"Bedankt, for the Jenever!" I crowed, thanking our Viking River Cruise tour guide, Dewi. She had provided me with... well... perhaps just one too many...

By 2020 Amsterdam aims to be the world's first smart, sustainable city. And from waste management to green energy, bio-fuel to organic gardening and brewing, vintage clothing to intelligent, ethical recycling, the city and its people seem to be on track to realise their ambition.

With each sunny - but snow-laden - morning we greet, we know that Spring will soon be rolling round. If you're lucky enough to have that long weekend to yourself, why not treat your friends or family to an Easter break?

Apparently every single one of us wakes up on 14 February with nothing on our minds but roses and hearts and kittens and chocolate and strangely inflammable looking lingerie. Well here's a handy Valentine's Day tip: 'if it's supposed to be romantic, it probably isn't'.

With the cheese-fest that is Valentine's Day fast approaching, it's time to get your exit strategy in place. For whatever reason (you're recently heart-broken, perpetually single and cynical, or you just happen to have taste), here are the places where you're most likely to be left untroubled by lovebirds.

Here's our guide to some of the best places in the world to see fireworks design teams master their craft and welcome in 2013 with a bang. Literally.

The adult sex toy industry is booming, according to The National Turk, who recently reported the Ningbo Yamei plastic toy factory in China sold more t...