Last month, I spent three wonderful days in Paris with my family. Unlike on my solo trips, I didn't have a lot of time for coffee-shop-hopping all over the city (it was also really hot!) but I still visited seven great specialty coffee spots, mostly in the 6th arrondissement where we were staying.
I've been to Paris many times over the past four decades, but somehow it had been almost nine years since my last trip. Milestone birthday celebrations brought me back with my family last week and it was as though I'd never been away. We spent just over 48 hours exploring old haunts and pastures new — while trying to stay cool in the heatwave!
On the first warm weekend of every year, I find it impossible to resist the urge to hop on a train to the Kent Coast. I love London but when the mercury rises, I crave the sea — and Margate has much more to offer than just a beach. I visit several times a year and keep coming back for the cliffside walks, quirky attractions and excellent dining and shopping.
Devotion Coffee's trio of specialty coffee shops have been on my Google Maps 'want to go' list for a long time. While walking along the Regent's Canal a few weeks ago, I took a detour to visit the tiny but mighty Islington location...and immediately wondered what had taken me so long!
Climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge was one of my all-time favourite travel experiences. But you don't need to go all the way to Australia for an exhilarating bridge climb. Müngsten Bridge, Germany's highest railway bridge, delivers a similar mix of adrenaline and industrial heritage in Solingen — an easy day trip from Düsseldorf or Cologne.
