Highlights
perfect days, special locationsAll journeys have perfect days or special locations. Multiple trips to countries, regions and cities expose interesting and beautiful things that aren’t seen or understood at first blush. These are our highlights.
Zermatt and Wengen
Got into Zermatt as the sun was setting. Views from our hotel room were spectacular. Next morning the views were again spectacular, in a different way. As the sun came up it kissed the peak of the Matterhorn then slowly moved down the east face. The valley lit up and...
Shrines and temples of Nikko
Friday was spent exploring Nikko's World Heritage shrines and temples. Old Shin-kyo Bridge spans the river near the entrance.We spent most of our time in the Tosho-gu Shrine which is by far the largest. It includes the tomb of Tokogawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa...
Kamakura
We caught the train to Kita-Kamkura which is one stop north of the town centre then spent the day walking between temples and shrines. It was rainy and we had to manage around the weather, though we were never going to see all of the sites in one day. If you have the...
Thessaloniki
We spent four very enjoyable days in Thessaloniki. It's a city of substance that has a deep, rich history. It doesn't feel the need to put on any airs and graces, and we really liked that. One day we explored its Roman heritage and visited the Archaeological Museum. ...
Koya-san
We booked two nights in Koya-san, staying at the Yochi-in Buddhist monastery. It takes four trains and a cable car to get from Kyoto to Koya-san, so we used a baggage service to transfer our big bags on to Kinosaki (next stop) and travelled light for a couple of days....
Monemvasia
We left Kardamyli mid morning en route to Monemvasia. In the village of Nomitsi we stopped to check out the tiny church of Ayioi Anagyroi which stands defiantly on the edge of the modern road. The name Anargyroi translates as ‘without silver’ and refers to the saints...
Arab-Norman Sicily
The mix of Byzantine, Arab, and Norman influences on Sicily from 535 to 1194 created an incredible artistic and architectural heritage that is unique. As part of Emperor Justinian's plan to reunite the eastern and western empires, his general Belisarius took the...
Ravenna
We spent a day exploring Ravenna's World Heritage Early Christian Monuments. Stepping off the train from Bologna you wouldn't guess that you were walking into a place that has played a signifcant role in European history. Modern Ravenna is unprepossessing at first...
Granada
We spent four nights in Granada on our tour of Andalucia. It's a charming city located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the confluence of four rivers. We were attracted here to visit the famous Alhambra and the day we spent exploring this remarkable site...
Folegandros
Caught a fast ferry from Thira to Folegandros which only takes about 40 minutes. We spent four nights in a lovely hotel in the port town of Karavostasis. It could have gone on much longer... Folegandros is a small island, only 12 kms long and no more than 4 kms wide....
Tilos and Symi
Rhodes was our first stop in an island-hop through the Dodecanese. We'd planned stays on Tilos and Lipsi with a bit of flexibility around the edges. Caught the 'Dodecanese Express' ferry from Rhodes to the island of Tilos where we spent four nights in the port town of...