Archaeological Museum of Rhodes

Archaeological Museum – Upper Courtyard

The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes is housed in a building complex that was originally the hospital run by the Knights Hospitallier, the Knights of the Order of Saint John.  It at the bottom of the Avenue of the Knights, just down from the Palace of the Grand Master. … Read the rest

Wadi Aday

Wadi Aday and Yiti, the nearest town, is an off the beaten track, yet comfortable 1 hour drive, south of Muscat.  So the day hasn’t exactly gone to plan so far.  Not that I can complain – I spent the morning at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque while my husband ran the kids around in 40+ degrees Celsius at the nearest park and then got picked up and taken to lunch. … Read the rest

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City

The only word that comes close to describing the enormity of the Forbidden City is “vast” and even this doesn’t seem to do it justice.  It’s hard to comprehend that the Forbidden City (Palace Museum) was built in the Ming Dynasty (around 1420) and served as the primary imperial residence until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. … Read the rest

Drum & Bell Towers

View of the Drum Tower from the Bell Tower

Together the Drum and Bell Towers, which stand opposite each other at the end of Drum & Bell Square, were used as the city’s official time keepers (right up until 1924!), the drums were beaten and the bells were rung to mark the time of day.… Read the rest

Hutongs

Hutongs

This feels like the real deal.  It’s drizzling and I’m finally out.  In China.  The real China.  Old certainly meets new here in the Hutongs (narrow street) district where neon sits beside buildings which are hundreds of years old and now protected as the old town historic district. … Read the rest

Tokyo In 12 Hours

Sensoji main building & gardens
Sensoji main building & gardens

Tokyo in 12 hours! Not ideal, but it’s all I have. I’m on a stopover on the way home and have been awake for 24 hours already, having left the UK yesterday and now landed in Tokyo early this morning with a mere twelve hours to explore.… Read the rest