Located in Morbihan, Auray is a picturesque town with a lovely old quarter, which enjoys mild short winters and long blissful summers. It is a good base from which to explore the Gulf of Morbihan, the Quiberon Peninsula and Carnac. The town is set in a bend in the River Lock, which is spanned by...
Galway's wonderfully wild Connemara coast was the adored location of my childhood family holidays. The contrast with my hometown of Dublin was deliciously different and after a journey into the west, there was nothing I loved more than to hear the sound of the Atlantic waves crashing on the shores of a beautiful, remote white...
The old part of the city of Cuenca Spain is placed high up in the mountains of east-central Spain, situated above the gorges of the Huécar and Júcar rivers below. The old town is compact and all around it is green or stone. This idyllic Spanish town is located in the region of Castilla la...
Oh, Granada Spain! Of all the cities and pueblos on the Iberian Peninsula, this one may be the most Spanish—and I mean that in the best way possible. The city shares its name in Spanish with the pomegranate. And much like the fruit, the city has a tough exterior. But its insides are lush and...
The beautiful region of Valencia is known for its varying landscapes. The turquoise coastline, impressive mountains, quaint countryside and urban areas encompass the nearly 24,000 km2 that make up this gorgeous part of Spain. While many escape to the metropolitan cities of Valencia or Alicante, there is a multitude of charming towns and villages located...
Cave dels Arcs Costa Blanca Quite often expats will find that the idea of moving to another country is much more pleasant than the reality, and many don’t last a year in their new country surrounded by local people, who sometimes have radically different attitudes about what’s important and what’s not. Probably the largest stumbling...
At the time of writing (February 2018), Jessica had been living for three years in Barcelona. This feature is absolutely jam-packed with insider tips. Paella, tapas, sangria, and parties that continue until the morning light... Barcelona is known worldwide as one of the most beautiful, culturally rich cities in Europe, with flocks of tourists coming...
If you have been to Spain before and explored some of its cities, then you'll know that this country is literally heaving with interesting cities to visit. Zaragoza is not overrun with tourists and offers an authentic city option to travellers who enjoy understanding more about the country's culture, which can be appreciated by spending...
Crystal Palace Retiro Park The magic and charms of Madrid are almost endless. In fact, as experiential tourism continues to rise, around 12 million visitors were seduced by Madrid's jewels in 2017. Traditionally, visitors flocked to Andalucia, the Balearic and Canary Islands, and Catalonia, but these days the many merits of Madrid are tempting travellers...
I was in Bali in 2000. Time magazine reported that in 2001, Bali had 1.3 million foreign visitors, but ten years later, these figures have almost doubled. Plus they don't take into account the millions of Indonesian visitors. This article is a combination of my memories from my trip in 2000, but also includes up...
This inspirational travel route takes you from one of last towns of Costa Lisboa (Lisbon), Ericeira, through a selection of delightful, relatively undiscovered places along Portugal's Silver Coast. Peniche Silver Coast Portugal sunset This article has been written by my partner, who is Portuguese, so he has spent lots of holidays in the area, and...
If you're planning to travel to Madagascar, you'll certainly get far more out of your travel experience if you understand the island's fadys, which are cultural taboos, especially as life in Madagascar is dominated by thousands of fadys. Let's take the example of pointing: the main issue here, is that as you innocently point at...