Last weekend I returned to Paris with my father, again on the speedy Eurostar, but this time in Standard Premium. Definitely worth paying the extra for – lots of leg room, a better than expected meal (big step up from aeroplane food) and a glass of wine. The perfect way to zip to Paris, in just 2.5 hours. This is what I loved about my last visit: Discovering new affordable [...]
With the Vatican now firmly Ex-Benedict (he will be living in a residence in the Vatican Gardens for the rest of his life) and having welcomed Francis, Rome has been a hub of excitement of late. Despite the Sistine Chapel having been temporarily shut, it must be a great time to be in Rome for a weekend break. I just missed the whole ‘Pope Resigns’ and ‘New Pope’ chaos as [...]
I live in Fulham which sometimes gets the a little unfair label of being a bit boring. I disagree, but many edgier South/East and North Londoners can be quite opinionated about SW6. I often wake up on a Sunday morning with full intentions of widening my horizons and venturing out of the Borough, but I find that more often than not I do end up staying in Fulham for weekend [...]
By the end of January I think most of us are quite desperate to get out of a cold, wet, snowy or just generally miserable England. Chances of flying a short distance and finding the warm sun however, is slim. Unless you fork out substantial amounts and go further afield, like the Caribbean. Dream on. While the south of France is by no means warm during the winter, a lovely [...]
By Logan Goldie-Scot Despite the summer months being the best time to visit, in December I finally decided to scratch the itch and hopped on the 3 ½ hr flight from London for a long weekend to Istanbul, which from the original Greek roughly translates as “To the City”. We were staying in the Hotel Amira in the Sultanahmet district of the City, which is where most of the tourists [...]
A few months ago, after dinner at Ceviche (delicious Peruvian ‘tapas’ restaurant), I wandered into Chinatown by chance. In my late teens I would more often than not go for a Chinese in Chinatown than anywhere else, but I realised while walking down Garrad Street (Chinatown’s ‘high street’), that I had not been there in years. So my friend David and I decided that the next time we eat [...]
Christmas in The Netherlands means I had the opportunity to spend some time in Amsterdam. With my sister Mol now a ‘local’ there, I wanted to have lunch at a few nice places and also see a museum or two. To keep myself – and City Turtle – updated. Day One was unsuitably grey and miserable but Mol and I were determined to set forth on our exploration. Word of [...]
Polpo has been on my wish list for the past year or so. I’d read so many raving reviews and heard from so many people goo and affordable it was, I had to go. And so I went a few Saturdays ago with Rob. Now this doesn’t mean I had not attempted to go before. On the contrary, last summer my sister Jo had arrived at Polpo in Soho at [...]
El Rastro and La Latina on a Sunday By Laura Cobbold Laura Cobbold is a British national who has been living in Madrid for the past three years. She moved out there since graduating from university and loves to show visitors all that the city has to offer. Many a “madrileño” spends their Sunday in two thriving areas of their home city: the Lavapiés and La Latina districts. The first is [...]
Having had a sudden urge to get out of Fulham for the day, I decided I wanted to see the reindeer at Covent Garden and soak up some early Christmassy atmosphere. Brunch was our first mission. Rob had been recommended Kopapa and, having looked it up online, I was game. When we called to reserve a table however, we were told they were fully booked till 3pm. Nicht gut. So if [...]
