When I was in Brussels in mid December 2009 I talked to Tony Mallett, editor of Upfront, a Brussels events based magazine, available free of charge as a print magazine and online as Upfront-Live.com. Tony has lived in Brussels for nine years so gives us some tips on what to do and see in the [...]

The Austrian palace Schönbrunn in Vienna is not off the beaten path.  Around eight million people visit the palace grounds every year.  When you get there, you’ll understand why.  Listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, the palace and the surrounding park are a reminder of the glory days of the Habsburgs. To avoid [...]

Arco, Italy is a mountainous area with a relatively mild climate in Northern Italy – making it the perfect place for rock climbing. The city happens to be a favorite area for rock climbers in Europe, as well as a popular place for professional rock climbing competitions. During a climb, chances are that you will [...]

I’m a big fan of Moscow’s insane-looking St Basil’s Cathedral, with its colourful domes and irregular shapes. But if it’s a little too crazy for you, then you might prefer the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood (also known as the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ) in St Petersburg. It’s also colourful, and [...]

Brussels, the Belgian capital, has really pulled out all the stops for the 2009 festive season with the most wonderful Light Show every evening in Grand Place. The Electrabel Nights is part of the Winter Wonders programme of events which runs until 3 January 2010. S The Light Show is on every evening from 16.30 [...]

Winter has come to Zagreb. The days are short, dark and cold and make for limited options, which is why I took off this weekend to the small fishing village of Volosko on the Opatija Riviera (approximately two and a half hours by road from Zagreb). This region is known for the good weather it [...]

I’ve spent the day wandering around in Brussels. It’s been really enjoyable and interesting and I’ve picked up on some alternative Belgian takes on Christmas gifts and trees. When I saw the market in Grassmarkt, I thought I spotted a beer stall but on closer inspection it was actually selling candles in beer glasses that [...]

Last year about this time, I highlighted Christmas in Cologne as one of my wintertime favourites.  This year I’ll mention another one of my top German Christmas Market hotspots:  Nuremberg Nuremberg is by many accounts the biggest and most popular in all of Germany.  Set in the city’s main square, it is actually a few [...]

If you’re visiting London, it’s worth taking a trip up the river to see the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich and in particular the Painted Hall and the Chapel which are free to visit. The Painted Hall was originally designed as a dining hall for the old and injured sailors who were housed at [...]

In September 2009 I finally took the plunge and purchased UK mobile broadband to use on my netbook. In theory this means that when you insert the mobile broadband modem or dongle (a sim card enclosed in a plastic sheath with a USB plug which you insert into a USB port in your laptop) you [...]