Europe

THE ARCTIC  If you’re looking for a holiday that’s different – you couldn’t get any more different than a visit to the Arctic. No flip flops, bikinis or strappy tops – this holiday is furs, fleece and thermal underwear! But the air is crisp and fresh, skies are clear and blue – and there is…

THREE GERMAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS  Travelling by train to Germany couldn’t be easier! I left London in the morning, had an easy connection in Brussels, to the Deutsch Bahn   service to Bonn, and arrived in the early evening – just in time to immerse myself in my first Christmas market experience in the charming square…

SWITZERLAND SHAKEN AND STIRRED I didn’t think when I left London City Airport for Zurich that I would have a close encounter with James Bond. But high on top of the Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps I got to pose with 007 himself! My journey began from Zurich airport when, after an easy transfer, I…

MAGICAL MEDEIRA Cast aside your preconceptions of Madeira – Madeira is a holiday for everyone – especially at Christmas! As I found out… At Christmas it is particularly pretty with twinkling lights and Nativity Scenes, Christmas Concerts to enjoy as well as the food and beverage market stands to eat, drink and be merry! The…

NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON The first few minutes of this intriguing story rivet your attention, and then as you read on, you will join the hero on a thrilling adventure, a journey that leads him to the heart of himself! Your first visit to Lisbon will be exactly the same! Your attention is arrested as…

FATIMA This is a story for all you Doubting Thomases out there! It’s about a pilgrimage to Fatima Fatima is in Portugal, about an hour from Lisbon and Lisbon is an easy (and cheap) flight from Gatwick with Easyjet. So I made some time in my “city break” to visit Fatima. You may say “not…

DAVID AND GOLIATH I walked slowly up the cool dark corridor, the noise around me fading in my ears as I approached the shining white marble apparition, high up on a pedestal bathed in a light that emanated from where…? In the moment that I stopped and looked up at Michelangelo’s David, my breath caught…

SWEDEN ON THE ROCKS When I go on holiday… I love to get going! Don’t you just hate to hang about all day for an evening flight? So I was pleased with the early start from Heathrow and to be in snowy Kiruna, 200kms inside the Arctic Circle, in time for lunch! There are dog…

ONE NIGHT IN BRUSSELS It’s amazing what a lot you can do in a one-night city break! I took the Sunday afternoon service from St Pancras to Brussels on the Eurostar, arriving in time for pre-dinner drinks in the Sky Lounge. Then it was just a 10 minute walk to “The Hotel” to dine at…

DISNEY MAGIC Once upon a time, in a land not so far away…I had a fantastic few days at Disneyland Resort Paris. We experienced the trip as a couple, but even if you travelled as a family stress levels are minimum because Eurostar makes the journey so simple. With trains for Waterloo or Ashford right…