Alpine Motorcycle Diaries
O.K., so it wasn’t a motorcycle, we were on a Vespa. But let’s not begin by splitting hairs. Zigzagging through the Alps on two wheels is a humbling experience, whether on a Ducati or a small...
View ArticleDvořák, the Moldau, and the Cubists
The only time you can see Prague’s Charles Bridge is at dawn. At all other times of day it is hidden by a mighty stream of tourists, as well as trinket vendors, buskers and reputedly, the occasional...
View ArticleDiscovering the Kingdoms in the Clouds
In these austere times, it’s refreshing to realise that sometimes the most valuable European travel experiences are also the cheapest – such as trekking across the Alps and staying in mountain refuges....
View ArticleBerlin – Crossing Borders
“Berlin ist nicht Deutschland,” says Kathrin, sitting on the grass. Behind her, a guy spins a diabolo, an hourglass-shaped piece of plastic, on a length of string attached to two wooden sticks. From...
View ArticleTaming the Slopes of Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel is a place of dreams for skiers. This small town in the Tyrolean Alps is home to the Streif Piste – surely the most iconic 2.6km of snow on the planet. Since 1931, the brutally steep...
View ArticleThe Faded Glory of Bad Gastein
An icy breeze was blowing steam sideways across the mountain vista; a curtain of vapour, tinged pink by the red floor lights of the pool. From my perch in the thermal bath, it looked as if a Saharan...
View ArticleIschgl: A Smuggler’s Paradise
Spring skiing can be the finest of the year. When the sun’s growing warmth turns the hardened early morning snow into softened meadows of glistening corn crystals, you can effortlessly swish down the...
View ArticleBelgrade: The Late Bloomer of the East
“Traffic here works according to the principle of self-determination,” my friend Oliver tells me. “You wait for a good opportunity to cross. If there isn’t one, you have to create one. Just stare down...
View ArticleBornholm Holiday: Beaches, Bison and Beer
One of the favourite secret vacation localities of the Danes, the little island of Bornholm is a perfect place for discovering true Danish country life, away from fancy Copenhagen tourism. Just three...
View ArticleVienna’s Secret Spring Getaways
Once again the countryside surrounding Vienna is awash with spring colour. From forested hills with bright green canopies of beech and oak, to romantic gardens adorning majestic castles, there are some...
View ArticleThe Other Budapest Experience
The Danube is rising fast as we walk along the gangplank on to the A38, a former Ukrainian coal barge moored in Budapest. “I’ve never seen it like this!” said Lauren Groves, a Brit who has lived in...
View ArticleWarsaw, Still Rising
In downtown Warsaw, imposing, sleekly designed towers dot the skyline. Glass and steel towers have sprouted near the Palace of Culture and Science. A sign plastered to a skyscraper in progress, which...
View ArticleNorway’s Harsh Beauty
I teetered apprehensively at the edge of the pebbled beach, still wearing a woollen hat and thick hoodie sweater. Runa, however, a hardy Norwegian, had already stripped down to her swimming costume and...
View ArticleTenerife: Eccentricity of Nature
The final stretch of single track back to the Tenerife village of La Guancha plunged down steeply over loose rocks. It was a hurtling, stomach-lurching, twisting, arm-jarring descent through the pine...
View ArticleSaalbach’s Romantic Mountain Retreat
I kicked the new snow off our boots and laid the skis against the dark wood of the Pfefferalm hut. Inside an open fire was crackling in the corner. Some of the wood smoke had escaped the chimney and...
View ArticleNassfeld: Frontier Fantasies
I flung open the window to the balcony of my room in the Gartnerkofel hotel, breathed in the icy air, and peered out over a vast forest of heavily snow-laden trees. It was like waking up in Narnia. The...
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