Blog
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Greece, Part 2: The Peloponnese
Corinth Canal We are driving westwards in a minibus from Athens through pale greenish hilly countryside with our main guide for the tour, who gives us the lowdown on interesting landmarks. Every now and then we catch a glimpse of…
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Greece, Part 1: Athens
Sometimes, the business of deciding which country to visit next can become somewhat taxing. After all, there are at least 100 of them on my list. I have not yet resorted to sticking a pin in my world map at…
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Top Travel Spots and Experiences, 2023
Top Spots Thingvellir, Iceland I am biased probably, owing to my affiliation with Iceland, but the great parliament plains are still amongst my top 10 spots anywhere. The flowing river, the grass, the moss, the flowers, the pure white of…
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India, Part 3: Kerala
I am on a journey across southern India with my driver, Nishad, in a white Toyota. We have driven from Chennai on the east coast viewing the astounding temples of Tamil Nadu. The last of these was the holy temple…
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India, Part 2: Temples of Tamil Nadu and Land of the Chettiyars
Accompanied by my imperturbable driver, I am heading away from the Coromandel Coast now through unremarkable villages and busy roadsides. Hanging on branches of trees on strings are bunches of bananas or coconuts touted by roadside hawkers. An old man…
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India, Part 1: Coromandel Coast, Tamil Nadu
India had not been on my radar particularly. But once rooted in my head, nothing could stop me from planning a trip there. You know how it is sometimes when the name of a country keeps popping up: a friend…
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Iceland: The Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon
Iceland is extraordinary. It is volcanic. Landscapes are weird and wonderful, the birds are plentiful, seals and whales frolic round the shores and the rivers are full of fish. The majority of the population of 400,000 or so is descended…
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Spain, Part 2: Destination Ronda and Madrid via the Costa del Sol
I am on a short tour of some of the highlights of southern Spain. The organisation of the tour thus far has had its lapses. Bungled at the beginning and since then I have been shifted about like a supernumerary.…
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Spain, Part 1: Destination Seville
Enthusiastic as I am about travelling, I do wonder sometimes whether the whole process of trying to leave England’s green and pleasant shores for something greener on the other side, as it were, is worth the trouble. I practically abandoned…