Europe Archives - Page 3 of 101 - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

The best place for an eyeful of the Eiffel

23rd January 202623rd January 2026 funtime65

The best place for an eyeful of the Eiffel, of course, can never be at its top, n’est ce pas, but instead from high up the Paris Montparnasse Observatory.

Which is still the only skyscraper in the City of Light and soars to 688ft.

Now to get the full panoramic experience of the French capital you’ll have to get moving, though.

With the Observatory due to close on March 31 for years of renovations.

The closure precedes the launch of a major renovation program aimed at completely transforming the building and its surroundings.

Highful in the Eiffel

Naturellement the Eiffel Tower is the biggest draw for visitors to France.

Many of whom, like ourselves with our then young family, will climb 674 stairs to reach… the second floor.

Because you can’t scale the 1,665 steps and will instead have to take the elevator, although you can skip the lot and get the lift from the ground floor.

All of which you’ll find out or already have in your Paree vacation.

Va va voom

What you might not know is that that other grand edifice by the Seine, the Paris Montparnasse Observatory, boasts the fastest elevator in Europe to get up to its observatory on the 56th floor.

Which more than 30 million visitors have taken in since its opening in 1974, offering a 360-degree view of Paris and its suburbs.

Now with such a vista you won’t be surprised to learn too that the Observatory has hosted more than 3,200 cultural, artistic, and institutional events at the top of the tower.

It has notably served as the venue for concerts by internationally renowned artists such as Justin Bieber, Soprano, Indochine and Feu Chatterton.

As well as events open to the general public, such as temporary recreational installations, an ice rink, a temporary roller skating rink and fashion shows during Fashion Week.

C’est Magnicity

The renovation project will involve a complete transformation of the building and its surroundings.

Mais non, it’s not adieu though, only a bientot.

And Magnicity, which has owned and operated the Paris Montparnasse Observatory and its floors for 53 years, will continue to operate its other panoramic sites internationally.

Notably the architects in Warsaw, Berlin, Rotterdam, and the iconic Sears tower in Chicago which is a truly ear-popping experience.

Countries, Europe, Flying

An Edelweiss by any other Alpine name

15th January 202615th January 2026 funtime65

If a rose is a rose by any other name then surely it figures that an Edelweiss is… An Edelweiss by any other Apine name.

Now this horticultural turn isn’t because of the influence of my very own Green-fingered One or Burns Night coming up on January 25.

Although I did serenade her at our wedding with My Luve Is Like A Red, Red Rose.

But because of the news of Swiss airline Edelweiss Air‘s launch of new Glasgow-Zurich flights this summer.

A tale of the roses

Another flower of Scotland: The Jacobite Little White Rose

It got us thinking that symbols often come without borders.

As they grow across lines and are also celebrated and worn too by neighbours who can fall out and fall back in again.

Which is the case of the Scottish Jacobite Little White Rose.

While our English friends mark equally a Yorkshire red and Lancastrian white rose.

Small and white clean and bright

So it can be done, and is, in the Alps where the Edelweiss is hailed by both Austrians and Swiss.

And as we discovered from the globetrotting Daughterie and Mr Daughterie.

That the wee flower figures too on Romanian currency.

So if you thought that it was the preserve of Austria because of The Sound of Music then you would be wrong.

The Swiss too treasure the mountain flower and market it in their tourist brands.

As does Edelweiss Air which has been trading and flying us Helvetiaphiles out to Switzerland for 30 years this year.

An Alpine hand

How sweet is my valley: Switzerland for all seasons

Glasgow will be served by flights every Monday and Friday from May 29 to September 14.

And continuing the Burns theme this is how ithers see us.

Although we know already that the Swiss are fans.

From their regular visits up to Caledonia to showcase their beautiful country and to share Scots-Swiss stories.

Our Alpine amis describe Scotland’s largest city as ‘combining Victorian architecture with modern culture, a vibrant music scene, and a rich football tradition.

‘And thanks to its location, Glasgow is ideal for a city break.

‘As well as a perfect base for tours through the Scottish Highlands or in combination with Edinburgh.’

MEET YOU IN THE AIR

Countries, Cruising, Deals, Europe

In your sixties on a Rhine river cruise

14th January 202614th January 2026 funtime65

You look at the world differently from a double-decker booze bus when you’re a teen than from when you’re in your sixties on a Rhine river cruise.

With, of course, the behaviour codes laxer on the TopDeck bus to the Oktoberfest in Munich with a travelling party of Aussies and Kiwis than on the five-star MS Riviera Resplendence.

Let’s just say that we can’t imagine our Irish buddies Cassidy Travel allowing you to tip your bladder onto the thoroughfare in the way our crew did on the German autobahn.

It is, some 40 years since I first dipped my toe into solo travelling, going it alone after my Uni buddies had failed to raise the money for our group trip to Munich.

And I decided to jump in on my own, only to find that the bus was full of Aussies and Kiwis and I was the outlier.

Which meant that I was the novelty and made a busload of new friends, rattling on a bus and looking at the cruisers on the Rhine.

Some of whom dropped in on us for a weekend later that year… and stayed six months!

Rhine of your life

So now we’re in less of a rush to get there and happier just to go with the flow then what better way to travel than on the Riviera Rhine Cruise to Switzerland.

Where Solo Travellers can enjoy a stress-free, sociable way to experience some of Europe’s most beautiful regions without single supplements or the pressure of travelling independently.

You’ll board the brand new five-star MS Riviera Resplendence, launching in July.

On a seven-night river cruise promising solo guests a fully organised itinerary along the Rhine.

And you’ll get to enjoy historic towns and cities such as Strasbourg, Koblenz, Rüdesheim, Speyer and Lucerne.

With scenic highlights such as the Rhine Gorge, the Black Forest and a mountain rail journey into the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland.

Solo run

Guests will enjoy the comfort of sole occupancy cabins, expertly planned excursions.

And the support of tour managers hand-selected for their ability to connect solo travellers.

Days are spent taking in the scenery while evenings offer the option to socialise over dinner.

Or to simply enjoy live on-board entertainment including a violin soloist and folk music performances.

You’ll travel from October 31-November 7.

The full package

The Solo Rhine Cruise Package includes:

Exclusive price for Cassidy Travel customers
Free drinks package
7 nights on board a five-star ship
Return flights & transfers
10 included experiences
Full board *except one lunch if choosing the full day excursion
Complimentary on-board tea & coffee
Expert Tour Managers looking after you throughout
All additional taxes
Checked luggage
Free Wi-Fi

Prices from €2,899pp with a deposit of €300 (Exclusive Cassidy Travel price!)

Countries, Culture, Deals, Europe, Music

Time to say good buy… in Prague

10th January 202610th January 2026 funtime65

Horizons are never far, and particularly with the Institute for Culture Travel, who know exactly when it’s time to say good buy… in Prague, with this Andrea Bocelli special trip.

Now Bohemian Prague is embedded in opera and you’ll jostle with punters from monks to mainstream at the bar at the interval.

While humming to La Boheme or whistling to the Magic Flute.

Our pals at the Institute know us better than we know ourselves and that we have resolved to be more cultural in 2026.

And so they have sneaked in this last-minute concert tour to the Czech capital, departing January 23 and featured a performance by tenor Andrea.

The three-night tour offers guests the chance to see Andrea perform live at Prague’s O2 Arena.

And all that jazz

In the Strahov Monastery Brewery: In the Czech Republic

Along with the added bonus of an expertly curated itinerary of cultural experiences in one of Europe’s most enchanting cities.

So that you can continue your musical odyssey by taking in the jazz saxophonists on the King Charles Bridge by the great River Vlatva.

Which, if you’re like me, and God help you if you are, might prompt you into channeling your inner Ray Charles later in the evening.

All after one too many Pilsener Urquells, you understand, and urged on by Swedish Agnetha (no, not that one).

You’ll stay at the stylish 4* Jalta Hotel on Wenceslas Square.

And don’t worry if it’s after the Feast of Stephen and it’s not snowing, it’s still a marvellous sight.

On a pedestal

You’ll be within easy reach of the State Opera, of course.

And the National Museum and the city’s many historic and cultural attractions and that Astronomical Clock.

Explore the city’s palaces, castles and churches and wander the charming lanes of the Old Town and get in your steps.

Take in the guided tours of Prague Castle and the Lobkowicz Palace.

And look out too for the David Cerny statues dotted around the city, cheek by jowl with Habsburg architecture.

The trip also includes a pre-concert dinner and a return coach transfer to the arena, ensuring a seamless experience from start to finish.

Tour highlights

Return flights from Dublin and airport transfers with local guide assistance
Three nights B&B at the Boutique Jalta Hotel
Guided walking tour of Prague Old Town
Guided tour of Prague Castle and Lobkowicz Palace
Pre-concert dinner in your hotel
Andrea Bocelli concert at Prague’s O2 Arena (upstairs sector 110)
Prague city tax

And because we know you’ve tucked a little away for your deserved January treat, you’ve got this.

The Institute break comes in at €1,097pps|Single Supplement €256. With a booking deposit of €450pp.

Deals, Europe

Let il treno take the strain

7th January 20267th January 2026 funtime65

And when you’ve only got pidgin Italian and you’re unsure if you’ve got a connection then… Let il treno take the strain.

And those helpful international travellers you find just when you need them most.

To tell you that the last train of the day will only get you halfway to your destination.

For the start of your Via Francigena last 100kms into Rome.

But that there is a bus for immigrants that does leave in the early hours of the morning.

This being Italy then a little local knowledge is everything.

And this would not be the first time that I would lean on helpful locals on the road back into La Citta Eterna,

Italian Sky is the limit

Now if a little local knowledge is a good thing just think how much more more local knowledge could be.

And that’s where our old pals at Tropical Sky come into play.

With their Italy by Train journeys for 2026.

And their designed twin and multi-centre itineraries that link the nation’s most iconic cities.

Every detail is taken care of, including first class train tickets and all mod cons as standard.

So travellers can unwind and enjoy the scenic journey.

Your seven-nighter through Il Bel Paese takes travellers from the ancient wonders of Rome to the artistic heart of Florence, with all travel and transfers pre-arranged.

Rome to Firenze

The experience begins with four nights at the elegant 4* Hotel The Guardian in Rome, with a rooftop terrace with sweeping city views.

Guests then continue to Firenze for a three-night stay at the restored central 16th-century Palazzo Lorenzo Hotel Boutique & Spa.

A beautifully restored 16th-century residence close to the city’s most celebrated sights.

The itinerary can be fully tailored with hotel upgrades, alternative transport options, or additional Italian destinations to suit individual interests and travel styles.

The seven-night Rome and Florence trip is priced from £979pps B&B basis.

Including a flight to Rome airport, a private transfer to Rome city, four nights at 4* The Guardian on B&B.

Private transfer from Rome hotel to Rome Termini Station, first class train from Rome Termini Station to Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence.

A private transfer from Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station to Florence hotel.

Three nights at 4* Palazzo Lorenzo Hotel on B&B, private transfer from Florence to Florence Airport or Pisa Airport, and flight home from Florence Airport.

So let il treno take the strain.

And all because you can’t always depend on a kind-hearted and knowledgeable English speaker.

To point you in the direction of a special bus to get you to your destination.

Countries, Europe, Pilgrimage

May St Anthony guide you in 2026

3rd January 20263rd January 2026 funtime65

It’s never too early in the new year to be looking for inspiration so may St Anthony guide you in 2026.

And your travels as St Anthony is the Church’s torchbearer for travellers.

Now if the Christmas season is about Baby Jesus and the main saint is Nicklaus.

Then Saint Anthony is not far behind him.

Because as well as being the patron saint of peregrinators St Anthony is also the go-to man for lost causes.

And Christmas is definitely one of those occasions, as well as when you’re portable on holiday, when things go missing.

Under a pile of Christmas wrapping and bundles of new gifts.

Which is what happened to Herself when we repaired to go out for a tipple at the local North Berwick hostelry.

Only to realise that her keys were nowhere to be found.

Answer to our prayers

Of course, misplacing our valuables comes when we’re distracted.

And we are thinking about too much at the same time.

And I’m a master of both and have a mountain of possessions long since fenced by those little Borrowers blighters.

Now after Herself hunting high and low and sending me out of the house and the way.

I suggested we ask St Anthony as a last resort.

For a token fee, of course, in his collection box at the chapel.

Now disbelievers will scoff but the evidence is there and moments later She called to inform me.

That she had found them among the wrapping and tinnies in the bin.

With some story about the dog lead knocking them in there.

Man of charity

All of which mishaps among the merriment brings us to the hero of the moment.

No, not me, but St Anthony, and where we can find him to bank our favours for the future.

Well, for those who follow such things, St Anthony is often referred to as St Anthony of Padua.

Lisbon native Fernando Martins de Bulhões, having been as is so often the case, born from a privileged status.

But going on to dedicate himself to charity in the 13th century.

And preaching, and here is where this peregrinator, came face to face with the great man.

Or the closest thing to that with a reliquary of the Portugueezer in his adopted town of Padua in north-east Italy.

Now Anthony, his given monastic name, found himself in Italy after his ship was blown off course.

On his way back from Morocco, where he had fallen ill (been there, done that).

The trip of the tongue

And it was in Bologna where the legend of Anthony intervening when you lose something was spawned.

When Anthony lost his psalter and prayed to God that it would be found or returned.

And the thief was moved to not only return the book to Anthony.

With the stolen book now said to be preserved in the Franciscan friary in Bologna.

While St Anthony’s tongue and jaw bone which miraculously survived, while the rest of him turned to dust, is the sight of veneration.

In the St Anthony Basilica in Padua where pilgrims gather to pay homage.

And ask where they’ve left their keys, wallet, mobile phone or whatever is dear to you.

Asia, Countries, Deals, Europe, Flying

A flying horse the answer to your airport stress

30th December 202530th December 2025 funtime65

A flying horse the answer to your airport stress… and very little drachma.

And see what we’ve done there.

Because our old friends at Pegasus Airlines have put on some epic deals for 2026.

And flagged up Istanbul for special treatment.

We have take-off: The original Pegasus/Tulpar

Although we’re almost surprised they haven’t stuck with Constantinople, the Greek name for the Grand Old City.

Which our Athenian guides cling doggedly to when casting an eye east.

Now Pegasus is the half-man/half-equine begotten by Poseidon and Medusa.

When the Gorgon let her snake hair down.

On a wing and a prayer

Now we’re not sure what a sample £117.49 return is in old Socratearian coinage.

But in today’s money it’s classic.

And as far as what we call things around here well, potato, po-ta-to.

The Greeks and the Turks are cut from more similar cloth than they sometimes care to admit.

And where Pegasus gives the Greeks wings the Turks turn to Tulpar.

Faster and truer

Now we’re reliably informed that Tulpar flies between three ancient worlds, the upper, middle and lower.

Runs faster than the world and is the horse of batirs, or heroes.

Now as two things can be the same at the same time then Pegasus and Tulpar will fly you faster and truer.

Which is music to the ears for when you get to Istanbul/Constantinople and explore the city of two cultures, civilisations and continents.

Countries, Europe, Pilgrimage

Buon Cammino Pellegrino

29th December 202529th December 2025 funtime65

Buon Cammino Pellegrino and a shout-out to a Via Francigena friend I never knew I had but do now.

Philosopher Marcos Bulcao is a Brazilian brother pilgrim who has also walked the historic route from England into Rome.

Only while your favourite Bandanaman has traversed 100kms (in truth 120 with all the diversions) Marcos has covered 2,000.

And written about it for his new book The Philosopher Pilgrim which he has now flagged up to me through the community.

Follow the Yellowsign Road

Now Marcos, like most of us, took his first step on the Yellowsign road which is the Camino Frances.

And again did the whole thing from France while this peregrinos did the last 100km.

Before hearing about the 1,000-year-old Via Francigena.

Back in the days when small roads led to Rome.

Marathon man Marcos, of course, was never going to take any short cuts.

And so set out on his odyssey to Rome from the pilgrim city of Canterbury on England’s south coast.

Now, of course, every pilgrim’s journey is their own.

And I could have done with Marcos’s company on my stretch of the Lazio region.

Where for the most part I only had the birds for company, probably because I got myself lost in groves and forests.

No spoilers

Now I’ve regaled you with my own misadventures and how I nearly didn’t get started at all.

After getting stranded in Viterbo.

But if you want to hear about Marcos’s journey then you’re going to have to read his The Philosopher Pilgrim.

You may very well find a Marcos for yourself on your travels.

Because Brazilians are all over European pilgrimages.

And they are the friendliest of peregrinos.

Brazilian l’amore

As I discovered when Maria introduced me to her mother and father in the pews at the Cathedral of St James, my namesake, in Santiago.

After they had surprised her by turning up in Galicia when she ended her Camino.

And got a surprise they hadn’t been expecting when she introduced them to the man she had fallen for on the road.

Now to see if anything similar befell Marcos and for other tales of love, companionship and faith then I’ll be checking out The Philosopher Pilgrim.

Countries, Cruising, Deals, Europe

Going on an adventure with MSC on our minds

28th December 202528th December 2025 funtime65

And we’re back, Jack, Kate and the Good Ship Murder gang going on an adventure with MSC on our minds.

The British Channel 5 cruisedunnit is the perfect vehicle to promote our ship pals’ destination.

With the Christmas special dropping in on Alicante and behind the cloisters of St Ignatius Chapel.

Where Sister Tomasina has had an ‘apparition’ which has turned the Spanish town into a pilgrimage.

All of which asks for us to suspend our beliefs.

Mind you, in superstitious, religious Spain fact and fiction can meld and Alicante does have its own myth.

La Peregrina, or Pilgrimage of Santa Faz, which attracts thousands every year, on the second Thursday after Maundy Thursday.

Oui, we Cannes

Peregrinos walk eight kilometres from from the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolas in the historic cente to the Monastery of Santa Faz.

Where the cloth bearing the image of Christ’s face is preserved.

And that’s a mystery that retired tec/cruise crooner Jack and his wingwoman Kate the captain-in-waiting could surely solve.

Of course their Alicante adventure is a window for us to check out MSC’s packages.

The Good Ship wends its way to the French Riviera and glitzy Cannes where inevitably the credits roll on a film star.

Hamam’s the word

And then up the Bosphorus into Istanbul where a wellness guru gets it and the finger of suspicion points to a disgruntled patient.

Now if only they had just gone onshore to the Cagaloglu Hamam.

Where everyone from Florence Nightingale to John Travolta have soothed their weary bones and souls.

Jack of all trades: The Good Ship Murder

We’re promised Crete, Cape Verde, Valletta, Ibiza, and Ancona in the coming weeks,

Giving us all a virtual top up on our tans from the comfort of our own homes.

And prompting us to dip our foot in the sea, although, of course, we already have and can recommend the fjords with MSC.

Med up our minds

Answer to our prayers: La Sagrada Familia

We know you better though and that you need your sunny cruise, so we’re passing on to you

Guests travelling from Dublin can fly to Barcelona and enjoy a seven-night cruise on board MSC Grandiosa from €1,199 on October 29.

With ports of call including Cannes, Genoa, La Spezia, Civitavecchia and Palma De Mallorca.

With the offer valid on new bookings made up to April 7.

America, Countries, Europe, Ireland, UK

St Stephen’s Day v Boxing Day which is better?

26th December 2025 funtime65

Straddling Britain and Ireland means switching Christmas hats… so St Stephen’s Day v Boxing Day which is better?

Just one of the many cultural differences between the two islands is in what we call the Day After Christmas.

Being the first Christian martyr, St Stephen, of course, came before the consumerist Boxing Day.

And he has the jump on the alternative by dint of being by appointment to the Almighty.

With the Church decreeing early that the first martyr should bank the day after the day of Jesus’s birthday.

While Boxing Day had to wait until 1833, with Queen Victoria’s seat still warm on the throne.

When the aristocracy handed down some crumbs from their table.

From Melbourne to Massachussetts

The upper classes would box up gifts and give them to their servants, the poor or tradespeople the day after Christmas Day.

Now as you’d expect Boxing Day took root in the countries of Empire, now Commonwealth, and are still celebrated today.

With Boxing Day in Melbourne, Australia, noted for its Test Match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, or MCG.

Although England, on the end of an Ashes humiliation, aren’t doing much partying.

Randomly, there is a corner of America where Boxing Day is a thing and that is in the least likely, Patriots’ Massachusetts.

Where since 1996 it’s been celebrated, in response to the efforts of a coalition of British citizens to ‘transport the English tradition to the United States’.

Long to wren over us

Czech it out: On the King Charles Bridge in Prague

Stephen’s Day, on the other hand, is where the rest of the Christian world outside of the King’s hails the first Christian martyr.

And where the Good King Wenceslas first looked out in Prague, with his pizza deep pan, crisp and even.

The best tradition though, and we are biased here, is in Ireland.

Where Stephen’s Day is also called Wren Day… well, they would have two names for it.

It goes back to the legend that a wren’s cooing gave away Stephen.

And where Wrenboys, dressed in masks and costumes sang songs and played music for money,.

And used to hunt for wrens although now they’re carried around as stuffed or fake wren.

Then there’s the Mummer’s Festival, held every year in the village of New Inn, County Galway, and Dingle in County Kerry.

From Magyars to Murtys

While there’s also a Magyar Festival, a fertility ritual, which we discovered on our travels this year.

Where Hungarians wear sheepskin furs and use a bagpipe and a chained stick to make music.

Our household of all nations, for our part is called ‘You do the Christmas clean-up Day’.