Venice and the Lagoon

Palazzo Ducale, Venice

Venice and the Lagoon: Introduction An ever-growing range of features, links and practical information to help you plan and enjoy your visit to Venice, including guides to hotel accommodation, restaurants, bars, tourist attractions, city neighbourhoods and getting about. There's a lot here already and we are hard at work adding the sections to complete the menu, so just dig in! See Our Photo Highlights of Attractions Our Venice photo gallery covers not only famous venetian … [Read more...]

Faro – Algarve

The Administrative Capital of the Algarve: Faro has been the administrative capital of the Algarve since 1756. The word Faro comes from Farum which was taken from the last part of the name of a past Moorish governor. When the Moors ruled Faro, they renamed the town in the 11th century after one of their princes, Muhammad bin Said bin Harun, the town's governor from 1026-42. Faro's Cultural Heritage During prehistoric times Faro was a fishing village. But like many European towns and cities, … [Read more...]

Lisbon Sightseeing | Monument to the Discoveries

Portugal's early discoverers stand prominently at the waterfront: We were taught about Vasco da Gama and his early discoveries at school, but during those days I found the history lessons pretty dry and hard going.  Between the heat of the afternoon tropical sun, our non-airconditioned classrooms, and history lessons that were so distant to our day-to-day lives, I wasn't sure which was causing me doze off more. Had I known that one day I'll be standing on the very spot where those early … [Read more...]

Touring Devon and Cornwall

Exploring the back-roads of Devon and Cornwall: Devon and Cornwall possess miles of magnificent coastline, secluded coves, fishing villages, romantic ancient moorland, soft river estuaries and endless stretches of beaches.  Walkers, surfers, sailing buffs and holiday makers who simply want a relaxing break from their hectic world will find this part of England a fascinating place to visit. These two neighbouring counties have a lot to offer holiday makers, but outside of Britain, we do not … [Read more...]

River cruises – Regensburg Wurstkuchl

Regensburg's historic Wurstkuchl: On any Danube river cruises, you'll most certainly hear about "Wurstkuchl" in Regensburg, a tavern famous for its bratwurst. Your river boat will stop near the Old Stone Bridge, thought to be the eighth wonder of the world when it was built. As you disembark from your boat, all you have to do is follow your nose to the tavern. The "Wurstkuchl" in Regensburg is Germany's oldest bratwurst tavern still in existence. It was established shortly after 1146 … [Read more...]

Rome attractions – The Crypt of the Capuchins

Skeletons, skulls and bones in the city centre of Rome: We came to Piazza Barberini in search of Tony's razor part, but what we found was something more macabre! At the foot of Via Veneto, at no. 27, is the the church of Santa Maria della Concezione, better known as the Capuchin Church. Beneath this plain looking church, there is an extraordinary Crypt where the bones and skulls of generations of Capuchin friars are used to elaborately decorate the walls, archways and niches of the … [Read more...]

Athens Sightseeing: The Acropolis

An awe-inspiring heritage from Greece's Golden Age: A highlight of any holiday in Athens is a visit to the Acropolis.  One of the earliest religious complexes in ancient Greece, this awe-inspiring heritage from its the Golden Age still dominates the skyline of modern Athens. The Acropolis is an extremely popular tourist attraction and each day bus loads of tourists of different nationalities descend upon the site.  Shuffling in the queue as you wind your way to reach the top can be a … [Read more...]

Salzburg Sightseeing: Sound of Music tour

The Hills are Still alive with the Sound of Music! Fans of the Sound of Music movie will love being in Salzburg as here you'll be able to visit some of the film locations and re-live the movie. Many tour companies do a one day tour of Salzburg, visiting some of the main film locations.  It's astounding that these tours are still incredibly popular with overseas visitors in spite of this being a 1965 movie. We went along on a tour and met some Sound of Music fanatics, one American couple … [Read more...]