In Geneva, 8th December 2018 Having written at some length about the three-day 2017 Escalade celebrations in Geneva, I will not be adding anything except some pictures from the 2018 event (including some from the infrequently opened Arquebus Museum). It really is a wonderful time for the city, full of families and tourists all enjoying the fun atmosphere over the…
Museum of Medieval Stockholm, Stockholms medeltidsmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden Ah, the Middle Ages! They are so creepy, so fascinating, so… Swedish. Yes, I know that doesn’t make sense, but in my little brain the medieval world is summed up in ‘The Seventh Seal’ – a Swedish film. Not that you get to play chess with Death at this museum, but you do…
Augusta Raurica, Switzerland Perhaps I should start by saying that I spent about eight years of my life studying Roman history. This may give you a clue as to where I stand with Roman sites. The prospect of visiting Roman towns really makes me stupidly happy, and I have blissfully trawled through municipal museums looking at fragments of Roman life…
Cantonal Museum of Zoology, Musée cantonal de zoologie, Palais de Rumine, Lausanne, Switzerland I think it’s only fair to state at the outset that I don’t really like looking at stuffed animals. Or bits that have been pickled in jars. Or bones. It just makes me feel quite nauseous. But I know that lots of people find it interesting, and some people,…
Basel, Switzerland I really like Basel. It has a very solid, Germanic, clean, gently sophisticated, sensible air. It wasn’t really a surprise, therefore that its Christmas markets had the same spirit. We visited on a Sunday afternoon, and it was wonderful to see so many families out together. It wasn’t noisy, it wasn’t even uncomfortable when there were crowds in…
In Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark As someone who has been to two theme parks in her whole life, I don’t know much about rides. Honestly, the last time I went was when I was in my mid-twenties. I felt like the oldest woman ever. I gamely went on all the rides that my companions wanted to go on, but I…
Skansen, Stockholm, Sweden When I was about 14 years old, I went to a Carl Larsson exhibition at the V&A Museum in London and ever since then I’ve had this obsession with his Sweden. One of the images I’ve always liked was of his daughters dressed in a long white gown, wearing a crown of lit candles. This shows the…
In Albeuve, Switzerland One of the most beautiful aspects of the farming life – from the point of view of a townie who doesn’t do any of the work – is the consistency of the traditions by which farmers regulate their year. Transhumance – that is, taking the cows up the mountains to feast on the grasses in summer and…
In Bremgarten, Switzerland It’s not often that history geeks like me get to indulge their geekiness, and it’s really not often that we get to experience the past in a way that feels almost authentic. Every year in the northern Swiss town of Bremgarten, people who are trained in the crafting skills of the Middle Ages come together to demonstrate…