Travelling allsorts

It was the end of a damp August in Britain. We had been working long hours and needed a break before the next onslaught... Our Easter break was a week in France, which was cold and damp, so we decided on Italy - biscotti, pasta, pizza, coffee, wine, zabaglione and more. The Amalfi Coast looked nice so we decided to rent somewhere for a couple of weeks.  Skipping ahead, we arrived yesterday (as I write this bit), following a very early start, on a cramped but otherwise pleasant flight. On leaving the airport building in Napoli, the Italian experience began with a flagrant disregard for adequate signage. We found the courtesy bus stop for car hire customers but, as we waited, the disorderly queue and accompanying luggage reached a size that would not be accommodated by the next mini-bus. With only a small case and a piece of hand-luggage each and, having discovered the whereabouts of the car hire depot just 700 metres around the corner, we decided to walk - a much needed exerci...

We love France and we usually drive there then spend the week recovering before driving back so we wondered about a fly-drive-caravanette holiday. We've not actually done this but the idea of hiring a fully refurbished-like-new retro VW campervan for a short holiday break and going as we please, without having to dash back to base each night, is very appealing for a late Spring break! We're thinking about exploring a little further around the South of France, without having to plan too far ahead or panicking about booking hotels and paying extortionate rates. We're using a couple of itinerary ideas, from a friend who lives in Provence and has already done this. We've been to Cannes and Nice several times over the years plus a couple of trips to Monaco. However, although we've seen photos of the Verdon Gorge - which looks amazing - we've never been there! Our friend also recomends other places, such as Aix-en-Provence , which looks to be worth visiting - we also...

It's a long, expensive, overnight flight from Britain to South Africa but it's worth it, now and then, for a change of scenery, change of weather and a change of pace. Cape Town is in a similar time zone to the UK and their seasons are opposite to ours which makes it ideal to visit during Britain's autumn or winter months. We stayed in the heart of Cape Town, between the business centre and the marina. The vibrant V&A Waterfront was a leisurely five minute stroll along the canal (shown in the picture) past the aquarium, the craft centre, the dry dock and the food court with its variety of delicious meals and snacks. The V&A Waterfront has everything: restaurants offering global cuisine, an up-market shopping mall, local gifts and crafts, entertainment, supermarkets, etc. Service was always with a smile. V&A is named after Victoria, the British Queen, and Alfred, her son. Outside of Cape Town, there are pleasant nearby drives offering a variety of scene...

Years ago, we rented a villa in Javea and wanted to buy it or something similar. We still haven't! It was September 1997 and some friends had recently bought a holiday home on a resort in Javea; we met up a couple of times and enjoyed al fresco dining on balmy evenings. Those same friends have upgraded to a villa now and have retired there. We are still living and working in the UK. Opportunity missed? We are planning a lifestyle change in 2017, when our son completes his degree, and we are still looking at properties around the Mediterranean. Prices fall into two camps: those we can afford as a holiday home and those we can afford if we sell our house in the UK.  This presents us with a dilemma as we obviously prefer the nicer properties but we are not ready to move lock, stock and barrel. We have some other friends who have made the decision to move to Denia next year and have contracted to buy a brand new 'designer villa' from a local (Denia) building company. The ...

There is more to Edinburgh than the Fringe but that's the focus of this short post. Just over a year ago, we were staying about an hour away from Edinburgh and decided to spend a day at the Edinburgh Fringe festival so we went online and looked at what entertainment we might like to book tickets for. We chose Toby Hadoke's Dr Who inspired sequel about life with his step-son. Meanwhile, wandering around the streets and parks of the City (we had good weather), we spotted a number of celebs, including Toby Hadoke, the very funny Tim Vine and 'Ted' from Scrubs. We couldn't get there last summer but look out Edinburgh, this year, we are coming back!

Terry meets Julie at Waterloo Sation every Friday night, Harry Potter met the Weasleys at King's Cross to go to Hogwarts, Paddington Bear was found at one of the other stations but not, definitely not, St Pancras. St Pancras station was chosen as the gateway to Europe and £millions were spent expanding and upgrading it, much of the architecture is award-winning, some of the integrated ideas are innovative as well as functional. As a traveller, clutching my executive class ticket and weekend luggage, I arrived at check-in/passport control - a bit busy but it only took ten minutes to reach the front of the queue. Then the awakening... where were all those spacious areas so prevalent in photographs on the internet? The waiting area was one enormous sardine can! There were very few seats and from what I could see, they were all uncomfortable stone-like structures. That was the moment of realisation - airport departure lounges are not so bad after all, even Luton. That said, the t...

There is a distinct theme of 'funny men' on a trip to the North of England. Staying in Cumbria, you can visit Morecambe, home of Eric whose statue graces the promenade between the road and the beach, which borders the enormous Morecambe bay. There's a well-known anecdote about Morecambe and Wise sharing a bed in their comedy sketches, something like "if it's good enough for Laurel and Hardy then it's good enough for us". Just a few miles across the bay is Ulverston, the birthplace of Stan Laurel. Of course, there is a Laurel and Hardy statue in the town plus a museum, complete with free film shows - a must-see for young children as well as their great-grandparents. Not sure if Mr McGregor counts as a funny man but he can often be seen sitting on a bench outside a cottage close to the home of Peter Rabbit creator, Beatrix Potter. There is a visitor centre dedicated to the world of Beatrix Potter and you can visit her home and gardens at Hilltop, ...