Browsing: Europe

There’s something about festive Christmas lights twinkling and blinking in the night that enhances entire cities at once. Thousands of decorations, led light displays, over-sized ornaments suspended high above busy shopping areas, and magical state-of-the-art lighting that transforms everyday streets into an extravaganza. Some destinations around the world are well known for their festive lighting displays that attract visitors from near and far to stand in awe of inspiring themes.

Close to home for American …

What to look for when selecting a café in London: good tea or imported coffee; creamy cakes and fresh pastries; and of course – cats.

London’s first cat café – yes, a cat café – recently opened in the trendy art district of Shoreditch. The model was simple: raise £108,000 through crowd-funding via the internet, rent a space in a hip part of town, fill it with adopted cats, serve decent beverages, then watch …

With the first snow fall of winter approaching, who can resist that fresh blanket of snow for a frosty adventure? But far beyond traditional snowman building, skiing or snowboarding is the ultimate snow adventure – staying in a snow palace crafted from slabs of ice, packed with igloo guest rooms and illuminated ice sculptures. Most of the best snow hotels are located in Europe and offer a tranquil arctic experience that you will never …

Independent travelers know that train travel is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to get from Points A to B in Europe. For decades, Italy’s Trenitalia has dominated the landscape for anyone looking to get almost anywhere by rail. But in the last two years, a new upstart has been trying to disrupt the Italian rail system, and they just might do it if the Italian government doesn’t exert enough financial pressure to …

Just across the North Wales border in Whitchurch is Willington Lodge – a tranquil boutique B&B that’s been painstakingly restored by its owners, Pamela and Richard Morris, who’ve managed to retain much of its original Georgian features. Bordering Snowdonia National Park, the location is idyllic, especially for weddings, which they specialize in.

The Lodge, which is more like a country mansion, is set back off the road in a landscape garden. The guests sitting- and …

A chill north wind blows across a landscape, stark but beautiful at the same time. But a peat fire is always nearby in some stone cottage with a thatched roof, where both the occupants and the ambiance are warm (and so, sometimes, is the beer; this is Britain, after all!). The sounds of the breeze are occasionally broken by the “baaah-ing” of a group of sheep.

The landscape rises and drops sharply in steep hills …

Five, four, three, two, one…HAPPY NEW YEAR! Cue the traditional song of Auld Lang Syne to usher in the dawning of another New Year. From Times Square in New York to Trafalgar Square in London, voices ring out, accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display on the stroke of midnight. So, where should be heading this year for the most dazzling New Years Eve experiences? Here are some of the best free world-class events around the …

Wanting to explore Flanders’ WW1 poppy fields and old battlegrounds? I tapped in the GPS coordinates for Dover – just a stone throw from London only 82 miles away. In Dover I took a ferry which deposited me across the English Channel in France’s Calais 90 minutes later. I planned to explore the territories where The Great War had been fought and to see the appalling conditions in which the soldiers lived and the immaculate …

Spaniards may take a relaxed mañana attitude to things like completing half-built cathedrals and scoring World Cup goals.
But when they say that access to a train closes two minutes before the departure time, they actually mean it.

“The train has gone,” a square-shaped security guard told me with an indifferent shrug.

“Not it hasn’t,” I panted, “I can see it.” I pointed it out, large and definitely present, as a loud speaker tauntingly confirmed …

Nothing says love more than chocolate – well, at least for most people. Why not plan a getaway to a destination known for chocolate? Go to a far flung part of the world where the heavenly creation of sweetened food made from cocoa beans excites your taste buds. What could be better than combining your love for travel with your love for chocolate?

Belgium

In the European Kingdom of Belgium, surrounded by the Netherlands, Germany …

Driving from Parma, navigating a winding mountain road to Tuscany, I came across Castello di Compiano, a medieval castle embraced by fortified walls and built atop a rocky outcrop of a mountain village. The castle’s jaw-dropping views across the Taro River and the Apennines mountains make it one of the most spectacular locations in northern Italy.

Its origins are uncertain but archaeologists claim its existence dates back to the first century. In its life Castello …

Planning your perfect holiday involves several exciting decisions: will it be seaside or city, on-tap entertainment or splendid isolation, excellent for culture vultures or family friendly?
How well a country treats its people, its animals and its environment rarely even gets a look in.

But in these days of eco-friendly everything, it’s now possible to choose your destination by its human rights record, conservation efforts and social and animal welfare. So if you’re tired of …

When John Cabot set sail to discover Canada back in 1497, Bristol was already a wealthy trading port – and has been for more than a thousand years. Post WW2 Bristol became and industrial centre: home of the Concorde, Rolls Royce and where the wings of the A380 Airbus are manufactured. More recently the buzzing multicultural university city of 500,000 has morphed into a large commercial centre, one of the most popular cities for business …

It’s difficult to keep your mouth closed in Madrid.

Every corner reveals a building more jaw-droppingly gorgeous than the last. You admire one ridiculously ornate building in front, then turn to see an even more over-the-top edifice behind.
Madrid is one of the most architecturally stunning cities in the world, although it’s not the grandeur of its buildings that intoxicates. It’s the vibe on its streets as they bubble with exuberant life, making the Spanish …