Author: admin (Page 18 of 31)

Rhine Cruise 24.7.19

25 July 2019 / admin

Delta Works 24.7.19

We marginally retrace our route overnight returning to the Netherlands, berthing in Veere on Zeeland which is immediately adjacent to the southern end of the North Sea. I take an organised trip to the Delta Works. Originally the plans were for sea defences which would protect the entire country by carefully controlling the flow of water to and from the North Sea. Eventually opposition and the vast costs limited some of the ambitions but the Delta Works was the largest outcome from projects which commenced following the North Sea flood of 1953.

In the South Holland area there are 4 million residents which the state sought to protect such that flooding risks were limited to particular risk levels which were then enshrined into law. Some of the original plans could not be progressed due to the potential loss of important buildings and also ended a plan for a new freshwater area as the harvesting of oysters would have suffered. However the works which have completed have still led to former sea water becoming fresh water as there is no longer open passage to the sea. Obviously the need to preserve life is highly rated and work is now under consideration to enable the likely coming increase in sea water levels can be ameliorated.

Delta Works Barriers 24.7.19

Conveying the size and scale of the barriers is almost impossible but hopefully this goes some way to achieving that.

This evening is the Captain’s cocktail reception and welcome dinner.

Rhine Cruise 23.7.19

24 July 2019 / admin

Antwerp 23.7.19

Most of the river cruise moves take place at night so we arise this morning moored in Antwerp in Belgium which is mainly south of Amsterdam having passed along the Amsterdam-Rhine canal for about 40 miles. Wikipedia reports that it is the world’s heaviest used artificial waterway with an annual average of over 100,000 ships.

This joins one of the major branches of the Rhine – the Waal – from which we branch off and do not quite reach the open sea but proceed via canals to Antwerp which is some ten miles or so north of Brussels. We dock at Antwerp at lunchtime.

We have joined an afternoon walking tour of Antwerp on what is another intensely sunny day and it is not long before we are all feeling the heat, so it is immensely pleasant for hear the guide to inform us that he would shortly be turning onto a shady street.

When we do there is no shade. It transpires that this is the centre of the local prostitution area. At the time prostitution was recognised and regulated only becoming decriminalised in 2022. Antwerp (being a port) took a very different view to other local authorities and heavily regulated the red light district – elsewhere the approach was to ban window prostitution so the sights here are unlikely to be seen elsewhere. There are signs offering particular services and indicating prices. The residents do not wish photographs to be taken, any sign of use of a camera was met with shouting and banging on the glass. So only the wall was photographed.

Antwerp Guild Houses 23.7.19

We pass by other parts of Antwerp – which of course is the centre of the diamond trade – and was therefore immensely rich, witness the Guild Houses above on the edge of the Market Place and there were other examples of architecture with the Cathedral and other churches proving impressive. The tour takes around two hours in total.

Rhine Cruise 22.7.19

23 July 2019 / admin

Eurostar 22.7.19

This was our first river cruise for many years – the last one was last century in Russia and it was a decent way to see sights and yet be insulated from most of the country’s drawbacks. This cruise also marks a return to Scenic with whom we travelled to Australia a few years earlier – we were well looked after then so hoped for a repeat of that experience. As this is being penned some years after the event I will not be doing a day by day record but will record a little more detail than on some holidays not covered at the time.

The start to the holiday was when we were collected at 03:20 to be taken to London St Pancras International – a very early hour indeed. What is more pleasant is that at the time the through service to Amsterdam was only just over a year old – to my mind the limited destinations available via Eurostar have limited passenger growth, along with the way passengers are treated with excessive luggage scans, pen herding and essentially not really believing that they are running a train service. All of which is experienced today!

The actual trip to Amsterdam is smooth and we are met and ushered onto a bus – which effectively takes us to the other end of the station where the cruise boat is moored. It is a long station so I suppose it is quicker than walking – but the weather was warm so it was preferable to be air conditioned for a few minutes.

For those who have not participated in a river cruise the point probably needs to be made that cabin sizes are not enormous – there is not the same space as on cruise liner (navigating locks would be impossible) so the cabin size can be disappointing. In these circumstances I retire to a corner or the bed and wait until Jackie has unpacked and then unpack my case so that only one of us is moving around the cabin at a time. It means I can listen to the concerns being expressed and readily note my sympathetic view.

The aim of the cruise is sea to source – well not quite. From Amsterdam and the North Sea to Switzerland with a diversion along part of the Moselle with the cruise ship navigating part of the latter.

Cambridge & Norfolk 15-21 June 2019

22 June 2019 / admin

Swans Oulton Broad 18.6.19

Time to visit a part of the country we have not previously visited – Cambridge and the Norfolk Broads. We have had a couple of trips to the North Norfolk coast but not Broads. The holiday was split into two stays.

We head to Cambridge to spend a few nights over a weekend so that we can see the City and some of the colleges, at least externally, plus ensuring a long standing Good Food Guide entry – Midsummer House – can be sampled.

Midsummer House is adjacent to the river and easy walking distance from where we stay. So some alcohol can be consumed and the food was enjoyable. it is worthy of its place in the guide and we are well looked after during the evening.

We are within walking distance of the City Centre and we wander around – luckily the sun is with us. On the Sunday our walk back from lunch is enlivened by the unexpected – post exam Cambridge students taking to the Cam in cardboard boats which tend not to ensure terribly long in the water before those on board end up in the drink. Which probably entitles them to another drink. However this regular post exam activity seems to have ended in 2023 when the organisers were unable to obtain insurance, which I suspect is understandable.

Our destination for Monday to Friday is on the Norfolk Broads at Breydon Park near Burgh Castle from where various aspects of the Broads can be reached during the week.

Our first outing starts near Lowestoft where we board a vessel to cruise along the Oulton Broad for a couple of hours. Luckily we are at a little bit of height above water level so can see some of the countryside – at water level we would not get much of a view at all. The Broads came into existence due to human activity – removal of peat lead to flooding and creation of the waterways.

Blickling Hall 2-6-2 19.6.19Another day out combined railway and broads – the Bure Valley Railway links with a local boat operator so you can the train from Aylsham to Wroxham, wander through the town then board a boat for a cruise along the River Bure and Wroxham Broad. Then a fish and chip lunch and a return journey along the same way. The Bure Valley Railway is a 15″ gauge railways which runs for nine miles between the two termini. Originally it owned only a diesel so borrowed locomotives from the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch in its early years. That has been rectified and we travel behind No 6 “Blickling Hall”. The line is laid on the bed formerly used by a standard gauge railway between County School and Wroxham which remains rail connected to Norwich. The owning company is owned by Andrew Barnes who runs the railway with the support of many volunteers whilst the trackbed remains in the ownership by Broadland District Council.

Reedham Ferry is not far from the caravan park and there is a pub there, so an excursion of its own was to head to the pub and then take the ferry. The weather is not very nice – it either was or had been raining – but the ferry operative got down on the ground to ensure the TT did not ground as we came off the ferry – which was welcome.

Norwich market is award winning so required a visit as an adjunct to our need for a decent meal provided by Benedicts which we visit. We always try to ensure we visit a recommended establishment or two on these UK holidays and they were both were excellent.

On the homeward journey the A11 to M3 via either north or south round the M25 is roughly the same distance. The overhead gantries indicate the allegedly best route and I have a feeling this time we went round the north and encountered significant delays. And I always kick myself that the other way might not be as slow as the overhead signs indicate!

Greece 13-27 May 2019

28 May 2019 / admin

Parthenon 14.5.19

A proper holiday beckons – with a variety of locations to visit in neatly devised itinerary. We fly to Athens where we will spend the first few days. I had suggested keeping it simple by taking the train into the City Centre and then walking to our hotel.

I had not anticipated the local louts spraying our clothes with some substance and then trying to halt to help mop it down so that they can rob us. I get shouted at for being so stupid – but we keep going and I was merely taking the diagonal from the station to the hotel – rather than sticking to the more major roads – and it is not as if it is actually quiet even on the side street. A far from good start to the holiday.

The following day we seek out the hop on hop off bus service which is always a good way of find ones way around the town and which takes us to the Parthenon where we join the large number of visitors inspecting the ruins of this great temple which continues to attract the attention wherever you are in the city. We then descend to the associated Acropolis Museum which we wander around.

Athens Food Market 15.5.19

The following day we undertake a walking food tour around central Athens – this is something new for us but has become something which now happens in a lot of cities. We join a group and visit little places around the town where we get to sample some local delicacies. On this tour we make use of the knowledge of the guide to show us where we have booked for dinner tonight – and it was probably a good thing we did – I am not sure we would have found it ourselves. The tour ends in the market and the guide picks up food for a light lunch – but it is very tasty.

On the next day we go to Piraeus which is the port associated with Athens and track down the ferry to our stop – the island of Spetses – where we have booked our next stop. A taxi takes us out to the hotel which is perhaps a little further out of town than we had anticipated – but is within walking distance of some restaurants and indeed the town itself is within walking distance if we take our time.

Jackie is absolutely convinced that some people took other people’s luggage – another reason to be nervous about making such trips.

Spetses 17.5.19

In Spetses we mainly stay in the villa and lounge around the pool resting. There are a couple or restaurants immediately down the hill which we use the first couple of nights and then (as often happens) she feels she needs something other than the famous Mediterranean diet with more spice and so we go into the main town as we had seen a suitable restaurant – there is a huge choice of restaurants.

After a few days on the island we take the ferry back towards Athens – but we are stopping off for a few nights in Poros to see a different island and this time we are walking distance to the town centre on the level – so we can access the main restaurant drag and walk off the calories on the way back! Excellent. Poros has just a small channel across to mainland Greece and the views are wonderful. Again we do not do very much at all.

After a few days we return to Athens and take a taxi from port to airport for our homeward journey. This holiday was a little different enabling us to see some Greek islands and doing it all under our own steam rather than being organised – however there is pressure in being in the right place (for ferries and the like) which it is easier to delegate to a tour operator and representative rather than doing it ourselves – so the stress levels are higher than normal, particularly when potential thieves disrupt the start of the holiday throwing us mentally off balance.

Cornwall 3-6 May 2019

7 May 2019 / admin

Another short break – this time in Cornwall with a large group as together with the owners we descended on Hembal Manor for the first bank holiday of May. It happens to be one of the first major outings of the newish Tiguan and it is well loaded with the boot completely full to overflowing. Hembal lies just a little to the west of St Austell (Snorsel as it appears to be pronounced) which was the historic centre of the china clay industry.

Our outward route is via the A303 which is our main route westwards these days – it always brings to mind the Reggie Perrin discussion on the benefits of using the A30 or A303 – but the improvements (apart from at Stonehenge which has been cancelled by every government soon after they come to office for the last 30 years) now mean that the traffic tends to use the A303 which flows – but there remain places along the road where further improvement remains long overdue.

The main attractions within easy distance of the Manor are the Eden project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan. We had visited the former some years ago so I elect to go to the Wheal Martin Clayworks, although I have a suspicion that I visited it many years ago it has in the meantime had an upgrade and it remains fascinating telling the story of the extraction (which continues using more modern methods) of China Clay to be used in pottery and so on. On return from the works I am able to walk from the Manor to the adjacent railway main line where I can photograph the limited service through Cornwall. In more recent times the service frequency has been improved from hourly to half hourly and is perhaps more akin to the service needed by local residents.

With some free time I am able to visit the Mevagissey Model railway – I seem to recall it was not quite worth the entrance fee. However the attraction has changed hands in more recent times since my visit so further comment would be inappropriate.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan sit high above the coastline of Mevagissey and whilst we have been before this time we are able to see rather more of the grounds and find more of the statues and other attractions. The rhododendrons are not quite over so there is a decent amount of colour. There also seems to have been further development of the gardens since our last visit. Jackie will still not walk across the rope bridge of course. I consider the whole place magical and I think everyone else is of a similar conclusion.

Dining on Sunday is at the hotel in Charlestown where I stayed many years ago – although the dining area has clearly been much developed since then and alongside that I think the food is also much better. There is a museum in Charlestown now concerning the local fishing industry which we do not have time to visit – so there is a need to return here at some time in the future.

Jackie drives the Tiguan to the Eden project and reports that it brings her back via a somewhat odd route – an early sign that the satnav on this car seems to have a mystery bug which insists on taking devious routes when you simply want to reach your destination.

Our homeward journey on Monday is a long drive with a stop at the Exeter services and is inevitably slow – but not as slow as a trip back I suffer a couple of years later when the road from Cornwall to Exeter crawls all the way.

A concentrated little break visiting some of the South West’s major attractions which were right on our doorsteps – so the only long journeys were at the start and finish of the holiday – which made it easier than continuing driving each day.

Bristol 6-8 March 2019

9 March 2019 / admin

For my birthday this year Jackie has organised a short trip in the UK. And we are going by train – this is the first time we travel using one of the HST replacement sets – the IETs – from Reading to Bristol – having taken the usual Class 165 from Sandhurst. The good news is that a decent proportion of the route is electrified – but the project was allegedly “paused” a couple of years ago – so it is incomplete and the train switches to diesel power for nearly half the journey – a sad example of incompetence all round. It has to be hoped that ere long someone will bite the bullet and get the job done – additionally they are running class 387s on long distance journeys – inappropriate to say the least but the incomplete project is tantamount to wasting a significant proportion of the money which has been invested so far.

In Bristol we are staying at the Harbour Hotel having had good experience of the chain elsewhere. The hotel is housed in a converted bank so accessing the room seems slightly tortuous. Dinner in the restaurant does not even elevate itself to disappointing so we are not off to a great start.

The main attraction and reason for the trip the following morning is to visit the harbour itself and SS Great Britain – Brunel’s steamship which was a great leap forward when built in 1845, remaining the world’s largest passenger ship until 1853. She was converted to sail propulsion in 1881 (so progress often has backward steps) and having served many different uses she was scuttled off the Falkland Islands in 1937 achieving service of 92 years. In 1970 she was raised (following major contributions from some millionaires) and brought back to Bristol where she was originally constructed and is now very effectively conserved.

Reading the Wikipedia page on the ship it is clear that its unprecedented size meant that it actually undertook very few Transatlantic sailings and encountered a number of groundings which led to reworking and after only a few years to a complete change in usage. However it set a path and as ever someone has to take the first step – although the original owning company became financially distressed as did one of its successors – ownership does not seem to have generated significant returns.

The ship tour, including the ability to walk under the hull together with the adjacent museum dedicated to Brunel are stunning and together make one of the best museum visits ever. On board on the day we were there were costumed individuals explaining various aspects of the ship as originally used and the later changes. The (replacement) steam engines can work but were not doing so on our visit.

During the day we also ascend to the heights of Clifton Village mainly to take a look at the Clifton Suspension Bridge but the weather starts to turn from not particularly nice to far worse and we retreat back.

An excellent dinner in the evening rounds off this particular trip with another IET run back to Reading the following morning. The coaches were electronically lettered and seats reserved so we took the labelled seats. Prior to departure the computers are rebooted to travel in the other direction and the previous lettering of the coaches is reversed for some reason so the reservation labels and coach labels no longer match. One wonders how these things go wrong so easily. However no-one asks to sit in the seats so we stay put and arrive back in Reading without delays.

Scotland Route 500 6-17 September 2018

18 September 2018 / admin

Time for a road trip in the UK and this one is to do most of the Route 500 – a round tour of the very far north of these islands sticking to major roads but we will not be quite completing the circuit and we will have a couple of diversions for personal reasons – it remains a lot of mileage and a need to ensure the tank is refilled at certain points.

Our outward journey is lengthy and we need to stop off somewhere as we head north, so stay over with friends in Glooston in Leicestershire. Heading further north we popped into see the Angel of the North (well it was a very short distance off the main road after all) before heading further north – this being a long driving day – to reach the Peat Inn (Fife) which is the name of the village as well as our stopping point. We approach from one end of the village and we can sense we are heading back out of the village before actually finding the restaurant! An excellent meal and location to stop especially for a long drive.

The following day we head on northwards crossing over the Tay into Dundee – where we do not have time to stop but certainly the area around the river appears interesting for a visit in future. We pick up the A93 and then take a slightly indirect route via Cock Bridge and Tomintoul, tipping our hat to Mrs MacKay the local postmistress who keeps (or more likely now kept) the road open in winter with her shovel. I have been this way before and it is a very remote road crossing some uninhabited country – although the support for skiing is much larger than the last time I passed this way. Our initial target is Dufftown and the Keith and Dufftown Railway which is an interesting ride through the countryside. We then proceed to Inverness, formally the Route 500 commencement point, where we had not booked dinner and my name is mud. Having since revisited Inverness I now know that decent restaurants can be found – but we turned in the wrong direction.

Typically it is suggested that Route 500 should be undertaken clockwise but we are heading counter-clockwise so heading further up the East Coast first. Dornoch is visited which I remember as a pleasant place but it does not seem so nice this time – although that could simply be a lack of sunshine. Then to Dunrobin Castle which is a magnificent edifice and of course has its own station which is no longer private. We are spending tonight in Wick – where I have made the fundamental mistake of booking a restaurant in Wick, Bristol. My name is now officially mud (it gets worse). However at short notice I get a booking in a very nice restaurant – but we see them turn away people who have not booked – it seems without a booking there is no meal in Scotland these days.

Having visited John O’Groats we head onto the mainland’s most northerly point at Dunnet Head where there is certainly a very strong wind, a view and many birds but not much else. We retrace our steps slightly and the continue to the fascinating Castle of Mey which is a little further west and was the summer home of the Queen Mother. Now open to the public we are treated to some gentle stories concerning her late Majesty and other members of the family on their regular visits. Subsequently I believe rooms have been opened in the former stables so it is now possible to stay over. There is some beautiful scenery visible from the windows of the kitchen of the Castle so it is easy to understand her attachment to the place.

Our stopping place tonight is Durness which was visited by John Lennon as a child – from Liverpool post war that must have been some journey – probably to Inverness by train and then a bus to Durness where we visit the memorial to him. We have a table booked at the Smoo Cave Hotel and they serve absolutely excellent pies – even if it is a long way from anywhere else. On arriving they misheard Jackie confirming she had a reservation and were about to deny us entry – which would have made life even more difficult.

We do stop and try to visit the Smoo Cave the following morning – but due to the weather and tide they are not fully open so we can merely peer into the darkness. What I do remember as we drove along the coast was the splendid beaches which kept appearing as we rounded corners. Obviously they never see many visitors but there are some wonderful beaches in this part of the world. From here onwards much of the route is single carriageway with passing places and somehow all the 4×4 drivers seem to think that even pulling off the road even slightly is beyond them and so the TT has to leave the main drag.

As the Scots have popularised this route it sees a lot of use by those in camper vans – which I entirely understand as accommodation is not that readily available. On at least one part of the route I decide that the chances of making progress are pretty limited so drop back from a camper van and stay about two passing places (most of the way they are quite numerous) behind making it easier for those who need to get past both of us to do so. Also on this journey suddenly the dashboard showed an amber warning light which I did not understand. We consult the handbook and apparently more than the permitted number of LED lights in the array on the rear display over the boot have failed – but it remains safe to drive – it just keeps beeping when applying the brakes which is highly annoying.

We are now heading down the west coast of Scotland and also deviate from the Route 500 as I have long wanted to stay at the Summer Isles Hotel at Achiltibuie, having read about it many years ago. As we drive the sights we see are amazing – I am doing the driving and cannot see them all. For a lunch break we stop at the roadside- a suitable stop simply appearing at about the right time. Due to cloud we do not get quite the sunset display for which the Summer Isles hotel is famous – but it has been removed from the list of places to visit and I liked it. Again it is a very long way from anywhere else but I confirm the setting is fabulous.

The following day we stop at Inverewe gardens – again on a list of places which in this case I remember being told about it at school for the palm trees nurtured by the Gulf Stream and it is a magnificent place even if members of our party taking separate turnings mean that some people get completely lost. Our destination tonight is Torridon Castle which is a slight disappointment given its reputation – but the range of whiskies visible on the shelves is almost hard to comprehend or from which to make a suitable choice.

The drive the following day is along a coast road with little apart from other road users until we ascend (from the wrong side) Applecross or Bealach na Ba which was originally the Pass of the Cattle reaching 2054ft above sea level. The descent has a number of hairpin curves and a nasty pothole in which I manage to ground the poor car. I suspect it is also a challenge to drive up that side – perhaps one day! This is a very remote part of the Scottish mainland. I strongly feel I would like to repeat the trip – in the right direction – as a passenger rather than the driver.

The reconstructed main roads annoyingly do not hug the coast to Kyle of Lochalsh and I miss the relevant turning to maintain the coastal route. However we do at one point drive on the railway – works are being undertaken and they have laid a temporary roadway over the tracks to keep the traffic moving. At Kyle I take a wrong turning and end up on the station platform! You cannot keep me away from trains.

The next bridge we cross replaces the ferry to Kyleakin used on my last visit and we are deviating from route 500 to visit the Isle of Skye. At the far end of the island is Dunvegan Castle which we visit first. We are spending the night at a B&B adjacent to the Three Chimneys – a restaurant that has been listed in the Good Food Guide just about forever and we are finally here to enjoy the evening. Knowing of my diabetes they take extreme care to ensure that my dishes are amended to avoid sugar – an outstanding memory.

Our first stop the following day is the Talisker distillery. However I had a tour booking for a day later still – luckily they are able to fit us in after a wait. This means I have got three things wrong on this holiday and I have been banned for organising anything ever again. Whilst this was the least troublesome it put the seal on incompetence. As Jackie does not like whisky I however get not only a thorough ear bashing but also a double bonus – extra tasting helpings and then as I have had a lot to drink Jackie gets to drive the next section.

There are as far as I am aware three links between Skye and the mainland – the feted bridge, the ferry to Mallaig at the southern end of the island and the much smaller Glenelg ferry – which is the route I had determined we should take and is a wonderful reminder of how these small ferries are important still. Once back on the mainland we follow the Old Military Road which eventually leads back to the A87. The scenery on this route as we drove through the mountains was absolutely magnificent including a stop at a viewpoint for photos. Another road which I suspect few people ever drive, I have recommended it to others but so far not sure anyone else has seen these sights.

We have a couple of nights in Fort William – mainly so that we can spend an entire day on the Jacobite steam service to Mallaig and partake of the inevitable fish and chip lunch at the far end of the line. In my view the area shows many changes since my first trip to the area when the steam trains first ran. The lineside now has trees and I remember it being very open. The people watching as we pass over Glenfinnan viaduct are numerous – not non-existent as they were then. To support the visitor numbers the entire area seems far more developed – and it must have brought a lot of money into the area generally over the years. It certainly no longer seems as remote – but then you can no longer dine in a restaurant car on the train from Fort William to Glasgow as I did in 1972.

I had forgotten how beautiful the drive is down on the A82 through Glencoe and Bridge of Orchy – our last visit to the area was based in Oban so did not use this road. The road still twists and turns along the top end of Loch Lomond but there is now a by pass road (poorly signposted in my view) which replaces the now partially closed road along the edge of the Loch for the southern half of the journey.

It is then a very long and slow journey down the M6 which as we join it the satnav invites us to follow the motorway for more than 100 miles – but there is a vast amount of traffic and the entire journey takes about 50% longer than should have been the case. We get home very late and it was just too far to do in one day.

Once we are back I take the car to have the brake lights repaired and the underside checked following a couple of groundings – the latter reports no damage – just a misplaced clip. The car done well!

Baltic Cruise 21 July – 4 Aug 2018

5 August 2018 / admin

This was another cruise with Celebrity (following a previous trip to Norway) which enabled us to visit some of the major cities on the Baltic sea and which unfortunately led to a hospital visit for me.

Our first port of call was Zeebrugge which does not have any immediate attractions itself and from which the main organised excursion was to Bruges. We have been to Bruges previously so decided to take to a local outing on a bus. Both of us have a cold so the bus took us the nearby town of Blankenberge. This is actually an attractive place to wander around and we find a pharmacy and can obtain some treatment for the colds.

The ship then headed further north to dock in Copenhagen where the big attraction to us, given that a within recent times we had watched “The Bridge” (a detective series based around body parts found at the centre of the new bridge linking Copenhagen to Malmo), is the bridge which has to be traversed. The bridge replaced the ferry service I had used when making my Interrail trip in 1976. We take the open top bus into the city which stops close to the station and having negotiated buying tickets we travel to Malmo and return. Back in Copenhagen we are able to wander around the Tivoli Gardens which are also close to the station. The return bus service stops at The Little Mermaid to obtain the inevitable photographs.

Our next stopping port is Stockholm and here we take a city tour visiting the location where the Nobel scientific prize awards are made (but not the Peace Prize which is always presented in Oslo) as well as seeing more of the city as we travel. Stockholm stretches across numerous islands and there are therefore many bridges in and around the city. The Swedes have (like the Mary Rose in Portsmouth) recovered a sunken vessel – the Vasa – which succumbed on her maiden voyage in 1628. The ship was recovered in 1961 and the museum opened in 1990.

We cross from the Scandinavian side of the Baltic to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The sun is shining (much of the area is experiencing close to record temperatures) and we take a walk through a little market and then use a bus to the highest point of the capital and which is the location of the Town Hall and then wander back down the hill. It proves exceptionally warm for the latitude and with this weather Estonia appears very attractive, less so in the depths of the winter I suspect. However the opportunity to return for a further visit is probably limited.

Our next and most major port of call was St Petersburg which we visited over 20 years ago so this is a return visit. Whilst the historic buildings in the city centre show little physical change the names outside on the shop fronts now reflect the usual range of designer names that can be seen across the world. At the port – which we did not see previously – huge areas have been redeveloped with tower blocks and modern constructions. Huge highways and of course a lot more traffic.

We are here for two days and also here is the Russian Navy for an official navy day and on the second evening we are taken to the river frontage and can see huge numbers of naval vessels. It remains amazingly warm even past midnight. The navy ships can only arrive and depart in a couple of hours overnight when it is deemed appropriate to open the bridges across the river to facilitate the larger vessels leaving and without impacting traffic significantly.

Whilst St Petersburg looks generally more prosperous and modern than on our last visit I suspect the improvements are concentrated on the major cities and that the rural areas of Russia are probably little changed.

Built into the itinerary are a number of “sea days” when the cruise ship is heading between ports. We always try and plan to use one of the specialist restaurants on one of these days to allow another activity feature as we have not been out and about much during the day. As we are at sea for a day before the next stop we have some absolute stunning food in the Japanese restaurant aboard. During the night I start being sick – and although I have emptied my system I cannot stop. A trip to the medical bay ensues and as the doctor has a particular concern it is then in an ambulance to the hospital.

The ambulance requires payment in cash before departing so Jackie rushes upstairs to extract money from the cash machine and she eventually has enough Euros to pay them. I can report (and in contrast to some horror stories) all of the treatment on board and at the hospital was never charged (unless they contacted our insurers direct) so we are grateful to all concerned.

I have been given some morphine for the pain and other medicine to control the urge to be sick – that had been going on for some hours – so feeling better I was more worried about missing the planned trip on the Molli – a local light railway line – than having something wrong with me. A trip for the future.

At the hospital an abdominal scan proves the doctor’s fears groundless – it would appear that it is actually my gall bladder which has given up the fight against good living. It is inflamed and initially they are suggesting an immediate operation – which is not ideal. However wiser councils prevail – antibiotics for now, a return to the ship prior to sailing and then arrange treatment on return to home.

Rostok was the last stop before Southampton so after a couple of days we are back in Southampton and heading up the M3 and the car finds its way to Frimley Park where the wait is significantly longer than in Rostok – despite knowing what is wrong with me. Eventually the diagnosis is confirmed and appointments will be coming.

This was a great trip until I fell ill – but in fact provided a story to tell so I can hardly complain!

Bordeaux and Arcachon 2-9 June 2018

10 June 2018 / admin

I cannot remember now quite what the background to this holiday was – I have a feeling that we studied where we could have a holiday using a BA companion voucher and so probably travelled here for not very much money at all.

A B&B was found close to Arcachon and we hired a car to be able to get around for the week – although we used the railway on one of the days. The surrounding area had a variety of attractions which kept us busy whilst we were there. Better advance research would probably have found more but I mention this below.

Having arrived on the Saturday on the Sunday we headed to a local market for some bits and pieces and to see a little of the countryside and for me a chance to get used to driving on the right (which is not something I do regularly) and to getting a feel for the local area in terms of traffic and similar. We planned on eating out somewhere at lunchtimes most days and then having a quiet evening to do some reading.

The rest of the week is busier – the area is noted for the marine life (or so we understood before coming) but we find that currently the oyster and other marine activities are off the agenda due to pollution of the sea and there are no local supplies of shellfish due to those marine problems – which is disappointing for me if not Jackie.

One of the mornings was spent visiting a major local ornithological reserve where we had nice walk – but the more exotic birds were even further away. It is an extensive site and we should probably have planned to spend longer there than we had allowed before our booked lunch in Gujan-Mestres which is normally a major oyster fishing location. It remained an attractive harbour to wander around – and there would normally be many eating places with very fresh catches – but all closed up today.

On one day we took the train into Bordeaux – driving in a large town and finding parking space is not always simple so it was easier to catch the direct electric train with some elegant electrification masts. Bordeaux is an attractive city and a major location to visit is the Cité du Vin which was a very pleasant way of spending a couple of hours (and using the train meant that drink could be consumed). Our lunch was in a basement as I recall and we certainly ate well today.

Another day was spent visiting Cap Ferret (note not Cap Ferrat which is a long way away in Southern France) but is a long peninsula the other side of Arcachon Bay. Only when we were driving over the rails did I become aware of a local railway – which we did not use but shows I should have undertaken more research! The railway crosses the narrow peninsula from the local town to the beach.

A further major attraction is Dune du Pilat which is the largest sand dune in Europe. Less welcome to Jackie because of all of the sand. We then go into Arcachon and wander along the front to decide on where to take lunch. As with our other choices on this holiday we were able to enjoy an excellent meal.

On one day we stayed at the B&B to do some reading and resting and merely go into the town centre for lunch. Even there our meal is pretty good – but then we are in France.

On the Saturday morning before our return flight we headed up to the North West of Bordeaux into the Margaux area for a lunch where we were entertained by a group of wine growers celebrating their excellent wines and enjoying a decent meal. The sun was warm and it was a lovely end to the week. The entire week was a pleasant gentle time.