501 Places

It’s probably part of my Polish heritage, but I have always been drawn to cemeteries. They are typically calm and peaceful places, where few people venture and those that do behave in a quiet and respectful manner. As a teenager backpacking solo around Europe for the first time I often found cemeteries to be a [...]

As the taxi driver took us through the outskirts of Damascus, I could almost predict his words before they were delivered. He had collected us from the bus station, and being almost the only Europeans on the bus he had pounced on us and offered us a ride into town. Sure enough, the patter unfolded [...]

I will choose my words carefully here, as I don’t want to be seen to be overly whinging. There are many benefits and priveleges afforded to those who hold a British passport: easy access to most countries in the world, a decent network of official support in the event of a problem and of course [...]

Imagine you are 24 miles through the NY Marathon (for some of us that’s a tough thing to picture). You have ran through the 5 boroughs of the city, and are now stumbling through the final couple of miles on the roads of Central Park. Crowds are cheering you on, and you know there’s probably [...]

When was the last time you left a hotel vowing that you would tell everyone who would listen (and those who wouldn’t too) about your experience? Whether exceptionally good or disastrously bad, stories of nights spent in quirky, opulent or offensive accommodation make for a great subject to share with friends. For hotel managers, like [...]

How many chocolate shops can you find in Bruges? I am fairly certain the number will comfortably exceed 50, and may even be closer to 100. Not bad for a small city. On almost every street you will pass a chocolatier, proudly displaying their wares and leaving their door wide open to tempt you with [...]

Standing among the thousands of graves at Tynedale Cot cemetery, tightly packed row upon row on the hillside by the village of Passendale, there is no escaping the enormity of the tragedies that millions of families endured in those dark days of the First World War. Many graves bear no name – only a regiment [...]

We are heading off to Belgium this morning for an overnight stay. One small bag thrown in the back of the car, and we are off. We’ll be there in time for lunch, and still have the best part of two days to explore. It’s a world away from the cross Channel trips I took [...]

“I would never let my children do that”. Something I have heard on more than one occasion when describing how I first travelled solo in Europe at the age of 17. My tales of hitch-hiking through the night, sleeping on benches in the stations and parks of Europe’s capitals and meeting the most unusual people [...]

October is not a month where we traditionally travel. Too early for a winter trip and getting cold in many temperate regions, it is one of those months where we typically gather and store, so that we can spend later. So travelling on my birthday has been a rarity. One fond memory springs to mind, [...]