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Reached via cable-car, this mountain at the edge of Tirana gives an attractive break from the bustle (and traffic) of the city. There are some restaurants and amenities up here but it’s mainly about the view along the route and the scenery atop the mountain. Costs about 500 Lek for the trip.
Right in the middle of Chelsea is a wonderful secret garden. Founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, it continues to research the properties, origins and conservation of more than 5000 plant species. But the nicest thing is just to sit there with a book on a sunny day. The cafe also sells some gorgeous food, especially the salads and the cakes.
Note that it isn’t open every day, and it does cost to get in. Details on the website.
You can quite often get two-for-one entry offers from rail companies, e.g. www.southeasterndaysout.co.uk/Attractions.aspx?County=London&TOCID=8
www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/
You can quite often get two-for-one entry offers from rail companies, e.g. www.southeasterndaysout.co.uk/Attractions.aspx?County=London&TOCID=8
Stay in this wonderful three-storey home of a Huguenot weaver in a quiet street between Brick Lane and Spitalfields market. Furnished in a comfortable, practical way the true character of the home is retained... wonkey staircase, oak panelling and solid ancient floors. The absence of a TV inspires sketches and great tips in best handwriting on the vellum pages of the green linen bound logbook. Learn about who lived there over the years and sit out under the raspberry pink camellia in the garden with a glass of wine and a plate of cheese from the nearby deli.
After a quiet night's rest in heavenly beds stroll through the Sunday market for a feast of food from stallholders across the world. Cross over to Spitalfields market for the up-and-coming designers or find a sweet vintage brooch or bag. Five minutes to the Caledonian flower market for an armful of fragrant blooms.
Brick Lane is great for a cheap curry... have a takeaway in the garden!
Come at Christmas and watch the neighbours peel back their shutters to outdo each other in Christmas decorations. Better than a hotel any day!
Princelet St Spitalfields
www.landmarktrust.co.uk
Going for a walk on this gorgeous mountain/hill is a great, relaxing experience. Here you'll find beautiful gardens, great restaurants, a castle, a theatre and above all a gorgeous view of Barcelona. There's an open air area with tables where you can have affordable and simple barbecued food and a bottle of wine whilst you enjoy a marvelous view of the mediterranean and the city by night. The place is called 'el mirador del migdia'.
Bus 55 or bus Parc de Montjuïc/funicular de Montjuïc, then 10min walk. Follow signs to Mirador de Montjuïc
If you visit Cardiff in the UK I highly recommend Cardiff Castle. I visited the castle last week and it is excellent.
Set in the former Sierra Leone embassy (think shabby chic, imagine the history of this august building), every week tangueros turn up to roll back the rugs, exposing the wooden floors, and dance the night away.
There's a 1.5-2 hour beginners' class at 6:30pm, followed by a social dancing milonga until 11:30pm. The whole lot costs just £10 and there are snacks and drinks.
Great for a romantic evening, learning a new skill, meeting a diverse set of people with something in common, and exploring a new part of London. Who could ask for more?!
33 Portland Place; nearest Tube Great Portland Street or Warren Street.
Montsalvat is an eclectic collection of European-style buildings set in bushland in Eltham (a suburb of Melbourne).
Built in the '30s by Justus Jorgensen, it was a retreat for artists and sculptors. These days it's a nice place to visit on a quiet Sunday afternoon to view the various art exhibitions and sculptures (or in my case a celebration of a wedding in the Great Hall).
7 Hillcrest Ave. Eltham Victoria 3095
Phone: (03) 9439 7712
Fax: (03) 9431 4177
www.montsalvat.com.au/
Google map: tinyurl.com/oev4oe
The museum is housed in a former ice warehouse and features the history of the ice trade, ice cream and the canals! You can get a barge trip through Islington tunnel and down to Camden, it is hidden away in Kings Cross and is a perfect place to take the kids for an afternoon.
12-13 New Wharf Road
London
N1 9RT
www.canalmuseum.org.uk
This unassumingly boutique Hotel on Sw Agnieszki in Kazimierz (two minutes from Wawel Castle), is an expression of the Polish Romance. It used to be an old schoolhouse, and if you look hard the signs are still there to see.
I must start with the breakfast room, with its walls full of tableaux, tasteful bric-a-bric, with the whiff of a bohemian salon has more character and imagination than a thousand chain or 'specialty' hotels. They lay the table with lace cloths specially for you - none of this pile 'em high buffet nonsense - and bring fresh juice and coffee and the meats and cheeses are delectable.
If there was a failing, it was that my single room was too cramped (perhaps the old detention chambers) and the noises of early breakfast begin to echo around the building around 7am. At €61-79 per night, a jewel worth a higher price.
"Alef" Hotel,Świętej Agnieszki 5 Street, 31-071 Kraków
www.alef.pl/index_e.php
A small andalusian-style nestling high up in the Rif mts. Charming old walled medina founded 1472. For those wanting peace & calm (unlike Fez & Marrakesh). I recommend as a fine holiday stop-off and not only because I'm the British Consular Warden!
2 hr drive SE of Tangier
Austrian fortifications, some of them huge, many of them in good condition. An alternative to the usual tourist nonsense and accessible on a bike.
All around the city (start with the two on ul. Kamiena (nowy kleparz) and then head for any one you fancy. They are marked on a good city map. Type tweirdza krakow in google for more.
You don't need to be a war buff to visit Vimy Ridge near Arras. Driving up towards the ridge you'll pass innumerable cemetaries and the ground still bears the scars of war. The monument at Vimy Ridge to the fallen of Canada is a stunning piece of architecture, and the view is stunning over the Douai plain.
I checked out a baseball match at Shea Stadium (Queens/Flushing). Home of the Mets, the stadium is due for demolition next year when they move to the Citi field being built next door. It was a good occasion although I know next to nothing about baseball!
The tickets we brought were $39, and it wasn’t a bad view. There are $25 tickets much further back in the stands.
The Cathedrale du Sacre Coeur on Boulevard Rachidi is an example of an art deco church. Designed in the 1930s, it is all the more remarkable when you consider that Casablanca is in an Islamic country.
Unfortunately when we went there the church looked like it had been long closed. On Avenue Hassan II there is an Art Deco post office where even the letterboxes are tiled.
Cathedral - on Boulevard Rachidi off Ave Hassan II
Post Office - Avenue Hassan II
Don't let the disappointing City Palace in Jaipur put you off visiting the Amber Palace which is perched on a hill-top about 15 minutes' drive out of town. It is beautiful and huge, and full of interesting things to see. I hired a guide instead of the audio tour (but ignore the fake guides at the bottom of the hill, and make sure you talk to any potential guide for a while first to get a sense of how good they'll be) and it was one of my best experiences in Rajasthan.
Hire a taxi in Jaipur to take you.
Worthwhile checking out the old Jewish quarter in the Mellah area in the south of the medina. The number of Jews in the area now numbers about 260 compared to more than 15,000 at the turn of the century.
You can see the evidence with the occasional Star of David and Hebrew lettering on buildings. There are still three active synagogues out of nearly 30. For a few coins the local kids will show you where the working synagogues are.
Mellah area south of medina
We don't normally go for city tour buses but this was definitely worth it. We paid 260 dirhams (about £18) for two tickets valid for 24 hours that allowed us to jump off/on the tour bus along the route.
The main reason why we recommend it was that one of the routes took us out to the Palmeraie area (palm trees, camels etc) which we would not otherwise have seen.
Red bus just off the Jemma El Fna square on Av. Mohamed V.
Brilliant B&B very close to city centre. Located in Abbey Street in the Bogside, its clean, modern, ensuite rooms are a treat - as is breakfast. A great find!
This is a lakeside suburb in Eastern Berlin which still retains a village atmosphere. It's a great centre from which to explore the less familiar lakes and woods that were once the main recreational area for the 'capital of the DDR'. As in West Berlin, you can take boat trips, or walk up to the Muggelberg, the highest point in Greater Berlin. The town itself escaped much of the world war two bombing, and is full of restored 18th century houses and plenty of places to eat and drink. Schloss Kopenick, on its island, has also recently been restored properly, and now contains a Museum of Applied Art.
Kopenick S-bahn station is a short walk from the town centre, and is a 20-minute journey from central Berlin.
It’s painful to get up at 5am and make the trek to Tsukiji Fish Market before work. But strange as it might seem, if there’s one thing you have to see, it’s this. It’s the largest wholesale fish market in the world, and handles more than 400 different types of seafood from tiny sardines to 300kg tuna. Watching the gigantic fish prepared for sale or the auctioneers’ enthusiasm at landing their prize is a fabulous way to start the day. A tip: make sure you eat breakfast at the market before you leave.
Near the Tsukijishijō Station on the Oedo subway line and Tsukiji Station on the Hibiya subway line:
www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm
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