An evening wine tasting in the Loire Valley? Yes, please!
What do you think of when you imagine visiting France? If, along with the glorious food and scenery, it’s the splendid wines of the Loire Valley that come to mind, you’re in for a treat. Since 2016, Chateau Chenonceau has hosted an evening’s wine tasting each summer in the Chateau and its manicured gardens, and the best news? There are lots of wines to try, and it’s open to all. What better way to decide which Loire Valley vintage is your favourite than by trying them all? The producers of the Touraine Chenonceaux wines come together each year at the ‘Degustation sous les etoiles’ (Wine tasting beneath the stars), held…
Take a closer look at Dubrovnik – walk Dubrovnik’s city walls
The ancient walls surrounding Dubrovnik enclose a labyrinth of magical streets, fascinating architecture and all sorts of gastronomic discoveries, all of which combine to make Dubrovnik a truly unique destination. But the magnificent city walls and the public access to them, is what really makes Dubrovnik different. Here’s what I suggest you keep an eye out for while walking Dubrovnik’s city walls. Magnificent Old Town views Starting from near Ploce Gate in the north east corner of the old town, the first challenge is a steep stone staircase. (Beware – There are lots of steep and uneven steps). However, as soon as you get to the top the steps were…
How to have the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights
Are you dreaming of seeing the Northern Lights one day? Have you been on a trip where you failed to see them? How disappointing! Well, don’t let it happen again. Here are my tips on how to have the best possible chance of seeing the Northern Lights. Of all nature’s mysteries, the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) is probably the most magical. Silently appearing and scattering swirls of colour across the night sky, before mysteriously vanishing again, the Northern Lights really put on a show. But, don’t be fooled by all the magic. There are a few factors that contribute to the show and if you keep them in mind your…
Admire Marc Chagall’s stained windows in Tudeley, Kent
Seeing and experiencing something new for the first time is definitely one of the obvious joys of travel. But you don’t always need to go far to make new discoveries. I proved this to myself recently when I visited a small church in Kent that is full of stained glass windows created by artist Marc Chagall. Imagine my surprise when I learned this church is just down the road from my childhood home! Records of All Saints Church in Tudeley in Kent date back to the seventh century. But the church has appealed to a whole new audience of art lovers since the installation of 12 windows designed and created…
Notting Hill Carnival – Europe’s biggest street party!
Do you ever feel like dressing up and dancing in the street? Every August bank holiday weekend the streets of west London come alive with one of the biggest and most colourful celebrations of life imaginable. The much-celebrated Notting Hill Carnival has been partying through west London since 1966 and if you think that sounds fun, just wait until you experience it! Carnival! The Notting Hill Carnival is one of my favourite events in London. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people from the British West Indian community take part in Europe’s largest street party each year. People from Trinidad, Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, British people with family in these nations…
How climbing the leaning Tower of Pisa could affect your studies
Everybody poses for a photo ‘holding up’ the leaning Tower of Pisa, but would you climb it? The ‘lean’ factor looks quite concerning when you stand in front of the tower. ‘It probably won’t feel like much of an angle inside,’ I thought. I was wrong! Construction of the Tower of Pisa started in the 1100s and was soon made difficult on reaching the second level, when the foundations began to sink. However, construction continued and the tower became a seven-storey tower leaning at an angle of 5.5 degrees. Reinforcement work in the early 1990s reduced the angle to 4 to 5 degrees, but the top level is still almost…
Hot air ballooning in Cappadocia
Hot air balloons are almost as much a feature of Cappadocia as the magnificent underground cities and fairy chimney houses. When you wake on your first morning to a sky filled with colourful balloons drifting almost silently over the remarkable landscape around you, you know you’ve arrived somewhere magical. But do you want to fly in a hot air balloon? Here’s why you should. Waking up in Cappadocia Waking up on my first morning in Cappadocia, I was aware of two sounds that I don’t normally wake to. The first was a determined mooing, so loud the (presumably) cow could have been standing at the end of the bed (but…
Two of the best museums in Montreal
As one of Canada’s historic industrial centres, Montreal has been a far busier place than the international focus on Vancouver and Toronto might have you believe. From the early French attempts to establish a fur trading post and British colonial rule (yes, British!), to Montreal’s establishment as the economic capital of Canada in the late 1800s and beyond, Montreal certainly has an interesting history. There are several interesting museums in Montreal but for the best crash course of the city’s history, especially if your visit will be brief, I suggest focusing on the development of the city and the people that chose to call it home. These are the two…
12 Turkish foods you should try
If you haven’t tried Turkish food yet, you really should! There is far more to it than just Turkish delight… Turkish cuisine has developed continuously over the centuries since Ottoman rule and has adopted influences from all over the place including Central Asian, the Middle East, Greece and the Balkans, resulting in wonderfully diverse, unique and flavoursome menus. Having just returned from a visit to Turkey, on which I binged shamelessly on all my favourite dishes, I thought I’d go one further than the boastful ‘holiday food’ photos on Facebook and write a post on the highlights of Turkish cuisine.Here are some of the best Turkish foods that I recommend…
First impressions of Cappadocia
Arriving somewhere new late at night and in the dark is always exciting, and Cappadocia is no different. The limited glimpses I got of buildings and road signs from inside the transfer bus from the airport to Goreme only made it more exciting. My first morning in Cappadocia started suddenly with the loud and insistent mooing of a local cow. I looked out of the window and was amazed by what lay before me. It’s not every day you come across a view so unique you want to drink in every detail. Across the part of Goreme that fell in view I saw homes and livestock buildings dotted between a…
