7 Unmissable Global Festivals in November
From the Day of the Dead to Christmas markets and Thanksgiving, November is a month that celebrates the emergence of winter. Here is our selection of the best festivals in…
Discovering Savonlinna and Lake Saimaa Finland’s Lake District
Mark Bibby Jackson travels to Finland’s Lake District to visit Lake Saimaa and the Savonlinna Opera Festival It is on our return journey that Captain Mikael allows me to take…
Celebrate the 250th Birthday of Jane Austen in Bath
In 2025, Bath is celebrating a big milestone — 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen in 1775. So, if you’re a fan of the iconic author, this is…
Why Autumn in Tampere Is the Perfect Time for a Finnish Getaway
If you’re planning your next break and haven’t decided where to go, look no further – Tampere, Finland in autumn is the place to be. The season has just begun…
Nantes: France’s Queen of Green
Something’s going very green in the French city of Nantes, as Judith Schrut discovered on her recent visit to this welcoming and eco-friendly gem on the western banks of the…
Exploring Green Graz Austria
Mark Bibby Jackson visits Graz Austria, a green city with a visionary view for our future. It was on a visit to Iași in Romania a few years ago that…
Hoxha, Mother Teresa and Norman Wisdom in Tirana Albania
Albanian strongman Enver Hoxha didn’t pussyfoot around billeting “illegal immigrants” on some off-shore barge or trying to fly them to Rwanda during his country’s Communist era. He just had them…
Road Trip through Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway
Mark Bibby Jackson takes a road trip through Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway on the trail of Rabbie Burns and meets a couple of US Presidents along the way. “Auld Ayr…
Chateau de Candie : An Appetizing Getaway in the French Alps
Our first glimpse of the Chateau de Candie, a historic small luxury hotel near Chambery in the heart of Savoy, France, was picture postcard perfect. A winding road skirted a field…
A Walk through Pittsburgh : a Surprising, Green City
The previous few days had challenged my pre-formed opinion of the Rust Belt. Buffalo and Cleveland were both interesting and lively cities with plenty of architectural gems and lots of…
Majorca Two Ways: A Perfect Break Combining Palma and Porto Petro
Holidaying with friends and family is fantastic in theory but can be challenging to meet everyone’s wants and needs. On a recent trip to Majorca, Maria Boyle, her daughters Daisy…
Discovering Art in Cleveland Ohio
Mark Bibby Jackson continues his visit to Cleveland Ohio discovering the creative side and the art in the city. My trip to Cleveland coincides with the 32nd annual Parade the…
Montserrate, Bogota’s Mountain, Colombia
At 3,152 metres, the mountain of Montserrate dominates the high plateau (already at a height of 2,640 metres) on which Bogota, the capital of Colombia, is built. It is a…
Cleveland Ohio : A Musical City with an Industrial Heart
Mark Bibby Jackson visits Cleveland Ohio an industrial city with its roots most definitely in music. Serendipity. I’ve said it before, but it is one of the most wonderful aspects…
Monkey Island Estate Bray Review
Roger Hermiston and Eileen Wise review Monkey Island hotel and Estate on the banks of the Thames near the village of Bray. It is just a small, seven-acre island in…
Beautiful Buffalo : Silo City, Martin House and the Death of a President
Mark Bibby Jackson goes on an architectural journey through Buffalo visiting Silo City, Martin House, the City Hall and Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration Site. It is a line I am going…
Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury Suffolk
It has been a motto of mine to expect little and to be pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury Suffolk proved an excellent case in point. Driving…
A Tour of Brutalist Architecture in Washington DC
World class cities are like good friends, it doesn’t matter how long it has been since you last met, there is an instant familiarity. Also, just like really good friends…
WOMAD 2024 Review : A Reliable Friend
In returning to Womad 2024 there’s an echo of that joy felt in childhood, of revisiting a favourite place where all will be well. You’ll have a blast and feel…
Saint Lucia : a Community United in Music
Mark Bibby Jackson visits the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, and discovers the secret behind its popularity as a holiday destination. There are times when I feel most fortunate to…
Learning How to Adapt to Climate Change in the Netherlands
The more you travel the more you realise we have to learn – especially from other nations. The Netherlands is a case in point. Climate change is going to have…
Creating New Heritage in Newcastle and Gateshead
Mark Bibby Jackson visits some of the industrial heritage in Newcastle given new life. One of my particular likes when travelling is to see how industrial buildings can be transformed…
Tracey Emin, Sex and Afternoon Tea at the Walpole Bay Hotel
“This is the room where Tracey Emin says she had her best sex,” Jane Bishop informs me as she as she hands me the key to room 302 at the…
Isle of Thanet Kent : a Creative Isle
Learning a new skill, such as art, while on holiday has become a trend in recent years but for some people art classes can be transformative. As I enter Hold Creative…
