Oxford has lent its name to many things over the years – a colour, marmalade, and an entire movement - to name just a few. My very favourite though has to be a rather contentious gramma rule – the Oxford comma. Sometimes known as a serial comma, it is the final comma in a list... Continue Reading →
Oxford has won many awards and accolades but unfortunately they include being the most expensive pint outside London and the most expensive staycation in the UK. It is a beautiful, inspiring and interesting city so if you are wary of the cost of visiting then don't be deterred - here are some ideas of things... Continue Reading →
I do love a claim to fame, particularly dubious tourist ones and especially when they have a plaque. Here's a wee collection of some I've stumbled upon recently. Bracknell, England - longest picnic table in England made from a single piece of wood: And here is the actual table: Edinburgh, Scotland - A House in Edinburgh... Continue Reading →
Rome the streets - don’t plan too much, just follow your nose, getting lost in the enchanting side streets is a truly authentic Roman experience and when you eventually see something you recognise it brings about a lovely meaning to the phrase finding yourself. Having said this there is the possibility we erred a bit... Continue Reading →
Trying to absorb as much information about this fascinating order of priestesses as I could whilst sat within the ruined walls of their actual home was an incredible thing to do. I wanted to see the House of the Vestal Virgins after the classicist Mary Beard had recommend it as one of the few places... Continue Reading →
Whilst writing my post of eating all of the famous Italian dishes whilst in Rome, I realised I also hit all the drink clichés as well - so I'm introducing boozy bingo to the escapea blog. I raise my glass to the all you travellers out there right now exploring this amazing planet and I wish... Continue Reading →
After a few weeks exploring the Amalfi coast on my own I got a train over to Rome to meet a friend. Travelling in Italy by train is easy and cheap and my only concern was how was I going to adapt to sharing my time, space and decision making with someone else. Losing the... Continue Reading →
Rome has almost too much on offer - so many restaurants, cafes and bars it is difficult to know what to choose. So we decided to approach the food like a game of bingo (albeit a very tasty one) and try each of Italy's signature dishes whilst we were there. Here's my score card: The Melotti... Continue Reading →
The day before leaving the Amalfi coast I had a few short, sharp pangs – at first I thought they were sadness at leaving but it was more than just sadness, it was regret. Regret for some of the places I didn’t visit and the things I didn’t see or do, and even for some... Continue Reading →
You don’t want to go all that way and have your day in ruins so I thought I’d pass on some tips – I have a lava of them but here’s just 7 of them: Pompeii alternates between cobbles, dirt tack or gigantic stepping stones and Vesuvius is a dusty, rocky uphill tack – so... Continue Reading →
