Austria
Snapshots, The Dachstein Mountains
I had walked amongst those peaks and learned of the legends that live within their stony silence. I had been charmed, challenged and chastised by their unforgiving terrain… […]
Europe
Austria
The Problem with Austrian Food
Words like ofenerdäpfel, kräuterrahm, röstkartofflen and faschiertelaibchen punched us relentlessly in the eyes. Desperately, and in vain, we tried to match… […]
Europe
Pepe and his Maracuya on La Gomera
Although we’re on a quiet path outside of Agulo, at that precise moment a man with a deeply tanned face framed by a snowy beard walks past carrying a bulging… […]
Europe
Review of Restaurant Hotel Belvedere, Isola Dei Pescatori, Lake Maggiore
Set on quaint and characterful Isola Dei Pescatori, one of the Borromeo Islands in the centre of Lake Maggiore, Hotel Belvedere is an elegant hotel and restaurant in a uniquely beautiful location and is the perfect romantic getaway… […]
Europe
Snapshots, Remains of the Past on Lanzarote
The only thing I really liked about Puerto del Carmen on Lanzarote when we visited nearly a quarter of a century ago was the old harbour… […]
Andalucia
Snapshots, Medlar the Rotten Fruit
It’s squishy, ugly and nearly rotten or, to give it the term that doesn’t make it sound quite so bad, bletted. Medlar is an old fruit… […]
Europe
Review of Hotel Simplon in Baveno, Lake Maggiore
Hotel Simplon is within a stone’s throw of Lake Maggiore. A short distance away is the centre of Baveno, once a haunt for Europe’s richest and most powerful… […]
As we walked out
As We Walked out to Ewige Wand in Austria
Austria, you’re an intriguing country for exploring on foot; positively schizophrenic in nature – a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde of a location. […]
Hiking
Hikers and Bikers Don’t Mix
On one occasion I was nearly felled by a mountain unicyclist which would at least have had comedic value had an accident occurred…
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Austria
Picking at Breakfasts around Europe
The realisation dawned that there is never going to be any time that I am going to think to myself ‘I really, really fancy tucking into a bowl of muesli.’ […]
Europe
Review of Hotel Cannero, Cannero Riviera, Lake Maggiore
If you’ve ever imagined yourself sipping champagne by the sparkling waters of an Italian lake, on a ‘Jack Vettriani does Lake Maggiore’ canvas, this is the place to do it… […]
Europe
Imagination Overdose at Villa Crespi on Lake Orta
Stripping off to change into something ‘smart but casual’ seemed preferable to walking beneath the Villa Crespi’s ornate minaret and through its palatial entrance… […]
Croatia
Bite Sized, Konoba Ribar in Vela Luka, Korcula
Despite having excellent sunsets and the stylish and comfy Hotel Korkyra, Vela Luka doesn’t have the charm of the town at the very other end of the island… […]
Austria
Weekend Guide to Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg could appear to be the European city equivalent of Dickens’ Estella in Great Expectations – exquisitely beautiful yet cold and untouchable. But it isn’t… […]
Europe
Twenty Four Hours in Bergamo in Pictures
Despite frayed nerves and teeth that had been seriously gnashed, Bergamo is a seductress whose easy charms quickly massaged tense muscles… […]