This week, we re in spain. . . . . For decades, a summer favourite of families and package holiday makers looking for some guaranteed sunshine. This month alone, around 10 million of us will have paid the country a visit. So as peak season there reaches its height, we wanted to revisit some of our adventures on the spanish mainland, starting in the southern region of andalucia, home to some eye catching names seville, cordoba, granada and the costa del sol. But amid all the recumbent sun worshippers spread out on the beaches, we found something secret hidden beneath the sands. I m meeting eddi pitcher, a writer and travel journalist who specialises in uncovering hidden places. Eddi, where are you taking me today? so we are taking the wild way to bolonia beach, and we can see that this is the way because we ve got. . . Knotted beach grass here. There are no signs. So it s. . . I said it was a wild way. I m definitely glad that eddi s here to show me the way on this one. Wow, look at t
On the beaches, we found something secret hidden beneath the sands. I m meeting eddi pitcher, a writer and travel journalist who specialises in uncovering hidden places. Eddi, where are you taking me today? so we are taking the wild way to bolonia beach, and we can see that this is the way because we ve got. . . Knotted beach grass here. There are no signs. So it s. . . I said it was a wild way. I m definitely glad that eddi s here to show me the way on this one. Wow, look at this. There you go. So you ve got your desert dune there. Wow! this is the bolonia sand dune, one of spain s largest sand dunes, standing at over 30m high and 200m wide, all concealed within the estrecho nature park. Probably the best way to think about this coastline, which is endlessly shifting down the centuries, is as a living sand dune. And now, with climate change, the winds are getting stronger and pushing with them these dunes. So they re really moving? yeah, exactly. These dunes are being battered by hurr
Levels isnt yet hitting home. The energy bills should be coming down by now. Not from what ive seen. They keep putting the standard charge for electricity up and gas. But it doesnt feel like. The cost to go out for the day and eating and drink seems to be going up as well. Sometimes ijust dont even, like, pay for my wi fi because i cant, so we have to go without. Everything isjustl going up, isnt it . Everything. And you dont think that thats starting to calm down or stabilise . Anything you can see in your own bills . Maybe our gas and electric is i slightly better than it was or not as bad as it was getting, but apart from that, no, not really. The latest figures show food costs and prices in cafes and restaurants helping Drive Inflation down to 3. 1i last month the lowest level for two and a half years, well down on its 11 peak. From here, the Headline Rate of inflation is likely to fall below 2 , thats the governments target, driven by those falls in Energy Prices next month. But w
This week, im in turkey, where theyre gearing up for the countrys 100th Anniversary. Rising from the remains of the Ottoman Empire a century ago, turkey inherited a disparate group of cultures and began a process of rapid modernisation under its founder, ataturk. Im travelling the country to understand how all of these diverse cultures were brought together. From the Burial Grounds of the god kings of ancient anatolia. To the turquoise coast, where Queen Cleopatra is claimed to have once bathed. To an original ottoman coffee house in gaziantep, and the hotel frequented by the founder of the republic here in istanbul. Welcome to turkey. Ship horn blares. Now this has to be the best possible way to arrive in istanbul down the mighty bosphorus. Its this body of water that separates the city but also separates continents. And look at that, that silhouette with the domes, the minaretsjust popping up above the horizon. That is dolmabahce palace. Thats where the founder of the republic, Musta
Now this has to be the best possible way to arrive in istanbul down the mighty bosphorus. Its this body of water that separates the city but also separates continents. And look at that, that silhouette with the domes, the minarets just popping up above the horizon. That is dolmabahce palace. Thats where the founder of the republic, Mustafa Kemal ataturk, set about the business of transforming turkey. And from the past to the present, this is taksim district, the heart of modern istanbul. Getting an ice cream in turkey seems like a bit of an extreme sport. I mean, its very. Its for you. She laughs one vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, i pistachio. Tram bell dings these european style heritage trams have their roots back in 1871, when they were horse powered and later became electric. I love a tram. Thats notjust because im from melbourne. Something quite nice about the pace of it and also, going right through the middle of the city. Everyones scarpering out of the way. Its a really nice w