Six of the best: hotel openings in 2014
The Shard, London. Soon to be home to Britain’s first Shangri-La hotel. It’s that time of year again, when the wrap-ups are wrapped, the forecasts are cast and we all […]
NOTEBOOK
Canter past Patagonian icefields. Sail the tranquil waters of Lake Como in Italy. Sip coffee in a Palestinian village. Listen to the ancient voices of Australia’s Arnhem Land. Climb the mountain paths of northern Albania. Let’s go!
20 reasons to visit Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo classic: The historic Galle Face Hotel. Photo: Getty Images 1 PETTAH Brave the streets of Pettah to pick up everything from fabrics and fruit to watches and wedding invitations. […]
Bill Clinton, Norwegian chess and the depths of the polar night: on the Hurtigruten
The view from the Panorama Lounge on decks 8 and 9, MS Midnatsol. This morning was spent eavesdropping on two old fellas from San Diego: from taking photos with Bill […]
Catching the light fantastic: the Northern Lights in Norway
The view from deck 9, MS Midnatsol. Photo: Belinda Jackson I have seen the light! The Northern Lights! That shimmering curtain of luminescent green that cloaks the Arctic Circle in […]
Norway asks: what does the fox say? ‘Brrrrrr.’
The new Astrup Fearnely museum, by too-hot architect Renzo Piano. “I hear it’s a bit of a backwater,” says an unnamed expat living in Sweden, looking across at neighbouring Norway. […]
I shopped the world’s largest IKEA and survived: Stockholm icons
This is not IKEA, this is Nybrokajen, one of Stockholm’s beautiful waterfront streets. Far more picturesque. Photo: Belinda Jackson. It’s been pretty wet here in Stockholm. I’ve traded Cairo’s sun […]
52 Weekends Away: food and wine in Gippsland
Temptation personified. Photo: Belinda Jackson On a break from Cairo, here’s a little number from beautiful East Gippsland. If you’re in that neck of the woods (think Lakes Entrance way), […]
Sign of the times at the pointy end of Egyptian tourism
Photo: Belinda Jackson The first time I visited the Pyramids, I went through the front door with several hundred other foreigners, all lining up for a photo of ‘kissing’ the […]
Abu Simbel’s time to shine: Egyptian antiquities
At the feet of the gods, Abu Simbel, Egypt. Photo: Belinda Jackson. There’s a lot of change going on in Cairo at the moment, but some things, thankfully, remain the […]
Petting lions and paddling in the Med: a day in Egypt
A day spent swimming and patting lion cubs: in all, an excellent day in Egypt. Apologies for the silence, I’ve been offline up on Egypt’s north coast, where I had […]