Travelling
Can you buy Marimekko fabric at good prices in Finland? Let’s continue on the great fabric quest, shall we? When you visit Finland, even fleetingly, you think of Marimekko, a design brand of great longevity and perpetual good taste. Marimekko – a Finnish Design Company…
When in St. Petersburg… the State Hermitage Museum is probably on most visitors itineraries unless their time in the city is extremely limited. One of the largest publicly accessible palace complexes in the world, the Winter Palace and its annexes house an amazing collection of…
Every morning when I drive to work, I hear them now, adverts for Black Friday, mixed in with the first Christmassly chimes! My mother decided to spend Christmas in Spain and is heading off, which gets me thinking about seasonal gifts, especially gifts for travellers…
This almost sounds like it’s too good to be true, right? The Baltic States, Belarus and Russia are linen producers and well known for good quality linen. So, it made sense on my recent trip to St. Petersburg and Tallinn to increase the stash – …
Russia and the former Soviet Union have an excellent reputation for classical music and dance performances. And when visiting St Petersburg, the Mariinsky (formerly Kirov) Theatre will spring to mind. It is the most famous theatre in St Petersburg – and also the most expensive.…
My 2017 post on visiting the Mount of Olives is one of the most read articles on this site, and an question that turns up again and again is whether you can get there on foot. Technically, you can, quite easily (with a bit of…
My first trip to Russia post-Socialism took me, quite fittingly, to the imperial city of St. Petersburg, the Hero city of Leningrad, the modern city of St. Petersburg with its rich history and countless works or art. And where would be a better place to…
Now that I have returned from Russia, I cannot wait to give you the full report on my visa-free Russia trip! I booked this a few months ago when I figured out I can visit Russia without a visa, if only for a relatively short…
Do you print your photos? Make postcards? Books? I used to, but my efforts in recent years have been pathetic. I am never sure which printing companies print a good quality photo or gift. Most of my pictures have been languishing on hard drives and…
Gaillac is one of the oldest wine regions in France, yet it is little known outside France. But if you like your wine organic, and your organic winery small and fuss-free, an organic winery in Gaillac might be one of the best places to visit.…
When in France… buy cosmetics! This was my mantra for years, once I discovered you can buy mid-priced, high-quality body care and cosmetic products all over France even in the tiniest village pharmacy. I think plenty knowledge is out now that France produces some excellent…
Almost every year, we visit my family in Occitanie in France. It is a highly under-rated region. As we get to know it bit by bit every year, we venture further out to explore its beautiful countryside and charming towns. Rodez is little-known small city…
When you are looking just for a good nights sleep, when you have transportation to catch early in the morning, and you’re not interested in nightlife or sunset-watching, where do you prefer to stay? We had an early flight from Toulouse just recently, and instead…
February 1989: I’m on an airplane journey for the first time in ten years. For the first time, too, without my parents. It’s bitterly cold in Germany and in Moscow, where we spend one week practicing German-Soviet Friendship by visiting the great achievement of the…
Bukhara is perhaps the place with the widest choice of charming small hotels in Uzbekistan, and perhaps Central Asia. So, on my trip to Samarkand and Bukhara, it made sense to push out the boat a bit and book a characterful traditional small hotel. I…
