“Have you ever been to a Cat Café before?” “Yes, in Vilnius.” I think my answer slightly confused the owner of what claims to be the first Cat Café in the Midlands, located in Stratford-upon-Avon and called (what else?) the … Continue reading Another town, another Cat Cafe
The world’s first cat café opened in Japan in 1998. Since then the idea has spread around the world, but I had not been to one until our recent trip to the Baltic, when I came across two very different … Continue reading Cat Cafes
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?
Originally posted on Slow Travel: The Chilterns and Thames Valley:
A little piece of history has returned to the hamlet of Ford in the Vale of Aylesbury. Just before Christmas, the Dinton Hermit – a historic coaching inn and pub… Continue reading The Hermit is back
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
“Someone gave us a snake last week, but a cayman ate it,” Felix shrugged. He did not seem unduly concerned about the fate of the unfortunate reptile. His interest was in conserving flora, not fauna. The lake in the centre … Continue reading In Search of a Garden
“Look how lifelike he is – you can even bend the ears.” The curator’s pride in the expensive new silicon figure was evident. It was our last morning in Warsaw, and we were spending it in Lazienki Park – once … Continue reading Making the Most of Warsaw
The Wood and Walters fan in me could not resist. “Two soups, please.” The waiter looked doubtful. “It’s big, maybe one between you with two spoons?” I gave him a look. He relented and brought us two bowls of the … Continue reading Interlude in Vilnius
The Christmas trees were a bit of a surprise. I have been on anti-Christmas trips before, only to find that seasonal kitsch is harder to escape that you might imagine. In Marrakech we found inflatable Santas in the souk and … Continue reading Christmas in Ashgabat
Travels with me aren't 