There’s nothing quite like winter in London to drag your spirits down – the endless cold, wet, grey days seem to go on and on, and that’s when its not snowing! We’re due to get even more of the same before March ends too… Only one solution really presents itself when you’ve just had enough [...]

Recognised as a World Heritage Site in 1999, the Hortobagy National Park is a wonderful treasure just to the west of Debrecen in eastern Hungary – covering 800 square kilometres, it is the largest remaining area of natural grassland in Europe. Because of the over-production of water-intensive crops such as rice in the early 20th [...]

If you’re visiting Debrecen for a few days, when you’re through with the sights of the second city how about a trip to the fourth – Miskolc, found about 25 miles south of the border with Slovakia in the north east of Hungary? In common with its British counterparts, Miskolc is an old industrial city [...]

Situated in the east of the country, about thirty miles from the border with Romania, is Hungary’s second city, Debrecen. Established around the middle of the 13th century, Debrecen is a fascinating place to visit, with a rich and varied history. Accommodation, food and drink are also very cheap in UK terms, and as flights to [...]

Get on a train at Lisbon’s southern railway station, Cais De Sodre, and just seven minutes later you’ll find yourself in Belem. Once part of the city’s port area, the stretches of wharf have now been transformed into beautiful parklands and yacht moorings, and it’s here that you’ll find some of Portugal’s most fascinating museums. [...]

15 miles outside the Portuguese capital you’ll find the pretty little town of Sintra. While the town itself is a charming spot (much admired by Lord Byron), most people who visit here are steeling themselves for the hike up yet another precipitous route to see the ruined Castle of the Moors, and the Pena, Quinta [...]

As I’ve been visiting Lisbon, Portugal’s capital city, for a few days I thought I’d share my insights on the city with my readers. With a metropolitan area encompassing a population of about 3,000,000 you might assume that Lisbon has a similar character to London or Paris, but you would be wrong. In fact, the [...]