Monthly Archives: July 2022

Scandinavian travel sites call it one of Europe’s most beautiful train journeys. Even in April and May, the season that Norwegians call ‘late winter’, the views from the train between Bergen and Oslo are magnificent, alternating between stark rugged beauty and picturesque charm. My husband and I were travelling on a small ocean cruise from […]

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In Cusco, a woman having breakfast at our hotel was complaining about her muscle aches and pains. She had just returned from the Inca Trail, and when I said we were starting it the next day, she looked me up and down and said: “Well, I hope you are fit!” in portentous tones. What had […]

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The small, land-locked country of Nepal contains about 0.37% of the world’s total population, and much of this is concentrated in the Kathmandu Valley. Fortunately, this region –  which is one of the most densely populated areas of Nepal – is also very fruitful. According to ancient Buddhist scriptures, the Kathmandu Valley was a giant […]

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Two of the great joys of travel are eating and shopping! Any visitor to these pages know I love exploring markets. I love the colour and the chaos; I love the photographic challenges they present; I love the insight they give into local people’s lives. I don’t even mind the pseudo ‘workshop’ visits that are […]

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