The irony about a city that celebrates Mozart with such uncontained commercial hysteria is that the young composer hated Salzburg. He couldn’t wait to escape the clutches of its Prince-Archbishop and find fame and freedom elsewhere. Wherever you look in Salzburg, Mozart’s ghost lurks. We landed at Mozart airport in our BA A319, we could…
Author: Stephen
Brussels and its bonkers Atomium
We could see the Atomium from our hotel room, far out to the north in the Brussels suburbs. Its stainless steel globes sparkled in the May sunshine, much as they have done since this bizarre symbol of the 1958 World’s Fair first opened. My late grandparents owned a souvenir model of one of Belgium’s more…
Brussels, beer and beautiful buildings
The Belgians have a reputation for being just a little bit boring, but I saw precious little proof of it during our city break in Brussels. A jazz festival was in full swing throughout the city and the squares were crowded with music fans, dancers and drinkers. In Place Sainte Catherine we joined them, beer…
Oktoberfest’s little sister and other Munich treats
So who knew that Oktoberfest had a junior sibling? Not me, that’s for sure. But with great good fortune we discovered its existence coincided with our May weekend break in Munich. However, with the beer cruelly not being served until 4pm we needed to find something to do to keep us occupied on what was…
Munich: Sausages, beer and history
Munich is proud of its native white sausage, the weisswurst – a staple of breakfasts across the city. But I don’t get it. It looks flabby and anaemic and tastes little better. The beer, on the other hand, is a triumph. No wonder tourists in their tens of thousands are drawn to the city, particularly…
A walk through Thessaloniki and its history
Thessaloniki looks impressive from the old city walls in the hills of Ano Poli. Beyond, the bay shimmers in the sunshine and the distant mountains are capped with snow. But the city is not quite as neat and tidy close up. Our walk from the centre to the upper town revealed evidence of decay, economic…
Thessaloniki: The second city of Greece
Thessaloniki was a surprise. I hadn’t expected it to have such a vibrant nightlife, so many stylish and busy bars and so much atmosphere. Perhaps, as a waitress told us over cold beers on a warm and sunny April afternoon, it’s because Thessaloniki is a city of students. There are tens of thousands of them in…
A winter weekend in Reykjavik
Welcome to Iceland, where rain, snow and hail falls horizontally, where gales shred umbrellas and the cold really does hurt. In Iceland we experienced foul weather at its foulest, wind so strong that we could barely stand up in it and cold so perishing during a tour of the Golden Circle that I would’ve got…
Iceland’s Golden Circle
I can see why Iceland’s tourism business has taken off. A trip around the Golden Circle and its many geological attractions is worth the price of the air fare alone. And I’m not going to let the extreme cold or the stomach bug I was suffering, which qualifies me to write the ultimate guide to…
Impressions of Australia
Australia had been on my bucket list for years but there were always many other countries ahead of it when it came to booking our long-haul holidays. In the end it was family ties that made us commit, and I’m glad they did because Oz turned out to be a real treat. In fact, it…
A walk around East Melbourne
Our last full day in wonderful Australia and we found somewhere I’d be happy to call home – East Melbourne. But sadly I can’t see our budget stretching that far… Just a short walk from the central business district and its famous Laneways, East Melbourne is overflowing with the most glorious houses and cottages, perfectly…
Melbourne’s gardens and memorials
The Melbourne we’d been exploring was all concrete and steel, roads and traffic, but the city has its fair share of parks and gardens too. So on yet another boiling day we visited the Botanic Gardens and an impressive war memorial. The green spaces extend from the banks of the Yarra River in the heart…
Melbourne, a new year and St Kilda
Melbourne’s cityscape doesn’t have the drama of Sydney’s Port Jackson but I’d plump for it over the capital of New South Wales given the choice. We arrived on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve fresh from the Yarra Valley and parked ourselves in our funky hotel, the Ovolo, situated in the Laneways, a district famous for…
Wine country in the Yarra Valley
The Yarra Valley was going to be our one and only stop for relaxation on our three-week Australian holiday. The idea was that we’d chill out in the heart of Victoria’s wine country, take a dip in the outdoor pool, drink cocktails and read. There was a slight flaw to this plan – the estate…
The Blue Mountains, New South Wales
Driving into the Blue Mountains an hour west of Sydney is child’s play compared to navigating the European Alps. Where the latter has worryingly narrow and winding rounds, the Australian range is connected to the city by a string of dual carriageways. They’re not pretty and not particularly environmentally friendly but we were soon seduced…