Travel Stuff
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The Next Big Thing
If you’ve ever seen the TV show Nashville you probably imagine the country music scene to be a cross between Fame, Glee and Desperate Housewives. And as someone who knows as little about country as I do, it may seem an odd choice to be attending Tin Pan South, the annual songwriter’s festival. But the…
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A Date With Death
Everyone knows that they do funerals with style in New Orleans. The jazz cortège leading a parade through the street and all the showbiz that goes with it. And they may be gone, but they’re certainly not forgotten, as illustrated by the elaborate headstones in Lafitte Cemetery. Some of these memorials aren’t that old, but…
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D-Day, Popeye and Satchmo
Louisiana, and in particular New Orleans, might not seem the obvious place to locate America’s National World War 2 Musuem, but there’s a good reason for it. The D-Day landing craft – known as the Higgins Boats – were designed, built and tested here. So it’s little surprise to see one taking pride of place…
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Keeping It Real
The word authentic is often overused, especially in big tourist destinations. Businesses vie for a claim to be the “original”, the “first” or the “unique” and rarely are. So to search for the “authentic” side of New Orleans, breakfast is a good place to start. And the often overlooked humble beignet. Think of a doughnut…
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Bonjour, Frenchman Street
On a corner of Frenchman Street is the reason I keep coming back to New Orleans. A live jazz band is in full swing, drawing a large crowd and generally blocking the traffic. But the cab drivers don’t react by honking their horns or shouting at them to get out the way. This is everyday…
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My favourite price : Free
Whichever way you look at it, Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 is a wonder of modern day design. It wasn’t always thus : its opening was notoriously hit by technical problems. But today, from the moment you step off any form of public transport, it’s a well organised building, easy to navigate and – as there…
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Welcome Home!
“Don’t ever become old and boring, Kev. See the world.” I like Tim. I’ve known him for about 10 years and we share a love of beer and travel. Yet he seemed perplexed when I said I was going to New Orleans for a third time, followed by Nashville and New York for a second…
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Grand Designs
A good holiday should start with a memorable departure. The grandeur of St Pancras station in London never ceases to impress me : you actually feel like you’re in a a city which takes pride of itself. It wants you to get a good impression whether you’re saying hello or goodbye. And by the time…
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Funking Cold Mdina
It’s Saturday, and very nearly time for a riotous cavalcade of song. Or, to most casual observers, an upmarket sort of karaoke. But first, a trip to the historic walled city of Mdina. It’s busy today, with plenty of tourists and unusually for this place, a few cars too. The narrow streets are filled with…
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Gozo a Go Go
There’s much more to Malta than just Malta. Like its smaller, and in many ways, better looking sister, Gozo. That probably sounds wrong on some levels – but you can’t deny the view on arrival by ferry. Getting this far is a relatively easy task, thanks to a direct bus from Sliema, just down the…
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