Journal: living lightly as an insider-outsider.
Living lightly: you would wood, wouldn’t you?
I’ve just lit the wood-burning stove in my kitchen. It’s almost December, and we’ve had frosts on the ground for the past few mornings here in the Tarn, SW France. It’s not as straightforward as flicking on a radiator, and I often have to run to my woodshed in the...
Discovering Hidden Gems: Why Running Events Uncover What You’ve Missed
Campagnac has a population of around 150 and sits on the hill next to my village, Itzac. Its biggest claim to fame is that Judith Keppel, the first £1m winner on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, lived there. For those who don’t watch trashy UK TV programmes, it also has...
Rethinking the European tourist map for sustainability: why Central and Eastern Europe deserve more of the spotlight
Call it “geographical dissonance”, “cultural FOMO”, or “travel awareness gaps”, but I’m still mildly suffering from one of them after a two-week road trip which crossed Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. These last two countries are #43 and #44 on my ‘Visited List’, yet a...
Waking up in Postira: early morning magic in Brač, Croatia
Is ‘morning tourism’ a thing? My phone registered a first photo at 6:31 am. The 500m, early-light walk from our flat down to the sea front in the quiet fishing village of Postira was paused every few metres to allow our eyes to take in the view across the Splitski...
Vauban: UNESCO La Citadelle de Blaye
An abortive trip to Blaye to find the landing spot of the two remaining British SBS men who took part in Operation Frankton in 1942 brought us very briefly to this pretty French town on the Gironde estuary on France’s Atlantic coast, just north of Bordeaux....
Fighting against tyranny in SW France during WW2
May 8th is Victory in Europe (VE) Day. In France, as every year, it is a public holiday—a day when ceremonies are held across the country to remember those who died during World War 2 (1939-1945). In Paris, President Macron will lead a ceremony to honour those who...
Les Bassins des Lumières — art in a submarine base in Bordeaux
In Bacalan, an industrial area of Bordeaux, the grey, rundown exterior of a German-built submarine base does not ignite high artistic expectations of what is to be found on the inside. But never judge an exhibition by its external concrete walls. Klimt: Gold and...
Grapepicking in the Gaillac vineyards
Some friends of mine, Marine and Eric, are winemakers. They began producing over 5 years ago having bought five hectares of vines just up the road on the hillsides of Andillac where her label, La Vignereuse, was born. The brand produces around 19,000 bottles every...