Slovenia

River frontage in Ljubljana

Our thoughts have turned to Slovenia recently as we will be visiting in 2016 as part of our combined tour with Croatia. We particularly enjoyed our trip to the capital Ljubljana as it has the feel of a large European capital, although it is in fact relatively compact. We enjoyed just walking around the streets. squares and waterways of the city, which had a very laid-back feel.  

The buildings have a real mixture of styles of the medieval through to the Baroque and into the modern era. In that sense, it is very typical of any other European capital and also has all of the modern amenities you would expect in terms of shopping and dining.

Ljubljana Caslte

Away from the capital, Slovenia has a small stretch of coastline that extends north into Italy and south into Croatia. Inland, perhaps its most notable attractions are the cave systems of Postojna and Skocjan, which are spectacular in both length and depth.

Another notable area is around Lake Bled in the Julian Alps. This is a a bit of a tourist hotspot with its attractive island in the middle of the lake and with the town and castle nearby. Slovenia is a largely mountainous country and is very popular as a destination for outdoor pursuits.

As a final thought, if you need any other excuses to visit, Slovenia also boasts a thriving wine industry although very little of it gets exported so it's generally not available in the UK!

The Moselle

Typical half-timbered houses

So first off is it Moselle or Mosel? The basic answer is that it's 'elle' in French and 'el' in German. As far as we can see either spelling will do, with the 'lle' version usually referring to the river itself and the 'el' version referring to the wine. Flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany, at 545km it is much shorter than the Rhine. However, for many it is a much more attractive river.

The main reasons for this are the fact that it is less busy on the river itself, whereas the Rhine still has lots of trade barges. Also, the Moselle does not have the train line running all the way down the side, thus making it a bit quieter. Finally, it twists and turns a lot more than the Rhine in this area. It is also lined with castle after castle and pretty half-timbered towns.

The vines in the Moselle valley

Surprising Luxembourg City

Our favoured stretch is from German Corner at Koblenz, down to Mainz. Two of the touristy highlights are the castle at Cochem and the picturesque town of Bernkastel Kues. In fact, most of the towns on this stretch would be worth a visit, not least just to wander around the shops and take advantage of the cafes and restaurants.

There is cycle path all the way down this section and being flat in the valley, it is a haven for cyclists, with lots of places to stop off during your ride. Obviously, it is also a wine-lovers paradise and the food is typically German in the sense that it's good quality and there is always plenty of it!

We add a further dimension to our tour by following the Moselle into Luxembourg and staying just outside the city for a few days. It just adds a bit of dynamic before heading back north west through France and back to Calais.

A Taste of Provence

We have just returned from our Taste of Provence Tour. The tour includes a pleasant drive down through the Champagne and Ardeche regions before taking in a bit of everything that Provence has to offer.

Up in the Haute Provence Alps

We started with a 3-night stay at Avignon, staying on the island within view of the famous (unfinished) bridge. Avignon seemed to be a winner with everyone in the group as there is so much to see and do and plenty of great places for a meal out too.


After that we took the short drive to Aix-en-Provence with a chance to see stunning Gordes on the way. The lavender was starting to bloom and is particularly attractive around the Senanque Abbey. Aix itself is the old capital of the region and boasts some wonderful Parisians-style architecture and a massive market, full of flowers.

After that it was down to the coast where some of our guests just enjoyed the 30+ degrees sunshine, while some took the train down to Monaco to see how the other half live!

Around Sisteron

It was then up into the mountains to the Durance valley near Sisteron for a couple of days of breath-taking and stunning Alpine scenery, before starting the drive home via the Saone and Loire valleys.

16 days - 15 of which we spent in glorious sunshine to arrive home a bit tired, a bit sun-tanned and ready for the UK heatwave!