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Visiting the Traditional Shepherd Settlement at Velika Planina in the Kamnik Alps, Slovenia
We visited some incredible places whilst we were in Slovenia, but this was far and away my favourite. I’m not sure exactly why – maybe it was the breathtaking views, maybe it was the fact that we seemed to have the place virtually to ourselves or maybe it was the glimpse it afforded us into a simpler way of life – but it really had some magic about it that I loved. We felt privileged to be there and in awe of the beauty and peacefulness of the place. It was very special. Velika Planina Velika Planina literally means ‘big mountain’ and the name refers to a large alpine plateau…
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The Allure of Cinque Terre
For a long time, the name Cinque Terre has conjured up romantic images in my mind of a timeless Italian coastline. And I am not alone – it is often featured in magazines, on websites and in many a Sunday newspaper travel section. It is significant enough for the Lonely Planet to dedicate a whole section of its Italy travel guide to it. But what is it? And why do people flock here in droves? Cinque Terre (Five Lands) is actually five villages all strung out along a rugged stretch of Ligurian coastline, south of Genoa and north of Pisa. Here colourful houses cling impossibly to the cliffs and cascade…
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Remembering Loved Ones in Beautiful Liguria
It was magical standing on deck as the port and town of Genoa came into view: the sun just peeked through the clouds to cast an enchanting glow on the pastel coloured buildings and the excitement of a new country with all its tastes, smells, architecture and history ran through me and swelled my heart. And at that point, I understood a truth: I had enjoyed our time in Spain, but I really LOVE Italy! In 2014 we were lucky enough to spend a month touring this wonderful country and it was fabulous to be back! With romantic music playing in my head and dreams of delicious ice cream on…
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Cimbarra Waterfall Walk
We are now on the move north from Granada towards Madrid. We stopped en route in a place called Santa Elena, which is in the Despeñaperros Natural Park. There are lots of lovely walks around here, but the one with probably the most rewarding views is the walk to the Cimbarra waterfall. There were two possible routes to get there from our campsite, one of which was twice as long as the other (60km as opposed to 29km). We opted for the shorter route, along the J-6110/A-6200, but it turned out to be a very slow drive with many switchbacks. The road was also quite narrow with a steep drop…
