Art and Abart

On the way south in the train from Hamburg to Slovenia I occassionally took out my sketch pad as the landscape whizzed past the window. J...

A chill was in the air this morning in Salzburg. I had a couple of hours before the train left so I walked down to the Mirabelle Gardens for...

Green, green and wet It is raining in Hamburg. It is raining and cold everywhere in northern Europe as a low over Sweden brings polar ai...

Traditional and pretty, but imagine washing the windows Houses in the outskirts of Hamburg are a mixture influences: traditional old-...

It is 4th September and suddenly it is cold here in Hamburg. There is a chill in the air that reminds you that you are closer to the Arctic ...

I am in Hamburg and the weather is typical: Hamburg 'Schmuddelwetter' (muddle weather??).  I don't mind a bit, I love this city...

Antwerp is just as pretty at night as during the day. The city has installed lights that highlight the statuettes on the gables of the old h...

The nave of Antwerp Cathedral in full of music, with a row of display boards with old manuscripts and explanations of each of them. Show ...

Some things are left out of official documentation. Side alter St Pauls There is a wonderful mixed Baroque/Gothic church with lots...

I lived in Antwerp for 9 months when I was 22 and hadn't been back since. I had forgotten how pretty the city is, particularly the inner...

I discovered buses belatedly in Paris and became in instant fan. You use the same tickets as the Metro but you stay above ground, don'...

Art galleries today, like concert halls, are full of people taking pictures. Concert halls  try to limit their use but art galleries seem to...

The Bastille - I aimed my camera, pressed the button and got a picture of red. It was a passing bus, but quite appropriate for the Basti...

Someone told me recently they had been to Paris 30 years ago and had  decided then that they never wanted to return. Looking back down t...

Notre Dame, Paris We think we are pretty smart building skyscrapers nowadays and the higher they are the more we congratulate ourselves ...