative examples of the best of French painting, with also a very quick nod to a number of sculptures and foreign block-busters.
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The Parisian district of St Germain oozes class and intellectual allure, being home to the Sorbonne, and also to some of the big publishing houses, the Académie Française, proud guardian of the French language, and the lovely Luxembourg Gardens, so fondly described in many a memoir. This pot-pourri of an episode also considers the area's political importance as the home of the Assemblée Nationale and the Sénat and its artistic inheritance, centering on two museums, formerly the homes of the Romantic painter Delacroix and the sculptor Rodin.
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This episode looks at two of the loveliest ways to see Paris, wandering along the Seine and strolling down the Champs Elysées. Informed by a little history, some travel writing and a snatch or two of poetry, we take a closer look at some of the famous places you will pass on these two routes. We also make time for such highly Parisian details as the role of the bouquinistes and the reason why the Pont des Arts has always been so popular with artists.
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A well-known Parisian saying tells us that the right bank may be for spending and shopping ('La rive droite dépense'), but that the left bank is for more intellectual pursuits ('La rive gauche pense'). This episode looks at the Quarter Latin, where the city's best known university, the Sorbonne, has its roots and at Montparnasse, the adopted home of many of the 20th century's best-known writers, both expats (Hemingway, James Joyce) and Parisian (Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir).
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There are still signs of 'les années noires' (the dark years) of German occupation in Paris to be found all over the city, for example the many plaques in memory of fallen Resistance fighters and of deported Jewish Parisians, which can be spotted on buildings everywhere. This episode offers a little history, some testimonies from the time and a pointer to two institutions where you can learn much more: the Musée de la Libération and the holocaust memorial, the Shoah.
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Can there be a city and an art movement more intertwined than Paris and impressionism? Home to many of the movement's best-known artists, Paris itself was often the subject of their paintings, whether lovely views of the city like Pissarro's Boulevard Montmartre on a Wintry Afternoon or canvases capturing Parisians at leisure, such as Renoir's Bal du Moulin de la Galette. This tour of impressionist Paris visits three key sites: the Musée Marmottan, the Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay.
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Impressionist painters, the Folies Bergères, the city’s art-deco style metro stations and its grandest cafes all date from the Belle Époque, the 40 year period so well captured in Toulouse Lautrec’s quintessentially Parisian posters. It is the era when the Opéra Garnier, the Eiffel Tower and the Galéries Lafayette were built, a time when Paris seemed to be the centre of the civilised world. The episode looks at a little history and takes you on a tour of the places where you can still glimpse Belle Époque Paris today.
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We look first at Montmartre as one of the centres of the Paris Commune. After a visit to the Basilique de Sacré Coeur, built in commemoration of the city's suffering, we consider the other important aspect of the area, its artistic heritage and a visit to the Musée de Montmartre will illuminate the lives of the artists who lived and worked here, as well as the goings-on in such well-known venues as the Moulin de la Galette and the Chat Noir.
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This look at Napoleon's Paris focuses on the Emperor himself and the buildings most closely connected with him: the Arc de Triomphe, begun under his own instructions in 1805 to mark his victory at Austerlitz; the Invalides, where not just his hat and his field equipment, but also his imposing tomb are on display; and the lovely Château de Malmaison, the country retreat he bought for Josephine a few miles out of the city. We examine his legacy too, the changes he made to Paris, and, most illuminatingly, his own remarks in praise of his glories and success!
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1789, the defining moment in the history of Paris, is the focus of today's episode. Of course, the Bastille prison no longer exists, but we can visit the Conciergerie, where Marie-Antoinette and so many of her subjects were imprisoned, the Place de la Concorde, one of the sites where revolutionaries executed several thousand people in their quest to overthrow the authorities and the Musée Carnavalet, the city's main history museum. There'll be time too to learn a little more about the ill-fated Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette.
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A visit to the splendid palace just outside Paris which made Louis the Fourteenth the envy of monarchs all over Europe, yet whose very grandeur helped sow the seeds for revolution among his own people just a few generations later. A little history, some insights into the personality of a man who thought himself so deserving of pomp and extravagance and some pointers on what to look out for on a visit to the château and its glorious grounds.
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The fire which almost engulfed Notre Dame reminded Parisians and the world in general how precious the city's cathedral is and this episode will explain why, touching both on significant historical events which have taken place there and what to see when you visit. But before that, an introduction to Paris' other, slightly older, cathedral, the Basilique St Denis. It's less visited, being a little outside the very centre of the city, but it is a building of amazing peace and beauty in which almost every one of France's kings and queens is buried.
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Surely every tour of Paris should start in the heart of the city, on the two islands which were where the very first settlers made their home, the Île St Louis and the Île de la Cité. We visit the city's oldest buildings, the Conciergerie and the beautiful Sainte Chapelle Church, linger a little on the Pont Neuf (actually the city's oldest bridge) and, finally, hear the poignant tale of Paris' best-known lovers, the 12th century philosophy teacher Abelard and the girl who stole his heart, Héloise.
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So often top of the polls when people are asked what city they would most like to visit, Paris barely needs an introduction! But here is an overview of the city, geographically, historically and culturally, to whet your appetite for the remaining 21 episodes when we will tour all the main sites, telling you the stories behind them and introducing a wealth of colourful personalities who have influenced the city over the centuries. Bon voyage!
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Hear stories about some of Seville's best known fictional characters. We start with Cervantes' low-life tricksters Rinconete and Cortadillo, operating in 16th century Seville. Then there’s Carmen, the fictional character originally created by Prosper Merimee, whose dramatic story so captured the imagination of 19th century readers that they thought she was real and came to Seville to meet her. And finally, Don Juan, whom no-one could 'outsmart in gambling, duelling or making love' and who was brought to life in stories, plays and operas by a number of writers. Discover too where to find traces of all three in today's Seville.
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First, some short quotations including one from Lord Byron, who famously praised the city for its ‘oranges and women’ and another from Jan Morris who wrote more poetically of the air which was ‘heavy with jasmine and orange blossom’. Then, time is devoted to writers of longer accounts. Enjoy hearing, for example, about Richard Ford’s ‘Handbook for Travellers in Spain’, written in the 1830s, Laurie Lee’s account of walking through Andalucia in the 1930’s and the writings of Jason Webster and Edward Lewine whose more recent travelogues focus respectively on a search for the country’s Arabic roots and its bullfighting tradition.
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A Spanish proverb says that he whom the gods favour will eat in Seville. (‘A quien Dios quiere bien, en Sevilla le da a comer’) This episode offers an overview of Andalucian food, from staples like olives and fish, to the delicious and seemingly endless array of little treats known as tapas. Hear about Arabic influences, sherry production and much more and savour the experiences of a number of travel writers who enjoyed what they ate and drank in Seville and then wrote about it memorably.
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Many of Seville’s art treasures date from the ‘Siglo de Oro’, the ‘golden century’ when the city grew rich on its role as the hub of New World exploration. First, we visit the Hospital de la Caridad and the Hospital de los Venerables where there are works by acclaimed painters like Murillo and Zurbaran. After short biographies of three famous painters with very Sevillian roots, it’s off to the Museo de Bellas Artes, where many of the paintings are by Spanish artists and where the stated aim is to be ‘an essential element in the cultural identity of Seville’.
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Flamenco originated in Andalucia and has a long tradition in Seville. Find out about its roots in gypsy culture and about all the aspects which combine to make this colourful, dramatic art-form so unique: music, song, rhythm, dance, gesture and costume. Hear about the Museo del Baile Flamenco, Seville’s flamenco museum with its informative displays and concerts and discover how various travel-writers reacted when they came across this highly emotional art form.
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Bullfighting is an integral part of Sevillian culture, whether you are for or against it. We look at the arguments on both sides, then learn a little history and some basic facts about bullfighting today. We also visit the Seville bullring – the oldest in Spain – and its museum and hear from travel writers, novelists and poets what they thought about it all.
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We cross the river Guadalquivir to the ‘other’ side, the former working class district of Triana, which has always been a little set apart from the rest of the the city. It wasn’t until the mid nineteenth century that a stable bridge was built to link Triana and Seville! Hear about its Moorish and gypsy roots, its links to Christopher Columbus and its critical role in Seville’s world-famous ceramics industry. Find out about its ‘endearingly scruffy’ atmosphere and how it is the place where two of Andalucia’s most important cultural traditions are thought to have begun: flamenco and bull-fighting.
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An episode about just wandering round Seville for the pleasure of it! Hear about the art-deco charm of the Maria Luisa Park, with its delightful tree-lined avenues, fountains and statues and the splendid Plaza de Espana, built to showcase Spanish culture in 1929 and today a place to enjoy ice creams and boating. Then discover three of Seville’s palaces, the Casa de Pilates, the Palacio de las Duenas and the Palacio de Lebrija, where shady courtyards, exquisite archways and a feast of other treasures await. This episode offers a little history, a spot of travel-writing and a lot of relaxation.
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For two weeks every spring, it seems as if the world has come to Seville and this episode explains why. Semana Santa, or Holy Week, sees sombre processions by 50 different 'brotherhoods' to re-enact the events from the last week of Christ's life, the culmination of months of preparation and weeks of rehearsals. In late April, it’s party-time at Seville's six-day long 'Feria de Abril', thought to be the liveliest in Spain. After afternoons of carriage-riding or perhaps a paseo on horseback, the long nights are for revelling Seville style which means flamenco, tapas, funfair rides and dancing till dawn.
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1492, the year Columbus sailed the ocean blue, marked the beginning of the golden age for Seville, which had the monopoly on trade between Spain and the New World and became Europe's 16th century boomtown. The episode re-tells the story, then highlights 3 places to visit in today's Seville which have much to tell you about the city's role in the discovery of new lands and about the sailors who first sailed right around the globe: the Torre del Oro (Golden Tower), Admiral's Quarters and the Archivo de Indias, former trade centre and now a museum and archive centre.
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Seville's cathedral was built on the site of the mosque when the Christians re-conquered the city, so parts of it – the Giralda, the Patio de los Naranjos and the arched gateway - date from the Islamic era. After choosing just a tiny proportion of the cathedral's treasures to highlight, we head off to the nearby area of Santa Cruz, home to Seville's Jewish community before they fled Spain during the Inquisition. Today it's a charming labyrinth of tiny cobbled streets and flower-filled patios, enticingly viewed through wrought iron gates.
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The Alcazar is the heart of moorish Seville, perhaps the most beautiful building in the city, although there's strong competition. It captivated later Christian kings like Ferdinand of Castille who moved in and determined to 'die under its roof'. Meet other inhabitants like Pedro the Cruel, who so admired Islamic designs that he borrowed builders from his friend the Emir of Granada and Ferdinand and Isabella who set up their 'Casa de la Contratacion' in the Alcazar and ran their New World Empire from there. Find out what to see and what travel-writers from past ages had to say about this lovely building and its beautiful gardens.
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Bienvenidos! Welcome to Episode 01 of City Breaks Seville, which will give you an overview of the city, historically, geographically and culturally and an idea of the material to be covered in the remaining 12 episodes. We hope you will enjoy this series, and maybe feel inspired to plan a visit to lovely Seville. Or perhaps you have already been and will enjoy reminiscing. Either way, we hope you will love our 'virtual visit'!
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Gastronomy is a definite highlight of a visit to Toulouse and not just because it's the home of cassoulet. Of course we'll look at the legends behind that warming dish and get as far as we can on what might be in the highly secret recipe, but we mustn't neglect Toulouse sausages, the great duck versus goose debate, the many uses of violet as a flavouring or such sweet treats as the apricot-and-almond delight which is fénétra. And then there's the wine. Obviously. We’ll hear too from writers who lingered in the Languedoc and wrote enticingly about the delicious morsels and gargantuan feasts they savoured.
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Two ideas for easy excursions from Toulouse. First, the medieval citadel of Carcassonne, silhouetted against the skyline on a million postcards, whose romantic exterior belies an often gruesome history. And secondly, the equally beautiful city of Albi which boasts not just a unique medieval heritage, and a gorgeous gothic cathedral, but also the Musée Toulouse Lautrec. Here you can learn about the life of the artist who grew up in Albi before he set off to Paris to paint some of that city's most iconic artworks. The museum here has over 200 of his paintings and posters, plus a large collection of his drawings.
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What more idyllic escape from city-centre Toulouse than to potter up the Canal du Midi on foot, by bike or – best of all – in a boat? Hear how ‘Europe’s biggest public works project since the fall of the Roman Empire’ came to be opened in 1681, and find out what there is to see along its banks, just day-out distance from Toulouse. Enjoy the reminiscences of writers who describe sailing down it as ‘motoring though an impressionist painting’ or drifting lazily through ‘a land of sunflowers, wheat fields, vineyards, ancient cities with red-tiled rooves, crumbling ruins wrapped in mystery.’
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We start with a tour of some of the 'hotels particuliers' which are such a feature of Toulouse architecture, finding out what kind of houses the city's elite built themselves once money and political power had come their way. Then we visit a variety of art galleries, large and tiny, to discover the wonderful range of goodies on offer, from Roman remains to cutting edge photography, taking in plenty of medieval sculpture, 'Golden Age' paintings and oriental treasures en route, while not forgetting to pass by 'one of France’s best contemporary museums' too. Meet some local artists-made-good and a host of internationally famous ones as well.
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The story of Toulouse's museums tells us what has been most important in shaping the city. We visit 9 institutions, starting with Terre de Pastel, where you can discover how woad brought fabulous wealth to 15th century Toulouse and ending at La Cité de l'Espace which celebrates the city's massive contribution to space travel. Along the way you'll hear how a love-stuck Genoese soldier brought the first violets to Toulouse, how the pilot of the earliest night mail flights to South America turned novelist and wrote about his adventures and how the work of monks caring for medieval pilgrims led to today's renowned Oncopole cancer research centre
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The fascinating ‘Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation is tucked away near the Jardin des Plantes. Its detailed displays of documents, photographs and memorabilia pay tribute to the bravery of the many Résistants who did all they could to work against the German occupation of the city from 1942-44. It also bears witness to the terrible fate of many of the city’s Jews, deported from Toulouse to the concentration camps. Hear about the places in Toulouse which tell us more about the period and the people whose bravery should be related to each new generation.
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The elegant pink façade of the Capitol, Toulouse’s town hall, which overlooks the magnificent Place du Capitole, is the city’s best-known symbol. Hear about some of its key historical moments, including executions to prove a point and the slaughter of one religious group by another. Then find out what to look out for on a visit, including paintings recalling Toulouse’s great moments, such as a visit from Pope Urban II and the defeat of Simon de Montfort. Plus busts of the citizens of whom the city is most proud, including the mathematician Fermat (of last theorem fame) and Pierre-Paul Riquet, the engineer who built the Canal du Midi.
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First, a tour of the main churches in Toulouse. The Basilique St Sernin was founded after the Bishop of Toulouse was martyred by being dragged through the streets tied to a bull. The Couvent des Jacobins is a one-time centre of the Inquisition against heretics and also the burial site of a saint who never visited the city. Find out too about the Cathars whose pious, very particular, take on Christianity so enraged the established church that the Pope sent crusaders to ‘Kill them all.’ Then hear about the troubadours, wandering poets who shunned Latin and wrote in the Occitan language, thus proving their independence of mind.
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Bienvenue! Welcome to Episode 1 of City Breaks Toulouse. This opening podcast will give you an overview of the city, historically, geographically and culturally and an idea of the material to be covered in each of the remaining 8 episodes. We hope that after listening to it, you’ll be looking forward to the rest of the series and maybe also keen get down to planning a visit, knowing that what you have learned will help you get the most out of your city break. Or perhaps you have already been to Toulouse and will enjoy reminiscing. Either way, we hope you will love the ‘virtual visit’!
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For the final episode in the series, we are 'leaving' St Petersburg to discover Soviet era Leningrad through the work of three very different authors. First, the poet Anna Akhmatova, whose writing was largely banned, but whose very Russian, free-spirited poetry made her a symbol of opposition to the state. Then Helen Dunmore, whose two novels The Siege and Betrayal are set in 1940s and 50s Leningrad, with heart-rending plots showing the difficulties of life in Soviet times. And finally, Sergei Dovlatov, whose short story collection The Suitcase casts a wry, critical, yet amusing look at the trials of being a Leningrad citizen in the 1960s.
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A look at 19th century St Petersburg through the eyes of 3 authors: Gogol, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. Hear how a long-desired new overcoat caused the demise of the humble clerk Akaky Akakievich, then wander the streets of the city following an escaped body part in another Gogol story, the absurdist The Nose. Learn of St Petersburg's glittering social life, described in War and Peace, and find out why the author preferred Moscow. And finally, experience the seamy side of the city in the company of Raskolnikov, the student-murderer 'hero' of Crime and Punishment. To round off the episode, a visit to the Dostoyevsky Museum in the heart of the Sennaya Ploshchad district.
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The Father of Russian Literature, Alexander Pushkin, led a colourful life of semi-debauchery in St Petersburg, and set some of his best-loved works there. Biographical details, including his schooldays at the city’s elite Lycée and his dramatic demise in a duel at the age of only 37, are followed by a review of two of his best known poems, which focus closely on St Petersburg. Then we look at his short story ‘The Shot’, a tale of pride, revenge and pistols which eerily previews his own death a few years later. Finally, we outline four places in the city today where you can go in search of Pushkin.
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Art lovers flock to St Petersburg's wonderful and extensive collections in the Hermitage and of course we will look at some of the highlights to be found there. But first, a nod to the architectural styles to be found in the city, from the glorious baroque palaces of 18th century St Petersburg, via the much more Russian-influenced design of the Church on the Spilled Blood, to the designs favoured in the Stalinist era. Also, a visit to the Russian Museum, where thousands of exhibits tell the story of Russian art from the earliest icons to the twentieth century and lastly, some pointers for those wanting to see modern art Russian-style.
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Surely ballet is one of the first things you think of when it comes to St Petersburg. Hear a brief history, beginning with the 'twelve little girls' invited in 1738 by the Empress Anna to join the city's first ballet school, held in the Winter Palace attic. Find out more about the 19th and early 20th centuries, when many of the great Russian ballets were first seen and dancers like Vaslav Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova graced the stage. Hear too what happened to ballet in the Soviet era and how Rudolf Nureyev brought such exciting new techniques from Leningrad to the west, then find out what it's like to see a ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in the city today.
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Hear about some of St Petersburg's many musical connections, with potted biographies of composers from Glinka, often known as the father of Russian music, to Shostakovich, via, of course, Tchaikovsky. And not forgetting Rubinstein, whose Russian Musical Society did so much to put St Petersburg on the musical map or Stravinsky, whose 'Rite of Spring' delighted and outraged audiences in equal measure. Find out too about some of the city's best-known musical and theatrical venues, from the jewel-like little theatres built for the Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great to the ever-popular Mariinsky Theatre and the Shostakovich Philharmonia Halls. Learn which museums and cemeteries have most to tell you about the city's musical heritage.
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St Petersburg's haunting Memorial to the Defenders of Leningrad recalls the dreadful 900 day long blockade of the city by German troops during the Second World War. Supplies to the city were so ruthlessly cut off that the population was starved and 800,000 people lost their lives. This episode provides a little history, some extracts from the diary of teenager Lena Mukhina who lived through it and – against all odds - survived, and an account of the day in August 1942 when the defiant remaining musicians from what had been the Leningrad Radio Orchestra staged an outdoor concert which was broadcast across the city. Finally, there are some details about the monument itself.
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What happened in St Petersburg after the 1917 Revolution and where can you find traces of the Soviet era in the city today? After a little history, we visit three sites with much to tell: the terrifying Trubetskoy Bastion Prison, the State Museum of Political History and the former home of the dissident poet Anna Akhmatova. After a look at metro stations designed in the 1950s as ‘Palaces of the People’, find out where you can experience Soviet culture today, whether you wish to play 1970s arcade games like Morskoi Boi (battleships!), dine in a Soviet-style restaurant on, say, borscht or draniki (beetroot soup or potato pancakes) or seek out the Donut Café where the atmosphere today still feels like ‘Stalin-era Russia.’
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First, some ideas on the increasing demands for reform which played out through the 18th and 19th centuries in St Petersburg, including the Decembrist revolt of 1825 and the assassination of Emperor Alexander II in 1881. Then, a look at end-of-an-era St Petersburg in the early years of the 20th century, especially the Bloody Sunday massacre of 1905 and the uprising in February 2017, which led to the abdication and, ultimately, the death of the last Romanov, Tsar Nicholas II. And finally, of course, the revolution of October 2017. A mix of facts and eye-witness accounts will leave you understanding these turbulent times – and therefore St Petersburg itself - a little better.
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The two city-centre palaces featured in this episode both tell us more about the end of the Romanov dynasty, albeit in very different ways. The Shuvalov Palace, a former glittering hub for St Petersburg's aristocracy, is today the home of a museum housing many artistic treasures, including a collection of Fabergé eggs, which remind the visitor of the luxury enjoyed by the last imperial Romanov family. By contrast, an exhibition at the Yusupov Palace tells the story of Rasputin, the spiritual adviser, or 'mad monk', who exerted such an influence on Nicholas and Alexandra that he was eventually lured here by Prince Felix Yusupov and his accomplices and murdered.
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The Alexander Palace was the family home of choice for a number of Tsars, even if they hosted big public events in the swankier Catherine Palace across the park. Nicholas II, the last Emperor, was born here, and made it a comfortable family home for his wife and 5 children, until they were taken away in the middle of the night in July 1917 and sent to their deaths in Siberia. There are reminders of them throughout the building, from the paintings and photographs they collected, to rooms like the Lilac Study, daytime retreat of the Empress Alexandra, where the family gathered to take tea every afternoon at five o’clock.
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This episode tours the many waterways of St Petersburg, looking first at some of the canals and bridges and then taking a stroll along the Neva, up the Palace Embankment, starting at St Isaac's Cathedral, whose gleaming dome soars above the city 'like a shining mitre'. The walk continues past the Winter Palace whose 1000+ rooms were once the home of imperial families, but which is now better known as one of the world's best art galleries and we finish at the Summer Gardens and Summer Palace, the idyllic riverside refuge designed by Peter the Great as a venue for summer parties and outdoor frolics.
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Nevsky Prospekt 'is Petersburg' according to Gogol, writing in the 1830s, and this long road is still today the backbone of the city. We explore it, stopping off at three of its best-known buildings, starting with the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, burial ground of Dostoyevsky and Tchaikovsky. Then it’s on to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, scene of so many imperial funerals and of the Te Deum held to celebrate the delivery of Moscow from the Emperor Napoleon. And finally, we take in the onion-domed, riotously colourful Church on the Spilled Blood, built on the exact spot where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, and hear the story behind that.
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Just as splendid as Peterhof, the Catherine Palace is St Petersburg's other dazzling summer residence, built as a surprise for Peter the Great by his wife Catherine on land he had gifted to her. This episode tells the story of the two great empresses who made it their own, starting with Elizabeth, daughter of Peter and Catherine and moving on to her niece-in-law, another Catherine, who succeeded to the Russian throne after the timely, not to say highly convenient, sudden death of her husband Peter III. She ruled for over thirty years as Catherine the Great. Learn something of the lives both empresses lived in the Catherine Palace, and then hear a few pointers on what to look out for on a visit.
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Peter the Great's legacy is, of course, the whole of the city of St Petersburg. But this episode focuses on some of the buildings most closely associated with him, such as the Peter and Paul Fortress, begun as a citadel, and later the site of the city's most feared prison. Also within the walls is the beautiful Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, whose foundation stone was laid by Peter himself and whose interior is the final resting place for him and almost all his direct Romanov descendants. Finally, hear about Peter's grandiose summer residence, the Peterhof Palace, designed by him to dazzle and delight and still doing both today.
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St Petersburg Episode 02 Peter the Great
The building of the beautiful city of St Petersburg at the dawn of the 18th century was all down to the willpower of one man: Peter the great. Hear how he drove tens of thousands of serfs and prisoners of war to dig into marshland on the banks of the River Neva and plant the foundations of his dream city: an elegant array of palaces and cathedrals set to rival anything he had seen on his travels to Amsterdam and London. Find out about the man who dreamed of sophistication, yet watched his henchmen torture his own son to death for opposing him.
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St Petersburg Episode 01 Introduction
Dobro pozhalovat! Welcome to episode 1 of City Breaks St Petersburg. This opening podcast will give you an overview of the city, historically, geographically and culturally and an idea of the material to be covered in each of the remaining 16 episodes. We hope that after listening to it, you’ll be looking forward to the rest of the series and maybe also keen get down to planning a visit, knowing that what you have learned will help you get the most out of your city break. Or perhaps you have already been to St Petersburg and will enjoy reminiscing. Whatever your knowledge of the city, and whether you have travel plans or not, we hope you will love the ‘virtual visit’ anyway!
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Munich Episode 14 World Capital of Beer
First, a brief history of brewing in Munich, from its beginnings in medieval monasteries, through royal patronage, the 19th century development of the craft on an industrial scale and, finally, the development of the 6 big breweries. Find out which brewery was started for his own personal use by a Wittelsbach monarch and why Löwenbräu has a lion as its symbol. Hear too about some of the city's most popular beer gardens and what snack foods you should order if you want to drink your beer in proper Bavarian style. We finish with a visit to both Munich beer festivals and more ideas for further research: a museum for beer-lovers and ideas for a guided tour of the city’s breweries and beer halls. Prost!
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Munich Episode 13 Enjoying the food in Munich
This episode is devoted to all things culinary in Munich, including Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) and the Viktualienmarkt,(food market) which is the gathering place for anyone wanting to buy local produce or enjoy Bavarian snacks like Weisssurst with mustard. Descriptions follow of some of Munich's best-known dishes, including hearty meat-based meals like Schweinesbraten and Leberknödelsuppe, popular local vegetable dishes such as Sauerkraut, Rotkohl and the wide variety of local mushrooms – Pfifferlinge, Steinpilze – which are the base of delicious sauces. Of course Munich is a cosmopolitan city, but the emphasis here is on traditional, Bavarian cuisine and so we couldn't resist a mention of the city's museum dedicated to the humble potato, the wonderfully named 'Kartoffelmuseum'.
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Munich Episode 12 Sport
First, a brief history of Munich's two great football clubs, Bayern Munich and TSV 1860, and the grand Allianz Arena, home to both teams. Hear too about the 1958 Munich Air Disaster, which cost the lives of over 20 people, including 8 Manchester United players and the 1972 Olympics, seen as a way for post-war West Germany to showcase its splendours to the rest of the world. The Olympic Park is still a major tourist attraction today, but things went catastrophically wrong when Palestinian terrorists took 11 Israeli athletes hostage in front of the world’s tv cameras. Finally, BMW, sponsors of the Munich Open Golf and Tennis tournaments, whose factory and museum, BMW Welt (BMW World) are both much-visited attractions today.
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Munich Episode 11 Music and Literature
First, hear what Wagner, Mahler and Richard Strauss did in Munich and where you can still find traces of them today, followed by a rundown of the city's current music scene, from Bavarian folk music to classical. Learn about the 'Golden Age' in Munich, from the late 19th to the early 20th century, with its café culture and iconic characters. Literary Munich is covered via the authors Heinrich Heine, whose statue stands in the 'Poet’s Garden' near Odeonsplatz, and Thomas Mann who settled in Munich after studying at the university and wrote all his most famous works there. Heine's remark, uttered in 1823, that 'Where they burn books, they will ultimately also burn human beings' is one of the most quoted sentences in German culture today.
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Munich Episode 10 Art
A brief history of art in Munich and information on its main art galleries and what to look out for there. Find out about works by Albrecht Dürer, Hams Holbein, the German Romantics like Caspar David Friedrich and the Blue Rider artists such as Wassily Kandinsy and Paul Klee. Hear too about propaganda art and the so-called 'degenerate art' of the Nazi period, which saw Hitler refer to the artists he thought subversive as 'cliques of chatterers, dilettantes and art-frauds.' Finally, hear the story of the Munich Art Hoard, culminating in the discovery in 2012 of Cornelius Gurlitt in his Munich apartment with huge quantities of art which had gone astray during the 1930's and 40's and which had been thought lost forever.
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Munich Episode 09 Standing up to Hitler
Hear about some of the Munich citizens who spoke out against Hitler, often with fatal consequences: the journalist Fritz Gerlich and churchmen Alfred Delp and Rupert Mayer. Discover too where, in today’s Munich, you can find traces of them still. More in-depth coverage is then given to the White Rose Resistance Group, Munich students led by Hans and Sophie Scholl, whose pacifist leafleting campaign ended in a show trial in a Munich courtroom and execution without appeal that same afternoon. There is material on their actions and their ideas, followed by pointers to the places in Munich where they are memorialised and an indication of the ways in which their plea for tolerance and respect for human dignity outlived them.
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Munich Episode 08 Munich and World War 2
Episode 8 focuses first on places in Munich with connections to World War 2, such as the Stadtmuseum,the Dokumentationszentrum on Königsplatz, the Jewish Museum and the Dachau memorial site. Mention is made of two fictional works of great relevance; Robert Harris's Munich, a fictional account of the Munich agreement in 1938 and Markus Zusak's novel The Book Thief, set in a Munich suburb in 1939. Finally, hear about the devastation left at the end of the war, the painstaking efforts of the 'Trümmerfrauen' who cleared away an estimated 5 million tons of rubble, and the memorial plaque requesting that you 'Pray and remember those who died under the mountains of rubble.'
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Munich Episode 07 Munich and the rise of Hitler
Episode 7 tells the story of Munich's connection with Hitler, from his arrival in the city in 1913 until the start of World War 2 in 1939. How did Munich come to be known as the 'Hauptstadt der Bewegung', or 'Capital of the (National Socialist) Movement'? Hear how a speech by Hitler in Munich's Hofbräuhaus ended in bloodshed on Odeonsplatz in 1923, and about his ensuing trial and the prison sentence during which he wrote Mein Kampf. The last section mentions later connections between Munich and the Nazi party, including the Bavarian Film Company, Hitler's friendship with Unity Mitford and the role played by well-known Munich sites such as the Hofbräuhaus, Odeonsplatz and Marienplatz.
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Munich Episode 06 The Town Centre
Starting in Marienplatz, hear about the two – yes, two – Town Halls and the quaint daily marionette shows: why does the blue-and-white knight always win the daily jousting competition and what are the coopers frolicking about? Then we visit the Peterskirche (Munich’s oldest church) and the Frauenkirche (her biggest), plus others offering sunny, Italian-feel baroque, the dank crypts of the Wittelsbachs and the vanity project of two brothers with plenty of money and a taste for the extravagant. You’ll find out where and why the devil stamped his foot and which bell tolled when there was to be a public hanging. Lastly, we're off round the Englischer Garten, one of Europe’s very largest city parks.
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Munich Episode 05 Ludwig's Dream Castles
We're going on a virtual tour of some of the fairy-tale castles built by Ludwig II in the Bavarian countryside so we can enjoy their magnificent, some would say insane, splendour. Hear about Neuschwanstein, believed to have been the inspiration for the castle in Disney's Sleeping Beauty, and Linderhof, where even the hunting lodge was crafted from marble, crystal and mahogany and where the indoor trinkets included a life-sized peacock in Sèvres porcelain. Finally, there's Herrenchiemsee, Ludwig's splendidly deranged attempt to build a copy of the Palace of Versailles. The castles prove that, as one biographer wrote, Ludwig was 'a unique phenomenon of his epoch.'
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Munich Episode 04 Ludwig II
Ludwig II, the flamboyant and ultimately tragic King of Bavaria who reigned from 1864 to 1886, is remembered for his physical beauty, but also for his strange behaviour. He often retreated from Munich to the Bavarian forest, where he enjoyed midnight sleigh rides and dreamed up the ever-more-extravagant decorating plans for his fairy-tale castles. His declining mental health and increasingly remote behaviour led to him being declared mentally unfit to rule. The circumstances of his unexpected and suspicious death have never been fully explained, but the popularity of the sites around Munich related to him reminds us of this 'most romantic, beloved and tragic monarch of modern times.'
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Munich Episode 03 Schloss Nymphenburg
Find out which baby Wittelsbach had the Nymphenburg Palace built in his honour and which family member built a hermitage in the garden to make up for a lifetime of revels. Discover such highlights as the picture gallery filled with portraits of Ludwig I's favourite women and the hunting lodge with its own hall of mirrors. Then meet two colourful personalities linked to Schloss Nymphenburg. Ludwig I was famous for his magnificent building projects and enthusiastic patronage of the arts, but Lola Montez was his eventual downfall: enigma, beauty, drama queen, con girl, pampered mistress, of whom the besotted Ludwig said, she 'gave up everything for me.'
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Munich Episode 02 The Residenz
A brief history of Munich's most visited tourist attraction, the Residenz, is followed by tips on what is most worth seeing, such as the grottos where 19th century ball-goers did their eating, meeting and greeting and the Treasury with its crowns and ostrich-egg-holder. Then we introduce the Wittelsbach family, who ruled Bavaria from this palace between 1180 and 1918, and who will keep popping up in future episodes. Find out about the king doomed by an extraordinary love affair with a con girl and his grandson who shied away from busy Munich, preferring to retreat to his bejewelled boudoirs in the depths of the Bavarian forests.
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Florence Episode 19 Literary Florence
The final episode on Florence focuses on a selection of the many literary writings connected to the city, beginning with the Tuscan writers Petrarch and Boccacio and the English poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Then four novels set in Florence are covered:Irving Stone’s biographical novel about Michelangelo,The Agony and the Ecstasy, Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel, E M Forster’s A Room with a View and finally Sarah Dunant’s The Birth of Venus, a vivid imagining of the life of a 15 year-old cloth merchant's daughter, which paints a colourful picture of Florence in 1528.
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Florence Episode 18 History and Travel Writing
First a brief look at some history books which have much to tell about Florence, and then glimpses into the many different writings of those – famous and not-so-famous – who have travelled to Florence and then written about it. There is a whole selection of quotes from travellers as varied as the actor David Garrick enjoying the city's 'fine profusion of things' in 1763, and Dylan Thomas who found Florence 'a gruelling museum'. Find out too about such literary delights as Mary McCarthy's The Stones of Florence, David Leavitt's Florence: A Delicate Case and Diana Athill’s A Florence Diary.
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Florence Episode 17 The Uffizi
This episode is devoted to the Uffizi, Florence's world-famous art gallery, offering a short history of the gallery and an overview of its treasures. The main focus is then on a number of highlights by Italian painters, such as the three glorious Madonnas (by Ducio, Cimabue and Giotto respectively) displayed together in the first main room plus, of course, Botticelli's Primavera and The Birth of Venus. Mention is also made of a well-known double portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca and in each case the descriptions are supplemented by useful background information.
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Florence Episode 16 Michelangelo
Of course, Michelangelo deserves an episode to himself and this is it. First, hear about the museums which display his work, including the Bargello and the Accademia. Then, there's a brief biography, focussing particularly on his Florence connections, especially his time as a youngster under the care and sponsorship of Lorenzo il Magnifico. Despite a long period working in Rome, Michelangelo took care to leave instructions that after his death his body should be returned to his home city for a funeral and burial in Santa Croce. Florence is still proud to be 'the birthplace of this divinely endowed spirit'.
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Florence Episode 15 San Marco
Perhaps one of Florence's lesser-known pleasures, San Marco's tranquil atmosphere and beautiful frescos are a delight. Hear a brief history of the building, including its connections to Cosimo de Medici and the 'mad monk' Savonarola, both of whose rooms you can visit. Find out too about the 43 monks' cells, each with their own fresco, the Pilgrim's Hospice and the Library, originally commissioned by Cosimo di Medici and today housing displays of medieval illuminated manuscripts. Lastly, there is information on the monastery's two most famous artists - Fra Angelico and Bartolomeo – and on the works they left behind them here at San Marco.
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Florence Episode 14 Galileo
Amid all the art and culture in Florence, it’s important to remember that the city also has a special place in the history of science, most notably as the home of Galileo. This episode begins with a biography, including his links to the Medici family, his main work and his controversial dispute with the catholic church, whose doctrine was in direct opposition to Galileo’s teaching. Hear about the resulting trial and sentence, and find out about the places in Florence today where Galileo is remembered, notably at his tomb in Santa Croce and at the Science Museum named after him.
Florence Episode 13 The Palazzo Pitti
Hear how the Medicis lorded it over the Pittis by buying up the grand palace which the latter could no longer afford. There are brief biographies of various Medici, some who patronised the arts and sciences and others who murdered each other to ensure their own succession. Find out which one was the 'the spendthrift cardinal' and which one was said to have 'passed his brief life between luncheons, receptions and literary or scientific debates.' Finally, hear about the most noteworthy things to look out for at the Palazzo, such as the Boboli Gardens, and paintings by Raphael and Titian.
Florence Episode 12 Machiavelli
This episode takes time out from visiting the sights of Florence in order to get to know more about one of the city's most famous inhabitants: Nicolo Machiavelli, one-time Secretary to the Council of Florence, but much better known to us for his writings. Hear about his life at the centre of Florence's politics, his banishment to the countryside when he fell out of favour and the writing he left behind, from 'perhaps the most famous letter ever written in Italian' to his advice to a former boss on how to succeed politically, written up in 'The Prince'.
Florence Episode 11 The Palazzo Vecchio
Find out why Duke Cosimo di Medici moved his family into the Palazzo Vecchio, the building which was originally his office, and how he and his Spanish wife Eleonora di Toledo made it both a symbol of the power of the Medici family and a comfortable home for themselves and their numerous children. Hear too how Machiavelli worked from here and about some of the unfortunates who were imprisoned in the Torre di Arnolfo, the high crenellated tower which rises above the Palazzo and can be seen from all over Florence.
Florence Episode 10 Piazza della Signoria
First, find out about some of the historical events which took place in the Piazza della Signoria across the centuries, then hear about the main works of art to be found there. The final section tells the story of the 15th century mad monk Girolamo Savonarola, whose fiery preaching persuaded the citizens of Florence to burn most of their precious possessions in a grand 'bonfire of the vanities' here on the square.
Florence Episode 09 Around San Lorenzo
Staying near San Lorenzo church, first a visit to the Laurentian Library, with its Michelangelo staircase and reading room, plus a magnificent collection of ancient books and manuscripts. Next, we take in the nearby Medici Chapel, where over 50 family members are buried, some of them in the splendidly over-decorated mausoleuim on the upper floor. And to finish, a biography of perhaps the best-known Medici of them all, Lorenzo il Magnifico.
Florence Episode 08 San Lorenzo
A description of the San Lorenzo district in medieval times, plus a visit to the Medici family church, famous for its artwork, especially the two pulpits by Donatello, who is buried here alongside his friend and sponsor, Cosimo di Medici. Biographies of both men conclude the episode.
Florence Episode 07 Palazzo Medici-Riccardi
The first Palazzo the Medici built themselves is plain outside, but fabulous inside - find out why and hear about some of the artwork inside. And hear the history of the first few generations of this amazing family who ruled Florence for two centuries.
Florence Episode 06 Santa Maria Novella
A brief history of Santa Maria Novella - including the exotic visitors who came to the Council of Florence and the arrival of Eleanor of Toledo - and then a description of the church as a thriving artistic community in medieval days, one which nurtured such talents as Cimabue, Giotto and Fra Lippi.
A tour of Santa Croce involves visiting some of Italy's most famous tombs (think Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo ...), remembering the devasting floods of 1966 and seeing the symbol of the city's recovery from flood damage in the shape of Cimabue's rescued-from-the-waters crucifix.
Florence Episode 04 Dante.
The story of Dante's life in Florence, plus some of his writing and tips on where to look for him in the city today.
Florence Episode 03 Around the duomo.
A brief history of three buildings closely connected to the duomo, namely the baptistery, Giotto's bell tower and the Cathedral Museum, along with pointers to the works of art to look out for in each.
Florence Episode 02 Inside the duomo
Stories from inside Florence's cathedral: all about the painting 'Dante's Divine Comedy', how Brunelleschi designed the dome and why a murder was committed in front of the altar in 1478.