Girona from Barcelona by train: give the old city a day
Book the journey, then keep the river and upper streets together.
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Places to explore, routes to make your own, and photographs worth keeping.
Phuket Old Town from Patong: a street-and-museum day
Leave the beach base for a day of façades, lanes and local history.
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Brighton from my notes: a good meal, the pier and somewhere to stay
Food for Friends, seafood by the sea, and two different ideas of a Brighton hotel.
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London coffee shops: ten choices by neighbourhood
Coffee before a museum, a longer brunch, or a cup between City streets.
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Bali vs Madeira: my island notes
A white teapot, good cafés and a contest between two kinds of island time.
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The little things I’d bring home from China
Tea, trains, sensible platform markings and a few things I miss already.
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Pumpkin picking near London: four places for an autumn day out
Four farms, a strong bag and an autumn day beyond the supermarket.
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Why I missed London while I was happy in Bali
Sometimes a place has everything, and the people elsewhere still tip the scales.
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A toad, a coconut and a lizard at the bar
My first wildlife encounters in Bali were a very small comedy.
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Why I keep returning to Bali
Books on the long flight, new people and one more “last” trip to the island.
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Surf and Sunsets: the Madeira trip I was putting together
Six rooms, five lessons and a week with room for the rest of Madeira.
Read the storyWhen English ran out in southwest China
A confused expression, patient people and one very confident volunteer translator.
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