Dan Alba
Member statistics
- Member since
- 26th August 2009
Dan Alba's activity
- August 2011
- May 2011
Dan Alba commented on Edinburgh: The Fundamentals, The Fresh & The Freaky
"You're truly a fierce one, Lucinda - cheers for your advice. Bramble Bar sounds cool, as does the science fest gig."
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
Dan Alba reviewed Mount Rainier in Seattle, United States
Move over San Francisco the danger city, Mount Rainier is only 54 miles out of Seattle proper – and it's a big volcano! Considered one of the world's most deadly because it's covered in glaciers, with 26 glaciers worth of glacial ice - so if …"
- September 2010
Dan Alba commented on Western Australian Museum in Perth, Australia
"You should definitely check out the shipwreck section of the museum housed in the WA Maritime Museum. This stretch of sandy coast claimed quite a few ships and some of the stories are quite dramatic. There's also a lot that's been preserved as until re…"
Dan Alba reviewed Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth, Australia
For a remote city in what's virtually outback Australia, the Art Gallery of Western Australia has quite a lot lot art to its name. Among the collection's around 15,500 pieces there are many indigenous works and more contemporary art by WA residents past…"
- August 2010
Dan Alba reviewed Mount Vernon in Washington D.C., United States
"George Washington made the estate on the Potomac River his family home from around 1750 onwards and inherited the land from his half brother in 1752. Washington’s father started building on the spot overlooking the river and George completed two major ex…"
- July 2010
Dan Alba commented on In a SPACESHIP in a New Zealand winter
"Sounds like a great trip, Alan. Was there anything you had to miss out because you ran out of time? I'm planning a trip for my own family but we're going to take a month."
- June 2010
Dan Alba commented on Great Wall Historical Film Set in Great Wall of China, China
"This sounds really, really cool! Sad to have missed it - oh, well, I'll have to go back..."
- April 2010
Dan Alba reviewed El Ángel de la Independencia in Mexico City, Mexico
The Angel of Independence is an angel topped victory column sitting in the middle of a round about, as these things so often do, near the centre of Mexico City. As you may infer from the name the monument celebrates the outcome of Mexico's War of I…"
- March 2010
Dan Alba reviewed The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt
"Tutankhamun's treasures are one of the highlights of the Cairo Museum; his death mask and the six, intricately decorated, golden coffins, that were slotted inside each other to hold his body, take pride of place in the main hall. Many of the other great…"
- February 2010
Dan Alba reviewed Lahugala National Park in Sri Lanka
Though one of Sri Lanka's smallest National Parks, Lahugala is still a very important stretch of protected land, as it's home to Sri Lankan Elephants, who reside mostly around the reservoirs of Lahugala, Kitulana and Sengamuwa – they've been feedin…"
Dan Alba reviewed Chinese New Year Sydney-style in Sydney, Australia
Sydney's Chinese expat community has thrived for about the last 150 years, so they've been Chinese New Year celebrations held here since then. Most of the action centres around Chinatown and the adjacent Darling Harbour area, where there are markets…"
Dan Alba reviewed Lasipalatsi in Helsinki, Finland
Lasipalatsi is a functionalist office building designed and built in the 30s, and these days used as a function centre. The architects responsible for the building are Viljo Revell, Heimo Riihimäki and Niilo Kokko. It's protected, but th…"
- October 2009
Dan Alba reviewed Leadenhall Market in London, United Kingdom
This covered market deserves your attention not for its wares but because it's beautifully built, by the same designer responsible for Billingsgate and Smithfield Markets, though in this instance it's the paintwork in green, cream and maroon that adds a …"
Dan Alba commented on Gloucester Cathedral in Gloucester, United Kingdom
"Also used for the inside of Hogwarts in the first and second Harry Potter films, and in the 2008 Doctor Who Christmas Special."
Dan Alba reviewed Loch Shiel in Scotland, United Kingdom
Loch Shiel is long and narrow. Almost 20kms long in fact. It's also 120 metres deep: its depth fed by the River Shiel. More importantly it's very beautiful and well wooded, a dip in the surrounding countryside that looks something like the Nordic fjor…"
Dan Alba commented on Château d'Angers in Angers, France
"Château d'Angers is one of the more fort-y looking chateaux, it's medieval in age, as are its beautiful tapestries. Originally one long piece 100 yards long and 20 feet high, it's been broken up into segments for display amongst a collection of 15th and…"
Dan Alba commented on Tower of London in London, United Kingdom
"Hundreds of people have met their end here, and lots of them in grizzly ways. Henry VI, who was 'stikk'd full of deadly holes in the hour before midnight', 21st May 1471 – probably by the Duke of Gloucester later Richard III, who is also accused of kil…"
Dan Alba commented on Halloween Special: World's Most Haunted Cities
"You're missing out London. The Tower is definitely haunted! And Windsor Castle is supposed to have ghosts as well. People say the ghosts of Jack the Ripper's victims stalk Whitechapel and there are loads of workhouse children who died in misery and st…"
- September 2009
Dan Alba commented on Fes el-Bali Medina in Fes, Morocco
"Get lost in the passageways that started forming here in the 9th Century. The people living in the medina are living a totally different way of life from anywhere else in traditional open-courtyard style houses cum shops where artisans create their ware…"
Dan Alba reviewed Madrasa Bou Inania in Fes, Morocco
"The Bou Inania Madrasa is well known not for it's teachings, though it does have a teaching tradition dating back to the 14th Century, but for the grace of its Marinid architecture – the Marinids were known as builders and this is the last madrasa they b…"
Dan Alba reviewed Petit Anse in Mahé, Seychelles
It's hard to rate one of these near perfect beaches over another and to do them any additional justice with words over pictures – but if this beach were a woman she'd be an angel. You've got your palm trees shading the edge of the sand on one side…"
Dan Alba reviewed Victoria Clock Tower in Mahé, Seychelles
It only took nine days in 1903 to build this clock tower, a miniature of the one on London's Houses of Parliament. As well as being smaller, the other major difference is that it's been painted silver. It chimes the hour – and has been drawing at…"
Dan Alba reviewed Seychelles National Botanical Gardens in Mahé, Seychelles
These gardens are more than a hundred years old, and cover six hectares of verdant land in especially colourful and lush greenery and colour. Suggestively shaped endemic Coco de mers grow by the exotic orchid garden, and possibly the tortoises, kept for…"
Dan Alba reviewed Seychelles National Museum in Mahé, Seychelles
There are all sorts of interesting critters living on the Seychelles islands, but there are some even more unusual looking ones that are sadly now extinct – you can see a selection from both these groups at the Seychelles National Museum, or at lea…"
- August 2009
Dan Alba reviewed Rainbow Tila dive in Maldives
This dive is a drift around a huge rock, on which has developed some beautifully coloured corals. It's not just a coral coated rock though, it's one with caves, a chimney tunnel, overhangs and a steep wall – all coated in a colourful, soft coral c…"
Dan Alba reviewed Old Shark Point dive in Maldives
This dive is on the Thilafushi Reef. The currents coming across it can be steep, but things are much calmer on the reef itself, which is why it attracts some may fish to feed in the area – big blue fin jacks, big tuna, big marlin and shoals of sma…"
Dan Alba reviewed Rasdhoo Island in Maldives
Rasdhoo is one of the few inhabited islands amongst the Maldives list of almost two thousand. It's also the capital of the Alif Alif Atoll region, which means it's a centre for people living in the region, and the best place for local shopping and tradi…"
Dan Alba reviewed Mulee-aage Palace (Maldives Presidential Palace) in Malé, Maldives
The Mulee-aage Palace is ornately carved white building across the road from the Friday Mosque. It was built in 1906 by the Sultan (Shamsuddeen III) as a palace for his son, but the royal family were banished in 1936 so they didn't get to live there lon…"
Dan Alba reviewed Medhu Ziyaaraiy Tomb in Malé, Maldives
"Medhu Ziyaaraiy is the tomb of Abu-al Barakath Yusuf al Barbaree, who was the Moroccan scholar thought to have been the one to introduce Islam to the Maldives in the 12th Century. A few maintenance changes have been made to the shrine, but it's largely …"
Dan Alba reviewed Sultan Park in Malé, Maldives
Sultan Park used to be part of the south gardens of the Sultan's Palace, but it's now a small public garden surrounding what was the palace and is now the National Museum. There are some beautiful examples of the local exotic flora, and it's one of the …"
- September 2008
Dan Alba reviewed Turner Hall Farm in Lake District, United Kingdom
In the heart of the Duddon Valley with views out on to the fells and up to the Dow Crag and the Lakelands, this site is is a collection of pretty fields hugging the rocky base of a crag. The showers are a bit pricey, but fairly recently renovated…"
