Travel Blog

The very early taxi ride was most acceptable in a Mercedes driven by a Romanian ex-footballer who played against 1978 World Cup and Golden Boot winner, Mario Kempes in the UEFA Cup in the late 1970’s. Heathrow was heaving - there was even a queue for the escalator. I didn’t…

The very early taxi ride was most acceptable in a Mercedes driven by a Romanian ex-footballer who played against 1978 World Cup and Golden Boot winner, Mario Kempes in the UEFA Cup in the late 1970’s. Heathrow was heaving - there was even a queue for the escalator. I didn’t…

The very early taxi ride was most acceptable in a Mercedes driven by a Romanian ex-footballer who played against 1978 World Cup and Golden Boot winner, Mario Kempes in the UEFA Cup in the late 1970’s. Heathrow was heaving - there was even a queue for the escalator. I didn’t…

It didn’t start well. Two days before I was due to fly, British Airways cancelled the flight. They gave me an alternative via Madrid which would take twice as long, but left a lot earlier. First leg was fine and I managed to keep my business seat. It was a…

The following day I left the ship and headed for the capital of Spain, Madrid. Rather embarrassingly, I’d never been to Madrid before despite over a dozen visits to España. Inhabitants of Madrid are called Madrilenos and Madridistas are supporters of Real Madrid.  After checking-in I went walking. The…

Friday - Naples The weather wasn’t as clement as I would have chosen for a jaunt to the romantic island of Capri, so I decided to look around Naples with Mark. Contrary to popular belief, Naples does actually have some charm - just not much. The Galleria Umberto I shopping…

I was on board a few hours before Mark. When he finally got through the enormous queue, I saw him wandering around the pool deck looking for me. He was dressed in a jacket and shirt and was easily the most well dressed man on the ship. It looked a…

I don’t suppose anybody thought they were going to be sunbathing on the Norwegian fjord cruise. The weather has been superb throughout which has made everything better. Well, nearly everything. It has meant more tattoo exposure. I’d like a cruise line than bans tattoos. This was the most northern point…

The day started when I locked myself out of the house. I was in the park at 4:30 am and when I returned an hour later, I realised my error. Luckily mum was awake so I walked over to her and picked up a spare key. The four of us…

The final three days of the trip started with a Saharan sunrise, just 40 km from the Algerian border. I was the first up and watched the predawn colour changes. I trekked off to a sand dune to watch alone. It was a great experience seeing the sunrise in the…

We picked up a local guide for our tour of Fes and we set off for a short drive to the Imperial Palace. We weren’t allowed to enter, (no riffraff), but the palace gate was impressive enough. Robed Rashid then took us round the Jewish quarter which had a noticeable…

On Saturday lunchtime I moved to the Hotel Ayoub which was perfectly acceptable, albeit a lot smaller than the sprawling Mogadar. Once again it was a hotel that didn’t serve alcohol. Two in a row! I walked back to the Medina via Rue Yves Saint Laurent. It was possibly the…

Gatwick was heaving with people - on a Wednesday! I was fortunate enough to be fast tracked so I didn’t have to deal with most of them. I came very close to losing a third Swiss Army knife at security (will I ever learn). He then asked what I used…

Our third stop was Guernsey in the Channel Islands. I’ve not been to any of them before and I was highly excited to learn that they have their own currency - more for my notaphily collection. And of course a magnet, although I’m running out of places to stick them.…

My spa experiences have been interesting. I’ve been scrubbed to death, pummelled, pricked with needles, and covered in seaweed. And I paid for it! In fairness, I feel great. Best I’ve felt in weeks. After six days at sea we arrived in Cobh, which is on the coast just outside…

This is my third transatlantic cruise and the second going from the US back to Europe. I flew into Fort Lauderdale the day before, and the following morning I headed for the port early to see if I could get on the ship rather sharpish. Being a 4 star mariner,…

Only a month late! We joined the ship a day late in Portland, Maine as opposed to Boston. There were 10 others boarding in Portland so we didn’t feel too unusual. Once onboard the Holland America Zaandam, we had the opportunity to look around Portland again - one of Dianna’s…

Other than my tragic airport experience at the end of June, I had never been to Philly. Dianna had a double layover which made it worth me tagging along, so I did. It was the first time I’d been on a flight that Dianna was working and it goes without…

Whoops! Only six weeks late. I forgot to mention that Alaska’s capital, Juneau is the only state capital that cannot be accessed by road. Rumour has it that there is one flight per week from a Canadian city which gives Juneau International Airport the international bit. The next stop was…

The next stop was the Alaskan town of Sitka which we had visited the week before. It hadn’t become any more interesting in the interim. I went to shore for a couple of hours and decided to go into one of the local bars. Ernie‘s Bar is one of the…