Travel Talk
The So-Called Destination Expert
Many of us feel equally qualified to wear the mantel of ‘expert’ but wouldn’t dream of bestowing such a pretentious title upon ourselves… […]
Year: 2014
Europe
A Night on Isola dei Pescatori, the Island of Fishermen
We draw close to Isola dei Pescatori and its diminutive size is rammed home. Under 400 metres longs and barely 100 metres wide, it’s smaller than any island… […]
Europe
Impressions of Italy
We stayed within a stone’s skim of five lakes; Ledro, Garda, Iseo, Orta and Maggiore. Each seemed more beautiful than the last. […]
Hiking
As We Walked out in the Snow above Lake Ledro in Italy
We break free from the tree line at a small malga (farmstead) where the pine curtains are pulled back to reveal a glorious landscape of soft valleys and serrated… […]
Europe
Provence, No Surprises it’s a Gastro Hike Destination
All those impossibly picturesque landscapes in paintings are no artistic interpretation, Provence looks like a Van Gogh. Sunflowers; rolling hills; balloons… […]
Europe
Review of Pullman Hotel at Marseille Airport
The facilities are excellent. An outdoor swimming pool and stylish sunbathing area elevated the Pullman from an airport, business hotel to more chill out and holiday. […]
Europe
The Joy Of Travelling Around Switzerland
As I glide across this country, through landscapes whose beauty defies every superlative in my vocabulary, I contemplate whether the Swiss watch industry was born of the nation’s obsession with punctuality, or vice versa… […]
Food & drink
How to Tell a Good Burger from a Bad Burger
Social media is the place to go for recommendations from travellers. But the reality is we don’t usually know personal preferences or weird little foibles… […]
Europe
Barren & Beautiful, the Oldest Canary Island
Endless plains devoid of flora generally leave me cold. Shaven hills look sad and apocalyptic. As for a landscape where rain is a rare visitor; hell on earth. […]
El Hierro
Quesadilla, a speciality of El Hierro not Mexico
What do you mean a quesadilla isn’t a tortillas filled with cheese?
Obviously it is… if you’re in Mexico. If you happen to be on the Canary Island of El Hierro… […]
Town & City Strolls
The Two Faces of Carcassonne
Carcassonne sounded perfect. A medieval town on a hill perched proudly above the River Aude; the serenely beautiful tree-lined Canal Du Midi and the new town of La Bastide Saint Louis that would be a […]
Catalonia
Review of Hotel Grèvol in Llanars, Girona
Situated on the edge of the tiny village of Llanars, the Hotel Grèvol exudes the warm, cosy chalet appeal of an Alpine hotel. In winter, with a snowy icing, it… […]
Croatia
Review of Hotel Korkyra in Vela Luka, Korcula
The Hotel Korkyra is one of the best hotels we stayed at in Croatia, elegant, stylish and comfortable. It rained almost constantly during our visit to Vela Luka… […]
Travel Talk
Why We Will Never Use Goldcar Car Hire Again
I cannot understand the business logic of such short term opportunism at the cost of long term relationships with customers. What’s more, I can’t help wondering if this practice is even legal… […]
Europe
From Don Quixote to James Dean, the Windmills of Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura’s burnt amber landscape is littered with windmills. It’s unsurprising given its name – strong wind. Someone tried to tell me that the island might… […]