Stories from travels in

Europe

Old sepia photo of an old town square behind a windowpane on a street

Karlovac, Croatia

One of the many reasons I like a road trip is that our time is our own. We can stop whenever and wherever we please.

Metal sculpture of a surfer catching a wave ... on a beach in Portugal

Vila Praia de Âncora, Portugal

On a day trip from Ponte de Lima, we headed towards the coast to check out some seaside towns. On our way, we stopped on

Ponte de Lima, Portugal

Himself has been raving about Portugal’s oldest chartered town ever since he came back from the Camino – and that wasn’t today or yesterday. So,

Fener & Balat, Istanbul, Türkiye

So many visitors to Istanbul, some enjoying the free overnight stay courtesy of Turkish Airlines, stick to the main attractions – the Blue Mosque, the

Black and white - a lone, leafless tree in the centre with a fence running across it

Kéktúra: Vállus to Tapolca

The lovely IM of Wandergirls fame was visiting this past weekend. I suggested going for a walk in the hills, the second half of the

Old wooden building with a mossgreen roof

Kéktúra: Piliscsaba to Dorog

Having fully recovered from my first foray into the hills, I was keen to keep the momentum going and complete another stage of the Kéktúra.

Kéktúra: Vállus to Keszthely

I was never a great one for walking for the sake of walking. I’d happily walk to a pub or a shop or a church

man with a leafblower in the forest

Burgenland, Austria

Was I really seeing this? A man with a leafblower in a forest? That the noise disturbed my peace took a backseat to the seeming stupidity

Sümeg, Hungary

Driving into the town of Sümeg never fails to evoke an audible wow. The thirteenth-century castle perched on the hill is quite spectacular. It has

Ljutomer, Slovenia

Borders have been in the news so often lately that they’ve a bad smell about them. For many, crossing the border has become the goal