The English Cotswolds are the fairytale ideal of country life. Lacock is regarded as one of the best-preserved villages in the Cotswolds and was the perfect, picturesque stop to break up the drive between London and Bath. I’ve been industriously editing all my old, forgotten photos lately, and I’ve just found these photos of Lacock from a 2012 trip (yes, bit overdue).It was only a … Continue reading Lacock: A Perfect Cotswolds Village
The elegant dome of the Pantheon is an iconic fixture of the Parisian skyline. I was excited to see inside, when I was in Paris for the first time, with my family. The Pantheon’s purpose is to serve history, but the building itself is also a legacy of Paris’ tumultuous history. Paris is a city that celebrates and honours the past better than any other city … Continue reading The Pantheon, Paris: Home of France’s Heroes
The L’Hotel National des Invalides in Paris is a French military museum and memorial complex, as well as the final resting place of the Emperor Napoleon. A military museum is usually the last place you’d find me, but I was spending the morning with my Dad, whose passion for history is so infectious that he made it interesting. My sister, Georgie, had just returned from her student … Continue reading A Visit to Napoleon’s Tomb at L’Hotel des Invalides, Paris
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It was the happiest day I had in five blissful weeks of exploring France, Italy, Greece and even a little Turkey. In fact, it was the best day I have ever had while travelling. We spent half the day sailing around Capri, including a visit into the famous Blue Grotto – the experience I had most been … Continue reading Sailing around Capri & The Blue Grotto
If there was a day during our trip from Paris-Athens that we didn’t each gelato, it evidently wasn’t worth remembering. Gelato, sorbet and on one occasion, plain old ice cream, was an essential party of our daily diet because this is what you do when you’re it’s summer, you’re in Europe with your best friend and you’re twenty years old. Sorbet at Berthillon, Paris On my … Continue reading The Gelato Diaries: France, Italy & Greece
Athens is my favourite foreign city, after Paris, but it wasn’t love at first sight. My first nights in Athens were spent in a worn out hotel in a dodgy part of town. It looked okay by day but was seriously sketchy at night. Starting and ending every day feeling a little vulnerable around the hotel didn’t do much for my impression of the city. Luckily, … Continue reading Boutique Hotel in Athens: Hotel Hermes
Santorini was our last stop on our Greek Islands cruise. The first thing I learned? Santorini is too enchanting for a brief port call on a cruise. I was nowhere near ready to leave Santorini after our brief afternoon visit, 1.5 hours of which was spent on the return bus trip between the port and Oia. On the way to Oia, we crossed rocky, desolate … Continue reading Cruising the Greek Islands: Oia, the jewel of Santorini
Contiki Tours may be a lot of things, but I have to give them this much: They introduced me to Nice. Before my tour, Nice wasn’t on my radar. We had arrived for a few sunny days, in the middle of a cold European winter and I fell in love. It was the only place during the trip, apart from Barcelona, where we saw blue … Continue reading Postcards: Why I love Nice
Cinque Terre is famous for it’s brightly-coloured buildings, but Riomaggiore takes the (rainbow) cake. The punchy colour scheme in Vernazza, the vivid blue sea and the colour-coordinated umbrellas in Monterosso and the popping pastels in Manarola are no match for the colours of Riomaggiore. Shades of sunshine yellow, bright orange and watermelon pink punctuated by forest-green shutters shine even brighter against the brilliant blue sky. Bright bunting strung across … Continue reading Riomaggiore: Cinque Terre’s most colourful village
It’s one of the world’s most dreamed about destinations, but Rome & I have never quite seen eye to eye. Despite the promises of la dolce vita, I find it hard to relax in Rome. I imagined myself strolling through sun-dappled piazzas with a gelato in hand as vespas whizz by. I daydreamed about stumbling along remnants of ancient history around every corner. I’ve visited … Continue reading Why I failed to fall in love with Rome