Valečov castle ruins
I’ve often seen forts and castles built according to the geography of the land. I’d never seen one designed according to the material used to build it. Until I visited the Czech Valečov castle ruins, that is.
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.
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.
The strange case of Amsterdam’s House of the Blood Stains
In the eastern part of Amsterdam's city centre, there is a building which has unsightly scrawls on its facade. It's as if there was graffiti that faded over time. Not everyone knows these scrawls are in blood. This is the House of Blood Stains.
The Secret of the Grey Lady haunting Fort St Angelo
There are many ? stories of Grey Ladies that haunt certain places. It's interesting that most of these ghosts that wish to warn the living about something or other. The Grey Lady of Malta's Fort St Angelo is no exception.
Terrorist attack in Prague
Olga Hepnarová is not a name that is familiar to many people even in Czechia. She is infamous here as the last woman to be executed by the state in 1975 after carrying out a terrorist attack in Prague in 1973.
I didn’t know about these connections between Malta and Prague
I no longer am surprised at unusual connections between places. I've travelled enough over the years to know many things are connected in the strangest of ways. Imagine my surprise though, when I found an unusual connection with St Anthony's Church in Prague.
The Possessed Fairy Tale Farmhouse
If a building is abandoned for a long enough time, it doesn’t take long before stories about hauntings begin to emerge. In Czechia, the Fairy Tale Farmhouse has attracted a few
Finding Prague’s lost Old Town fortifications
Tourists from the New World chuckle when they read that Prague's New Town dates back to the 14th century. The New World barely existed in those days. Prague's Old Town Fortifications have been lost but if you know where to look, you can rediscover the medieval limits of the Old Town of Prague.
The Bullet Holes in the Gas Tank
A gas tank is not the sort of thing most people put on your “Must see” list. In the Prague suburbs, there is one of the world’s last surviving gas