Pompeii During the trip to Italy this summer, I managed to take in Pompeii, a place I had always wanted to visit. I was aware of the basic history of the site and the tragedy that took place during the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, burying the city in ash, but that … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 208
Phoenician Steps During a trip to Italy in the summer, initially staying in Positano and then moving onto Sorrento, it was a short hop from there to Capri, an island situated in the bay of Naples. Fortunately I wasn’t going for the shopping, as it is very expensive. However, it does have the Scala Fenicia … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 207
Dali Revisited In part 139 of this blog I wrote about the Salvador Dali painting, Christ of St John of the Cross, on display at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. It’s a painting I’ve viewed many times and never tire of it. I was excited to hear that the painting had been … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 206
Postojna Cave After leaving the city of Trieste, next stop was the country of Slovenia and a town called Koper. Before exploring there however, a bus trip to the Postojna Cave, to see one of nature’s most wonderful sights had been planned. The Postojna Cave is like being in another world, another planet. To my … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 205
Ancona The highlight of visiting the city of Ancona – a main seaport in Italy on the Adriatic Sea – was to view the Arch of Trajan. Erected by the Romans in 115 AD, it is a magnificent structure. To get out of the port is a fair walk and then the road along to … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 204
Trieste Trieste is the capital city of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in northeast Italy. It’s a port city, situated on a thin strip of land between the Adriatic coast and the border of Slovenia. It is where the Irish writer James Joyce lived and worked between the years 1904 to 1920. Having read his … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 203
Blackness Castle Situated on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, looking towards the Forth Bridges and Queensferry Crossing, Blackness is a castle I visited prior to writing this blog. I returned this summer having applied for a volunteering role as a visitor connector with Historic Scotland at Blackness Castle and I’m thrilled to … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 202
Greyfriars Although having visited countless times, the opportunity of joining a free tour of Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh came into my inbox, so I joined up and went along on what turned out to be a cracking day weather wise. As the tour was scheduled for mid-afternoon, I travelled in early and spent time reading … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 201
Two Hundred I note from earlier in this blog, that my one hundredth post was entitled ‘One Hundred’ so I suppose calling this one ‘Two Hundred’ is appropriate. At the time of writing I now have a little over one hundred and twenty-one thousand words. My rationale for these posts was outlined in post one … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 200
City Art Centre After my visit to the Edinburgh Modern Art Gallery, then stopping off to view St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, I headed for the City Art Centre in Market Street just off Waverley Station. This site is dedicated to Scottish visual and applied arts, past and present. Pieces from the Scottish art collection are … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 199
