EXCLUSIVE They're rumored to have had a whirlwind romance. But here's why Tom Brady's set to give Kim Kardashian the cold shoulder at Jeff Bezos' wedding
Tom Brady was among the raft of celebrities arriving at Jeff Bezos and 's $20 million wedding on Thursday, but the NFL icon will not be seeking a romance of his own in the City of Love.
Looking casual in a white T-shirt and matching hat, the seven-time Super Bowl winner boarded a small, star-studded boat in Venice, joining fellow high profile guests as they were taxied to their hotel.
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Times
42 minutes ago
- Times
25 of the most tempting weekends in Europe — all reached by train
The first time I travelled by train in Europe was on a sleeper to the Pyrenees for a school trip when I was 14. It felt impossibly glamorous eating homemade ham sandwiches while the French countryside slipped by outside. Four years later I returned to Interrail around the continent, deciding on a whim each morning whether to travel on to Germany, Slovenia, Italy or Spain. I was thrilled by how simple it was to speed over borders, passing coastlines and cathedrals, vineyards and villages, on the way to somewhere new. Now it's easier than ever to travel across mainland Europe by train. There are new high-speed routes between London and Amsterdam, Brussels and Prague, and Paris and Milan, while swish trains, straightforward international connections and regular Eurostar services from London mean more countries are within reach, even for a weekend. Earlier this month the operator announced its intention to run services to Frankfurt and Geneva, although not until the 'early 2030s'. Flying might seem quicker, but often isn't once you've factored in check-in time, security queues, delays and transfers from out-of-town airports on arrival. And, of course, trains are a far better option for the environment, with one 2024 study from Eurostar finding that travelling by train between London and Paris cuts carbon emissions by 97 per cent compared with flying. • Eurostar guide: everything you need to know before you travel There are other bonuses too. Trains offer access to smaller towns, away from overtouristed capitals, and usually run more frequently so you can choose a schedule to suit rather than dragging yourself to the airport at 3am and spending the first day in a delirious haze (just me?). Plus, there are barely any luggage restrictions, particularly on liquids. I've brought lavish train picnics on board when travelling with my children to Disneyland Paris, travelled back with several bottles of fizz from the Champagne region and lugged home a pharmacy-load of French face cream from Lille. The main Eurostar destinations of Brussels and Amsterdam and spots across France feature on this list, but we've also included some lesser-visited places in western Europe to inspire you to venture beyond those cities, plus some further afield where the journey crossing countries is all part of the holiday. Times given are all from London, using the quickest available route without including any connections. You'll be surprised how far you can go. Though ham sandwiches are strictly optional. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue Time 3 hours 42 minutesNormandy is an hour and a half west of Paris and an easily reached gateway to rural France ( Mortagne au Perche, in Orne, is a postcard-pretty market town with café-lined medieval streets and a 16th-century convent inside the 161-acre Perche Regional Nature Park, which has hiking trails and horse riding (£13 for half an hour; Boudin noir — a French black pudding and the local speciality — can be tried at La Brasserie (mains from £10; Place du Général de Gaulle). Stay in the old quarter in Trama en Perche, an upmarket four-room guesthouse which opened in April in a tastefully refurbished 18th-century B&B doubles from £142, two-night minimum ( Take the train to L'Aigle via Paris Time 6 hours 30 minutesDevote the whole weekend to slow travel with a cycling tour of the Côtes du Rhône in southern France, available until October. Starting in the Provençal village of Mazan, half an hour northeast of Avignon and nearly three hours south of Paris ( you'll pedal past vineyards, olive groves and fortress ruins, covering about 20 miles a day, as well as stopping in Châteauneuf du Pape to sample some of the region's famous red wine. After two nights in four-star castle hotels en route, you'll spend a final night at Crillon le Brave, a five-star hilltop hotel with traditional red floor tiles, vineyard views and a spa in vaulted 18th-century stables. Details Three nights' half-board from £1,115pp, including bike rental and luggage transfers ( Take the train to Avignon via Paris Time 3 hours, 30 minutesRaise a glass on the Eurostar as you whizz towards Paris, then onwards by TGV to the Champagne region for a weekend of fizz, in celebration of the area's ten years on the Unesco list ( It is packed with wine houses, vineyards and snug tasting bars for all-day sampling, from big names such as Taittinger with its historic cellars (£34; to the one-woman operation Baillette-Prudhomme (from £13; The harvest begins in late August, so you may witness it firsthand or even join in the grape-picking. The contemporary Royal Champagne hotel and spa is drop-dead gorgeous, with rooms overlooking the Marne Valley, ebikes to borrow and 900 champagnes on the B&B doubles from £535 ( Take the train to Épernay via Paris Time 1 hour 22 minutesYou'll barely have time to wolf down breakfast on the Eurostar before you pull into Lille in northern France. The Lille3000 arts festival, held every three years, runs until November and includes citywide cultural events, parades and performances, plus an exclusive exhibition of works from Paris's Pompidou Centre while it is closed for a five-year renovation ( Lille has the country's largest range of craft breweries and first brewery tourism agency, which offers tastings and even a beer-themed treasure hunt (£24; The four-star Grand Hôtel Bellevue is a 15-minute walk from the Eurostar terminal and the only hotel with a view of the Grand Two nights' room only from £334pp, including train travel ( Time 2 hours 40 minutesFor no-holds-barred opulence it is hard to beat the Palace of Versailles, which hosts musical fountain shows in its gardens every Saturday evening throughout summer (£27, until Oct 31; and is only a 20-minute train ride from Paris by the local TER train ( Blow the budget by staying at Le Grand Contrôle, a residence commissioned by Louis XIV and the only hotel in the grounds of the palace. It has 14 extravagant rooms furnished with authentic antiques, views over the Orangery gardens and a restaurant from Alain Ducasse. Stays include private after-hours tours of the château and its grounds, butler service and boat rides on Versailles' Grand B&B doubles from £1,708, including afternoon tea, minibar, butler service, boat use and daily tours of the Château de Versailles ( Take the train to Versailles-Chantiers via Paris Time 2 hours, 20 minutesJust an hour southwest of Lille by the regional TER train ( pretty Amiens has the largest gothic cathedral in France, a medieval centre, riverside restaurants and remarkable floating gardens, cultivated since the Middle Ages, that can be toured by traditional boat between April and October (£8; Visit Jules Verne's former home (£3; the first purpose-built museum in France at the Musée de Picardie (£8; or pick up local specialities including duck pâté and Amiens macarons at the Saturday market. The historic Hotel le Prieuré is a 15-minute walk from the station and has cathedral views, bikes to rent and a hidden courtyard. Details B&B doubles from £102, including half bottle of champagne ( Take the train to Amiens via Lille Time 5 hours, 20 minutesLaunched in mid-June, a new four-times-daily high-speed service from Paris to Marseilles from Trenitalia will have you sunbathing by the Med in no time, losing just an hour with the time difference ( France's oldest city has a thriving port, the 5th-century Abbey of St Victor, a clutch of Michelin-starred restaurants and Notre Dame du Mont, voted the world's coolest neighbourhood last year by Time Out. Over summer, there's a free programme of events across the city including a daily craft market in Canebière, late-night museum openings and weekly concerts on a floating stage in the port (until Sep 14; Book into the chic, all-white Les Bords De Mer for its rooftop pool, sea views and direct access to the sandy Catalans Room-only doubles from £160 ( Take the train to Marseilles via Paris Time 4 hours 45 minutesJust two hours southeast of Paris, Lyons has two rivers, a thriving art scene and France's largest urban park, with its own lake, botanical garden and zoo. The city is planning a giant free party this summer with more than 200 citywide cultural events including open-air cinema screenings, giant picnics and dance performances (Jul 8-Aug 31; For the first time, it will also offer free access to three air-conditioned museums and keep parks open until midnight during any heatwaves. Stay at the hip Hotel Chromatics, which has Scandi-sleek rooms, a California-inspired restaurant and a heritage listed street art faç Two nights' room only from £257pp, including train travel ( Time 4 hours 19 minutesEurostar reinstated its direct London to Amsterdam route this year in time for the city's 750th anniversary, operating at least 11 trains a day ( To mark the same birthday, Amsterdam's highest rooftop garden opened in May on the NEMO Science Museum (free; and a temporary platform on the medieval Nieuwe Kerk offers skyline views until November 2 (£13; Stay at the Rosewood Amsterdam, which opened in May in the former Palace of Justice in the Unesco-listed Canal District. It has a lavish spa with an indoor pool, a hip cocktail bar and elegant rooms in silver-grey with pale-oak Room-only doubles from £798 ( Take the train to Amsterdam Time 4 hours 44 minutesCanalside cafés, cycle paths and castles make this studenty city, 25 minutes south of Amsterdam by train, an underrated weekend treat. Stroll the cobbled streets of the old town, lined with gabled houses; climb 465 steps up the medieval Dom Tower (£12; explore the canals by kayak (£8 an hour; and hire a bike (£10 for three hours; to head to the Landgoed Rhijnauwen forest or the fairytale 19th-century Castle de Haar, with its moat and parkland (£7; Stay at the boutique Eye hotel, a converted 17th-century eye hospital with exposed beams, quirky artwork and an industrial feel. Details Two nights' B&B from £471pp, including train travel ( Time 3 hours 13 minutes Already connected by Eurostar, a new hourly high-speed service between Brussels and Rotterdam launched in December, making this cool Dutch city a weekend break no-brainer. In summer there are urban beaches, river cruises, waterfront bars and various lively festivals, including the free Caribbean street-party Rotterdam Summer Carnival (late Jul; and the foodie music festival CuliNesse (£37 for a one-day ticket, Aug 28-30; Take a bike tour to explore (£38; or see the city from its canals by renting a paddleboard (£13 for one hour; The nautical-themed Le Marin Hotel Rotterdam City is a ten-minute walk from the train station. Details Room-only doubles from £76 ( Take the train to Rotterdam via Brussels • 15 of the best things to do in Rotterdam Time 4 hours 28 minutesSlightly more than two hours northeast of Paris's Gare de l'Est by high-speed railway, Luxembourg City is easy to reach ( It has a Unesco-listed old town, ruined fortresses, seven world-class museums within a mile radius and free public transport. Go in August to witness both its Summer in the City festival, including free concerts, open-air plays and film screenings ( and the ten-acre Schueberfouer funfair (free, Aug 22-Sep 10; Stay opposite the train station at the Marriott Hotel Alfa, which opened last year in a 1930s building with art deco styling. It has a French brasserie and rooms with herringbone wooden floors, contemporary hanging lights and chic grey marble bathrooms. Details Room-only doubles from £176 ( Take the train to Luxembourg City via Paris Time 9 hours 11 minutesAfter a two-year closure caused by landslide damage, the direct seven-hour Paris to Milan route reopened in April, making travelling to Italy in a day (just) possible by train ( or Owned by the fashion house Ferragamo, Portrait Milano is a stylish special-occasion stay within Europe's oldest seminary, with a boutique-lined piazza and a swimming pool under a 16th-century vaulted ceiling. Look over the rooftops from the cathedral's terrace (from £13; then walk to the Naviglio district for a canal-side aperitivo. See another side of the city on a street-art tour (£41; or take a sun-soaked day trip to Lake Como, including a boat cruise (£86; Room-only doubles from £759 ( Take the train to Milan via Paris • Read more on Milan Time 3 hours 17 minutesOften overlooked for its better-known neighbour, Brussels, this port city makes a great weekend break with impressive museums, a trendy waterfront and open-air markets — plus you'll arrive into a station that's voted one of the world's most beautiful, either by regional train ( or on Eurostar ( Explore the busy port on a boat tour (£17; or visit the diamond museum DIVA (£10; Three-hour beer-themed walking tours reveal the city's boozy history (£38; or go for the free food and beer festival Bolleskesfeest (Aug 22-24; Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp is in a 13th-century monastery and has five restaurants with four Michelin stars, an apothecary and a 1,000 sq m spa. Details B&B doubles from £385 ( Take the train to Antwerp via Brussels Time 2 hours 2 minutesWith its high-end chocolatiers, antique markets and one of the most spectacular baroque squares in Europe, Brussels is more than just the home of the EU headquarters, and can be reached directly from London on Eurostar. Quirky attractions include a comic-strip mural trail, the world's largest art deco church and a new museum dedicated to Belgian fries (£12; Make the most of sunny days in the Bois de la Cambre park, with its forest trails, free-roaming deer and café only accessible by boat (£1 return; or in the city's alfresco bars including Rooftop 58, Europe's largest rooftop terrace ( The traditional Le Plaza Brussels is 15 minutes' walk from the Grand Two nights' room only from £307pp, including train travel ( Time 2 hours 49 minutesPop-up summer bars, lake swimming and open-air cultural events make this lesser-visited Flemish city in Belgium a surprisingly summery getaway, and it is only half an hour by train from Brussels. Time your visit to coincide with the Gent Jazz Festival (July 4-19, prices vary; or Bijloke Wonderland for free concerts and theatre shows (Aug 21-31; Or head to Blaarmeersen Sports and Recreation Park for kayaking, fishing and a sandy beach (£1; The best seasonal bars include Baraboire, in a converted American school bus (until Aug 31; Keiskantstraat), while the 40-room family-run Harmony hotel has its own waterfront terrace and an outdoor pool. Details Three nights' B&B from £568pp, including train travel and private car transfers ( • The lively overlooked alternative to Amsterdam — just two hours away by train Time 3 hours Known as the Venice of the north, Bruges is a Unesco-listed medieval city of gabled houses, baroque churches and cobbled squares an hour from Brussels on a regional train. Follow one of the free self-guided walks on the Visit Bruges app, then take in citywide views from the 13th-century Belfry or slink down pretty canals on a boat tour (£13; Try Belgium's famous beers on a brewery tour (£13; or enjoy a drink alfresco at one of Bruges' pop-up summer bars, including the Night with its beach area, food trucks and fairy-lit terrace (until August 22; The traditional Hotel Acacia is less than 20 minutes' walk from the station, close to the central Market Two nights' B&B from £378pp, including train travel ( Time 3 hours 10 minutesThere's history round every corner in Aachen, close to Germany's border with Belgium and an hour's train from Brussels. The Roman spa city with healing thermal waters was Emperor Charlemagne's 9th-century capital and hosted every German coronation for nearly 600 years. The Unesco-listed cathedral dates to the 9th century (free; while the Centre Charlemagne museum charts the city's extraordinary past (£8; Take a dip in the thermal baths (£15; and stock up on Printen gingerbread souvenirs at Nobis Printen ( The minimalist INNSiDE Aachen hotel is a ten-minute walk from the cathedral and has a rooftop restaurant with city views. Details Two nights' B&B from £377pp, including train travel ( Time 4 hoursBest known for its Christmas markets, Cologne is also a delight in summer with its riverside walks, Unesco-listed gothic cathedral and riverside beach clubs, and is less than two hours by train from Brussels. Saunter along the banks of the Rhine or take a boat trip (£15; then wander the 11.5-hectare Flora Park with its botanical garden and water-lily pond (free; The best spots for sundowners include the km 689 Cologne Beach Club with its white sand and cathedral views (free entry; and Blackfoot Beach for stand-up paddleboarding and barbecues (SUP rental £15 an hour; The five-star Excelsior Ernst is opposite the railway station and has a Michelin-starred Asian Three nights' B&B from £978pp, including train travel ( Time 10 hours, 20 minutesA high-speed train linking Paris and Berlin launched late last year and runs once daily in each direction, on a route that whizzes through Champagne's vineyards and the Vosges mountains in France then along the Spree River in Germany ( Tour the five museums on Museum Island, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year (day tickets £20; or try city-centre swimming at Ku'damm Beach on Halensee Lake. During summer, the 519-acre Tiergarten Park has boat rentals, shady picnic spots and a lakeside beer garden strung with fairy lights. Stay at the Radisson Collection Hotel Berlin, which reopened in February after a two-year closure and is a five-minute stroll from Museum Island. Details Room-only doubles from £120 ( Take the train to Berlin via Paris • Berlin, Germany travel guide | The Times and The Sunday Times Time 5 hours 20 minutes No city does summer quite like Basel, three hours from Paris by TGV. Bathing in the historic fountains of the 15th-century old town is a long-standing tradition, as is floating two miles down the Rhine with your belongings in a colourful waterproof bag called a Wickelfisch (£9 for 24-hour rental from the tourist office; There's a three-mile sculpture trail between Switzerland and Germany, 40 museums and galleries, and open-air film screenings during August in the historic Münsterplatz courtyard (£14; Stay a ten-minute walk from the Rhine in Aparthotel Adagia Basel City, which has modern apartments with kitchenettes and a communal gym. Details Two nights' B&B from £880pp, including train travel ( Time 5 hours 38 minutesOnce the Alpine skiing season is over, Geneva shifts its focus to its 45-mile-long lake, which has watersports, beaches and alfresco bars, and is just over three hours by high-speed train from Paris ( Try windsurfing (£29 an hour; cruise across the lake on a belle époque steamer (£17; or head to Geneva Plage to take a dip (£6; There are also hiking trails just outside the city, or you can join a tuk-tuk tour of local vineyards (£343 for up to four people; Ruby Claire Hotel Geneva is steps from the waterfront and has two roof terraces for drinks on warm Room-only doubles from £249 ( Take the train to Geneva via Paris Time 10 hoursWhizz through France on high-speed TGV from Paris and you'll be in Spain by dinner. You can book up to 11 months ahead for a table at three-Michelin-star El Celler de Can Roca, run by the three Roca brothers 15 minutes from town ( or waltz straight into Rocambolesc, a gelateria from the youngest sibling Jordi ( Burn it off by strolling the medieval city walls, signing up for a walking tour of Game of Thrones filming locations (£25; or hiring a bike to explore the foothills of the Pyrenees (£67; Stay in the 19th-century Hotel Peninsular, less than ten minutes' walk from the city walls. Details Four nights' B&B from £1,085pp, including train travel and private transfers ( Time 9 hours 10 minutesSit back and watch France's Rhône Valley and the Pyrenees fly by on a high-speed double-decker TGV from Paris, which runs up to four times a day and takes less than seven hours, so you'll be sipping sangria come sundown ( Go for the free week-long La Fiesta de Gracia's street parties and food stalls (Aug 15-21; for open-air cinema screenings and live music at Sala Montjuic (£6; Jun 27-Aug 6; or to lounge on Sant Sebastia beach, in walking distance of the city centre. Moxy Barcelona opened late last year and is right next to the main train station, with a rooftop pool and burger-serving Room-only doubles from £170 ( Take the train to Barcelona via Paris • 22 of the best things to do in Barcelona Time 15 hoursIt's not the quickest journey, but if you travel overnight each way, Prague is doable in a long weekend on the direct thrice-weekly sleeper train from Brussels that launched last year ( Almanac X Alcron Prague is ten minutes' walk from the station and has a new package to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the passenger train this year, including a picnic for the return journey and extras like silk sleep masks. The Old Town is on the doorstep with its new Mucha Museum that showcases the work of the Czech painter Alphonse Mucha (£10; or walk half an hour to Letna Park for the Letni Letna circus and theatre festival (prices vary, Aug 13-31; Details Two nights' B&B from £620 for two, including one dinner and a train picnic ( Take the train to Prague via Brussels • 15 of the best hotels in Prague
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Bezos, Sanchez deserve this luxury Italian wedding, actually
It's as if people who can't afford a $500 million yacht on which to have a pre-Venice wedding foam party think it's wrong for the world's third-richest person to lavishly celebrate his second marriage when, according to the Rome-based United Nations World Food Programme, "A total of 1.9 million people are in the grips of catastrophic hunger." It's rude to make Bezos think about inequality on his wedding weekend If I were Mr. Bezos, I'd hop in one of my rockets and fly the more than 300 miles from Venice to Rome just to give those bullies at the World Food Programme a piece of my mind, and definitely not something like a donation at least equal to twice the cost of my wedding. It's outrageous to suggest income inequality is a thing when a perfectly nice billionaire who might one day give his delivery drivers time to pee is out here planning a celebrity-studded three-day event showcasing a lifestyle few could imagine. Which part of "this is his special weekend" do you not understand?, I ask while not checking my previously empty bank account to make sure Bezos has deposited the money I'm not being paid. Opinion: Why is Trump focused on dropping bombs while I drop $6 for ground beef? Those mad at Bezos' wedding haven't been paid $1 million to not be mad The reality is this, which I'm pretty sure is in the Bible: People who already have nice things deserve more nice things. And I'm not just saying that because I currently use Scotch tape for wound care and Bezos has promised me a lifetime supply of Band-Aids from Amazon. Rude nonbillionaire protesters went so far as to unfurl a massive banner in St. Mark's Square in Venice that read: "IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE TAX." While that is technically true thanks to the tyranny of math, it's an outrageous and hurtful thing to suggest about a noble and fantastic man who has in no way purchased my praise. Make 'eat the rich' Great Again: Musk, Trump and Bezos have led me to reconsider my stance on eating the rich | Opinion Just because a multibillionaire doesn't need multibillions and could devote a large swath of his wealth to making the world a better place without impacting his lavish lifestyle even a little ... I forgot where I was going with that. The overarching point is, "Shut up, protesters! That banner might have hurt Mr. Bezos' feelings, and I will defend his feelings at any cost, or, more specifically, at the cost of the $1 million I was DEFINITELY NOT given to write this." Bezos-Sanchez wedding will be perfect, just like my free yacht Some are looking at the sure-to-be wondrous and totally justified Bezos-Sanchez wedding and decrying the rise of oligarchs. But I ask you, if we didn't have oligarchs, wouldn't we have to remove that word from all the world's dictionaries and rewrite books like F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"? Do you know what it would cost to fix all that? Probably less than the Bezos-Sanchez wedding, but still ... a lot. So when you look at photos of celebrities like Oprah or Kim Kardashian or Ivanka Trump snacking on Venetian crostinis topped with lightly braised Amazon-worker meat, or when you feel inclined to envision the good that could come from such wasted largesse, I implore you to cram it and get back to your poor, wretched life. And so help me, I'm not just saying that because Bezos promised me a mega yacht he's no longer using, $1 million and an Amazon Prime Video licensed documentary about my life of impeccable integrity. Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Leicester musician's love story heads to Glastonbury
A couple will add another chapter to their love story at the Glastonbury Festival this weekend. Gaz Birtles married his childhood sweetheart Ann earlier this month - more than five decades after the pair got together as teenagers at the Gas Board Midsummer's Annual Dance in Humberstone Gate in the former Beautiful South saxophonist and his new bride plan to honeymoon at the famous festival where his band The South are due to take to the Mr Birtles has played the festival previously, this will be the first time they have stayed at the site. "It will have to be the honeymoon. It has been a massive whirlwind. We are going to park up for four days," Ann said."I wouldn't swap it for the world. Maybe I won't be saying that next week though."So why did it take half a century for the loved-up pair to tie the knot?Ann said: "We really are getting older now. We have had two amazing sons so we have always had so much going on. Truthfully we never really believed in marriage. "We were going to do the wedding for our 50th anniversary but our sons couldn't make it so we put it on hold again until now." The couple's sons Peri and Jordan, have followed in their father's musical footsteps by achieving success as part of Leicester band Hard Life, formerly known as Easy Life. "They have done amazing. They have always been in the same band which is great," said added: "They have had a few years of touring the world and making a name for themselves. We couldn't be prouder."Our sons took over the wedding and made it the best day." Leicester Town Hall was the chosen location for the ceremony before celebrations at Babelas in Queen's Road. Gaz has toured extensively as frontman of The South, who perform reworked versions of classic tracks by The Beautiful South, and still holds fond memories of appearing on Glastonbury's famous Pyramid Stage in 1999."I remember coming out and seeing the people as far as you can see," he said."The sun was coming down and there was a haze of golden sunshine. It goes by in a flash but it is great."
