Art - Chasing the Wow

Venice in January

I first visited Venice around ten years ago and left thinking it definitely had the wow factor, but I wasn’t blown away. At the time, I rated it a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Wow-factor, rather than anything higher.

I went back again in 2026, made a few deliberate changes to how I approached the city, and was utterly blown away. Venice jumped straight to the maximum Wow-factor category of ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️. I left thinking it was world’s premier city break, and as of 2026 it is the only city break – other than Cape Town – that reaches this top tier for me.

This entry explains why Venice is so wow, and more importantly, how to experience it in a way that gets you that ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ feeling.

In a nutshell:

One of the most beautiful and distinctive cities on Earth.
The only city that combines world-class stellar attractions with such an ease for avoiding crowds that lets you enjoy the magic of a water-based world.
To jump from Wow ⭐️ to Wow Wow Wow ⭐️⭐️⭐️, you must visit in winter and mix the famous sites with the “real Venice”, which is just as impressive.
Be sure to go on a cicchetti crawl – super fun and great way to see Venice.

Sienna

Of the stunning Tuscan cities, Florence, Lucca and Pisa are wow but are relatively formal / modern / a little commercialised (especially Florence), whereas Sienna was my favourite as it had such a higgledy piggledy, older vibe to it. Roads going in all directions across the 17 flag-drenched historical districts (Contrades) with just a generally more medieval feel (the reason is that plague hit Sienna which led to Florence winning their war and the collapse / evacuation of Sienna ultimately very few modernising works done, hence the city is so well preserved), and, of course, the wow Piazza del Campo (God knows what it must be like during the bi-annual horse race, it must be insane). Don’t miss Sienna from a Tuscany itinerary, it is the 🌟

Florence – the heart of the Renaissance

As the cradle of the Renaissance, Florence quite rightly is seen as one of the “must visit” sites in all of Europe. It has 3 mega wow sites in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the statues such as Michelangelo’s David on Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio Bridge – mind-blown-wow-levels, and utterly stunning even if you know nothing about art. But it has, in my opinion, 3 problems for the average tourist:

Firstly, the sheer volume of crowds can diminish the whole experience. I’ve been 3 times – winter midday, summer afternoon and even 7am summer morning, and it is heaving every time.
Secondly, a big part of Florence’s enjoyment is dependent on your knowledge of Renaissance art and, if you don’t have that, it can get a tad tiring and you can hit the dreaded “church-ed out / museum-ed out” quite quickly.
Thirdly, whilst it does have lots of small alleyways to get slightly lost in and have that medieval feel, it misses the cute vibe of the other towns because it is dirtier (especially in the early morning when they are cleaning) and more commercialised than the likes of Sienna and Lucca nearby.

As I say – you’re not going to visit Tuscany without going to Florence and those 3 items are such wow that they make it worth the visit alone, but I’ve now been 3 times and not in a rush to go back.

Namibia Road Trip Itinerary – Driving Through Namibia’s Highlights

Namibia is one of the best self-drive trips in the world. Huge empty landscapes, good roads, very few people, and a constant run of deserts, wildlife and big scenery.

The classic route takes you from the giant red dunes of Sossusvlei, up the Skeleton Coast, into the wild landscapes of Damaraland and across Etosha for safari.

It’s an easy country to drive in, the distances are big but the roads are good, and the sense of space and freedom is what makes this trip so memorable.

In a nutshell:

One of the best road trips in the world – deserts, wildlife and huge empty landscapes
Easy and safe to self-drive – 4WD c.US$120 per day, but can do in a 2WD for US$35 per day
The red deserts of Sossusvlei and the self-safari to see the animals in Etosha are the highlights
Could be done in 7 days, but tiring. 10 days better.
Option to combine with Botswana for the Okavango Delta and Kalahari if you can.

Damaraland’s desert landscapes, elephants and ancient rock art

Damaraland is one of Namibia’s most dramatic collections of landscapes, has some of the best prehistoric rock art in Southern Africa, and home to desert-adapted elephants and lions. It is a must if doing part of the standard Namibian loop drive from the Skeleton Coast to Etosha National Park. Don’t just pass through – give yourself a night, ideally 2.

I’ve listed below my top tips and the highlights we had from the trip, as well as how Damaraland rates compared to the other nearby adventures in Namibia.

1. Go with Twyfelfontein Elephants Drives to see the elephants – we heard lots of local Namibians telling us just to drive to see the desert elephants, and you definitely could, but the problems are 1. They move a lot, so you need very updated info as to their location; 2. The river bed you drive through is not straightforward, so you need to be confident of sand driving (if get stuck, would be a major major faff to get out); 3. The best experience is getting fairly close. The guides know how to do it, you probably don’t. Just go with Twyfelfontein Elephants Drives (direct or your hotel can arrange). Something like USD40 per person.

2. The White Lady rock art is worth it, but budget 3 hours – the whole Branderg Mountain is full of thousands of San rock paintings and the White Lady is the most famous, plus easiest to access. B ut … be aware that the drive from the C35 main road to the mountain is 30mins (so an hour there and back) and the walk to the White Lady from the car park 1 hour (so 2 hours there and back).

3. Read a little on the San Bushmen – I personally found their story fascinating. Here before all other humans; by far the most capable of surviving in this harsh dry environment; far smaller, lighter and sharper features than all other Southern African tribes. Their rock art was a way of, amongst other things, passing down stories. Knowing theirs really helped me appreciate the art. Just have a general search on Wikipedia, or for more detailed reads I’d recommend the first chapter of James Michener’s The Covenant and Laurens van Dee Post’s The Lost World of the Kalahari.

4. Would recommend staying at Lodge Damaraland – not cheap (USD200 per night), but seemed to be nicest around and with easy access to the route you’ll be driving. Breakfast and dinner included, rooms very nice and a good pool area to chill by.

5. To see how Damaraland fits into a 1-2 week detailed roadtrip itinerary for Namibia – have a look at this individual travel entry, Driving through Namibia, for plenty of tips, highlights and what to prioritise.

A day for the highlights of Milan

Milan felt like the definition of style – not only the perfect buildings and the art, but everyone walking around looks like they’re just about to hit the catwalk. Maybe this was just a summer thing, but either way it seemed to ooze fancy!

That being said, I didn’t find it a particularly deep city for things to do / see, so I’d say a full day is enough, with some obvious sites to draw your attention.

Classic highlights of Paris

One of the world’s most famous cities and with some of the most recognisable landmarks anywhere, Paris is quite simply one of world’s must-visit destinations.

However, it is unfortunately quite common for people to leave Paris a little disappointed. In fact, Paris Syndrome (“a sense of disappointment exhibited by individuals when visiting Paris”) is a thing. This is less down to the lack of allure from the big ticket highlights, and more people’s disappointment that Paris doesn’t meet their romantic dream-like expectations of the peaceful walk along the tree lined streets all to themselves as they drift to find a hidden restaurant with that perfect table sat out the front under the stars with perfect views of the Eiffel Tower . . . ahhhhh how wonderful . . . oh and with the subtle music playing in the background and that perfect (reasonably priced) meal . . . ahhhhh, yes, how dreamy.

Of course, the reality is that Paris is a big expensive modern city with millions of fellow tourists wanting a piece of the action and the ever-present risk of the moody grey Northern French weather.

So, whilst I think many people do get that perfect visit, many don’t as they either don’t know the secrets or don’t have a local to show them round. I’ve visited Paris several times, but haven’t really had that local knowledge. So I’m going to score the visit based on that which, in summary, is still “one of the world’s must-visit destinations” based on its big ticket attractions, but don’t build up your expectations to the point that you leave with Paris Syndrome.

My only tip is to stay in Montmartre – the centre of Paris can be super busy, expensive and a little samesy. Montmartre, in comparison, has a much more genuine feel, with pretty cafes spilling out onto the cobbled streets and super views over the city from the Sacré-Coeur basilica.

Driving through Transylvania’s Fortified Saxon villages and exploring Bran Castle

Once you creep over the Transylvanian Alps from Bucharest, you’re into a wide lowland area of rolling hills that is dotted with picturesque fortified Saxon villages, well preserved Old Towns and, of course, the famous Dracula castle of Bran Castle.

Whilst some parts of more worth visiting than others, the whole’s key attraction is how you can easily dream back to what it must have been like in a bygone age untouched by the modern world.

The Citadel of Sighisoara, Bran Castle and the fortified church of Viscri are the must sees. The rest is more about the slow paced vibe of the Transylvanian lowlands. Total of 2-3 days is probably enough, and I’ve listed some tips below.

Portugal Highlights – A 10 Day Road Trip Itinerary

Portugal is a great country for a 10–14 day road trip because it has the variety but the distances are relatively short. The best way to plan a trip is to base yourself in three main areas – Porto and the Douro Valley in the north, Lisbon in the centre, and the Algarve in the south – and use them for exploring what is nearby.

Big highlights for me were actually some of the smaller places that I’d never heard of before I arrived in Portugal. In particular the gorgeous Duoro Valley wine region, the hilltop town of Sintra and the beautifully charming streets of Cascais. Plus, the more famous highlights of port tasting in Porto and various neighbourhoods of Lisbon.

The trip works very well as a road trip because the drive between Porto to the Algarve is manageable at less than 10 hours and is broken up by heaps of interesting places where you can stop for a couple of hours or a night, such as Óbidos, Tomar or Coimbra and the Roman ruins at Conímbriga.

Is Portugal worth visiting? Yes — especially if you like relaxed road trips, good food and wine, historic towns and varied scenery rather than just ticking off big famous sights.

In a nutshell:

Portugal is ideal for a 10–14 day road trip
Base yourself around Porto/Douro, Lisbon and the Algarve
The Douro Valley is the standout highlight
Lisbon and its satellites of Sintra and Cascais the next standout
Many of the best places are smaller towns and stop-offs between the main cities

London’s top 10 in summer

London is one of the world’s premier cities with just about every level of sophistication you could ask for. World famous sites such as the Houses of Parliament and the Tower of London; world-class restaurants, mix of high end and atmospheric shopping and entertainment venues; vast parks which give you the opportunity to break away from the mayhem; and, of course, the mania that surround the Royal Family and their residences.

Its right up there with the likes of Paris, Rome, New York, Beijing and Rio de Janeiro as giant cities with world-famous attractions, their own vibes that act like countries on their own, and thoroughly justifying a tourist visit from anywhere you travel in the world.

It does though have two main downsides. Firstly, just how intensely tourist conveyor-belt it can be across so many of the main sites and, with that, how hard it can be to escape this into a genuine London vibe. Secondly, unfortunately, the infamous UK weather which can warp an amazing experience into a bit of a damp squib. It’s for these reasons that London misses out on a top Wow score.

But, it’s still an incredible city to visit and I’ve listed below my advice on 2 main tips to maximise the chance of a great stay; a list of what I would see as 5 must-dos on a weekend visit and 5 great to sees for new visitors; and a few more quirky personal favourites outside of the main stuff.

Note – I’m English, so naturally can be a bit biased, but that is probably balanced out by coming from the North and being anti-London! But, also I don’t tend to take photos of tourist sites in London after living there for several years. So, very unusually, this travel entry does not include my own photos.