You are on holiday in a remote Nepalese village when you spot an English-language newspaper with a headline something along the lines of: “London in flames. Rioters trash capital.” What do you do? Perpetuate that rare state of bliss, where you are so far from home, so cut free from the working world, and walk… Continue reading
Browsing Category Travel
Istanbul – taking a pre-title sequence bow in the latest James Bond
I’ve been to see Skyfall, the latest James Bond, where entire cities and slabs of gorgeous scenery are product-placed. London is the main location lead, of course, although I never knew Temple Underground Station was quite so busy. Top landscape plaudits must go Glencoe, the most famous Scottish glen, cared for by the National Trust… Continue reading →
New galleries promotes Wales to art premiership
I called in at the new National Museum of Art in Cardiff this week and wondered how it might connect with the world outside, or if it was just a Welsh metropolitan vanity project After all, who builds six new galleries in these straitened times, then opens them up to the public for nothing? My answer… Continue reading →
Starring roles for seaside sites in Wales
What a triumph for Welsh topography. The two biggest things on our screens at the moment, Harry Potter in the cinema, and Torchwood on our TVs, both feature tranquil seashore hide-outs where the main characters seek sanctuary from some seriously worrying threat. And they’re both in the principality…. Continue reading →
Pitfalls to using preloaded currency cards in hotels
We’ve been using a pre-paid , or “front-loaded”, currency card (it’s a Caxton MasterCard) for over a year now, and found it very convenient. However we recently encountered a problem when using it in hotels. A brief explanation for people unfamiliar with this type of card. Prepaid currency cards are ideal if you want to… Continue reading →
Could passengers make more use of cabin baggage?
This isn’t meant to sound superior, and how can when it’s about doing less – as in we are actually taking less with us? But I, and the immediate family, generally only fly with cabin baggage these days. And that applies to at least some long-haul trips as well For a holiday of several weeks… Continue reading →