THE train was hurtling from Manhattan to Brooklyn when the man beside me suddenly addressed me: ‘Well, what do you think? Trump or Clinton?’ I was about to reply when he made it easier for me. ‘They’re both arseholes,’ he declared. ‘It’s a difficult choice,’ I ventured, ‘but it’s not one I have to make.…
AS WE RING in the New Year the major cities of the world try to outdo each other with the most creative and most grandiose fireworks display. To my mind, Sydney generally wins because of the natural setting of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. But the iconic features of London, Paris and…
ONCE upon a time, when I was young and carefree, I ran away from home with my toothbrush, a bottle of milk and some biscuits raided from the larder. I slipped round the corner to my friend and stayed there all day, both of us setting up home in our secret place beneath the trees…
YOU’RE waiting and watching at the baggage carousel. And waiting. And watching. Until finally there are no bags going round and the carousel stops. That’s when you accept what has become increasingly obvious – you’ve arrived but your luggage hasn’t. Our two bags went missing on a flight with Vueling from Dubrovnik to Barcelona (via…
THE trouble with visiting the world’s great tourist attractions these days is that too many other people are doing the same thing. Take our visit to Florence, for instance, where one of the must-do attractions is Michelangelo’s statue of David in the Galleria dell’Accademia. Italy ranks fifth in the tourist countries of the world, with…
THEY said we only needed two Arabic words – La shukran, meaning No thank you. But the Egyptian street traders paid no attention, so we tried No in English, repeated a million times. Beseiged by street traders at every tourist spot, we soon learned the ropes. ‘It is a present’ means it’s free but the giver…
THERE’S little in the colour of the water to justify the title of Blue Danube immortalised by Johann Strauss, but music is an ever-present accompaniment to trips into the cities which adorn the mighty river through the heart of Europe. The majestic state opera houses of Budapest and Vienna are the magnet for tourists seeking…
Booming Marvellous 