WhereareLandA

We’re trying to decode a Croatian sign which, in our estimated translation reads- ‘Stop, Police’. It’s what you would expect at a border crossing. Ahead of us are a couple of port-a-cabins and a simple boom gate barrier that you see at car parks set up for the weekend footy. There are about three or four cars parked on either side of the road and apart from that it’s just us, stopped next to the sign which tells us to do so. British sensitivities in order we figure that if we just sit here and wait patiently someone official will tell us what to do next. A packet of jelly snakes, a massive bag of peanuts, and a re-application of sunscreen later nothing has happened. Luckily Carol (Katie’s mum, who we met on the plane) is ... read more

Almost all of our British friends say that the south western counties of Devon and Cornwall are must see UK destinations. After a few years this recommendation eventually sinks in, and so now hooked on the idea, and with Brian and Beth visiting, we organise a few days off work, hire a car, book some accommodation and, on a slightly overcast Saturday morning, set off to see what all the fuss is about. After a few hours driving our first stop on our great south west adventure is Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. The gorge is just outside the village of Cheddar and is (no surprise) where the cheese originated! The gorge is quite surprising because the countryside doesn’t seem to rise much and then all of a sudden we find ourselves in the middle of rocky ... read more

‘We’re here’, proclaimed the taxi driver, pulling over to the side of the road. ‘Here, really?‘ In our reckoning we must still be about five kilometres short of Imlill, the epicentre of trekking in Morocco’s High Altas mountains. Under the shade of a walnut grove, our guide, cook/muleteer and mule are patiently waiting. After quick introductions our backpacks are strapped onto the mule, along with the food and cooking equipment for the next three days, and with the mule’s cross sectional area almost tripled, our small party sets off. We’re new to trekking, but what we had arranged to do is a three day hike from here (somewhere outside of Imlill) to a small village called Seti Fatma, two valleys away. So with excitement and a little apprehension we head off, following a small track from ... read more

Seville, the capital of our favourite spanish region, Andalucia, is famous for two things - its bitter oranges that the British favour for marmalade and the week long Easter festivities of Semana Santa. The famed orange trees are all around us, filling the air with a fabulous scent. With our packs on our backs we weave our way through the bustling crowds in search of our hostel. It’s pouring down with rain and having already caught two buses (the second of which takes us in completely the wrong direction) and a tram, we’re relieved when we find it tucked in behind a grand church in full Holy Week preparations. Men (and presumably women) dressed in pointed hoods and long cloaked gowns reminiscent of the KKK are among the crowds and a group of bearers (having completed ... read more

Aaah, Paris fashion week, the ultimate event for fashionistas worldwide. Surely the streets will be teeming with stilettos and designer bags. So, why are we surrounded by dark coats and sneakers? It has taken us the four years we’ve been living in the UK to finally take the plunge with the best value Eurostar tickets we can find and take the hop, skip and a platform change across the channel to Paris! Our hotel is filled with Parisian chic decor and no sooner have we dropped off our bags than we’re out in to the city streets in search of Paris’ most iconic landmark. Stopping only for a quick galette in Montparnasse, we wind our way this way and that until finally the tip of the Eiffel Tower comes in to view. We quicken our pace ... read more