Whistlestop Lisbon – What I saw and what I missed in Lisbon Portugal The capital city of Portugal, Lisbon arguably should be the first stop for anyone visiting the country. Rich in architecture, food, music and the arts, Lisbon is a vibrant place with great nightlife and plenty to see during the day. It’s historically […]
Palma Mallorca Food
The Food of Mallorca – Culinary Heritage and Must Try Dishes in Palma: I’m standing on the stairs leading down to an ancient kitchen in one of Palma’s bakeries, Fornet de la Socà. The baker standing in front of the now disused wood oven, the oldest in Palma, is carefully teasing out his dough for […]
Trips from Paris – Overnight, Day Trips and Short Drives
Five Easy Trips from Paris – Overnight Trips, Day Trips and Drives: (#Ad – in conjunction with Discover Car Hire) Who doesn’t love Paris? Like many regular visitors to the City of Lights, I have a habit of arriving, settling into a boutique hotel somewhere in the 6ieme and staying put. I visit the Musée […]
Méribel – A Favourite for Skiing Les Trois Vallées (The Three Valleys)
Méribel – the heart of Les Trois Vallées (The Three Valleys) Skiing is my passion. I love being in the mountains, so much so that I’ve loved spending the last three winters working as a rep in the Alps. Having skied for many years I’ve been fortunate to be able to visit a lot of […]
Palma de Mallorca – Sun, Sand and Special Shops!
Emblematic Shops in Palma de Mallorca: (invited press review) What comes to mind when you think of Mallorca? For me, it’s beaches, nightlife, bars and restaurants. A holiday vibe and a happy place with a great Marina. We can easily forget is that places like Palma existed before the Brits arrived and for that matter […]
Boutique Hotels Palma de Mallorca – Brondo Architect Hotel
Brondo Architect, a Quirky Boutique Hotel, Palma de Mallorca: Press Trip Wandering the streets of Palma de Mallorca with a guide, we stopped to look at a pair of buildings, Can Casasayas and Pensión Menorquina. My naive comment, that they looked like Gaudi provoked the response that the architect was, of course, heavily influenced by […]
Alba White Truffle Fair
Hunting the white truffle in Alba: The International Alba White Truffle Fair is one of the main events showcasing Italian luxury gastronomy of the Langhe-Roero region. Listed as a UNESCO cultural landscape since 2014, the region is known not just for the rare white truffle but for fields of hazelnut trees and for vineyards cultivating […]
The Mayflower Pilgrims in Delfshaven
Delfshaven and the Mayflower Pilgrims departure for the New World: In 1608 a group of religious Separatists who ultimately became known as the Mayflower Pilgrims escaped from England and made their way briefly to Amsterdam before the Mayflower Pilgrims settled for 11 years in Leiden. Here they enjoyed enough freedom to pursue their religious life as […]
The Pilgrims in Leiden – Mayflower400 Story
The Mayflower and Leiden – The History of the Pilgrims in Holland: Walking into the historic centre of Leiden is like stepping back into the 17th century. This classically beautiful Dutch city was a refuge for those now known as the Mayflower Pilgrims, separatists who fled from England in pursuit of religious freedom. For those […]
Quebec City in the Snow
Quebec City Winter Carnival: When a trip to Canada was mentioned and the possibility of visiting Quebec City, perhaps taking part in a few winter activities, I jumped at the chance. I was particularly intrigued by the trip because though it is translated as canoeing, the Circuit Quebecois de Canot a Glace race, held as […]