Travelling allsorts

Despite planning to tour the South of France in a Campervan , we ended up taking a self-catering autumn break in Provence . We stayed in a gite in the countryside, not far from the town of Sainte-Maximin, next door to where Nico Rosberg grew up. Indeed, there is a nearby racing circuit, Paul Ricard, and close to this is Le Castellet - the views from here are amazing, especially at sunset. Link to Google map . Scroll beyond these photographs for Aix and Monaco... Verdon Gorge and lake Photographs of and from Le Castellet We visited the centre (and surrounding backstreets with historical significance) of Aix-en-Provence .  On the coast, visit the ports of Le Lavandou, La Favière, Bandol (see photographs below): Of course, the obligatory visit to Monaco , where the Prince's classic automobiles - and a few others, incuding F1 cars - were on display in one of the exhibitions (not the stamps and money exhibition, in a building opposite). For a refreshing change, here is a set of photog...

Traditional architecture in Malta and Gozo seems dominated by balconies. They are fascinating. We were pleasantly surprised by the nice beaches to be found. Many years ago, friends who returned fom Malta had enjoyed their visits but gave the impression that it was little more than a rock full of concrete - how wrong that image is! We were based on Gozo and spent only one day on Malta but saw enough to think that we may return for a proper visit. Gozo is small enough to tour in a couple of days (we spend a good couple of hours at the splendid Citadel and visited a couple of beaches just to take in the views) so unless you want to chill, Malta has significantly more to do.

Paris at Christmas is, of course, magical. We stayed a short train ride to the east - near Coulommiers, with its lovely park and many other places of interest (hidden in various back streets). The town is surrounded by chateaux, local cheese-makers (specialising in Brie) and champagne vineyards; nearby water activities are available in the summer and Disneyland-Paris is easily accessible. On Christmas Eve we took the train to Paris, visiting the Sacre Coeur and Monmartre, with its artists and restaurants. Knowing the area quite well, we then strolled around, taking in the Parisian architecture, the Moulin Rouge and the bridge from the film, Inception. Just along the Seine from here, you can also stroll along the middle of the river to a small version of the Statue of Liberty. As evening arrived, we glimpsed the Eiffel Tower and made our way through affluent streets to the Champs Elysees, eating pizza then visiting the Christmas market.      The weather was gloomy at time...

It was the end of a damp August in Britain. We had been working long hours and needed a break before the next onslaught... Our Easter break was a week in France, which was cold and damp, so we decided on Italy - biscotti, pasta, pizza, coffee, wine, zabaglione and more. The Amalfi Coast looked nice so we decided to rent somewhere for a couple of weeks.  Skipping ahead, we arrived yesterday (as I write this bit), following a very early start, on a cramped but otherwise pleasant flight. On leaving the airport building in Napoli, the Italian experience began with a flagrant disregard for adequate signage. We found the courtesy bus stop for car hire customers but, as we waited, the disorderly queue and accompanying luggage reached a size that would not be accommodated by the next mini-bus. With only a small case and a piece of hand-luggage each and, having discovered the whereabouts of the car hire depot just 700 metres around the corner, we decided to walk - a much needed exerci...

We love France and we usually drive there then spend the week recovering before driving back so we wondered about a fly-drive-caravanette holiday. We've not actually done this but the idea of hiring a fully refurbished-like-new retro VW campervan for a short holiday break and going as we please, without having to dash back to base each night, is very appealing for a late Spring break! We're thinking about exploring a little further around the South of France, without having to plan too far ahead or panicking about booking hotels and paying extortionate rates. We're using a couple of itinerary ideas, from a friend who lives in Provence and has already done this. We've been to Cannes and Nice several times over the years plus a couple of trips to Monaco. However, although we've seen photos of the Verdon Gorge - which looks amazing - we've never been there! Our friend also recomends other places, such as Aix-en-Provence , which looks to be worth visiting - we also...

It's a long, expensive, overnight flight from Britain to South Africa but it's worth it, now and then, for a change of scenery, change of weather and a change of pace. Cape Town is in a similar time zone to the UK and their seasons are opposite to ours which makes it ideal to visit during Britain's autumn or winter months. We stayed in the heart of Cape Town, between the business centre and the marina. The vibrant V&A Waterfront was a leisurely five minute stroll along the canal (shown in the picture) past the aquarium, the craft centre, the dry dock and the food court with its variety of delicious meals and snacks. The V&A Waterfront has everything: restaurants offering global cuisine, an up-market shopping mall, local gifts and crafts, entertainment, supermarkets, etc. Service was always with a smile. V&A is named after Victoria, the British Queen, and Alfred, her son. Outside of Cape Town, there are pleasant nearby drives offering a variety of scene...

Years ago, we rented a villa in Javea and wanted to buy it or something similar. We still haven't! It was September 1997 and some friends had recently bought a holiday home on a resort in Javea; we met up a couple of times and enjoyed al fresco dining on balmy evenings. Those same friends have upgraded to a villa now and have retired there. We are still living and working in the UK. Opportunity missed? We are planning a lifestyle change in 2017, when our son completes his degree, and we are still looking at properties around the Mediterranean. Prices fall into two camps: those we can afford as a holiday home and those we can afford if we sell our house in the UK.  This presents us with a dilemma as we obviously prefer the nicer properties but we are not ready to move lock, stock and barrel. We have some other friends who have made the decision to move to Denia next year and have contracted to buy a brand new 'designer villa' from a local (Denia) building company. The ...