25 May 2018
The Hague - or Den Haag as it is properly called, is a great destination to explore. There is so much to see and experience, and it so easy to get there.
04 May 2018
It was started by Norbertine monks in 1129 and has grown just about ever since. At its peak it covered 3,400 hectares, so as you can imagine it is not…
12 April 2018
Belgium is so understated and overlooked. It is so near to us, and yet we do not know all the fascinating places there. Leuven is a good example of this.…
22 March 2018
Kiri no Yama, or the misty mountains, describes the inland area. It is row upon row of green mountains, with winding narrow valleys and small towns. The…
09 February 2018
In part 1 I told you how I was on a Bach mission in central Germany. This region, Theuringen, has more than its fair share of very special, unique, charming…
02 February 2018
I was off from Aberdeen on what had become a frequent flight, the Lufthansa one to Frankfurt. Here, the railway station is underneath the airport, and…
19 January 2018
Namur gained importance as it is at the junction of two mighty rivers. The Sambre starts in France and runs for 120 miles to join the Meuse here. The…
12 January 2018
In Part 1, I explained that it is easy to get to Leeuwarden (KLM flights from Aberdeen or Inverness and train from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport) and you…
29 December 2017
If you look at a map, north of Amsterdam is a lot of water, and then a large area bulging out into the sea with some off shore islands. This is Friesland,…
17 November 2017
The previous Japan adventure was in the cities of Osaka and Kyoto, and from there it is easy to take the “Ocean Arrow” train to Kii Tanabe…
03 November 2017
Switzerland is such a land of contrasts, especially with its four languages. Each part fiercely speaks only its own language, to the exclusion of the…
20 October 2017
There is a surprising variety in the different parts of the Netherlands, if you go off the beaten track. One such area, largely unknown to UK tourists,…
13 October 2017
The central part of Germany, which was in the “East” or behind the “iron curtain”, is not visited much, which is a shame as it…
06 October 2017
From Inverness and Aberdeen we have great opportunities with the KLM flights (3 per day from Inverness and 4 per day from Aberdeen) that connect so well…
08 September 2017
It was civilised to leave Keith on the 8.13 am train for Aberdeen, where a stroll along the platform took me to the Virgin East Coast super train that…
14 August 2017
In Part 1 I told how I and Mrs. Smith had travelled in luxury and style from Keith overnight to London on the Caledonian Sleeper and on to Brussels on…
28 July 2017
Flying anywhere has become very tedious – you can’t carry this or that, you are X-rayed, searched, stood in corridors, crammed into tiny seats…
14 July 2017
The Dukes of Bourgogne (the real French word for Burgundy) used to have splendid names like Philip the Handsome, Philip the Intrepid and so on, and it…
12 May 2017
La Charité sur Loire is Unesco listed as being of world cultural importance because of its Priory.
31 March 2017
To understand just why Austria with a total population less than that of London has such a magnificent city as Vienna, you need to have a wee look at…