Home in Time for Tea

It's always a treat to arrive somewhere and really feel  that you're there. The people, buildings, food, culture and language can all be clear signs of a genuine, traditional and excitingly real place with its own identity. Here are some of my favourite popular yet traditional towns in Europe. Unspoilt places that, quite simply, have not yet been overtaken by mass-tourism or globalisation, but are total must-sees. Brasov, Romania Clean and medieval, with pretty red roofs, and surrounding forested Transylvanian mountains. A fairytale. Brasov has a cable car for stunning views of this traditional town, a great selection of delicious cafés and restaurants, and some interesting little gift and craft shops. It is a great base for exploring parts of Transyvania such as Bran Castle and Rasnov fortress. My favourite thing about Brasov the view from above - it looks like a tiny toy town, dwarfed by the big cathedral in the middle and the ...

An experience pretty much unique to historic Europe is a visit to an atmospheric, historic castle or fortress. With an uncountable number of fascinating architecture and places to visit, varying from ancient ruins and medieval fortresses, to renaissance and royal abodes, even to enormous haunted icons, it is impossible to pick 'the best'. However some fascinating castles and buildings from my favourite and most recent trips to Europe are listed below. Enjoy! Chateaux of the Loire Valley, France The fairytale grand Renaissance and medieval Chateaux of the Loire Valley in central France are in themselves, uncountable. The area lays claim to a great many aristocratic and royal histories, giving birth to a region rich in chateaux full of splendour and glory. Three of the Richard's and my personal favourites of the Loire are below, heavily influenced by Richard's 'need' to see turrets: 'If it doesn't have at least one turret I'm simply not intere...

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My cousin from New Zealand recently went travelling in Europe and when he came to us in the UK I asked him what his favourite place was. He gave an unexpected and unusual answer: Romania. The people, the scenery, the history - it seemed to have it all, so I decided to head on over there too, and what better time to do it than at Halloween... The first notable thing about any of this is that everything was so cheap! It was also a fantastically exciting and unusual holiday, needless to say. We flew for £82 each to Bucharest (Ryanair), got the 3.5 hour train from Bucharest to beautiful Brasov in Transylvania for £5 each , and stayed at the immaculate and well-equipped Kron Studios in Brasov for £28 per night , per 3/4 star double studio apartment! (booking.com) Brasov Town Brasov is a traditional Transylvanian town, located within a few miles of major attractions Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress, as well as the Libearty Bear Sanctuary and the Carpath...