Category: Europe

The Black Forest for 2 nights

Reading Time: 16 minutes

Freiburg im Breisgau, 7-9 January 2026

When our daughter was finishing her last year of High School and we were planning an end of year celebratory trip to the UK and Europe, we asked if there was somewhere she would particularly like to visit. She said “The Black Forest!” Why? I have no idea. Having never been there myself, I set about researching.

After some googling and new experimentation with ChatGPT, I chose Freiburg im Breisgau as our destination. It was described as the gateway to the Black Forest, a vibrant city on the edge of the Forest, with an old medieval town and gothic cathedral.

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34th Euro Lambretta Scotland 2025

Reading Time: 19 minutes
Ayr, Scotland (June 2025)

A Tale of Scooters, Camaraderie, and Scottish Spirit

The anticipation had been building for months since the 2024 Euro in Magny-Cours, France. The prospect of attending another Euro Lambretta —a gathering that stirs the souls of Lambretta enthusiasts across the European region and beyond — was enough to carry us through the routine of our daily lives over the past year. This year’s edition, in Ayr, on Scotland’s South West Coast, promised more than just a rally; it was to be a celebration of Scottish culture, on top of the usual shenanigans involved among friendships without frontiers and everlasting fascination with all things Lambretta. Plus, who could resist the allure of haggis and bagpipes?

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London tips for a first-timer

Reading Time: 17 minutes

As you may have read in my other post How to do London in one day, usually when I visit London it’s a day trip, as my trips to England are generally to visit and stay with family in Dorset. However, there have also been a handful of occasions when I have been fortunate to travel from Sydney to London for business. On those trips I have stayed up to a week, squeezing in some leisure time (generally solo) around my work commitments.

Recently, a good friend was planning her own work trip to London, which was allowing her some spare time for leisure too. She asked for my tips on where to stay and ‘must-see’ sites ; of course I was very happy to oblige. This post is inspired by the loose itinerary and recommendations I shared with her.

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Normandy – Part 2: A lambretta tour

Reading Time: 16 minutes
Normandy, France (June 2024)

When I learnt the Dorset Modrapheniacs Scooter Club were planning to visit Normandy for a few days, detouring on the way to the Euro Lambretta at Magny-Cours, France, in June 2024, I was enthusiastic about Steve and I having the opportunity to join them.

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