Tag: sunshine

Puglia Days 1/2

15 April 2024 / admin

Mother Church of San Giorgio Martire

Saturday / Sunday 13/14.4.24

This trip is badged “Rail Discoveries” which is a junior brand to “Great Rail” with whom we have travelled a number of times. Much of the paperwork issued says Great Rail and our guide works for both. The major difference is that RD tends to have larger groups – we are 37 and should have been 39 but illness struck preventing one couple travelling.

The flight is British Airways and it is sad to reflect that this former national symbol of an airline is now such a poor reflection of the nation and competence. They seem unable to manage a full trolley service and there is little available for diabetics – plus the staff just do not appear to want to care for passengers. Downgrade your staff and service and yet the prices continue.

Our destination by plane is Bari and once there we gather until the party has assembled and we have a waiting coach to take us to a hotel a couple of miles outside Polignano a Mare at the Pietrablu Resort. Apparently the resort only re-opened a couple of days ago and at the moment we make up the majority of guests, although more arrive as the week progresses. The rooms are spacious – we have a bedroom and another room, plus two bathrooms.

Locortondo

Come Sunday morning we are soon on the road with two small hill towns being our destinations today. First Locorotondo where we have a little walk into the town centre and we take a slightly devious route around this somewhat charming town with some marvellous views over the valley towards another town – Alberobello – with huge numbers of Trulli houses which we shall visit later in the week. There are one or two quirky aspects of Locorotondo – so a few photos to show window displays and a bicycle!

Locortondo

In the valley between the two towns is a railway which runs between Bari and Taranto and I see a train pass by whilst looking at the view.

The second town visited is the slightly smaller Martina Franca which is slightly south of Locorotondo. We walk into the town square and it is pleasant enough – but very warm today, probably warmer than we were expecting.

So it is time to contemplate a sit down and a cup of coffee and perhaps an ice cream. Italians as ever seem to dislike us more than the French. We wanted a cup of coffee and did not want to walk all the way back out of the town but all of the places in the square that had chairs available out of a very hot sun did not want to serve just a coffee. We do eventually find a place but choosing a coffee proves difficult.

We return to the hotel for a surprisingly excellent lunch – surprising in that it is a full meal and not just some light pickings or similar – one lunch later in the week has a full roast beef.

We decide not to join the trip to the local town of Pogliano a Mere – there will be opportunities later in the week but given that there is currently sunshine and a pool (which inevitably is cold) lying in the sun seems far more welcome than more walking. Well until such time as the hotel team note that it is too quiet and that some amplified music would improve matters! Never mind I am sure it is more appropriate later in the season!

Salcombe – the Jetty – and Home

1 June 2017 / admin

Thursday 25 May 2017

The sun is out again as we again drive down to Salcombe for lunch at the Jetty which is part of the Alex Aitken chain which has appeared out of almost nowhere in the last couple of years. We went to the Jetty in Guildford (it is also in a Harbour Hotel; as far as I know there are no actual jetties or harbours in Guildford) about a year ago and if anything this meal is better.

The sun is beating down and we choose to sit indoors in the air conditioning but the outside tables are fairly well occupied and allow us people watching time – and some possible cases of sunburn (no hat or cream hence our choosing indoor seats). Parking at the Harbour Hotel can be tight – but I think we got away with it!

This is my starter which is a Taste of Salcombe Crab and very tasty it was too. A good start to the meal.

Jackie had this stunning looking crayfish and prawn combination to start. I am told it was tasty.

This is my main course – a nice piece of sea bream on spring vegetables and risotto.

And here is Jackie’s main course of fish and chips which does look rather good.

Food photographs once again come from Jackie’s resourceful iPhone – much better than the two of us both trying to out photograph each other!

Now it is time for the drive home. I follow the road signs rather than have the sat nav telling me what to – so do not take the most direct route (which would probably have been faster). Instead we wind back to Buckfastleigh and rejoin the main road. This twisty bit follows the South Devon Railway which we visited at the start of the holiday and although I hear a steam engine we have no sighting of it! We swap driving duties at Exeter and then again near Salisbury Plain.

However there is another reason for coming home a night early – apart from getting a better night’s sleep. One of our guest dogs is coming to stay this evening and we are at home to greet him rather than our daughter doing the honours.

Distance from home to Salcombe is about 190 miles and we did some driving around narrow back roads (and some main roads) so total mileage was probably around 500 miles for this particular holiday.

Next up is a tour through large chunks of Europe which is largely by train!

Dartmouth

31 May 2017 / admin

Wednesday 24 May 2017

Much brighter and a lot warmer today – so we can have the top down on the TT as we head over to Dartmouth which is on the eastern side of this particular piece of sticking out part of South Devon. We know we have visited Dartmouth several times before, once staying in an apartment which was over an early Easter weekend in March (when I did not have to work, in April it was always year end work) and we used the Dartmouth Steam Railway for a return trip to Paignton. We also had a second visit staying in a nearby hotel when we went to John Burton-Race’s Angel restaurant, now closed. Both trips were with Stephanie.

When we arrive in Dartmouth the main car park is full but we manage to find a parking space on the road – but we are only allowed two hours; we rather hope that the wardens will not be around today. We walk to Mitch Tonks’s restaurant – “The Seahorse” – as our lunchtime destination.

We have asparagus (sparrow grass) to start. Fresh as it is the asparagus time of year with a very nice sauce as shown on the left.

To the right is Jackie’s main course of hake.

I have a whole John Dory which was a nice piece of fish. As usual Jackie asked that I do something about the eye which is watching her eat as it always unnerves her and the lemon was placed over it! The entire fish comes very cleanly off the bone.

Courgette fritti (pictured) and some new potatoes accompany the fish. Knowing we will eat some cheese later we decide not to have a dessert. An excellent meal, well presented in great surroundings.

On the way back to the car I go to the newsagents and try to tell Jackie where I am going but she does not hear me. She then “loses” me as I am in the newsagent (I can see her but cannot shout). As the counter staff are making slow progress serving anyone (I recall a line of pensioners who do not seem to realise that they need money to pay for their purchases!). I dump the paper back on the rack and I am just about back to her as my phone rings asking where I am!

We steadily head back to Challaborough – Jackie is unhappy at the uncomfortable bed in the caravan and we reach a conclusion that we should head home early tomorrow after lunch.

Thailand Day 3

13 December 2015 / admin

Friday 11 December 2015

Having a reasonable night’s sleep is often rare in the first night in a strange bed but oddly this one goes well. Once awake we wander around the complex as we have to find the way back – and the stairs we came down in the dark are not obvious (or labelled) in daytime. On emerging from our room we are struck by the heat, the humidity and invisibility as the glasses mist over! Eventually we find the dining area and elect to sit outside which is probably a mistake as of course inside is air conditioned as well and jumping from hot to cold and back is probably not good.

With a reasonable breakfast inside us we descend to collect some pool towels and take a couple of loungers on the decking area adjacent to the main pool. The area fills up although I note that not all loungers have been put out and suspect the hotel is not completely full at present. It is high tide in the morning – later in the afternoon it is noticeable that swimming in the sea in the roped off area would not be possible.

Being our first day we have the usual rep visit and book a couple of excursions to be taken later during the first week of our stay and confirm transit times to our second hotel and back to the airport for our return home. We are given some guidance on the local behaviour and where we can go to see the sunset – a short walk along the road.

We retreat to the dining room and take a light lunch; the spring rolls seem exceptionally hot to me! A further hour in the sun before we decide not to over do it on our first day and retreat to our room. On the way there I am able to show Jackie a much quieter pool adjacent to our room with some comfortable looking day beds which also look as though they provide some excellent shade in the heat of the day.

At about 5:15 pm we leave the complex for the first time heading out to end of the road. The plan is to spot restaurants for later eating and also to see the sunset in the west which duly happens about 45 minutes later. Our excursion had given us the chance to note 4 – 5 possible restaurants as well as to see a local street market along this stretch of road.

One of the restaurants is on Jackie’s list from Trip Advisor and we decide to make things simple for ourselves by having a fixed menu for two. Some chicken satay to start was not completely enveloped in peanut butter; soup, hot for Jackie and not for me – her chilis were obviously added at the end of the process. Once these tasty delights had been consumed we then waited the fisherman’s main course – a huge basket of fish. I had the opportunity to demonstrate I could still remove the bones from a complete fish and we also shared vast quantities of squid, mussels, soft shell crab and five decent sized prawns. For the food the Baht1500 quoted on the menu covered the entire food for two (which is about £30 at current exchange rates).

I always love fish platters and this was no exception at Baan Ra; recommended. We walk back to the hotel and agree on a couple of the other restaurants which seem most likely candidates for a visit later in the week.