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    BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    Provence, abridged

    September 23 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    After the sky has cleared, we're ready for some excursions. Near the station at Arles, there's a ruined bridge that used to cross the Rhone in the pomp and glory of 19th century French railways. Curiously, this is reflected by the much more famous ruined bridge at Avignon, 20 minutes away by rail. We find that, like at Carcassonne, the free view from a distance gives us a better look than ticketed entry on the bridge itself.

    Another day trip, a 40-minute bus ride through the marshy Camargue, takes us out to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Rather quiet on a Monday afternoon, it's a cut above some of the English seaside resorts I could mention!

    Finally, a "10 depressing things about this view" comes from the suburban area outside Aix-en-Provence where we make our last stop. The number 8 bus however takes into the elegant city centre, which is like Paris on a small scale. Every corner boasts a palace, statue or fountain, plus the lively Thursday market. The street furniture reminds us that Paul Cezanne made Aix his home.

    Aix is as near the international airport as is Marseille, so we take a taxi from there. 50 years since my last visit: it can't be 50 years till the next one, so maybe 50 months or 50 weeks. The Pont du Gard on the 5-euro note will have to wait till than.    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    Arles continued

    September 20 in France ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    The street where we're staying is very narrow and reflects the intimate quality of Arles that Van Gogh, one of its most famous residents, would still recognise. Along with the amphitheatre that reminds us that Arles was important in Roman times. On the first full day we are subjected to a deluge of biblical proportions but from the following day, the weather is clear for us to enjoy the back streets and little squares. There are some beautiful Art Nouveau details and a canal which would have been navigable only for small boats. Every "place" seems to have its cafe (independent of the international chains) or a restaurant serving exotic food. North African is the favourite. The final image shows a procession of famers parading their wares.Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    Six days in Provence

    September 20 in France ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    The eastbound train takes us back into Provence, for a few days in the wonderful city of Arles. We're staying in another apartment, actually a complete house on three small floors---so small that the stairs between them are very steep. But we have the consolation of Ray Charles and Billie Holiday on the CD player.Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    Tale of twinned cities

    September 18 in France ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    The lower part of Carcassonne, where we are staying, is as fascinating as the Cite. The imposing Place Carnot hosts an outdoor market a couple of times a week, and there are numerous shop fronts and monuments to Art Nouveau and art Deco to enjoy. Today is also a national strike day with protests mainly by transport workers.

    Carcassonne is fortunate enough to lie on the Canal du Midi, which runs from Toulouse in the west to the Mediterranean. Started in the reign of Louis XIV, it's over a century older than the English canals and is distinguished by its oval-shaped locks. When I used to go on canal trips, we would talk about doing the French canals but sadly this never happened. Maybe the fact that bars in France don't sell real ale as we know them, didn't help!    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    French connections

    September 16 in France ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    In the air again with my two partners in crime, Alan and Russell, I arrive in Marseille on a bright Tuesday afternoon for a 10-day trip. It's a journey down memory lane, being exactly 50 years since I was last in this part of France. Where did the time go? Marseille is a lively city but hasn't completely shed its raffish air gained from the French Connection films and although we don't come to any harm, the streets are perhaps not completely safe at night. But the railway station is a monument to Gallic pride and the stay in Marseille is worth it probably for this alone. Three hours westwards and we are in the Languedoc.

    A 10-minute walk from Carcassonne's railway station takes us to our apartment. On the one hand, apartments are less personal than hotels because we don't meet the proprietors and follow directions on the booking site (usually letting ourselves in via a code to the key box). However there's a sense of being in someone's home with living room and kitchen knick-knacks and sleeping on the sofa, as I do. We cut down on outdoor eating by getting provisions from the local Monoprix. And no two apartments are alike.

    Carcassonne is two cities: the ancient part (the Cite) on the hill dates from Roman times and even the restoration by Viollet-le-Duc makes one appreciate the 19th century in its own right. The lower town, where we are staying, was created in the 13th century across the river on a grid pattern, when Carcassonne was split between France and Aragon. In the Cite, the basilica is especially beautiful. We enjoy a walk along the outer walls, which unlike the paying area of the upper walls, is almost deserted. The view from there to the lower town is particularly striking.    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    What have the Romans done for Sibenik?

    July 24 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Not a lot, in that it's one of the few cities on the Dalmatian coast that was founded after the Romans. Like the rest of this coast, Croatia was part of Yugoslavia and as one looks at its strange shape like the open jaws of a lizard, itself it is like two countries with the part including Zagreb looking Austrian and this region very Italianate. And as we were told sternly by the taxi driver on our first arrival, the language is not Serbo-Croat but Croatian!

    For the first time, we are welcomed into our Sibenik apartment by the host, Martin, who is helpful and informative. Numerous posts on the notice board attest to this. Sibenik is more of an up-and-down place than the other cities we have visited, and some fine perspectives of the Cathedral. Mind you, some of the visitors seem less enthusiastic than the lions; would you Adam and Eve it! The narrow alleyways and steps lead tortuously up to a lovely medieval garden. After this the only honourable thing is to enjoy an ice cream, and a view across to one of the many islands which separate mainland Croatia from the open Adriatic.

    Our final port of call is just off the peninsula forming the historic centre of Trogir, near Split and conveniently close to the airport. Not however before a comedy of errors in having bookmarked the wrong apartment on Google maps and trudging off in the wrong direction. Would we come again to Croatia? Oh yes, but preferably off season, with less heat and smaller crowds. Down the Adriatic lies Montenegro with the Gulf of Kotor......    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    To boldly go: Split infinitive

    July 19 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    It's high summer and time for another European break with Russell and Alan. We're in Eastern Europe again but a very different place to Romania where we were last year. Coastal Croatia is very much on the beaten track, with a beautiful coastline, sparkling cities and a Mediterranean climate. Once a part of Yugoslavia, before that it was colonised by the Venetians and it shows in the architecture.

    Finding suitable accommodation for three people is a challenge and on this trip all the available places are apartments rather than hotels. Hence there aren't usually people to greet us---just instructions on getting the key. But in Split our flat has some nice plants on the staircase as a welcome. The city has a long history, having been founded by the Greeks in the 2nd century B.C., settled by the Romans before the Venetians took it over---hence the architecture. But we also like a fine Art Nouveau building in the city centre.

    The outdoor market sells both tourist souvenirs and products for locals, human and feline alike. Further afield on a day trip we visit the island of Hvar, also buzzing but nearly free of traffic. Not hard to guess what refreshes us in the blistering heat, although one of the local vendors is camera shy!

    Not so at this craft beer bar in Zadar, our next destination about 2 hours up the coast. Zadar is another ancient city with an Italianate past and the only sad thing about it is having to leave.    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    Warsaw packed

    June 4 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Early June brings me a few social days in Warsaw. It's for the wedding reception of a good friend of mine who first invited me to the city over 50 years ago when we were students. It's delightful to renew a friendship which has lasted so long. As it happens, another couple, one of whom I also got to know in the early seventies, are also in Warsaw so I am not lost for social activities. And the relationship with our two countries has been substantial, the Polish diaspora enhanced by exiles to Britain in World War II and then of course, Poland joining the EU.

    Needless to say, Poland has changed drastically since the 1970s. Back then, one had to declare on the visa one's planned number of days in the country, with currency to be exchanged at the border into zlotys for each day. Not that this eliminated black marketeers who lurked on street corners! Queues outside shops for staples such as milk and bread were as common as restaurants and bars were rare. And few people could afford cars. Now, public transport is still the best way to get around town although it's a challenge to get tickets. The couple at the machine are as baffled as me, with the added irony for me to find out later that over 70s may travel free!

    I'm staying in one of the busiest areas of Warsaw, with 5-lane highways and noise to match. Near the junction is the Palace of Culture, a 1950s "present from Moscow" from which a view was said to be the most beautiful in the city because you couldn't see the Palace itself. It's not the only one of its kind---there's a smaller version in Riga which I visited 2 years ago, and Bucharest has one too---but after 70 years it's acquired a certain grace. But beneath the pomposity there's space for old-style marketing.

    Warsaw was largely destroyed in World War II but the reconstruction in what are known as the Old and New Towns, has been faithful---as most visitors would agree. This elegant tea room, in the Hotel Bristol, is a rare survivor from around 1900 but the milk bar is more 1950s. Scattered around the baroque glories are reminders of Stalinist times---with the opinions of the local graffiti artists. Across the river, in Praga, are quiet districts itching to be gentrified. To be explored perhaps on a future visit.

    Six days in Warsaw? Not enough, really.    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    Faro the familiar

    March 28 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Last time I was in the Algarve was not so long ago, in December 2023, but my partners in crime Alan and Russell are keen to see it for themselves. Naturally this is a totally different trip to that of 15 months ago---more social, less photographic. A holiday rather than a trip.

    We arrive in Faro on a sunny afternoon; it's a very agreeable place and we explore the eateries and drinkeries. Faro was in Moorish hands until 1249 but most of what remains dates from after the earthquake of 1755. The baroque architecture is beautiful and the family of storks seems to like it too. We don't get round to hearing traditional music but are pleased to see that it still flourishes.

    Next stop is Sagres, at the far end of the Algarve. A windswept town, it's popular with surfers but its other claim to fame is the fortress founded by Prince Henry the Navigator, who in the 15th century founded an academy for his fleets exploring the New World. Sagres truly feels like the end of one world and the beginning of another. For such a small country, Portugal hugely punched above its weight (although sadly there were consequences, with slavery superseding the early ideals of exploration).

    Turning east again, we stay a couple of days in Lagos. It's a busy yachting and fishing town and some of the dishes are renowned. Eastwards some more, we stop at Silves. The town is over a mile's walk from the railway station but this allows us an imposing view of the castle which goes back to Moorish times. I like the little details of street art, so different from the meaningless squiggles you see on street furniture back home. And the Beautiful Game put down its roots in Silves in 1919!

    At our last stop, Albufeira, we see the B.G. on TV, an English Premier League game at a bar similar to the one shown. Albufeira is not an obvious cultural choice and sometimes it makes us ashamed to be British, but we have found a good hotel with an ocean view.

    Well, a return to Portugal is on the cards some time. Besides the eastern Algarve which I visited in 2023, there's a whole lot more in the rest of the country.......    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    TTOTY (that time of the year)

    February 28 in Malta ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Yes, all over the world the pre-Lent carnivals are being held. Valletta's is not as famous as those in Rio or Venice but quite wonderful. Although Valletta has more steps than the Stairway to Heaven, there are enough avenues level and wide enough to accommodate the parades.

    As always, I find that a carnival is best seen before the main event gets going, so I start at the district of Floriana, where a space the size of a couple of football pitches witnesses the revellers getting prepared. The procession, when it starts, is accompanied by thundering dance music (Freed from Desire by Gala is a favourite, and it becomes a guilty pleasure for me). It's also possible to get good views from my hotel balcony.

    Five days of this good clean fun and the curtain comes down for Ash Wednesday. Until next year.........    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler
    222

    Valletta for money

    February 27 in Malta ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    With still some weeks to go till spring, I can think of nothing better than a week's city break in the Mediterranean. It's little more than 2 years since I last visited Valletta but such a fascinating city deserves another stay. Luciano's Hotel, which I visited in 2022, lies in the heart of the old city and has a labyrinthine construction in which I go up via the lift and then go down a winding staircase to the room. The view offers a typical city scene, while a short walk reveals the up-and-down nature of the city. No horizontal lines here!

    There are countless scenes on the intimate streets, from the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral to shop fronts and cafe society. At golden hour, there's no better activity than sitting in the park above Grand Harbour, marvelling at what the Knights of St. John in the 16th century and the Allies in the 20th, did to repel invading forces.

    Valletta is ideal for day excursions. There's a regular ferry across the harbour to the Three Cities. of which Burgu is a satellite town with its own steep staircases. Another ride, possible by bus when the ferry isn't working, is to the modern suburb of Sliema, which is high-rise along the waterfront but has plenty of hidden corners. There's still time for bus rides to the lively town of Marsaxlokk and the very sleepy town of Zejtun, with their magnificent baroque architecture.

    But above all, it's Carnival week in Valletta........    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler
    11

    On the buses

    February 16 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    The timetable for reserved trains to Colombo is not user-friendly, so I have booked a bus. It doesn't leave from Galle's main bus station but the company have asked me to wait outside a bank ATM in Galle, where a man will meet me and lead me to where the bus leaves. Somewhat unexpectedly, this works! The main road towards Colombo is almost like a motorway but after arrival at a suburban bus station, there's a city bus that charges through urban sprawl to the familiarity of Colombo's Fort. By mid-afternoon I'm back at the Fairway, from where the first picture is taken.

    The city centre is quiet but just beyond lies the Pettah, the traditional shopping and marketing area that buzzes any day of the week. It's not clean and it's not quiet but it's lively. A taxi tour takes me to some of the city's sights, including Hindu and Buddhist temples and finally, St. Anthony's Church, scene of one of the Easter bombings of 2019 but which thankfully is fully operating again.

    Two weeks in Sri Lanka turn out to be nowhere enough and after the flight home, I'm already thinking about a possible return visit.    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    Elephant city

    February 12 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    Sri Lanka is well known for its wild elephants and while I don't visit any of the national parks, models of them are much in evidence. A one-hour tuktuk ride takes me to Galle, the country's southern city justifiably popular with tourists. The old part of the city, the Fort, is surrounded by ramparts built by the Dutch when they took over the island in the 17th century. One of its largest churches is still Dutch Reformed, but Buddhists and Muslims seem to be at peace together. I'm staying at a charming guest house in the Fort, where insect life is thwarted by repellent and a mosquito net. The only sour note is some whining singer from a nearby restaurant putting to death some Cariole King songs. Less than 2 weeks ago I heard the blues singer and harmonica player Errol Linton in a south London pub. Could we hear some of him please?

    As always, the street life is absorbing. A fashion shoot is under way outside one of the historic buildings; the early morning swish-swish of brooms beats hands-down the din of leaf-blowers you get in Europe, while the dustbin men have their special mode of transport. And markets never fail to be a source of activity and colour.

    Leaving Galle, as I eventually have to do, does not involve the train because unreserved seating is the only type available and even that is possible only an hour before departure. Avoiding a possible rugby scrum around the ticket office, I opt for the bus instead.    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    Miracle at Mirissa

    February 10 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    It's a shame to be leaving Simpson's, where everyone has been so welcoming. However it's time to move on, with the rarity of the trains meaning a night back in Colombo before the next stage, along the south coast. I'm far from confident since my destination, Mirissa, is just a halt and there's no regular tuktuk stand there. At the previous stop, the guard takes me off the train and helpfully leads me to a carriage where it's safe to get on to the short platform. (I don't have to do what the man in the picture is doing). And as arranged, a tuktuk from the hotel is there to meet me and get along a very bumpy road to the hotel.

    Mirissa is not the secluded hideaway I've been led to believe but it has plenty of activities, from yoga through fishing to live music. And there's flora and flora as well; a half-hour ride the next day takes me to a working tea estate, unusually near sea level (most of them are in the hills). Reptilian life abounds with the wild (a chameleon) and the protected (turtle hatchlings being released into the ocean).

    As to the insect life (mosquitoes) the less said, the better. But as a footnote, there was a huge blackout a couple of days ago when some monkeys strayed into a power station near Colombo. I've assumed that the recent outage here was part of the norm, but this event has received international coverage and some friends back home have asked if I'm all right. Yes thanks!    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    Kandy station

    February 6 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The next stage of this two-week trip. from Colombo to Kandy, is a bit of a challenge. It's recommended to get train tickets in advance and to do this, one can get them through a Singapore-based agency called 12GoAsia. But Sri Lanka railways don't do anything as modern as issue e-tickets; the agency instructs them to print paper tickets and send them to an agreed destination. In my case it's the Fairway in Colombo. But the tickets are issued only a couple of days before use. And what about the return? How can I be sure that ticket will be delivered before I leave Colombo?

    Well, it works out all right; all the tickets are safely at the Fairway by the time I arrive. The train is not fast and it rattles along the track, but it's quite punctual and a leisurely way to get around. In 3 hours I'm at the city of Kandy. A tuktuk takes me the 45-minute up a steep, winding road to Simpson's, a former tea processing plant in the hills. It's a glorious place, at 4,000 feet up noticeably fresher than Colombo, and with charming staff. Free from traffic noise, I enjoy only the gentle sound of tweeting birds.

    Tea isn't the only crop grown around here; Sri Lanka has long been on the spice route and one of the activities around here is harvesting cloves.    Read more

  • BlogarithmsUnloxit 2025Traveler

    Serendib

    February 3 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    With over ten years since my last visit to the subcontinent, I thought it high time for a revisit. But to a different country, so Sri Lanka seems the obvious choice. The country has overcome (for now) the ethnic conflicts and the more recent economic crisis, and with such charming people, a must-visit.

    My first stop following an overnight flight, is the largest city, Colombo. The upmarket hotel in the central Fort district is just what the doctor ordered. The Fort betrays the country's British colonial past but just beyond lies the bustling, crowded Pettah, where you can only be in south Asia.    Read more

    Trip start
    February 3, 2025
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