by Wendy Hand | Mar 21, 2019 | Travel Tales
The magic of Blue Gold in the Midi-Pyrenees. During the renaissance the leaves of this very ordinary looking plant known locally as Pastel created a triangle of huge wealth in the Midi-Pyrenees linking Toulouse, Albi and Carcassonne. In its heyday during the 16th and...
by Wendy Hand | Feb 12, 2019 | Travel Tales
Dubbed the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ the location of the original Amber Room is still a mystery. Gifted to Peter the Great by the King of Prussia in 1716. This extraordinarily beautiful room glowed with tons of amber and other semi-precious stones and...
by Wendy Hand | Sep 18, 2018 | Travel Tales
Following the brutal Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 16th century the conquerors immediately set out to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism. Violence was the preferred method of persuasion of the Spaniards so, the Indians opted to incorporate elements...
by Wendy Hand | Oct 18, 2016 | Travel Tales
A medieval curse and an exorcism with every meal Isola Comacina is the only island on stunningly beautiful Lake Como. For centuries it remained uninhabited. It was abandoned after the destruction of its fortifications and buildings in 1169. One of the casualties...
by Jane Johansen | Sep 15, 2016 | Travel Tales
This week’s trip from our home in L’Escala was to Andorra. We went there once before – many, many years ago – and had been, how shall I put it, underwhelmed. From the border and into the capital, Andorra La Vella, is just one long traffic jam; it is almost...
by Jane Johansen | Sep 6, 2016 | Travel Tales
So, we’re nearly there – it feels dreadful to almost wish your life away, but August is such frenetic month that you just want it to be over. Our otherwise sleepy little town with a permanent population of 8000 souls is suddenly invaded, first by the Dutch who...