Forgive the lack of photos!! Lots of these places were visited before I went digital.

5. Marrakesh

Jamma el Fna might be my favouite people watching spot ever. Food vendors yelling into fake phones, snake charmers, pigs heads – the chaos is addictive.

4. Edinburgh

I was lucky enough to be there for the Fringe Festival. I saw 3 or 4 shows a day. What a treat. What about that castle? Just plonked there in the middle of the city?! Plus there are men in kilts with daggers in their socks everywhere.

3. Buenos Aires

After nearly 6 months of backpacking through South America (beans and rice, anyone?) B.A was like an oasis. Wide streets, cheap shopping, dance music festivals, La Boca and tango everywhere. One of my best travel memories of all time is racing through the BA streets at 3am, triple doubling on the back of a vintage Lambretta with a famous photographer. Just because. Happiness.

2. Istanbul

Not strictly speaking Asia. Not strictly speaking The Middle East. Not strictly speaking Europe. Istanbul is the melting pot of culture and history. I love it.

and my favourite city of all….

1. Rome

Angry in Rome? Go for a walk. See something so immense and old that you can not continue to be angry.

Bored in Rome? Go for a walk. See something so immense and old that you can not continue to be bored. For bonus points, take a football to any piazza and watch the games begin.

Hungry in Rome? Go for a walk. Find food so cheap and tasty that you can not continue to be hungry. Eat pizza that you pay for by weight. Eat blood oranges. Drink wine (it is a food group!)

I worked in a hostel in Rome, back when that kinda stuff still happened. This is the vague transcript of a conversation that happened between myself and a woman who had just arrived from Florence…

Me: Welcome to Rome. How long will you be staying with us?

Her: I’m not sure. It depends what there is to do in Rome. What is there to do in Rome?

Me: What is there to do in Rome? Let me think….You remember where the train station is? Go back there. Get on a train. Go back to Florence.

Moral of the story – do some research before you arrive. Anywhere. But especially in somewhere as magical as the Eternal City.

Also ran: Budapest, Vancouver, Adelaide, Palermo and Havana