Category: Travel Article
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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 the church, the ravines and distant volcanos. The history. Picture the scene: every summer for…
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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 of Meenakshi Sundareswarar in Madurai. Time now to take the long weary road westwards towards…
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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 sits in front of his tiny hovel, and sleek black goats pick through the rubbish.…
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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 mentions she had a cracking time there, a documentary about said country appears on the…
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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 from Viking or Celt and the Icelandic language is much the same as it was…
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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 all hope early on in the process of trying to get to Spain. Having booked…
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USA, Part 2: New York City
I am on a trip to two of the USA’s most interesting cities. Having spent a short time visiting old Boston, I board the train to New York. It is rather lovely travelling south. I had been advised earlier to “make sure to sit on the left of your coach” so as to see the…
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Malta
I revisited Malta with a friend. Just for a week. A trip down memory lane for both of us. Revisiting a place where you had exciting experiences in the past is not something I would normally recommend. ‘Never go back’ is a phrase I have often heard because such experiences can seldom be repeated. However,…
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USA, Part 1: Boston
An unlikely choice for someone who generally prefers off the beaten track, but this was an opportunity to meet old friends in new places. One of the advantages with having lived and worked abroad is that you accumulate acquaintances from different parts of the world, who invite you to visit them, or, being of a…