EUROPE’S OTHER CITIES BARGAIN hunters on your marks, it’s early-bird season. It’s the time of the year when airlines zooming to Europe offer cheap seats which can save travellers looking to get away between March and October hundreds of dollars. But instead of buying a ticket to an old favourite, like London or Paris, takeContinue reading “INSPIRATION – EUROPE”
Category Archives: Scotland
the River Clyde …
Where … The River Clyde near Glasgow When … Monday, May 23, 2016 at 5.23pm What … I’m on a Holland America cruise ship visiting ports around the north of Scotland and today, after a sunny springtime day in Glasgow, the ship heads west along the River Clyde in preparation for a return to theContinue reading “the River Clyde …”
New tracks in 2016 …
AUSSIE travellers are always enthusiastic about going off the beaten track but a lack of transport, absence of accommodation, or scant supply of tours often make it hard to plan a holiday. However, new air routes, hotels, ferry services and guided tours mean some quiet corners of the planet – as far-flung as the ArcticContinue reading “New tracks in 2016 …”
Riding the rails …
FROM The Oriental Express to the Rocky Mountaineer, the romance of train journeys have long captured the imaginations of travellers the world over. We’ve chosen the top ten rail experiences that will bring out the explorer in you. 1. Peru’s Andean Explorer (below) takes 10 hours to rattle from Cuzco to Puno, making for aContinue reading “Riding the rails …”
Scotland, for Auld Lang Syne …
I THINK it’s very cool that Scotland’s favourite son is a poet. In a land with thousands of years of history, and a place that’s produced many patriots, warrior royals and folk heroes, the locals decided in 2009 that humble wordsmith Robert Burns was the greatest Scot of all time. Burns, the son of aContinue reading “Scotland, for Auld Lang Syne …”
Will and Kate’s UK …
THE English talk about Prince William and Catherine Middleton as if they were the next-door neighbours. While the young couple are known simply as Will and Kate, his grandmother is always referred to as “the Queen” and the Prince of Wales is only Charles when his subjects are being informal. People discuss details of theContinue reading “Will and Kate’s UK …”
Going the distance …
TODAY my journey was better than the destination. I was travelling from Edinburgh to London, with my destination an airport hotel at Heathrow conveniently placed for my early departure tomorrow morning, and it was the train ride south from Scotland that was the highlight. When I woke up in Edinburgh big flakes of snow wereContinue reading “Going the distance …”
Edinburgh …
ON my last day in Scotland, and with no plans to keep, I spent the afternoon wandering around Edinburgh between the rain storms that drifted across the city every hour or so. When the clouds cleared, and the rays of the weak winter sun were able to find the ground, I headed outside to exploreContinue reading “Edinburgh …”
Sunshine to storms …
I WAS fooled by a blue sky today. When I woke there wasn’t a cloud in the expanse of perfect blue that stretched from horizon to horizon so I grabbed my camera, piled on the warm clothes, and headed out to explore Edinburgh. I had a plan to walk from my hotel just below CaltonContinue reading “Sunshine to storms …”
Day tripping …
I DID a circuit from Edinburgh today that took me to the Trossachs, through some of the villages that Mary Queen of Scots frequented, and into the barrel room of a whisky distillery to sample a wee dram of the local drop. Scottish Blue Badge Guide Ken Hanley and I hit the road early, followingContinue reading “Day tripping …”
Really freezing …
THE next time I complain about a Melbourne winter’s day is “freezing” please remind me of this visit to Scotland. Since I arrived here last week the temperature has been stuck in the low single digits, with a couple of days where it has been literally freezing with the mercury sitting on zero. The firstContinue reading “Really freezing …”
Royal rooms …
I GOT as close to a royal bedroom today as I’m ever likely to get. After spending the morning exploring Edinburgh Castle – the impressive structure at one end of the Royal Mile in the Old Town that completely dominates the city’s picturesque skyline – I set the afternoon aside to tour the royal yachtContinue reading “Royal rooms …”
The Mackintosh house …
IF I ever get to design a house I will make sure it has two particular features. It will face the direction necessary to ensure the winter sun floods into at least one room, and it will feature a collection of rounded French doors made from small panels of curved glass. Catching the winter sunContinue reading “The Mackintosh house …”
On track in Aye …
→ A Scottish city’s racecourse is home to this hotel … THE Western House Hotel is perfectly placed we race day rolls with suites in this comfy place to stay, which rests beside the Scottish city’s racecourse, looking across the white picket fences and green turf of the track. Every other day of the weekContinue reading “On track in Aye …”
Burns’ Scotland …
I SPENT the morning in Burns country. That’s Robert, not Monty, which means I was exploring a quiet corner of Ayrshire in Scotland rather than a nuclear plant in Springfield. Robert Burns, who was born in 1759 in the hamlet of Alloway just 3km from Ayr, is not only considered to be Scotland’s favourite sonContinue reading “Burns’ Scotland …”
Fresh Ayr …
I AM sleeping in a hotel suite tonight that is, quite literally, bigger than the apartment I occupied in Brisbane for two years. The bathroom alone is larger than my bedroom in Kangaroo Point, with a free-standing bath that’s more spacious than my first car. It’s also considerably nicer than my little one-bedroom apartment inContinue reading “Fresh Ayr …”
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