Alhambra classical guitars are synonymous with quality and highly regarded throughout the world. The path to success has been an interesting one as the company was founded almost by chance and nearly failed shortly after being established. Today the company is a great success producing beautiful, traditionally hand crafted instruments in Spain, fashioned from quality woods from round the world but the road to success was a rocky one. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: August 2013
Why Go Shopping on Holiday?
Speaking as someone whose ideal holiday is a getaway in the mountains with no crowds and wonderful scenery I am shocked to find that for many people it is shopping that tops the list of things to do whilst away. Despite the global recession many travellers can’t wait to part with their cash on a trip to the shops and I find this astonishing! For me shopping is a generally a chore especially as these days most high streets and malls have exactly the same brands on offer and are largely interchangeable but it would appear that I am an exception. Continue reading
Traditional Spanish Dress
Every country has their distinctive national dress – just think of Scotland and you think of kilts and tartan, and lederhosen couldn’t be associated with anywhere other than Austria and Germany. When it comes to Spain, we all think we know exactly what the Spanish national costume is, right? In fact, Spain is a very diverse country, and the swirling red and black skirts and castanets are only traditional in a very small part of it. Continue reading
Books or E-Readers – Which are Best?
I was one of those people who took one look at e-readers and immediately decided that I didn’t want one. I liked the look and feel of a paper book and had a stockpile of titles which I had yet to read. I didn’t think that using one of the new devices would be an experience I would enjoy and I had no intention of ever bothering with them. I was then forced to reassess the situation when I waged by annual war with my holiday luggage and yet again found myself with too little room to take the number of books I needed. Suddenly an e-reader was looking like an attractive proposition and I was lucky enough to receive one for my Birthday. Continue reading
The British Hotel Experience
I don’t know if it is my imagination but there seems to me to be very little consistency in the standards at British hotels. Unless you do your research you don’t know if you are going to get a lovely bright modern room or a time warp, a sizeable space or a shoe box and the prices don’t necessarily reflect the quality of the establishment. I have never stumbled across a nasty room in America nor leaking taps, malfunctioning showers and crumbling furniture but in Britain it is a very different story. Continue reading
A Self Sufficient Lifestyle in Slovenia
On my recent trips to Slovenia I have found many things to admire about this small country. This is a nation with an embarrassment of natural riches including glorious mountain scenery, crystal clear rivers and unspoilt forests. There are also many pretty historic towns and villages to explore but one of the most impressive things about this lovely country is the level of self-sufficiency many of the people still manage to maintain. Continue reading
What’s Happening In Bovec?
There aren’t many places in Europe where you can take a skiing holiday on a budget without some sort of compromise in terms of the quality of the snow and the resort. Until 2013 Bovec in Slovenia was a fabulous choice with low prices, a pleasant town, great snow and wonderful scenery but all that changed in an instant and now the resort sits dormant waiting for someone to rescue the situation. Continue reading
Completing the 50 States
Since I first set foot in America I have been gripped by the need to visit all of the United States. I want to be able to say that I have had at least one foot in each of the 50 states but I haven’t the faintest clue why I want to do this. I know for a fact that there are several places on the list that I have no real interest in and I haven’t met so much as one American who feels the need to visit every corner of his own country so why do I? One thing is perfectly clear, though. If I am going to achieve my ambition I need to get on with it sharpish because I am running out of time. Continue reading