Russian artworks hit new heights at Christie’s

The strength of Russian art as an investment has been underlined once again with Christie’s achieving a record price for The Coachman by Boris Kustodiev.

The work was painted in 1923 and was formerly in the collection of Noble Prize winner and friend of the artist Peter Kapitza (1894-1984). 

A short tour of Abbeville, Picardy

The northern French town of Abbeville was a favourite of the art critic and painter John Ruskin.

When he visited in 1868 he wrote with admiration about the view of the gothic church of St Vulfran towering above medieval houses and marketplace.

Watercolours and sketches that he made at the time can still be seen in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, but while the 15th-century church that so impressed him is clearly recognisable today, the medieval centre that so captivated Ruskin has largely disappeared.

Run to Monaco 2013 date announced

Luxury motoring event Run To Monaco is scheduled for 22-26 May 2013.

The spectacle, which sees drivers taking luxury supercars from Brands Hatch to the Principality, begins with participants heading through southern England via Eurotunnel to the Champagne region of France. 

Viking swords top the list at Bonhams’ sale

A fearsome array of swords from the Medieval period and earlier, including Viking weapons, form the main thrust of Bonhams’ sale of antique arms and armour on 28 November in London’s Knightsbridge.

David Williams, director of arms and armour at Bonhams, said: ‘Many of these rare and remarkable weapons would have been used in battle. The scarring and damage goes some way to confirm this, though the years have also taken their toll.’

Ageing cars to be banned from Paris, says mayor

The writing may be on the wall for the iconic 2CV or Renault Five rattling through the streets of Paris.

Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoë intends to outlaw (by September 2014) the use of cars and utility vehicles more than 17 years old and lorries or buses more than 18 years old.

Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibition at the British Museum

In Spring 2013 the British Museum will present a major exhibition on the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, sponsored by Goldman Sachs. 

This exhibition will be the first ever held on the cities at the British Museum and the first such major exhibition in London for almost 40 years. 

Health benefits of a hot sand bath in Kyushu, Japan

Boris Yeltsin lasted 30 minutes; he did well. Most people struggle to get past 20 – and the recommended dose is a trifling 15.

Frankly, I am nervous. The sauna at the Hakusuikan resort at Ibusuki on the tip of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu may be recommended as a cure for any number of ailments, but it also involves being buried up to your neck in geothermally heated sand.

Ash dieback taking hold in UK, warn experts

A summit on the tree disease Chalara fraxinea, also known as ash dieback, took place in 7 November.

The meeting, chaired by environment secretary Owen Paterson and attended by Government officials, tree experts and conservation NGOs, considered the findings of a nationwide survey carried out by Forestry Commission staff and agreed a course of action.

Six unusual war memorials in London

With Remembrance Day around the corner visitors to London will find many war memorials on the city’s streets and within its parks. Here are six of the most unexpected and dramatic.

Imperial Camel Corps Memorial, Victoria Embankment, EC4
Surprisingly diminutive, this 1921 memorial features a soldier of the Camel Corps atop his trusty steed.

Or not, perhaps; the unit was mounted exclusively on male camels which, though harder to control and more grumpy than females, were somewhat cheaper to buy.

CityJet announces Nuremberg flights from London City Airport

From 27 January 2013 CityJet will be flying to the historic German city of Nuremberg from London City Airport. 

The year-round service will operate two flights weekdays and one on Sundays.

Christmas at London’s Burlington Arcade

Actor Bill Nighy will switch on the Christmas Lights at London’s Burlington Arcade on 22 November.

Resident retailers will be offering Christmas shoppers a wide variety of British luxury brands.

Japan: samurai traditions live on in Kyushu

Kyoko Sata points to the cherry blossoms in her Zen garden. Not so long ago, people would hang washing up to dry in those trees. At the top they’d put the men’s clothes and at the bottom the women's.

She pauses to make sure I have understood the implications of this. Just in case I have not, she adds: ‘The men's clothes would drip on the women’s. They would dry quicker.’

We are sitting, knees bent, feet tucked away beneath us, in the main room of Sata's 250-year-old house in the carefully preserved samurai village at Chiran on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu.

Review: Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire; a fascinating place to visit

To gain an insight into the wildlife of the Wicken Fen nature reserve in Cambridgeshire, it pays to take to the water.

I do so in the company of Ralph Sergeant, who, with his East Anglian accent and long beard, is a fenman straight out of Central Casting. 

He worked at Wicken for over 30 years before his retirement, but he’s still on hand to share his knowledge when the need arises.

Napoleonic re-enactors and the Battle of Waterloo pt2

For Napoleonic re-enactors, events don’t come any bigger than the annual restaging of the Battle of Waterloo.

The spectacle regularly attracts around 3,000 men and women, dressed in the uniforms of the era, who act out the events of 18 June 1815 on the same ground that was trodden by the armies of Wellington and Napoleon.

And the colourful, dramatic and often noisy display is watched by many thousands more.

Bunnahabhain unveils 40-year-old Islay malt whisky

Islay-based whisky distillery Bunnahabhain is to release a one-off rare single malt that has lain undiscovered for four decades.

Only 750 bottles will be released and each will be numbered and signed. 

Bonhams to auction German enigma machine

Auction house Bonhams is scheduled to put a German enigma enciphering machine under the hammer for the first time on 14 November in London.

The machine, which is estimated to sell for between £40,000 and £60,000, was built in 1941 and was used by German forces during World War II.