It was inevitable that we’d end up in Italy’s most tourist-tastic region one day. Our excuse for the trip to Tuscany was a friend’s wedding in Pisa, but historic Florence was top of our list for a top en route. It turned out to be a city of crowds. Monumental crowds. It was a city…
Category: Europe
A short break in the historic French city of Angers
Give me a good history book and a glass of wine and I’ll be a happy man. She-Wolves by Helen Castor turned out to be a particularly good read, the story of three of England’s great medieval queens and their various battles to make a mark in a male-dominated world. But it also introduced me…
A week on the beach in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria represents tourism on steroids to some but the sunshine, the sandy beaches and the great nightlife have drawn me to the island three times over the years for a lazy winter break, away from the drabness of a British winter. Having been based in an average hotel in Playa del Ingles on our…
Skiing in Selva, high up in Italy’s Val Gardena
I’d been away from the ski slopes for many years despite my love of the mountains in winter. But with Graham ready to give the sport a go, we booked a week in the Italian Dolomites for a week of the white stuff. Selva lies at the head of the beautiful Val Gardena in northern…
Discovering the historic village of Locronan in Brittany
A spontaneous decision can sometimes turn up a gem, as we proved with the gorgeous village of Locronan in Brittany. We were driving back from visiting Great Uncle Ray’s grave in Milizac on a gloomy June day when we decided to turn off the main road into the picturesque hills. And there it was, a…
In search of the Northern Lights in Levi, Finland – part two
Levi in northern Finland had kept us busy with winter sports and spas but what about the Northern Lights? Would we ever get to see them or would nature conspire against us? I didn’t hold out too much hope because while the Aurora Borealis have been drawing travellers to northern latitudes for years, many have…
In search of the Northern Lights in Levi, Finland – part one
I’d always dreamt about seeing The Northern Lights, one of nature’s greatest planetary light shows, but the web is full of stories of people who’ve make the trip north to witness them only to be frustrated by cloud cover and dull skies. For the truth is the Aurora Borealis don’t perform to order or appear every…
An Easter city break in Stockholm, Sweden
Easter isn’t the best time to visit Stockholm. The trees are bare and the weather can be drab and chilly, but the weather couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm for the capital of Sweden. I actually had very few preconceptions about it. I knew it as a city of water, islands and ludicrously priced alcohol. I knew it as…
Walking in the hills at Braemar, Scotland
With our much-discussed British weather being so hopelessly unreliable, it’s easy to make an excuse and head abroad on holiday. But on our visit to Braemar and Ballater in Scotland we found the sun and fell in love with Royal Deeside. Braemar was stop number two, nestled in a landscape so spectacular I defy anyone…
Milizac, France. In search of Great Uncle Ray, World War Two pilot
Researching my family tree, I was keen to find out more about Great Uncle Raymond Finch. A bomber pilot, he was killed over Brittany in the Second World War and I wanted to pay my respects at his grave in a quiet French village. I’d long known that he’d been killed in the war but…
A few days in Naples, Italy
Naples is the gateway to southern Italy but my first experience of it was overwhelmingly negative, for it had been like stepping into the third world. Years later, with Graham in tow, I still found it challenging but warmed slowly to its charms. That first visit to Naples back in the early noughties was nothing more…
Istanbul: A long weekend in Sultanahmet
Sultanahmet is the historic heart of Istanbul, the most famous of Turkey’s cities. It may not be the capital but it’s the only city that sits astride Europe and Asia. Just a few months after we visited Istanbul, it was gripped by the worst riots in years. But it seems that historic Sultanahmet escaped the…
Walking in the hills around Morzine
The French Alpine resort of Morzine has grand landscapes and numerous summer walking paths but during our August weekend stay the weather had been mixed. Fortunately our last day delivered sunshine and blue skies so after studying our maps we decided to spend the day walking on Le Pleney – the hill on the other side of…
Morzine, Lake Montriond and the waterfalls
Just a few miles from the French Alpine resort of Morzine lies magical Lake Montriond and some spectacular waterfalls. The area is criss-crossed by walking routes and has magnificent views, making it an ideal spot to shake off a crashing headache brought on by mixing vodka, wine, beer and a mysterious local liquor in the…
A walk from Morzine to Avoriaz
Day three of our stay in the French Alps found us walking in the mountains from Morzine to Avoriaz and sheltering from a spectacular downpour. The rain had long been forecast and, as we tucked into breakfast at our hotel, the clouds started to roll in. Things were not looking good for a day out –…