Discover Europe in Style

Hands up anyone else out there who needs a holiday! As the days pass by and the year rolls along, it's certainly time for a well-deserved vacation. But forget about the old saying about a change being as good as a holiday - because really, nothing else comes close. As an even wiser sage once said (ok, actually it was pop icon Madonna in her 1983 hit single "Holiday"): 'if we took a holiday, took some time to celebrate, just one day out of life, it would be, it would be so nice.' It's not exactly profound, but it sums up the sentiment so well!

So, keeping this in mind, I for one am looking at a range of European vacations for my upcoming and much-anticipated holiday. I want to experience as much as possible, in admittedly a short space of time, but I don't want to do a whirlwind bus tour of the major Western European capitals (or "40 Museums in 40 Days" as I've once heard it described). I want to experience something that is unique to each place, yet something a little more than eating a baguette in Bordeaux, pasta in Pisa and ducking into an Amsterdam coffee shop to dreamily waste away an afternoon.

That's why I've decided to attempt a linguistic tour of Europe. I mean, what's more culturally and nationally specific than the language? If you're looking to learn Spanish, French or English, then it's got to be Spanish in Spain, French in France or English in England. Learning a language in its native context can't be beaten.

In fact, it was an English learner who actually gave me this idea. With time on his hands and a little cash to spare, this student decided to learn English around the globe, in the most exotic locations possible! From Australia and New Zealand to South Africa, he'd even taken English courses in Malta. As for me, I think I'll start with Italian courses in Italy and see how I go from there!