I can’t help but think that some cities in England do not sound like a nice place to visit. I blame being a football fan. When I thought of Hull, Leeds or Carlisle I immediately thought of the football team and it made me feel the cities also sounded either drab, boring or dangerous. But I … More Leeds
The sun shone brightly when we arrived in Florence and we were hot and frustrated as we tried to figure out where the hostel we were staying at was located. Those first few hours in the city was the best weather we had over the three nights we spent in Florence. It rained so much that … More Florence in the Rain
Whenever I visit a cathedral I am always staggered by how such an enormous and grand building could have been built so many centuries ago, as they so often were. I am not a religious person, but there is so much more to see in a cathedral. Past all the religiousness is the history and … More 5 Cathedrals not to miss!
I pretty much ignore the majority of blogs and reviews about eating in Italy, as so much of it isn’t true. One common myth is tourists should try to eat like a local. To a small extent this is true, in so much as how menus are set out, suggesting pasta as a first course for example. … More The Myth of Italian Food
Another birthday had come round and it was St Albans that was at the top of my list for a weekend break in England. I really wanted to go because of the history associated with the town. There is a typically English feel to the town. One of the first things we came across was … More A weekend away in St Albans
Travelling Italy by train has been on my wish list for many years. I think it is on many people’s bucket list as one of those “must dos”. On our two week journey around Italy by train and bus we had some great and not so great experiences… Our first train was an exciting experience … More Travelling through Italy
While we were in the Amalfi Coast we had the choice to visit Pompeii, the well known and incredibly popular tourist destination or Herculaneum…an ancient town that shared the same fate as Pompeii. A lot of people haven’t even heard of Herculaneum, but it has some significant advantages over Pompeii which made us choose it. … More Herculaneum – Frozen in Time
Ashbourne is a small market town north west of Derby, lying just south of the Peak District. It is known for the traditional game of Shrovetide football, the origins of how the game came about is not known because of a fire at the Royal Shrovetide Committee office in the 1890’s which destroyed the earliest records. … More Ashbourne
Our two week journey around Italy began in Milan. From what we had heard from friends or colleagues who had been to Milan we were not expecting amazing things from the city. Their opinions appeared to always summarise into “it’s alright”. But on the two days we were there, we were pleasantly surprised to find an … More Milan – The dark horse of Italy
We wanted a quick break around the Derbyshire area and the best price we could get for one night was £39 at the Derby East Premier Inn, It wasn’t in a classy or pretty location, right next to Brian Clough Way, but the price and location were good and the hotel was up to the usual … More Derby to the Peaks
Where The Wildings Are 