It was my very first history lesson and I was spellbound as Sister Leilia told the story of a Portuguese navigator, Bartolomeu Dias, who led an expedition seeking a sea route to facilitate the lucrative spice trade with India, by by-passing the traditional land routes and Middle East middlemen. It was 1488. Dias captained a […]
Lisbon, Portugal: Queen of the Seas 🇵🇹 Read More »
In January of 1968, two earthquakes, only a day apart, hit 14 towns in the Belice Valley, razing four villages to the ground. Measuring around 6.3 on the Richter scale, the tremors led to the death of 231 people in the valley, injuring more than 1,000 and leaving as many as 100,000 survivors without a
A Tale of Two Ghost Towns: Poggioreale and Gibellina, Sicily Read More »
Arriving on a Friday afternoon to an undeniably picturesque resort town was definitely a mistake. Everyone was maximising the last days of summer, escaping Palermo (only an hour away) and the beaches were jam packed with colourful umbrellas. People were enjoying a slow passagiata while eating gelato or reclining in the many cafes flanking the
Cefalù, Sicily: Gem of the Tyrrhenian Coast Read More »
After a jam-packed day in central London, where aside from a little bit of photography, we spent our day visiting the Bank of England (unsuccessfully) and some bureaux de change (more successfully) in order to swap out our outdated pound notes. Coincidentally, we were able to spend a leisurely afternoon and evening with Gill, out
Palermo : the vibrant capital city of Sicily 🇮🇹 Read More »
Our regular evening passagiatta led us along the banks of the lagoon in Venice to the Rialto Bridge, were we sat relaxing on the pavement – people watching and listening to street musicians with tourists and locals alike. Hunger pangs eventually forced us into the side streets in search of the ideal place to eat. We knew
When life gives you lemons – make limoncello!🍋🍋🍋 Read More »
I’d been so looking forward to visiting Barcelona which is the capital of Catalonia, one of the 50 Spanish provinces. Everyone I know who has visited the coastal city raves about its cosmopolitan and international vibe and especially for its world-renowned architecture and art. End April, beginning of May was an excellent time to visit
Beautiful Barcelona Read More »
I have a fascination with graveyards. I am drawn to their peacefulness, their interminable silence, their other-worldliness. Death is a mystery to all of us, but a cemetery compels you to engage with the concept whether you want to or not.
We peer up the narrow overgrown yard leading to the ramshackle barn, wondering whether we had finally picked a dud. Fortunately, as we walk up a little further we see that a very narrow portion of the barn has been renovated. 3 stories: kitchen and sitting room downstairs, main bedroom on the 1st floor and
Aveyron and the Gorges du Tarn Read More »
Our footsteps echo through the deserted cobblestones streets of the village clinging to the rocky outcrop, the castle ruins looming overhead. A natural fortress, Les Baux de Province has provided protection to its inhabitants since the Iron Age. The views from the top are stunning, stretching across the Alpilles mountain range encompassing Ventoux and the
The Alpilles and Camargue Read More »
There is nothing quite like cooking a delicious Italian meal. What is even better though, is cooking a delicious meal when you are actually in Italy and are able to use local produce.
Fragrant Salsiccia con zucchini e farfalle Read More »
It’s still a few hours from dinner, but the restaurants and bars on the sidewalks of Milan, are starting to fill up with all kinds of people. It’s time for aperitivo. This is not just for tourists. Local families, the cool set, business colleagues and couples; gather for a sundowner and a snack. But to
Learning the aperitivo lifestyle Read More »
When you only have a day or two to see a whole city, it’s hard to know where to begin. There are many good sites related to tourism that helped us. We like to do variety of different things, i.e., not just museums or art galleries. Here’s 10 cool things we squeezed into a very
Exploring Milan: 10 interesting things to do or see Read More »
We sip our coffees in Piazza Umberto like locals (well they’re Americano’s – so not quite like locals), and nibble our brioche al cioccolato’s as we discuss our plans for the day. We want to do justice to the area, but not too much that we rush through, ticking boxes. After all, Bra, where the
Langhe: Northern Italy’s Pantry Read More »
When I started packing for our trip to Italy and France, I googled the weather obsessively almost every day in the preceding week. It’s entirely impossible to imagine what the weather could be like a hemisphere away, when you are sleeping under a single sheet in a 30 degree Johannesburg, praying for rain.
What to pack for Milan in April Read More »
It’s early April and the sun is already deliciously warm but the gentle breeze (la breva) that blows across Lake Como from the snow capped peaks of Mt Grigio means I am grateful for a light jacket as soon as I step into the shade.
A jam packed day on Lake Como Read More »
When I was little I had a beautiful fairytale storybook that was filled with colourful and textured pictures of castles with turrets, princesses in silky gowns – diaphanous veils cascading from their pointy cone hats and actual sprinkles of glitter highlighting fairies’ wings🧚♀️ and glistening stars.🌟 What made the book special was that the pages
The Jewel of Bohemia – Český Krumlov, Czech Republic 🇨🇿 Read More »
Budapest is the capital of Hungary and one of the most fascinating cities in eastern Europe. The city is divided in half by the Danube, and is comprised of a hilly and peaceful “Buda” district on the western side of the river and a flatter and lively “Pest” side on the east. The two sides
Budapest : “Pearl of the Danube” Read More »
Prague has been nicknamed, the “city of a hundred spires” for the many medieval turrets and church steeples that are silhouetted across the skyline. But you may as well also call Prague the “city of a hundred bridges.” According to Prague.net, there are over three hundred bridges in the city. Eighteen of them span across
Prague – City of Spires and Bridges Read More »
The horse-drawn carriages of Vienna are just as much a part of Austria’s capital, as the curving shores of the Danube River. The historical coaches are a permanent feature of Vienna’s cityscape and the background rhythm of clip-clopping hooves is as integral to the city’s soundtrack as the music of Mozart and Beethoven, who were residents
Vibrant Vienna, Austria Read More »
It’s hard not to feel slightly smug when you stroll along the promenade of the famous village of Portofino. Playground of movie stars, Presidents and the rudely rich, it’s easy to dream that you ‘belong’ for the day. Expensive yachts, charming dingys and pastel-coloured buildings are reflected in the pristine water. Stylish, tanned people sip
Liguria : Living it up on the Italian riviera 🌺 Read More »
A gentle thump against the hull wakes us. We look through the port hole and see a motor boat puttering away. Curious, we go on deck and there, at the stern, is a freshly baked pidebread, delivered by Captain Nemo. Still hot to the touch, the smell is mouth watering. We cut thick wedges, slather in
Sailing in Marmaris, Turkey Read More »
The dimly lit, cool chamber that we are seated in, resembles an underground church. A prayer is chanted, followed by a rhythmic drum and the deeply spiritual call of a reed flute. The ancient ceremony begins.The Dervishes enter wearing tall hats and voluminous white robes. They bow respectfully to one another and then slowly begin to
The magic of Cappadocia, Turkey Read More »
Istanbul is a unique place to visit. Straddling two continents, there is an amazing amount of history and culture to experience in this city where two major civilisations meet. It’s a magical place and the former names of Byzantium (660BC) and Constantinople (330AD) hint at the exotic traditions and customs that hail from bygone eras.
Iconic Istanbul, Turkey🇹🇷 Read More »
Andrew meets our train looking slightly flustered. “We’re in a hurry,” he tells us, taking my suitcase, “the vaporetto service will be suspended in the Grand Canal and the Bacino di San Marco for most of the afternoon.” Expertly guiding us through the crowds, he ushers us onto one of the last departing vaporetta taxis.
We flew into a shimmering 36 degree Florence and spent a glorious 24 hours reacquainting ourselves with why we love Italy so much (the people, the food, the wine, the scenery). We were looking forward to exploring rural Italy, the hill towns and endless green fields and the best way to do this is by driving.
Summer in Umbria, Italy Read More »
The sun starts to sink, casting golden light on the River Arno. A few late canoeists cause a ripple as they streak beneath the Ponte Vecchio. A band begins setting up on the famous bridge, tuning their instruments and giving us a taste of what is to come. The locals wriggle into position on the pavements,
Florence, Italy: Journey into the Renaissance Read More »
All good things come to an end and we had to tear ourselves away from our friends Carol and Roy and the endless enigma of Rome. Our next adventure beckoned. Roy dropped us at the station in Rome to catch a train to Venice. The train route went through Florence and Bologna although we caught
Venice, the Floating City Read More »
We had an early start in the morning ahead of our 4-hour drive from Rome to Positano. Roy and Carol were taking us to see the Amalfi Coast, which is a 50-kilometer stretch of coastline along the southern edge of Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula, in the Campania region. It’s a popular holiday destination dominated by sheer cliffs
Positano, Italy’s glorious Amalfi Coast🌞 Read More »
We flew to Rome on Air Emirates via Dubai and Milan. It was a tiring journey because the Dubai stop was at 3am and we hadn’t had much sleep. As a serial shopper I now know that shopping in the middle of the night is actually not that much fun and the effort was quickly
Water smashed over the boat, drenching us as the bow dug into another wave. I needed one hand for the wheel and the other to protect my eyes from the rain, driven horizontally like pellets by the howling wind. Lightening flashes pierced the gloom, revealing the harbour entrance steadily getting closer but not as quickly
Sailing the Dalmation Coast, Croatia Read More »
The beautiful milky turquoise waters stretch around us. We are in awe of the unexpected beauty of the Plitvice Lakes, its pristine forests and waterfalls. One of the most beautiful places we have ever been, as yet unsullied by the hordes of tourists that would characterise this UNESCO World heritage site in later years. Plitvice
Croatia – Exquisite lakes, waterfalls and food🇭🇷 Read More »
The gentle Saône River bubbles through the verdant hills and valleys of Burgundy’s pastoral landscape and along its run of 480 kilometres to the Rhône River at Lyon. The river is navigable from Corre all the way to Lyon, a charming stretch that covers some of the prettiest waterways in France including adjoining canals and
Burgundy by barge 🇫🇷 Read More »
Les saveurs de la vie is a blog about lifestyle, travel, food, photography and other musings. We are Nikki and Geoff, married since 1995 and based in Johannesburg, South Africa 🇿🇦.