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A Dash of Dijon | Solange Hando | France, Bourgogne, Dijon
When in Dijon, do as the locals do and whenever you walk past the church of Our Lady, be sure to touch the little stone owl clinging to the wall, worn smoothed by centuries of loving care
A taste of real Spain | Solange Hando
The coast held us spellbound, from the pretty bay of Aguilas gathered around its fishing boats and hilltop castle to the vast salt lake of the Mar Menor, the ‘little sea’ hanging like a necklace on the south eastern tip of the province
Aix les Bains | Solange Hando | France, Rhone Valley, Aix les Bains
All around, the old town is a maze of stepped alleyways and cobbled lanes festooned with flowers and wrought-iron balconies. There are turrets and dormer windows, potted palms and fountains, a bandstand, a château turned townhall and a covered market fragrant with saucisson and cheese
Algarve Uncovered | Solange Hando | Portugal, Algarve, Algarve
Long ago in the Algarve, says the legend, a Nordic princess pined for her frozen homeland until her husband, the King of the Moors, planted thousands of almond trees
Bali: Island of the Gods | Solange Hando | Indonesia, Nusa Tenggara/ Southeast Islands, Bali
In the walled villages, women weave the mysterious double ikat cloth. They learnt the skill from a goddess, explains an elder, and every thread has magic powers
Bhutan Arts and Crafts | Solange Hando | Bhutan, Bhutan, Paro
Murals embellish every temple and shrine but act above all as teaching tools and aids to meditation, depicting the Wheel of Life and gurus and gods, according to rules prescribed in ancient texts
Bhutan: kingdom of temples and traditions | Solange Hando
The high Himalayas rose in the distance and we felt on top of the world, reluctant to leave, though Punakha beckoned, in a lush tropical valley where crickets sang in golden chir pines and bottle brush and marigolds bloomed at the roadside
Bodrum Bound | Solange Hando | Turkey, Aegean (Bodrum Peninsula), Bodrum
Remember Cleopatra? Her beauty and eternal youth? At Pamukkale you can bathe in the very pool where the Queen of Egypt discovered the secret of the legendary thermal waters
Brussels and Strasbourg | Solange Hando | Belgium, Brussels and around, Brussels
The old Guildhouses dazzle with gables and turrets, arcades and colonnades but the Townhall steals the show, a 15th century extravaganza topped by a slightly crooked belfry
Call of the Caribbean | Solange Hando | Grenada, Grenada Island, St George's
Nestling on the west coast of this exotic English-speaking island, the town is all pastel houses and quaint colonial dwellings clinging to steep volcanic slopes, among lush greenery and palm trees silhouetted against the blue sky
Cesar's Palaces | Solange Hando | Spain, Canary Islands, Lanzarote
Built by workers on the brink of starvation after the 18th-century eruptions, the old ‘Fortress of Hunger’ was described by Queen Sofia of Spain as ‘one of the finest modern art galleries’ she had ever seen
Finistère: Land of legends | Solange Hando | France, Brittany, Brest
On this most northerly point, the Celtic monk St Pol defeated the dragon to become one of Brittany’s founding saints
Four Seasons Hong Kong | Solange Hando | China, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Taichi sessions are available twice a week, adding to the fusion of East and West reflected throughout the hotel
Grenada | Solange Hando | Grenada, Grenada Island, St George's
Grenada was keeping her promise, blue sea, pristine beaches, emerald hills and the scent of tropical blooms and spices lingering in the air
High Tea | Solange Hando | Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Hills, Nuwara Eliya
Dawn is breaking over the hills, ridge after ridge unfolding through the mist towards the horizon
India's Southern Hills | Solange Hando
Up there in the hills, the tea pickers start work soon after dawn, women in bright saris plucking only tender buds and top two leaves for best quality, tossing them dexterously into the baskets strapped to their back
Isle of Man | Solange Hando | United Kingdom, Isle of Man, Douglas
Settled by the Celts and later the Vikings, fought over by Norway, Scotland and England, this self-governing nation claims the world’s longest running Parliament; new laws are still proclaimed once a year on the Tynwald Hill
Kent for Kids | Solange Hando | United Kingdom, South East England, Kent
Land of the Spirits | Solange Hando
Children ride on mud-caked buffaloes, in scenes from another age, and women in conical hats walk to market, balancing their wares on shoulder poles
Land of the Wild Olive Trees | Solange Hando
The villages are full of surprises: a luminous Sardinian mural in Villagrande, a hundred goats taking over the streets, the narrow lanes of Jerzu mabove vineyards and mandarin groves
Le Week-End Biarritz | Solange Hando | France, Pays Basque, Biarritz
From the gleaming lighthouse on St Martin’s Point to the romantic Virgin’s Rock and beyond, the bay unfolds like a dream, six kilometres of sandy beaches framed by lush cliffs
Lorraine: Undiscovered France | Solange Hando
In Lorraine, summers are for rambling through hills and forests, or sailing on rivers, canals and lakes, winters are for skiing on mountain slopes and sharing the magic of a Christmas market festooned in lights, selling mulled wine and hot chestnuts and all sorts of local craft
Marseille | Solange Hando | France, Provence, Marseille
Pagnol, Pétanque and Pastis, the three ‘P’s, are the hallmarks of Marseille but not her only claim to fame. Founded by Greeks from Phocea in 600BC, it’s the oldest city in France
The heart of the old town continues to beat, almost undisturbed, around St Stephen’s cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece of honey-coloured stone, graced by a 42 metre high nave and more stained glass than any other church in France
One Sunday a month, the Grande Rue takes on a festive air as the flea market spreads its colourful wares from palace to gate. Cuckoo clocks and old photo albums jostle with faded paintings, electric fans, dentist chairs, china, prayer books, oriental carpets and more
Northern Bavaria | Solange Hando | Germany, Bavaria, Nuremberg
It invented the thimble, the clarinet and the lathe, saw the launch of the first German train and was home to artist Albrecht Dürer and the Master Singers immortalised by Wagner
Petra | Solange Hando | Jordan, Petra, Petra
Then there are strange whispers and fleeting shadows, dark-eyed children selling ‘Nabataean pottery’ and Bedouin jewellery, small oases where you can rest in the shade and even a nomad tent high up on a hill
In the mountains or on the coast, ancient crafts continue to reflect the Sardinian identity, from lace and embroidery to pottery, jewellery, woodcarving or weaving blankets or rugs
Sicily: Culture and style | Solange Hando
Clinging to the cliff among exotic palms and cypress trees, Taormina seduces at first sight, its elegant Corso gleaming with silverware and chandeliers, diamonds and gold, antiques and designer clothes
Sunshine Island | Solange Hando | Spain, Canary Islands, Gran Canaria
If the old town is a quiet maze meandering in shades of lemon and cream, the new city is a bustling hive, all boutiques and gold shops and pastel-coloured façades topped with turrets and domes like an iced cake
The Colours of Rajasthan | Solange Hando
‘Good horn, good brake, good luck. You come?’ The driver grins, the garlands sway and we hop aboard the glittering three-wheeler taxi, ready to explore the town local-style
The Land of Light | Solange Hando | Turkey, Aegean (Bodrum Peninsula), Fethiye
Fethiye is a real Turkish city with minarets bristling above the palm trees and a colourful bazaar where water pipes bubble in the lanes and under the vine-trellises, ceramics and ‘blue eye’ charms mingle with carpets and table cloths, ‘sweat free’ cotton shirts, leather bags, belly dancers outfits, spices and apple tea
The Thunder Dragon | Solange Hando | Bhutan, Bhutan, Paro
In this tiny Himalayan kingdom tucked between India and Tibet, modern developments have made a cautious appearance but success is still measured in ‘gross national happiness’
Trek to Rigsum Gompa | Solange Hando | Bhutan, Bhutan, Paro
Our trek started in Tashiyangtse, a pretty town in Eastern Bhutan, tucked in a remote valley where rice terraces glow green and gold on the slopes and prayer wheels tinkle crystal clear above the rushing river
Walking on Madeira | Solange Hando | Portugal, Madeira, Madeira
The track was barely half a metre wide at times but there was a handrail in the most precarious spots and a few tunnels, vertigo free though even the smallest among us had to crouch to stay clear of the roof
Winchester | Solange Hando | United Kingdom, South West England, Hampshire
Keats was just 23 when he came to Winchester but his daily walks along the river inspired one of his finest poems: "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness..."