BLOG: A Conscious Way to Travel
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CANAL SAINT-MARTIN, Paris
Two years had gone by since my last visit to Early June, a friendly buvette, or little restaurant, a few steps away from the Canal Saint-Martin, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. I had legged it across town, driven by the fear that Early June’s no-booking policy… -
Tasting menu CENTRAL, LIMA: 2015/23
I flew across an ocean and a hemisphere to eat at Central in the Lima district of Barranco and to meet the world-famous chef Virgilio Martínez. That was in 2016, some seven years before it was named the World’s Best Restaurant in 2023. Travelling with a purpose enriches rather… -
Keeping cool in FLORENCE: Jun 2023
Florentines avoid the historic centre of the Tuscan capital at every turn. Instead, they go round the city rather than through it. “Too many tourists” is the unanimous cry. English is the lingua franca in the historic centre. When I asked for a restaurant menu in Italian, I was asked… -
MADRID neighbourhoods: Jan 23
Local still reigns in Madrid, the capital of Spain. It’s a relatively small city made up of neighbourhoods, or barrios, each with its own, distinct vibe. It’s also a city to be walked, and if not, there’s always the metro. Perched on an arid plain 700 metres above… -
A day in SUZHOU: Apr 2019
I made the 110km journey from Shanghai to the city of Suzhou in 25 minutes. China’s high-speed trains are a marvel. As British poet John Betjeman wrote: “Trains are made for meditation.” Betjeman was writing in 1940, in the age of steam, but that meditative effect of trains lives on…… -
Hindu wedding in Mauritius: 2017
I went to Mauritius for a wedding in July 2017. A family wedding held in the middle of a tropical forest near the town of Flic en Flac, on the west coast of the island – the coast where you can see the sun setting over the Indian Ocean…