To check in at Southampton airport for the Aurigny flight to Alderney, you ring bell for service. A genial man with a grey beard and a hi-vi jacket will appear and check you in. Then the computer doesn’t work. After … Continue reading Alderney Adventure
I have been shocked to hear about the devastation caused by the fires on Kangaroo Island. We visited the island in July 2014 (during the Australian winter but the only time we could make it) and found it a fascinating … Continue reading Kangaroo Island remembered
The Plaça Catalunya is the terminus of the airport bus and the arrival point of many visitors to Barcelona. From here it is possible to stroll down the series of avenues known as Las Ramblas to the Columbus monument and … Continue reading The Home of Wilfred the Hairy
Our exploration of Ferrara started slightly later than planned, as we took the wrong turn on leaving the station and ended up walking the long way round and entering via Porta Paula, just in time for much-needed elevenses at a … Continue reading Borgias and Brollies
It was three-hour drive from Turpan to Urumqi. The driver appeared to go the wrong way at first, but Tony (our local guide) said he wanted to stop first and buy some local Turpan grapes. He then presented us with … Continue reading The Gotham of the Desert
As I made my way towards the old town, they were lying in wait for me, their gorgeous brown coats glossy and glistening. I found them increasingly hard to ignore as I walked past, eyes firmly fixed on the harbour. … Continue reading Running the Gauntlet in Rhodes
Cholet’s main claims to fame are as the scene of a battle during the Vendée revolt of 1793 and as former centre for the manufacture of textiles, and handkerchiefs in particular. But this small town in Western France also has … Continue reading A Delicious Time in Cholet
I wasn’t expecting the duck pond. During the nerve-wracking drive across the Kyzyl Kum desert from Khiva in a car with the petrol gauge stuck on empty, Otabek had told me about the disastrous Soviet attempts to improve irrigation. The … Continue reading Heart of the City
“Chinese food in China is completely different from Chinese food at home.” As a first-time traveller to China I had heard this message so often. I knew to expect the unexpected. But was it actually true? Up to a point. … Continue reading Chinese Take-Away?
I had never been to the Lake District, so when my husband was spending a few days there for work, I took the opportunity to join him at the weekend. My work schedule meant that I reached Penrith late on … Continue reading A Day in the Lakes
Travels with me aren't 