Exploring the world, one place at a time
Driving into the north Wales market town of Conwy is quite a surreal and unnerving experience, for the town is surrounded by a 1.3km unbroken ring of medieval stone walls, and to get into the town, I had to drive through a narrow gateway. It was an impressive and disorientating welcome to one of the... Continue Reading →
Regular readers of my blog will know that I unashamedly love a good castle, and for the longest time, I've been dying to tick off north Wales's big four: Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech. I visited Caernarfon years ago (great fun), have driven past Harlech and Conwy, but the one I was most keen to... Continue Reading →
I was in London in the spring catching up with friends, when one of my friends suggested we spend the day at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. I love Kew Gardens and hadn't been there for years, so I was more than happy to revisit one of my favourite London haunts. Home to more... Continue Reading →
In the run up to my trip to Jordan, I began reading TE Lawrence's The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, in which the former British army officer recounts his time in the region supporting the Arab Revolt during the First World War. In his memoir, Lawrence also raves about the beauty of Wadi Rum, a vast... Continue Reading →
With its ancient churches, numerous bookstores and fantastic shops, Poitiers is one of my favourite French cities. Its medieval centre is a delight to wander around, a maze of winding streets featuring charming timber-clad buildings and distractingly tempting food shops and cafés. When we arrived in the city, we decided to take a self-guided walking... Continue Reading →
If I had to guess, I'd wager that Petra is the reason most people visit Jordan and it was certainly why I booked my trip. I'd long been keen to visit the ancient Nabatean city, but little did I realise it's just one of a number of incredible places to see in this fascinating country.... Continue Reading →
Famous for its sports cars and chocolate, the elegant Italian city of Turin is only an hour from Milan by train, so I decided to spend a day there during my recent Italian jaunt. With its large charming squares, tree-lined avenues, covered walkways, palazzo-style buildings and Alpine backdrop, Turin is a picturesque city to explore.... Continue Reading →
Italy's economic capital is probably best known for its bi-annual fashion week, but there's much more to this stylish city than big name designer outlets and shopping. I spent last weekend in Milan, and before my trip, it wasn't somewhere that was on my radar. But I was looking for somewhere to go for a... Continue Reading →
It's almost impossible to miss the Castelo dos Mouros or Moors' Castle in Sintra. The striking fortress, which sits high on a hill overlooking the town, dominates the surrounding landscape and is visible for miles. Its stone ramparts, towers and battlements are sprawled across the hilltop making it a formidable defensive structure. The castle was... Continue Reading →
High on the hills overlooking Sintra is the kitsch, brightly painted Pena Palace. It's a magnificent, romantic building surrounded by 85 hectares of gardens and like so many buildings in Sintra, unique. It's one of the quirkiest, most unusual palaces I've visited. The palace was originally a monastery built by King Manuel I in the... Continue Reading →
Little Old World 