This trip was a substitute for a rather more adventurous one to Ghana, Benin & Togo. They couldn’t find enough mugs who wanted to stay in bush camps, so I had a to find another trip which fitted the ‘window’ in my work diary. I’d always felt I hadn’t done Morocco justice with short visits [...]
Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
Morocco Travelogue & Photos
Posted in Travel, Uncategorized on December 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Turin & Piedmont Wine Weekend
Posted in Architecture, Art, Design, Food & Wine, Travel, tagged Architecture, Art, Design, Food & Wine, Travel on November 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This was the second Sideways wine weekend of 2009; this time to Piedmont, Italy – home of Barolo and Barbaresco – and I used the opportunity to tag on a couple of days in Turin, a new city for me.
It’s proximity to France, but perhaps more importantly it’s history as the home of the Dukes [...]
Edinburgh Festival Blog 2009
Posted in Art, Classical Music, Comedy, Contemporary Music, Opera, Theatre, Travel, World Music, tagged Art, Classical Music, Comedy, Contemporary Music, Opera, Theatre, Travel, World Music on August 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
FRIDAY
Well, it was a surreal start to the festival. I turned up at the appointed time at the Mercure Hotel for a ‘show’ by a Belgian company who had wowed last year. There were 4 others. We stood in a row, then a screen rose to reveal five others who proceeded to change places until they [...]
Lucca & the Puccini Opera Festival
Posted in Opera, Travel, tagged Opera on July 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Staying in Lucca, this became much more than a visit to an opera festival. We spent the days wandering inside and on the ancient city walls, followed by a late lunch and an afternoon nap (well me, anyway!) before later heading off to Torre del Lago for three nights of consecutive operas in descending death [...]
Launguedoc-Roussillon Wine Weekend
Posted in Food & Wine, Travel, tagged Food & Wine, Travel on May 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This was a weekend organised by someone we met on the South American wine tour back in February 2008 – three days in Languedoc-Roussillon in South West France, staying at Vinécole near Limoux and accompanied by The Observer’s wine writer and master of wine Tim Atkin. The region’s co-operatives are in decline and new (often [...]
Oman – April 2009
Posted in Travel on April 20, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Oman shares the southern part of the Arabian peninsular with The Yemen. It’s the same size at the UK, but with only 4% of the population. Mountains rise to 2000m / 6000 feet from the thin coastal strip and descend again to a vast desert where oil was first exploited only 30 years ago when [...]
A Weekend in The Hague
Posted in Architecture, Art, Food & Wine, Travel, tagged Architecture, Art, Food & Wine, Travel on February 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
‘Why?’ I hear you ask. Before I went I would have said ‘Why Not?’ After the visit, I can report lots of good reasons for visiting this welcoming and interesting city with lovely buildings, canals and green spaces.
I landed on my feet accommodation-wise at one of the best examples of the ‘boutique’ hotel in a [...]
Christmas in Florence
Posted in Architecture, Art, Food & Wine, Travel, tagged Architecture, Art, Food & Wine, Travel on December 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I’ve got to like avoiding the excesses of a British Christmas and this was the 8th escape in the last nine years; the third to Italy. After a very busy two months, the sleep, fresh air and walking were particularly welcome (not that the food and drink were exactly unwelcome!).
I’d only been to Florence once before, [...]
Northern Spain Wine Tour – October 2008
Posted in Art, Food & Wine, Travel, tagged Art, Food & Wine, Travel on October 21, 2008 | 2 Comments »
I enjoyed the February South American wine tour so much that here I am doing the same in Spain in October! This one is accompanied by wine writer Andrew Williams who hails from Pontypridd, 3 miles over the mountain from my home village of Abertridwr, and takes in 12 wineries in 7 wine regions (DO’s) [...]
Bosnia Hertzogvina – July 2008
Posted in Travel, tagged Add new tag, Travel on July 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Bosnia Hertzogvina…..rather trips off the tongue…..conjours up Eurovisions…..
I almost cancelled this trip after BA stranded me in Belgrade in April and changed the Sarajevo flights from daily to twice per week meaning a 5 or 7 night stay rather then the planned 4. Well I’m so glad I didn’t as it has been a quite extraordinary [...]
