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Here are some of my latest ideas for travel stories - either pitches or articles written recently on spec.
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A Ripper of a walk
recently-written travel article - lead:
“The soldiers’ prostitute looked into the face of each uniformed figure in the inspection line, for her friend had been murdered the night before, stabbed 39 times. It was 1888 and this was the prelude to the Autumn of Terror.”
So begins our tour of the Jack the Ripper Haunts with Donald Rumbelow of the London Walks company. Don is probably the foremost expert on the gruesome events of late 19th century London. And word has clearly spread, with the crowd numbering about 100.
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Sea-faring Norwegians
pitch:
From the days of the Vikings the Norwegians have been renowned as a sea-faring people and in Oslo there are four museums that celebrate and explain Norway’s maritime history. A round up style article of 1000-1200 words would perhaps work best, though it could be written as an individual’s exploratory narrative. The article would take readers on a virtual tour of:
The Viking Ship Museum houses the world's two best-preserved wooden Viking ships built in the 9th century. Other objects from archaeological digs include sledges, a cart with exceptional ornamentation, implements, tools, harness and textiles. Stairs take visitors up to galleries for photo opportunities.
The Kon-Tiki Museum houses boats and artefacts from Thor Heyerdahl's expeditions, including the original Kon-Tiki raft (1947) and the papyrus boat Ra II (1970) as well as a collection of archaeological finds from Easter Island, East Polynesia, Galapagos and Peru. Visitors learn not only about the journeys but about what they proved to the world.
The Fram Museum is literally constructed around the polar ship Fram, the strongest wooden ship ever built, which still holds the records for sailing farthest north and farthest south. You can go aboard the ship to see how the crew and their dogs lived and survived in the coldest and most dangerous places on earth - the Arctic and the Antarctic.
The Norwegian Maritime Museum features environmental exhibitions about fishing, ship building, shipping, marine archeology and has collections of boat models and marine paintings. The arctic vessel Gjøa and other old boats are on display by the harbour, while Norway's oldest boat, Stokkebåten, is also exhibited at the museum.
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Remnants of Rome in the south of France
pitch:
Opening:
"Veni, vidi, vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered") are the famous words ascribed to Julius Caesar - and the south of France to this day bears witness to the spread of the Roman Empire under his rule. The amphitheatres, arches and aqueducts leave the modern visitor in awe; when the Romans built something, they certainly built it to last.
Outline:
The article will take readers on a virtual wander around Arles, Nimes, the Pont du Gard and Orange, examining some of the spectacular traces of the Roman Empire, many of them World Heritage listed. Space permitting, these can include:
In Arles:
· The amphitheatre (gladiatorial)
· The Theatre Antique (drama)
In Nimes:
· The Magna Tower
· The Jardins de la Fontaine
· The Temple of Diana
· The Square House
· The gates of the Roman town
· The amphitheatre (gladiatorial)
Between Nimes and Avignon:
· The Pont du Gard aqueduct
In Orange:
· The Antique Theatre (drama)
· The Arc de Triomphe on the route of Agrippa
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Bruce Holmes is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the Hunter Valley just north of Sydney, Australia.
COPYRIGHT: All travel writing and photography on this website, and the website design itself, are © Bruce Holmes 2000 - 2012.
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