Too Square to be Hip
A narcissist's guide to travel and culture
Geography Lagos is located on a sandy bay overlooking the Atlantic ocean. Due to its geographic position, Lagos became the port of importance during the Portuguese age of exploration before the rise of Lisbon. The city itself is built on the west side of a river inlet in which the modern marina/port is located. The …
This post will focus on attractions found outside of Valletta, yet one cannot talk about the history of the island without mentioning its famous capital. Geography and Religion Malta is located at the center of the Mediterranean, half way between Spain and the Levantine Coast (Eastern Mediterranean), Sicily and present day Tunisia. A prized location …
Geography and Religion Gozo is located at the north end of the Maltese island chain, connected to the larger island of Malta via a ferry link. Oval in form, it is a popular diving location, one of the best in the world and is known for its beaches. Although most of the island consists of …
Geography Located in the south-west corner of England Bristol was once one of the most important ports in the British Empire. From the Bristol Channel that separates Wales from England, the River Avon flows through a rocky gorge before becoming the flat floodplain (once a marsh) that the city sits on today! The area around …
Geography Located in the North-Western quadrant of England, Liverpool falls within the historic boundaries of Lancashire, although it outgrew the confines of this historic county in the 1880’s to form what is now known as Merseyside. Liverpool was into the ridge of coastal sandstone cliffs and occupies a desirable protected port setting at the mouth …
Geography Blackpool is located in the North-Eastern reaches of England, past the large port city of Liverpool. The city was constructed on the The Fylde, a flat plain on the Irish Sea. The name of the town derives from a discolored liquid that was dumped into the sea flowing a peat bog that formed a …
Geography Chester is located in North-West England, not far east of the Welsh border. It is part of the county of Cheshire, south of Manchester and built on the river Dee. History Antiquity Chester was founded as Deva Victrix, a roman Castrum (Fort) in 79 A.D. on Celtic land. The name Deva likely from the …
History This post will focus primarily on the history of Caen during both the Medieval Ages and the Second World War, the two most interesting periods in the city’s history. As such a brief history section has been provided for your convenience. Medieval Ages Caen was originally an unimportant Gallo-Roman settlement called Catumagos. The small …
History The city of Rouen was founded by Gaulic tribes. Along with the rest of Gaul, Rouen was invaded by Rome. The Romans renamed the city Rotomagus and it briefly became the second city of Roman Gaul after the city of Lugdunum (Lyon). After the fall of Roman Gaul to barbarian tribes, Rouen became the …
Exiled from his native Rome, to the very border of the Empire by Emperor Augustus, the Roman poet Ovid lamented his fate… Tomis, land of the Helenized Thracians held no charm to him. Dismayed by the lack of the Latin language in this provincial outpost, he found time to write his Magnum Opus, Metamorphoses. Later …
