Europe

Winning tip: Opera and thermal baths, Italy Listening to Puccini and other Italian opera classics while sparkling stars lit the night skies was just the tonic I needed last summer. I stumbled on the lovely resort of Salsomaggiore Terme when I was driving around the verdant hills of Emilia-Romagna. I thought I might stay a day to enjoy the thermal waters – but ended up staying a week. The town is full of natural water fountains, belle époque buildings, peaceful cafes and eateries. The elegant Grand Hotel (doubles from €120 B&B), where I stayed, offered open-air tai chi classes in the gardens, and all kinds of mud and relaxation treatments are available at most hotels in the town.Nigel … [Read more...] about 10 of the best wellbeing holidays in Europe: readers’ travel tips

Danske’s shares, which have lost 28% of their value so far this year, rose 4.5% on Thursday after UBS advised clients to buy the shares. “The 87-page report on the non-resident portfolio contained a number of positives in our view,” Johan Ekblom, a UBS analyst said in a note referring to the lack of a formal US investigation. “We think Danske Bank shares look attractive, even in a scenario of material financial fines.” … [Read more...] about Danske Bank money laundering ‘is biggest scandal in Europe’

The venture debt funding is just the latest financing Bolt has secured. It has already raised in excess of €200m from Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi and German carmaker Daimler. It ranks among Europe’s “unicorns”, start-ups valued at more than a billion dollars. … [Read more...] about Bolt raises €50m from Europe’s investment bank to build rival to Uber

As Haskell said: “This marks the end of the recovery and transition phase. It’s the start of doing ourselves justice. We can’t harp on about what used to happen at Wasps [Heineken Cups in 2004 and 2007 along with four league titles in six years]. I think I’m the last guy left of that team.” … [Read more...] about Wasps consign nightmare period to history to rejoin Europe’s 20 elite

Sadly we had missed the August-October mushroom season, but the forest still provided. While we picked wild cranberries, a family with a young daughter collected pine cones for a Christmas wreath and others filled large containers with spring water. This closeness to the forest is rooted in Latvia’s history: for centuries the forest has represented safety and security for Latvians, particularly in the 1600s and 1700s when people fled to the woods during conflicts between the Russian, German and Swedish empires. … [Read more...] about The wood life: my four days immersed in Latvia’s forests