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costa-brava-bay-of-roses-photo

A bird’s eye view of Costa Brava

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 [...]

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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 [...]

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cook-and-taste-barcelona-photo

Cook, taste Catalonia

Barcelona is one of those amazing cities that can easily whisk you off your feet, enthrall you and before you know it, you’re on your way home, breathless and consumed by a whirlwind of impressions and vague memories. There’s so much to see and do in the city that you’ll soon find yourself zooming from [...]

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gran-sasso-abruzzo-photo

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 [...]

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valencia-city-arts-photo

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 [...]

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wine-station-illuminati-winery-photo

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 [...]

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northern-lights-lapland-photo

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 [...]

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Alps-Austria-photo

Plane views: the European Alps

The European Alps are not the largest chain of mountains in the world, nor are they the highest, but they possess a unique charm and history that speak to the imagination of locals and visitors alike. The daunting peaks, impressive slopes and picturesque villages have lured visitors to the Alps for centuries, and today the [...]

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egerton-london-cosmopolitan-cocktail-photo

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 [...]

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sauna-gondola-finland-photo

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 [...]

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