Aix-en-Provence, France The smart, attractive southern French town of Aix has quite a different vibe to it’s neighbour, Marseille. It’s sleepy, it’s refined, it gave birth to the delightful confection, the calisson… and it’s served as an inspirational spot to paint for countless artists. Certainly if you are a fan of Cézanne, Aix is worth a visit. He was born…
Aigues Mortes, France The little walled city of Aigues Mortes doesn’t get much of a write-up in English guide books – it comes across as being a somewhat dull afterthought in the Camargue region. Therefore, when I disembarked my bus, I was surprised to see how bustling it was – it was full of French tourists. So. The French are…
Cavtat, Croatia Fancying a short-ish (and cheap) boat trip, we decided to go to the coastal town of Cavtat south of Dubrovnik. It’s a popular tourist destination itself, with lots of hotels and eateries. In early April, when we visited, it was very quiet and pleasant – not bustle-y and much more relaxing than Dubrovnik had already become with its…
Lokrum Island, Croatia It’s funny how there are some places which seem quite interesting, but you look on the internet for pictures to gauge just how interesting, and then decide that you can’t tell, and then go anyway. As it turns out, the trip to the island of Lokrum, visible from Dubrovnik, is just the most delightful little place –…
Chester, England Ever since I was a wee-mid-teen, I’ve wanted to go to Chester. I studied Roman history for my A-levels and we had to do a section on Roman Britain. Chester, with its excavations, featured in my studies in such a way that I had rather a romantic image of it. I mean, Britain is not exactly blessed with…