Category Archives: Travel tales

HAVING introduced himself, the young man sent to teach us how to operate the 12m-long motorboat we’d hired to cruise the canals between Digoin and Châtillon en Bazois in Burgundy, asked if he could speak French because his English “iz … Continue reading →

I’ve been home from the Mediterranean for a few weeks and I’ve answered countless questions from friends, family and colleagues about my cruise on the Crystal Serenity. Here are a couple of the more frequently asked questions and my answers. … Continue reading →

On Saturday 1 October 2011, I arrived in Venice to board the Crystal Serenity for a 12 day cruise of the Mediterranean. I am posting the most recent notes first so, if you haven’t read the earlier posts, scroll down … Continue reading →

DID you hear about the 51-year-old who, while forking a fondue in Switzerland, had a heart attack and was dealt a R1,4-million medical bill before he was stable enough to travel home? Or about the Johannesburger who went under the … Continue reading →

IT’S easy, I confess, to be a voyeur in Amsterdam – and not just in the Red Light District. Stroll through any of the old residential areas of the city and – perhaps this is more remarkable to those of … Continue reading →

IT should be at least slightly embarrassing, I guess, to admit that I discovered the marvelous medieval city of Bruges in the Belgian province of West-Flanders by chance during a trip from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands, via France. … Continue reading →

I wrote this article for The Weekender in 2007 and was reminded of it yesterday, when, while playing squash, I wrecked the ligaments in the same knee I refer to in this story. Ski-ing or squash, my knee, it seems, … Continue reading →

HE watches me lug my suitcase to the car with doleful, Disney-puppy eyes. The reproach is unmistakable: “You’re leaving me.” Uneasy, I glance back again. Is it possible he knows something more? Has he read my notes or overheard recent … Continue reading →

LEGEND has it that on particularly misty but moonlit nights you can hear his whistle – distinctive, yet tune unknown – above the ridiculous rattle of his ancient, pale blue Toyota Stallion bakkie as he clatters down the pot-holed gravel … Continue reading →

IT was consoling to read recently that research, conducted by Marks & Spencer Financial Services in the United Kingdom, found that more than 40% of women are guilty over-packing for travel. I assume then, I am not alone when I … Continue reading →