Monthly archive - September 2010

A Stroll in Paris

“Paris is a world meant to be seen by the walker alone,

for only the pace of strolling can take in all the rich detail”

Edmund White

Paris is one of my all time favourite cities and wandering the streets of Paris is a joy in itself.

The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre etc are all must-sees of course, but by simply wandering you invariably stumble upon the real treasures that Paris has to offer:

Browsing the stalls of the Bouquinistes (antiquarian and used booksellers) that line the Left and Right banks of the Seine; sampling one of the 33 flavours of ice cream from the famous Berthillon ice creamery on the Ile Saint-Louis; or the sensory explosion of the open air food markets on Rue Mouffetard in the Latin Quarter. Read more

‘The Good Tea Place’ Cesky Krumlov

With their subdued ambience, low lighting and casual atmosphere the culture of tea houses in the Czech Republic is something else and Dobra Cajovna is tea house like no other I have found.

The Dobra chain of teahouses has branches all over the Czech Republic but my favourite is the one in the medieval town of Cesky Krumlov. Read more

Anticipation

Some people despise all the planning that comes before a journey. I love it! For me the journey officially begins as soon as I start to plan it. The anticipation is half the fun.

Of course I know the plans will change a thousand times before any kind of departure, and most plans tend to dissipate once you are actually in a place.  But all the research, reading, day-dreaming and discussion that precedes a departure is a constant reminder of what is now the inevitable: there is a journey ahead. Read more

Footloose and Hands Free: Backpacking in Greece

Back packing was never something I planned on doing.  It simply evolved as an easy option for moving around the Greek Islands – negotiating slippery cobblestones, ferries on turbulent voyages and finding accommodation around harbours and convoluted village lanes.

Being hands free on these occasions was always a bonus, especially for an inexperienced traveller such as I in those first days of travel.

Read more