On any walk, it is easy to be beguiled by what you see, but what about what you hear? As I hike along the southern coast of the Gower Peninsula in Wales, I'm struck by the curious catalogue of noise that I'm taking on board, some of it for the first time: black-headed gulls cawing, the wind catching on stout blackthorn branches, the click-clack of a gate, the rustle of wind-proof hiking jackets. Even, if I listen carefully, the gentle ripple of cliff-top grass buffeted by breezy updrafts. Then there are the waves soughing up against the limestone coast, a crumpled, dented noise that over thousands of years has accompanied the gentle erosion and dissolving of the prevailing geology of Gower.

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It's anyone's guess what the situation will be in Greece from one minute to the next, what with the threat of strikes and the country due to make a €3.2bn repayment to the European Central Bank on Thursday. But our visit to a hectic Athens, followed by the dazzling, rocky island of Hydra, at the start of the most recent crisis was a delight. A perfect match of urban grit, culture, and zonked-out, sun-strafed, Mythos beer-fuelled relaxation.

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Long before guests were paying to stay at Mas de la Rivoire, close to the village of Villevieille in southern France, the ivy-clad stone building at the heart of this secluded property provided accommodation for farm workers. It was constructed as a manor house in the 14th century and survived the vicious cycle of post-Reformation religious wars that tore apart numerous communities and buildings in Languedoc- Roussillon. Like many local farmhouses, the manor was once a winery, and organic wines are now produced on the neighbouring estate.

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It's anyone's guess what the situation will be in Greece from one minute to the next, what with the threat of strikes and the country due to make a €3.2bn repayment to the European Central Bank on Thursday. But our visit to a hectic Athens, followed by the dazzling, rocky island of Hydra, at the start of the most recent crisis was a delight. A perfect match of urban grit, culture, and zonked-out, sun-strafed, Mythos beer-fuelled relaxation.

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It's anyone's guess what the situation will be in Greece from one minute to the next, what with the threat of strikes and the country due to make a €3.2bn repayment to the European Central Bank on Thursday. But our visit to a hectic Athens, followed by the dazzling, rocky island of Hydra, at the start of the most recent crisis was a delight. A perfect match of urban grit, culture, and zonked-out, sun-strafed, Mythos beer-fuelled relaxation.

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The Temples of Angkor in Cambodia have been named the best sight in the world by Lonely Planet.

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