Port, Wine and the Douro – travel review
Ah, beautiful Portugal! Striking architecture in iconic Lisbon. History and character in Porto …and then there is the Douro Valley, which is stunning and will...
Leeuwarden – European Capital of Culture 2018
1 January – 31 December 2018 The European Capital of Culture 2018 takes place in Leeuwarden, the capital of the Dutch province of Friesland. It...
In Nuenen with Vincent van Gogh – travel review
Vincent van Gogh’s Nuenen is documented in charming fashion at the Vincentre Who is this ‘Vincent’ and where is Nuenen? We are exploring the life...
Loving Vincent …and Tim – exhibition review
The ‘Loving Vincent’ Exhibition of the Animated Film The Loving Vincent Exhibition is now open at the Noord Brabant’s Museum in Den Bosch. This beautiful...
Port, Porto and culinary culture – travel review
You might have visited Porto in Portugal before but it’s worth another look, and perhaps with food and drink in mind this time. There has...
Esterházy Torta on the Danube – travel review
Floating Viennese Patisserie The French tell us that they have the best food in the world. The Italians say the French learnt from them. The...
AmaWaterways – floating luxury – travel review
Cruising! Now, there is a prospect that would likely divide the population in two. Each party would have very strongly-held views and would profess to...
Melodies of the Danube – travel review
AmaWaterways on the Danube: first-class floating hospitality We have likely all heard of the Blue Danube, a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II....
Bratislava – sculpture and urban art – travel review
We have all heard of Bratislava but mostly with regard to iffy stag do’s. They are thankfully drifting into the mists of a former time,...
Three Chairs for The Netherlands – travel review
I am an unashamed supporter of The Netherlands. It’s next door, but unknown to many British. (That might be perceived as an advantage, at least...
Mallorca for the Arts – travel review
We might well think we know everything about Mallorca – possibly spelled Majorca and often pronounced with a hard ‘j’! It’s evidently a tapestry of...
Kröller-Müller Museum – gardens and galleries – travel review
This delightful museum is a triumph. Yes, it will be a draw for lovers of art but it has such broad appeal for those who...
Hotel Bon Sol – it’s a family affair – travel review
This deceptively large hotel couldn’t have a better location. Hotel Bon Sol Resort and Spa is in Illetas, which is only 8 km (5 miles)...
The Textile Museum, Tilburg – travel review
‘No, Mum, not a museum!’ Yes, many of us have heard that sad and somewhat panic-stricken refrain from youngsters who are dreading the prospect of...
Between Heaven and Earth: Atelier NL – art review
It seemed unlikely. A pottery in a church in Eindhoven. But here it was and it is indeed a divine space in which to sympathetically...
Mainz – arrive by River – travel review
This is a beautiful and cultured city and accessible from the river. One walks a few yards from the Rhine and the history of Mainz...
Het Noordbrabants Museum acquires van Gogh watercolour – until 19 March 2017
Het Noordbrabants Museum, Den Bosch, Holland has recently acquired from a private collection The Garden of the Vicarage at Nuenen by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)....
The Hague’s fashion souvenirs – travel review
We are going on a well-deserved city break, but what does the discerning and well-turned-out shopper bring back? Well, usually nothing apart from a bottle...
Givenchy and Hepburn at Gemeentemuseum, The Hague – travel review
The yellow brick Art-Deco museum is solid and striking and an icon of its time. Built between 1931 and 1935, it was designed by the...
Travels & Tapas in Basque Country – travel review
We have likely heard of it but if pinpointing this region on a map was a capital offence then it’s probable a few of us...