Local Guides World
Donald Gibson
5 reviews on 1 places
Located adjacent to the Market Street Hotel, Gordon Street Coffee offers dining in and taking out. My first visit will lead to future ones, based on the scrumptious-tasting blueberry croissant and delicious iced latte I took back to enjoy in my room at Market Street Hotel. There are several additional pastry options I want to sample. Note: cashless so bring your credit card.
Amongst the Top-5 Musts when visiting Brussels. Excellent archeological remains of the Coudenberg Palace provide visitors with glimpses into royal life of the 15th and 16th centuries.
A very interesting introductory film of about five to ten minutes starts the journey by inviting visitors into the history and landscape of the former palace. Exploration of the subterranean remains of the Chapel and Great Banqueting Hall await.
Well-signed in English, French, German, and Nederlands, the information provides wonderful context. A free app that guests access on their phone provides additional information, with a few entries having brief, recorded audio information. Worth a half day for lovers of history and archaeology.
I combined my visit with one to the BELvue Museum, aboveground and thoroughly enjoyed it as well.
A very interesting introductory film of about five to ten minutes starts the journey by inviting visitors into the history and landscape of the former palace. Exploration of the subterranean remains of the Chapel and Great Banqueting Hall await.
Well-signed in English, French, German, and Nederlands, the information provides wonderful context. A free app that guests access on their phone provides additional information, with a few entries having brief, recorded audio information. Worth a half day for lovers of history and archaeology.
I combined my visit with one to the BELvue Museum, aboveground and thoroughly enjoyed it as well.
Top 5 Site To Visit In Rome
No kidding. At the end, I'll specify which well-known site I'd recommend skipping in favor of Trajan’s Market & Museum of the Imperial Fora.
The so-called market complex is vast, multi-level, full of passageways and staircases...just walking through it is like being a kid again and being an archaeologist--"where does this go?" and "how do I get over there or down there or up there?" and "what's in this room?"
The museum is as inspiring and well-presented as that of the Capitoline Museums, though with fewer items. It's a great archaeological treasure chest of finds and information about the five Imperial Fora and the Market of Trajan, with rooms laid out starting with an overview of the Fora and then dedicated rooms to a specific Forum or the Market itself.
As with the Capitoline Museums, the A/V guide is world-class and worth the extra cost. I highly recommend visitors avail themselves of the option. It's easy to use, is in multiple languages, is chock-a-block with interesting information about the museum and its holdings, provides choices of curated visits of different lengths and interests, and is physically comfortable to sling across your body. (Also, if like me you have or had a crush on Jeremy Irons and/or just love listening to his resonant voice, you can listen to him throughout your visit as he provides the voice for Emperor Trajan in the English narration.)
So skip the Colosseum: it's jam-packed with people and its outside is far more appealing and provides better photos than its inside.
Visit instead Mercati di Traiano & Museo dei Fori Imperali.
No kidding. At the end, I'll specify which well-known site I'd recommend skipping in favor of Trajan’s Market & Museum of the Imperial Fora.
The so-called market complex is vast, multi-level, full of passageways and staircases...just walking through it is like being a kid again and being an archaeologist--"where does this go?" and "how do I get over there or down there or up there?" and "what's in this room?"
The museum is as inspiring and well-presented as that of the Capitoline Museums, though with fewer items. It's a great archaeological treasure chest of finds and information about the five Imperial Fora and the Market of Trajan, with rooms laid out starting with an overview of the Fora and then dedicated rooms to a specific Forum or the Market itself.
As with the Capitoline Museums, the A/V guide is world-class and worth the extra cost. I highly recommend visitors avail themselves of the option. It's easy to use, is in multiple languages, is chock-a-block with interesting information about the museum and its holdings, provides choices of curated visits of different lengths and interests, and is physically comfortable to sling across your body. (Also, if like me you have or had a crush on Jeremy Irons and/or just love listening to his resonant voice, you can listen to him throughout your visit as he provides the voice for Emperor Trajan in the English narration.)
So skip the Colosseum: it's jam-packed with people and its outside is far more appealing and provides better photos than its inside.
Visit instead Mercati di Traiano & Museo dei Fori Imperali.
Sharing Vomero Hill with Castel Sant' Elmo, Certosa di San Martino (St. Martin’s Charterhouse), is not to be missed. I almost nixed it, thinking I had already observed skyhigh views of all the topography surrounding the Gulf of Naples and that its less massive exterior (than the castel) suggested my waning time in Naples could be better spent elsewhere.
Wrong. (Don't judge a book by its cover and all that.)
Once inside, the old monastery, itself a museum, is absolutely fascinating, the ceiling of it's church jaw-dropping and maybe the most stunning ceiling painting I've seen, besting that of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice and that of the Duomo in Florence--AKA Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedral of St. Mary of the Flower)...and those of numerous others whose names I have forgotten.
The monastery's cloister, the private apartments of the prior or abbot, and the gardens with their fantastic views affording idyllic photo opportunities (including a grape arbor) are just some of the revelations waiting for visitors.
Also, while there, I befriended a tortoise shell cat, my favorite breed possibly because that is what I raised and had for all my childhood and adolescent years. After winning its trust, I poured out water for it from my water bottle, which it eagerly lapped. I've no idea if the kitty is one of the monastery's attractions or if it simply wandered in.
The audio guide is worth the cost--minimal--and really brings the setting and it's trove of stories alive.
Wrong. (Don't judge a book by its cover and all that.)
Once inside, the old monastery, itself a museum, is absolutely fascinating, the ceiling of it's church jaw-dropping and maybe the most stunning ceiling painting I've seen, besting that of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice and that of the Duomo in Florence--AKA Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedral of St. Mary of the Flower)...and those of numerous others whose names I have forgotten.
The monastery's cloister, the private apartments of the prior or abbot, and the gardens with their fantastic views affording idyllic photo opportunities (including a grape arbor) are just some of the revelations waiting for visitors.
Also, while there, I befriended a tortoise shell cat, my favorite breed possibly because that is what I raised and had for all my childhood and adolescent years. After winning its trust, I poured out water for it from my water bottle, which it eagerly lapped. I've no idea if the kitty is one of the monastery's attractions or if it simply wandered in.
The audio guide is worth the cost--minimal--and really brings the setting and it's trove of stories alive.
Excellent cioccolato Cornetto and iced Caffe latte. Our breakfast was included in our stay at B&B Animo Mediterraneo in Ercolano.