Last week the British Ambassador to Argentina, Mark Kent, welcomed visitors to his official residence, the Madero Unzue Palace in Buenos Aires. 

Rated as one of the most beautiful British diplomatic residences in the world, the Palace is listed as part of Argentina's national heritage.  

​Built between 1914 and 1917 under the direction of British architects Walter Bassett-Smith and Bertie Collcut, the Palace was originally designed to be the family residence of Carlos María Madero and Sara Unzué Baudrix. However, following the death of Carlos and his wife, the property was put up for sale. It was bought by the British Government in 1945. In 1946, parts of the Palace were renovated in anticipation of the Ambassador’s occupancy, including the façade facing the back garden and an imperial staircase from the first floor. 

The British residence showcases one of the most important collections of English furniture in Buenos Aires. The garden is home to a large number of native trees and shrubs and features part of the wall of the property that had previously occupied the lot, owned by the Hale family. On his visit in 1966, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, planted a tree and laid a foundation stone in the garden.

Today, the British diplomatic residency is inhabited by Mark Kent and his wife and is used for a number of different cultural events, official visits and other functions associated with British diplomatic activity in Argentina. The palace has received many important figures in its time, including members of the British royal family such as Princess Anne, Princess Diana of Wales, and Prince Harry, as well as musician Sir Tom Jones, rock n’ roll legends the Rolling Stones, and many more.

​It’s not unusual to find meals where each course is paired with a different wine, but it was very refreshing to have lunch with Visit Flanders on Wednesday where each of the five courses was paired with a different beer – and such amazing flavours too.
 
Chef Didier Boudeaux, owner of Maison D in the delightful town of Ronse, was responsible for the brilliant paired menu. Pre-lunch drinks consisted of a choice of ‘Champagne’ beers and an appetiser of eel, cauliflower and leek. The beer was served in a wine glass, as were all the other beers we enjoyed over lunch. Once we were seated, a further appetiser of marinated veal, turnip and sheep’s cheese was served.

​For starters we enjoyed lobster, potato, spinach and white asparagus, paired with a delightful St Bernadus Tripel. This was followed by a main course of pigeon, green asparagus, wild garlic and pointed white cabbage, washed down with Kwaremont.
 
A selection of cheese followed, with apple and pear chutney, and finally desert of cremeux of café noir, served with a chocolate beer that tasted like iced coffee. Chef Boudeaux even produced some home-made petit fours including madeleines, chocolate peanut delights and orange macaroons.

​It was a delicious meal and if this is what visitors to Flanders can expect, I’ll be booking a seat on Eurostar very soon!

​With basic wedding packages costing between £1200 and £2400, it’s getting more and more popular.  One cruise line now organises around 1500 a year, so they’ve had plenty of practice. 

There are dedicated staff, both ashore and on board, to organise the event for you. All you have to do is to decide what you want, then relax and enjoy days and nights of pure luxury while they make sure it all happens.
 
Performing marriages is one of the Captain’s most pleasurable duties, and if you decide to go it alone, two of his senior officers will be honoured to act as witnesses. Weddings take place on sea days when the ship is sailing in international waters and the wedding legally takes place where the ship is registered. 

​the ceremony itself, champagne, a cake, photography and a commemorative marriage certificate, as your legal certificate may take a short time to reach you.

​Each cruise line has its own version of the offering with some extras included. However, you can add items to suit yourself and the cruise lines have special brochures detailing what’s available.

​Cruise lines offering weddings at sea include P&O, Cunard, Princess,  Norwegian, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, who provided these images.

Many kids love having their faces painted but the idea is not limited to youngsters. According to aviation magazine Flight Global the trend has been going on for some years.

Most recently Air Astana, the national carrier of Kazakhstan, painted one of its aircraft to look like a Snow Leopard. The animals are indigenous to Kazakhstan and the airline wanted to publicise the threat to the endangered species.

Here are some other examples shown in the feature.

You can read the full feature on the Flight Global website and see the top ten designs here

On Thursday the Scottish football team lost 3-0 to Kazakhstan - not their best performance.

Whilst there, a group of Scottish supporters were entertained with music and dancing by children at a school for autistic kids

The generous supporters donated £10,000 to the school. Don't anyone dare say the Scots are mean!

Known locally  as Bodensee, Lake Constance is a picturesque lake in the heart of Europe surrounded by Germany, Austria, Switzerland and The Principality of Liechtenstein. It has launched a new digital map bringing together 17 multi-ability bike routes around the four-country region.

The 17 tours are made up of two easy and 14 intermediate routes with one more challenging route. The digital map has been specially designed with ease in mind; a scannable QR code enables cyclists to access information from their mobile phones whilst in the saddle. Each of the 17 routes is clearly labelled on the map with distance, cycling duration, altitude, signage guidance and difficulty level to allow for stress-free planning.

​Cycle hire starts from around 15 EUR per day. You can fly direct from London to Friedrichshafen, home of the modern-day Zepellins, from £58 return per person with EasyJet or British Airways, or fly to Zurich and connect in the terminal for a thirty-minute train ride to Konstanz.
 
For a review of the area click here

​George and Amal Clooney were at home in the 18th century Villa Oleandra on Lake Como, although the invitation to pop in for a Nespresso must have got lost in the post.

​Lake Como is bordered by high mountains, creating spectacular lake and mountain scenery, a bit like the Norwegian Fjords but with the temperature turned up and the prices turned down. No wonder it attracts the rich and famous.

​I took a villa-spotting cruise and whilst chez Clooney is a lovely place it’s not as imposing as some other properties on the water’s edge. A few are open to the public. Villa Balbianello was purchased in 1974 by  Count Guido Monzino. He carried out many expeditions to far-flung lands, culminating in leading the first Italian expedition to climb Everest. He overhauled the villa’s interior and filled it with treasures from his journeys, including his sleigh from his 1969 expedition to the North Pole. The villa featured in a number of films, including Casino Royale and Star Wars Episode II. As with other Italian villas, the gardens get as much attention as the building itself and Villa Balbianello’s lovely grounds are no exception.

​My cruise included a short stop at a small island, Isola Comacina. It’s home to a restaurant, a collection of archaeological sites and the three artist houses. There is also a small bar with lovely views, where a large glass of wine cost me just three euros and included a bowl of crisps. You really don’t need a film-star income to enjoy the hospitality here.
 
Villa Carlotta was also on my visit list. Built in the 17th century it contains many treasures and has famous botanical gardens with over 150 species of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias, plus old cedars and sequoias. It provided a shady interlude on a hot afternoon and the museum exhibitions were beautifully presented. They include Antonio Canova’s Palamedes and The Muse Terpsichore, Eros and Psyche by Adamo Tadolini and Franceso Hayez’s The Last Adieu of Romeo and Juliet.
 
The villa was a few minutes’ walk from my hotel, the Britannia Excelsior, in the village of Cadenabbia. My room was large, comfortable and the balcony provided a shady spot to sit and admire the view over the lake. And what a view it was, as good if not better than that offered by any of the villas I had seen; sorry George.

​Across the lake from the hotel is Bellagio - the hotel in Las Vegas is named after it. The old buildings, shop-lined cobbled steps, boutiques, cafes and formal gardens put Bellagio on the ‘must see’ list for visitors. The composer Franz Liszt lived there for a while with Marie d'Agoult and their daughter, Cosima, went on to marry Wagner.
 
Lunch at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni overlooking the lake was a memorable experience. The hotel is owned by the Swiss Bucher family and contains many of their personal art treasures. They live on site but keep out of the way of guests. Visitors have included JFK and Winston Churchill who have suites named after them.

​I also strolled through the manicured gardens of Villa Melzi which line the shore of the lake, once again proving that, in this part of Italy at least, impressive gardens are as important as the imposing villas. Belllagio is certainly one of the most romantic spots on the lake.
 
My visit flew by in a haze of boat trips, villas, gardens, stunning scenery and glorious sunshine but it was soon time to leave this delightful spot. Not surprisingly, George and Amal decided to stay on for a while.

Over one million visitors enjoyed the vibrant parades, show-stopping costumes and unmissable dance performances at this year’s deep-sea themed Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

​The internationally renowned carnival, which is the Canary Islands’ largest and the second biggest in the world after Rio, attracted a record number of attendees across the 27 days of celebration. The final night saw over 400,000 revellers gathered under the stars for a musical extravaganza of concerts and dancing.

A total of 55 events took place during the month-long celebration, including the Carnival Queen Election Gala which is considered by many as the highlight of the festivities. Priscila Medina was elected as Tenerife´s new Carnival Queen following a colourful three-hour gala, which was attended by over 5,000 people. Her stunning dress, called “La Nuit”, was created by Tenerife based fashion designer Sedomir Rodríguez.