Inside the Travel Lab

Sorry folks, no posts for a while. Just heard some very sad news.

FRENCH FRIDAYS A shiny pink intestine sits on the Charles-de-Fitte Avenue in Toulouse, reaching out of the ground to an overpowering height. I’ve always had the feeling that the museum curators don’t call it the intestine, but Toulousains certainly do. It’s a handy landmark for giving directions – and it symbolizes the entrance to Toulouse’s [...]

Last night, for the first time in months, purple clouds billowed and thundered over sun-scorched Andalucia. By the morning, the storm had settled but the evidence remained: the end of summer in Seville.

Every country seems to have a slightly different hygiene fetish. France, meanwhile, forces men to pay to wear a stranger’s moist speedos. All in the name of hygiene.

I’m delighted to know that even in this Coca-Cola world, travel can still show me some new tricks.

Biarritz has a name that should mark it out for greatness. Instead of playboys in woollen bathing suits, Biarritz greeted me with

In Europe’s largest aquarium, small creatures still command attention. Oceanográfico, Valencia, Spain