Mariana Strijp writes: Going back to Budapest after nearly 8 years for me is the equivalant to me of my mum telling you that your high school boyfriend is in town – your heart is filled with a mixture of sweet and bitter memory, along with the  possible display of new charm and realisation that your life has moved on from the moment of high school musical glory.

Pretty much similar to the history of Hungary – one of the oldest Kingdoms on the continent and the Kingdom which first in the world in 1849 constituted minorities’ rights and yet the only one that lost 71% of its territory and 60% of its population to the neighbouring Romania, Serbia and Croatia. Read more

Melissa Davis gives her advice on London

1. Get a map

In order to have fun, one of the first things you’ll have to do is learn about London is how to get around. Buy one of those pocket-sized London A-Z maps. The MINI size is best. It covers all the roads in London out seven miles in every direction from City Centre. There’s also a index to the name of every street in London and a map to the many routes of the London Underground or the Tube. 
PS – getting there – Flight Centre  has Cheap Flights to London

2. Riding the Tube

Understand how to use the Tube and you’ll be able to go anywhere in London. Buy the Oyster Card at any station and you’ll be set for the whole week. It’s good for unlimited travel in Zones 1 and 2 on all buses and on the Tube.

3. Where to go…

Now that you’ve learned how to travel, it’s time to learn where. London has dozens of neighborhoods, each with its own character.

• The West End, the South Bank and Covent Garden are the places to go for theaters and performances, along with a vast array of restaurants and bars for early evening night-life.
• For the type of night-life that continues on into the early morning and that sometimes doesn’t even start until then, you should visit the Camden, Clerkenwell, Soho and Shoreditch boroughs.
• If you’re into rock and pop bands that are about to become famous, then go to the East End or Camden
• Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Kensington are the places to go during the day for shopping at designer shops and boutiques and for taking breaks at cafes, pubs and wine bars.
• For those of you who are flying in on those first-class London flights for high-end fashion, go to Regent’s Street, Bond Street and the Dover Street Market in Mayfair.
• London is an ancient city and you can have fun finding and exploring the historical sites: Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben or the Victoria and Albert Museum in Knightsbridge.
• Or you could spend your whole vacation in the Theatre District of London seeing a different show twice a day and still not cover all the productions being offered. You can’t miss by going to a show at the Old Vic. Check out the TKTS booth to get theatre tickets cheap; there are several all over London, but the most convenient is the one near Leicester Square.

Eat your way around London

Meals are another way to have fun. You’ll never run out of choices in London. If you’re short of cash, go for brunch rather than dinner. Ethnic restaurants are one of the remnants of the British Empire. You’ll find cuisines from just about every country in the world in the restaurants of London. You’ll find that even traditional English fare such as lamb and rabbit has made a comeback. But you can also find Chinese food in Soho, Afghan and Moroccan food in Queensway, Middle-Eastern food on Edgware Road and kebab from the street corner vendor. Indian restaurants abound.

ENJOY!

Ceridwyn Parr reviews: 100 places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, by Susan van Allen

Susan van Allen fell in love with Italy at a dining table in New Jersey, an Italy of gorgeous food, sumptuous art and bel canto , an Italy which she got to know through her Italian family.

She has been fortunate enough to make countless returntrips : her roccoco passion for Italy is evident in every word. Her delightful book is one to take to bed very night for a month before you leave, with a map alongside, to mark all the places she describes which you simply cannot miss. Read more

What a splendid holiday! I could talk about the food, or the landscape, the culture, the history or the converted mill we stayed in – but in the end, it comes down to you two: your expertise in cooking, devising great itineraries, history…..; your flexibility and good humour. Thank you both so much. Lois Cox

Doesn’t that sound like a great recommendation!  I want to join one of these tours – Lyn and Chris are two New Zealand women who are passionate about Italy, and are also great chefs.  They are based near Akaroa, New Zealand but spend several months a year guiding trips in Italy. You can enjoy a luxurious stay in their historic house on the Banks Peninsula in the South Island of New Zealand -  The Gables Country House, but its these Italy trips which grab me.

In 2012 they are spending three weeks in Tuscany, three in Puglia and three in Piedmont, and they invite up to 6 people each week to join them.  See their latest list of tours are on the Women Travel the World Tour Calendar
What bliss -  if you are in any doubt, read the comments below. Read more

Guest blog by Lorraine Boissoneault, Go Girl Magazine

Traveling around the world inevitably means coming down with some form of illness or another. Whether it’s a simple cold picked up from fellow fliers, or the more uncomfortable experience of the local variation of Montezuma’s curse, having a well-supplied med kit is a must for all foreign adventurers.

My own experiences getting sick in distant lands somehow end up being more dramatic than most people’s, with the result that almost everyone I know thinks I am a walking cesspool. I swear I don’t actually get sick that often! Not with the common cold, anyway. When I get sick, I get sick in style, and require more medical attention than just a visit to the closest pharmacy. I could lament my bad luck, but instead, I try to look at the sicknesses as a chance to assess the health care system in each of the countries. As of now, my list consists of three countries: France, Morocco, and China. Travelers heading to these locales – read on and educate yourself. You never know when you might come down with a bad case of dengue fever (no, I have not had dengue fever – yet). Read more

I love the internet – you meet the most interesting people.  I have just connected with Isabel the owner of Lesbianas Viajeras, (Lesbian Travelers) . She is a young lesbian enterpreneur who has lived for years in different cities such as Paris, Madrid and New York. In her personal experiences around the world, she has realized of the desire of gay women to join and share travelling and friendship, group activities, etc Read more

Guest Blog by Karen A. Chase reflecting on being a Deliberate Tourist. “I went to Paris. I was about to turn forty. I wanted to see all Paris had to offer and you simply can’t do that in a six days-and-five-nights stay, and this was my fortieth. It was something to celebrate. So I saved, planned and spent a year preparing for it, and decided to go for a month.”

Bonjour 40: A travel log – (40 years. 40 days. 40 seconds) Read more

Susan Minnich – writes about her Pyrenees Cycling adventure

Solo on my cycle again, again in France, and again thrilled by my trip. (read about the last trip here) This time I rode from the Atlantic, starting in Bayonne/Biarritz, through the Pyrenees and their foothills, across the Corbieres and finished on the Mediterranean, at Narbonne (Gruissan Plage.) My ride included three Tour de France climbs, beautiful days in the Pyreneean foothills, breath-taking valleys, history, culture, and great food … perfect.

My goal was to do the hardest thing that I thought I could accomplish (in France,) while having a lot of fun. I really didn’t know just how hard that would be, and while I wanted to climb some of those famous cols, I had a lot of respect for just how challenging they could be. Fun for me includes riding, sometimes hard riding and climbing, but also meeting people, visiting historic and cultural sites, and seeing a gorgeous landscape.

This ride was all those things: the Pyrenees turned out to be a cycling paradise.

My planning was time-consuming and careful. I did want to succeed!

Unlike my last trip in the Cevennes, I decided not to camp. There would be more climbing and steeper descents, and I preferred to be less encumbered. I booked lodging in two fabulous cycle lodges, chambres d’hotes and small hotels. That was a good decision. It was a tremendous de-stresser to know where I would be staying and that I was sure to eat dinner.

The plan carefully considered mileage and climbing. I wanted a leisurely, if sometimes challenging trip, that left time for visiting medieval walled cities; prehistoric and Roman ruins; abbeys, Romanesque carhedrals, basilicas; and beautiful natural sites. Beauty is always high on my list: art, architecture, the natural environment. I also planned time for long lunches, meeting people and photo stops. In retrospect, I might have made some cycling days longer, I frequently got off the bike before I was ready to srop. But, I also know that I love cycling, and my inclination is not to stop until I am far too tired!

Things I learned, relearned or remembered, were to make it my own trip … not to jump at everything that was recommended to me, but to consider advice carefully, in light of my goals, and then take it … or not. To be flexible, consider my options, and change plans when that suited me better. That happened sometimes when faced with busy roads or stormy weather. And to stick with a plan and decision once made … not to constantly second-guess myself. At some point any given day just will be what it will be.

But first I had to get from Massachusetts, with a border on the Atlantic, to Bayonne, on the other side of that large, cold, ocean….

Read more of Susan’s Cycling Adventures in her Blog http://susancycling.blogspot.com/

Fancy living in the wine region, welcoming the world to your door at a world class B&B – the fabulous Le Couvent is for sale.  I have stayed there and it is absolutely gorgeous – a dream come true for two English women who now have other dreams to pursue.  So you could make this your future. Read more

Ceridwyn Parr reviews  A Slow Walk Across Spain: Walking the Camino de Santiago by Karen Manwaring
Published by Watermelon Press 2010

In 2008 I took a short walk at the top of Spain – 115km over 6 days, on the historical Camino to Santiago on the north west tip of Spain.  The moment I arrived in the ancient cobbled city of Santiago, I knew I would have to go again. And do the whole 1000km next time. Now I have found the perfect book to prepare me for the second trip, so I won’t get lost, and I won’t get the terrible shin splints which took me staggering into the cathedral in Santiago. Read more