It was still bucketing down in the UK (and much of the rest of Europe) but we had another week in Chiang Mai. It was time to explore the old town, which lies inside a rectangle surrounded by a moat. Graham was our guide as we visited Wat Phra Singh, perhaps the most important of…
Our only other visit to this lovely country took place 15 years ago. It was a measly week of over-activity: flying to Bangkok, then a train south to Surat Thani, ferries to Ko Phangan and Ko Tao, then flying home via Ko Samui. In other words, too much time spent travelling. This would be a…
I was born in Glasgow in 1955. My parents, at that time, had no intention of moving. All their families and friends lived in Glasgow. But in 1959 Dad got a job in Surabaya, and off we went for a couple of years. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. By…
My mother died on Monday 8 December 2025 "of frailty and Alzheimer's Disease", according to her death certificate. She was 95 years old. I have written this piece for those who knew her but will be unable to attend her funeral on Tuesday 6 January. First comes a very brief account of her life, particularly…
Once again... we're knocking out a review of our year with lots of ups and one massive down (left until the end). We've added in-page links to posts made earlier in the year, in case you're really, really interested. If nothing else you might come away with ideas for a holiday or two. *** And…
And so ended the Italian section of our holiday - which was in fact most of it. Less than 24 hours exploring the Cinque Terre sounds a bit mad. It was an afterthought really, a stop on the way from Siena to the Côte d'Azur on the only route that made sense. Riomaggiore was very…
We left Rome somewhat reluctantly. I can't explain why it took us 30 years to revisit this charming, fascinating city. We won't be leaving it so long until our next visit - although having one's 100th birthday party in Rome would be something to look forward to. The Italian phase of our holiday had not…
We reluctantly rose at 07:00 for the long walk to Bari bus station to catch the 09:15 Flixbus to Rome. Sunday 14 September Something to bear in mind when taking the bus rather than the train is that you are only allowed one free piece of luggage in the "hold". But the driver did not…
Our action-packed stay In Venice was over. Three days in Venice is never enough, even if it's not your first visit, but we wanted a lazy week at the seaside (somewhere a bit cheaper than the Lido). We'd not been to Puglia before and, having heard nothing but good, we were looking forward to it.…
From the steam train terminus at Seespitz we boarded a rather luxurious ferry run by the Achenseeschifffahrt. A pleasant 25 minutes, if a pricy way of reaching Pertisau (11 euros). We could have taken a bus if we'd managed to find out where the stop was! Achensee in September Monday 1 September (cont.) I had…
The Wight Stuff 