Ronda and Setenil – a Christmas Day escape
Two of Andalusia’s off-beat yet dramatic towns in a day: Ronda’s gorge-spanning Puente Nuevo and white cliffs, and Setenil, its streets tucked under the rock.
-
-
Seville – exuberance, and a quiet refusal
Four winter days in Seville – the Royal Alcázar, Plaza de España, the Giralda and Las Setas – and one traveller’s quiet refusal of the bullfight.
-
Córdoba – where the idea becomes a building
A reflective day and a half in Córdoba, where the Mezquita-Cathedral – a cathedral built inside a mosque – makes Andalusia’s layered history visible.
-
Valencia – a soft beginning
A relaxed day and a half in winter Valencia – Plaza del Carmen, the Turia Gardens, the cathedral and the City of Arts – opening a Moorish Andalusia rail trip.
-
Impressions of Moorish Andalusia
Two unhurried winter weeks by rail through Moorish Andalusia – Valencia, Córdoba, Seville, Granada and Málaga – tracing its Roman, Moorish and Catholic layers.
-
Venice (19th – 20th July 1997)
Milan en route Venice 20 Jul 1997 Need to change trains at Milan: I killed some hours walking to the YH, but found it had shut for the morning. I did not yet have a reservation for staying the last night on the return trip, but I thought I’d figure something out later – this…
-
Italy by train (19th – 26th July 1997)
Foreword 02 Apr 2026 These are from 31 pages of handwritten notes from July 1997, written across the trip itself – in hostel common rooms, on trains, on a station floor at 2am. I was 25, living in Reading UK, working for ICL on a project called OpenPAS. I’ve always loved train journeys since I…
