Think of Barcelona and exuberance and optimism, culture and Catalonian style may well leap to your mind.

EXCLUSIVE: Jacqui Madelin's first NZ test of the car that Citroen hopes will take down the Corolla

This was supposed to be the blog in which the author of There But For The answered all the questions that you so carefully crafted for her.

Disappointment about the outcome of a meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy ruled investor sentiment on both sides of the Atlantic overnight.

Jim Eagles tries an English throwing game with Cavalier origins.

Part of the joy of this stretch of the Italian coast is that there is a train every 15 minutes in peak hours.

Adventurous appetites will be driven to ecstasy by the myriad delights of Italian markets, writes Peter Bills.

Jim Eagles visits Crete on the 70th anniversary of the famous battle in which his father fought, and finds its links with NZ are still strong.

World share markets are up again, after a good earnings report from Cisco and a positive US jobs report.

It's a picturesque area now, but 100 years ago, France's champagne riots saw violence erupt on such a scale the army was brought in.