The gothic royal castle of Bezděz
About an hour's drive north-east of Prague, the Gothic Bezděz castle watches over the region of Liberec. The view from the top of the Devil's Tower is such that you can see one-eighth of the entire country!
St Valentine was not Irish – but he is now
I’ve written about relics of saints before. They exist because people believe proximity to part of a saint ?means ‘something’ can rub off. Dublin has the remains of St Valentine so I went to take a look.
Houska Castle and the gates to hell
Houska Castle is a thirteenth century castle in the middle of a large unpopulated area in Bohemia. It's only an hour's drive north from Prague which makes it perfect for a day trip if you don't mind visiting the gates of hell ?
The Hated and Feared Czech Witch Hunter
In 1678, Jindřich František Boblig arrived in the small town of Velke Losiny in Northern Moravia. It was the beginning of a horrifying nightmare from the region. Boblig was one of the Inquisition's ?witch-hunters.
The shock of the 1908 tsunami in Malta
One side effect of an earthquake in a coastal region is a tsunami that rips through the sea around it. Malta is close to a major earthquake fault line. In 1908, a major earthquake hit Sicily causing a tsunami in Malta.
From death to delight – Msida, Malta
Towns evolve for various reasons and we often marvel at how different things were in the past. It doesn't take too long for some stories to fade into obscurity which makes rediscovering them all the more surprising. What I discovered about the central Maltese town of Msida is one of these stories.
The surprising secret behind Bohemian Renaissance
I yawned as I weaved my way through the road works on the motorway out of Prague. I was on my way to see the finest example of Bohemian Renaissance - Litomyšl Chateau in the Pardubice region, east of Prague.
The surprising tunnel under Prague 7
Sixteenth century Prague was smaller than it is today. Prague Castle was the only part of the city north of the river. The neighbourhood which is now known as Prague 7, or Holesovice, was not inhabited at the time. The Kings used to hunt and fish ? here.
The crazy and odd ghost stories of Oslo Castle
The cold air, buffeted by Arctic temperatures, billowed around me as I strolled across the pedestrianised square in front of Oslo's Rathuset, or City Hall. I dodged one of the clunky blue trams as I headed towards the fortifications of the city's Akershus Castle.
The Unexpectedly Polish National Library of Malta
Valletta is an ornate and Baroque city built by the Knights of Malta. One of it’s most famous historical buildings is neo-classical which contrasts with the rest of the city. Welcome to Malta's (Polish) National Library.