Gibraltar and Spain

On a bus tour around the Gibraltar last week, the driver played excerpts from a James Bond movie, The Living Daylights, which was shot on the Rock. Yet I can’t think of any crime novel which has featured the Rock – surely there must be some thrillers, at least, set there? It’s certainly a fascinating location, one I enjoyed visiting this time even more than on my first trip more than 20 years ago.

The atmospheric nature of the place is heightened by its proximity to Spain and Africa, and the continuing tension created by political tensions arising from the very evident, and passionately felt, desire of the inhabitants (certainly including our bus driver) to retain their links with Britain. An extraordinary, and evocative, part of the world.

I’ve mentioned before my enthusiasm for cruising, and I’m especially keen on itineraries that don’t have too many days at sea, but which call in to a wide range of ports. This provides the opportunity to sample places and figure out destinations that would be worth prioritising for a longer look. On recent holidays, I’ve been very taken by Santorini, Madeira and Rhodes, and although Gibraltar is tiny, I would be keen to return there before too long.

Three Spanish towns were the other ports of call. Almeria, with its fabulous Alcazaba fortress, and Cartagena, with its marvellous and very well presented Roman remains, were both memorable. And though I’d never been to Mallorca before, having mentally stereotyped it as a beach holiday type of place, I found Palma really impressive. Will any of these locations feature in future short stories? Not sure – I still haven’t finished the mystery I’ve set on Santorini yet...

By the way, I couldn't resist including a photo not only of a wonderful Barbary macaque family, but also one in which I'm accompanied by my recently appointed publicist! Catherine hopes to develop a career in PR or journalism when she finally leaves Oxford. Suffice to say that if she manages to improve my profile, she'll surely be able to rise to any other challenge!

Madeira

I mentioned a while back that I absolutely loved the island of Santorini, and I plan to write a short story set there. In fact, I've made a start on it, but it's now on the back burner as I try to make progress, at long last, with the next Lake District Mystery. Santorini, like Rhodes and Capri, was somewhere I visited last year, and all three islands became instant favourites - I'm keen to go back to all of them some day.

They have been joined on the list by Madeira, a place I thought was absolutely fabulous. One of the merits of a cruise is that you get a snapshot of a place, and by sampling various destinations, you can decide which you'd like to inspect in more detail in the future. Madeira seemed to me to have a huge amount to offer, ranging from cable car trips (I managed four in a single day, a personal best!), toboggan trips down to the port (I wasn't brave enough, but maybe one day...), stunning scenery and genuine rather than synthetic character. Yes, I was impressed.

Again, I simply have never come across any crime story set in Madeira. It may be that I've forgotten one or two, but I'd be glad of any recommendations. And if nobody has written a good short story set on the island, maybe there is a gap in the market for me...

Santorini

Well, you didn't think that you'd get away with just one set of my holiday snaps, did you?! These photographs were all taken on a memorable visit to Santorini, a Greek island as fascinating as it is beautiful. In fact, I liked it so much that I was immediately inspired to think up a story set on Santorini.

I suppose that most sensible travellers research their destinations in depth before they set off. However, I must admit that I didn't know anything about Santorini before I arrived there. This was partly because I hadn't had much time prior to the cruise to think about it in any detail – but it was also partly because one of the joys of cruising, at least to me, is that of arriving in fresh and unknown places morning after morning and then discovering them at close quarters. You only have time to get a brief flavour of the place, but of course, if you like it enough, you can always go back at a later date for an extended visit.

Suffice to say that I'm keen to return to Santorini one of these days. Mind you, next time, I may take the cable car to the top of the cliff where the main town of the island is located, rather than flogging up the 600 steps which wind to the top. I did the walk both ways which gave me a rare sense of virtue, and managed to avoid being crushed to death by the masses of donkeys that carry nervous passengers up the same path. Anyway, the walk was worth it, both for the breathtaking views and for the delightful nature of the town. I thought it was a fantastic place.

Santorini was created by a volcanic eruption, and the town was destroyed less than 60 years ago by an earthquake. The geology is part of the fascination of the place, and it has influenced the theme of my story – which is provisionally entitled "Fault Line".