Lindsay very much respected landscape over ego, and so Méribel was conceived as something more considered than its contemporaries. Chalets rather than concrete, timber rather than spectacle. That founding philosophy still lingers. This respect for the natural terrain extends beyond architecture to the very way one engages with the mountain. Méribel’s true scale is unlocked off the manicured pistes.
The sheer size of Thailand (and the vast amount of coastline and islands) mean that one could probably spend a lifetime exploring and not cover it all. I hazard to guess that would mostly be due to falling in love with somewhere, something or someone across the myriad landscapes that the country offers.
Even for somebody well-acquainted with the nature of international travel, there’s something remarkable about the fact that a plane can be boarded in the grim satellite that is Stansted Airport, flown for a mere eighty minutes, and disembarked somewhere that feels worlds away.
There’s something to be said about pulling into the port of some far-flung Greek island, and feeling the eyes of locals and tourists alike locking onto the vessel you’re about to disembark; not in disdain, exasperation or resignation at yet another overstuffed cruise ship lumbering into harbour, but with a genuine sense of wonder and, dare I say it, a flash of envy.
Do you feel like family? Do you feel you could ask something obscure or out of the ordinary perhaps and have it be met with wilful mite. The South Place Hotel almost feels like home. For someone living on the other side of London, that’s not a huge ask, but it remains a factor.
The Palacio, as I said, is situated at the south of the city, by the Belem Tower and surrounding the hotel are various sights to take in whilst in Lisbon, or none of them. There is a huge Brutalist edifice that houses the museum of the locality, but at every turn there is something to see, visit, climb, ride, eat or drink.
MotoGP is a big deal in Portugal, and motorsports fans from the Iberian peninsula and further afield rejoiced in 2024 when a brand new two-year contract was signed for the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Tuscany is a part of the world I felt I was familiar with. I’ve walked the cobbled streets of Siena. I’ve jostled through the overbearing crowds of Florence, craning my neck to take in the wonders of Brunelleschi and his kin while keeping half an eye on…
