My younger brother provides my verifiable first memory. In a taxi. In the rain. In Aberdeen. I was -- what? -- three and a half years old...

We headed north west today. Not far. Just over two kilometres. All of it -- more or less -- on the roads. It's Rome. My half baked plan...

My relationship with ancient Rome is marginal at best. We had a very tall history teacher in our third year at Secondary school. He was...

Our first Italian train -- Frecciarossa 9281. The 7:20 a.m. from Paris Gare de Lyon to Milano Centrale, arriving 2:07 p.m. Change trains...

When we decided to cross Europe by many trains I went straight to the very best web site in the whole Internet -- without a doubt -- if...

We strolled by the Seine. How hard could our Monday be? We followed the river for four kilometres or so before entering le Jardin des...

Taking the train between Edinburgh Waverley and London King's Cross has been one of my favourite journeys since my first trip in the late...

It is in days such as today I find myself. Quiet, simple days where not much happens on the surface. Time passes slowly. I am with people...

You cannot be serious! We took a mid-morning train to Edinburgh Waverley. As far as I know, it's the only train station named after a...

We visited Betty again today for three hours. By the time we said our goodbyes my mother was tired. It was time for us to go. Betty was...

Today we visited the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum; Glasgow's finest and my favourite for all kinds of reasons (not all of them to...

Today -- after six years of being apart -- I sat with my mother, Betty, for a few hours. My life and work in Australia kept me far away...

Glasgow is the city in which I was born. When people ask, "where are you from?" I usually answer "Glasgow" although the fact is I left...

The promenade at Weymouth is a peaceful place at seven o'clock on a Sunday morning. The only sounds are those of the natural world. The...

We are still in Hardy Country -- in a place where his best loved book collides with John Schlesinger's film. A day when 1874 (Thomas...

We were in need of a good location. Spike had arranged to meet her father's sister, Anne, and her husband, Jeff, somewhere in Weymouth....

Sometimes the simplest delights of a long holiday are found in the most unexpected places. This morning that turned out to be adjacent...

After fabulous pastries in the cute café in Pimlico we skipped yesterday, we left London today. Our final hour in the Big Smoke was spent...

Marie Antionette never said the words for which she is most famous. And according to some, the beheaded Queen may not even have said,...

To paraphrase the 1977 Second World War "blockbuster" movie, A Bridge Too Far starring Dirk Bogarde, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins and...