A NEW year is a good excuse to seek a new you, but making major lifestyle changes in the depths of a depressing winter can be challenging. Whether your goals focus on fitness, improved sleep patterns or general peace of mind, starting the process away from home is often easier.
THERE are almost 200 countries in the world today – that’s a lot of potential passport stamps to collect. For most of us though, it’s unlikely we’ll ever get around to crossing off even a fraction of the globe, which makes choosing where to go an important decision!
WHISTLING, red heads and bananas are all considered bad luck at sea. A new addition to that list of maritime superstitions is soil.
IN the summer months, thousands of British holidaymakers flock to Greece, but up until recently very few would consider travelling there in winter. Yet milder temperatures and fewer crowds make visiting ancient sites a pleasure, and hiking routes more comfortable to navigate.
IN most places, bears make their presence known with a grunt or a growl; in the forests around Japanese town Karuizawa, however, the only audible evidence of their existence is a series of beeps.
LONG winter months are sometimes difficult to endure, but the promise of mini getaways can always relieve the pain. And if ski holidays or Christmas markets don’t appeal, there are still plenty of ways to plan short European stays.
FLUTTERING above the terracotta roofs of Angangueo, a former mining town in central Mexican state Michoacan, millions of wings beat and settle like flakes of amber snow.
THE Renaissance city is calmer in autumn, but still buzzing with artistic activity. Proudly fanning their tail feathers, peacocks parade around the rims of ceramic plates (pictured right) for sale in Florentine shop Sbigoli Terrecotte. Along with plump pomegranate kernels and emerald green hills dotted with Cyprus trees, the scene is one of many traditional Tuscan designs revived and replicated by Antonella Cini and her daughter.
EYES greedily fixed on leftovers from the night before, seagulls swoop along narrow, brick-walled canals, their wings casting monstrous shadows as dawn begins to break. Reflected in the water, golden prows of gondolas look doubly resplendent and a gentle glow illuminates halos crowning marble saints bowing from church facades.
WHEN a polar bear was shot dead in Svalbard at the end of last month, the incident sent ripples of sadness and anger around the world. Not only had we lost a member of an already endangered species – the incident, however accidental, occured as a direct result of tourism activity.
