I went to Prague on a Christmas Market shopping trip, and stayed in a hotel on the outskirts, it’s easy to get around on the metro. The weather was cold and dry, no snow unfortunately as that would have added to the festive atmosphere.The cobbled streets of the old town were filled with wooden market stalls selling traditional Christmas gifts and decorations, hand-painted glass baubles and carved wooden toys. My favourites however were the stalls selling hot glühwein?, and freshly baked sugary dough spirals called Trdlo.I went into the fascinating library in the Klementinum and climbed the 172 steep steps in the Astronomical Tower, well worth the effort for stunning views over the city. From the gallery I took a photo of the Tyn Church, in my opinion the most beautiful building I have ever seen. It's many black spires have windows all the way up them which are illuminated at night, truly stunning.The Charles Bridge over the River Vltava is worth crossing to see the statues that are along both sides, and near one end of the bridge is a museum of torture instruments, although I can't comment if it is worth visiting as I drew the line at ...

Barcelona smells like salt. Perhaps it is due to the city’s close proximity to the ocean, but I believe it has more to do with the legs of meat, which decorate every street stall and market window. La Boqueria is no exception; in fact, La Boqueria may be the rule as far as marketplaces are concerned. In one of Europe’s oldest public marketplaces, food marries art at this one-of-kind Barcelona tourist attractions. Cleverly separated into departments, one still requires more than the requisite eyes and ears to digest this heady scene. I was first met by the fresh produce that winks and radiates and all but bats its eyelashes in Barcelona’s golden evening light. Shapely avocados packed like lightbulbs orbited sweet, syrupy melons the size of small planets while nearby a neon-pink fruit leaked its insides into a pan for collection. My musings on how to successfully smuggle fresh fruit onto an international flight were interrupted by my nose as I confronted the nuts and spices. Suddenly I was in the midst of a rich landscape of perfect pyramids of cinnamon and cardamom, tarragon and cayenne, which remained undisturbed despite La Boqueria's constant foot traffic. The sun-burned palette of brick red, earthy ...

The bus drew to a halt and wearily I opened my eyes to catch my first glimpse of San Francisco: an uninspiring view of a crowded bus station. The two weeks I had spent hiking in Yosemite and Sequoia national parks were already distant memories. I wished I could get straight on a plane and back home. But instead I had eleven hours to kill: eleven hours in the city. I had to at least see the Golden Gate Bridge, I told myself. It was 8am as I trekked through the financial district amidst a sea of designer suits and take-away coffees. The long hours I had to fill were an alien concept to the people marching by. I reached Union Square where a different kind of traveller ate breakfast in five star hotels. Moving quickly on, with my rucksack weighing heavily on my shoulders I followed the quaint tram up Powell Street. Now the expensive designer suits were far away. Golden archways welcomed me into a colourful world of dragons, laughing buddhas and waving ornamental cats. Signs for dim sum, noodles and acupuncture filled every possible space. Crossing a few streets I was transported round the world to Italy. The smell of ...

It's the perfect city to explore with the added bonus of being the gateway to California's amazing coastline. It's been twenty years since I last visited and then I was newly pregnant with my first daughter, so it has particularly special significance. We stayed with friends who showed us parts of the city that tourists might miss, such as the boutiques and markets. Of course, there are tourist experiences that one cannot pass up, such as taking a boat to Alcatraz. Interestingly, the boat trip over to the island prison didn't make me queasy, but the damp, stark and slightly sinister atmosphere inside the walls left me uncomfortably breathless. I expected to see Burt Lancaster hugging the window bars at every turn! Back on terra firma, I found myself happily lolling in cafe bars and drinking in the bustling people and the view, or simply mooching about. San Francisco is a big vibrant city, but unlike New York I didn't feel that fast-paced urgency. It's a place where it's OK to go at your own speed. Our greatest discovery was Fisherman's Wharf and the best clam chowder I have ever had. The area still serves as a fishing port and my morning ...

Should I could return to Rome tomorrow, I hope I would do all the things I glimpsed the first time round but was to busy being a ‘tourist’ to appreciate, or experience. Sure, I can say I’ve marvelled at the Coliseum. I’ve stared up into the oculus of the Pantheon, posed on the Spanish Steps and got sunburnt standing in a queue for the Vatican. I have got the pictures. But I have not really got Rome. For starters, I would have to slow myself down by a margin of about 50%. For all the hustle and bustle of Roman streets, no one is really hurrying. The Italians are adept at a certain type of contained energy that looks like a lot’s happening when really all that’s being discussed is where the next ristretto is coming from. If I am to learn to enjoy laid back Rome, I’m going to have to go native. To which end, after an early start wondering at the sights and smells of the Campo Fiori, buying string bags heavy with luscious lemons and oranges, their skin still dusty with that morning’s bloom, I would have coffee at Sant’Eustachio and fight my way to the counter to ...

Dear me at 15,Please let mum and dad take your photo outside Big Ben. You are prettier than you think, and you will regret those empty pages in your holiday albums when you are older. And please get out of Topshop on Oxford Street. You have spent the past three days swooning over the same camisoles and t-bar heels, when revolving outside the door is a city that will continue to define your life.You will spend this afternoon trawling behind your parents at the Tate Modern. Only when you get to Andy Warhol's canvas of Marilyn Monroe on level five, will you stop moping and become mesmerised. Why? Because of her fame. Because she seemed so happy in the spotlight, while you are still too scared to tiptoe away from the darkness. So this will please you, your next big trip to London will be in four years, interning at the fashion and beauty department of a celebrity magazine. Through the glass facade of your sky-scraping office, you will see the London skyline slip across the grey Thames, from the Gherkin to the Westminster. Just like you saw yesterday, trapped in a dome on the London Eye. But you ...

Czech This Beautiful City Out!We had booked a 4-day city break staying 3 nights at a 4 star Superior Hotel in Prague – and what a fabulous way for an introduction to this beautiful city. Ideally situated, our hotel was just a few steps away from the Municipal House and a short walk to Wenceslas Square, the Old Town Square and Charles Bridge.Prague offers something for everyone with its wide variety of entertainment, galleries, theatres, pubs and restaurants. It’s a city full of rich opulence with an epic history and the cityscape is simply quite stunning. It’s known as ‘the city of 100 spires’. Having over 4000 monuments and 150 places of interests, it was just so difficult to decide how best to spend our time here. The choice was endless so we picked out the most popular sights and decided to go with the flow. We figured the best place to start was Wenceslas Square, one of the two main squares in the city, and one, which offers easy access to all of Prague’s sights and attractions. The square is a vibrant 750 meter-long x 60 meter-wide boulevard that comfortably holds up to 400,000 people. Over the years, ...

There are hundreds of museums and thousands of restaurants in London. But to get a true taste of London, go to Borough Market. Touted as the largest food market in the world and present since the 13th century, it is a cacophony of sights and sounds that cannot be far off from medieval. The market is tucked away around the corner from London Bridge tube station and for all its rambling size, could be easily missed.Stepping into the market is an immediate assault on my senses. The crush of people, the shouted sales pitches, the offers of tasters and the maze of choice and colour all combine to leave me feeling simultaneously overwhelmed and delighted. In fact, it reminds me of being on a roller coaster but one made of moving, tugging, pulling people. Clutching my bag tightly, I let the human wave steer me to a store selling everything French. I’m intrigued by the cans of goose fat which jostle with bunches of lavender for attention. Next is the beer store with far-flung brews. Across the way I spy a butcher with everything from English pork pies to South African boerewors. In front looms three massive dishes, big enough ...

Quite simply because it is a magical city and the six weeks I spent here in the summer of 2009 were the best ones in my life! Where else would you find roads resembling small hills with a beautiful bay on one side and majestic mountains on the other, trees (giant sequoias) higher than the skyscrapers in the business district and of course the most famous gay parade in the world? For me personally it was a coming of age trip. I was 18 and travelling alone for the first time, to a country miles away from home (India). It was an eye-opening experience. Some memories that will forever remain etched in my mind : Hiking Half Dome, Yosemite National Park A weekend in the beautiful Yosemite national park was the highlight of my trip. A three hour journey by road from the Centre of San Francisco with four others and all of us from different countries! The night sky was magnificent, covered with millions of stars. The Milky Way could also be seen clearly. The hike to the top of Half Dome though long (10 hours) and arduous, was definitely worth the effort. The view from the top was spectacular to ...

With an aversion to making plans, I tend to arrive in a new city unaware of how long I will be staying. My recent trip to San Francisco offers no exception. Not long after I arrived, I began to notice how transient the city appeared to be. In hindsight, I put this early observation down to booking into a youth hostel, where the average length of stay was three nights. In such surroundings, I felt a slight pressure to follow suit and ‘do’ the city quickly and then move onto the next. In truth, when it comes to discovering a new city, I’m more three months than three days. I like to live in a city, become comfortable with a routine and leave, just as the routine becomes too familiar and tedious. I like to sample a selection of coffee shops, weigh up their good and bad points and then, after much deliberation, offer one of them the prestigious title, ‘My Favourite’. I like to sit in said coffee shop and sip my chai latte, whilst watching familiar faces wander by. I like to know the city without a map or guidebook. I like to get to know its people, as ...