June 2015

  • Napoleon and Paris: Dreams of a capital

    “Paris shaped Napoleon as much as Napoleon transformed Paris: during the Revolution Napoleon realised that public opinion could be manipulated and that power was to be seized in the capital.” The excellent (though often crowded, this is a small museum beloved by Parisians) Musée Carnavalet dedicated to the history of…

  • Whither Tate Britain?

    Whither Tate Britain?

    London is thriving, museum attendance is higher than ever.  Here are the numbers (visitors) for some of the main museums: 2014 2004 1 British Museum 6,695,213 4,868,176 +38% 2 The National Gallery 6,416,724 4,959,946 +29% 3 Tate Modern 5,785,427 4,441,225 +30% 4 V&A South Kensington 3,180,450 2,010,825 +58% 5 Somerset…

  • The many lives of Nasreddin Hoca

    The many lives of Nasreddin Hoca

    Nasreddin Hoca is the darling of the souvenir shops. More or less all over Turkey one can find the figure of the rotund sage with his outsize turban and huge prayer beads, on books, statues and statuettes and a variety of objects. His philosophy, with its touch of the absurd…

  • Europe by rail – an introduction

    Europe by rail – an introduction

    If you are intending to travel by rail in Europe, Mark Dudgeon, Blue Guides’ resident rail expert, offers advice about where to start and suggests some of the most useful internet resources to help in your planning: GENERAL PLANNING Seat 61 is an ex-railway manager’s personal but comprehensive guide to…

  • Lesley Blanch: On the Wilder Shores of Love

    Lesley Blanch: On the Wilder Shores of Love

    The name Lesley Blanch drifted into my consciousness in Italy in the late sixties. I cannot remember whether it was her book The Wilder Shores of Love or someone who knew her that came first but I had soon dug out her book, by far the most famous of several…

  • The Middle Ages on the Road

    The Middle Ages on the Road

    At the Bargello museum in Florence a small and delightful exhibition in the two rooms off the medieval courtyard is running until 21st June. Il medioevo in viaggio is the result of collaboration between four European museums (the Bargello, the Musée du Moyen Âge in Paris, the Museu Episcopal of…

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