Podworld - Exploring interesting places

The town of Carcassonne in the South East of France is a delightful place to visit thanks to its brilliantly preserved medieval city. Within the walls of the old city, you can imagine life as it was 400 years although without the waste being washed down open sewers. Drainage, thankfully, is 21st century.It is how Hollywood imagines medieval Europe. It is UNESCO world heritage site and much of the restoration was carried out in the 18th century. Judge for yourself by looking at the images on the blog.  Getting to Carcassonne is remarkably easy. It is its own airport positioned close to the town centre served mainly by  Ryanair .It has splendid rail links SNCF (in French but easy to follow)  and a motorway runs to the town. Around Le Cíte   are any number of restaurants and cafés. There are a number of boutiques to browse and shop. Most of all it is photogenic so please remember your camera for a perfect stay in this lovely part of Fran...

There are two great cities of the world called Cordoba; one in Argentina and the one from which it takes its name in Spain. The Spanish city has a history stretching back to pre-Christian Spain and evidence is all around. the obvious place to start is at its very heart and the cathedral. Spain is blessed with many fine cathedrals in its great cities but Cordoba has got to be her most stunning, certainly from the inside. Its known as the Mezquita . Here the moorish influence is there for all to see and it is easy to see how the Christian conquerors sited their cathedral upon the existing mosque. The fusion is astonishing as you in both Africa and Europe all at one. Close by is the Spanish Riding School at the Royal Stables which puts on fantastic shows demonstrating great horsemanship. It is possible to visit the stables and meet the horses and their grooms. More information here on the  Royal Stables . Cordoba has many other fine attractions in ...

It is quite some time since I was last in the largest of the Balearic islands, Mallorca. There are so many places in the world to visit I had left it alone after spending so many of my holidays there 20-30 years ago. I was interested to discover how the island had changed and whether it had kept some of the charms which so appealed to me all those years ago. My destination was a farmhouse in Son Carrio close to Manacor abd the holiday resorts which cluster around Cala Millor.  Sa Riba, Son Carrio  . A wise choice as it transpired. The farmhouse catered for two people (a third if needed) comfortably. It was well equipped and even had a well. I have never had that before.  It was well situated for the unfinished railway line which these days offers a perfect route to run or cycle towards Manacor or Arte. I did both but not to the full extent of the track.  One of my desires for this trip though was to complete a journey I had hitherto failed to accomplish...

Travel around Spain and all over the country it is possible to come across locations that provided backdrops for favourite or notable movies. Just north of Cuenca, for example, is one of the locations for the fantasy film Conan the Barbarian. The strange limestone rocks of  Ciudad Encantada  was where Arnie, sorry,  Conan's encounter with the witch and Subotai takes place. I'll be back, as Arnie doesn't quite say in this movie

The Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur are some of the easiest tourist sights in the city to find especially by rail. There is a railway terminus by the entrances. There are various charges for some of the caves. Other caves double as temples. For the Western tourists, the costs are low.  Here are some images from my visit. Please note that there is a giant staircase to climb for the main cave behind the golden statue. I would also recommend that you do not feed the abundant monkeys. They can become a pest. Please enjoy the images.

Sitting on a gorge created by the Jucar river system the old town of Cuenca lies between Madrid and Valencia in the Castille-La Mancha province of Spain. It is a famous for the hanging houses, a number of recently renovated properties that sit at the very edge of the gorge.  There are in fact two Cuencas, the old town and the very much bigger new town. For many staying in the old town where the hanging houses and the cathedral is situated, the prefered choice of accommodation is the Parador. This is situated by a spectacular wooden walkway adjacent to the old town across the gorge. It is well signed as you enter the town by car and parking is available as it an open-air swimming pool. Parador-de-cuenca The Parador, in keeping with tradition, is situated in a former notable building. In this case it is a former convent dating back to the middle ages. It is relatively inexpensive but not cheap. Prices vary around the time of your stay and the area of the hot...

I remember looking at it on a map as a child. The pointy bit at the bottom of South America. How remote it seemed. How did one get there? What was there to see? For me the answer was provided on a journey to Argentina, some of which has been written about in this blog. A daily flight takes travellers from Buenos Aires to the airport of Ushuaia. Ushuaia claims to be the most southerly city in the world. It is probably fair to call it a large town rather than city. It is well appointed and has all the amenities a visitor could want.  This includes a wide range of hotels. We chose the Los Acebos, a large complex behind the town on a neighbouring hillside. We were lured by the promise of outstanding views. We were not disappointed. The city is geared up for the tourist trade with any number of outdoor pursuits shops along its pleasant main street. In addition there are a number of travel agents offering a variety of trips in and around the city. The most popul...