As even the most cursory glance at the map will tell you, Greenland is the world’s largest misnomer. It seems “Iceland”, sadly, was taken, and the Norse settlers who first attempted to set up camp on the south-eastern shores (the north-west had long been inhabited by Inuits) thought a little gilding the lilly might bring in […]
If you haven’t heard, San Diego is busting onto the scene as a top foodie destination. With excellent restaurants, microbreweries, and a truly local farmers market, it’s no wonder why the food here is so good. But on a recent trip to San Diego there is one experience that stood out among the rest – […]
I bet you’ve heard of Santa Barbara, but odds are you haven’t heard of Solvang, an adorable town located a 45 minute drive away, through the stunning Santa Ynez Mountains. Located in Southern California’s Santa Ynez valley, the village of Solvang was settled some 150 odd years ago by the Danish, and the result is […]
It’s lent. The 40-day period prior to Easter, during which the Greek Orthodox church prescribes that we should all abstain from eating animals with red blood flowing through their bodies as well as whatever they produce (dairy, eggs), as well as fish. Boneless seafood – shrimps, octopus, fish eggs – is fine. Pretty much every Greek observes […]
When I was eight I moved to Madison Georgia from the suburbs of New York City. It was a sea change of a move that opened up many doors of perception for me through the years since. We literally bought the farm and went from a house where I could reach out my bedroom window […]
So, it would seem according to the recent pronouncement of one particular world leader, that I live in shithole country. Mind you, while I won’t pretend I wasn’t surprised, I’m not particularly bothered. Shitholes can have some real appeal. To describe the country I’ve moved to (or back to, I should say, since I previously lived many years in […]
In Palermo, the driving is best left to the natives. I can only surmise that local licence holders have genetically mutated to remain placid in this perpetual game of chicken. Motorists bicker with their horns like an island of squabbling siblings. In the big city, our advice is: call a cab. Palermo aside, I confess […]
We may be a tiny travel company (with a great big nose) but when Conde Nast Traveler magazine published its “2017 Top Travel Specialists” list last week, we blushed hot pink to see that Trufflepig has more experts listed than any other outfit. Our very own Dan, Rudston, Tyler and Sebastian, for Italy, Spain, Southern Africa and Myanmar. CNT describe them as “the […]
For those visiting Peru for the first time, it’s easy to understand why Machu Picchu is the big draw. It’s magnificent, one of the world’s greatest sights, the high point of the trip in more ways than one. But with that renown come crowds, especially if you want to do as the ancients did and hike the Inca trail […]
You have your groove, you know your place in the world and jet lag is a memory, this is the midway of the trip, when all the faculties are lined up and in perfect running order. You aren’t fatigued or homesick, your eyes are wide open and life is good. This is our collection of […]
Deserts are defined as environments receiving less than 250mm of average rainfall per year. Lush! There are parts of Atacama that have never received rain, making it not only the driest place on earth, but one of the strangest, weirdest, most Martian places on earth. A place of wind-sculpted canyons, sandy desert, rocky peaks, active volcanoes, salt […]
I arrive into Kiruna, gateway to Swedish Lapland (Sapmi in local language), around the lunch hour on an overcast Wednesday. It’s January, and the sun is about to set. I’ve come in from Stockholm, confident that I had adjusted well to the short days of Winter in Northern Europe. But up here past the Arctic Circle […]
When visiting India’s premiere palace and desert state, the grand, gilded, maharaja-strewn state of Rajasthan, you’ll probably find yourself enjoying the pleasures of the Pink City (Jaipur), the Blue City (Jodhpur) and that romantic, cinematic city on the lake, Udaipur. However, key to understanding and enjoying this state of rajas is to get off the […]
In the blink of an eye, it’s over. It may not last long, but the sweet magic that Summer casts on the Swedish island of Gotland is a spell to enjoy year after year. A storybook of Swedish Summer paradise, Gotland is where savvy Swedes head from Stockholm to avoid the hordes of Southern Europe sinking Santorini into the […]
Cape Town remains one of our favourite cities in the world. It’s just our kind of place, dynamic, fun, constantly reinventing itself, achingly pretty, in short piggy as all get out. I’ve just returned from my yearly jaunt down to the mother city and wanted to share a quick some fresh digs I discovered when […]
Colombo used to be best avoided. It was a mess of an urban sprawl with terrifying traffic, a place to endure rather than enjoy, usually on your way to somewhere better. However, times are a-changing and Colombo is emerging as an interesting destination in its own right. The cruise ships have started visiting, which says it […]