Costa Brava, in the northern corner of Catalonia (Spain) is one of my favourite destinations in the world. Not many places combine sun, sea, nature, culture and gastronomy as effortlessly as Costa Brava. Every time I visit, there’s always something new to experience: another gastronomic highlight, an artistic wonder or a hidden panorama. A great [...]

In search of authentic Montmartre
A guest post by Marlys Schuermann. Paris is, essentially, a 19th century town with a few older buildings thrown in: the showcase city for the rampant optimism of the Belle Epoque, and little in modern day Paris reminds the visitor of earlier, more humble periods. Of all the city’s quartiers, only Montmartre – an unassuming [...]

Impressions of Abruzzo
I knew very little about Abruzzo other than that it’s a region to the east of Rome, on the other side of the Apennine mountains, and that it’s home to Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a sublime red wine that instantly makes you daydream of rolling hills bathed in sunshine and fragrant herbs – well, that’s the effect [...]

Discovering Valencia
I leave for Valencia today, one of my favourite cities in Spain, for a week of leisurely walks through its markets, parks and Art Nouveau neighbourhoods; visits to some of the city’s excellent museums and the stunning City of Arts and Sciences; some beach time; and undoubtedly a good deal of delicious local cuisine and [...]

Velvet moments: travel photo – wine station in Abruzzo
I came across this Italian version of a petrol/gas station at the Illuminati winery in Controguerra, northern Abruzzo. It basically is a wine station, where locals and visitors bring their empty wine barrels and fill them up with cheaply-priced quality red, white or rosé wine – the wines, called ‘vino sfuso’, are priced by the [...]

Tango in the sky
I’ve always wanted to see the northern lights or the aurora borealis. I was about eight when I first saw a picture of it in a geographic encyclopedia. I stared at the image for ages, in total awe of the colours and how they seemingly dance in the sky. Thirty-odd years later, my wish to [...]

Velvet moments: travel photo – a lavish kind of London
The Velvet Moments travel photo series is a collection of photographic moments that define a Velvet Escape travel experience. Launched in January 2010, the series houses many of my favourite photos taken around the world. I decided to take this series a step further by inviting some of my favourite travel bloggers to contribute a [...]

A Finnish sauna like no other
The sauna is an integral part of daily life in Finland. It’s much more than just a place to sit, sweat and relax; it’s woven into the social fabric, a place where families and friends gather for a chat or the latest gossip. There’s an average of one sauna per household in Finland! I’ve been [...]










