recent Travel blogs
the iron men : crosby : merseyside

the iron men : crosby : merseyside

It's been a while since we've visited the permanent sculpture exhibition on Crosby Beach, but it was a place we'd often drive over to from Manchester, if we wanted to get some blowy, fresh air. Called Another Place, it is a piece of modern sculpture by British artist...

le royal hôtel : nîmes: occitanie : france

le royal hôtel : nîmes: occitanie : france

Continuing our late summer road trip to France, we headed to the city of Nîmes, known for its well-preserved Roman monuments such as the double tiered Arena of Nîmes, dating from approximately 70 AD and still in use for concerts and bullfights, and the Pont du Gard...

the ancient roman city of acquileia

the ancient roman city of acquileia

Aquileia was an ancient city, founded in 180BC, lying at the head of the lagoons, to the east of Venice, on the road to Trieste, as a Roman colony due to its strategic position between the port and the inland area. It is one of the most important archeological sites...

saintes-maries-de-la-mer : camargue : france

saintes-maries-de-la-mer : camargue : france

As a child I was really mesmerised by the Camargue. It seemed like a magical, fairy tale place, with white horses frollicking freely on the beach and pink flamingoes, standing serenely in calm waters. Even on the map of France, the Camargue looked like it existed in...

b&b maison d’hôte mas d’eymard : arles : france

b&b maison d’hôte mas d’eymard : arles : france

We'd never been to Arles before, a city on the Rhône River in the Provence region of southern France. It's famed for inspiring the paintings of Van Gogh, and was once a provincial capital of ancient Rome, known for many remains from that era, including Arles...

hilton rijeka costabella

hilton rijeka costabella

When we book hotel accommodation, top of the list of our priorities is always to find somewhere on the quirky, more unusual and individual side, rather than a chain. Sometimes, circumstances mean the chain option is the most convenient - late night check in, for...

seven historical suites : trieste : italy

seven historical suites : trieste : italy

Trieste is now a city we're getting to know well, as it's so close to home. Now that Croatia has joined the Schengen Zone, travelling through the small corridor of Slovenia between us and Italy, means no more border stops and so we can be in Trieste in just over half...

lake bled : slovenia

lake bled : slovenia

Autumn is our favourite time of year to visit Lake Bled in Slovenia. It's only just over a couple of hours from our home in Istria, and if coupled with a break in Ljubljana, it makes the perfect out of season get away. The little town of Bled, on the shores of the...

the redipuglia war memorial

the redipuglia war memorial

Redipuglia is pretty unremarkable Italian town, on the road out from Trieste. We usually pass through it on our way to IKEA. It's one of those Italian towns where the houses sit alongside the road - it always seems as if everyone lives on the roadside, as detached...

Šibenik : dalmatia coast : croatia

Šibenik : dalmatia coast : croatia

Although we've now lived in Croatia (Istria, to be exact) over six years, and we've done lots of exploring, we are still yet to discover the hotspots of Split and Dubrovnik and the more southerly islands. It's not out of lack of interest or for want of trying, but...