Category Archives: History

There are some sights – no matter how many times they have been shown in photos or on film – that you just have to see for yourself. Sure, there are stock images online that are taken in better weather conditions and from better angles, and the hosts of travel programs get superior entry and […]

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“And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.” – 1 Kings 10:13 Ethiopia – and its capital Addis Ababa – is the quintessential paradox. […]

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Peace. Is there such a thing? At the moment – at least in my corner of the world – there is an absence of war. Given the current political climates internationally, this absence of war does not feel like “peace”. It feels like a precarious balance of competing tensions: a temporary truce, while one holds […]

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I love Europe! I love the history in the stones and buildings. I love the food and wine. I love how every place is so different from its neighbour. I love how accessible those places (generally) are by rail, and how train journeys are (usually) clean, safe and efficient. Of course, we were travelling the […]

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I was never very good at history at school: I could never remember the names and dates required. Walking around European cities, with layers of history in the stones around me or under my feet: that is a completely different story. Bearing witness to the slow march of people over time into new regions of the […]

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