Mallett and Moseley's Blog

Greece

Greece Trip

14-18/05/2009

We both took half a day off work on the Wednesday (13^th) in order to get to London Gatwick airport in time for a comfy overnight stay (again)! It was a long Megabus trip down, followed by tube ride then an hour bus trip out to Gatwick – a long day. We checked in and settled down to our picnic dinner. Thanks to Greek air control strikes, we were delayed for 2 hours which worked out well as we got free breakfast vouchers and great weather for the flight, but it didn’t work out so well for the Hollings who we were meeting in Athens (Clint, Alisa, Trevor and Vicky) – their flight was cancelled and they were forced to get a slow boat from Santorini to Athens, arriving 9 hours late!

We waited at the airport to pick up the hire car, and put our lives in danger by driving the hire car to Athens port to wait for the Hollings to arrive. Definitely a completely new driving experience! The Hollings arrived around 10pm, and by the time we found our way out of Athens (Clint doing a great job of driving) we didn’t arrive at Delphi until around 1am.

We got up the next morning and had a good look around Delphi – the site of the most important Oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of Apollo. It was a great site as it had a bit of everything and all in pretty good nick too – an amphitheatre, a temple, gymnasium (where we had a 192m race on an old track – Vicky won), treasury, stadium, and the rock of Sybil where the oracle made her prophecies. The site was high up the sides of the steep valley and had amazing views too, such unique scenery.

The original plan was to drive north to Meteora, a monastery high up on a rocky scrag. But because of the previous days’ delays it would have taken too long to drive up and back, so we created plan B and headed west on a circular route around the Korinth Bay back to Athens. We took the scenic route around a lake and over the mountains which was a great drive, and spent the night on the coast in Nafpaktos. It was an old Venetian fortress town, and we wandered up to the castle with more magnificent views (and two teenagers trying to make out despite us hanging around putting them off!), before dinner on the waters edge with the locals. It was great to get off the beaten tourist track and experience real Greek life – something we could get used to.

On the Saturday we crossed the Bay of Korinth over the 12^th biggest cable stay bridge in the world – really cool but very expensive toll. We drove east on the southern side of the bay towards Athens along the coast, stopping a few times on the way for a swim, naps and food – the perfect relaxing day. On the way we drove over the Korinth Canal, cut through the Isthmus of Korinth which separates the Peloponnese Peninsula from the Greek mainland. This amazing canal was built between 1881 to 1893 and is 6km long – very cool.

We arrived in Athens and finally found our hotel in a pretty dodgy area just before dark. We were really close to the tourist area though, and from the top floor bar we had a great view of the Acropolis and over most of Athens. We found the closest restaurant for dinner and had a choice of pork chops, pork chops with chips or pork! Having said that the pork was delicious and we all at too much.

The next day was a sight seeing day around Athens, starting with the Agora and heading up the hill to the Acropolis. The ruins were pretty good but getting back into the crowds was a bit of a pain. Heading down the hill we saw the temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s gate, the Olypmic Stadium and the elite Evzone palace guards. It was great day and we all enjoyed Athens – although one day was nearly enough…

A nice dinner that night and that was the end of our short trip – it was off to the airport first thing the next day, and another long trip home getting to bed around 12.30am on Tuesday morning.

Stockholm 10-13/04/2009

Stockholm Easter Weekend

10-13/04/2009

We had a nice cruisy start on Easter Friday, heading off to Liverpool airport  on good old Terravision in the early afternoon. We touched down at Skavsta Airport at about 11pm, and transferred through to Stockholm about an hour away. We managed to find the ‘Best Hostel Old Town’ without too much trouble and got to bed at about 2am.

Woke up at a reasonable hour and got our bearings – the hostel was on the outside road on the small old city island of Stockholm –fairly central and very beautiful, just down the road from the palace. The hostel was great too, really cool big dorms which were ideal except for the snoring guy.

We headed out to look around the city, dropping in at the tourism office before wandering over to Djurgarden to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was an old old ship which sank on its’ maiden voyage in 1628.  It was raised in the late (19)50s and has been restored over the years, now residing in a museum. The ship, as it was never in a battle (and also thanks to all the restoration work), is pretty much intact, and is fascinating to see. The museum displays were interesting too, all about ships and 17^th C life etc.

Afterwards we walked out round Djurgarden (one of the other Island bits of Stockholm, and something of a recreational centre with an amusement park, botanical garden, and zoo) and then headed back to the city centre to explore. We had the obligatory McDonalds for lunch – pretty good quality all round, but marred by the delayed service and smaller sized buns. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around churches, checking out the ferry timetables, and exploring the old city.

Sunday we got up early to catch a ferry out into the archipelago. It was a lovely day and lots of Stockholm(ers?) were headed out of the city, but only a few of us disembarked at the Island of Grinda – famed for being a summer hotspot with a café and hotel as well as a youth hostel camping area and summer cabins. Due to a lack of maps and signposts we turned right in the hope that we would find the main tourist area on the island. We soon found cabins, Dave saw a wild deer, and then the camping/hostel area – all of which were deserted. After watching an old man trying to find an icebound buoy we continued around the island. We climbed a few rocks and basked in the sun – the scenery was stunning and reminded us a lot of the Marlborough Sounds. We found the highest point on the island, but still couldn’t see the main centre. Continuing on our way we came across the start of an obstacle course, and then found a map that showed us that the island was far bigger than we had first thought – and that far from nearly circumnavigating it, we had actually only come less than half the way around! Worried that the only ferry we could catch was only a couple of hours away, and we’d already been wandering for a couple, we struck in land (not as adventurous as it sounds) and followed another tracked through the island. We eventually came across and out of season farm-park, then a paddock of sheep, then, finally, the hotel. I (Ju) had a coffee on the deck of the (very flash) hotel, and then it was time to wander back around to the wharf. Which was only 10 minutes walk away. If only we’d turned left in the first place!! But then, I guess, we mightn’t have had such a fun tramp around the rest of the island. After a delicious lunch of bread rolls and tasty tube (this amazing sundried tomato and feta cheese spread in a tube – genius!) we caught the ferry back to Stockholm, and managed to make it to the Nobel (prize) Museum 45 minutes prior to closing. The museum was good, but presumed a lot of existing knowledge of the prize – if you didn’t know what it was in the first place, I’m not sure you would have come out enlightened! Also, it didn’t categorise the prizewinners in any obvious way – for instance, if you wanted to particularly find out about Marie Curie, you would have been out of luck, the same as if you only wanted to read about the literary awards. Most of the info was contained in a loop of 32 short films, so it was more luck of the draw than anything. Dave wandered through some of the exhibits on Nobel himself, while I headed straight for the temporary exhibition on censorship, which was very interesting. After a pasta dinner back at the hostel we headed out to the Ice Bar, which is a bar made entirely of ice. We were pretty excited about going, as it’s pretty famous, but were a bit underwhelmed, as the other people in our party also seemed to be. The capes we had to wear were cool looking, but really dirty and sticky. The vodka cocktails were delicious and the ice glasses they came in were cool, but the bar itself was tiny and not as spectacular as the brochure advertises. The ice carvings weren’t that impressive, despite the “diamond” theme of 2009. Still good to have gone though, but probably not something we’ll do again.

On Monday we had a bit of a sleep in before heading out for a last bit of shopping. We went to a lovely little independent store we found on the first day and bought a Tomtar, which is a Swedish cross between a troll and a goblin. They are supposedly a bit cheeky, but it’s good to have one in your home to look over things. At Christmas, Swedish children leave out a plate of porridge for them, but it’s unclear if they actually leave presents, or just eat the porridge and go back to bed. We spent sometime choosing ours and are quite pleased with him! The shop was gorgeous too – all the Tomtars and trolls are handmade, and when you buy one they come in a proper little sack for them to live in! We walked around to look at the ship that has been turned into a youth hostel, and then after buying a cool moose-shaped cookie cutter from the tourism centre we just had time for a Max-meal from Max (a Swedish fast food burger place) before heading to the airport. We got there ridiculously early but killed time drawing in our Max Meal colouring books before flying home.

A few days in Stockholm was definitely enough – any longer and I think we would have wanted to take a day trip elsewhere, but it was a lovely city, and we especially loved getting out into the archipelago and the lovely weather.

Northern Italy - Jan 09

Northern Italy; 20-26 January 2009

20th - we flew into Pisa on trusty Ryan Air. After a slice of real Italian pizza at the train station we walked in the rain to our hostel which was amazing!

21st - we got up early and wandered through Pisa to the Leaning Tower. We liked Pisa and enjoyed the lack of crowds around the Leaning Tower plaza with it being winter and early in the morning. We made it back to the train station and onto the train to Florence in good time and had most of the afternoon to find our hostel (very basic!) and explore the city. The Ponte-Vechio was pretty cool but too expensive to shop on, the Duomo was amazing and very different but not overly pretty we didn't think and completely empty inside which made it feel a bit like a big shed, and the Uffizi had a lot of art and statues in it (and absolutely no queues) which was all impressive enough but not quite our thing. The plan was to head to Venice the next morning so we thought we would head to the Academia museum to see David before dinner.

Friends Alisa and Clint had told us we could see him for free so we wandered round the block with no luck and sat down to text them for more info and some afternoon tea. When we got up to try one last time somehow our digital camera got left on the step and when we ran back for it less than a minute later it was gone bugger. It took ages to find the police station but we had some fun explaining what had happened to the policeman who didn't speak much English. The whole experience kind of ruined the mood though so after a quick dinner we headed to bed.

22nd - the hostel was right over from the Pitti Palace and we headed there first (after not getting breakfast at the B&B - grrrr!) and saw a costume exhibition which Ju liked, and wandered around the gardens. We were lucky to find the china exhibition and some other hidden gardens which gave us amazing vistas over Florence - if only we had a proper camera! We thought after all the drama the day before we thought we couldn't not see David so coughed up and went into the Academia museum and it ended up being a highlight of the trip. There was quite an interesting musical instrument museum there a lot of sculptures but David was head and shoulders above the rest for some reason - not sure why, maybe it's in the name. The train to Venice took about 3 hours through some nice country side and we got there just as it was turning dark. I was accosted by 2 policemen at the train station wanting to see our passports; they couldn't really tell us why which was a bit disconcerting because we'd heard of similar cons but we escaped with passports in hand so it was all good. We decided to walk to our hostel (even more basic - again no breakfast at this B&B but they did have bed bugs) which was right in the middle of Venice. The streets are amazing - so narrow and windy - we both loved it but did get a bit lost.

23rd - Our first mission was to cross the Rialto Bridge and see San Marco Basilica which was amazing! We both agreed it was it is probably the most impressive church we've seen so far - very dark, beautiful, sacred feeling and the floors were all uneven and cool. The square around it was pretty big but it was absolutely freezing so we didn't dally and headed for our next target - Murano. On the way we accidentally stumbled across the Bridge of Sighs complete with scaffolding and lots of pigeons and more awesome streets.

On the way out to the island of Murano (where all the famous glass is from) we hopped off at the cemetery island. Something you don't really think of but I guess the dead have to go somewhere and there's no room left on the main islands in Venice. Incidentally it was cool to wander past a hospital on the way to the ferry and see how the ambulances work etc, and to see how the garbage boats and construction boats and normal life works in Venice - something else we hadn't thought of really. The cemetery island was the most beautiful we've seen - perfectly preserved and maintained but very full. They had mausoleums too for whole families, a bit morbid but cool too.

Murano was just like Venice but smaller with glass shops everywhere. Some of the glass was amazing and we couldn't resist a few souvenirs. As we had day passes on the boat we carried on right around the lagoon passing Burano with its crazy coloured houses and back to Venice - the lagoon is huge and it was interesting to see how the "lanes" were marked in the water and how busy they were with ferries, local boats and even the odd brave Gondolier miles away from land. By the time we made it back to shore it was dark, cold and raining so we skipped the gondola ride (but went under the Rialto bridge in a ferry) and had some dinner and did some more shopping instead.

24th - we had a sleep in this morning before heading to Verona on the train. We got lucky with the hostel this time - it was the best we've ever had - and once we'd checked in we headed out. The main attraction is the arena and once we got there we discovered we were there on the day of the carnival! It was bizarre - so many bands and such random costumes, some pretty good playing too but for the most part good old fashioned blasting. It took an hour or so for all the bands and seemingly most of the village to get into the arena and then they all started playing songs together, very random but they all seemed to be having a great time and it was a bonus for us to see it. The rest of Verona was ok, Juliet's house was a bit of a sham but had to be done and Romeo's house wasn't even signposted. We decided on a break from cheese and pizza so tucked into a kebab before an early night making the most of the great hostel.

25th - another early start to get the train to Milan today. Once we got there it took about half an hour till we actually found the information stand and found the way out - very frustrating! Milan itself was a fairly typical big city, although it's Duomo was amazing, better we thought than the more famous Florence one. The strand next to it and the castle ruins were also worth a visit. The best bit about Milan was that we were able to meet up with Kiki (an Italian exchange student who was staying with Mum and Dad for a while) for lunch - it was really great catching up with her. The one negative about Milan was that we were unable to see the Last Supper by Da Vinci. Turns out you have to book 2 months in advance, even in the off-season, to see the painting and they only allow 25 people in every half hour. Put it on the list for next time!

Next stop was Bergamo for the night - where Ryan Air fly out from. As it was the last night we treated ourselves to a nice meal out although Ju could only make it as far as the cheese board before faltering; somehow there was still room for proper Italian gelato though.

26th - Bergamo was once on the main trade route between Europe and the East and has a wonderful old town on a hill overlooking the new town. We took the funicular up and had a lovely wander round for the morning which was probably the highlight of the trip. The best bit was the Cathedral - it was amazing, a very different style to the one in Venice but just as good. Because it was out of the way you didn't get the feeling it was half geared up for tourists either which made a big difference. The hill extends behind the old town to castle ruins, and we took another funicular up to see them and get some brilliant views of the old and new cities, and the Swiss Alps. Another moment we really missed the camera. From there we headed back down and to the airport for the flight home.

Overall it was a great trip although busy and we found the constant train travelling a bit tiring at times. It was interesting to see another side to Italy than the one we saw in Rome also. Each place was quite different and worth a look, but overall our highlights were; seeing David, Bergamo, and Venice.

Xmas 2008

Xmas Trip22-29 December 2009 On the 22nd Dave went to work and I had a lazy day at home. We met at Manchester airport at 6pm and caught a flight to Frankfurt Hahn at 8.30pm. The plane was absurdly late leaving and we got into the airport at about 11pm. We stayed the night in an airport hotel. 23/12 - We got up early and caught a bus from the airport in to Koln. We spent the afternoon wandering around the Christmas markets, which were really beautiful.

We had been to Koln before and had seen the cathedral so after eating some food and having a hot chocolate at the markets, and buying a gorgeous wee Christmas ornament we hopped on a train for Holland. 6 trains later we arrived in Middelburg and were met by Alisa and Liam. Alisa and Clint live in a flat joined onto the home of a lovely Dutch family with 4 kids.

We had some stirfry on arrival and caught up with everyone and then had an early night. 24/12 - After an extremely comfortable nights sleep on the airbed ( ;) ) we got up and went for a walk around the gorgeous property (complete with lake that occasionally freezes over). There is also a small wooded area over the road with a massive house/castle that we went for a walk around. Clint and Alisa had organised some bikes for us all, so after lunch we cycled in to town for a look around. Middelburg has approx. 45,000 people, but it felt much smaller - like a nice village. There is a beautiful main square with an ice skating rink.

We had a look around and bought some joke xmas pressies, before borrowing a car and going for a drive to see the sea and the massive dykes. Clint made us some yum Carbonara for tea and we had some wines and played twister before bed time. A better sleep that time as some new air mattresseses were delivered! 25/12 - Christmas Day!! We all slept in a bit, and I think Clint was feeling a little worse for wear after a night in town, but we all opened our stockings and played a dice game to get the joke gifts. We ended up with a stripper mug, a nail tattoo kit, snakes and ladders game, a paint-a-tie kit, Christmas cowgirl hat, and a Love rubiks cube.

We had traditional Mallett pancakes for brunch, and then had a nice lazy day playing games and chilling out. We watched Harry Potter and then Alisa cranked out an amazing inside bbq-ing/ ommlette making device. Dinner was long and YUM and followed by a weird steamed pudding for dessert. We then watched Lord of the Rings which lasted forever and headed off to bed. 26/12 - We cycled in to town to meet up with Liam's old uni friend, Naomi, and then rode out to Vlessinger to see a cool windchime thing.

We had hot chocolates and toasties before riding further into the town to see the dock that Abel Tasman sailed from to "discover" New Zealand (Middelburg is on the island of Zeeland). It was a long head-winded ride back into town and then Alisa made a nasi goring curry dish for tea. We drank some horrible schnapps and then played a really good name guessing game. 27/12 - We got up and packed all our things then made our way into Middelburg. Naomi caught a train and then the rest of us caught one to Brussels. We arrived in time to find our accommodation, and then went out for a meal - kindly shouted by Nana and Grandy - before we got some delicious Belgian waffles and Liam caught a train to Basel. Dave, Alisa, Clint and I wandered back up to the hotel, had a hot chocolate and then an early night. 28/12 - After a nice sleep in we met up downstairs and went for breakfast at the train station, where we also stored our bags for the day.

We had to go back to the hotel to grab Alisa's pashmina, so we took the chance to go up to the palace of justice, and then the proper palace and gardens. The palace was shut but looked pretty impressive. We then went to the cathedral where a cellist was playing, then down to the marketplace. It was all done up for Christmas with a Nativity Scene with live animals! We went passed the pissing boy, which was smaller than expected, and had soup for lunch at a small restaurant. It was absolutely freezing by this stage so we lingered over lunch and then wandered back up to the marketplace for another look. After dark an awesome sound and light show started so we watched that for a little bit before fighting the crowds back down to the train station.

We had some dinner and then Clint and Alisa caught a train back to Middelburg. Dave and I (thankfully) realized that we needed to get to a different airport than the main one, and caught a bus out there. We then camped out in the airport the night before catching a 6am flight back to Manchester. We got back to the flat at about 8am and sleep most of the rest of the day.

Bath and the Loire Valley - October 2008

Bath – Oct 13-21 2008 On Monday morning, Mum, Dad and I (Julia) got up early to catch a train to Paddington Station. We arrived in Bath mid-morning, picked up the rental car and drove out to our cottage. Set on the proper working Pennsylvania Farm owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, we were in a two-bedroom several-hundred-year-old ex-cheese making cottage. Very well done up and so cozy! We got some shopping in, met the owners, and settled in to an early night and home cooked meal.   On Tuesday we headed in to Bath, and after a look round the Abbey Mum and Dad went off to see the Baths, while I looked around town. We met up for a Cornish Pasty lunch afterwards, then went to look at Pulteney Bridge – an old bridge lined with shops on either side. After that we headed up to the Circus and Crescent, and went to see Number 1 the Crescent – a fully restored Georgian Mansion. Well worth a look! It took us a while to get home via the one-way system, and after a stop for supplies (more wine) we had another nice home cooked meal and a visit from the Farmer.  Wednesday was a nice big day – we left the cottage early to head down to Lasham – where mum’s great great grandfather was from (and where Dave and I went last year). We found the village without too much trouble and mum had a nice time peeking through their windows and taking photos. After a quick drink at the local, we headed over to Salisbury, and to Salem, which mum and dad both enjoyed (although, just like earlier in the year it was freezing). About 20 mins later we arrived at Stonehenge, where Mum and Dad braved the weather for a quick circuit. We stopped for a nice cup of tea in Marlborough and checked out the Guildhall before heading back home. On Thursday we enjoyed a nice sleep in, then headed down to Cheddar (where the Cheese comes from). The Gorge was lovely, but very very touristy and over priced, so after buying a bunch of local cheeses we headed out to the sea. Somehow we ended up eating leftover Caesar Salad on the freezing boardwalk at Burton-on-Sea – the tide so far out we could barely see it! A bit daft, but a nice cup of tea and a scone in the village soon warmed us up. We then headed on to Wells to see the Cathedral there. This was a bit of luck – as we arrived a very good youth orchestra was having a practice – very young, but some good sounds were coming out! We also waited to see an old 13^th C clock hit the hour – jousters spin round knocking each other off horses, which was pretty cool. We had a late diner back in Bath at a seafood restaurant, Loch Fyne. I scarfed a pot of mussels and had a lovely time!  On Friday we had another early start to try and beat the traffic, and headed to Lacock; a village that is so well preserved that it’s used for films like Pride and Prejudice – the only thing they need to do is remove the cars and cover the asphalt! Very picturesque. We then went north to Tetbury and tried to find Highgrove. We didn’t, so instead stopped at the Duchy Farm and bought some shortbread and potatoes. Soon after we arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon, and mum and dad did a hop on hop off bus tour of the various houses. We were a bit tired after that so headed home – passing through the lovely upper- and lower-Slaughter villages.  On Saturday we had a lazy start to the day, and headed into Bath to pick up Dave at 11am (complete with a lovely number 1 haircut. Stunning).  Mum and I went shopping while Dave and Dad did something manly and to do with Astronomy. We met up for a quick lunch and then mum and I went to the fashion museum (nice enough, but not enough clothes on show for my taste) while D & D bought some groceries.  On Sunday we headed North again, this time to see Blenheim Palace. This was a magnificent building set in huge grounds. We first went through an audio-visual presentation about the very interesting history of the place, and then went through the lower floors, which were all set up like the 17/1800’s. It’s amazing to think that an actual family still own it and sometimes live there, and have Christmas there! The Library was amazing, and the chapel too. We had a nice lunch in a tearooms nearby, then went to Warwick Castle. First built in 1068, this complex has undergone countless changes, and the “experience” now there covers most periods really well. We also went for a wall walk and saw a trebuchet throwing a ball of fire across a field (the biggest working one in the world). Not as impressive as the peacocks, I thought. So expensive to see everything though – and Warwick Castle even had the cheek to charge for parking on top of the 18quid entrance fee each!! Compared to how much the French Chateaux charged it was criminal. We headed back to Bath and had a lovely pub meal at the Globe by our village – wish we’d found this place sooner!  Monday was a rainy drizzly day, so we had a nice morning bumming around packing and sorting. We headed into Bath briefly to fix mum’s glasses and check the internet, then spent the rest of the day chilling out.   Loire Valley - Oct 21-26 2008 We arrived late afternoon on the Tuesday the 21^st after a very early start in Bath. After picking up the hire car and finding our way off-road out of the car park we headed north from Poitiers airport towards Tours. Following the hazy directions given to us by the owners of the cottage we managed to find our way in the dark to Baulay Cottage, in-between Sache and Azay-Le-Rideau. We met out talkative hosts (complete with pink trousers) and managed a glass of local red wine before bed.  Our first full day and we were able to see the cottage properly for the first time. We really were in the middle of nowhere, in a 12th Century barn that has been converted into a 2-bedroom cottage. After having a look around we headed into Azay-Le-Rideau, a lovely quaint little village with an impressive looking Chateau and an even better bakery where we had lunch. One of the most famous Chateaus is Villandry, famed for its amazing gardens, and we headed there after lunch for a look around. The Chateau itself was impressive although not as beautiful as others in the area, but the gardens really were something else - who would have thought veggie gardens could be pretty?! We spent a good hour wandering around the gardens in the perfect weather before heading into the Chateau and up the old watchtower to get some great views over the gardens and the Loire valley. Jus favourite thing was the playground… The next day we headed up to Tours to sort out travel arrangements for later in the week and to visit the cathedral and medieval centre of town. The cathedral (as always complete with scaffolding) was large but not overly brilliant by European standards, but the medieval part of town was very pretty. We had a traditional French kebab for lunch and then headed home via the Troglodyte centre just outside Azay-Le-Rideau. These ancient houses were built into the hillside and there are modern day towns where the houses are built like this still. The caves were impressive but the visit will be remembered for the farm park that was attached to it with the insane goat and the bully donkey! We headed home and made it in time for 5 o’clock drinks, which was a pleasant bonus. On Friday we headed to the other Chateau that we thought looked good - Chenonceau. This is constructed over river Cher and interestingly was a hospital in World War One, in World War Two was part of the boundary between the two enemy lines, and was once owned by the Medici family. This Chateau was more impressive than Villandry, with a lot of lovely bedrooms. The gardens weren’t bad either. After a race through the garden maze which the better team lost, we headed back to Azay-Le-Rideau to see try and find the Museum of Maurice Dufresne which has over 3000 antique machines. There were some fascinating items including an 18^th century mobile guillotine used in the revolution, but 3000 items is an awful lot of old stuff to see! We got home in time for a much-needed nap as we were treating ourselves to a nice meal out in Sache’s very own Michelin 1 star restaurant. The restaurant itself was a beautiful old 12^th Century building and the food was perfectly presented and served. From what we could translate off the menu it turned out to be a fish restaurant and everything was flash - even the scrambled eggs. Everyone enjoyed their meals (apart from David who doesn’t like fish unfortunately!) but the desserts were the real highlight. Overall a lovely experience and meal and a worthy celebration of our engagement, Kevin and Kathy’s 20^th wedding anniversary and a host of birthdays, but for those of us who would prefer a good steak and lasagna next time I think we might go for a cheaper meal and use the money elsewhere.  Our last full day on Saturday we drove south to Chinon, the biggest town other than Tours in the area and again with a Chateau and a historic mediaeval part of town. The Chateau was a bit different in Chinon in that it was a lot more castle like and is currently being restored. There are some impressive views and plenty of steps to climb to get down to the bottom and up to the top of the towers, as well as an interesting exhibit about Joan of Arc - would have been even better if it was in English. We wandered down the hill into town and through the medieval part which was well preserved but eerily empty, especially for mid-day on Saturday. We had lunch by the river then drove across country to Loches and another Troglodyte village - this time a system of over 4km of underground tunnels. While the scale of these was impressive (we were given an emergency telephone before we entered), the best bits were the music sculptures that were dotted around inside. Our last night was spent packing and preparing for the early start the next morning.  We had an early start to the day on Sunday to catch the fast train to Paris. David took us on the scenic route but thanks to the early start we were still over 30mins early. We were in Paris to meet up with the band for our Acid Brass concert just behind the big pyramid at the Louvre. This was part of an exhibition of the arranger’s works (Jeremy Deller) at the Louvre, and we had around 2000 people watching and really getting into it, which was great. We sold out of CD’s at the end, which must be a first for a brass band! Nibbles back stage at the Louvre and a quick guided tour of the best art works in the Louvre were an added bonus.  We flew home with the band and mercifully had the day off work on the Monday to recover and for Ju to prepare for her next adventure back to NZ.    

Madrid - August 2008

Madrid 23-25 August 2008 23/08 - We had another early start to get to Liverpool airport in time for our 8.50am flight to Madrid. We arrived in Madrid at 12.15 and caught the (very easily navigated) metro system into the city centre, and found the Metropole Hostel in the red light district of Gran Via. Having had it previously recommended to us by Clint and Alisa, we were told that a free walking tour was departing from Puerto del Sol at 3pm, so we hurried down the road to join it (for anyone who doesn’t know, Free Tours are in most major European cities, and are walking tours conducted mostly by American students. They work only for tips, so try extra hard to make the tours informative and accessible. We were really impressed). Our walking tour took us right through the city, up to Teatro Real (the opera house), Palacio Real (the largest royal palace in Western Europe), and the Cathedral (plans started in the 16^th C but it wasn’t finished until 1993! Consequently each bit is built in the style of its day) before leading us to a tapas bar for a wee drink and something to eat. After a relax in the shade, we headed on up to Plaza Mayor via the oldest restaurant in the world (Guinness Book of Records confirmed!) and finishing up a the scene of a failed coup early in the time of Juan Carlos. The whole tour lasted about 3 hours and was a great way to get our bearings and taught us a lot of the fascinating history of Spain. Feeling pretty sleepy and tired from the 30+ degree temperatures (a shock to the system from Manchester!), we wandered up through the streets to our hostel and had an early evening siesta. We woke up again at about 10pm and heading back out down to Puerto Del Sol, and to Venta El Buscon - a tapas bar famed for its Patatas Bravas (David’s new favourite dish). Madrid really comes alive after dark; we saw lots of children, toddlers, and wee babies out in the streets at around midnight - it was much cooler then, but still well into the 20s. 24/08 - We got up early in the morning and headed out to Palacio Real to beat the crowds. The Palace is in a Rococo style, and really beautiful - we enjoyed looking around in the relative peace and quiet, and liked seeing the collection of Stradivarius violins, viola, and cello collected by the royal family. The palace was huge extending many floors underground, but unfortunately only a small area is currently open to the public. Pretty impressive though! We next went down to El Rastro, which is a famous (and busy and huge) flea market that covers several blocks of the city every Sunday. We had a good poke around there and bought a few bits and bobs - most notably a large purple lamp that is going to be interesting to try and get home! After checking out the state of a Spanish big mac (pretty darn good - especially as it comes with beer) we caught the metro out to the Bernabeu football ground. Dave had hopes of getting tickets to that night’s game, but it was sold out and the scalpers were charging a fortune. So then we caught the metro to Plaza de Toros - the famous bull ring in Madrid. The bullring was a very impressive brick stadium and was amazing to see. It was not my thing, but something that Dave wanted to experience, so he bought a ticket to that nights’ bullfight. The day had gotten very hot by that point, so we went down to Parque de El Retiro for a relax. This is a massive park right in the city centre, dominated by a big lake and the crystal palace. It seems like a lot of Medeiros take advantage of the park in the summer - there were tons of people rowing on the lake, and sleeping in the shade. We had a nice siesta for a bit and then walked up through the park. I was feeling a little sick, so Dave headed off to his bull fight while I went back to the hostel to sleep it off. At around 8pm I headed out, as the Prado Museum has a free night on Sundays, but unfortunately I got my times wrong and arrived just as it was closing. I managed to have a good look around though and found a nice wee church nearby and a few tapas options for dinner. It was nearly 10pm (when I was meeting Dave) so I headed back up to the hostel.I (David) headed back out to the bull ring for the fight. I was sat right up the top of the stadium in the cheap seats (only 3 euro!) and it was easy to imagine yourself sitting in a little colosseum on uncomfy small concrete seats. The crazy trumpet band played a bit to introduce the other band who played a bit to introduce the parade of all the participants (except the bulls) and then it was time for the first fight. Watching the first fight was quite sad but at least the bull got a good shot at the matador throwing him in the air and putting a hole in his pink tights. After staggering around for a bit he came back to finish the job though and got a huge ovation. Once I was over the shock and new what was coming the next two fights were quite interesting as the matadors tried to tame the bull - they’ve got big cahones that’s for sure. The second guy didn’t do a good job and needed lot of goes at the final thrust so he was unceremoniously booed out of the ring and the bull was cheered as he was dragged out by the pretty horses. The third guy was ok but in the end the first one was the best by far. I left after the third fight (half time) having had enough blood sports to last me a long time - a great experience though! After meeting up back at the hostel we headed out and went to a place that was showing the (infernal) football. They served some great salad and chicken dishes and we hung out there for a while before calling it a night.  25/08 - We slept in a bit and then headed out into the sun for some roaming around and last minute souvenir shopping. We found a great shop and spent our last pennies before grabbing a local takeaway and picking our stuff up from the hostel. We managed to get back to the airport easily enough and finally made it back to Manchester at around 9pm.  We loved how relaxed and non-touristy Madrid was and really enjoyed having a couple of long, hot days looking around the city and eating good food. Now we can’t wait to check out Barcelona and the rest of Spain!  

Canal Boat Trip - June 2008

8-15^th June 2008 - Canal Boat Trip 7^th - We got the early bus to London for the day to catch up with Mel and Kane, and Alex which was really cool. Ju went wedding dress shopping with Mel while I had a nice long lunch with Alex before a nice dinner with Mel and Kane. We took the last bus to Stanstead Airport and arrived there around 11pm for our flight at 7am the next morning. 8^th - After a long night in the airport with not much sleep our plane was delayed meaning even more waiting but a free Mc’D’s breakfast which made up for it. We flew into Toulouse and headed straight to Hotel Chez Tony to sus it out. It was in the middle of nowhere and a wee bit dodgy. The afternoon was spent wandering around Toulouse which didn’t really do much for us, not helped by it being a Sunday afternoon when the French don’t come out apparently (apart from the homeless dodgy people) so nothing is open. The Le Capitole and Saint Stephens were lovely old buildings though. We met Mum and Dad (Mallett) and Liam off the train all the way from Basel (a huge 15 hour trip!) and went out for a nice dinner for Mums birthday. Getting a taxi home was a struggle thanks to some stunning French logic, but Mum and Dad didn’t freak out at the state of the hotel so things were going ok!  9^th - We survived the night and managed to get a bus into town in order to get the train to Villafranche de Lauraguais. From there we needed a taxi to get to Negra 8km away where we started the boat trip. It was great to start the trip from somewhere as remote as Negra and we all immediately relaxed once we got there - the weather was brilliant too which helped, it was nice all week. Dad - aka “Cap’n” - Mum and Ju got the instructions for 'Pigasse' while Liam and I cycled back to Villafranche for groceries and the all important 5L drum which proved difficult to get back to the boat! The first lock was quite exciting but the Cap’n was a natural and we got through without any problems. Having safely negotiated another lock we felt we could unfurl the Kiwi flag without embarrassment - Liam putting it up upside down wasn’t a great look but I don’t think anyone else noticed before we changed it. After 5 o’clock nibbles and wine on the foredeck in sun we were all into the swing of things on the boat and thoroughly relaxed! We stopped that night on the side of the canal having covered a huge 11.5km. 10^th - Ju and I cycled into nearby village Avignonet which had a lovely church but no food - it was great to be able to hop on and off the boat and see some of the quaint old villages beside the canal. We all had a chance to drive the boat today with mixed results - Ju got us through her lock the best, although a huge gust of wind and poor crewmanship undid my perfect approach! This was our biggest day (22km) stopping just past Castelnoudary and its 4 level lock. Ju and Dad were only ones brave enough to eat some snails for tea and then it turned into a late night with an intense game of monopoly where the winner was not officially recorded… although Dad will claim he won.  11^th - Mum, Dad and I cycled into Pexiora, another nice village within a few km’s of the canal to get some lunch. Later we all headed into Villepinte for afternoon tea and looked around a cool glass blowing shop. We stopped that night in Port de Bram and had dinner in a truck stop that seemed to be popular with the locals. Mum and Ju gave in to their curiosity and tried the Cassolet - a local specialty involving random bits of meat stewed with beans - which wasn’t great. In fact apart from the entree none of the meals were great but it was good to get off the tourist track. We were all crammed in with strangers at long tables with French sticks and big bottles of wine in the middle of the table for us all to share which was nice. The squat toilet added touch of class. 12^th - Today we headed to Carcassonne, the focal point of the trip. We would have been pushing it to get there and back on the boat so we walked into Bram hoping to get a train only to find out we’d just missed the early one and the next one wasn’t for hours which meant an expensive taxi ride. Carcassonne is Europe’s oldest, biggest and best preserved Castle and the whole area is a world heritage site. After a train trip around the outside we wandered around the inside for a while seeing the keep and cathedral. It was nice to see an old castle still being used; albeit for tourist shops, hotels and restaurants, but it still gave us a bit of an idea of what it would have been like in its hey-day. The highlight of the trip and well worth a visit! Caught the train back to Bram for the night.  13^th - On the Canal again today heading to Castelnoudary for the night, a short trip of 16km but a total of 18 locks which got a bit tiring. After the excitement of the locks on the first day they soon became a bit of a pain as we’d just get going and settled into a book or something and come to another one. We had a nice meal out that night and watched Holland thrash France in the European Champs. 14^th - Another brilliant breakfast of fresh bread, cheese, salami and fruit - we ate really well on the boat. We stopped that night just short of Villefranche where we had earlier arranged for a taxi to meet Ju, Liam and I first thing in the morning and take us to Toulouse airport. Once again we were caught out by the French railways and their lack of services on a Sunday. The trip had gone by really quickly - we couldn’t believe it was the last night. 15^th - An early start and quick Fathers day breakfast (UK Fathers day) before we headed to Toulosue Airport in the taxi leaving Mum and Dad to get the boat back to Negra by the following afternoon. The trip home was long, not helped by a delay in the flight and a wait of 1.5 hours in the passport control queue at Stansted (almost as long as the flight itself!). This made us late for the bus to London and late for the bus from London to Manchester but luckily we just made it without having to rebook anything.  Overall it was an amazing trip and just a relaxing as we had hoped - it was a huge struggle getting back into the swing of things at work the next week. Getting there and back turned into to a bit of an effort for various reasons but it was well worth it. I would really recommend a canal boat holiday and a trip to Carcassonne!

Turkey 23-28 April 2008

Ireland 22-24 Feb 2008

Rome 11-15 Jan 2008

Switerland 24-31 December 2007

Paris 27-30 October 2007

Paris 27/10/07-30/10/07

After a early morning to catch the bus to Liverpool and an angry Eastern Bloc bus driver that wouldn’t let David sleep on the back seat, we arrived in Liverpool an hour later to check in at around 4.30am. Despite having to polish off a drink bottle of water before customs which made David pee for the rest of the day, we managed to get on our budget Easyjet flight with no problems, arriving in Paris at 10.30am.

After a confident start having said Bonjour to the customs man without being laughed at, we waited by the baggage carousal until no more bags appeared and everyone had gone. Enroute to the lost luggage department we happened to spot our pack going around the next carousal all by itself.

After arriving at Gare du Nord train station, we wandered up to the Sacre Coeur to take in the view. Given the murky weather and the fact that you can’t actually see the Eiffel Tower, the view wasn’t all it could have been, but the church was impressive and it was a nice spot for lunch. After wandering through Paris’ seedy district and spotting the Moulin Rouge, we checked into our apartment - all 10 square meters of it. Despite its size, it had everything we needed with a bit of Parisian charm to boot - and because it was 6 floors and over 100 steps up we even got a view of the top quarter of the Eiffel Tower from our window. One downside of the apartment was the toilet. It was shared with the other apartments on the floor. We were warned that the owner of the apartment right next to the toilet had a temper and only knew a few choice words in English so we had better make sure we shut the door correctly! Chastened by this warning we were extra cautious with our ablutions, but on the second night Dave forgot to shut the door and was treated to a telling off from a crazy Frenchman! Our other favourite thing about going to the shared loo was that we needed to cart around the toilet seat, as it didn’t have one, and that at night the light didn’t work - this plus the unfixed toilet seat made for a couple of interesting trips to the bathroom.

For the afternoon we thought we would orientate ourselves with the city, and set off towards the centre of town. This was about a 30 minute walk, taking us past the Opera House (Opera Garnier), the Palace Gardens (Jardin de Palais Royal), and finally to the Louvre. From there we decided to head towards the Arch de Triumph, passing the Arc de ‘Gave it a Good Go’ (Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel), Ferris Wheel, and Obelisk before stopping at the Angelina Café for a special afternoon tea. This café has been open for years, and is famous for its Hot Chocolate Africané which we both tried - literally a pitcher of melted chocolate and a saucer of cream for you to mix. After this treat left us feeling a bit sick, we wandered up the Av des Champs Elysees passing heaps of flash shops and stopping in at Louis Vuitton for a gander. We climbed the Arc de Triomphe at dusk, getting great views of the city, and stayed up there to see the Eiffel Tower twinkling its fairy lights on the hour. Dinner was a sumptuous French meal of Mc Donalds, to check that French Fries are the same in France and to continue our goal of having a Big Mac in each country we visit - although it’s early days we are fairly confident this one will be there or there abouts in the final reckoning.

Day 2 was another murky day, but we set off early to beat the queues at the Louvre determined to see the Mona Lisa. Although we got lost repeatedly, we managed to see the Mona Lisa (her eyes really do follow you), the Venus de Milo, Raft of the Medusa, Napoleons Apartments, and the Roman ruins beneath the Louvre, along with tons of other no-doubt priceless but less famous works of art. Although all the works were impressive, we felt they were overshadowed by the magnificent buildings of the Louvre. It was all a bit overwhelming and we tired quickly with sore feet from the day before, but it was something we had to do and we’re glad we’ve done it!

After lunch on the banks of the Seine with our shoes off to rest our poor feet, we set off to wander round the Seine’s two major islands. The major attraction here is, of course, the Notre Dame which was amazing and we were luckily enough to be there to view part of a mass. The residential islands are lovely to wander around, and we tried a passion-fruit ice-cream from the famous Berthillon café which tasted like grapefruit. A cool jazz band on the bridge made for a nice atmosphere to eat it with slightly screwed up faces, before we managed to find another branch of the same cafe down the street where we went for the safer Chocolate option - much nicer.

We aimed to get to the Eiffel Tower for dusk, and took our time wandering across town past a few of the sights - the Pantheon (lovely area), Luxembourg Gardens (cool chess players), the National Assembly, Muséé de Orsay (didn’t have time to go in), and the Hotel de Invalides (Napoleon’s tomb was a highlight). We got to the Eiffel Tower just before dusk and decided to brave the steps up to the second level, getting good views of the city in the daylight and the dark. After a long and disorganized queue, we took the lift to the very top to get even better views, leaving before we froze and starved to death!

Dinner was a major priority, but we struggled to find an authentic low key place until we got to the Pomme de Pain Café, a French fast food place that served delicious baguettes. After another well earned rest for our feet, we wandered home past the Marie Madeleine Church, getting back to the apartment by around 10pm.

After a sleep in the next day, we headed to the Opera Garnier where the Phantom of the Opera was based. The theatre was impressive; however the ballroom was the most beautiful room we’ve ever seen! The Opera House was a highlight of Paris for us but unfortunately we weren’t allowed into the basements.

We decided to brave some of the flash jewellery shops after lunch, getting into Cartier, Chanel and Tiffany’s. Just getting in was an experience, having to be let in by a security guard, and having just about more store attendants and square meters of floor space than items for sale - all a bit imposing. Julia mustn’t have looked too dodgy though, cause she was able to try on some of the items, including one worth 52,000 Euros! A nutella and banana crepe for afternoon tea was great, before heading home for a nana-nap. We planned a classy night out, ‘Ducking’ into a restaurant we had eyed up earlier in the day which looked typically French with red and white checked table cloths. The menu we saw was French, and it wasn’t until we’d got in and settled down and saw an English menu that we figured out we were in a duck restaurant - duck for starters, mains and probably duck desert and duck wine, we didn’t stick around that long, heading to the restaurant next door…

This was a more modern restaurant, and while there were no nachos or pies, there was steak and lasagna so David was happy. Julia’s salmon tartar was a ‘surprise’, but her steak main was like marshmallow - the best she’s ever had. David went for the Lasagna. The meal was perfect, with a nicely matched wine as recommended by the waitress and approved by David doing his best to look like he knew what he was doing. We wandered up to the area round the Moulin Rouge for anther crepe for dessert before heading home for our last sleep in Paris.

An early morning the next morning was required to get to the airport in time, and despite Julia having some problems getting through security in Paris (its in the eyes…) and David being detained by customs in Liverpool we arrived back to our flat mid afternoon.

Overall Paris was a magnificent city to visit, and the sights are must sees, however some of the people in official roles were quite rude and French efficiency left a bit to be desired at times. We got to most of the sights although the first two days were fairly full on! We didn’t get to see everything though and the first things we’ll do next time are Versailles, Disneyland, Museum de Orsay. The highlights for us were Napoleons tomb and the Opera House!  

11th-28th July 2007; EGYPT