Mini Travel Guides

We visited the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, designed by the architect Zaha Hadid, in July 2011. The museum, which opened in June 2011, is the new home of Scotland’s Museum of Transport and Travel. It continues Glasgow’s ongoing regeneration as a European cultural capital. It’s a great day out, even if you’re not a great transport buff and, like all UK state museums, it’s free to enter. Enjoy my photo and video tour of Glasgow’s Riverside Museum.

Sign at entrance to Riverside Museum

The exterior of Riverside Museum

Giant fuel gauge at Riverside Museum

Car Wall at Riverside Museum

Railway poster at Riverside Museum

Colourful van at Riverside Museum

Faslane Peace Camp caravan at Riverside Museum

The 3 Tall Ship masts reflected on Riverside Museum

My favourite part of the Riverside Museum was the reflective exterior wall at the back of the museum, facing the river. The Tall Ship, admission charges apply, is berthed by the Museum, so the ship’s masts and the sky are mirrored on the wall.

Click here to see all my Riverside Museum photos and videos on Flickr.

More Glasgow Tips

We’ve more ideas for things to do on a Glasgow short break.

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Photo & Video Tour of Riverside Museum in Glasgow

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We spent a couple of nights in Crieff, Scotland, in late June 2011, staying a the Crieff Hydro Hotel. Here’s my photo tour of this beautiful Scottish town.

Famous Grouse Experience

Just outside Crieff is the Famous Grouse Experience at the Glenturret Distillery.  Tours around the distillery cost from £7.95 for an adult which includes some tastings. You can book a tour online before your visit.

Giant grouse sculpture at the Famous Grouse Experience

Me on the barrels at the Famous Grouse Experience

Explore MacRosty Park

MacRosty Park has recently undergone renovation. I loved the curved mirror. If you’re in Crieff with kids, they’ll love the play area.

Reflections of MacRosty Park

Climbing wall at kids play area at MacRosty Park

The restored Victorian bandstand at MacRosty Park

A Coffee at the Winter Garden Cafe at Crieff Hydro Hotel

For lovely views, the Winter Garden Cafe at Crieff Hydro is hard to beat.

The Winter Cafe at Crieff Hydro

View over the grounds of Crieff Hydro from the Winter Cafe

Climb up the Knock

The Knock is the hill behind Crieff.  You can park about half way up, so it’s not too much of a climb.

Buttercups at the top of the Knock

View from the top of the Knock

Win a Two Night Stay at Crieff Hydro

If you’d like to visit Crieff, enter our competition to win a two night stay for 2 guests at Crieff Hydro. Closing date for entries is 24 July 2011.

Photo Tour of Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland

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I was keen to visit Mdina, the former capital of Malta, after reading about it in Kimberly’s post. I have to say it exceeded my expectations. You can explore Mdina in our photo tour.

Mdina gate

A horse drawn carriage in Mdina

Museum of Natural History in Mdina

Religious painting in Mdina

Intricate ironwork on balconies

The alleyways of Mdina

Fontanella’s in Mdina, a cafe with a view

View from Mdina

The Cathedral Museum in Mdina

St Paul’s Cathedral, Mdina

Maltese Falcon shop in Mdina

You can buy hand made Valletta Glass souvenirs in Mdina

Courtyard in Mdina

Model of Mdina (in council offices opposite 1530 Trattoria)

Colourful flowerbed in park outside Mdina gate

I hope that you enjoyed our photo tour of Mdina, Malta. I’ve also compiled a photo guide to Malta.

Photo Tour of Mdina, Malta

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In Valletta, the capital city of Malta, you’ll find the Barrakka Gardens; Lower Barrakka Gardens at the south east and Upper Barrakka Gardens on the south west of the peninsula. Both gardens have lots of character and provide a respite from the busy streets. There’s a café at Upper Barrakka Gardens and both gardens have free public toilets.

Lower Barrakka Gardens

Me in Lower Barrakka Gardens

The Captain Ball Monument in Lower Barrakka Gardens

Sculpture in Lower Barrakka Gardens

View from Lower Barrakka Gardens

Upper Barrakka Gardens

View toward Grand Harbour from Upper Barrakka Gardens

The fountain at Upper Barrakka Gardens

Colourful flowerbed at Upper Barrakka Gardens

So if you’re in Valletta make sure you visit the lovely Barrakka Gardens.  You may also enjoy my photo guide to Malta.

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The Barrakka Gardens in Valletta, Malta

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The walled city of Valletta, the capital of Malta, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, has many buildings dating from the 16th century. Come on a walk with us though the streets of Valletta.

We arrived in Valletta on the ferry from Sliema, a ten minute crossing which cost 1.5 Euro per person for a single ticket. This is probably the most scenic way to approach Valletta.

View of Valletta from the Sliema ferry

It’s a quite a steep climb from the ferry up to the main street in Valletta, which was adorned with suspended stars during our visit.

Stars in the streets of Valletta

I liked the water fountain decorated with a horse standing on his back legs. It was a bit gusty to sit in the café there though.

One of the water fountains in Cathedral Square

St John’s Co-Cathedral was constructed in the 16th century by the Knights of Malta.

St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta

There are three dials on one of the towers, one for the time of day,  one for the day of the week and one for the date.

Three dials on Valletta Cathedral

We continued down the slope to the southern side of Valletta where there were many examples of traditional style architecture.

One of the streets was decorated with red garlands.

Red garlands on the streets of Valletta

There are religious sculptures on many street corners.

Religious sculpture in Valletta

There is a pavement fountain in front of the Grand Master’s Palace, the Maltese seat of government.

Grand Master’s Palace in Vallletta

The Armoury is just behind the palace.

Peaceful courtyard at the entrance to the Armoury in Valletta

View toward Grand Harbour in Valletta

I hope that you’ve enjoyed our photo tour of Valletta. I’ve also compiled a photo guide to Malta.

Click here for lowest prices on Valletta hotels

Walking Through the Streets of Valletta, Malta

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We stopped for a picnic lunch in the beautiful village of Santa Lucia during our drive through the mountains of Gran Canaria.

The fountain in the Santa Lucia park

There’s a lovely park in the village with a picturesque fountain as its centrepiece. The park also has a sports court, kids play area and public toilets.

Santa Lucia Park

We sat on a bench in the shade by the fountain to eat our picnic. We weren’t the only ones having a stop for lunch as a group of cyclists were tucking into their sandwiches too.

Looking down on Santa Lucia park

There’s space for several cars in front of the park.

There was a painting on tiles just at the top of the steps up to the church with villagers in traditional costumes.

Tile painting in Santa Lucia

The imposing church was built in the 1890s.

Santa Lucia church

There were some very curious cacti where we parked the car which reminded me of meerkats.

Cacti in Santa Lucia Park

Santa Lucia in Gran Canaria feels like an oasis in the mountains and is well worth a visit.

Check for availability and prices of accommodation in Gran Canaria in the sunshine.co.uk search box below.

Photo Tour of Santa Lucia, Gran Canaria

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You don’t even need a sledge, snowboard or skis to have some fun speeding downhill on snow. If the snow is dry and especially if you’re wearing waterproof outer trousers, you can snowslide down a grassy slope. My husband Demetrius and our sons Simon and Gary had great fun snowsliding at the town walls in Berwick upon Tweed in north east England today.

You can see all my snowsliding photos on Flickr.

Snowsliding in Berwick upon Tweed on Boxing Day

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We’ve had snow lying in Berwick upon Tweed for more than one week now.  My husband Demetrius published a post “Walking around Berwick upon Tweed on a wintry November Afternoon” earlier this week. The colours reflected in the snow and ice sheets lying on the River Tweed during our walk along the river bank today were so beautiful that I decided to feature them in a short blog post.

The blue sky reflected in the icy River Tweed

Pinky hues in the partially frozen River Tweed

You can see all our Berwick in the Snow photos and videos on Flickr.

Reflections in the Icy River Tweed

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We’ve had snow lying in Berwick upon Tweed for more than one week now.  My husband Demetrius published a post “Walking around Berwick upon Tweed on a wintry November Afternoon“. earlier this week  The colours reflected in the snow and ice sheets lying on the River Tweed during our walk along the river bank today were so beautiful that I decided to feature them in a short blog post.

The blue sky reflected in the icy River Tweed

Pinky hues in the partially frozen River Tweed

You can see all our Berwick in the Snow photos and videos on Flickr.

Reflections in the Icy River Tweed

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Winter has started early in Berwick upon Tweed in the north eastern corner of England. The first snow fell on the evening of Wednesday 24 November 2010. These photos were taken during a walk around Berwick on the afternoon of Sunday 27th November 2010.

Looking over Berwick Old Bridge

The lighthouse at the end of Berwick Pier

Looking back at Berwick from the Pier (full size panorama here)

Mist rising from the sea

The sound of the crashing waves could be heard more than a mile from the beach

One of the Berwick mute swans hoping for some titbits from passers by

The Royal Border Rail Bridge across the River Tweed in Berwick

The bad weather has delayed the official launch of the Royal Border Bridge Illuminations, due to take place on Saturday 27 November but cancelled due to the snow.

Photos taken with a Sony NEX-5 camera

Walking around Berwick upon Tweed on a Wintry November Afternoon

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