A strong Geordie voice came over on the PA, "Ladies and Gentleman, we hope that you have had a pleasant flight and thank you very much for flying with us today on Virgin Atlantic. A very warm welcome to Antigua." In unison, the entire plane sits up ..... "only joking, welcome to Barbados! Just checking... Continue Reading →
'Made in Taiwan.' When I was growing up I always associated this with plastic toys and machinery but as it turns out, Taiwan is the place to go for a foodie adventure in the East – because as anyone who has been there will tell you, 'Made in Taiwan,' is the slogan for some of... Continue Reading →
Last stop, Bangkok. After a week of travelling I was excited about seeing Bangkok, catching up with a friend and finally getting that Thai stamp in my passport. I was infinitely spoilt staying at the Mandarin Oriental which straddles the Chao Praya river. The location was key, I had immediate access to travel along the... Continue Reading →
From Narita airport it is a 4-hour flight to Hong Kong, passing over green mountainous countryside towards the South China Sea. Heady with excitement as we touched down into HK, the city did not disappoint, despite the hot-very-hot and muggy weather. It was ever the same: effervescent, noisy and great fun, even in mid-summer, the... Continue Reading →
Totally Tokyo First stop on the Asian dream tour: Tokyo ‘No, no, no, automatic,’ the first words spoken to me as I exited Tokyo International Airport. From the get-go, it was clear that things were going to be slightly different here, starting with taxis. Passengers do not open the doors, from the outside or inside... Continue Reading →
The trip started in a frenzy. It was always going to be jam-packed, we were heading to South Africa for five days for a wedding and fulfil a bucket list dream to go on safari. Just as we were about to start boarding our plane the fire alarm went off in the terminal and we... Continue Reading →
Prague straddles the Vtlava River, a staggering beautiful city with a mix of Gothic, Renaissance and very utilitarian, communist architecture. The small streets are dotted with old, open-topped cars carting tourists round the sites. 48 hours in Prague, where to begin? Day one was spent visiting Old Town. The shadow of the castle and monastery... Continue Reading →
A charming pocket on the Mediterranean, famed for floating gulets on the crystal clear Aegean Sea, Bodrum is only four hours away by plane and yet arriving from a grizzly, grey England, I felt that I was on another planet. The rugged landscape is greener than I expected it to be with olive groves and... Continue Reading →
Ras al what????? Ras Al Khaimah. We call it RAK. Iraq? No, RAK. It's in the UAE. It's near Dubai. Ah, Dubai. What's it called again? Ras Al Khaimah. OK. Why do your parents live there? A pretty fair question, especially having lived life and mostly loved life in Dubai for over twenty years. Ras... Continue Reading →
Skiing in December is truly the best way to get over the grey and rainy skies of London. As we were descending into Innsbruck on the Austrian-Italian border, we were dazzled with the beauty of the Austrian Alps, a range of points that surround the landing path making it one of three airports in the... Continue Reading →
Barcelona has a sense of humour, it teases the senses, offering you on each visit just a glimpse of what it has to offer. The problem with visiting Barcelona for a long weekend is that once you get started you realise how much more there is to explore. The Catalonian capital is a city for... Continue Reading →
My recent visit to Morocco unearthed a new obsession of photographing doors - here are some from Marrakech and Essaouira.
We arrived in a flurry. Due to thunderstorms we were delayed coming into Menara airport but thankfully not diverted to Casablanca. As the crew opened the landing doors on the plane you could smell wet tarmac from the rain, it was wonderful - earthy and warm. Our driver, Norton, met us and shortly we were... Continue Reading →
Finally September has brought us some balmy hot and sunny days. Everyone has their favourite spots for enjoying London in the sunshine, here are a few of mine. Columbia Road Flower Market - perfect for Sundays, make sure to have a Bloody Mary in The Royal Oak and enjoy a lazy afternoon in their courtyard Muriel's Kitchen,... Continue Reading →
Deep in the mountainous regions of Bulgaria, the air is crisp and fresh, the forests dark and thick and the skies as blue as can be. Our latest adventure started with our arrival into Plovdiv before setting out on an hour car drive south to the Rhodope mountain region. For three days we were staying... Continue Reading →
The travel-tattle 