Stories from travels in

April 2015

Doorbells in Lucca

A world behind walls

Other people’s opinions and impressions can have a marked effect on me. It depends, of course, the weight I give them and how they’ve done

Auto correction in Pisa

If I’m already in a bad mood, auto-correction on my phone has been known to drive me over the edge, into a world where I

Exposing style

‘I’ll come around and pick you up’, he said, in a to-die-for Italian accent. ‘Ten minutes. Be ready.’ ‘Okay’, says I. ‘I’ll go down and

On the steps of the Sacre Coeur

In times when the Catholic Church in particular, and religious institutions in general, are receiving a bashing, it is nice to see that some churches

Memories – or the lack of them

I was in Paris many years ago as part of an Inter-rail trip around Europe that I embarked upon myself. Alone. On my tod. I

Musée Rodin in Paris

You look at me and what do you first notice? My size? My shape? The colour of my eyes? My glasses? My hair? My attitude?

Louvre Paris

Underwhelmed

It’s not been long enough, I hear you cry. And yet 72 hours is ample time when you’re old enough know what you want and

In need of watering

The first Easter I spent in my flat in Budapest, the doorbell rang on Easter Monday morning. I was a tad taken aback as I

Bourbon Tunnels in Naples

In the Bourbon Tunnels (Tunnel Borbonica) in Naples (the city’s No. 2 tourist attraction according to Trip Advisor), I heard tell of a man who