Love this! It reminds me of a ‘Bee Hotel’! The Pingtan Book House in China’s Hunan province* is designed to provide space for children to read and play. The design, by Hong Kong based Condition_Lab, has just been awarded ‘highly commended’ in the Cultural Building of the...
A piece of wreckage, thought to be from HMS Campbeltown was discovered in 2020 on the seabed and is now awaiting a new home. Other Saint-Nazaire Posts Operation Chariot Battlefield Trail in Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire Mystery Wreckage Submarine Espadon – Museum Ship EOL Centre éolien – Learning Centre...
On 28 March 1942, the Royal Navy and British Commandos attacked the docks at Saint-Nazaire in what became known as ‘The Greatest Raid of All’. The targets of the amphibious assault, Operation Chariot, and the key locations of the onshore skirmishes are still there, and Saint-Nazaire Tourisme...
The National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, has announced four lectures set to take place over the coming months. On Saturday 17th December 2022, join Colin Hales for Have plane, will travel, as he recounts his story of flying around the world in a homemade aircraft, exploring the globe...
The Freedom Museum in Groesbeek, the Netherlands, has been awarded the Architecture MasterPrize for 2022 in the ‘Cultural Architecture’ category. The museum covers a wide range of WW2 experiences and stories, such as the famine endured by Dutch civilians in 1944/5, but the focus is on the...
Escal’Atlantic is a visitor experience, recalling the heyday of the great French liners or “paquebots” (mailships)* that carried mail and passengers across the Atlantic, and around the world, at speed and in style. The experience recreates a classic passenger liner using sets and artefacts based on some...
A Museum of Illusions (MOI) is opening in Washington DC on 13 December 2022. The experience is designed around illusionistic rooms, optical illusions and a playroom with didactic games and puzzles. All exhibits on science, mathematics and psychology allow visitors to learn about vision, perception, and the...
The EOL Centre éolien – Offshore Wind Farm Visitor Centre in Saint-Nazaire is the first and only such centre in France. It opened in 2017 and is designed very much with family and school groups in mind. The centre explains how wind turbines and wind farms work...
The Écomusée in the old port area of Saint-Nazaire focuses on the port’s historic, industrial and maritime heritage. Who knew!? Most Anglophones, me included, think the “Éco Museum” is something to do with the environment, and probably linked to the EOL-Wind Turbine experience nearby. I wouldn’t have...
It’s Trafalgar Day tomorrow (21 Oct) and the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) is revealing some of Lord Nelson’s letters in a temporary exhibition that will run till 16 April 2023. ‘Nelson In His Own Words: Treasures from the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation’ features rare &...
Espadon (“Swordfish”) is a French submarine from the Cold War era, now a museum ship on display in Saint-Nazaire. Other Saint-Nazaire Posts Operation Chariot Battlefield Trail in Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire Mystery Wreckage Submarine Espadon – Museum Ship EOL Centre éolien – Learning Centre Écomusée – Industrial Heritage Museum...
The Military Museum of the Canaries in Santa Cruz de Tenerife covers the military history of the Canary Islands (Spain) from the 15th century to present day. It is housed in the Almeyda fortress, which was built to strengthen the capital’s defences after Admiral Nelson’s failed attack...
Hertz and General Motors Co. have announced an agreement in which Hertz plans to order up to 175,000 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and BrightDrop Electric Vehicles (EVs) for the North American market. The vehicles will range from compact and midsize SUVs to pickups, luxury vehicles and more....
Twelve days ago, 16 sailors in small yachts set out from les Sables d’Olonne on the French Atlantic coast to race around the world, non-stop and single-handed in the 3rd edition of the Golden Globe Race. There’s nothing particularly unusual about that. There are a number of...
This is a niche blog about technically-minded travel. It reflects my own interests in the mechanical, technical, historical, engineering, transport and military world.
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