Relaxed vibes in Mendocino

Mendocino main street

Whatever route you take, the drive into Mendocino ends by hugging the coast on California’s scenic Highway 1. On one side of the road you have green hillsides with the occasional farmhouse or inn tucked away and on the other, the ocean. Mendocino sits on the ocean side of the highway so the maritime feel [...]

The Mitford mansion – You and Not You

Buddha statue in Batsford Arboretum in the Cotswolds

Have you ever read the 1940s classic The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford, or the sequel Love in a Cold Climate? The books are largely autobiographical so fans of the book may be interested in seeing the house where Nancy and her sisters lived in their childhood. This is Batsford House in the Cotswolds, [...]

Swimming pools at Hearst Castle – The Roman Pool

Hearst Castle - Roman Pool

The second of two posts focusing on the swimming pools at Hearst Castle. If I were told I could swim in just one of the two beautiful pools at Hearst Castle, it would be a really difficult choice. The Neptune Pool is the most famous of the two and with its marble columns and scenic [...]

Swimming pools at Hearst Castle – The Neptune Pool

Hearst Castle - Neptune Pool

The first of two posts focusing on the gorgeous pools at Hearst Castle at San Simeon on California’s Highway 1. My very favourite thing about Hearst Castle was its swimming pools. There are two of them and they are both exquisite. They are delightful just to look at but I was itching to swim. Throughout [...]

Driving Highway 1 in California: Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle

Willliam Randolph Hearst was inspired to build Hearst Castle after travelling to Europe. Yet his tribute to the Old World is quintessentially American. Hearst Castle at San Simeon was one of the highlights of our trip down California’s Highway 1. But I suspect the fact I lived in Europe for five years made it impossible [...]

Photo Friday: Gandhi in San Francisco

Gandhi - Bay Bridge

San Francisco; February 2010 This is a statue of Indian statesman Mahatma Gandhi behind the San Francisco Ferry Building. From this angle it looks like he is gazing out at the reflected sunset and full moon rising over the Bay Bridge. I took this with my new digital SLR and I’m particularly pleased with the [...]

Photo Friday: Pretty Portree on the Isle of Skye

Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland; June 2009 After my trip to Orkney last summer, I travelled back south via the Scottish Highlands, the Isle of Skye and Glasgow. I was blessed with gorgeous weather while I was in Skye and went hiking, hill climbing, cycling and dolphin watching. Since I was getting around on the [...]

Carnival of Cities for 30 December 2009 – From New York to Nairobi

Carnival of Cities - A blog carnival about cities and towns

Happy new year! I am delighted to be hosting the Carnival of Cities this week. What a great round-up of interesting posts about cities around the world. To all the participating bloggers, thank you and don’t forget to promote this post! Please note, the Carnival of Cities is a blog carnival for posts about any [...]

Star Wars in Tunisia: More sites and troglodyte dwellings

This is the fourth and final part in my Star Wars in Tunisia series. Please click here to read part one on Jedi cloaks and part two on Ben Kenobi’s home and part three on Luke Skywalker’s home. Tunisia is a big country and the Star Wars locations are spread out. For example, the exterior [...]

My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets

Steven at the Latin American travel blog Travelojos has nominated me to share three travel secrets in the Trip Base blog tag. I like the idea of highlighting obscure places. 1. Dougga, Tunisia Dougga in Tunisia gives Ephesus in Turkey a run for its money when it comes to impressive Roman ruins. It is not [...]

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