Situated in northern Crete, Knossos used to be the capital of Crete in Minoan times. As I mentioned in my last post, the site was inhabited since about 7000BC and may even be Europe’s oldest city. It’s certainly one of the most popular spots on the island. We explored Knossos before heading to the Hieralikon Archaeological Museum, just a few […]
I decided to be a penny saver on my recent trip to Crete (typical), yet I’m not sure that all my cost saving efforts actually counted in the end (also typical ). This is what happened: I booked a flight from Cork to Chania via London on kiwi.com. What I didn’t realise, though, was that […]
After being in the lushness of France, a land where towns get awards for having as many flowers as possible on display, one has to adjust to the gardening style of Italy. It’s more about green ruggedness and zero summer flowers, arranged symmetrically. That said, the Boboli Gardens are actually inspired by royal gardens like […]
If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I’ve been blogging my way through a epic nomadic getaways in Europe. We started in Paris and then followed the Atlantic coast southwards into Spain before going east. I’d love to do another trip like that again soon! It was really a memorable experience to travel through five […]
Between France and Spain, a beautiful mountain range joins the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The first time I went to the Pyrenees was back in 2008, for a spontaneous weekend camping trip. Already much in love with France at that point, I was delighted with the discovery of this landscape. I didn’t actually know that the Pyrenees were […]
After leaving Paris and stopping over in Tours for an aimless wander around, we camped over in the town of Dax. From there we took a 40 minute drive south to check out Bayonne. This is pretty much Basque Country. I had been to Bayonne years before and remembered it as being a cool […]
Tours is a strange name for English-speakers because, well, its English meaning is just the plural of tour (as in, “I went on a tour of France”.). Although to be understood in France you have to pronounce it with an “oo” sound rather than the natural English pronunciation. There we go. Now you also have a […]
The full name of this well-known landmark is… The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris (the Sacred Heart part of it refers to Jesus’ heart). A little further out of the way than most of the central attractions in Paris, this popular Catholic church is situated at the highest point of Montmarte in the 18th arrondissement. Receiving millions […]
I like being outside rather than couped up in a museum, although the Louvre is an exception. Situated on the Rive Droite, the Louvre houses almost 40 000 interesting historical and art objects that range from prehistoric times until the 21st century. It is also one of the most visited museums in the world, […]
Paris basically is the Eiffel Tower for a lot of tourists. A visit to Paris would be astonishingly incomplete without a visit to that proud mass of metal shooting up into the sky. I remember the first few times I went to France and didn’t visit Paris. The first thing people asked me when I mentioned […]