Author: admin (Page 2 of 31)

Spanish Paradors 8.9.25

9 September 2025 / admin

Santander Cathedral 8.9.25

Regrettably, although we fly in and out of Bilbao, we do not actually visit the city. Today is an out and back trip to Santander and later Santillana del Mer.

Santander first and it is a large port on the Atlantic coast or perhaps more accurately on the southern side of the Bay of Biscay and as such it is in direct line of weather coming from the west. Today that reflects the grey and damp days which come with such a location, the Bay being infamous for the adverse weather conditions.

Our initial stop is at a lighthouse, Cabo Mayor, which provides views over the sea and also towards Santander and the Bay of Santander.

Santander Cathderal decoration 8.9.25

The coach then returns us to the waterfront in Santander and we are also to walk through a park and the town centre eventually reaching the magnificent cathedral.

1941 fire Santander 8.9.25

In February 1941 a fire started in Cadiz Street adjacent to the Docks and a strong south wind fanned the fire and it swept through much of city reaching to the Cathedral. Reconstruction of the destroyed area (around 14 hectares) took 25 years. More recently it has been commemorated with a statue. Only one life was lost in the fire.

Santillana del Mer 8.9.25

Driving inland we come to Santillana del Mer which lays claim to being one of the prettiest villages in Spain. On a damp turning very wet grey day I remain unconvinced by that claim, although it is certainly attractive and pictures are taken as we wander around.

Cider is important in this part of Spain we are advised and find our way to a place which is delivering said drink and food which are welcome.

Local Beer 8.9.25

We return to the parador where the heavily worked bar staff manage to serve us all – but it can take some time. I indulge in the local beer as I cannot drink cider. As we are a little way out of the village we choose to eat in the parador restaurant and we enjoy a pretty good meal – but again the limited staff numbers mean that there are delays – which do not bother us too much but certainly lead to some discontent. Nothing to do with our tour but the management are simply trying to do too much with too few people.

Spanish Paradors 7.9.25

8 September 2025 / admin

Castro Urdiales church 7.9.25

Our outward journey commenced yesterday in reality as we decided (in the light of an incredibly early flight) to dine at Sorrel in Dorking and then stay in a hotel adjacent to the airport overnight. We still manage to reach check in very early. Once again Vueling want the passenger to label their own bags – a practice I hate as if it goes wrong who is responsible.

Go wrong it does. I am summoned at the gate to the desk and asked to confirm that the bag is Jackie’s as they cannot scan the barcode. Why is it all so difficult plus hours of waiting around doing nothing useful.

It is a relatively short flight down to Bilbao and we are on time throughout. It does not take long to emerge with cases (it has arrived despite the unreadable bar code). We appear to lose one traveller but depart – the tour guide will be with us later as there is a later flight coming in from Manchester.

Castro Urdiales 7.9.25

With such an early flight we know the rooms will not be ready and so the tour operator has arranged for our coach to take us to Castro Urdiales. We are dropped and wander down to the sea front. It is a smart town and there are a large number of cafés along the front – but given the time it is too early for lunch. Eating times in Spain always provide a slight problem which our body clocks find more difficult than the one hour time difference. Lunch type food tends not to be available before about 13:30 and in the evenings dinner before 20:00 is just not possible and usually later.

I walk up the hill to get a closer look at the church and castle, plus some photos from a different angle.

Apparently Castro Urdiales is a favoured destination generated by the power of AI – at least according to the BBC.

We return to the coach and are taken to the Parador de Limpias which has a modern block for the rooms attached to the older building. However the rooms are comfortable and better sized than in Iceland! We have a group meeting before dinner which tells us a little about the week ahead. The slight surprise is that the tour will be unguided in the individual towns and cities – which is a contrast to most of the tours we book.

Worcester 23.8.25

24 August 2025 / admin

Teapots Royal Worcester 23.8.25

The main part of today was the trip by train from Staines-upon-Thames to Worcester being hauled by a steam locomotive which I will address on the railways blog but felt that some notes around Worcester itself were appropriate here.

I had visited Worcester earlier in the year on a drizzly grey day in January and did not feel attracted – it felt dismal and lacking. Today in the sunshine was very different and I apologise for my earlier dismay. Our tour terminated at Shrub Hill and we had a pleasant walk, largely along the canal (there is an extension to this along the river) to the Royal Worcestershire works. Now no longer in production the site was producing fine bone china from 1751 until trading ceased in 2009 although production had moved elsewhere earlier than this.

Lea Perrins Royal Worcester 23.8.25

On the site now is a museum showing the history of production and examples of the ranges produced in the 150 years of trading which included this reminder of another local product – Worcestershire sauce!

Worcester Cathedral 23.8.25

A short walk from the former factory is the Cathedral which earlier in the year I had thought grey and dull from the exterior. Internally it is far more impressive and holds the tomb of King John.

King John tomb 23.8.25

King John died at Newark Castle, probably of dysentery in 1216. His will decreed that he be buried at Worcester where he spent Christmases as he felt he had a close connection with priory and the associated saints.

We then wander around the corner to Greyfriars a National Trust property – but to see this a tour needs to be booked and given the uncertainties over our arrangements I had not done this. Across the way we have a cup of coffee and watch the world pass by before returning to the station for the trip home.

Homeward Bound 1.8.25

2 August 2025 / admin

MS Jane Austen 1.8.25

The end of the holiday and time for the next journey so we step away from the MS Jane Austen. Jackie is travelling with others on the normal return journey – a coach and Eurostar then Thameslink and GWR in a straight reverse of the outward journey.

I have my own trip programmed – taking an Interrail excursion at 71 (although technically it is not Interrail as I shall be staying in France). That story continues over on the Railways blog as (of course) I am not travelling with my wife.

Coach home 1.8.25

So I wave her coach farewell before heading off. I suspect Jackie is convinced that I cannot possibly manage three nights travelling on my own without getting lost or into trouble – but at least I have my passport.

This has been a good holiday. A mixture of relaxation and visiting new places. Two locations struck off the long list of places to visit – Monet’s Garden and Versailles plus a chance to see Rouen and Honfleur. Well worthwhile.

Versailles 31.7.25

1 August 2025 / admin

Versailles Statues 31.7.25

When we booked this trip we knew we would have a free day in Paris so by looking at the berthing location it was clear that it was a walk across the road onto the Metro which had a fast direct service to Versailles – it seemed an obvious way of using the day.

About three weeks before departure (so almost four weeks ago) I decided to check the detail using the ratp journey planner. After some “fun” I find out a few things. First up track works disrupting services are NOT loaded into the ratp journey planner until three weeks prior to operation even when they are known about and planned months in advance. Reading the website showed that the relevant line was disrupted in July and August – but the journey planner was showing normal journeys because it was more than 3 weeks before the journey date. Hence if you have issued a press release saying the line is disrupted then you must be able to update the journey planner, indeed why would anyone not do so? Unless you are from Paris obviously. It turns out that the relevant line is completely closed for today, not a single service will run. So working out where we are and the nearest metro station turns the journey into an initial walk, three trains and then something like 20 minutes’ walk at Versailles as we no longer arrive at the nearest station. This does not sound like fun and my plans are over-ruled – we shall go by taxi!

For the Palace we had made an 11:30 booking and, unlike the Pena Palace, Versailles clear the 11am queue and then immediately start letting the 11:30 booking line in with only a short delay – so although the very hot weather has returned we do not spend too long standing in the sun which is welcome.

Royal Chapel Versailles 31.7.25

My Canon appears to have gone on the blink this morning and so all shots were taken with my phone. These days can you tell the difference? A lot of my photos appear to be of the ceilings – simply because of the crowds – which have always been true of the palace I suppose.

Given the heat and the walking when we find we have not booked access to the gardens I am not that bothered – they are obviously extensive but the grounds close to the palace are closed and being reworked and those further afield look like being a long walk – so on the whole being prevented from going further is a good thing.

Hall of Mirrors Versailles 31.7.25

Versailles is impressive – but the crowds are difficult – there are several guided tours ahead of us and it is impossible to take in more than an impression of the grandeur which exists. The Hall of Mirrors remains the standout of course but I wonder how much is lost in the crush. We get a reasonable lunch and then head back out towards where I had spotted taxis earlier and indeed there is a taxi rank very close which is at variance with the guidance found online so we are soon taken back to the boat to enable packing before our final dinner.

Monet’s House and Garden Giverny 30.7.25

31 July 2025 / admin

Giverny Bridge 30.7.25

This morning we are moored in Vernon and looking at weather reports online for Vernon implied it was far nicer than it actually looked outside using window. After some research it is established that there is another Vernon in Canada and somehow that comes up on a search and not Vernon France. Here, regrettably, it is actually raining intermittently. So the waterproofs were worth bringing and are put on.

The mooring is on the north bank of the Seine whilst our destination is on the south bank and so there is a twenty minute coach ride to reach Monet’s House and Garden in Giverney where our group is second only to Nicko Cruise in obtaining entrance. Both groups are allowed entry well before the advertised opening time.

Water Garden 30.7.25

We go first to the Water Garden which is accessed by a walkway under the main road but it is initially surprisingly quiet. The numbers visiting are large but not impossible at this stage but it gets steadily busier. However I think getting any photographs (other than close ups) without people is impossible. The water gardens are stunning – although it is the wrong time of year for water lilies to be in bloom it is still a lovely setting.

Monet Garden 30.7.25

Passing back under the road we then visit the main garden which is colourful before joining the queue for the house. They are limiting entrance to the house and the queue does slowly grow behind us – we are waiting about 15 minutes which is adequate – by the time we come out I suspect that the queue length has nearly doubled.

Monet House 30.7.25

We head out and obtain a cup of coffee and an indoor seat just before the rain starts pouring down very heavily which continues for some time following which we move to the meeting point.

Then we return to Jane Austen and continue smoothly along the Seine towards Paris, once again we have the pleasure of watching the countryside pass by, catch up some reading and can remember that holidays are also for resting as well as seeing new things.

Honfleur 29.7.25

30 July 2025 / admin

Honfleur Salt Cellar 29.7.25

It is a shorter coach journey today for a half day excursion to Honfleur which is where the Seine reaches the sea.

Between the mooring point and our destinations yesterday and today our coach crosses all three modern bridges in the area easing communication between the two sides of the Seine. These are Pont de Brotonne (close to Caudebecquet), Pont de Tancarville and Pont de Normandie which links the Honfleur (south side) to Le Havre (north side) of the Seine and which we once used many years ago to gain the ferry to return to the UK after a holiday in the Loire.

Honfleur town was once famous for salt cellars, three originally, there are now two. They existed because the salt was needed to preserve the fishing catch. The cellars are constructed of great blocks of limestone with wooden vaulting ceilings erected by craftsmen word worker who were normally ship builders so the roofs echoing hulls of ships.

Old Harbour Honfleur 29.7.25

The complexity of the various buildings on the side of the Old Harbour which is at the heart of the town came about by the need for money of the owner who sold the right to build on the land adjacent to the Harbour and the properties were built with direct access to the Harbour. When the owner later ran short of money she then sold the ability to build a further four or five stories above the earlier construction with access from the street away from the quayside – so the properties had two owners. This trickery did not go down at all well.

St Catherine Honfleur 29.7.25

The church of Saint Catherine burned down and the replacement wooden church was again designed by local people versed in the art of shipbuilding giving another opportunity for those hull like structures to be deployed.

The fishing fleet of small boats is now virtually extinct (rather similar to the position in the UK) and the harbour is now rather more full of modern luxury sailing boats.

We return to the MS Jane Austen for lunch and in the middle of the afternoon we start retracing our steps along the Seine towards Paris. It is very restful to once again watch the countryside pass by. As with our trip along the Rhine a few years ago this is also a working river so we are passing other working vessels.

Bayeux and D Day Beaches 28.7.25

29 July 2025 / admin

Harold Bayeux Tapestry

We are moored at Caudebec en Caen. Whilst I am sure that our river boat could navigate further along the river we will spend two nights here and our excursions to the channel coast will be by coach. Today is the longest excursion on this tour with an early start – as we shall be visiting the sight of the D Day landings near Arromanches this afternoon but first we head to Bayeux to visit the famous tapestry.

Historically the experts now agree the Bayeux Embroidery was created in Southern England at the request of Bishop Odo, brother of William the Bastard (as he was known until he became the Conqueror), to reflect the various promises that William would inherit the English crown made by Edward the Confessor. Bishop Odo was the Bishop of Bayeux.

My picture above comes from Aspects of History which argues that whilst the scene is depicted above the limited contemporary records refer to Harold being seriously mutilated and hard to identify – so just maybe that famous story is not entirely true!

We are given handheld recorders describing the embroidery scene by scene. All well and good as it indicates the supposed pace of movement – except that some in front of us seem unable to move forward at the inherent pace so I am constantly trying to look a couple of scenes ahead to see what is being described; it is not possible to pause the recording as it is a crowd control issue. The Tapestry (it is actually technically an embroidery) will be coming to the British Museum in 2027 so I wonder what visitor numbers it will attract.

Bayeux Cathedral 28.7.25

We also have a few spare minutes to see the exterior of Bayeux Cathedral.

Remains of Mulberry Harbour 28.7.25

At Arromanches we visit the D Day landing museum. One aspect new to me is that Mulberry Harbour A (American) was destroyed in the bad weather which came soon after D Day and only the B (British) Harbour could be used to bring in everything until November 1944. The advancing forces took Antwerp in the September but there was no clear path until the conclusion of the Battle of the Scheldt to open and clear the estuary for use by Allied Troops. The logistics of the Mulberry Harbour as a single point of failure must have caused many sleepless nights for those concerned.

We then visit the D Day Arromanches British War Graves – here dominated by the large numbers of very young soldiers. We then move onto the relatively recent (June 2021) British Normandy Memorial recording the names of the 22,442 individuals under UK command who lost their lives between 6 June 1944 and 31 August 1944. It was brought into being after it was noted that other nations already had a dedicated memorial.

It has been beautifully completed. These European reminders of the horrors of the two World Wars did not stop the Argentinians in 1982 and seem to have no recognition currently in either Israel or Russia who continue their plans to grab the territory of others. Indeed there has recently been talk of the USA demanding that Canada and Greenland become part of that country.

Standing with Giants 28.7.25

For D Day 80 1475 silhouettes names “Standing with Giants” were placed on the hillside below the Memorial and they returned this summer representing those lost under British command on 6 June 1944. It commenced as a small community project but these images have appeared widely over the last few years.

Rouen 27.7.25

28 July 2025 / admin

Rouen Cathedral 27.7.25

In Rouen we are berthed close to the city centre so we are split into a number of walking groups and with ear pieces in place we head up the steps and into the city. Rouen is the limit of the tidal flow – further west the Seine is canalised to allow larger boats to reach this far along the river towards Paris. It is a major centre with huge grain silos in the port area and a little further westwards there are two huge oil refineries which are supplied by sea – at least one still has the capacity for despatching refined products by rail, although there is also evidence of river tankers which we passed on the way here as another means of distribution.

Out first stop in Rouen is the enormous cathedral which has one of the highest spires in Europe and the highest in France. Apparently having the highest spire at one point was a competitive sport in Europe and the others slightly outstripped Rouen as time passed. Mirrored in many ways by the competitive building of Towers in the 1960s which have been noted in most European capital cities!

Part of Rouen Cathedral 27.7.25

The cathedral’s entrance is impossible to fit into the camera’s viewfinder for a single shot as one cannot stand far enough back. There is an incredible amount of carved detail all over the face of stonework which shows that the work involved was enormous.

Rouen Cathedral Roof 27.7.25

It is not only the front of the cathedral or the interior which is decorated but also there are carved figures on the roof although I have struggled to find any information about them. Indeed finding photographs is difficult. So I thought I would include one.

Gros Horloge and Belfry 27.7.25

We then progress through the pedestrianised area. The centre of the town is marked a grand clock which tells the time – but in its own way. The Gros Horloge dates back to 1389. The hour hand revolves once in 24 hours – there are 24 rays to the sun. Moon phases are in the upper part of the dial. Week days are at the base of the dial in allegorical form (Diane/Moon – Monday, Mars – Tuesday, Mercury – Wednesday, Jupiter – Thursday, Venus – Friday, Saturn – Saturday, Apollo – Sunday).

The supporting archway pays tribute to the original source of wealth in the area – sheep.

The final stop on the route was until the 1960’s the local market and the area was the location where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. A new development encompasses the remaining market stalls plus a modern church as a memorial to France’s revolutionary heroine. It is also a reminder that for a long time western France and England were ruled by William the Conqueror and his successors.

This evening there is a quiz with 20 questions and a total of 23 points. Our group of 4 did well getting 22 out of 23. We could not recall the name of a particular Clint Eastwood film – “Unforgiven”.

Les Andeleys 26.7.25

27 July 2025 / admin

Chateau Gaillard 26.7.25

This morning soon after we awake we find ourselves descending in a lock before continuing our leisurely progress along the Seine. Paris is around 38 yards above sea level so we do not have a lot of falling to do – unlike the huge locks on the Douro river.

As we progress I note that one bank usually consists of chalk cliffs for a while with a wider expanse of farming lands on the other side of the river. After breakfast an attempt to sit out at the rear of the vessel is deemed too noisy whilst going outside further forward turns out to be a little breezy. The early morning sunshine appears to have vanished behind cloud, although it will probably return later. Towards the end of the morning we reach our first destination of Les Andeleys. However it is pleasant to sit in the cabin and watch France pass by.

After lunch we are taken to where there should be a waiting coach to visit Chateau Gaillard. (Parking close to the mooring point is not possible). However it has not returned from the first trip and we are standing around waiting. After a few minutes we decide that we would prefer to walk back through the village and take some photos and then return to the boat as the alleged shuttle service is not shuttling. We gather it did a little later but we do not feel we missed out on anything. Chateau Gaillard is notable on the hillside above and I find standing for any length of time difficult – it is easier to keep walking.

Les Andeleys 26.7.25

Les Andeleys is a combination of two villages and judging by the café we saw we were in what was petit Andeley. Attractive Normandy architecture and a Notre Dame church apparently makes it typical of the area. Once everyone is back aboard we are soon in progress again for Rouen which is tomorrow, a new city, but no packing and unpacking. We gather that there was some form of contretemps in the upper car park and the coaches were trapped and unable to return to undertake the shuttle – so out of the control of those involved in organising the trip – but it did feel like that there was a lack of attention to detail – but it seemed to be a one-off.