Tag Archives: adventure

Le Bourget and a century of flight

Le Bourget is rarely mentioned in tourist guides to Paris. In fact, it is better known as a private airport receiving business passengers and chartered flights. This inconspicuous airport however has a rich history and a flight museum, which is fascinating for anyone who has ever had any curiosity about the history of flight and how man took to the…

Kingmakers, bodyguards and traitors: Peter’s Toy Army and the Fate of Russia

One of the favourite stories told about Peter the Great is how he used to play soldiers and created his own “toy army” his poteshnye voiska. The story is often told to reveal Peter’s ambition and his ability to organise his peers but the creation of this toy army is firmly rooted in the political rivalry of the late 17th…

Beneath the walls of Novgorod

A quick tour to Russia’s oldest city revealed more than grand architecture and a good opportunity for a few photographs – it revealed some of the depth and horror buried in Russia’s past. Each year on February 23, Russia celebrates the Defender of the Fatherland Day. This February events in Ukraine were far from my mind – my thoughts were…

Rivers of ice

Heading west from Christchurch, Peter Campbell travels through some spectacular scenery to visit New Zealand’s glaciers, and discovers an imposing new landscape left by the retreating ice. It is one of my many regrets that I am not a geologist. The closest I come to geology is reading Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything, and as far as…

A great New Zealand road trip

If ever you are at a loss as to how to spend a few days in New Zealand, a road trip is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and see some of New Zealand’s spectacular scenery, as Peter Campbell reports. Located on the edge of two continental plates, New Zealand has a dynamic geological history – clearly demonstrated by…

Ivan the Terrible with his Oprichniki, overseeing his treasury. The Oprichniki were the tsar's dogs responsible for sniffing out treason. There were the forerunners for Imperial Russia's history of political police which carried on into Soviet times.

Colliding cultures in Kazan

They say first impressions are important and my first view of Kazan was beautiful. Rising slowly from the haze of the Volga River, the Kremlin, cupolas of the Orthodox churches and the minarets of the mosques, shimmering in the afternoon heat was like a twisted fantasy from the 1001 Nights. This impression was enhanced by the greeting I was given…

Cruising the Volga

The glazed surface of water reaches into the distance. A faint haze obscures the horizon and the sky melds with the water. It gives a strange sensation, as if you are encapsulated and isolated in a world of stillness. The water is calm and the sun burns overhead. I could be in the doldrums in the middle of the Pacific…

Crossing the Serbian border

When it comes to crossing borders in Eastern Europe when officials start treating you like a friend, you begin to wonder whether something is seriously amiss. Border crossings are something many people take for granted when travelling. They are associated with long queues and direct officials. However, having spent a considerable amount of time travelling through Eastern Europe I had…

Life on the islands: a dog’s tale

I used to think that it was the big things, catastrophes, disasters and hair-brained adventures which were the stuff of excitement. They happen rarely though and I’m starting to appreciate this may be a good thing, even if it leads to dull news. So I suppose I should take the time to enjoy the small events and sights that I…