You’ve probably already brainstormed places for your holiday hitlist next year, but if Spain hasn’t made the cut, you might want to think again. A new Turespaña initiative ‘Whatever I need I need Spain’ is profiling all the country has to offer in food, nightlife, nature, culture or just plain ‘ol inspiration. It’s pretty handy, and can help you choose the best places to go for all your holidaying needs, offering highlights of the country’s famous regions and cities including Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. Like with the latter, we’ve had the good fortune of visiting Spain’s second largest city on a few occasions and all that’s ever been said about Gaudi architecture is true – it’s really that stunning. The food trumped our expectations too, but for more quality cuisine, foodies might also want to hotstep it to Galicia for the world’s tastiest seafood, or head to Vitoria-Gazteiz, the capital of the Basque Country, for a generous choice of some of the most innovative Spanish gourmet dishes.

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Each region of the country can lay claim to its own unique contribution to Italian cooking. Northern Italy is the home of risotto and polenta. Southern Italy gives us pizza and the practice of cooking with olive oil. Parma is the home of Parmesan Cheese and prosciutto. The only place to find the world’s best white truffles is in the city of Alba in the Piedmont area.

White truffles are basically fairly ugly little mushrooms, which are found at the base of trees in the area by trained pigs and dogs. Their tastes and uniqueness has made them one of the most expensive foods in the world with prices easily reaching several hundred Euros per kilo. Macau businessman Stanley Ho has twice set records by paying over €381,000 for a single kilo of the delicacy.

The height of the truffle season is from mid-October through to mid-November. Every Saturday and Sunday during that time, the city of Alba hosts the Alba International White Truffle Fair. The fair plays hosts to chefs from around the world, food buffs and random visitors all of who are looking to experience one of the most exclusive, aromatic and even decadent foods in the world.

Many are familiar with recipes that feature carefully shaved bits of white truffle over grilled vegetables or risotto. But it is at the Alba International White Truffle Fair that the possibilities of the truffle are truly demonstrated.

Visitors to the fair are greeted straight away with a glass of wine, before even entering the fair. Once inside kiosks surround them, displaying everything from truffle pastes and butters, to truffle encrusted cheeses, to truffle oils. Farmers offer up their truffles which are displayed under glass and resting on satin or velvet cushions.

The celebration of the truffle is not restricted to the convention centre. The shops and restaurants in the town join in with special truffle items and dishes developed especially to incorporate the star of the festival.

Alba also offers the perfect finishing touch to the truffle experience. The Ferrero Chocolate Factory, whose pleasing aroma serves as a guide and sits just outside the crowded fair area and serves up the perfect dessert.

Even though “authentic” Italian restaurants can be found in nearly every part of the world, to discover the real reason the cuisine is one of the world’s favourites, one has to go to the source. The Alba International White Truffle Fair allows the casual traveller to experience one of the most unique taste treats in the world. Including Alba and the fair is a very pleasant experience. It may even serve as a catalyst for visiting a site like Gate-Away.com to purchase a house or apartment and becoming at least a part-time resident. Because while it is possible to experience the Alba International White Truffle Fair in a weekend, sampling the 400 cheeses, 300 sausages, countless sauces and cooking methods is a much longer, and very satisfying endeavour.

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We think it’s fair to say Christmas is one of the most snap-happy times of the year.  In the next week, we’ll most likely be capturing the moments when a) your sibling gets that pressie they’ve been hinting at for ages b) your parents give you that pressie you might forward to a friend c) you’re deliriously content from eating way too much turkey and stuffing d) you’re sleeping off the turkey and stuffing – as well as every iconic moment that might have you whipping out your camera while your family say “cheese”.  But if you have a sharp shooter from Sony’s impressive and affordable range of digital cameras and camcorders, your photography might be that bit more inspired this season. For instance, you can get clever and capture close-ups of everything from Christmas tree decorations to that slap-up meal.  The Cyber-shot™ is one of those handy cameras that offers DSLR quality and a range of modes such as Aperture Priority (ideal for focusing on details), or Shutter Priority (if you want to show a bit of action in your shots).  Or you could head to the Christmas markets post-December 25^th in the evening and capture some gorgeous low-light images.  The Cyber-shot™ is easy to carry around, and allows you to change lenses ensuring you can take a range of lovely pics that won’t fail to impress.   The photo opportunities are endless of course, but at least you know you can get the kind of pics you want with your camera and leave 2013 with a beautiful set of memories. For more photograph tips, check out and share the infographic below…

Courtesy of Sony

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But some people were really working them: oversized sweater with jeans and heels were passed off as sophisticated and stylish. So as the nights draw in again and the 2013 Indian summer is pushed out by the recent arctic wind, I am forced to readdress my winter wardrobe situation. Am I right in thinking this reindeer, snowflaked, penguin, santa jumper craze is continuing?
Checking out all the big high street movers like New Look, I dare say they have a few on their shelves. But as a source of the latest trends you would expect that. If you are in need of a bit of education,  then the reams on offer here could help out but their remit stretches far beyond a novelty sweater: jumpers, pullovers, hoodies, glittery, cropped, jumper dresses: the selection is extensive and caters for all those eagle-eyed shoppers amongst us, even those who are a little shy of the novelty jumper (moi?).
So it looks like good news for 2013, and thanks to the wealth of options the High Street give us there may be more than just a novelty jumper to your winter wardrobe. Well, maybe I could open my mind for the festive season?

For more info, visit: www.newlook.com

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If you ask me, that’s why places like John Lewis exist: a bastion of high-end supply and a purveyor of nearly everything you should require. It’s always well stocked and brimming with the most helpful staff I think I might ever have encountered. They stock all the best high street and designer cosmetics and clothing, like French Connection, as well as one of the best food and drink sections going.

As Christmas is not too far away, just over 10 weeks to be precise (come on, I know people are counting the days!) your social calendar and the opportunity for hip and arty things to do begins to increase, so places like this become even more necessary. Where do you buy your going out clothes, your cocktail party snacks or Christmas presents for your discerning family members? And, all under one roof?
Plus, if they don’t have it, they know a man that does and they even call him. This happened to me not so long ago and I left in a state of shock and awe. John Lewis staff were so keen to help me find a sugar thermometer they called a competitor to see if they had it, yes, a competitor!  And, I know for a fact their competitors do NOT do that. But, then again, they are a cut above the rest. Perhaps its because the staff are all shareholders in the company, which always appeals to my socialist heart. Whatever their motivation, this level of classy retail service works.

For more info, visit: www.johnlewis.com/french-connection/brand

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It’ll blow your mind
If the thought-provoking talks and shows don’t give you goosebumps, the displays of new technology and interactive performances certainly will. Looking at future innovation and design in science and technology is the aim of the game at this event put together by musician and author Pat Kane – and you’ll get the chance to explore those subjects and more to your heart’s content.

You learn how to live longer
Well Becoming – how to live healthier and wiser – is just one of the four key themes that will be covered during the fest’s immersive morning and afternoon sessions. Imaginarium will look at the transforming power of technology and creativity, We are all Gardeners Now focuses on owning our impact on earth and The Value of Everything will delve into the future’s political economy.

There’s some serious names on the bill
Author Nick Harkaway (he penned The Blind Giant: Being Human in a Digital World) , bionic man Bertolt Meyer, social innovator Rachel Botsman (pictured above), and techno-cellist Peter Gregson are just some of the inspirational speakers who’ll be throwing in their two cents, along with social entrepreneur and model Lily Cole, astronomer Royal Martin Rees, comedian Robin Ince, food futurologist Morgaine Gaye and Iceland’s Pirate Party founder and Wikileaks worker Smari McCarthy. And that’s not even half of the guestlist!

It all goes down on the hip Eastside
FutureFest will be held at Shoreditch Town Hall on September 28 and 29th and costs only £36 per half-day session. To buy tickets and for more info, visit futurefest.org or follow Nesta on Twitter (@nesta_uk) for regular updates.

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Not only do they offer packages and services that make meal group bookings for seasonal parties or event management a breeze, but they can hook you up with competitive rates for UK attraction tickets for the London Eye, Tower of London and Madame Tussauds amongst others. Also, they can sort out river cruises with views of historic sites, stadium tours of the likes of Wembley, Emirates and Wimbledon and visits to places outside of the capital if you fancy the break, including Windsor Castle, Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Disneyland Resort in Paris. And if there are any Bristolians that take a peek at TCé, you’ll be pleased to know they can organize Christmas Parties in Bristol too. So as we countdown the last weeks of summer and look towards the end of the year, you can be rest assured that Hospitality Line will help you and your workmates enjoy the rest of 2013 with a bang – no stress required.

For more info, visit: http://www.hospitalityline.co.uk/

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