Burj Khalifa, shopping malls and sand dunes, 24 hrs in Dubai

Mar 18, 13 Burj Khalifa, shopping malls and sand dunes, 24 hrs in Dubai

Posted by in Lifestyle, Travel

Shooting up to the top of the Burj Khalifa, it takes less then a minute to go from sea level to the 124th observatory floor of the building. That’s about 10 metres a second but the ride is so smooth, the only thing you notice is a slight popping of your ears. When you think about it, it is a bit scary, I mean that is a...

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“The Rest is Noise” Strauss at the Southbank Centre

Jan 20, 13 “The Rest is Noise” Strauss at the Southbank Centre

Posted by in Lifestyle, New Zealand wine

I was invited to a performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra last night to hear a performance of Strauss which was a part of “The Rest is Noise” year long music festival. There are great views of the London Eye and Big Ben from the top of the Centre which is where the Beecham Bar, the members bar of the Southbank...

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Cigars and red wine, they may not be a classic pairing but…

Nov 07, 12 Cigars and red wine, they may not be a classic pairing but…

Posted by in Argentina, California, Chile, Lifestyle

I recently took part in a cigar and red wine matching exercise with Alvaro Marcos Garcia of Concha y Tora and two lovely fellows, Jimmy and Dan, from Hunters & Frankau, a major cigar importer and distributor here in the UK. Alvaro is an ex-sommelier and he often noticed that diners would often have a cigar after lunch or dinner...

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The Ashdown Park Hotel and the Bluebell Railway, a weekend in the English countryside

I do love to get out into the English countryside. Living and working in London, my friends and I are often on the first flight off this island when we have holiday time, dreaming of luxury chalets or beach huts,  but there are plenty of wonderful places to visit here. I know I may be sounding like a Visit Britain advert but it is...

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Bicycling through the Loire, part 2

Jun 27, 12 Bicycling through the Loire, part 2

Posted by in France, Lifestyle, Travel

The next day we had an early start, catching the train to Saumur, a short 45 minute train ride away. The weather was not as nice in the morning but as the day went on it cleared up to be a sunny afternoon. Seriously, when you’re on a bicycle, you don’t want it to be TOO sunny now do you? We headed through the vineyards...

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Bicycling through the Loire

Jun 25, 12 Bicycling through the Loire

Posted by in Food and Wine, France, Lifestyle, Travel

I tend to go on a fair amount of press trips as a wineblogger and they are all fantastic. I mean who wouldn’t enjoy the chance to visit the winemakers in their own milieu, tasting wines that quite possibly have been resting in the cellars for years or wines that never even leave the estate but are saved for special visitors....

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