Europe
Britain’s history has never unfolded in isolation. Across Europe, ideas, people, dynasties, trade, religion, war and artistic movements repeatedly crossed borders and the Channel, leaving their mark on both sides.
Palaces and castles reveal the ambitions of rulers; churches and cities record changing beliefs and institutions; gardens, houses and landscapes show how tastes and ways of living travelled and evolved. From France and Italy to Germany and beyond, these places provide the wider setting for many of the stories explored throughout Entertablement Abroad.
Explore the places that connect Britain to the broader story of European civilization.
Herculaneum
Visting Herculaneum was one of the highlights of our recent cruise to Croatia, Montenegro, and Italy. Remember when people went on cruises and emerged unscathed, having actually...
A Travel Taste Test
Greetings, dear readers! We are once again under our own roof and happily in reach of wireless services. Thanks to everyone for their good wishes on our journey. My trepidation about the...
The Palace of Fontainebleau
We had been extremely lucky with the warm temperatures in April, but our weather- luck deserted us as we travelled the 34 miles from Paris to the Palace of Fontainebleau by train. It...
Paris in the Spring
Just a whiff of warmer weather and the piles of snow are rapidly shrinking. Water is splashing down the gutters in a happy symphony of gurgles. Yesterday the Groundhog predicted an early...
Alhambra
After leaving Toledo, we made our way south towards Granada. Destination: Alhambra, a fortress and palace of breathtaking exterior austerity and interior intricacy. We stayed at the...
The Loire Valley
The Loire Valley is utterly gorgeous in the spring - abundant lilacs, colourful bulbs and tumbling wisteria. I've done a quick recap of some of my favourite spots from our trip a...
Toledo Cathedral Part II
The cloisters are on the north side of the cathedral, upon the site of the old Jewish Commercial District. As I mentioned in the previous blog, the doors of the cathedral used to stand...
Toledo
Our next destination was Granada, and we decided to stop at Toledo on the way down. As it was to be a short visit, we headed straight for the cathedral after parking the car. We...
Madrid
Full confession: I'm not very keen on Madrid. Maybe it was the weather (cold, blustery and rainy), maybe it was the recovery from jet lag (it was our first stop), and maybe it was...
Aix en Provence
The final leg of our journey took us down to Aix en Provence, where we rented a very comfortable two bedroom apartment, within easy walking distance of all the sights. We had been...
Chateau de Beynac & Chateau de Castlenaud
We had been awash in elegant chateaux in the Loire valley, and were interested to see that the ones in the Dordogne region were much more austere. Built in the middle ages, their purpose...
Sarlat
The following day we set out for Sarlat, in the Dordogne. Loading the luggage into the car, we bid farewell to the wonderful staff at Hotel de Minimes and settled in for the drive. The...