Minas Gerias is truly an amazing world of its own, with a fascinating baroque grandiosity that has been preserved for over two centuries.

There are many small villages and historic cities that are a reflection of the prosperous mining boom of the early 18th century. This vast economic wealth transformed the region and resulted in the Brazilian Golden Age, a movement purely distinct of the Minas Gerias state.

When you walk down the cobble-stoned streets lined with ornate cathedrals painted in pure gold, imposing colonial mansions, and intricate fountains you’ll be transported back to one of the most prosperous times in Brazilian history.

The mountains, prehistoric caves, rivers and national parks of the area are also great places to experience the natural beauty of this historic region.

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A monthly market (held every first Sunday) which takes place either inside or outside the Milgi bar on City Road (an eclectric bar/bistro with video art, squashy sofas, chandeliers and a good line in cocktails and homemade pop).

It's a bit of a hotchpotch of jumble, young designers, live music, DJs, the odd random performance artist, maybe a BBQ, maybe some nice hot soup...

It's genuinely really great for hand printed tees and pumps, jewellery, second-hand books, vinyl, vintage-rummaging, people-watching, cake-eating, cocktail-drinking... And sometimes it happens at night too, which can be very, very good.

Milgi, 213 City Road, Cardiff, www.myspace.com/northcotelanemarket

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Being probably the best local radio in Denmark. Aarhus Studenterradio offers you the opportunity to live, hear and feel the vibes of the exciting bohemian city of Aarhus. With a bold mix of the brilliant upcoming local music scene of Aarhus and the voices of their top-of-the-line radio dj talents, Aarhus studenterradio delivers the best and most convincing listening experience available in northern Europe. Forget your iPod and your vintage vinyl collection - this is the real deal and the voice of tomorrow!

You can find Aarhus Studenterradio by tuning your radio into 98.7FM - every weekday from 8-9 in the morning and again from 7-10 in the evening

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If you enjoy street art, then take a walk around the area of the old town known as Barrio del Carmen.

The area is a well lived in and slightly scruffy old quarter of the city and the centre of the nightlife in Valencia. There is a lot of development going on and round each building plot you find cement walls, usually covered by some great street art. Take your time to wander round the area in the day, you'll find some nice street art round every corner.

You can see my review and photos on my blog;
heatheronhertravels.blogspot.com/2008/04/old-town-valencia-and-street-art.html

There are lots of photos of Valencia street art on the Flickr Valencia graffiti pool.
www.flickr.com/groups/graffisvalencia/pool/

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The International Festival of Alternative and Experimental theatres is one of the oldest theatre festivals in Poland. It has been organised continuously since 1975. Always taking place in April, it is a good opportunity to combine a spring city break and cultural event. The weather in spring is usually bit more friendly than in London and you will enjoy spending the first nights out, having a drink.

The festival is an opportunity to get a first glance at the new season's productions. It uses the theatre in an attempt to make us aware of a problem that concerns us all from an unknown and extraordinary angle.

www.reminiscencje.pl

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Swindon has a fantastic collection of 20th century British art - Lowry, Nicholson, Howard Hodgkin, David Bomberg, Terry Frost etc. A really unexpected hidden gem of a collection nestled alongside the local museum up in Old Town. This collection really has wow factor.

Swindon Museum & Art Gallery
Bath Road
Swindon
SN1 4BA
www.swindon.gov.uk/heritage
01793 466556

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Kingsand is an undiscovered gem - which is why C4 are making a documentary about it! Unspoilt beaches, very kid friendly, stunning walks overlooking Plymouth Sound, tons of art exhibitions, but very low key and fun. Try Westcroftguesthouse.co.uk. Owners Sarah and Dylan have an art gallery as well, and the accommodation is lovely, overlooks the sea and the organic breakfasts are to be recommended. Perfect bolthole break!

westcroftguesthouse.co.uk
Kingsand is on The Rame Peninsula, near Torpoint, Stations: St Germans or Plymouth mainline

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Just an hour outside Berlin by car lies a real hidden gem. The Woerlitzer Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is one of the most dazzling examples of landscape gardening in continental Europe. Having been inspired by a trip to England, Prince Leopold III started work on the 122 hectare public garden in 1764. Now it stands – a stunning series of labyrinthine paths, winding rivers and ponds – as an oasis of calm, and a true work of art.

For directions see
www.woerlitz-information.de/woerlitz-en/ko/anfahrt.php

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Up and down Stokes Croft, near the centre of Bristol, there's an explosion of street art. On Jamaica Street there's an outdoor art gallery organised by the People's Republic of Stokes Croft. There are plenty of hoardings up and down Stokes Croft with interesting street-art and you can see the Banksy piece, The Mild Mild West. The shops and clubs are picking up the theme too. Don't forget to take your camera.

Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1
Jamaica St, Bristol, BS2 8JP
People's Republic of Stokes Croft www.prsc.org.uk/
You can see my article about Stokes Croft Graffiti on my blog
heatheronhertravels.blogspot.com/2008/03/graffiti-tourism-in-bristol.html

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An astonishingly excellent art museum considering the size and wealth of this midwest city. I rate it a far better collection than my local national art galleries in Edinburgh, for a comparison.

Fully wheelchair/pushchair accessible, the curators were very tolerant of my mischief-making two year old, there's a lovely restaurant and large grounds with interesting sculptures, some of which the kids can play on.

Check out the daily glass blowing demonstrations in the glass pavilion. They are quite amazing!

2445 Monroe Street at Scottwood Avenue, Toledo, Ohio

www.toledomuseum.org/

419-255-8000
800-644-6862

information@toledomuseum.org

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Design Summer Sessions for beginners
and advanced students of all ages at two of the city's top design schools. Courses last two or four weeks and cover the areas of fashion, graphics, interior and product design from a fascinating Milanese point of view with many guest speakers - a great place to network for contacts as well. Book a place online for this July.

Domus Academy and Naba are the host schools - it is also possible to do the first two weeks in London at St Martins College of Art and Design
www.london-milan-courses.com
www.domusacademy.it
www.naba.it
emails:milan@london-milan-courses.com
or london@london-milan-courses.com

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I’m a person who loves to bring souvenires for my parents when I go out of town. This time I went to Rio de Janeiro and found a really cute place called Brasil & Cia. I had a pretty good time there, picking some beautiful stuff. It’s a great store, with plenty of cute stuff.

Rua Maria Quitéria, 27 - Ipanema

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The museum is all out in the open with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains creating a lovely balance between art and nature.

From Tokyo take the Odakyu line to Hakone Yumoto. From there take the Hakone Tozan Railway to Chokoku No Mori Station (then a short walk).

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I fell in love with this store at first glance, especially this big piece I saw parked against one of the walls: a huge leopard climbing a log, and I just had to have it. I didn't think I'd be able to buy it, since there was absolutely no chance I could take it back home with me due to its size. Fortunately, upon noticing my interest in the piece, she told me that they shipped internationally if necessary. I went through with it and the piece came through intact. Everyone who sees it in my living room looks at it intrigued and asks about it.

Rua Ipiranga, 55
Laranjeiras
Rio de Janeiro
Phone: (21)2285-4395

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This rustic gallery displays a collection of experimental art, especially by artists from what used to be East Germany.

Auguststrasse 26
D - 10117 Berlin
Phone.: +49.30.280 6605
www.eigen-art.com/

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Anthony Gormley's 100 cast iron statues staring impassively westwards is an eerie, yet atmospheric artwork. They appear and disappear with the ebb and flow of the tide (so check the tide times), and take a camera and some props for the arty and comedy photos you will just have to take.

Crosby Beach, Liverpool. Well signposted from the A565.

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Part of National Museums Liverpool, it sits in a splendid building on William Brown Street. Its Neo Classical building holds one of the largest art collections in England outside of London. The gallery holds the John Moores exhibition every year as well as temporary exhibitions.
Open 10am - 5pm daily

www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker,
William Brown Street, Liverpool,
0151 478 4199

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Situated to the south-west of Düsseldorf in the small town of Neuss, this is quite simply a Garden of Eden here on Earth. Forget the uninviting title – Germans are masters at finding off-putting names – and put this on your list of “must-visits” immediately.

The idea for the museum – based on an original idea by the French 19th century artist Paul Cézanne of showing art in parallel with nature – came from a Düsseldorf collector by the name of Karl-Heinrich Müller. In 1982 he came across Hombroich Island, an uncultivated park on the banks of the River Erft, and called in a Düsseldorf sculptor by the name of Erwin Heerich to help him turn it into a park containing an orangery, a wonderful empty glass building overlooking a section of the river called the Graubner pavilion which I, and other visitors used an echo chamber (!), and an art gallery.

In 1984 Müller bought up a larger area of land, and had it specially landscaped to contain classical and modern sculptures, a cafe and various other exhibition buildings. Here you can see works by Arp, Calder, Cézanne, Chillida, Corinth, Fautrier, Klein, Matisse, Picabia, Rembrandt, Schwitters, as well as classical Asian works.

The Düsseldorf painter, Gotthard Graubner, helped Müller develop a special exhibition concept, whereby the exhibits are not chronologically ordered but presented according to styles. Almost the best feature of the concept is the refusal to provide any accompanying explanations to the works of art. At first this might prove irritating, but after a short while I found it remarkably liberating as it threw me into a direct confrontation with the work of art without the interpretational crutches of a so-called expert.

By placing traditional Asian art alongside modern European works without any commentary, the exhibition makers have succeeded in creating an exhilarating atmosphere which allows visitors to react to the works intuitively rather than on intellectual theories. The site also contains at least one contemporary artists’ workshop, placed in the midst of the wood like something out of a fairy-tale.

The day I was there the autumn sun was beaming down on a glittering dew-drenched golden landscape, and I wandered around in a trance of joy at the sheer beauty of it all. I was assured by other visitors that it’s an unalloyed pleasure at any time of the year, even and especially when it’s covered in snow. There are plenty of benches along the way enabling you to rest and enjoy the view; and the central café – with outside tables and chairs when the weather’s fine – serves up food and drink free of charge. Allow yourself at least two and a half hours because it’s a large site. To prevent you getting lost, all visitors are provided with a map, showing the gravel paths. Sturdy shoes are recommended, children under the age of 6 have free admission, but dogs are banned.

To protect the landscape, visitors are asked to keep to the gravel paths and picnicking is not allowed. Be warned: after you leave the box office area, you will come to a staircase with no less than 45 steps, so whatever you do don’t bring a pram!

Address: Minkel 2, 41472 Neuss-Holzheim. Tel: (02182) 2094. www.inselhombroich.de
Open: Daily, April to the end of September: 10.00 - 19.00; October 10.00 - 18.00; November to March 10.00 - 17.00. In summer you can stay in the park till 21.00. Minkel 2, 41472 Neuss-Holzheim. Tel: (02182) 2094. www.inselhombroich.de

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Started in Victorian times for the education of the masses, this has moved with the times and has an excellent collection of modern art as well as huge, gory, or sentimental Victorian kitcsh.

As a child I adored "And when did you last see your father" and "The death of Nelson". My daughters loved "The Lady with the arrow in her booby" (not its real title, obviously). One huge room is dedicated to children who can paint and draw to their hearts content.

Right in the city centre.By Lime Street station(Lily Savage was born in Lime Street..on the pavement...allegedly)

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An amazing example of public art, these statues (100 of them) stretch along Crosby beach for 3 kilometres and out to sea for one kilometre. Go there at any time of day, but make sure you check the tides - you can't see any of them at high tide. It is atmospheric and beautiful, but at the same time down to earth - it's great to see whole families having picnics next to one of the figures and kids playing around them.

Crosby Beach
North Liverpool

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