With four days between house sits in England, leaving Corsham to head down to Hove, the excitement of London lies in the middle, and what’s not to love about London? Except possibly the price tag, but London doesn’t have to break the bank. True, hotels are off-the-hook expensive, and with no appropriate couch-surfing to be found, I reverted to my old standby, Airbnb. Out of the city center, near the Royal Borough 0f Kensington and...

How do you know when you’ve landed in Scotland? The men are in skirts, of course! Kilts, to be more accurate (and no, I don’t know what they wear underneath…) Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, was my first stop, with its beautiful medieval Old Town and elegant Royal Mile. The cobblestone streets are lined with shops selling everything in plaid – kilts, scarves, purses, postcards, mugs and key rings, as well as other...

When mentioning Barcelona, many are familiar with Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, with it’s soaring sandcastle-like facade, and interior reminiscent of an enchanted forest. It’s been a work in progress since 1882, and is scheduled to be completed in 2026, 100 years after Gaudi’s death. And Parc Guell, Gaudi’s failed residential project, equally enchanting, with its colorful mosaic work, fanciful architecture and panoramic...

The Loire Valley is covered in castles, and after my inadvertent indentured servitude, I set out to see several. With dozens of castles, how do you choose?! 42 chateaux make up this UNESCO World Heritage area. Without a car, I was reliant on either a tour, trains, or buses, so for my first foray into fairytaleland, I opted for a tour. I usually avoid them, but this was a small tour of just 8 in a mini-bus, which stopped at 3 castles, or...

Musee d’Orsay deserves a post of its own, not only for the beautiful architecture of the old train station turned gallery (it’s the former Gare d’Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built 1898-1900), but also for the incredible contents within. There’s a reason d’Orsay plays host to over 3,500,000 visitors a year! Musee d’Orsay is known for its outstanding impressionist and post-impressionist collection,...