Discover the freedom of the open road. " Loire Valley: Bring history to life with a tour of the region s castles Provence: Discover the finest cuisine & a different pace of life The Alps: Incredible mountain roads & lush valleys "39 amazing road trips inside " Inspirational Trip Ideas. 2-day escapes to week-long adventures See it Like a Local. Packed with regional trips & exciting detours Road Trips Made Easy. Maps detailed directions & expert advice Our Promise You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about each & every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage so you can rely on us to tell it like it is." ...

The Sporty Fairies are in need of Rachel & Kirsty's help. Everyone in Fairyland is preparing for the Fairy Olympics but Jack Frost & his goblins have stolen the magic sporty items so they can win by cheating! What's more with the items missing everyone in the human world is playing sports really badly & so the human Olympics is in danger of being ruined too! Francesca needs the girls' help to get her Magic Football back... ...

Francesco da Mosto follows his bestselling books on Venice & Italy with his personal quest for the authentic flavours & food ...

Venetian architect & historian Francesco da Mosto sets out from Venice to cross the Mediterranean
- following in the wake of his
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Francescos Venice is the extraordinary story of the life of an intriguing city told by a descendant of an old & distinguished Venetian family. Francesco da Mostos ancestry is inextricably intertwined with that of this amphibious city. Fiercely proud & protective of the rich cultural & architectural heritage of his birthplace Francesco gives us a unique insight into the inner workings of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. He explores Venices remarkable history from the fifth century when settlers retreated to the safety of the lagoon & began to create their homes on tiny islands through its glorious years as a successful maritime nation adept at trade exploration diplomacy & protecting its independence to the fragile city of the twenty-first century. Venices history is a tale of warfare & conspiracies of artistic excellence & ingenuity of the battle of wills & of ideas & of strength in the face of disaster & Francesco brings to life the places events & people that have sculpted this living theatre through the ages. These include a colourful array of his own ancestors such as the six da Mostos who were involved in the rise & fall of the ambitious & corrupt Doge Falier & the young Alvise da Mosto a courageous & deterrmined explorer of the fifteenth century. Beautifully illustrated with stunning images by John Parker of both the magnificent symbols of the city including St Marks Basilica & the Doges Palace & the more secluded corners Francescos Venice celebrates the mesmerizing beauty & surprising strength of this unique city. ...

Marion Sharpe & her mother seem an unlikely duo to be found on the wrong side of the law. Quiet & ordinary they have led a peaceful & unremarkable life at their country home The Franchise. Unremarkable that is until the police turn up with a demure young woman on their doorstep. Not only does Betty Kane accuse them of kidnap & abuse she can back up her claim with a detailed description of the attic room in which she was kept right down to the crack in its round window. But there's something about Betty Kane's story that doesn't quite add up. Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard is stumped. & it takes Robert Blair local solicitor turned amateur detective to solve the mystery that lies at the heart of The Franchise Affair... ...

Generalissimo Francisco Franco the Caudillo of Spain from the Nationalists brutal Fascist-sponsored victory over the Republican government in the Spanish Civil War until his quiet death in 1975 is the subject of this book. The biography presents a mass of new & unknown material about its subject the fruits of research in the archives of six countries & a plethora of interviews with key figures. Paul Preston is the author of The Triumph of Democracy in Spain" & " The Spanish Civil War 1936-9"." ...

Francos Friends tells the little-known true story of how MI6 orchestrated the coup that brought General Franco to power in Spain in 1936 leading to the Spanish civil war & 40 years of right-wing dictatorship. It has long been known that a British plane took Franco from the Canaries to Morocco at the start of his coup. What is not known is the importance of his role & the extent of the involvement of the British intelligence services. Francos Friends discloses a list of British secret agents who helped engineer Francos coup that reads like a whos who of British intelligence (including James Bond creator Ian Fleming). The book shows that MI6 continued working in Spain through to the Second World War putting together behind-the-scenes deals & ensuring that the UKs interests were maintained. Crucially MI6 even financed bribes paid to the Spanish generals by the British naval attache in Madrid to keep Spain neutral thus reaping the benefits for Britain in 1939-45. Based on previously unknown material from the National Archives Imperial War Museum the British Library & private archives this is one of the great previously untold stories of the Second World War revealing how Britain made a dubious but difficult moral choice that would have repercussions on the outcome of the Second World War. ...

In 1870 Bismarck ordered the Prussian Army to invade France inciting one of the most dramatic conflicts in European history. It transformed not only the states-system of the Continent but the whole climate of European moral & political thought. The overwhelming triumph of German military might evoking general admiration & imitation introduced an era of power politics which was to reach its disastrous climax in 1914. First published in 1961 & now with a new introduction The Franco-Prussian War is acknowledged as the definitive history of one of the most dramatic & decisive conflicts in the history of Europe. ...

This work covers the Franco-Prussian War which broke out in 1870 when Bismarck engineered a war with the French Second Empire of Napoleon III. This was part of his wider political strategy of uniting Prussia with the Southern German Confederation & excluding Austria. The war was an overwhelming Prussian victory & the king was proclaimed Emperor of the new united Germany. The Second Empire collapsed & Napoleon III fled in exile to Britain. In the clearing up operation against the French Third Republic Germany gained the eastern French provinces of Alsace & Lorraine areas that were to provide a bone of contention for years to come. ...