Travel Archives - Page 15 of 30 - Blog Bellew

Altyn-Arashan

30th September 2002. For an hour and a half the truck crawls up a rough track alongside a fast flowing river up the Altyn-Arashan valley. The sides are steep and interspersed with conifers and pasture. At last we drive over a crest and the valley suddenly broadens out. The river sparkles as it flows through… Continue reading Altyn-Arashan

Karakol

27th September 2002. The centre of Karakol looks like a frontier town in a Western film. Long, low wooden buildings with covered walkways in front line one dusty street but turn around and there is a massive shopping mall faced with brown stone and topped with metallic silver decorations that catch the sun. We roam… Continue reading Karakol

Crossing the Border

26th September 2002. So far we have only walked for half a day but are hopeful of getting in a full day today. Worryingly the guide book says that it takes several days to cross over into Kyrgyzstan and we are not keen to be caught on the pass (3,300 metres) for the night. We… Continue reading Crossing the Border

Kazakhstan: Part II

25th September 2002. The day starts earlier than I wished. At 4.00 am I am pulling on some clothes and setting off with torch and bog paper to answer a call of nature. The moon is almost full so the torch is not much needed. On returning to the tent I share with PJ he… Continue reading Kazakhstan: Part II

Kazakhstan: Part I

I kept a diary when I went with three friends to Kazakhstan in 2002.

Travel Writing

It was only towards the end of June that I wrote about Frank Gardner’s memoir, Blood & Sand. I may have omitted to mention that I was given three of Frank Gardner’s books for my birthday this year.

Goodbye to Dresden

Rigoletto at the Semperoper in Dresden on Sunday evening was a revival of a production first seen in 2006. It has had quite a few outings since then of which the best was surely when Dian Damrau sang Gilda and Juan Diego Flórez the Duke.

Green Rooms

The re-building of Dresden is almost complete but, as in any city, there is a continuum of regeneration. A bridge over the Elbe is closed to traffic for reconstruction and some bomb sites have not been rebuilt.

Semper Opera House

A good game is to name structures called after their architects. Let me get you started in Paris with Charles Garnier’s opera house and Gustave Eiffel’s tower and in Vicenza, the Basilica Palladiana by Andrea Palladio.

All Aboard

Boarding on BA is now done by groups; one to four or five. Since this system was introduced in December 2017 I have always been in the last group.