At the beginning of March I was back in Berlin for the annual craziness that is ITB – the world’s biggest travel trade fair. Despite being all-to-aware of the situation I spectacularly failed to arrange accommodation far in advance and…
In response to numerous appeals from first-time visitors to various destinations we’ve caved in to the pressure and decided to publish a series of articles highlighting the popular sights actually worth your time in a given city. The tourist traps,…
by Billy Idle When it comes to scenery, snow, glaciers and geysers, there aren’t many destinations to compare with Iceland. Throw in mountains, whales, incredible waterfalls and locals who are warm, friendly and welcoming to a fault and you are well…
As regular readers will be aware of by now, there are plenty of things to do in Berlin, whether the sun is out or it’s dull and you fancy visiting some of its many peculiar shops. But there are also…
Ah, summer in Berlin. After the biting winds and bitter cold of the winter and the short but welcome spring, the city is transformed and it’s time to get out and take advantage of the warm weather. There’s plenty of…
Ostalgie? What’s that, some kind of infection? Not exactly. In the words of Wikipedia, Ostalgie is a German term referring to nostalgia for aspects of life in East Germany. It is derived from the German words Ost (east) and Nostalgie…
The ice-cold beer helped, it really did. The constant heat and humidity were taking their toll and it had only been ten minutes since I had emerged from the water. A few metres in front of me our daughter splashed…
Berlin’s lack of strict licensing laws means that many bars and clubs stay open round the clock and late nights mean late breakfasts. Indeed breakfast in Berlin often means brunch – there’s no real distinction between the two. As many…
What to do in Berlin? Let’s face it, the German capital has more to offer than the cold war, clubbing and currywurst you know. It’s one of a shrinking number of major cities with a wide range of unusual and…
Having lived and worked in Berlin for a couple of years right after the fall of the Wall and visited several times in the years since, I’ve had the chance to witness huge changes to the city which is now…
In response to numerous appeals from first-time visitors to various destinations we’ve caved in to the pressure and decided to publish a series of articles highlighting the popular sights actually worth your time in a given city. The tourist traps,…
Rather like New York, Chicago is a great place to take the children. In some ways it’s an easier one too – it’s more relaxed than the Big Apple and people seem to have a lot more time for you…