I was fortunate to attend the opening preview of the mixed media art exhibition at the Cockenzie power station on 4 June 2009. The exhibition is part of the annual 3 Harbours Arts Festival which is entitled “art in unsual places”. The Festival is held in the three East Lothian coastal towns of Prestonpans, Cockenzie [...]
In quenching the thirst for Italian food, flair, and fashion, the island of Sicily is often overlooked. Yes, it’s that island being kicked by the “boot” of Italy itself, hanging out casually in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. Photo courtesy of david.nikonvscanon Sicily is surprisingly easy to reach. You can take trains from Rome [...]
When you’re on a budget, one of the ways to enjoy the city you’re visiting is to do a free walking tour that takes you round the major sites, giving you a little background on each one. There are many ways to do this but my starting point is always the local tourism website or [...]
I first read about Earth.org on the TravelBlogExchange site. I though that the idea of a non profit travel wiki sounded interesting. Otto Stricker, the founder, tells Europe a la Carte about the site. 1 What is the aim of Earth.org? Imagine a destination with free and trustworthy travel information. Imagine that all this information [...]
MyLifeinLeeds.co.uk is a new online guide to the English city of Leeds, written by locals to provide infornation about what’s on offer in Leeds for locals, leisure and business travellers. Readers can ask questions and post photos and videos on the site. Local businesses can promote their events free of charge. Street art in Leeds [...]
Sweden prides itself on its natural beauty. As it should. With that pride comes Allemansrätten. Literally it translates to “everyman’s right.” A better definition though comes from Naturvårdsverket, the government environmental agency. Naturvårdsverket writes: “The Right of Public Access is a unique right to roam freely in the countryside. But with the right come responsibilities [...]
Last year I raved about The Hermitage museum and gallery in St Petersburg, which is surely one of the most spectacular art experiences you can have in Europe – so I was pretty excited to learn that the Hermitage is about to open a “branch” in the Netherlands – the Hermitage Amsterdam. It seems like [...]
Istanbul Eats, with the strap line “a serious eater’s guide to the city”, caught my eye as a Guardian Travel Blog of the Month. Founders Yigal Schleifer and Ansel Mullins tell us about the blog. Ciya Sofrasi Restaurant, Istanbul 1 What is the aim of your blog? Istanbul Eats aims to navigate serious eaters through [...]
One of my favourite spots in Zagreb is the Old Town. It’s not as spectacular as the Old Town of Dubrovnik nor as flashy as the one in Split, but it does carry itself with a certain elegance that suits its status as the address of the Croatian Parliament. Along these narrow stone paved alleys, [...]
In this guest post Carol Schonafinger, director of Holidays to Europe, introduces us to the somewhat forgotten city of Bern, capital of Switzerland. “Switzerland’s capital, Bern, is often overlooked on a European itinerary, but it is a city with plenty to offer the visitor. Located in the Swiss Mittelland (middle land) region, Bern is within [...]
