John Raby's Food & Travel
All things food and travel related. Visit often!
Category: Travel
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I had indicated to my amiable host, Luciano, of Bed and Breakfast del Corso, that I was interested in wine tasting. And when I say that, I don’t just mean quaffing lots of wine but rather taking a more intellectual approach to this lovely activity. He directed me to Enoteca Ciccimonelli which is not just…
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Marco, from the local tourism office, picked me up for the half-day car tour and heading southwest out of Iglesias, we drove towards Carbonia. As the beautiful and evocative landscape passed by my window, I listened to and imbibed his immense knowledge of the area. The Province of Carbonia-Iglesias in Southern Sardinia has a long…
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My morning started at the excellent Modigliani Art Caffè on Piazza Municipio. Breakfast was provided here every day I was staying at the accommodation and consisted of a black coffee (or whatever form your preferred shot of caffeine takes), accompanied by a delicious, sweet pastry. The cafe looks across the square to the Cattedrale di…
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In the southwestern corner of the second-largest island in the Mediterranean, lies the town of Iglesias. The Island I am referring to is of course, Sardinia, directly south of Corsica and a few clicks northwest of Sicily. I’m betting you’ve never heard of Iglesias, and to be completely frank, neither had I until last summer.…
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Having now been to İstanbul and returned home, every time I see the city on the TV, there is one landmark that I am always on the lookout for: The Galata Tower. If nothing else, it is a perfect way of referencing İstanbul, and you can quickly and easily work out whereabouts in the city…
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Is it Europe or is it Asia? Geographically both, but İstanbul feels like Asia with some European influence and is a flavoursome melting pot of each continent. Admittedly, I did spend most of my time on the European side, but yet there is still a heavy Asian influence, with a proliferation of mosques and Islamic…
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Baking in the heat and humidity of the late summer sun in coastal İstanbul, I began to explore, observe, listen and understand this new environment, discovering again that cities are wonderful places to people watch. There is a burgeoning population here of almost 18 million locals, jostling alongside waves of fascinated tourists from around the…
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Arriving into Istanbul by air simply takes your breath away. Passing the Bulgarian border into the far western landscape of Turkey, you soon find yourself skirting the northern coast of the Sea of Marmara heading towards Istanbul. As the plane banks left and thunders north towards the main international airport, in the direction of the…
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In the far reaches of Western Kenya, a charity known as Justice and Mercy, has been reaching out to the poor and disadvantaged for over 25 years. Founded in 1997 by Rachel Woolmer and Amanda Thomas, JAM is the classic, ‘from small acorns, great trees grow’ organisation. In April 2022, I travelled to Oyugis in…
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I have wanted to come to Africa for many years, but my travels have taken me frequently to South Asia. So, when I had clear opportunity to visit Kenya in East Africa, proverbial wild horses could not have stopped me. Having been a frequent visitor to the Indian subcontinent, there was something familiar with the…
John Raby's Food & Travel 