As I wander around the historic old quarter of Ciutadella, past majestic peach coloured buildings, historic squares and through a maze of narrow alleys ways, I catch a glimpse of the turbulent history of the Spanish island of Menorca thanks to my guide. Luis tells...
Eating, dancing and chatting with Mama Irini
Walking along the seafront at Kamari on the east coast of Santorini, I hear someone singing, an older voice, soft and sweet. Dressed all in black, as is the tradition for widows, her face shaded from the sunshine by a wide-brimmed straw hat, the singer, Irini, returns...
Beheadings, ravens and whopping great diamonds!
As I walk through the one foot deep, steel doors, that would have looked more at home protecting a high-tech bank vault in the latest blockbuster, I catch my breath and gaze at the bejewelled sword and scabbard suspended in the air before...
Finding tranquility at Santo Stefano, the Seven Churches of Bologna
One day last summer, while wandering along the lovely porticoes of Bologna, I found myself in the Piazza Santo Stefano and saw the Basilica of the same name, peeping through the pillars. This was a church I'd been meaning to visit so I stepped inside and I am so glad...
Overcoming my fear of heights in Bologna
I have so many wonderful things I want to share with you from my recent stay in Bologna and thousands of photographs that it was hard to know where to start. So let's start from the top! The top of the tallest tower in Bologna, the Asinelli Tower - that's 318...
Roubaix and the art of reinvention
If ever a town has mastered the art of reinvention it has to Roubaix on the outskirts of Lille in northern France. Where else can you dine at a garage or foundry, admire magnificent sculptures and paintings in an art deco swimming pool and sleep in a bubble or an...
Winchester Cathedral, one of the loveliest in England
Last year when I visited The Christmas market at Winchester, I took the opportunity to look inside the cathedral and I am so glad I did. Never before have I walked into a building and literally gasped out loud! In the heart of the historic city of Winchester, the...
A Victorian Christmas Festival
For one weekend every year the historic docklands of Portsmouth are transformed into a scene straight out of a Dickensian novel! Singing street urchins, chimney sweeps and ladies of the night (hold on to your husbands girls) are among the many characters...