Monthly Archive:: January 2012

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Who can you trust?

I have a friend who advertises several properties that he rents out privately on some of the well-known European villa owners’ sites.  He is retired so has plenty of time to reply to enquiries and to monitor exactly where enquiries are coming from and how his –

Geocaching in the Azores

Many of us might consider our holidays to be the perfect time to put away our computers and phones, and unplug completely from our routine lives. The advent of smartphones and ever increasing wifi coverage is threatening this gadget de-tox, with more and more people feeling the

In pictures: the wonders of the Galapagos islands

The Galapagos Islands, around 500 miles off the west coast of Ecuador, are rightly regarded as a wonderful place to observe at close quarters some of the world’s most unusual species. Not only are the majority of the species found here unique to the islands but the

Sicily – an island apart

Carthage, Greece, Rome, North Africans, Normans, Spaniards and Bourbons have all taken their turns as invaders of Sicily. Some would argue that even the Italians are perhaps no more than the latest group to colonise this fiercely disobedient Mediterranean island. As each culture’s influence has waxed and

In the Alentejo on the trail of Vasco Da Gama

He is known as one of the great explorers of all time and is perhaps Portugal’s most celebrated citizen. Vasco Da Gama brought great wealth to the Portuguese crown through his maritime endeavours and his legacy is alive and well almost 500 years since his death. You