Lured by the call of the newly opened Elbphilharmonie concert hall, I decided to make my way to the Northern German metropolis of Hamburg to see for myself what all the fuss is about. With its striking architecture resembling a giant crystal, hoisted sail, or perhaps ocean waves, Elphi – as it has been affectionately nicknamed – […]
It’s no secret I like to sweat it out. Preferably in the solitude of a wood-fired cabin by a lake surrounded by dense forest. But failing that, I get my schwitz on any way I can. One of my most memorable sauna quests took place in Malmö on the Baltic Sea coast, where on a […]
I get lost all the time. When a set of directions indicates a southerly course, northeast it is. If a line on a map points straight, the immediate impulse is to take a hard left. It’s a condition really, some defect in my DNA that’s left me without any sort of inner compass. Oddly enough, […]
Year after year the twinkling lights and sumptuous smells of Glühwein and gingerbread spark a kind joy on the grey and damp days of December that can only be described as pure bliss. Ever since I was a child Christmas markets have been my favourite part of the festive season. Strolling the Weihnachtsmarkt with family and […]
The ingredients for this daunting dish are many, and complicated. By far the most important of them are bravery and time. You cannot rush a cassoulet, and you cannot let it get the better of you. Those of you who are adventurous and gourmand enough to try this marvellous dish will find it will try […]
Take me to the shoe store, and all I can think of is blisters. (My toes prefer the feel of beach sand and water.) Shopping for clothes? As fast and infrequent as possible. Jewellery and accessories? I don’t care much. But set me free on the Athenian street market, something happens to me. I am […]
My first tag was in Bangkok (I write that as if I did more, but there was only one lame attempt). It was premeditated, illegal, and fun as hell. It was lame because I couldn’t even come up with my own tag idea, I bought a book of pre fab stencil tags in the Hong Kong airport and […]
Dreamt up by owners Kent and Britta, Treehotel is a year-round Northern outpost in the Swedish countryside, surrounded by unspoiled nature as far as the eye can see and the lush Lule river valley. They are the same couple who run Britta’s Pensionat next door; an inviting cluster of 1930-50s inspired rooms that feel like you’re staying at your […]
I couldn’t have pictured a more perfect day to meet my guide Marek of Northern Hikes for a nature walk of Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland. Nestled along the German-Czech border, this is both a hiker’s and filmmaker’s slice of paradise – the beauty of which we were able to appreciate in near solitude thanks to the […]
Newsflash: I’ve been scouring Southern Italy of late and to be completely frank, I’ve got it bad for Sicily….really bad. So bad that my family and friends are convinced I’m about to end up married to the mob. Magari! Someone recently said, ‘if Sicily were a song, it would be ‘amore’…” and who’s to argue […]
Greece is just about my favourite country in the world, and there’s little I don’t like about it, from the pom-poms on the shoes, to the grilled octopus, the arid islands, the lively people, the ancient marvels, and even the astonishing modern pop music. I’ve biked around it, walked across it, sailed through it, swam all over it […]
Because travelling on ferryboats is cool. Because creamy yoghurt with fruits & honey make a yummy breakfast. Because the national guards in front of Parliament (with those pompoms on their feet) look so funny. There are umpteen reasons why Greece is a great country for family holidays. Here are my top 12. 1) Greeks love […]
Palia (old) Peritheia is reputedly Corfu’s oldest village. The guides will tell you it’s a ‘ghost village’. The oldest it may well be, but a ghost village? Not really. Here’s the story. Go back to the 14th century. The island’s inhabitants, the corfiotes, were suffering regular pirate attacks, and many sought refuge away from the […]
Hops, barley and water. That’s it. These are the only ingredients allowed in beer brewing according to the German purity law established 500 years ago in the very place I found myself during a sunny week in September: Bavaria. Here are some of the highlights from said whirlwind week of Bavarian beer sampling from Munich […]
This Fall, Town & Country magazine had the hare-brained scheme of planning a 170-day Grand Tour around the world for their 100th anniversary. And then they had the wise idea of asking Trufflepig to plan 43 days of it. We were tickled pink with [false] modesty. There’s a world of difference between good trip-planning and most […]
There are many hidden places of history in London – it is a city of layers that is to be discovered on foot through its higgledy-piggledy lanes and streets. No grid system here. There are, however, many cul-de-sacs and crescents that confuse and confound. Cycling lanes end where cobbles begin and then suddenly you discover […]