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Could this be a crowd pulling addition to Cologne’s reputation as an art city? The Ford factory in Cologne has metamorphosised into the Love Factory with a colourful paint job to celebrate the launch of the new Fiesta.

The Love Factory, Cologne

Well visitors are always looking for something different to do, so why not an art tour of an industrial estate? The adjacent factories and their employees will be feeling very dowdy and forlorn and demanding that their premises be loved up too.

Very popular with local tourists, but yet to make it onto the wider tourist radar, Bojnice Castle in western Slovakia is the kind of place where you just have to take dozens of photographs.

Some people have told me that Bojnice Castle inspired the Cinderella Castle in Disneyland - I’ve got no idea if it’s true, and there are certainly some similarities, but Bojnice is even better because it’s real. It also has a fascinating history, starting out as a Bendectine monastery in the 12th century, and then belonging to the Palffy family for several hundred years – Count Palffy’s life was the inspiration for a few of the many ghost stories that get told about the castle.

To get inside you have to go on a tour but it’s reasonably priced at 160 Koruna, and you can usually get on an English tour (they said you should book ahead, but you can also turn up and be lucky!). If the inside furnishings of a castle don’t thrill you, then just head out to Bojnice to admire the outside and make sure you walk right the way round to get all the great views. You can reach Bojnice in less than two hours from Bratislava.

In this guest post Diana Perez, a Spanish journalist shows us how to get off the beaten track in Barcelona.

Barcelona is one of the most popular tourist city destinations in the world. Its streets are always full of people, regardless of the season. It is the favourite holiday destination for most tourists: famous because of its good weather, its delicious Mediterranean food and its spectacular architecture – cradle of artists as important as Gaudí. But Barcelona is much more than a simple tourist city. Probably, most of you already know the typical and always crowded tourist streets, monuments, clubs, restaurants, shops or museums. But, what about `the other´ Barcelona? There is another city behind this scene: an alternative, amazing city that hosts a reach subculture. Art, music, cinema, gastronomy, and a whole world to discover!

Barceloneta by Pierre Phaneuf

Other neighbourhoods

Let’s begin with an alternative tour among the city. Everybody knows Ciutat Vella (Old Town),that includes El Barri Gòtic, El Raval and El Borne, and forms the monumental center of Barcelona. But moving away from the crowds around El Born and the Gòtic Quarter and heading down to Barceloneta, we find an old fishing village close to the harbour. It’s less crowded and feels more authentic than other parts of the city. The area was developed on a grid pattern and the narrow streets hanging with washing give it a certain air of Naples. There are lots of restaurants, specialist in seafood.

Poble Sec is a charming neighbourhood located between El Raval and Montjuic. Despite its excellent restaurants, nightlife and central location, this neighborhood is off the radar for most Barcelona visitors.

In guidebooks, Poble Sec is usually lumped in with the gardens, museums and Olympic constructions of Montjuic – if it’s even mentioned at all. But with low-key hotels and apartments available to rent, Poble Sec is a wonderful place to visit and to stay in Barcelona. It has ethnically diverse, quiet streets, real local flavour and a wide variety of dining and nightlife options.

Sarrià is a gorgeous, 1,000-year-old village. It has become a haven for petit bourgeois merchants, writers, and artists, as well as a home for many Barcelona schools occupying what were once summer mansions for the city’s commercial leaders. It’s a must to do a stop in Bar Tomás, famous for its patatas bravas (potatoes with a sauce of pounded garlic and olive oil).

Keepin’ it real in Sarria by jpvarga

Good food, better restaurants

Flash Flash (C. La Granada del Penedès, 25) was inaugurated in 1970, and has become an essential reference point. Hamburgers, steaks salads, and over 70 types of tortillas are served up in a pop-art setting of funky black-and-white murals and white leather banquettes. It’s completely authentic!

Misaki (C. Aribau, 40) is a small Japanese restaurant. It offers a very large variety of dishes and regional specialities in a familiar, cozy space. Probably, it is one of the best Asian food restaurants in Barcelona, even you will not find it in any restaurants guides. Do not expect to find a super-modern local. This is a family, small restaurant managed by Misaki, where you’ll eat quality Japanese food. Delicious!

L´Hortet (C. Pintor Fortuny, 32) is the best vegetarian restaurant and enough of a reason to travel to Barcelona! For less than 10 euros you can have a nice three course menu. Vegan vegetarian friendly place that offers a good value set menu at lunch time. Don’t miss it!

7Portes (Pg. Isabel II, 14) it is one the most classic of Barcelona’s eating-places. Here you can enjoy the finest Catalan cooking in an intimate setting or in one of the spacious banquet halls, accompanied by Spain’s best wines and “cavas” (sparking wines) from the well-stocked cellar.

Gaudi, off the beaten track

by mike 23

Gaudi’s work is admired by architects around the World as being one of the most unique and distinctive architectural styles. His works are all over Barcelona. There are some world famous Gaudi´s builds like Parc Güell, Palau Güell, Sagrada Familia, Pedrera or Casa Batlló that give Barcelona a special magic. But there are some of Gaudi´s lesser-known, beautiful contributions that you shouldn’t miss:
The Gigantic fountain in Parc de la Cuitadella
The Three Graces Fountain in Placa Reial
The amazing wrought-iron embellished street lamps that line the streets are 125-year-old originals in the heart of the city. In Plaza Reial, by Las Ramblas, Passeig de Gracia and the old port entrance.

More than culture: more music, more art, more cinemas…

MauMau: (C. Fontrodona, 33) this cultural centre and lounge club built into an old warehouse is discreetly hidden away in a quiet backstreet. It’s a unique space, ideal for all kinds of presentations and projections: art, theater, lectures and other activitie. Since May 2002, Maumau runs a Funk, Soul, HipHop & Rare Groove session, weekly at dance venue Apolo. There is an interesting weekly agenda with the best of alternative culture in Barcelona!

Antisonar: Anti-Sonar is the alternative music party to Sonar, which runs in Barcelona at the same time. It’s totally free. Whereas Sonar attracts a moneyed, trendy, international crowd, Anti-Sonar is an anarchic impromptu festival for the scruffier inhabitants of Barcelona who can’t afford or simply resent the festival and the hordes of techno tourists that take over the city for the weekend. Don’t expect any big name DJs. Expect unrelenting hard techno, and bring your own water, beer, absinthe, and sun cream, as you’ll be dancing through into the morning. Usually located on the outskirts of the city near to the Sonar by Night festival site, follow the crowds or ask around.

Cinema Maldà: (C. del Pi, 5) located in the middle of Ciutat Vella’s neighbourhood, this special cinema projects Bollywood’s movies in original version and independent movies. This spring, cinema Maldà, now known as the Maldà Arts Forum, expanded it programming and artistic offer to include other arts such as music, theatre, performance, literature or journalism. It is a must for all film fans. On top of providing high-quality cinema, Maldà allows its visitors to enjoy two films (run consecutively) for the price of one.

There are infinity proposals to enjoy of the other Barcelona: the city that many tourists and even Catalan people do not know. Look for the best alternative leisure and cultural offers of the city in `La Butxaca´, a very special leisure guide of Barcelona (it’s very difficult to find). And now, have a great and different time in this original city.

Diana recommends Apartments in Barcelona for your stay in Barcelona.

I interviewed Angela K Nickerson, author of Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome, during a live blog on Wednesday 11 June at 20:00 British Summer Time (which is one hour in advance of Greenwich Mean Time).

Angela’s book is a blend of biography, travel guide and the history and art of Rome and Florence during Michelangelo’s lifetime. You can read my review of A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome on the Wandalust UK travel blog.

Please come along, the live blog will appear inside this post, you don’t need any special equipment or software to watch and it’s easy to make comments and ask questions.

I received a complimentary copy of the book for review purposes as part of Angela’s virtual book tour.

I appear to be moving up the pecking order in travel blogging as I’m invited to the Press Conference and Opening Party of the first citizen M hotel at Schipol airport on 24 June. I wrote a post about citizen M for Wandalust in which I questioned if travellers were ready to be “branded” as citizen M’s and if the front line staff in the hotels would be able to embody the brand values. I think citizen M are off to a good start if they are inviting a blogger who has been critical of some aspects of their branding ambitions.

citizen M hotel room

It demonstrates the recognition of the influence of travel bloggers on travel consumers opinion by companies offering products and services in the travel market.

As the Easyjet flight from Edinburgh arrives at Schipol in the early evening too late for the press conference on the 24 June, I’l have to fly over the day before, so I’ll be able to spend the day in Amsterdam prior to the press conference. I’d like to see Amsterdam off the beaten track, so If you have any ideas of what I could do or see please leave a comment.

Can you have too much off a good thing? Almost everywhere we looked in Umbria we could see charming medieval hilltop villages and towns. You really are spoiled for choice, you could stop every few kilometers and wander around another historic village or town.

Gubbio

Don’t thing these are decaying, neglected places or just tarted up for tourists, these towns and villages are full of life.

Todi

You do really need to have a hire car to get around rural Umbria though. The driving can be pretty hairy at times.

Spoleto

It was amazing on the drive back home to Berwick from Edinburgh to get the impression that Scotland wasn’t that green. Usually when you return from the south of Europe you think it’s lovely to be back in verdant Scotland but after all the densely wooded hillocks in Umbria, Scotland was looking slightly wishy washy.

It’s pretty hard to come up with my favourite castles in Scotland as there are so many from which to choose. Sometimes it’s the location of the castle that’s the attraction as opposed to the interior of the castle. However as I like getting off the beaten track my choice of castles reflects this.

Tantallon Castle, East Lothian

Tantallon Castle, East Lothian

Tantallon Castle lies 3 miles east of North Berwick in East Lothian. around 20 miles east of Edinburgh. The Castle was built in the 14th century as a fortress. We visited Tantallon Castle for the first time a couple of weeks ago. My husband who is a keen kayaker had paddled round the coastline below the castle but we wanted to see it at ground level. Although it was a pretty miserable wet day the views over the Firth of Forth and the Bass Rock were really impressive. The castle is pretty much a ruin but you climb up the spiral stone staircases for elevated views.

Falkland Palace, Fife

Falkland Palace, Fife

I know it’s a palace but that’s just another name for a royal castle. Falkland Palace was built on the site of Falkland Castle in the 15th century. Falkland Palace is in such a stunning location at the foot of the Lomond Hills in the Fife region of central Scotland. The castle interior is in good condition with many 17th century Flemish tapestries adorning the walls. The Royal Tennis Court built in 1539 for James V, is the oldest tennis court in the UK. It’s real tennis that played here with a more complex scoring system than the current game. The score lines are adorned with paintings of crowns. Mary, Queen of Scots, is said to have created a great stir when she abandoned her stiff skirt to don breeches to play here. The tennis court is still used by a local tennis club.

Castle Fraser, Aberdeenshire

Castle Fraser, Aberdeenshire

Castle Fraser is a splendid castle in Aberdeenshire, in the north east of Scotland. The castle itself is very beautiful and well preserved, dating from the 16th century. It’s brimming with historic furniture, paintings and embroidery. In true castle tradition the castle is haunted by a Princess who was murdered in Green Room. It was impossible to remove the blood stains left on the stone stairs after dragging her body down and wood paneling had to be laid over the stone steps to hide the evidence. You can climb to one of the towers to have fantastic views. of the surrounding countryside. There’s a lovely formal garden and woodland walks. However kids will love the “Woodlands Secrets” adventure playground. There a tepee, stone circle, musical instruments and various carved wooden animals.

If you plan to visit castles, gardens and monuments during your trip to the UK, the Great British Heritage Pass saves you money and time. Overseas visitors to the UK can buy the pass online. The pass gives you free entry to a wast array of heritage properties owned by the National Trust, Historic Scotland and English Heritage. The three castles I’ve written about are all part of either the National Trust for Scotland or Historic Scotland. The price starts at £30 per adult or £69 per family (2 adults and up to 3 kids under 15 year) for a four day ticket. This is good value if you’ll visit a few properties as it costs £11 per adult to enter Edinburgh Castle. You’ll also avoid having to stand in queues to purchase admission tickets at each attraction.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed my whirlwind tour around three of my favourite castles off the beaten track in Scotland. Do you have favourite castle in Scotland away from the star attractions such as Edinburgh Castle and Castle Urquhart at Loch Ness.

View to Bass Rock from Tantallon Castle

Tantallon Castle lies 3 miles east of North Berwick in East Lothian. The Castle was built in the 14th century as a fortress. For me the best thing about is it’s dramatic location on the coast opposite the Bass Rock.

Tantallon Castle

You can climb up the even stone spiral staircase for great views over the Firth of Forth.

Elcho Castle, Perthshire

It’s Historic Scotland’s annual free weekend 12 - 13 April 2008. There’s free entry to historic properties all over Scotland. As well as favourites such as Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle, why not venture a little off the beaten track to some less well known castles?

Elcho Castle is a well preserved 16th century castle by the River Tay, a few miles south east of Perth. It belonged to the Wemyss family until they gifted it to the nation in 1929 I have to admit that I’d not heard of Elcho Castle before I visited in April 2007. I think it is well worth a visit as the building is fairly intact and it’s in a lovely setting.

Edzell Castle, Angus

Edzell Castle and Gardens is located a few miles north west of Brechin.Much of the castle is ruined but the red sandstone is very beautiful. For me the garden is the main attraction. It was constructed in 1604, you can still see the coat of arms and the date above the entrance to the gardens. The garden walls are truly amazing with sculptures depicting virtues such as patience, constance and prudence as well as Roman Gods. The Summer House at one corner of the garden is still intact; this is where the family would retire after meals to eat sweetmeats at the round stone table.

Trieste is tucked away in the north eastern corner of Italy, close the border with Slovenia. It was seaport of the Hapsburg empire for many years and even 70% of Italians questioned in a recent opinion poll didn’t know that Trieste was part of Italy.

Trieste seafront in the evening

In Trieste you can enjoy a combination of a sea/beach holiday and the attractions of a cultural city. The sea in the Gulf of Trieste is very clear and clean, with limestone cliffs and rocky beaches. The centre of the city has a mid-European feel, more Austrian than Italian.

The City Hall, Piassa Unita Italia, Trieste

You can sip coffee on Piazza Unita Italia with its grand 19th century buildings, while looking out over the Adriatic. As Trieste is a port it was one of the first European cities to take to coffee in a big way. The first coffee houses in Trieste opened at the beginning of the 18th century. These cafés become very popular with artists and intellectuals. Several of the original cafes are going strong, the Tommeseo and the Cafee degli Specchi. Triestines are very particular about their coffee. If you order a cappuccino the Trieste version will be a black coffee with a little milk. You would need to order an Italian cappuccino. Mixing spirits with coffee is a no-no, viewed as a beverage favoured by foreign lorry drivers!

Of course there’s a lot more to Trieste than cafe society. The Barcolana regatta is held on the second Sunday of October. This is a sailing competition which has run for 30 years and has almost 2000 vessels competing. From October to May the concert and opera season unfolds in the historic neo-Classical Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi (opened in 1801 and designed by Matteo Petch, architect of Milan’s La Scala) and the modern Sala Tripcovich. The festival of Light Opera is held in July and August at the Verdi. Miramare Castle was built for Archduke Maximilian as a residence by the sea and gardens. Probably the best is The Revoltella Museum, which was founded in 1872 when Baron Revoletta left his home and art collection to the city of Trieste.

Miramare Castle

So if you’re looking for somewhere different for an Italian short break or part of a trip around Italy, Trieste is a great destination.

This post was featured in Carnival of Cities, February 13 2008.