Escape through travel

San Sebastian (Donostia) is a beautiful city that offers fine beaches and finer food. Close to France, yet with a cuisine of its own, the city offers all that a holiday-maker could want.

These former salt workings in Salinas de Anana in Alava, Spain are being converted into a tourist attraction and being preserved as industrial heritage. Personally, I love industrial and postindustrial landscapes but for some this is just an eyesore. Opinions anyone?

The Lutheran Cathedral of Helsinki was built in the mid 19th Century in a neoclassical style to the original design of Carl Engel. It is amazing that travelling around Europe, one particular architectural approach is so prevelant. The style developed by the Greeks, taken by the Romans, rediscovered during the renaissance and again in the 19th century is ubiquitous.

Located between Bilbao, Durango, and Vitoria this park is full of Alpine-like beauty. The horses wear bells, just like Swiss cows!

One of the pleasures in the Basque Country is going from city, to coast, to mountain in a short distance. The Urkiola mountains, housed in Urkiola National Park, offer fine walking opportunities less than half an hour from Bilbao

Although not seen as a traditional stronghold of religion in Spain*, there are many locations of faith across the Basque Country. This sanctuary in Urkiola is on the site known for religious use for 800 years.

* OK, the Jesuits originated in the Basque Country but anti-clericism is also strong here.

At last winter seems to be passing, and in the Basque Country the flowers are out. Lets hope for a good summer.

This delightful botanic garden is located in the ruins of a monastery and contains flora from around the world. The cacti in particular are impressive.

This bridge is at Trespuentes, in Alava province which is part of the Basque country. Todoay, the bridge is a pedestrian crossing into the fields beyond, but in 1813 it was a key strategic location. The Duke of Wellington crossed here during the Peninsular War campaign with part of his army to pursue the French artillery during the Battle of Vitoria. Following his victory in this battle, Wellington chased the French out of Spain, eventually resulting in the abdication of Napoleon.

Strange how some places seem perpetually to be in history - the fields of Flanders for example - while others have a brief moment of importance and then fade back into obscurity.

The British has a tendency to play down their achievements. Good beer is one of these achievements that should be celebrated. With microbreweries leading the fightback following the destruction of the traditional British brewing tradition by the conglomerates, there is again fine beer to savour. This beer, locally brewed Harvest Pale, is about two pounds fifty a pint. Top stuff!

The cities of Spain offer so much variety. From cosmopolitan Madrid, to elegant San Sebastian, and stunning Seville, Spain's cities repay time spent exploring. In the picture is San Sebastian (Donostia), where the best food in Europe can be found.

Travelling around Europe, it is noticeable that hotels have very different policies on internet access. Some offer both wireless (wifi or WLan) and cable connections free of charge in the rooms. Others have a pay service for cable connection in the room but free wifi access in the lobby. Still others charge for everything.

Strangely, it seems that the more expensive the hotel, the more likely you are to be asked to pay for your Internet access. German hotels in particular seems to be keen on making you pay extra for what most business travelers regard as a basic requirement. The best internet access I have had have been in Croatia and Serbia, where the networks were both free and fast.

My plea to hotels then, give us simple wireless access - preferably in the room but if necessary in the lobby - and do not see the Internet as a way to fleece your guests. After all, chances are that they booked online.

Sub-zero temperatures and serious snow across Germany disrupted travel for many. Many who were scheduled to attend a meeting in Berlin failed to make it, but the cold snap provided some excellent photo opportunities to prove that every cloud (or even blizzard) has a silver lining. here, a boat ploughs its way past the Pergamon towards the TV tower in Alexanderplatz.

An example of escaping through travel. I was in Dusseldorf for an evening and went looking for the sights of the city. Dusseldorf is not exactly pulsating with beauty - perhaps the name does not inspire - but with effort there were sights to be seen. Here, the city lights reflect on the canal. Are canals the most beautiful objects of industrial heritage?

Europe has suffered extreme weather this winter. Finland suffered its worst winter for 30 years, Spain has frozen, and Germany iced in. Now, as the thaw approaches there will probably be bad flooding around Europe. North-West England has already suffered, and as can be seen in the photograph, the Nervion river has breached its banks in Pais Vasco and carried down much debris. This pile of driftwood was caught up on the steps near to the "puente colgante" in Las Arenas at the mouth of the river. It is a pointed reminder that we cannot underestimate the power of nature.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
Alice is marrying one of the guard.
"A soldier's life is terrible hard,"
Says Alice.

Spain is like a doughnut. Tasty round the outside but with a big hole in the middle. This panorama was taken in that hole - La Mancha. If you look carefully, you can see Don Quixote* approaching from the left.

*Sancho Panza's ass was known as the donkey hotey. I'll get my coat.

Less than 20 years ago, the visitors to Bilbao were businessmen, trading in iron, steel, ships and coal or visiting the large trade fair complex in the city next to San Mames football stadium.

Then, the Guggenheim Museum and low-cost air travel changed this. With a new tourist attraction and the Easyjet flight from Stansted, the British arrived by the planeful, spending a weekend in this "new" destination.

The British still come, but they are not so noticeable now, as as new low-cost routes have been put in place, there have been waves of other nationalities coming to the city. After the British, the Germans. Then the Italians. Recently the French seemed to be dominant, perhaps driving across the border and making the hour and half trip from Hendaye.

The latest visitor pattern is not tied in to air travel - the new travellers are coming by sea. Bilbao has become a major cruise ship destination. These new travellers (often American) are not particularly popular because they are bussed in from the boats, taken to the "sights" and then bussed back, so adding to the traffic but not spending much money.

The Bilbao authorities, carefully tending the tourists so essential for the city's income will no doubt be able to tell exactly what nationality is coming, but perhaps in future the bar owners and the shopkeepers of this rapidly changing city had better start learning Polish and Russian.

Attenborough is the village in which I grew up. Located in the Trent valley between Nottingham and Derby, it is a quiet semi-rural place with a church dating back to Norman times and a renowned nature reserve.

Looking down the roman-straight railway lines from the station, I always wondered what lay beyond.