On our way from Hue to Hoi An, we stopped off briefly in Danang, a bustling city on the banks of the Han River. The city is home to a majestic golden Dragon Bridge, which apparently breathes fire and sprays water. Sadly the weather was atrocious the day we visited and with the gloomy clouds and lashing rain, it was hard to get a good photo of the bridge (above). It also sadly didn’t breathe fire or spray water while we were there! After taking a couple of photos of the bridge, we headed across the road to the Museum…
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The Golfe du Morbihan, off the southern coast of Brittany, is studded with islands – 42 to be exact. The largest of which is the ?le aux Moines (Monks’ Island). Having glimpsed the island a few days earlier from the Pointe d’Arradon (Brittany’s riviera, which is home to some very posh houses), we were keen to spend the day exploring the almost-enclosed bay and its largest island. We set off for the small, picturesque port of Larmor-Baden (above) shortly after breakfast. There we bought our tickets for the 90-minute boat ride around the gulf, which would drop us off on…
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My main take away about Vietnamese cuisine is that the Vietnamese love to wrap their food. Even if you don’t think it can be wrapped, it will probably be wrapped and then dipped in a sauce before being eaten. Spring rolls, summer rolls, pancakes wrapped around a filling which are then wrapped in a giant lettuce leaf, fish wrapped in banana leaves… the list of foods I had to wrap before eating was long – but tasty! Vietnamese food is very healthy. Think lots of fresh vegetables, fish and grilled meats, rice, noodles and piles of fruit for dessert. Peanuts,…
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First off, I should probably start by saying I hate cycling. I mean I really, really, really hate cycling. The last time I’d been on a bicycle was a disastrous cycling trip around Richmond Park in London five years earlier. So when I was asked if I fancied spending the morning cycling around the countryside near Hue, I hesitatingly agreed. I was promised quiet, empty, flat roads, which didn’t sound too daunting. Fast forward to the cycling trip, when it soon became clear we were setting off from our hotel. In the middle of Hue. Which meant I’d have to…
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On my second day in Hue, I headed back towards the citadel as I was keen to check out a few museums there that had been mentioned in my guide book. Top of my wish list was the Royal Antiquities Museum, which is said to house some fabulous pieces that once belonged to the Nguyen dynasty. I was really keen to see some of the treasures from Vietnam’s imperial period, but when I eventually found the museum, the guard wouldn’t let me in. I couldn’t buy a ticket on the door and if I understood correctly, I was only allowed…
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Vietnam’s old imperial capital Hue is home to an enormous citadel, which counts the Imperial City within its walls, and the delightfully-named Perfume River, which cuts a swathe through the city centre. The historical city’s a fascinating place with its mix of modern, traditional and French-style buildings, while the citadel has an impressive feel to it, despite its faded glory. On my first day in Hue, I was up bright and early to visit the citadel and the Imperial City. The citadel, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, is surrounded by a moat and to get…
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The Basilica of Saint-Denis to the north of Paris has been top of my Parisian bucket list for a good 20 years and I was determined to finally visit it last summer. The magnificent basilica is the resting place of almost all the French kings and queens, with 43 kings, 32 queens and more than 60 minor royals buried within its walls. Name a French monarch or consort and you’ll probably find them in Saint-Denis – Louis XIV, Henri IV (below), Catherine de Medici, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are among the famous royals laid to rest here. Gruesome legend…
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In early March 2020, I spent a day in the Gloucestershire spa town of Cheltenham. Two weeks later we all went into lockdown and this post has sat languishing in my ever-growing drafts pile since, as it didn’t feel quite right to publish it at the time when we couldn’t leave the house. So in a bid to start getting through my seemingly endless backlog of pre-pandemic posts, here are my thoughts on Cheltenham… Ambling around Cheltenham, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped into a Jane Austen novel – that is, if you conveniently ignored the shops, bars,…
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A bustling, vibrant capital city that’s home to more than one million people, Amman is a modern metropolis with ancient roots, having been inhabited in some form or another for millennia. Its former incarnations include Ammon, the capital of the Ammonite people during Biblical times, and the Greek and Roman city of Philadelphia. And it’s where I spent my final day in Jordan. My first destination was the Jordan Museum (above), a small museum dedicated to the country’s history and culture. Its exhibits cover much of the region’s early history, from its early settlement by prehistoric hominids to the introduction…
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The port of Aqaba lies on the southern tip of Jordan and is the country’s main gateway to the sea as it’s the only large town on Jordan’s small strip of coast. As such, it’s a popular destination for Jordanians hoping for some sea with their sun and sand. Aqaba was much more touristy than the other parts of Jordan I’d visited, and with palm trees lining the roads, the rich blue expanse of sea, packed beaches and countless families milling about, it had a holiday vibe to it. After checking in to our hotel, we made our way to…