Parma is a university city in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, famed for Parmesan cheese and Parma ham. Romanesque buildings, including the frescoed Parma Cathedral and the pink marble Baptistery, grace the city centre. Classical concerts take place at the Teatro Regio, a 19th-century opera house. The Galleria Nazionale, inside the imposing Palazzo della Pilotta, displays works […]
Parma. More Ham and Cheese than Eastenders. Read More »
Not really sure why, but this year I’ve been noticing that Bathrobes are the thing on some campsites. At certain times of day they emerge and process across to the facilities block like a procession of monks on their way to matins or whatever happens in monasteries in the afternoon. A casual statistical survey reveals
The Bathrobe Ratio Read More »
A stunning drive through the French Alps up to the Frejus tunnel. Very little traffic around so we made good progress. The mountains are fabulous. We noted that all of the passes across were closed, so there was no option but to take the very expensive tunnel. There has been a lot of snow this
Into Italy. Avoid Turino. Read More »
Although we are both looking forward to going on another road trip, we leave Puy Jouard with some strange sadness. The reason for this, subsequent analysis with the considerable help of local Italian wine reveals, is the garden. We’ve been doing a lot of work planting and digging. The spell of hot weather has brought
Just cobbled this together. Not too bad …
Thinking about a suitable logo… Read More »
We jumped on the shuttle bus for the the 20k journey to Flam, the starting point for the Flam to Myerdal railway. The trip is mostly through tunnels, so there’s not much to see. The coach was held in queue of traffic at the tunnel entrance for about 20 minutes. The driver disconcertingly announced that
A steep mountain railway. Read More »
We camped at a site on the approach road to Gudvangen, a small settlement on the Naeroyfjord, a tributary of the Sognefjorden. The ‘town’ exists for tourism. It has two camp sites, two hotels, a few houses, a petrol station and a jetty. Plus a significant ferry booking office and tax free shop. Oh, and
Here’s an interesting point of view from a Norwegian responding to a newspaper report about the reasons for his country coming top of the Happiest Country table. “Norway is only affluent because of gas and oil.” This is a common misunderstanding, also shared by many young Norwegians. That we became affluent because of the oil
Why is Norway the “Happiest Country” Read More »
That’s Aros, the super modern art gallery in Aarhus, a growing city in Jutland. Terrific though the collections and exhibitions are, they have to work hard to compete with the building itself. The modern building has all of the features you would expect. Nice light, internal vistas and sweeping staircases. A pervading air of Danish
There’s something fabulous in the State of Denmark Read More »
Right up at the tip of Jutland is an area often overlooked by travellers in their haste to get to Hirshals in order to catch the ferry to Kristiansand, Norway. For a start there’s the bustling town of Skagen, a hospitable place with a nice feel to it. Traffic free and with it’s tourist tat
A tip about Jutland 2 Read More »
