‘Kalimera’ from Kourouta in Greece, about half way down the southern section known as the Peloponnese. We are having a few chill days by the sea having both put our backs out from extreme sports 👀 Jem’s skateboarding injuries are quite cool, while mine – well, I pulled a muscle by my tailbone during an…

Embarking our ferry to Greece has been an entertaining experience; the Italian drivers honking their horns, tailgating and pushing in, while the Greeks forget they are under a strict time schedule, slowly and haphazardly driving their vehicles forward leaving 15 metre gaps, all while the port traffic staff wave their arms around in despair. As…

Salve from Polignano A Mare, just south of Bari on the Adriatic Coast of Italy. The mosquitos in the south are a very naughty lot, and Jem took them out in three-hourly intervals throughout the night, wielding his underpants around his head like some kind of modern cat o’ nine tails warrior. While we got…

Greetings from Sperlonga, a few hours south of Rome. This is the home of well-dressed, yet effortless stylish Italian chic. Walking through the streets here we feel like true skanks, mostly covered in chalk and snot, while the locals strut past in sharp boat shoes and tailored suits. I always considered the Italians to be…

On our way down south from the Apuan Alps we dropped into Pisa, the very definition of a ‘one and done’ tourist spot. The university city is tiny with just 95,000 residents, and the (free) tourist attractions include a cathedral, and viewing the tower from outside, which by itself was worth a gander for an…

Having spent a week around Finale we conceded that it was time to do battle with the Italian drivers (and all-pervading toll roads) once more and head down the coast. Italian motorists have a fearsome reputation and it is true that tackling roundabouts and motorway slip roads are about survival of the fittest. We have…

Buongiorno from Liguria, a rugged limestone coastline that sits in front of a mountain range reaching up to 2,650 meters in altitude. That’s quite some height compared with Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain, which reaches just 978m. The dramatic verticality, where the Alps and Apennines seem to dive straight into the Mediterranean, provides endless running…

Murray Walker’s famed quote really sums up the thrill of visiting the “jewel in the crown” of F1 racing tracks. Snaking through multi-million pound properties, casinos, hotels and yachts of the ultra-salubrious Monte Carlo, the track attracts throngs of visitors even out of racing season. It was a joy to watch Jem bouncing through the…

The Côte d’Azur has provided a very welcome moment of quiet after getting embroiled in Spain’s five-day national Easter break, when hundreds of folk rush to the mountains to access the below-the-snow-line walks with the family. We spent two splendid nights in hilltop towns, the first sampling the local brandy in a bar frequented by…

Hello faithful followers from Ainsa in Aragon, a Spanish medieval town located roughly half way between the Atlantic and Mediterranean Oceans. The area is renowned for its roast lamb, and the dramatic backdrop of the towering Pyreneen mountain range to the north. Highlights in the region include the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park; a canyon…