“A warm orange sun burned through the haze that diffused the Doi Suthep mountains and, instinctively, I heard the theme to ‘Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence’ in my head – until I realised it was coming from the stereo in the bar behind me.” Larry begins an odyssey across Thailand…
I’ll say one thing for Penhaligon’s, they certainly know how to name a scent. Not…
From the Algarve through Alentejo, up to Porto and the Douro valley, we conclude our journey across Portugal as Larry arrives just outside the capital, Lisbon, from an invitation On Her Majesty’s Secret Service…
“Liverpool’s heritage was evident the minute we stepped out of Lime Street station and caught sight of St George’s Hall, standing proud, like a Victorian Parthenon.” Larry ventures north for music, majesty and mayhem…
As Gabrielle headed west to Fifteen in Watergate Bay, Larry ventures further along the coast, to St Ives, for a weekend in what he thinks is a classic Cornish cottage…
With festivals of all kinds now two-a-penny during the summer, Larry previews one that’s avoiding the rush and taking things (and books) at its own pace…
“I much prefer it to Carmen,” I heard the lady in front of me say as we left the auditorium. I think so, too. Of Bizet’s operas, I’m not entirely sure why Carmen is the most performed.
Coupled to the Hospes hotel in Alicante, across an atrium courtyard that doubles up as…
“Last week I had the misf-…occasion to go to the Costa Blanca. I know, I don’t know what possessed me either. In many ways I should have known what I was letting myself in for.”
“There’s something about donning black tie, dusting off one’s dress shoes and slipping on a silk scarf that seems synonymous with the way opera can be appreciated in a manner befitting it as an art form.”
Our next port of call, literally, was to be Mykonos. And here was a taste of the infamous island hopping so inclined by itinerants, backpackers and lunatics.
