Well worth a few days visit, especially now with direct flights from Dublin, is the lovely Norwegian city of Bergen. The old town is very compact and walkable with a very lively scene at night at the bars and restaurants along the waterfront and of course historic Bryggen.Highly recommend a day trip on the fjords plus a trip on the funicular to see the spectacular view of the city and harbour. For the vintage addict, there are lots of antique and bric a brac shops but many are quite expensive, the best value one being the Salvation Army shop. There is easy access to the city centre by train from the airport and a particularly good train trip to Oslo that we will hopefully do next trip, the flam railway.

A trip to Sardinia is highly recommended. It has the friendliest people I have encountered so far on my travels. We based ourselves in Alghero in a modern apartment only 10 to 15 minutes walk from the old walled town. Easter seems to be a good time to visit as everything is open but there are less visitors plus a sunny but manageable temperature. The roads are not great if you hire a car but you will be rewarded with fabulous views on the coastal routes. Staying in Alghero, the old town walls are nice to walk around and the unashamedly touristy small road train a good way to get a feel for the place. There are plenty places to eat. Our favourite was Regina Margherita for both the food and lovely staff. Lots of nice bars also along the marina.

So many lovely places to see in Morbihan, near our ‘home from home ‘ close to Josselin. The town itself is built behind the turreted chateau of the Rohan family. They are descendants of Anne de Bretagne, who gave away Brittany as part of her dowry. The family tomb is in the nearby basilica of Notre Dame de Ronciers, the imposing church centuries old in the centre of the old town. Be sure to go up the clock tower for the fabulous views. Many half timbered houses are dotted around it’s medieval streets. A bustling place in the summer months but a quiet place for the locals in winter. ‘Festiv’ete’ is the summer festival bringing free concerts, markets and family events to the streets in July and August. The highlight has to be the fireworks display in front of the chateau on July 14th from the banks of the Nantes – Brest canal. Lots of barges wind their way down this waterway intermingled with the seasonal electric tourist boats in the summer. Every Saturday, a fabulous market takes place in the town centre bringing life and sounds and delicious smells to the streets. A romantic stroll through the aptly named ‘Bois d’amour’ is a pleasant way to spend an hour. Getting hungry ? Well several good restaurants serve food all year round. It’s also a good base to visit other nearby towns being equidistant from the north and south coasts. Bonne visite !

On a recent trip to the Loire, we stayed in a beautiful Chambres d’hote recommended by the Alistair Sawday guide, in Mondoubleau. It was a positive ending to a long , wet, day of driving. Luckily there was also dinner provided by the very interesting artist owner and his wife, shared also by another guest. Fabulous food and even more fabulous wine from the Vendome region. The next day, under sunnier skies, we headed towards Montoire sur Loire and Lavardin, one of the ‘Beaux villages , stopping en route at the troglodyte dwellings at Troo. Beautiful scenery and lots to see, with copious amounts of wine and good food. Aah, c’est la vie!

I recently went to a day long ‘vide-greniers’ in Montertelot in Brittany. The whole village was buzzing with flea market stalls in every street from the entrance to the village to the canal. A huge variety of household goods, clothes and collectibles were for sale with food stops a plenty. But this is a pretty village to visit at any time of the year. It sits on the banks of the Nantes – Brest canal, with its weir and lovely waterside walks. A good place to stop if you are in Brittany.

Or so the song goes and it is a lovely city to visit. I am just back from visiting the Christmas markets and drinking ‘Glogg’ (mulled wine). There are several markets scattered around the city from the ones at Nyhaven and Tivoli gardens to the german markets and the HC Christian Andersen market. Be warned that prices can be high when shopping and eating out, but we still had lovely meals and got some more decorations for my already very decorated house! For nice coffee and cake, I would recommend ‘Frenchy’ off of Stroget . This, the main pedestrianised shopping street is a great place to spend a few hours. The pretty houses and boats at Christianshaven and Nyhaven are a must see. There is an interesting shop with Icelandic products at the waterfront near the famous Noma restaurant. And no, we didn’t go to lunch there!

Travel in from the airport is cheap and easy with ticket machines in english in the arrivals hall. On Sunday we went on a 40 minute train trip from the main station to Malmo, for lunch and sightseeing. Well worth a visit for the experience of travelling on the Oresund link if nothing else.

For anyone heading to Northern France , I would highly recommend a visit to Bayeux. Its a very pretty historic city with lots to see. The attraction its most famous for is of course the tapestry . …

Source: Normandy

For anyone heading to Northern France , I would highly recommend a visit to Bayeux. Its a very pretty historic city with lots to see. The attraction its most famous for is of course the tapestry . Its displayed in a very unusual way with a great audiovisual guide to explain each panel. Having brought my reluctant husband and son to see it, they were both really impressed. It has a very good museum shop too! There are plenty of places to eat and shop in Bayeux and parking is straightforward.

While in the area we went to see Omaha beach, site of some of the D-day landings. There is an excellent museum nearby, the Overlord museum which is well worth the visit. We also went to the American cemetery and museum. It is all the more poignant for the way in which the story of individual soldiers is told. Truly brave men and women.

It would be rude not to taste Calvados (Apple brandy) and Pommeaux while in Normandy. But a word of warning, Calvados is not for the faint hearted!! The local buildings are very striking with their tall narrow structures. Normandy is very different to Brittany with undulating land and pretty hedgerows. We spent a night also in Granville, a lovely old fashioned seaside resort and took the Route de la Baie past Mont St. Michel, a beautiful drive on our way back down the coast to Brittany. We will be back!

Last Christmas, I spent 3 nights in the lovely village of Bernkastel Kues. The town is an ideal backdrop for a Christmas Market. Winding cobbled streets run between impossibly slanted old wooden houses from the 16th and 17th century. Most buildings have a Christmas theme with the ‘piece de resistance’being the Adler Apotheke which is transformed into a giant Advent house for the season. While we were there St. Nichols himself popped out from behind a window to greet the crowds below! The Spitzhausen weinstube is the place to enjoy a nice glass of local wine while overlooking the ancient marktplatz. There are stalls selling gluhwein and stollen, Christmas decorations and gifts.

A highlight has to be the annual torchlight swim down the moselle by up to 200 hundred hardy souls to guide St. Nick to the town. Its a spectacular sight after dark and followed by a procession up to the old town. All the while the ruins of Burg Landshut are visible high up on the ridge above the vineyards. A nice way to relax is to take a riverboat trip where again stollen and gluhwein are served. The people of the town certainly go out of their way to add to the festive atmosphere with each house putting up a tree or lights outside.There are several good restaurants to choose from, with our favourites being Zum Landsnecht and Thiesen.

Fly direct from Kerry, easy peasy !!