Berlin, as a centre of all things trendy and tech, with a pivotal role in twentieth century history, is one of those places that I’ve always wanted to go to, but never quite found the right moment. Nicolas had no interest at all in visiting, having already lived there for six months, but when we discovered we could do a stopover there between Corsica and Lviv, I persuaded him we should extend it a little. That was how we found ourselves spending the last week of August in the German capital.     We ended up renting an apartment in Prenzlaurberg, which seemed like a great area. The low rise buildings with restaurants underneath reminded me a lot of New York.  Here are a few highlights from our stay:

Rick Steves Berlin Tour

My excitement about going to Berlin only increased when I discovered Rick Steves has a podcast walking tour of the city. It was the first thing we did and was predictably excellent, taking in a lot of big sites and helping me orientate myself in the city.

Karaoke in Mauer Park

Our first day was a blazing hot Sunday, so we went to the famously hip Mauer park to check out the sites. The park itself is pretty ugly, but the happenings more than make up for that. There is a flea market, lots of food stands and street performers. The highlight, however, was the weekly summer karaoke session taking place in the amphitheater. Normally I would rather stick pins in my eyes than listen to random strangers sing, but with a hilarious compare, and an enthusiastic audience of hundreds, it was strangely addictive and hugely enjoyable.

Karl Marx Allee

This giant avenue was the home of the great and good in East Berlin under Soviet Rule. It was built to impress, and I reckon it worked - the grandeur of the tiled buildings was completely mesmerizing.

Berlin Wall Memorial and the East Side Gallery

Two very different sections of the wall, the Memorial is a really informative outdoor museum and memorial to the people who lost their lives trying to cross from East to West Germany. My favourite bit was the videos of people escaping into West Germany - absolutely surreal to watch.

The East Side Gallery is long stretch of the wall given over to a series of murals by amazing graffiti artists. It’s ultra-cool and a great way of preserving art and history at the same time.

Rhubarb Schorle

Rhubarb is one of my favourite foods and I would consider moving to Berlin just because of the availability of fizzy rhubarb drinks, sold in virtually every corner shop and restaurant. Sour, tangy and delicious. Why is this not a thing anywhere else?

Delicious Food

The food options in Berlin are incredible. We particularly loved the Asian Fusion restaurants all over the place. Two which stood out in particular were Unami  and 1990 Vegan Living.

Having barely scratched the surface of the museums and sites during our visit, I left feeling like there was a lot more to do and see in Berlin. I’m sure I’ll be back, if only for more sparkling rhubarb juice!

Table of Contents

Why visit Zagreb in the summer
Sunny days
Rainy days
Coastal trips
What to eat and drink
Where to eat and drink
Summer reads

Why visit Zagreb in the summer?

“Oh you’re going to Croatia in July? The beaches there are ah-maaaz-ing!” was a typical response when I mentioned our summer plans. When I explained we were actually visiting Croatia’s capital Zagreb, which is a solid three hours from the coast, people seemed rather less convinced. In the UK at least, Croatia’s capital isn’t a popular tourist destination, even for a city break. Here are some reasons Zagreb is a great place for a summer trip:

It’s not overcrowded

While hordes of summer tourists flock to the Croatian coast, in Zagreb, even during the holidays, the crowds are manageable, there is plenty of accommodation, and it isn’t particularly expensive.

Great Nature

One of our favourite things about Zagreb was the amount of greenery around every corner. There are an abundance of beautifully manicured parks to while away lazy afternoons with a book. Dubravkin Put, a forest inside the city in the perfect spot for a stroll or a jog, and for longer excursions, Medvednica National Park is just a few km away.

Summertime vibes without the crowds

As somebody who has spent most of my life enduring the cold weather in the North of England, I’m convinced that places which often have cold and wet weather go out of their way to make summer even more special. Zagreb is definitely one of these places. While we were there, there were a whole host of outdoor events, such as daily street food markets, the Zagreb Classic (a series of outdoor classical music concerts), outdoor cinemas and live music all over the city.

What makes Zageb better than London or Berlin for going to outdoor events is that they are all within walking distance and aren’t overcrowded. If you go to enjoy the “Zagreb Summer Garden”, you won’t have to spend the evening fighting to get served the bar, then hovering around tables hoping to spot a vacant seat. You will simply order your drink at then sit at the nearest empty table. It’s really very civilized.
To check out what events are going on, we used TimeOut Croatia.

Lakes for swimming

When temperatures rise, Jarun lake, a large man-made lake with pebbled shores to the South of the city, is a great spot for a refreshing swim, followed by a mojito in one of the lakeside bars.

On Sunny Days

Wander around the city

Stroll around lower town, stopping for a mid morning coffee in one of the city’s many cafes , checking out the magnificent Opera House and art galleries, built when the city was part of the Austro-hungarian empire, and perusing the shops around Ban Josip square, before admiring the Cathedral and heading to the central market to pick up fresh cheese, meats and fruit for a picnic.

Walk through the recently opened Gric tunnel and climb up to the upper town to see the main square and Croatian parliament buildings. If you’re lucky, you might even see a changing of the guard. Spend the evening on Zageb’s liveliest street, Ivana Tkalcica.

Hike Medvedgrad / Medvednica National Park

Medvedgrad is easy to spot - a stripe of grey amongst the green hills behind Zagreb. This fortress is over 800 years old, and during its 300 years of use it was never invaded. As we climbed up through the woodland to get there, we could see why. The hike to the castle is well signposted and takes about 45 minutes from the entrance to Medvednica mountain near the village of Šestine. We added a further hour each way by hiking from Zagreb itself, but the path is rather flat and boring - next time I would take the bus directly to the park entrance.

There are several hiking routes to choose from, but we had our sights set on the castle. The trail is uphill through old woodland and is shaded, with the odd view of the Medvednica Mountain through the trees. The views from the castle itself are as great as you might expect - right across the city. However, when we visited (July 2019) Medvedgrad was undergoing restoration work and wasn’t accessible. If you are interested in actually visiting the castle, check it has reopened before you hike.

Mirogoj Cemetery

This enormous old cemetery is well worth a visit. The dramatic domed entrance gates, flanked by elaborate tiled arcades, is perhaps Zagreb’s most unique building. The cemetery is the resting place of many of Croatia’s famous citizens, as well as several war memorials and is a lovely calm place for a stroll.

On rainy days

Zagreb History Museum

When we visited this museum it was so deathly quiet we wondered if it was closed. The first few rooms are fairly dire - a discussion of the archeological finds they discovered under the museum, and small fragments of pots. However the second floor is great. Focusing on Zagreb’s social and political history, it has rooms dedicated to reconstructing old shops and salons, elaborate military costumes and a treasure trove of old photos from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Definitely worth visiting if you are curious about the city’s history.

Museum of Broken Relationships

Zagreb’s most intriguing museum was once a touring exhibition that found its home in the Croatian Capital. People from all over the world submitted objects and stories from relationships that have ended, to the museum. They range from the funny - a box of pizza mix symbolising a new regime of healthy eating, to the tragic - a wedding dress unworn after someone's fiancé died in a terrorist attack. It’s a wonderful and thoughtful look into human nature, and well worth a visit. The museum shop is also excellent. It's “bad memories” eraser is apparently a bestseller.
War photography Museum

This small but excellent photo gallery contains a selection of images taken by Croat, Serb and international photographers during the conflict in Croatia between 1990-1995. Its motto is “War belongs in a museum,” and after viewing the exhibition, you won’t disagree.

Trips to the Coast

Zagreb may not be on the Croatian coast, but as the country’s capital, it is very well connected. Whether you want to go away for a few days for a weekend during a longer stay in Zagreb, or combine your summer city break with some beach time, you will have no problem.

Internal trains in Croatia aren’t particularly handy, but the coach services are excellent. We used a combination of Arriva and Flixbus services for our trips and were basically able to get anywhere we wanted at convenient times.
We did look at car hire, but found it was very expensive during the summer.

Krk

For a convenient coastal trip, do as the Zagreb locals do and visit Krk. Croatia’s largest, and Zagreb’s closest island is full of tourists and locals enjoying their holidays.

Rovinj

Travelling further afield onto the Istrian peninsula, Rovinj is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous walled coastal town. It spent significant amounts of time under Venetian rule. Today you still experience that influence through the restaurants serving authentic Italian dishes and the charming buildings.

What to Eat and Drink

Štrukli

This a hearty croatian dish made by baking dough with soft cheese. The place to try it is sitting in under the fairy lights in the courtyard of La Štruk.

Kajmak/Kaymak

Take the creaminess of fresh butter, and mix it with the taste and texture of a soft, crumbly cheese spread, and you get Kajmak. It’s the stuff picnics and afternoon snacks are made out of, and is absolutely delicious spread on some crusty bread. You can find it in the supermarkets, but the best place is to go into the cavernous central market building and buy it fresh from the dairy product sellers.

Rakia

This traditional plum brandy is widely available in bars and restaurants. It’s tasty, but it’s got a wicked kick.

Where to eat and drink

Staari Fijaker

If you feel no visit to a place is complete without trying some traditional dishes, Staari Fijaker is the place to go. It’s heavy wooden decor, suited waiters and hearty meaty dishes evoke the Habsburg empire days of the city. Get the goulash - it’s top notch.

Sri Lanken Curry Bowl

This restaurant serves phenomenally tasty Sri Lanken dishes. Try their signature dish Kotthu, a street food dish made from mashed up roti with egg, vegetables and meat. It’s best to go for lunch though, as on an evening there is always a long wait.

Mali Bar

This small restaurant takes inspiration from all over the world for its ever changing menu of fresh produce, producing dishes cooked in inventive ways. Probably the best meal we had in Croatia.

Quawah

An ultra cool coffee shop and roastery with a lovely quiet terrace and a huge upstairs, perfect for working or just relaxing for hours. They don’t serve food, but you are more than welcome to buy a cake from the shop opposite and bring it in.

Summer Reading List

For history buffs:

The Balkans, 1804-2012: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers - Misha Glenny

If you’re interested in the long and complicated history of the Balkan states, Misha Glenny’s history is the definitive book. It’s not an easy read, but it’s not an easy subject. Eye-opening and informative.

For adventure:

Eastern approaches - Fitzroy Maclean

A memoir which, if it was fiction, would be too incredible to write. Fitzroy Maclean started out as a diplomat in Paris in the 1930s, but, as WWII broke out, his adventures as a diplomat and soldier lead him to Moscow, the Caucus, Africa and finally to the nascent Yugoslavia as Tito’s advisor. It’s an astonishing tale.

For tourism tips:

Lonely Planet Croatia

As always, we relied heavily on the good old Lonely Planet for tourism recommendations during our time in Croatia.

In summer, everybody loves an old city by the sea. There are few things more pleasant than spending a morning wandering along narrow alleyways and cobbled streets, spending the afternoon lazing at the beach, and the evening sipping a drink while watching boats bobbing in a harbour. The problem is, we love these cities so much that we are touristing them to death. In Venice, the local authorities have a rather terrifying graph showing how full of tourists the city is today. In Dubrovnik cctv is being installed to monitor levels of crowding. Wandering cobbled streets becomes a stressful weaving of bodies, every meal a struggled to find a restaurant where the food isn’t overpriced and  under seasoned.    

When we booked to go to Rovinj, the most famous town on the Istrian peninsular, we half expected these things. Rovinj used to be owned by the Venetians and you can tell. It's hilltop town on the sea, in a setting so ridiculously beautiful that, how could it not be crowded, especially on a bank holiday weekend in August? The traffic on the road from Zagreb was certainly busy enough, summer thunderstorms adding to the chaos.    

Instead we found Rovinj to be a place where, at least for now, tourism is boosting the economy without killing the place. The city centre is full of tourist apartments, but the sprawling suburbs just behind are full of family homes with well priced restaurants among them, delicious food and great access to the beaches. While the main street and the market were busy, with vendors trying to sell grapes and nectarines for twice the usual price, whenever we turned down an alleyway we would find ourselves on quiet streets filled with art galleries and quirky shops.    

The same applied to the beaches. Those closest to the town were packed with people sunning themselves, but when we strolled a little further south of the city, we found quiet spots, chilled beach bars and Croatia’s crystal clear water. The path along the coast, which meanders through pine forest, is really delightful.    

In fact the only time we really felt the pressure of tourism was when we booked a sunset dolphin cruise on evening. There is a pod of dolphins who live in the bay, and every night, tour operators along the coast set out on dolphin watching cruises. I love dolphins, and every time I catch a glimpse of one I feel a burst of excitement, but it did feel slightly as if we were on a Moby Dick-equse whaling expedition, as an armada of boats followed the pod around the bay to get a closer look.

On the other hand, viewing the sunset from the bay was magnificent, and the number of boats made no difference.

All in all, Rovinj is a great place for a weekend trip. I say get yourself there now, before the hoards visiting Venice realise what they're missing out on just across the Adriatic.

Rovinj Essentials

Getting there

• There are regular bus services from Zagreb.
• Nearby Pula and Rijeka both have airports

How long to go for

Two nights is the perfect amount of time to visit the place

Where to eat and drink

• Pizzeria Orlando - we didn’t eat here as it was closed, but we were told by our hosts it is the place to go for pizza.
• Tutto Bene - Delicious and creative Croatian/Italian food, and the owners are ever so charming.
• Cognito -top notch coffee
• Il Faro - a tasty neighborhood Italian restaurant with great home made deserts - the pannacotta is a must.

AirBnb is a wonderful thing for digital nomads, giving you access to high quality accomadation across the globe, but, while it you might end up living in a neighbourhood with more locals than tourists, it is still far from "local" experiance it promises. The majority of owners we have rented from seemed to be semi-professional operations, and lock boxes mean we rarely met our hosts even to pick up the keys.

Zagreb however, has been a little different. We had the fortune to book an aparment with some lovely hosts who, not only met us at the airport, but also invited us to stay with them in their house on Krk island one weekend. We were delighted to take them up on their offer, and so made  the three hour bus journey to get there on Friday evening. The motorway passes through endless forest and tiny hamlets, before spilling out into a rocky bay.

Krk is Croatia’s largest island, and is connected to the mainland with a bridge. There are a few towns on the island, and we were staying near the largest - Krk Town. Largest is a strong word though. The town little more than two main streets, with a string of hotels and campsites along the coast either side. We visited in mid-July so the tourist season was in full swing, with Hungarian, Austrian and German visitors. Most of all however, the people were from Croatia - Krk is the closest island to Zagreb, so is a popular holiday home spot for city dwellers.

We spent two marvellous days exploring Krk’s beaches. They are of the pebbly rather than the sandy kind, with crystal clear water.  The ones close to the town were full of people with their beach umbrellas, tents, inflatable flamingos, towels, dogs, snorkelling gear, deck chairs, hammocks, cool-boxes. If you don’t mind a crowd you can spend hours people watching. Instead however, we walked down the coast until the roads turned into narrow paths in the pine forest, and the beaches were smaller and quieter.

We spent the evenings with our hosts, listening to the cicadas chirping in the olive trees, drinking Croatian wine and plum brandy. If Zagreb feels like Vienna, Krk feels like an Italian beach resort. Our hosts told us that for the most beautiful coastline, you need to venture further South, but for an easy weekend escape from the city, it was the perfect place to go.

Travel tips

• There is a direct bus service between Krk and Zagreb with Arriva busses
• Bring beach shoes if you have them - the rocks can be rough!

Table of Contents

Essential information
What to do and see
What's overrated
Day trips
Outdoors
What to eat and drink
Where to eat and drink
What to read

Essential Information

Why visit?

If you like a side of grit with your glamour, Palermo is the place to go. Watch suited and booted Italians carefully stepping over piles of rubbish on the streets. Be accosted by street food vendors in one of the many markets, or sit down to fine dining in an old fashioned restaurant. Contemplate the finery of the city’s magnificent churches, or stare aghast at the mummified corpses catacombs. Palermo is a melting pot of Greek, Italian, Arabic, Norman but most of all Sicilian culture. There is never a dull moment, never a bland meal. Walk through streets past grand palazzos, their paint peeling in faded faded splendour, and feel the city’s youthful energy pulsing out of the bars and trattorias.

Ideal length of time

Spend two days exploring Palermo itself, but stay for a week and use it as a base for day trips.

Getting there

Palermo’s Falcone Borsellino airport is a short coach trip from the city. It is well connected to Italy, and a reasonable amount of international flights, mostly with low cost airlines.

Getting around

While visiting Palermo itself, the city centre not too big and so easily walkable. That’s good because public transport is not Siciliy’s strong point. There is a metro service but it doesn’t go anywhere useful for tourists. The bus service is somewhat better - you should buy tickets in advance. The cheapest tickets are from the bus service themselves in booths labelled AMAT, but you can also buy them from tobacconists.
For day trips, by far the best option is to hire a car. We had a great experiences with Locauto and Budget, and wouldn’t use SicilyByCar again.

Mafia

Although mafia-related violence on the streets has all but disappeared, and Palermo is very safe to visit, the city still has problems with organised crime, with a large percentage of businesses still paying pizzo (protection money), to the mafia to avoid harassment. Look out for Addiopizzo signs in shops and restaurants, which indicate those businesses refuse to pay the Mafia. There is also a website and app listing them.
For more information on the Mafia, visit the No Mafia memorial, a small exhibition close to the Cathedral, which does a good job of squashing some of the glamorous myths about the Mafia.

What to do and see

Palatine Chapel and Royal Apartments

Palermo’s Royal Palace looms over the edge of the city walls. From the outside it looks dull and impenetrable. Inside, however, it is home to one of Palermo’s greatest treasures - the Palatine Chapel. The chapel, built by one of the first Norman rulers, is remarkable, not only because it’s covered in more bling than a Strictly Come Dancing contestant, but because it represents the coming together of Christian, Arab and Byzantine craftsmen. Although the building is much smaller than the cathedrals in the surrounding area, not an inch of space has been wasted, from the biblical scenes decorating the walls, to the roof covered in arabic wood carvings, to the priceless carved stone candle holder. It’s a little hard to take it all in. There is definitely enough to keep mass attendees entertained if they ever got bored with the priest’s sermon.

The rest of the palace is less insane, but still pretty interesting. From Friday-Monday you can view the palace apartments, which are furnished with an old fashioned elegance. There is also an extremely pleasant garden to wander around in, full of giant fig trees and other lush plants.
Finally, if like me, you were very surprised to discover there were French kings in Palermo, the exhibition about the Norman kings in Sicily does a great job of putting the invasion and occupation in context.

Markets

Palermo’s markets are some of the most interesting, vibrant and authentic parts of the city. There three main markets in it’s old centre. They’re all different and worth visiting. Here is a rundown of each.

La Vucciria is in a run down district next to the port. The abandoned buildings and sparse vendors testify to the fact that the market is not what it used to be. However, new businesses are opening on summer evenings the place hums with people drinking beer and eating seafood, tripe and panelle from the vendors. Come here for an evening drink in the summer, or for lunch the rest of the year.
Capo market is a stone's throw from Teatro Massimo, and my personal favourite. It fills a long street with fruit and veg vendors, fishmongers and butchers. In between the produce stalls, there are a few street food vendors and restaurants jammed in. Fruit and veg here is dirt cheap. Gorge on cherries and watermelon when it’s in season, and get the fishmonger to grill their catch on the spot.
Ballaro market lies South of the Cathedral, it’s the biggest market in the city, a jumble of food, clothes stalls, bars and restaurants sprawled around several streets. It’s a bit manic for my taste, but this is the place bargain hunting and marvelling at all manner of goods on display.

Teatro Massimo

Looming over a square at the edge of the old town, Palermo’s most iconic building is it’s opera house - the Teatro Massimo. It’s Italy’s biggest opera house, the fourth largest in Europe, and is said to have perfect acoustics.

To visit, you can either do a guided tour, or go to a performance. I thought going to see an opera in Italy couldn’t possibly be as romantic as it sounded, however, I really enjoyed going to see a performance of Paggliacci. It feels special walking up the huge set of steps and through those giant doors to see an opera. That’s before you take your seat in the elaborately gilded theatre, surrounded by an enthusiastic local audience.

Things to know if you are attending a performance:

• In summer, bring a fan. There’s no air conditioning and it gets toasty in there
• Don’t be put off by the language barrier - there are subtitles in English
• It’s not as dressy as you think it will be. Sicilians love to get dressed up, and I was worried I had nothing smart enough to wear, but at the performance I attended I was happy having worn smart trousers and a nice top. Some women were wearing evening dresses, others were dressed like me. Similarly, some men were wearing suits, others opted for shirts and smart trousers.

Capuchin Catacombs

What better way to spend a gloomy day in Palermo than confronting your own mortality at Palermo’s most macabre tourist attraction - the Catacombs di Cappucini
A twenty minute walk from the centre, you pay your €3 admission to a monk and head down to visit the dead.
I’ve visited my shared of graveyards and catacombs, but this was the first time I had encountered mummified bodies outside of a museum. Unlike your Egyptian mummy, the ones in Palermo are exposed in all their glory, or, nowadays, decay. The rooms hold around 8000 bodies dating from the sixteenth to the early twentieth century, and many of them are suspended on the walls, dressed as they were when they lived. They stare at you with hollow eyes, bones poking out where their clothing has started to rot, slowly crumbling onto the floor. If you’ve seen Game of Thrones, imagine a room full of wights, hung like picture frames, and you won’t be far from the mark.
The catacombs are divided into several sections. There is a church section - full of Bishops and Monks, a baby section, featuring newborns in their cots, a women’s section, mostly reclined, as if they were in bunkbeds. Most bizarre of all for me was the virgin’s section - maidens hung on the wall like a gristly alter. There is also a family section, family groups of parents a children, posed as if for a photograph. Rosalia Lombardo, a little girl with blonde hair and a yellow ribbon in it, who died of pneumonia aged two, is the best preserved body and also one of the youngest. She looks like she’s sleeping, or at the very least a waxwork, and she gives a sense of how lifelike all the older bodies would have been at the time.
It is fascinating to see, but after an hour or so you will feel like your lungs are full of corpse dust, and will be glad to emerge into the land of the living again.

Botannical Gardens

Chiesa del Gesù

The Oratorio di San Lorenzo and the Oratorio di San Domenico

These private chapels, tucked behind the back of La Vucciera, are easy to miss, but a €6 entry fee gets you into both Oratiori to see some work by Siciliy’s finest Baroque artist - Giacomo Serpotta. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and they were almost completely deserted, giving us plenty of time and space to marvel at the whimsical cherubs and biblical scenes shaped onto the walls of the chapels. The Oratorio di San Lorenzo used to contain a Carvaggio painting which was stolen in 1969 and remains an unsolved crime. A facsimile is in its place today, so you can get a sense of how it looked.

The Spanish Inquisition Museum

The Inquisition Museum is run by Palermo’s university, and you have to book to go on a guided tour. It is worth it. The old palace which the museum is in was transformed into a dungeon during the inquisition years (Sicily was once owned by Spain), and the cells where prisoners were kept have been carefully excavated to show the original walls, which are covered with graffiti. This is no ordinary graffiti though. Encouraged by their captors, prisoners drew elaborate paintings of Saints, the Passion of the Christ, and other religious scenes, or wrote Prayers on the walls to demonstrate their commitment to Christianity.

Only in the cell bathrooms, where no torturers or soldiers would go, are there are caricatures of the inquisitors. Turns out offensive bathroom graffiti transcends the ages.
Although it’s not really advertising, the visit also includes seeing Palermo’s most famous painting - La Vucciria by Renato Guttuso.

Modern Art Museum

This was my favourite art gallery in Palermo. It’s housed in a beautiful old Palazzo and has some fantastic paintings of the Sicilian landscape, scenes from Sicilian history, portraits and sculptures. It also has hardly any religious art, which makes a nice change.

Regional Archeological Museum

This museum is devoted to Sicily’s extensive greek and roman archeological finds. Set in a former convent, the site has been a museum since the dissolution of the religious orders in the nineteenth century. What that means is some of the stories of how the collections were acquired are almost as interesting as the collections themselves.
And what a collection it is. There are statues, vases, temple friezes, endless sarcophagi, a bath that’s in the shape of a shoe, and more. I took the audioguide and found it both really interesting and not too long.

Galleria Regionale di Sicilia.

This art gallery, housed in an old Palazzo, is packed with religious art. It’s free on Sundays, and worth a look even if endless statues of the Madonna aren’t really your thing, if only to wander through the old building, and check out giant the fifteenth century fresco the “Triumph of Death”, featuring a skeletal grim reaper trampling over Palermo’s aristocrats of old.

What's overrated

The Cathedral

Palermo’s Cathedral is like a bad relationship - much better to be outside of it than in it.

The building itself, converted from a mosque, is magnificent from the outside, but the inside of it is, frankly, boring.
The only good part of it is the view from the roof. The royal tombs are boring, the treasury and the crypt are boring. If you like views of Palermo, go to the Hotel Ambasciatori for a cocktail instead. For the same price you get a better view and a delicious beverage.

Contemporary art museum

I visited this by mistake, looking for the Modern Art Museum. Unlike the Modern Art Museum it is really easy to find - just wander in off the main road close to the cathedral.
However, unless you are really into contemporary art, it’s not with the €6 entrance fee. I actually spent ten minutes reading my guidebook upstairs because I found the exhibits so boring and was embarrassed to walk out after so little time.

Day Trips

Monreale

An essential trip for Palermo visitors, Monreale is 10km outside of the city centre and has a ridiculously great Cathedral. It fuses Italian, Norman and Arabic work to the most incredible effect, with biblical scenes depicted in mosaics high on the Cathedral walls. The town itself is small but has a few nice spots for lunch and great views over Palermo. To get there by public transport, take the 389 bus from Piazzo Independenzia.

Cefalú

Mondello Beach

10km along the coast from Palermo lies the town of Mondello and it’s magnificent beach. When we visited, in early May, it was already a hive of activity. At one end, beach volleyball teams smashed balls at their opponents while out on the horizon sailboats bobbed along. A few brave souls swam in the sea, which was still cold rather than refreshing, but mostly people lounged on the sand reading books, chatting and ordering beers from the endless hawkers pacing up and down the sand. The town itself is full of restaurants promising delicious seafood, gelato shops and of course, bars to purchase a refreshing Aperol Spritz.

In summer, most of the beach is private, so if you plan a day trip, expect to pay for a sun lounger and umbrella. To get there take the number 806 bus. If you’re going in good weather, be sure to board at the bus station itself. If you try to get on at Politeama or afterwards, the bus will most likely already be full.

Outdoors

Hiking

Monte Pellegrino and Santa Rosalia

Lo Zingaro

This national park is about an hour’s drive West of Palermo and it’s paths offer fabulous views along the coast, and relatively uncrowded coves to sunbathe in. There are three different hikes, all from one end of the park to the other, and you can pick up a map with the routes at the park entrance. The easy route, which we took, was 7km each way, takes four hours if you do it all in one go, but most likely longer as you will want to take a dip in those crystal clear waters.

Hike from Palermo to Mondello

Not really a hike, as much as a 10km walk along the roadside, but it’s surprisingly interesting. The route is simple - just follow the coast road West out of Palermo. You pass plenty of fancy houses, fishing villages and lidos. Most of the way there is some kind of verge to walk on, and it’s a nice alternative to taking the crowded bus to the beach.

Running

Foro Italico Parkrun

What to eat and drink (and where to find it)

Panelle

Panelle are square chickpea fritters, found all over Palermo, but particularly in the street markets. Just head for the person dropping things into a vat of oil. A little bit crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, they have an almost buttery taste, which is delicious with a pinch of salt.

Caponata

A dark, thick, sweet and sour tangle of tomatoes and aubergines, caponata can be found in delis, restaurants and being hawked street food venders.

Tripe Sandwiches

The Palermo equivalent of a kebab van, street vendors who sell offal sandwiches are never short of patrons. It’s usually an old man with a steaming metal drum full of meat on his cart. We found these sandwiches to be surprisingly tasty, and always very cheap.

Gelato and Brioche

Arancini

I wasn’t that fussed about arancini until I visited Palermo, but they are delicious, on every street corner and just irresistible. My personal favourite ones are from Ke Palle on via Maqueda, which has all kinds of different flavours.

Cannoli

These crispy cases filled with ricotta and chocolate chips are ubiquitous and delicious.

Sfincione

Is it a pizza? Is it a focaccia? I’m not entirely sure. We had mixed experiences with Sfincione in Palermo. Sometimes it was a hard dry piece of something that isn’t pizza, and other times it was a delicious sponge of tangy tomato, bursting with flavour. I would avoid the street vendors here, and possibly buy it in a bakery instead.

Baked anelletti

Anelletti (which looks a lot like spaghetti hoops) is a popular pasta in Sicily. It’s often served baked with a meat ragu. You can typically cartons of it baked anelletti in the markets and it’s often on restaurant menus too.

Where to eat and drink

Coffee

Ideal Coffee Stagnitta the centre of the town, with a lovely terrace and suited waitors, Stagnitta is not only an atmospheric place to sit, but they also do great coffee and ice cream. There is also a roastery next door where you can buy beans to take home.

Drinks

The Hotel Ambasciatori on Via Roma has a bar on the seventh floor with the most amazing view of Palermo, and reasonably priced cocktails to boot. We were always able to get a table to watch the sun set over the mountains surrounding the city. If you go to one bar, go here.

Cheap and cheerful

Serves classic dishes at cheap prices, Osteria Nonna Dora is fiendishly popular with the locals. Don’t even try to get in without a reservation.
For pizza, Da Diego is a delicious option. My favourite one was the Rustica. They also serve home made deserts if you have any space left!

Fine dining

U Babbio
This friendly restaurant close to the ferry terminals serves a menu with tasty twists on Sicilian food. Everything we tried here was delicious. My dad declared the ravioli to be the best pasta he had ever eaten.

La Galleria
Tucked down an alleyway behind the Cathedral, with muted lamps and cobbled pavement the outdoor seating in this restaurant is fabulously romantic. The food is top notch as well, with plenty of classic Sicilian pasta and meat dishes.

What to read

For history

Siciliy, a Short History from the Greeks to Cosa Nostra

As a first time visitor, I found Sicily’s mix of cultures absolutely baffling. Was it Greek? Norman? Spanish? Arabic? The island’s history, but book proved an invaluable guide to explaining everything that has happened in the last several thousand years. John Julius Norwich makes the island’s history easy to read, and covers who invaded when and why, Sicily’s strategic importance in the Mediterranean, and how the island’s past has lead to it’s cultural differences and relative poverty compared with Northern Italy today.

For the Mafia

Midnight in Sicily

If you’re really interested in Sicily's Mafia problem, Midnight in Sicily is a fairly comprehensive guide. It does a good job of explaining the oppressive atmosphere in the city, and the horrors which people had to live through. However, the Mafia is a complex subject, and it's not a particularly easy read - there are a lot of people and events to keep track of.

For Fiction

The Leopard

Sicily’s most famous literary work is about Garibaldi's unification of Italy, the decline of the aristocracy and the rise of the mafia in the nineteenth century, told from the point of view of an aging Duke. The novel is slow and languid, just like the warm Sicily summers it portrays.

For tourism

Lonely Planet Sicily Guidebook

Has an entire chapter devoted to Palermo, and, as always, proved an invaluable reference during our stay.

Two months into our stay in Palermo, and the list of things we wanted to see and do and visit had grown longer than when we arrived. We had ran out of time though, so we decided to spend our final day doing one of our favourite activities, hiking in a beautiful national park. We were catching a late flight that evening we didn’t want to spend the day hanging around, so we hired a car, chucked our backpacks in, and headed for Lo Zingaro national park, about an hour’s drive from Palermo.

There was only one problem with this plan. It was the end of June and Europe was in one of its most severe heatwaves. The news was full of people dying from dehydration, exertion and exhaustion. Governments were issuing warnings to stay at home and schools and offices were closed.

Before we hit the park, we visited Castellammare del Golfo for some breakfast. The town itself isn’t very interesting, but the sandy beaches nearby were full of Sicilians enjoying the sea. As we bought some sfincione (Sicilian pizza) for a picnic in a bakery, Nicolas explained our plans for the day using his Duolingo Italian to the lady serving us. She sucked her teeth.  “Caldo” she said fanning herself, then “cappello”, patting her head. I resolved to buy the next hat I saw.

We drove out of the town along the coast. Lo Zingaro was land initially designated for a motorway, before, in 1981 becoming Siciliy’s first national park. This means you basically follow the coast road and when it ends, then you’ve arrived.

We bought our entrance tickets and started walking along the main path. It was hot. Real hot. I was rather happy about the overpriced cap I bought from the shop outside the park.

Soon, however, we got used to being perpetually soaked in our own sweat, and instead admired the views, and what views they were. We wound our way along the hillside, with views over the beaches, boats and holiday makers below. The enormous gulf stretched out behind us.

Every so often, we would come across old houses, several of which had been converted into museums for visitors, about things like farming, wildlife and local handicrafts.
Our target was a huge prehistoric cave about two thirds of the way through the park. Archaeologists had discovered all kinds of houses and human remains in it, dating back thousands of years, It was enormous but smelt strongly of bird poo. We didn’t linger there, despite it being cool and shady.

At this point we turned around and began the difficult task of deciding which of the seven idyllic beaches we passed was the perfect one for a swim and a picnic. Eventually we selected a small cove with some shade and only a few sunbathers, tanned and expert Sicilians with parasols, cool boxes and snorkeling equipment.
Needless to say, swimming after our sweaty hike was bliss.

We hiked the rest of the way of the park, and finished the day with a final Aperol Spritz in the ridiculously cute hamlet of Scopello, before heading to the airport. Lo Zingaro, like Sicily in general, had been a beautiful and fun adventure.

What to know about visiting Zingaro

• Get there by car. We hired one from Locauto and had a great experience. It was also very cheap, even for one way hire.
• There is a €5 entrance fee for Lo Zingaro but parking is free. There is a car park at either end of the park, but we started the Eastern side because the beaches are less crowded there.
• Wear trainers or hiking shoes - the paths are maintained but uneven and the people we saw in flip-flops were not enjoying themselves. You might also want sandals for the beaches though, as some of them are rocky.
• The main "easy" path is 7km each way. Walking the whole thing takes about two hours in each direction, not including swimming time.
• There is tap water inside the park at regular intervals and marked on the path, but bring a bottle. There is no food inside. Bring a picnic.
• It’s still worth visiting even in the heat of summer. There are beaches along the path, so if you don’t want to hike in the heat, you can go to one of the ones close to the park entrance.

We stopped the car for a look over the vast expansive coastline, before plunging into thick fog.  “These pastries had better be really nice,” I muttered.

We were on our way to Erice, a hill town 750m above sea level which is known from two things - delicious pastries and fantastic views. As we wound our way up the narrow road, the wind picked up and the fog thickened. At times it was hard to see the road. Then the rain closed in, just as we arrived at the visitor car park. We sat in the car, trying to pick up the courage to go outside. We had one umbrella between us. “I’m probably not going to need that sunscreen,” Nicolas said.

Finally, steeling ourselves, we plunged outside into the gale. It’s lucky Erice is only a small place because it was almost impossible to see where we were going in the fog and the rain. A few other sodden tourists on the main street hinted we were heading in the right direction for pastries, and as soon as we found the place, we dived into the tiny cafe for some shelter.  

La Pasticceria di Maria Grammatico is known across Italy for its pastry. Born into a family of six, Maria Grammatico's family were too poor to care for her, so aged 11 she was taken into a convent in Erice and forced to work in the pastry kitchens, where the nuns baked goods to sell. After fifteen years, she left and set up her own shop selling convent pastries. They went down a storm and are sold all over the world today. We tried some Genovese pastries - they look like giant ravioli but are made from crisp sweet shortcrust and filled with custard, as well as some marzipan. Everything was staggeringly sugary, but undeniably delicious.

I got out the guidebook to search for some indoor activities in Erice. That’s when I noticed the authors note that “it’s even more mesmerizing when the unpredictable mist rolls in.” This is a barefaced lie. Do not go to Erice except on a clear day. The pastry is delicious, but there is really very little else to do.      

We spent a sodden half hour searching for the castle. When we found it, we glanced around then immediately ran back to the car for shelter. Erice is not a place to linger in bad weather.

Trapani is just a short drive downhill,  and we wanted to try the local specialty - fish couscous. We found it at Osteria La Bettolacia, a popular local restaurant. The dish consists of plain mound of couscous, a plate of fried seafood, and a fishy soup, which was to be ladled onto the couscous. It was sour and flavoursome. Delicious.    

After we had lingered in the restaurant for as long as possible, we felt compelled to at least walk around Trapani a bit. After all, who knew when we would come back? The streets were deserted. A few shopkeepers watched us incredulously as we trudged past in the rain. It wasn’t long before we fled back to our car and back to Palermo. The jury is still out on Trapani. I’m sure it’s much nicer when it’s not raining!

Table of Contents

Essential information
What to do and see
What's overrated
Day trips
Outdoors
What to eat and drink
Where to eat and drink
What to read

Essential Information

Why visit?

Filled to the brim with tasty food, historical sites, picturesque streets made for wandering and barrels and barrels of fortified wine, Porto is a lovely place with a fascinating history. We found the people incredibly welcoming, and the cost of living much cheaper than in rival city Lisbon.

Ideal length of time

Five to seven days, spend 3-4 days exploring Porto and the suburbs of Foz and Matesinhos, then another 2-3 days in the Douro wine region.

Getting there

Porto has its own airport and is a big Portuguese rail hub - there is a high speed train from Lisbon and it's connected to other popular cities such as Coimbra.

Getting around

Porto has good public transport, with a metro, buses and trams. It’s also not that big, so walk-able, although your thighs will burn from the hills! For day trips, car hire is extremely cheap, and it’s also well connected by rail to other major cities.

What to do and see

Tram to Foz

Porto used to have an extensive tram system. It has now been replaced by a metro, and only three tram routes run in Porto, down from a peak of 30. You can see the tracks along many of the main streets of the city. The most scenic route goes 5km or so along the riverside to the Atlantic Ocean and district of Foz. The downside is you may need to elbow your way through hordes of other tourists to catch a ride. Alternatively you can walk, which is what we did in the end. Either way, Foz, with it’s tasty restaurants, interesting boutique and Atlantic waves, is well worth a visit

Matesinhos

If you don’t care about delicious seafood, don’t both going to Matesinhos, but if you like perfectly grilled freshly caught sardines and big sandy beaches, this Porto’s main port is very much worth the bus ride.

Port tasting tour / visit Gaia

With two months in Porto, we did our fair share of sampling Port wines, and visiting the wineries in Gaia. Our experience was varied- they were often overpriced and you had to book for tours in advance. Hands down, the best port experience we had was the Porto Walkers Port Wine tour. For about the price of a tasting flight in one of the cellars you get a boatload of Port to try, a cellar tour, a museum tour and an expert guide to shepherd you along the riverfront. I honestly can’t recommend it enough. We had a blast

Palacio Do Bolsa

Although you need to arrange a guided tour, the elaborate interiors of the Palacio do Bolsa, showing Portugal’s moorish links are jaw-dropping. It’s worth visiting, good for a rainy day.

The Ribiera

It’s full of hawkers, buskers and overpriced wine bars, but the riverside is a great place for an evening stroll and to do some people watching. Restaurants are generally overpriced, but we were recommended Casa Lopez which turned out to be a real gem selling authentic local food.

Igreja de Santa Clara

Porto has a lot of churches, but in this church, which is tucked into a courtyard and is rather unassuming from the outside, the walls ooze gold. It’s also free to get in for now. Well worth the visit.

What’s overrated

Bolhao market

The main market building was under construction when we visited, but we found the city’s main market just wasn’t that interesting compared to similar ones in France and Italy

Liveria Lello

€5 to get in, and the famous interior is made out of plaster rather than wood anyway. Save your money.

Day Trips

The Douro

The Douro region is an UNESCO world heritage site, and should be your main priority after visiting Porto itself. An hours drive gets you into a region of rolling green hills and narrow gorges, like Tuscany but without the crowds or the extortionate prices. There are lots of wineries to visit and a river cruise is a must. The best way to get there is by hire car, although it is possible to take the train to Pinhao, a small town on the river in the heart of the region.

Braga

If you’re in Porto for more that a few days, visit Braga - Portugal’s third biggest city is a short and cheap train ride away from Porto. It’s known for its Roman ruins and Bom Jesus - a hilltop church with a spectacular baroque staircase leading up to it.

Outdoors

Hiking

The best walking route we found was along the riverside to Foz, then back slightly to ferry point to cross over to Afurada, a tiny little fishing town which felt like it was from another era. From there there was another nice path all the way back on the other side of the river to Gaia.

Running

Porto is intimidatingly hilly, so in general we went running along the riverside. There is a large city park near Foz which would be an excellent spot for running if you stay near it.

What to eat and drink (and where to find it)

Pork and sheep cheese sandwiches

Both of us agree that the pork and sheep cheese sandwich at Casa Guedes (number 8 on the menu) are the best sandwiches we’ve ever eaten. If you ignore the rest of this post don’t ignore this. Get yourself there and eat one. Absolutely worth queueing for.

Alheira (Jewish sausages)

These “fake sausages” were originally made by the Portuguese Jewish community, and normally contain a mix of meats, but never pork. They are strong and tasty and can be found all over.

Port

All of the Port wineries are on the North bank, in Gaia, historically because they had cheaper taxes. The Port, however, was in Porto, which is why the exported wine was stamped “Porto” and so got its name.

Vinho Verde

Almost as ubiquitous as port, this young Portuguese white wine is incredibly easy to drink and usually pretty cheap. Most restaurants will serve it.

Grilled sardines

Go to Matesinhos and simply follow the scent of delicious grilled fish. Afterwards, walk off your delicious meal on the beach there - one of Porto's finest.

Custard tarts

Not all custard tarts are equal. The best ones we found were from Manteigaria, a Lisbon bakery which recently opened a branch in Porto. Natas d’Oro come a close second though.

Francesinha

Porto’s famous heart attack sandwich, this is like a Croque Monsieur on steroids. The recipe is simple - add as much meat as possible, then cover the sandwich in cheese, a fried egg, and top it off with a beer sauce and chips to mop up with. We liked the one at Cafe Santiago the most.

Tripe

Porto residents are known as triperos throughout Portugal because of their fondness for this offal. It’s not my favourite meat, but if you try it at Taberina Cais Das Pedras, you can order some other delicious traditional Portuguese dishes to supplement it.

Where to eat and drink

Coffee

Porto is not short on great coffee shops. Our favourites were Combi coffee and 7g Roasters (in Gaia).

Cheap and cheerful

Pedro dos Frangos is cheap and delicious restaurant for Portuguese style chicken

Fine dining

Pedro Limao - this little restaurant serves up an exquisite (and still reasonably priced) tasting menu. A great spot to celebrate a special occasion.

What to read

The Portuguese, A Modern History

Like a good guided tour, this book is an excellent blend of history and culture. The author is British but has lived and worked in Portugal for many years. What I liked about it is he tries to explain modern day Portugal through it's past. The golden age of exploration, the dictatorship years and joining the EU, it's all covered in this book. It's also a treasure trove of fun facts. I was spouting facts I learned from this to anyone who would listen. Did you know Portugal has the largest number of restaurants per person in the EU?

Lonely Planet: Portugal

As always, Lonely Planet is an invaluable resource on all things tourism related.

What better way to celebrate your birthday that with a load of old relics?

With my parents visiting, we took the hire car and drove through Sicily’s rugged interior to the famed Valley of the Temples. Driving through Sicily’s interior was about as stressful as you might expect - I was happy not to be in charge of the car. The speed limits on the winding single carriageway rarely got about 50kmph, and so were being completely ignored by every other vehicle on the road. It’s a novel experience being overtaken on a blind bends by lorries.  

 Happily, we survived and made it to the Valley of the Temples. This giant archeological site was a thriving ancient city called Akragas, and it’s name is something of a misnomer -  all of the temples are on a ridge, not in a valley at all. They used to serve as beacons for sailers arriving in Sicily. They are everything you want in an ancient temple complex - sunbaked, dusty red monuments to another time.    

 The highlight is undoubtedly the Temple of Concordia, which has weathered earthquakes to stand almost as it did in 430BC, although it has been a church at times during the intervening years. We also thoroughly enjoyed the collection of Girgentana goats - a breed unique to the region which have horns that look like overgrown fingernails, or Twizzler crisps.    

After lunch at a rather delicious pizzeria, we decided we had had enough of ruins, and went to check out one of southern Siciliy's famous natural landmarks - Scala dei Turchi.    

Scala dei Turchi is named because the Arab pirates who used to hide out on the beach were known by the locals as Turks. It’s a curious blinding white stepped rock formation. In summer you can sunbathe on it, jump off it and generally hang out in its vicinity. Unfortunately when we got there the clouds had rolled in, and it was channeling Antarctic more than Mykanos. We spent a while watching enthusiastic tourists wade through the chilly water to get onto the rock, but decided against it. We were all pretty underwhelmed, but maybe it’s nicer in summer?

We attempted one final stop on our road trip - Sciacca, a beach front town which had a nice city centre. We didn’t stop though for the most ridiculous reason -  we could not find a parking space. There was some festival (probably in celebration of my birthday 🙂 ), and parking was forbidden in the city centre, so we just drove though it. It looked nice from the outside though!

Then it was time to drive over the mountains and back to Palermo. This time on a motorway thankfully, and no less scenic!

 Every article I read about Palermo listed Cefalù as an essential day trip, so with friends visiting us, we decided to check it out. The town is is about 60km from Palermo and trains leave every hour from Palermo Centrale station costing €5.60 each way, so it’s simple to get there even without a car. The train journey itself is scenic. The tracks follow the coast past jagged hills and tiny villas, and the odd chemical plant.    

 On arrival, we climbed out of the train and followed the other passengers towards the town centre. Cefalù is a resort town, and It immediately felt more touristic than Palermo. The main streets were clean and well maintained, no piles of rubbish everywhere, and the houses too. Shops selling swimwear and handicrafts lined the route to the Piazza, where we found gaggles of school children and tourists hanging around the Cathedral.    

 Cefalù’s Norman Cathedral is part of the world heritage site linking Palermo and Monreale.  It’s scenic from the outside, looming over the square full of cafes, but inside it’s a similar, but scaled back version of the one in Monreale.  We had visited Monreale the day before so were, perhaps unfairly, unimpressed. If Cathedrals are your thing, go to Monreale instead.    

 Church visited, we stopped for a tasty but pricey lunch of melanzane, lasagna and cannelloni, before climbing up some steep back streets to see the other main historical site of the town - Le Rocca di Cefalù. Cefalù is overshadowed by this giant hill and naturally, given Sicily’s history of being invaded by anyone and everyone, has played an important part in its history. There is a €4 entry fee to climb the hill and set opening hours, but it is worth it. After climbing for twenty minutes or so, we reached the ruins of some houses behind a protective wall. Fearing invasion, the villagers of Cefalù retreated to the hill after the fall of the Roman Empire in Sicily, and before that, it was a site of a Megolithic temple, known today as the Temple of Diana, and still surprisingly well preserved.  

 Best of all however, were the views. From the old fortifications we had a Birdseye view of the town, but another twenty lung-busting minutes uphill brought us to the castle keep, where we could see the rest of Sicily stretching into the distance. It’s well worth the trek.    

 We descended and wandered some more through the streets. The boutiques gave way to seafood restaurants and bars, and then the sea. Apparently one of the main draws of Cefalù is its beaches, but it was incredibly windy and the  high tide during our visit, so there was no beach to speak of during out visit.    

 After a few drinks and some rather tasty seafood, we hopped on the train back. Cefalù may not have the best Cathedral in the area, but for a relaxed atmosphere, good views, and a bracing hike, it’s a great day trip.

 We like visiting churches, we really do, but we saw a lot of them in Portugal, and I've developed a bit of church fatigue. These days it’s hard for me to muster up the enthusiasm to do more than quickly pop my head inside the local house of worship, so when I saw one of Palermo's “must see” attractions was a cathedral in a nearby hill town, a thirty minute bus ride away from the city, I was not excited. Still, we figured UNESCO usually picks some pretty good world heritage sites, so it must be worth seeing, and we squeezed onto the bus full of other tourists to reach the hill town of Monreale.

 Monreale has stunning views of Palermo, but the town itself isn’t particularly exciting. There was a market on so we perused the stalls a little, before tucking into some pizza and heading up to the church. You enter through a poky little side entrance, which only makes the inside even more surprising. Inside there is gold. Lots of gold. The cathedral is covered in gold mosaic tiling. Around the walls the tiles show bible stories, while above the alter a giant Jesus gazes out over the congregation. It was fairly spectacular, even if you have church fatigue.    

 The story behind the Cathedral is an intriguing one. When Sicily was ruled by the Normans, there was a twelfth century Archbishop of Palermo known as was known as Gualtiero Offamiglio. Behind the Italianised name, he was actually an Englishman named Walter of the Mill. He had been the tutor of the King of Sicily William the Good, but he had grown very powerful and had the ear of the Pope.      William was worried about how much control the Archbishop had, but rather than demoting or getting rid of him, he decided instead to create another equally important Archbishop right next to Palermo. This Archbishop would have his own Diocese which would take some of the churches and monasteries out of the control of the Archbishop of Palermo. To do that, however, he was going to need to build an impressive Cathedral. That’s how the tiny little hill town of Monreale ended up with a Cathedral any major city would be proud of.

 The political reasons for its creation also meant the Cathedral was built fast. Really fast. It took just four years to build the structure of the cathedral, and the mosaics inside only ten years to finish, by craftsmen from Sicily and imported from Constantinople

 For a couple of Euros you can also climb up on to the roof, for views of the Cloister, Palermo and Monreale. It’s definitely worth doing.

 After we had finally tired of the church, we noticed the crowds in the streets had increased a notch. This little hill town was positively buzzing, and people were wandering around carrying bunches of roses and we saw several dressed in white and red outfits.  We followed the crowd up an alley where we could hear a man shouting. A team of twenty or so costumed men were carrying an enormous wooden statue of Jesus on the cross into the middle of the street. From their heavy breathing I guess it was pretty heavy.  Once the statue had reached the designated point, people started passing up bunches of roses for the bullfighters to touch on the legs of the statue. A set of ladders appeared and people started climbing up to kiss its legs. It turned out we had accidentally turned up during Monreale’s Feast of the Holy Cross , and carrying the statue around the town is a Catholic tradition dating back to the sixteenth century.

 Monreale isn’t a big place, but it is worth the trip. Even if you aren’t a huge church fan, it's not often you see that much gold in one place. I’m very glad we visited.

 After a few days in Marrakesh, I was a little nervous about our trip three our journey to Essaouira. We planned to take the coach. I envisioned us being crammed into an old wreck of a bus like sardines, feeling every bump along the road. As it turned out however, Supra Tours, Morocco’s inter-city coach service is like a train but better. There are allocated seats (you book tickets in advance at the station), luggage tags, air conditioning, a rest stop midway which is only mildly overpriced. I enjoyed the journey so much that before we had arrived I was already looking forward to the return trip. First, however, there was Essaouira to visit.    

 Essaouira (pronouced sow-ear-a)  is a walled coastal town which used to be known as Mogador. Stepping off the bus it felt strangely uncrowded after Marrakesh. We walked through a towering stone gateway into the Medina, where most buildings were beautifully whitewashed. There were no mopeds, the streets were busy but passable. Our riad was conveniently located and comfortable. We breathed a quiet sigh of relief.    

 Dropping our bags at the riad, our host told us you can get cheap tasty fish at the fish market in the Medina, so we gamely set out in that direction. It was early afternoon and the fish market, just finishing for the day, was sweaty and busy. Seagulls vied for perching spaces near the daily catch and the fishy juices pooled on the floor. We spotted a basic looking restaurant at the back of the hall, filled with locals and, putting our reservations about food hygiene aside, we went in. We were lead up to a tiny patio where group of burly men sat chewing a in silence. We ordered some sardines and sea bream. They arrived freshly grilled with salt and lemon, chips and Moroccan salad. Bread on the side to mop up the juices. It was perfect. It was only when we went to pay that we realised we hadn’t asked for the price in advance, which of course turned out to be outrageous. Lesson learned. Essaouria might look idyllic, but it’s still rife with people trying to rip off tourists.

    We spent the afternoon and the following day exploring the town. The walled Medina is an UNESCO listed world heritage site, and the ramparts were used to film parts of Game of Thrones - they are impressively intimidating. The shops which line the streets are touristic but still interesting. Women grind nuts down to argon oil outside of beauty shops, and there are streets full of local art galleries. There are a few rooftop terraces for sundowners too.    

 Outside of the town walls is the beach, a wide flat sandy expanse that’s great for a walk, as long as you don’t mind being hassled by men on quad bikes trying to sell you a camel ride. The bay is a popular surf  and windsurfing spot, and we whiled a way several hours in a beach bar watching people try their luck in the waves.

 Then there is Essaouira’s port, where you can wander down to the harbour and see fisherman hauling in their catch. It’s a crowded mix of vendors flogging their glassy-eyed catch of makeshift tables, fisherman fixing their tiny wooded boats, locals buying dinner, tourists spectating, and seagulls and cats waiting for an opportune moment. If you’re savvy (we weren’t and regretted it), you can buy the raw fish here and take it to a barbecue shack on the pier to have it grilled for lunch.

    After two nights (long enough to have a look around at a relaxed pace, although you could visit in a day trip if you didn’t have a lot of time), we boarded our lovely air-conditioned bus back to Marrakesh. It had been a welcome break.

 We were sat on the runway, seat-belts fastened, engines humming, next to take off. Suddenly a member of the cabin crew came over the intercom. “We’re going to have to go back to the gate. There is a disruptive passenger and he needs to be escorted off the aeroplane.”

I turned to Nicolas “You owe me a chicken pie!”

 We had been taking bets on whether we going to be delayed enough for flight compensation. A problem with the plane had lead to an unexpected three hours in the airport, but since the flight time is always exaggerated anyway, Nicolas reckoned we would be under the limit. Luckily for me, this passenger had spent the extra three hours waiting in the airport bar, then started shouting at the cabin crew on the runway. The extra hour we spent waiting for the police to escort him off the aeroplane definitively secured my victory.  

 Still, it was an inauspicious start to our week’s holiday in Morocco. The misery continued when we turned up at the riad we had booked, to be informed that they had run out of rooms. The room we were given in a different riad had a lumpy mattress and dirty sheets. I was also convinced it had bed bugs.

 The next day, after a sleepless night, and finally installed in the riad we had booked, we finally hit the streets of Marrakesh. We were staying in the Medina - the maze of streets which make up Marrakesh’s old quarter. It was like nowhere I had been before. The narrow streets were packed tight on all sides with shops selling juice, petrol, mobile phone covers, live chickens, leather goods, meat carcasses hanging from giant hooks. Passing along the dusty pavements were women in hijabs buying groceries, shopkeepers shouting loudly in Arabic, dogs, cats, bewildered-looking tourists, couples squeezed onto mopeds putting out noxious fumes and exhausted donkeys pulling carts piled with bricks, fruit and people.  

Going deeper into the maze of streets, we came across the souks. These are markets are organised by type. The metal workers' souk sells lamps a genie could pop out of, the leatherworkers' souk is full of beautiful bags and cushions. The shoemakers' souk is has stalls lined with sandals and slippers from floor to ceiling, and the carpet souk has walls of beautiful tapestries. It was sometimes hard to know where one stopped and other started.

 Eventually, following the crowds, we popped out in Djemma El Fna, a giant square in the heart of the Medina, which smells of smoke and roasting meat, and on a night is filled with pop-up restaurants, men with monkeys, snake charmers, women doing henna, fortune tellers, for tourists and locals alike to enjoy.

 However, lets not get too carried away with fantastical visions of Arabian nights. Despite it’s many attractions, we found our four days in Marrakesh exhausting because, more than anywhere else I’ve ever visited, people were constantly trying to scam us. Here are some of the scam highlights of our visit:

• The man who told us the Bahia palace was closed for the morning, and instead directed us to the spice market. He then mysteriously appeared later on our route to make sure we went into his “brother’s” overpriced spice shop, who promptly served us tea, so we would feel guilted into buying from him.
• When we went to the tanneries, a man told us he was the “manager”, gave us a ten minute tour, ending in a leather factory, then when we thanked him and gave him a perfectly reasonable tip, he acted disgusted that it wasn’t big enough.

• The man who put his monkey on Nicolas’ shoulder by surprise, then demanded we take a photo.
• Every time we walked down a side streets, we would be told “this street is closed today, let me take you to the square” or “non Muslims can’t go here”. It was always a lie.

 This is of course on top of the usual tourist touts. We both found it very stressful. But, despite all that, there were some things we really loved about Marrakesh. Here are a few of them.

The Souks and the shopkeepers

 The shopkeepers in the souks are hilarious and spend hours talking to you if you let them. At one point, Nicolas bought a Berber scarf and the shopkeeper invited him inside to show him how to tie it. I went in twenty minutes later to find him still there, trying on Berber necklaces.

Jardin Majorelle

If you’ve ever seen a picture of Marrakesh on instagram, there is a 99.9999% chance it was taken at the Jardin Majorelle. Restored by Yves Saint Lauren, it is full of dreamy ponds, exotic flowers and giant succulents. It is just beautiful, and, if you can avoid the teeming crowds, nearly impossible to take a bad photo here.

The rooftop bars

Marrakesh has some serious rooftop bar game. We found ourselves on top of a different building sipping (mostly) virgin mojitos every night, although the chili and pinapple caipahrina I had on the terrace of El Fenn, the Medina’s most exclusive riad, was the highlight.

Moroccan Salad

 This is probably not exclusive to Marrakesh, but who knew diced tomato, pepper, onion and cucumber with some oil and salt could be so delicious? We've been making it at home almost weekly ever since.

Guerlitz

 Guerlitz, an affluent central neighborhood, was a welcome break from the chaos of the Medina. We strolled around, marveling at the space, and the fact there was a pavement separating us from the traffic. Guerlitz has shopping malls, French patisseries, even a night club or two. We spent a blissful lunch sat at a corner cafe eating a Tagia - a clay oven baked pot of mutton, served with flat Moroccan bread.

The Secret Garden

A private enterprise to restore two old riads in the centre of the Media, this place was peaceful, with trickling water and lush greenery, you could almost forget the chaos outside. It also had viewing tower with spectacular views.

Blackchich Restaurant

 This is the place for a rooftop dinner. They serve a killer coriander lemonade and their Senegalese and Moroccon dishes was unlike anything we had ever tasted before. Hands down our favourite restaurant in Marrakesh.

The Badi palace and Bahia palace

One is a set of ruins, the other is still elaborately tiled. A glimpse into the extravagance of the rulers in centuries past.

 After an intense four days we were happy to leave the chaos behind and head for the coast. Marrakesh won't be making my favourite cities list any time soon, but, packed brim full of culture, history and tasty food, it was certainly an interesting place to visit.

One of the best things about being based in Lille was it meant we could explore two countries at once. The city rubs up against the Belgium border, and is well connected with bus and coach services to Belgium. It’s a country I had never visited before, and Nicolas only as a child, so we made sure to hop over the border ever chance we had.

Lille Day trip 1 - Bruges

My parents, over for the weekend, were just as keen to get some waffles, so our first trip was to Bruges.  With one of the best preserved medieval centres in Europe, Bruges is not what you might call an undiscovered tourist destination. Still, when we arrived in the morning it was lovely and quiet, and uncharacteristically sunny for February.  “It’s like being in in Disneyland,” mum remarked  as we walked from our hire car to the centre.  

The streets were almost unnervingly clean and sterile. There was no rubbish, no houses looked out of place. The paving was beautifully maintained, and when we reached the grand place, the crowds also reached Disney levels. We stopped for a breakfast of chocolate covered waffles at restaurant on the main square, then got a boat ride ahead of the crowds.

We only queued for about fifteen minutes or so, and despite being jammed into the boat like a tin of sardines, it was really a highlight to travel through the city by canal.

After the boat ride, we spent a while perusing the shops, which mostly meant perusing chocolate shops. I know Belgium is famous for its chocolate, but the number of chocolate shops was completely ridiculous -  virtually every shop on some streets. Lunch was moules and frites, washed down with a Belgian beer of course.

After that we strolled the streets some more, making our way over to the other side of the town. Eventually we found ourselves at the Lake of Love, a large open lake at the edge of of the city centre which was historically used as a canal boat carpark. Unlike car carparks, it was another beautiful spot, bustling with horses and carts, tourists and vendors and an enormous number of swans.

We paused on a bridge over the canal, taking photos and admiring the view before turning our attention to a set of high gates at the end of the bridge. They were open, so we walked in to what we thought was a convent. Inside it was so quiet, it was like putting on noise-cancelling headphones. A collection of whitewashed cottages around a green where daffodils were just beginning to bloom.

This peaceful spot was not a convent  but a beguinage - a place where group of unmarried or widowed religious women lived together, founded in the 13th century.

We all agreed that between the moules, frites, beer, waffles, chocolate and canals rides, we had the most touristy Belgian day ever and, for or first foray into to Belgium, it was just perfect.

Lille Day Trip 2 - Ghent

As soon as we were tipped off by a tour guide in Lille that Ghent is the cooler, bigger sister of Bruges, we had to check it out. This time we took the coach. Like Bruges, Ghent also has a Beguinage, in fact it has three. It also has a castle, a fine art gallery, a museum of industry and probably many other things. We didn’t visit any of them.

Instead we just wandered around the canals and narrow streets exclaiming how pretty it was, and occasionally stopping for chocolate or a drink.

With around 70,000 students, Ghent had a much younger, cooler feel to it than Bruges. There are plenty of hip cafes and cocktail bars. It even has a graffiti alleyway.

However there are plenty of more traditional things to explore as well. One of our favourites was sampling some traditional liquor in a genever bar called 't Dreupelkot.

One benefit of visiting Ghent in winter, apart from the fact there are less tourists, is that when a night draws in, notable buildings in the city are lit up. I'm not sure it's worth spending the night to see, them, but the empty illuminated streets made for a lovely walk back to catch our coach.

Lille Day Trip 3 - Brussels

With Nicolas away for the weekend, and our time in Lille coming to an end, I decided to make one final trip to Belgium, this time to Brussels, only a forty minute train ride away.

If you take the right train…

My day got off to a horrible start when I got on the wrong train and found myself  heading to Charles de Gaule airport, directly away from Brussels. A couple of frustrating and expensive hours later (turns out high speed train tickets are not cheap if you buy them on the platform), I was in Brussels, my bad mood starting to lift at the prospect of exploring a new capital city.

Brussels feels much more lived in than Bruges or Ghent. There was lots of traffic, rubbish, market stalls, shops selling groceries, restaurants with all different types of cruises, all the usual trappings of a cosmopolitan city.

I started my exploration with the main square. You approach it through winding narrow streets, so stepping out into the open space is a surprise. It’s a massive open space, and offers a glimpse into the historic wealth of the city. The tall narrow buildings are edged with gold, and in the cobbled centre everything is going on. I saw people taking wedding photos, horses and carriages, guides offering “free” walking tours, visitors sipping Starbucks.  

After spending some time gawking, I headed off in another direction. I had read that Brussels has some lovely arcades and I wanted to check them out. The most impressive was the Saint-Hubert Royal Galleries. Built in 1847 , it was the first of it’s kind in Europe. It’s covered by an arched glass ceiling and full to the brim with chocolate shops and tea rooms.

Since it was almost Easter, the chocolate shops were full of eggs, and I couldn’t resist purchasing some, eventually settling on some Pralines from Neuhaus. This chocolatier is famed for inventing the sweet, but started out as a pharmacy - pralines were used as a way to disguise the taste of unpleasant medicines.

However, my favourite gallery was Galerie Bortier with its antique bookshops and art galleries. Almost deserted, it was perfect for perusing the boxes of books and pictures.     I also went to visit Brussels’s most famous statue, the Mannekin Pis, or peeing boy. Everything I had read about it said it was underwhelming, and I agree, the only thing impressive about it was the surrounding crowd.

After another lunch of frites and beer. I took a stroll up to the Parc de Brussels, in front of the Royal Palace. The park is pleasant but not particularly interesting, but the walk to get there has great views over the city.  

Finally, I finished my day in the neighbourhood of Marolles. This area has a giant flea market on a Sunday morning, but the rest of the time it’s still really interesting. Crammed with antique shops, vintage shops and trendy cafes and bars, I felt like I had discovered a slice of local life outside of the city centre.

We enjoyed our visits to Belgium but, just like when you eat an entire box of pralines in one go and feel a bit sick, we had had enough of it for a little while. Still, as surely as my chocolate cravings return with time, we'll soon be keen to go back and explore this small and interesting country.

Dunkirk is a very famous town if you’re British, because of the evacuation of almost 400,000 British, French and Belgium troops from there in World War Two. I studied it in school, and so I was very keen to go and see it, much to the surprise of Nicolas. Dunkirk doesn’t have a good reputation as an interesting place to visit in France. He heard it is ugly and there’s nothing to do there. We debated visiting for a few weeks and went on day trips elsewhere in the meantime. However, once we realized we were going to be in Lille on Dunkirk’s weirdest weekend, we decided we should check it out.

That weekend is Carnival. Dunkirk has one of the biggest Mardi Gras celebrations in France. Dunkirk is only 35 minutes by high speed train from Lille, or one hour if there are no high speed trains. We took an early train because we thought it would be busy. It was almost empty. The sky was grey as we sped through endless flat fields towards the coast. It started to drizzle, then to rain in earnest. I started to wonder if I had booked the wrong weekend and it wasn’t Carnival after all.

We were slightly reassured about that when we alighted onto the platform. Several bizarrely dressed revelers came out of the other carriages. They wore facepaint, flowery hats and jackets covered in badges, and carried tiny umbrellas attached to long poles. They seemed very excited about the day ahead.

We followed the costumes into the town centre. Seventy percent of Dunkirk was bombed during the war, and then in was mostly rebuilt in the fifties and sixties. You can tell. There is no denying that it’s ugly. Unlike the charming stone market towns elsewhere in the region, town centre is filled with mid-rise concrete apartment blocks. The town square has a particularly ugly tower block plonked in one corner. Unimpressed, with what we had seen so far we hunted for breakfast, then decided to head to the beaches and the museum about the evacuations, a mere twenty minute walk from the town centre.

It wasn’t a pleasant stroll. The rain increased and the wind picked up. Our umbrellas blew inside out and our feet were sodden.We walked past bars full of merry costumed dunkirkians, seeming immune to the weather. We decided they were probably used to it. We talked about sunny days on the beach in Barcelona.

After what seemed like an age, but was probably closer to half an hour, we arrived near the sand dunes where we thought the museum should be. It wasn’t there. There were no signs for it at all. It was blowing a gale and we wanted nothing more than to spend a couple of hours somewhere dry. Eventually, we went into an Arts centre by the beach and asked. To our dismay they told us the museum was under renovation and closed. We probably should have checked that in advance.

Well at least they couldn’t close the beaches, we reasoned, wrapping our scarves up even more tightly as we ventured onto the sand. I’m confident that in nice weather Dunkirk’s beach is a nice place. In the rain and wind though, it was less inviting. A huge flat expanse of sand went up the coast as far as the eye could see, into the murky grey. The sand and dunes were worn by the wind, and the near end of the beach was full of building work. We understood why the troops were so desperate to be evacuated from this place!

We beat a hasty retreat into the nearest warm building. That would be the Museum of Contemporarie Art. I’m not a huge fan of contemporary art. Mostly I just don’t get it, but as modern galleries go, this one wasn’t bad. It was in an unusual tiled building and was free because it was a Sunday.

After we had warmed up a bit and the rain had stopped, we set off back into the town centre for lunch. The whole place was bouncing at this point. All the bars had erected gazebos and had swarms of fully costumed party-goers buzzing around them.  My #1 Dunkirk carnival tip is to book a restaurant for lunch in advance. We didn’t, and we didn’t fancy waffles or chips from one of the food trucks because we wanted to be inside. Naturally every single restaurant was fully booked. It's probably their busiest weekend of the year.

Eventually we found a place a little out of the centre who squeezed us in. We were given carnival hats and happily sat in the warmth sipping on our beers. The owners were jovial and delighted when they discovered we had come to check out the carnival. They even gave us hats so we looked more festive.

Feeling much more cheery, after lunch, determined to get our culture fix, we visited into the Dunkirk Port Museum. This old warehouse is three stories all about the history of Dunkirk. It was excellent. Did you know Dunkirk used to be owned by the Spanish? And the British? And that at one point it was the third largest port in France.

It was amazing to see old plans of the town, which was once heavily fortified and now of course is gone forever. Dunkirk was involved in fishing, in trading with England, in the slave trade. Seven years before WWII, the town had finished a huge expansion to its harbour, but then it was so heavily bombed during the war that the allies didn’t even bother taking it back from the Germans until after they won.

The museum also explained why the carnival is such a huge even for the town. It dates back to the 17th century, when France had an agreement with Denmark, who owned Iceland at the time, which allowed them to go and fish for cod in Icelandic waters. Fishermen would go for six months on this perilous trip and return with barrels of salted cod to feed the nation. Some never came back. The night before they left, ship owners laid on a feast for the fisherman and their families and friends, and the whole town gave them a roaring sendoff.

Having stocked up on Dunkirk’s history, it was time to join the carnival. We headed back out the streets, now a press of thousands of revelers, drummers, drunks, and the occasional confused onlooker, and followed them into the town square. Here everybody faced the town hall and started to shout at the empty upstairs balcony, for herring! Sure enough, the mayor appeared and started throwing smoked herring to the crowd, who fought over them like they were €50 notes. And kept throwing them. Apparently every year 450kg of herring are thrown into the waiting crowd.

In case you’re curious, they are individually wrapped, so you don’t get covered in bits of smoked fish. Watching a city official lob plastic wrapped fish of the town hall balcony isn't something you see every day.  Naturally we looked up the origin of this particular tradition. There aren’t many details available, but when Nicolas eventually found an article in French, we realised why. The tradition has only been around since the 1960s. Other local towns have a similar tradition of throwing stuff off the balcony during carnival, so Dunkirk decided to implement its own fish throwing tradition. Clearly it was a roaring success!