Category: Holidays (Page 12 of 14)

Cuba 11.2.20

12 February 2020 / admin

Turkeys Cuba 11-2-20

The itinerary today is to take a first look at the tobacco industry – at source – with a tobacco farm. Around the edge of the tobacco fields there are a number of turkeys looking for sustenance and the owner has a collection of other animals in a small petting zoo.

Tobacco in the wild 11-2-20

Tobacco has long been a major industry and clearly remained important at the time of our visit despite the constant preaching against smoking in most places. The plants grow quickly and reach maturity for harvesting in around three months – so more than one crop a year. The tobacco is dried and fermented in bohio where the leaves typically are left for three months before being sprayed to impart some sweetness and then allowed to remain for a further three months to ensure the right flavour is achieved.

Bohio tobacco drying 11-2-20

By this stage I think we have all been infused with the smell of tobacco. They did demonstrate how to roll a cigar but I have to report that the photographs are poor due to the light levels.

Soroa Orchid Gardens 11-2-20

We move onto the Soroa Orchid Garden which we wander around before reaching the waterfall which enabled me to identify just where we were through a reverse search as all memory of the orchid garden had deserted me!

Soroa Waterfall 11-2-20

I am also convinced that first thing this morning we visited a tobacco factory in Vinales itself – but I do not seem to have any photographic record of this and it is possible that photography was not permitted within the factory itself.

A slight disclaimer, this has been written over 6 years after the journey concerned so is very much based around the photographs taken on the day.

Cuba 10.2.20

11 February 2020 / admin

Cuba Scenery 10-2-20

We remain in the west of the island. The hotel we stayed in had some wonderful views and also a rather nice area in which to sit looking out over the view – with the countryside stretching into the distance.

Keep it Moovin’ 10-2-20

Looking just a little out of place at the time was the bullock cart but I wonder how many of these have been resurrected in more recent times to provide transport for countryside residents?

Caves Cueva del Indio 10-2-20

I have visited caves in many places and I cannot get decent photographs no matter how I try. Entering the caves here requires navigating a lot of steps up (outside) and then down (inside). Leaving the cave system is by boat which is a lot easier but dark – hence no photographs.

Prehistoric Mural 10–2-20

Whilst known as the prehistoric mural, that relates to the subject matter as it was painted by Leovigildo González Morillo commencing in 1961. It adorns a cliff face in the area and looks more impressive than my photo can convey I fear. We stay in the same hotel overnight as we have further visits to make in the Vinales area.

A slight disclaimer, this has been written over 6 years after the journey concerned so is very much based around the photographs taken on the day.

Cuba 9.2.20

10 February 2020 / admin

Chicken Vinales 9-2-20

Vinales Area

We leave Havana and head west this morning to visit the UNESCO World Heritage area of Vinales which was designated in 1990 to ensure preservation of the typical Cuban housing and local arts and crafts, alongside the landscape. Looking at my photographs I seem to have spent a lot of time trying to get a decent chicken picture. I fear I failed completely. There were however chicken everywhere as I remember.

Village Washday 9-2-20

I am not sure if every day is wash day but we were certainly there on a day when there seemed to be a lot of washing being dried – but given the temperature that does not seem unreasonable – all the buildings seemed to be adorned at least partially with such items!

View Western Cuba 9-2-20

Lunch was taken above the village and was an uphill walk. The view certainly looked more impressive than my photograph, however this is down into the valley and protected scenic area.

Cafetal Buenvista Coffee Farm ruins 9-2-20

Cafetal Buenavista Coffee Farm

The coffee farm dates back to 1801 commenced by French refugees from Haiti. The production of coffee has much reduced in Cuba – with many of the plantations failing during the 2007/8 economic difficulties and then the imposition of US trade restrictions. At the time of our visit the site was supported by visitors but what might have happened since is unknown.

Cafetal Buenavista Coffee Grinding 9-2-20

Despite what Bing tried to tell me this is NOT a water pump – it has been restored and it was used to grind the coffee beans.

Vultures 9-2-20

Our presence also managed to disturb some of the local wildlife as we could see it circling above.

Turkey Vulture 9-2-20

Earlier in the day I did manage to capture some wildlife in a tree. According to Bing this is a Turkey Vulture from its distinctive red cap to its head.

A slight disclaimer, this has been written over 6 years after the journey concerned so is very much based around the photographs taken on the day.

Cuba 8.2.20

9 February 2020 / admin

Cuba Gardens 8-2-20

National Botanical Garden of Cuba

Our first visit this morning is to the extensive National Botanical Garden of Cuba which is about 15 miles south of Havana so easy enough to reach.

Cacti Cuba 8-2-20

The weather has hardly improved over yesterday, although it is at least dry for the visit which is nice. Amongst the other photos I seem to have a lot of pictures of cacti of all descriptions.

More Garden Cuba 8-2-20

We are rather out of season for some of the more colourful displays it seems but these places are always interesting to wander around.

Hemingway House 8-2-20

Hemingway’s House

Our next destination today is Finca Vigia where Ernest Hemmingway lived from 1939 to 1960. For the first part of this he was with Martha Gelhorn as they both had been involved in covering the Spanish Civil War and this is where his book of the war – For Whom the Bell Tolls – was written. In 1960 the revolution inevitably led to many changes in the country. Hemingway was initially close to the new government but he left the island before his property was expropriated by the new Government. He never returned before his death in 1961.

Hemingway’s writing desk 8-2-20

At the time of our visit it appeared to be responsibly maintained and was being visited by large numbers, although without a tourist industry it may well have deteriorated.

Internal Hemingway House 8-2-20

Cojimar

Our final stop today is the fishing village of Cojimar where Hemingway lived initially before buy the house we have just visited and it is where he kept his fishing boat. The sea front is dominated by a Spanish built fort (1649).

Cojimar Cuba 8-2-20

I would like to think that for most of his time in Cuba Hemingway was a happy man – obviously he was getting older but no doubt able to enjoy a few libations and a lot of fishing.

A slight disclaimer, this has been written over 6 years after the journey concerned so is very much based around the photographs taken on the day.

Cuba 7.2.20

8 February 2020 / admin

It is Friday and we are in Cuba, somewhere we had hoped to visit and at the time of the trip it was relatively easy to visit and there were none of the limitations which have subsequently appeared. We flew out the previous day and having reached the hotel we merely wanted to try and get some proper sleep.

Havana is having a grey and wet day – little tropical sunshine here – but that is not our real reason for visiting – it is the architecture and some of the history.

We get to see the old and new side by side, the buildings which are falling apart and awaiting attention as well as those in good order. 2020 marked almost a high point in the Cuban economy and although we are unlikely to return subsequent events have driven the economy near collapse with Trump engineering regime change in Venezuela on which Cuba was dependent for oil supplies – so I doubt if it is as tidy these days. Limited press reports are that there is virtually no fuel for vehicles and power cuts are regularly experienced.

Like many other places public art is respected and there are obviously newish statues as well as older ones around the city.

A slight disclaimer, this has been written about 6 years after the journey concerned so is very much based around the photographs taken on the day.

Morocco 11.11.19

12 November 2019 / admin

Saadian Tombs 11.11.19

Marrakech

The entire group of 11 gather steadily for breakfast; I am pleased to note that it is not all as sweet as on our last stay in a riad so I can live a little longer.

Our excursion today is a walking tour of Marrakech to see the sights we have not seen on our previous visits, which was a key element of booking this trip. One feature I did not recall from our earlier journeys are the storks nesting at high level around the city.

Our first stop is the Saadian Tombs which were the burial location of the sultans of Marrakech from 1570 onwards until around the end of the eighteenth century. Thereafter they were disused and abandoned being “rediscovered” in 1917 under the French Protectorate then receiving care and attention and this has continued providing the sight we can see.

Badii Palace 11.11.19

We then move onto the Badii Palace and here evidence of the storks at high level can be seen. It was commissioned in 1578 by the new ruler and following his death in 1603 it was neglected with the marble being stripped and re-used elsewhere.

Bahia Palace 11.11.19

We move onto the Bahia Palace which was built much later commencing in around 1860 and is lavishly decorated reaching completion around 1900. Although the contents were looted by subsequent rulers the building has been used consistently until it became a tourist attraction.

Lunch stop on the edge of the souk market – this is a surprise as it is not included in the published itinerary for today but ensures the group do not disperse before the tour continues with a walk through the market, certainly seeing parts which we did not see previously although again I am sure we only see a small part of the total.

Souk 11.11.19

I wonder how anyone ever chooses anything! We walk through the main square then go along the route to the riad used previously to reach our transport back to our riad.

We walk from the drop off point and as we turn the corner we can see that they are treating the faded woodwork of our window. Once in our room the varnish smell is overpowering! We open window and doors to the internal courtyard to maximise ventilation, to no great effect. As we are out for dinner we hope the impact will diminish whilst we are out

Dinner is taken at the main Angsana Road and the area we see is much better than our own riad. Dinner is a tagine as indeed was lunch. A template is developing!

We return to our Riad and formally complain about the odour, but all they can suggest is relocating across town which will be disruptive in the extreme tomorrow. Reluctantly we stay put, but the fumes certainly impact on our throats.

Morocco 10.11.19

11 November 2019 / admin

Morocco Bound

Like Webster’s dictionary as the joke goes. Our trip to Morocco commenced on Remembrance Sunday and Gatwick South Terminal came to an almost silent two minutes just as we approached the security gates. The silence was respected. The previous day there had been an observance at Southampton football ground but it was not silent as the Last Post was played but it kept the crowd largely quiet.

We are flying BA and knowing that Marrakech can be difficult in the evening we buy sandwiches and wine at the airport as well as lunching at the Grain Store which has a Bruno Loubet menu.

This is our third trip to Marrakech – however this time we are with an organised group holiday with the intention to see much more of the country than we have managed previously.

The flight arrives a little early and Jackie gets a decent wodge of Dirhams at an exchange 12 to the pound. We walk all the way out of the terminal and find our guide Rashid; the remaining party members slowly gather and then we are taken to the Angsana Riad which is deep in the old town.

We did attempt to stay in a Riad on a previous visit but did not feel comfortable and ended up spending most of the stay at Essadi where we had stayed previously. The riad this time has running hot water and so is likely to be more acceptable. We have one of the front rooms, so have windows over a little square whilst most do not have windows at the back of the Riad.

Leeds & Emmerdale 11-14 October 2019

20 October 2019 / admin

Emmerdale village 13.10.19

This was essentially a weekend trip to enable us to sample Leeds but in some ways more importantly to visit the locations where Emmerdale is made.

There are two Emmerdale locations. The internal sets are at the ITV Studios base in Leeds whilst the external shots are made on a purpose built set in the countryside. Our original plan was to visit the outside set on the Saturday and to visit the internal studio on the Sunday before heading back home. However not very long before we plan to set off we are contacted to be advised that the external location would not be available on Saturday. Panic!

The team in Leeds were very understanding. The Inside studio tour was rebooked to the Saturday and after some discussion it was agreed that we could drive ourselves into the external studio – normally you have to join a coach and be taken into the site so to be allowed to take our own car in was very understanding. Instructions were given and they took the registration number of the car and hopefully it will all work!

Apartment 1 Mill Cottage 12.10.19

At the time of our visit Apartment 1 at Mill Cottage was occupied by Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden and inevitably the magic of television is to imply those stairs lead “somewhere” when we can all see that they go nowhere – so well done to those going upstairs! I have never worked out why they filled the space at the bottom of the stairs with half of a moped!

Hot Set Emmerdale 12.10.19

As with the Coronation Street tour we have visited previously we are led round by experienced guides with a pretty fixed script – but there are no restrictions or limitations on photographs on the sets that we see – and indeed in at least one case there is an explanation that the items visible reflect recent filming – a “Hot Set” where the items have been laid out for breakfast in the kitchen at Jimmy and Nicola’s house which is in the process of being filmed.

Jackie and David 12.10.19

The tour ends up at the props store where Jackie is able to get up close and personal with David – at least in picture form.

Dinner (and I liked it) was taken at Home in Leeds but the restaurant has since closed. The chef responsible, Liz Cottam, has since opened a gastrobar, emba, which may well be worth visiting.

Xmas at Emmerdale 13.10.19

On the Sunday on arrival in the village (we parked where the cast and filming team park normally adjacent to what was the factory and is now The Hop) and having walked down the hill we discover the reason for closure on Saturday – Christmas has come to the Dales with decorations everywhere.

Smithy Cottage Emmerdale 13.10.19

Some of the sets are dressed internally – Smithy Cottage adjacent to the vet’s practice in particular is very full furnished but the set is not identical to that seen yesterday as the layout of books on the shelves is different – I did check! A lot of the individual cottages house other resources for filming – rest areas and storage for equipment and so cannot be seen – this is one of the exceptions.

Emmerdale Graveyard 13.10.19

The tour does not quite conclude here – but it is the final resting place of a number of village residents who have finished their involvement in the Dales village.

Our visit complete we head for home.

Rhine 5.8.19

6 August 2019 / admin

TGV Belfort-Montbeliarde 5.8.19

We are moored in Basel and we have received disembarkation instructions. Given that we physically set foot on Swiss land as we leave the boat I can claim to have visited the country! (On one of my earlier “visits” we landed at the airport but immediately departed via the “French” side). We are transported by taxi across the border to Belfort-Montbeliarde from where we take a TGV service to Paris – eventually arriving in Paris at Gare de Lyon.

A taxi is needed to reach Gare du Nord – simply because with cases and changing trains is just not that simple. As ever with Eurostar things do not seem to be running smoothly and the passenger area becomes seriously crowded and there is very little information as to what is happening. Every interaction with Eurostar seems to demonstrate a complete inability to want passengers or to provide a proper service. Compared with my first visit to France at least we do not seem to be endlessly crossing northern France. Eventually however we are home.

One aspect which has stayed with us although not mentioned earlier is that a couple of the early evenings when we were passing the huge industrial complexes – I think in particular in parts of the Netherlands and then again passing possibly Krefeld-Uerdingen or Leverkusen with the Bayer factories we can see how much manufacturing those areas have retained which the UK has lost and how the economies of scale favour such factories – they just seem to stretch unending alongside the river as we progressed.

We would both like to try and do the Alsace wine route at some point – but the possibility seems unlikely as in general Jackie tends not to like German wines. Maybe one day.

Rhine 4.8.19

5 August 2019 / admin

Vogtsbauernhof 4.8.19

We are approaching the end of our cruise. Yesterday we visited France, albeit briefly but today we stay on the German side of the Rhine visiting the Black Forest, although there did not seem to be any gateaux in the wild. We are visiting the Black Forest Open Air Museum where they have preserved various buildings to represent farming in the area in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The centrepiece is the Vogtsbauernhof above which dates from 1612. Unlike the other buildings this one stands on its original site and the museum has been developed around it.

Basket Weaving 4.8.19

Internally there are scenes reflecting the lives of the residents and the various jobs and skills which were undertaken as there was a need to be self-sufficient. Looking at the pictures I think the residential depictions come from a much later period than 1612 eg the machine in the picture above – but then it is unlikely that much really lasts 400 years.

Hemp Mill 4.8.19

There is a mill (hemp) which dates from 1609 (above) and a sawmill (1673) below plus many other buildings which have been gathered here.

Sawmill 4.8.19

Back on board in the afternoon there is a galley tour which allows us to show our appreciation for the team who have been looking after us for the last two weeks and delivering decent food during our travels. Our thanks to them.