A weekend or so ago we spent a couple of days in Barcelona. The primary reason for our visit was that finally our reservation at El Celler de Can Roca which we had had to book 13 months in advance (yes an entire year!!) was upon us. But it was also a great excuse to spend some time in a city I’d been longing to return to since my first trip a decade ago. but more on that on Wednesday.
Continue reading
Category Archives: explore
Weekend wanderings in Paris
I haven’t been for Paris for years and having lucked out with a glorious sunny weekend I decided to take full advantage of the weather and see as many of the highlights Paris on foot as possible. According to my Jawbone (whose reliability I’m not totally convinced on) I walked well over 60,000 steps over the course of the weekend, which of course I used as the perfect excuse to indulge in delicious French food… Continue reading
Colombia Part Four – Coffee and countryside rambling
There is so much to explore in Colombia’s coffee country but after some research we started our tour of the area by spending a couple of days at the fantastic Hacienda Guaybal. This family run farm is located just outside of Chinchina and you can either visit for a tour of the plantation and a coffee tasting session or stay for a couple of days like we did. Continue reading
Colombia Part Three – culinary and cultural delights in Cartagena and more Caribbean chilling
Cartagena des Indies is Colombia’s fifth largest city and known, with very good reason, as the queen of the Caribbean. This charming colonial town has a great energy, wonderful food and is just a short boat ride away from some of the most beautiful beaches and islands I have been lucky enough to spend time in. Continue reading
Colombia Part Two – Ciudad Perdida and convalescing in luxury
Following a very relaxing week on the heavenly Caribbean island of Providencia (more here) we shocked ourselves back into reality with an arduous but incredible trip to Ciudad Perdida, or the Lost City, a ancient archeological site I’d been longing to visit since my trip to Machu Picchu some time a go. Continue reading
Colombia Part One – the Capital and Caribbean chilling
A little while a go I ignored all the naysayers who write Colombia off as dangerous and only for those who are into their hard partying and set out with some girlfriends to discover Colombia’s other side. I am so glad that I did…Colombia quickly proved itself to be one of the best countries I have ever visited. Not only was there so much to see and do (and no none of it was white and powdery…except maybe the pristine sand on the beaches) but the people were so kind, friendly and enthusiastic and not once did I feel unsafe.
Stunning Stockholm
Ever since Copenhagen, I’ve been longing to visit other parts of Scandanavia and so for my birthday we took a little trip to Sweden. We spent a couple of days in Stockholm…which as you will see from the (overly?) long post is not nearly long enough as there is so much to see, do, eat in this fantastic city! Continue reading
Tokyo Tuesday – Hanami
During March and early April I managed to tick off two of the big items on my bucket list – both of which (luckily!) lived up to expectations. More on the second next week but first…HANAMI
Tokyo Tuesday – five destinations which are often overlooked
There are so many places to visit in Japan that it can be a bit overwhelming when deciding what to put on your travel itinerary, especially when you only have a limited amount of time. I’ve talked a lot over the past couple of weeks about the big hitters…Kyoto, Hiroshima etc but I’d really encourage visitors to add at least one of the less popular destinations into the mix as they still offer fantastic cultural and natural sights but with smaller crowds of fellow tourists and a slightly more relaxed vibe.
Miyajima
If Hiroshima is on your itinerary I’d really suggest allowing an extra half a day to visit the nearby Miyajima, a beautiful island just off the coast of the mainland. Not only is the atmosphere of peace and calm a lovely change from the hustle and bustle of the city but the island also offers one of the most iconic photo spots in all Japan…the torii gate of the Itsukushima shrine. Continue reading