Travel podcasts for city break fans. All the historical and cultural background you need to enjoy your visit.
Episodes
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
Enjoy a virtual visit to St Petersburg, a tour which refers to websites, YouTube videos and books to tell you about the cultural and historical aspects of the city. Fly by drone over St Petersburg, both in winter splendour and during the White Nights, pay virtual visits to the Hermitage and the Memorial to the defenders of Leningrad 'meet' Catherine the Great and Pushkin, find out how to make Russian pancake fritters. All this and more is possible in this episode and will be useful whether you are planning a trip, enjoying reminiscing or just want to find out more.
Wednesday May 27, 2020
Wednesday May 27, 2020
This is our 100th episode, and after a small celebration of that and some bits and pieces of City Breaks news, we offer you more city break inspiration, via listener suggestions and the fruits of our research. Prepare to feel like booking a trip!
Wednesday May 20, 2020
Wednesday May 20, 2020
If an actual trip to Munich isn't possible just now, you can always enjoy this virtual visit instead. Go on a tour of websites, YouTube videos, books and films which will whet your appetite for the cultural and historical aspects of the city. Pay virtual visits to the Residenz and the main art galleries, 'meet' Ludwig II and his best friend Wagner, then spend the evening relaxing at the Hofbrauhaus. It's all possible in this episode and will be useful whether you are planning a trip, enjoying reminiscing or just want to find out more.
Wednesday May 13, 2020
Wednesday May 13, 2020
What kind of city break do you enjoy most? Which city would you like to visit next? Here are five tempting possibilities to consider.
Wednesday May 06, 2020
Wednesday May 06, 2020
You can't go to Florence right now. But there's nothing to stop you going on a virtual visit and this episode will tell you all about the best resources to help you do just that. Hear about the websites, videos and books through which you can imagine yourself in Florence, and maybe reminisce a little, or start planning your next actual visit.
Wednesday Apr 29, 2020
Wednesday Apr 29, 2020
A last look at Paris, this time through the eyes of authors who have set their work there. Four different novelists take us from the observation of murder and its aftermath in dingy 19th century back-street Paris, to an insider’s view of an elegant 21st century apartment block and its inhabitants. We look too at some short story collections, further extending the range of writing styles, eras and corners of Paris which are covered.
Tuesday Apr 28, 2020
Tuesday Apr 28, 2020
News on what the plans are for the continuation of City Breaks during the coronavirus pandemic.
https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Wednesday Apr 22, 2020
Wednesday Apr 22, 2020
A look at Paris through history books and historical novels, offering plenty of reading ideas to inspire your next visit! Biographies of Queen Marie Antoinette or of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir can provide plenty of background material. So too can fiction set in the past, such as Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, or Robert Harris’ treatment of the Dreyfus Affair, An Officer and a Spy.
Thursday Apr 16, 2020
Thursday Apr 16, 2020
This episode sets out to enjoy the work of a number of writers who loved Paris and wrote their memoirs about living or working there. Hear some gossip from 17th century high society via the pen of Mme de Sévigny, enjoy the reminiscences of past writers like Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell and find out about life in more contemporary Paris as experienced by the writer Adam Gopnik or the chef and food-writer David Lebowitz.
Wednesday Apr 08, 2020
Wednesday Apr 08, 2020
We visit the two best-known literary museums in Paris, the Maison de Balzac in the 16th district and the Maison de Victor Hugo in the Place des Vosges and give an idea of what there is to see in each. In addition, brief biographical notes for each author are coupled with extracts to give a flavour of their work, from Eugène de Balzac's novels Père Goriot and Eugénie Grandet and from Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables.