After a very rough first six days of the Atlantic crossing, it calmed  down a bit and then we arrived in Freeport Bahamas. Too exhausted to do more than a little portside shopping, we enjoyed the mild 24 degree day and walked around. The coconuts were ripe, and bright colours of clothes and souvenirs hung everywhere, but the sellers were pushy and the prices high, and we couldn’t find the heart to do the necessary haggling.

Next day we arrived in Fort Lauderdale Florida and to a trip into the Everglades where we had an amazing airboat ride. We saw a big gold iguana, many ospreys, moorhens, a blue kingfisher type bird called the blue gulluna, and a multitude of birds that flew right up to us that the guide called raiders. It was an exhilarating experience in a beautiful location. We didn’t see any alligators, but we did eat some alligator jerky which was nice.

Our next port of call was the amazing Aruba. We took a trip to see the hidden gems of the island; and Benjamin, our tour guide and driver was informative and entertaining. We saw beautiful Caribbean beaches, quaint churches, formidable rock formations, caves with bats and petraglyphs, lizards and iguanas of the brightest blues and greens, turtles, the cutest goats, and a pool with naturally occurring fish that eat the dead skin off your feet- which you pay money for elsewhere, but get free in Aruba. We spent quite some time in the Arikok national park, where the sea was wild and dramatic against the rocks. We drank coconut water which we needed as the day was very hot and humid at 31 degrees and 90% humidity, our clothes were sticking to us faster than we could peel them away. I gave up trying and we went shopping. The locals were very helpful and friendly; helping us find all the shops and items we needed. We rode the sweet little tram free back to the ship. Aruba is a lovely unspoiled island.

Panama Canal day. For those that haven’t done it; yes, it takes a whole day. I woke at 5.30am to the start of the engines as we came to the front of the queue of shipping and started moving towards the entrance of the first lock of the so called canal, which is a series of locks and lakes. We crossed Limon Bay and Cristobel breakwaters and were boarded by dozens of helpers from Pilot to linesmen and many more. We went under Atlantic Bridge heading towards the first locks, Gatun Locks. The roaring sound of Howler monkeys calling at dawn accompanied our passage. The mechanical mules were attached to the ship and pulled us through the three locks as we were raised the 85 feet to Gatun Lake. We spent most of the day slowly crossing the huge man-made lake 85ft above sea level, spotting many birds and one crocodile along the way. When I wasn’t watching the various engineering features, I was standing with a pair of binoculars watching for birds and creatures. I saw toucans, golden eagles, condors, frigate birds, macaws, parrots, a kingfisher, swifts, boobies, pelicans, gannets, buzzards, wagtails and others I couldn’t name. We passed under the Centennial Bridge at lunchtime, then came up to the Pedro Miguel Locks which would begin the job of taking us back down to sea level. We crossed the MiraFlores Lake into the MiraFlores Locks which took us back to sea level and out into the Pacific Ocean under the Bridge of the Americas, back at sea at 4.30 in the afternoon. What an amazing experience and a fantastic though exhausting day.

Guatamala was interesting, very poor which meant we got ripped off a few times as they think we’re all rich, and I suppose by comparison we are. Still, it’s not nice when you pay a couple of dollars for a can of coke to use the wifi and it turns out they don’t really have wifi. Or you arrange a price for a pair of t-shirts and they change it to local currency at a higher price. On top of which, you aren’t allowed out of the port enclosure except in a tour bus or an authorised taxi, and there are guards with guns at the gates. It’s not what you’d call a pleasant and tranquil area. Having said all that we had an eye opening trip through the countryside to watch the volcano having a good old smoke, then a tour of a coffee plantation which was very interesting. I certainly wouldn’t go back there.

Manzanillo in Mexico was different again. Still very poor, and the people don’t speak English, just Spanish, but they are very friendly and helpful. It’s kind of confusing that the peso is represented by the dollar sign whereas the exchange rate between the two is unreal. We saw bottles of coke that apparently cost $24, but translated to US dollars it was only about $2. Once we got the hang of that it was okay, and the shopping was good. We got everything we set out for as well as some souvenirs, then looked for a café with internet. In the end we wandered into a tacos café and asked if they had wifi, and the young lad shared his own internet password with us. We bought two coffees but since they were only $2 total and we got the change in pesos, we left more than the price of the coffees as a tip. The young lad was being incredibly helpful though. He didn’t speak English but kept looking up how to say things to us on his phone which showed real ingenuity. After we left there we had 250 pesos to spend somewhere as they were no use to us, and I very nearly got a trim at a street hairdressers. I did that in Spain once and got an excellent cut, dirt cheap- nowhere near as risky as you’d think and you don’t have to make small talk because you don’t speak the same language. Maybe I’ll do it in Fiji. So we passed a clothing kiosk and I got a couple of tops with the money.

So far on this trip the animals we have seen at sea include, dolphins, green turtle, ray, sailfish, large brown turtles, flying fish, boobies, gannets, pelicans and other birds.

We arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii where we stayed a full two days. What a beautiful place. The first thing we noticed was how many birds we could hear all around. We took the shuttle bus to the shops and had a look round and got a coffee. Then we walked along the coast, checking out a variety of beaches and lots of birds. We walked to old Waikiki where we had lunch before walking back. Later a troupe of Hula dancers, mostly children, came on board and danced for us all. They were amazing and got a standing ovation. It was very emotional. They were very talented and it was all very beautiful, especially the Aloha surround you with Love song. I cried. Next day we went shopping again and then had a swim in the sea, in the semi sheltered cove. What an amazing island.

So we crossed the international date line and lost a whole day; went to bed Thursday night and woke up Saturday morning; but we do gain the hours back one at a time as we progress round the globe. The ship threw a ‘Crossing the Line’ party, though we will be crossing it three more times before we get home- I doubt there will be three more parties. The HR officer hosted the party with the Captain in attendance. Dave, the pianist from Pulse was King Neptune, and Chris one of the Pulse singers was Queen Aphrodite, who at one point chased the Captain into the pool for a kiss. There were games in the pool between pirate and officer teams. Staff new to world cruising had to kiss the fish. It was a beautiful hot sunny day and many people went red. We stood on chairs and danced.

A few days later we arrived in Lautoka, Fiji. We took the shuttle bus into town for some shopping, but pretty much universally, Fiji has no internet it seems. We walked down to the shore and had a drink in a members only bar, but they didn’t seem to mind us non member tourists. In the gardens we saw a cane toad. Later a Fijian dance troupe came aboard and did a show called Love in Paradise in traditional and modern costumes. They were very good and astonishingly athletic. That night we saw so many stars, and even the Milky Way looking purple, and a few shooting stars, then a magnificent lightning storm.

Next day we arrived at Suva in another part of Fiji. We did some shopping, including finding a dentist for a temporary filling for C-man, then went back to the ship to quickly freshen up as it was 35 degrees and super humid. Then with our swimsuits under our clothes we caught the bus for a rainforest tour. No sooner had we arrived in the rainforest than it lived up to its name and began to rain. Big heavy super soaking warmish drops that felt like being in a beautiful cool shower; very refreshing after the humidity of the day. The cicadas screeched noisily, and the rain continued mostly non-stop as we walked for an hour through the rainforest paths, around beautiful waterfalls, across streams and over treacherous stepping stones as the river ran high with rainfall. The sky was alive with the noise of a thunderstorm, which made the walk even more exciting. Finally we reached a deep waterfall pool, and peeled off our wet outer clothes and shoes and went in for a swim. Very cool and refreshing, but no way to touch the bottom so after a short while I clambered, and was helped back out. There was no point even trying to dry. I just wrung out my wet clothes and put them back on over my wet swimming costume. There was no way I was going to be dry until the cabin. We walked back up to the cabanas for a drink and then the bus brought us back to town, still dripping. Sounds uncomfortable, but honestly, it was one of the most Wow experiences of my life.

New Zealand comprised three different stops; Auckland, Tauranga and Bay of Islands. They were all amazing in their own ways. First stop was Auckland and we went on a tour which took us through parts of Auckland and then across the road bridge to Devonport. We explored Devonport thoroughly, passing all the quaint wooden colonial houses, pausing at Stanley Bay. We went up Mount Victoria where the views of Auckland, and in other directions too, were amazing. We came down and explored the little port town, and Devonport beach. We did some shopping and then caught the ferry back across to Auckland. Later on we had a Hokey Pokey ice cream which is a local honey ice cream with chunks of honey crystals, and is the best ice cream ever. We also bought some incredibly cheap Manuka honey. A group of local dancers came onboard and performed Haka the Legend, which was pretty amazing.

Next day we stopped at Tauranga. We walked along the beach and around the foothills of Mount Maunganui before setting off on our Maori Heritage and Culture trip. We were taken to a Maori family gathering place, Hangarau Marae, which is in the town of Bethlehem.  We underwent a Pohiri or formal welcoming ceremony; there were chants and war dances and songs- one of which we had to learn in Maori, and sing to them. Afterwards we were given drinks and snacks and shown around the meeting house and told about traditions and had some of the carved totems explained to us. Then we went to the local school where some of the children danced for us in costumes, sang and did the Haka. They taught the women to use the Poi and the men to do the Haka. Everyone said C-man was very good at it. On the way back we stopped at a lookout point and then popped into the local town.

Next day was Bay of Islands. We dropped anchor at sea and took a tender across to the land, which took about twenty minutes. We landed at Waitangi pier and took a shuttle bus into town. Paihia is a lovely town and had a craft market too. We wandered round the shops and bought some souvenirs, including some Paua, a very unusual material like Mother of Pearl or Abalone.We went to Paihia wharf and watched the helicopter land and take off just a few feet away. We had another wonderful Hokey Pokey ice cream and walked back to the tender pier. It was a beautiful sunny day and we loved New Zealand. That night HMS Tamar sailed alongside us for a bit, pretty unique.

We had two days in Sydney, which we mostly spent shopping and exploring. We looked at the Opera House, then visited the amazing Botanical Gardens, all an easy walk as we were berthed at Circular Quay. We had a lovely authentic Indian lunch at a really unusual place called Pinky Ji’s – if you’re in Sydney I would highly recommend it. We walked across the bridge to Darling Bay and then finally explored the Rocks. Overnight we left the berth and dropped anchor, so the next day we eventually went ashore by tender. We took a Big Bus tour around the city, then did some more shopping then spent a further farcical amount of time getting the tender back. Tenders are not cruise ship’s strong points. Of course we had some more Hokey Pokey ice cream. Back aboard we discovered the joys of the ticket only scenic sailaway party.

Then the next port was Brisbane. We took a coach tour around Brisbane, then went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. All very interesting and scenic, lots of viewpoint stops for photos, but sadly it was not possible to cuddle a koala, and we missed some of the other stuff too- all a bit poorly organised. We saw kangaroos and wallabies, walked right amongst them. There was a platypus, crocodiles, lizards, turtles, dingos, birds and of course lots and lots of koalas.

At our next port, which was Port Douglas, we didn’t get ashore until nearly 1pm as it was a tender port. We walked around and did a bit of shopping and went for a drink. It seemed like a nice enough, friendly place, but 4 mile beach was covered in downed trees after a recent cyclone and a lot of the little town seemed to be shut. But joy of joys, I found some gluten free vegemite- happy days.

The following day we were in Cairns. A city where rainforest meets barrier reef at wild beaches; a place on the edge of the outback. My favourite part of the Australia we saw. We visited Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, which was an amazing park sanctuary and ecotourism experience. We saw the crocodiles being fed, which was pretty dramatic, then we took a boat trip on crocodile lake and saw some more critters up close. We walked round most of the rest of the park seeing koalas, wombat, lizards, snakes, cassowarys, lots of birds including a bower bird that tried to say hello and tried really hard to steal my shoelace. There were also owls, kookaboros, tamarins, raptors, turtles, alligators, waterbirds, and a komodo dragon. It was an exciting park with loads to see. On the way back we drove along the scenic coast and even popped in for a look at Palm Cove which is an amazing holiday resort. The city looked nice, but sadly we were just passing through.

On one of our subsequent at sea days we took a behind the scenes tour of the ship. It was absolutely fascinating, visiting the stage, backstage dressing rooms- where the art of quick change happens, lighting, sound desk, then onto the mooring deck to see the giant ropes and anchors. Then we went to the galley and saw the massive production that is the multiple times a day feeding of the two thousand plus crew, and onto hotel supplies where we saw the astonishing amount of stock we carry around as ballast. We walked past the recycling centre along the M1, the corridor that runs the length of the ship, used mostly by crew to get around. It also houses crew mess hall and rest area, the medical centre, and then on into engineering. I had no idea we made our own drinking water onboard out of seawater. Up to the bridge to meet the top brass and see the workings up there- not as exciting as below deck engineering; and finally canapes and bubbly in a private room, where we were invited to ask the officers questions- and boy did we find some difficult issues for them.

Next day the water hoses were fixed to the promenade deck to repel pirate boarders. Needless to say, none turned up, but it was rather exciting.

Our next stop was Bitung, Indonesia- one of the poorest places we have visited, but the people were so rich in friendliness. The police stopped their motorbikes to say hello. Children hung out of the school windows to scream and wave at us as if we were rock stars. They put out an actual red carpet for us, and had dignitaries in national costume standing by the red carpet to greet us all day long. Bands played and dancers danced all day too. I have never seen anything like it, it was very emotional. Beautiful people.

The next stop was Manilla in the Philippines. We took a guided walk through the city with our guide who was a four foot tall granny, and she was scary. She could march out and stop the really heavy traffic, while we all crossed the road; repel beggars with a glance and a wave of her hand; and propel us through the crowded church of the black Nazarene which was in the middle of one of its big festival days and had half of Manilla in it at the same time as us. We stopped at all the statues which the locals kissed or post covid touched a kerchief to. Cats lounged about unmoved by the hoards around them. We walked through the ‘aromatic’ wet market, visited two more churches and then Chinatown. We finished in Rizel Park. The whole place was heaving with people and I would not have ventured alone into some of the places our guide took us. It was a real culture shock, but very enjoyable. The Jeepneys- Jeeps expanded and converted into public buses were everywhere. We picked up some lovely souvenirs in the port shop. We are in the centre of haggling culture and even I managed to give it a go for a change.

Our next port was Hong Kong. Once again we did an escorted walk through the city, but this was completely different. Our guide was mic’d and we all had ear buds; the city was very busy, but more urban and civilised. We saw a temple and markets. We went on the giant escalator that goes up the hill for miles and is how most people commute into the city [they reverse it in the morning]. We went to the old police station and jail. We stopped at Rat Street, where we ‘the cats’ can catch the good deals. I haggled for some souvenirs. In another market I stopped to buy some nuts and admire a cat that was sitting on some oranges, and the stall holder was working out for how much she could sell the cat to me! Later there was a light show on the cityscape, and a Folkloric show on board. Women played ancient Chinese instruments, women danced with ribbons, a team of dragon dancers came on, and finally a mask master who could change his masks without anyone seeing. He was amazing.

Our next stop was Nha Trang, Vietnam. I was keen to see what the country looked like now, having watched so many Vietnam war films in my twenties. You would never know it had ever been anything but a bustling metropolis; a fantastic mix of old and new. We started at the Aquarium, followed by the folk arts centre. We passed the huge beach surrounded by lovely gardens and art including the giant lotus tower. We stopped at the giant Buddha, and walked up the 200 steps to the Long Son Pagoda and on to the huge Buddha statue. We visited the market, which was huge, and finally the Po Nagar Hindu temple, where there were dancers and musicians. Vietnam is very civilised and very beautiful.

Our next stop was Singapore, which is just an amazing place. On the first morning we visited the Gardens by the Bay, with it’s giant artificial trees supporting the OCBC skywalk, and after dark, a lightshow. I braved the skywalk, because I had to say I’d done it. We went to the Cloud Forest Dome, filled with a tropical jungle, and went up seven floors in the lift and did a terrifying skywalk on a shaky metal see through frame, way above the treetops; with great views out over the city, as well as the forest below. There was another skywalk a floor down, that walked through the treetops, which was ever so slightly easier. We walked behind waterfalls and saw tiny orchids in the secret garden. There was an immersive film on climate change. Then we went to the flower dome, with baobab trees, lots of incredible statues and many plants and flowers. I had Sakura flower ice cream, which was very delicate and unusual. We watched the lightshow from the ship and then went to the folkloric show with Lion dance, Malaysian, Chinese and Indian dancers. The next day, still in Singapore, we took the metro train on our own, and found our way to Chinatown. We visited the colourful Sri Mariamman Hindu temple, which was stunning. We did some shopping in Pagoda street.

Next we docked at Port Kelang [near Kuala Lumpur] Malaysia, and took the hour and a half drive into KL. Our first stop and drop off point for a walking trip, was Little India. Very colourful, and lots of shopping. We took the monorail to China town and went to a Buddhist temple. We passed a clan house, which looks like a temple but is a place where people with that clan name can go to socialise or if in trouble- need food or a place to sleep; kind of like an embassy for family. We went to Petaling market and ate hot chestnuts, which were lovely. We took the LRT train to Central market and bought some lovely souvenirs, before heading to Petronas towers. We took the obligatory tourist shots of the towers from the fountains outside, then went into the entry foyer where there was a Formula One car hanging just above us. Downstairs were more shops, and I tried a rose latte coffee, which was very odd but refreshing.

In Mauritius, our next port of call, I had to have a tooth extraction, but the dentist was very pleasant and we got to see the Cyber industry part of the island, which is a bit off the beaten track for the average tourist. It was actually a miracle that we managed to port at all. The winds were very high and the captain thought for sure we would have to cancel the stop, but at the last possible minute, the wind dropped to dead calm, and stayed that way until we pulled out of the port, when it picked right up again. We explored Port Louis and its shops and pretty harbour. My mouth was a little too sore to do much else.

Durban was our next stop and we visited the Hidden Forest Monkey Sanctuary. This is a place where traumatised monkeys are rehabilitated into 28 hectares of wild forest. It was an absolute joy to see the ring tailed lemurs, cappuchines and black and white monkeys up close, as well as the little red daikers that shared the forest with them. I stopped to photograph a family of lemurs sunning themselves, as a cappuchine climbed up high above us and threw banana leaves down on my head. Durban itself was as rough as we had been led to expect it would be. A bloody corpse lay semi covered in the street outside the market, and two people from our ship were hospitalised in intensive care after a car hit them and then reversed at speed to hit them again. Not a place I would advise any sane tourist to visit.

Then we had two days in Cape Town, which was a completely different view of South Africa, right up there in my top three of places we have visited on this world tour. The first night a drumming troupe came onboard for the Folkloric show. The next morning we went up Table Mountain, catching the only cloud free window from 9-12 where we were privileged to see the amazing panoramic views. I could have done without the cable car up there, one of only three in the world that turns through 360 degrees during its four minute ascent and descent. The C-man might have been looking and taking photos, but trust me, I was not. We had drinks at Vista, still great views, no cable car required. We stopped at a beach to photograph the Twelve Apostles rocks, then took the shuttle to the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, for some exceptional views and shopping. For once I didn’t even manage to spend all the money I’d changed up; Cape Town is very cheap. We had a couple of drinks and got back onboard.

Last stop, Tenerife, even a port we had been to before. But we had not explored the town as we went off on a Mount Teide excursion the previous time. So we set out to look at the town and do a last bit of shopping. We walked along to Plaza de Espana and on up the main shopping street Calle del Castillo. We passed the Plaza de Candelaria, and the Iglesia de San Francisco. We stopped at the Plaza General Weyler and had a coffee in a nice little place that charged us almost nothing. We got almost all the things we wanted for our shopping and then walked down to the bandstand park at Plaza Principe de Asturias. It was a beautiful day and a nice gentle, pleasant last stop to the cruise.

Circumnavigating the globe: overall was a big wow. It wasn’t all plain sailing, seas were rough as well as calm, both literally and metaphorically. Sometimes it felt like being onboard a hospital ship, but we managed to have a great time and see most of what we wanted, despite having our route changed by war. Some places I would love to go back and visit more thoroughly, some not at all. Favourite was New Zealand, followed by Hawaii, then CapeTown and Singapore in joint third. Mostly the trip of a lifetime lived up to my expectations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took a very short winter cruise to spend New Year’s Eve in Hamburg; just for something different to the usual slob out on the sofa watching fireworks on TV at midnight.

We arrived in Hamburg and had a drive around the city, through the notorious Reeperbahn, past lots of canals, and one of the big lakes in the park surrounded by massive embassy houses. We stopped at the magnificent town hall for some photos and shopping, and a quick snack.

Then we visited Miniature Wonderland, a huge model world, with many moving parts, that cycled through day and night. The attention to detail was incredible.

We had a walk along the canals, past churches and old brick buildings.

Later after a lovely formal dinner, some other entertainment and a great band; we went up to the observation deck to watch the fireworks. They started in earnest around twenty to midnight and carried on until gone half past. It was absolutely mind-blowing- I don’t think I have ever seen so many fireworks at once and so close, quite unique to be a part of that; with the ship sounding its horn multiple times at midnight too.

We were supposed to stop at Zeebrugge for Bruges on the way back, but the weather was too bad for us to get into port so it was cancelled. Coming back down to Southampton we had to pick up the pilot on the east coast, as the south coast was too rough. Our dinner table had the perfect view of the pilot boat trying to pull alongside and put the pilot aboard. It was very dramatic in such rough seas.

A memorable trip, and great start to the New Year.

 

Our first port of call was Vigo. We were supposed to arrive in the early morning, but there was a medical emergency on board so the ship went faster and arrived at 11pm the night before. We were allowed to go ashore. As we so often leave port in the evening, it was nice to go ashore late at night, especially since all the Christmas lights were alight and it was very quiet and pretty.

Next morning we went ashore again and walked up to the Campostela cathedral and looked around inside, then carried on up to the Castro park fort with it’s great views down over the town. We walked back into town for coffee and Sangria at a nice little bar.

The second stop was Gibraltar. We had visited the tourist attractions before, so this time we just explored the shops as they have really good duty-free prices. Stopped for drinks then reboarded early. We were very glad we did as the queue to re-embark stretched for miles and delayed our departure time quite a bit. We sailed through the Gibraltar straits with some magnificent views of Africa and pods of dolphins swimming alongside and even a whale in the distance. The dolphins were leaping right out of the water and being magnificent.

In Alicante, our next stop, we did some shopping and looked around quite a bit. I had something that was unsafe to eat and was very ill all through the next day too, and subsequently missed Barcelona, which was the main port I wanted to see. Never mind, such is life.

Next day we arrived in Cartagena which was lovely. We walked into the town and had coffee and did some shopping. Then we wandered through the side streets and up the steps to the amphitheatre, looking at the Casa de la Fortuna murals and mosaics. We walked up lots more steps to the fort and looked out over the town and waved at the ship.

Coming back through the straits of Gibraltar at night the silvery dolphins swam and jumped alongside us for ages once again.

We stopped in Cadiz and walked around the shops which are a confusing warren of crossed streets similar to the kasbah but Spanish. We shopped, had coffee and looked around.

Finally we stopped at Lisbon and had a lovely walk round the old port. We shopped, found a quirky little place for coffee and bought some port for Christmas. I found the place where my mother and I had seafront fresh sardines and vinho verde back in 1979.

 

First of all I have to say a few negative things about this trip before I start over-using adjectives like amazing and magnificent. I would not recommend a coach trip holiday for any but the most robust. Our driver Mike was great, really above and beyond what you’d expect from a driver; but being stuck on a coach for hours, told not to use the coach toilet and barely stopping often enough for restroom breaks made things a bit hellish. The living out of a suitcase and changing hotel most mornings, usually ridiculously early was pretty punishing too. Added to which, despite telling Travelsphere I had a serious wheat allergy, not a single hotel was ready with gluten free options; they obviously didn’t pass the information on. This combined to make day to day life very difficult for me in ways I won’t go into. Having said that, there is no way to see all the parks and wonders we saw in one trip without driving yourself, and that would add another layer of exhaustion. I’m glad I’ve done it and seen the things I’ve seen, but I’ll never do anything like it again. The national parks were all absolutely phenomenal, and protected, so unspoilt. Advance apology to my American friends, but they need the protection, because Americans are spoiling everywhere else. Rampant oil extraction and fracking in desert lands where solar could be prolific; the biggest gas guzzling vehicles I’ve ever seen, over consumption in all its forms, I could go on but I won’t.

Anyway, we popped in and out of nine states; Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Nevada. We visited twelve National Parks, some of which were extra to the tour as sold, a bonus to some places being closed for end of season.

Day 1 Denver Colorado; too tired to do anything but sleep and have a quick morning walk around.

Day 2 Fort Laramie- interesting old fort, beautiful autumn colours, bright yellow against a rich blue sky. Black Hills, Rapid City.

Day 3 Badlands National Park- absolutely stunning rock formations and coloured strata. Wall Drug- mad shops with a Ripley’s believe it or not flavour, Wall- our first Wild west town. Crazy Horse Memorial [huge and unfinished] and Indian centre- very interesting, Mount Rushmore Presidents.

Day 4 Deadwood, jerky shop. Wild west saloon bar with statue of Wild Bill Hickock sitting in the bar like a customer. Bloody Mary with a meal crammed into it- quote of the day ‘is that bacon in your drink?’ Yes, it was. Devil’s Tower Wyoming- famously in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Sheridan- best ever steak dinner.

Day 5 Little Bighorn battlefield- really interesting, moving and animated Indian guide talk. Bighorn National Forest Park- mountains covered in snow, beautiful and mesmerising, total contrast to the sunny day lower down. Like driving into Narnia. Close up Mule deer with their huge ears. Shell Canyon; dramatic mountains and waterfalls. Cody.

Day 6 Yellowstone National Park, Old Faithful- not twice the size of Niagara but impressive nonetheless. Yellowstone lake, Bison, Dragon’s Cave, Hot Pools, Prismatic Springs, Elk, Mule Deer, Squirrels, Eagles, Chipmunks, Deer, Paint Pot Pools, Geysers, Bison burger. My favourite park; like being on an alien planet, totally fascinating and captivating.

Day 7 Grand Teton National Park. Wolf up close, American red squirrels, chipmunks, garter snake, snow-capped expansive Teton mountains. Town of Moose; tiny church in the mountains with window behind altar showing snowy mountain view. Jackson Hole, amazing lunch. Antler arches at each quarter of park. Farm towns. Bear and Wolf sanctuary.

Day 8 Salt Lake City- Mormon Tabernacle guided tour. City Hall. Great Salt Lake National Park. Brigham City Utah, home cooked lunch in diner.

Day 9 Canyonlands National Park- another stunning park. Moab, Utah. Colorado river boat trip, lighted Canyon walls, cowboy dinner.

Day 10 Arches National Park- amazing arches and natural shapes, crazy and almost unbelievable rock formations in dark terracotta red. C’s favourite park. On to Cortez.

Day 11 Mesa Verde National Park [Green table top]. Visited with local guide. Lots of stone age cave dwelling settlements and historic archaeology, most interesting and thought provoking. Denny’s Diner.

Day 12 Monument Valley; 4x wheel drive with Indian guide. Incredible views from inside the reservation of iconic rock monuments used in films and TV. Shopping at Indian stalls. On to Grand Canyon for first view and the Watchtower.

Day 13 Grand Canyon National Park- 5 hours to wander the trails on our own and explore. Walked the red trail and got the shuttle back to lodge for lunch. The canyon was stunning, huge, incredible, magnificent, breath-taking, just amazing; everything I expected and more. I have long since run out of new adjectives for this trip. Onto reservation for Navajo taco. Kanab.

Day 14 Bryce Canyon National Park- another wow. All the terracotta standing pillars looked reminiscent of the terracotta army, but on a much bigger scale. Trees that looked like they were trying to walk over the edge of the canyon and away. Pillars with arches, standing columns, some like figures some like castles or cityscapes. Walked from Sunset ridge to Sunrise ridge. Lunch at the famous Ruby’s.

Day 15 Zion National Park- looking up at the cliff faces looming above us this time, like giants standing over us. We came into the park through the longest tunnel I have ever driven through- long dark patches then windows cut into the stone with views that made you gasp. Down through a winding rocky pass. Walked the grotto path then climbed up the mountainside path to the Emerald Pools and waterfall. Drove into Las Vegas.

Day 16 Las Vegas which necessarily involves much walking and inevitable blisters. Lunch at Denny’s and then to The Sphere for the Postcard from Earth Show. OMG. Like flying in an open fronted helicopter over the great sights of the world, some of which we had recently visited. Also, festivals, human built monuments, smells, breezes, haptic seats. The feel of an elephant as it steps right by. Robot foyer experience. Raced over to Treasure Island to see Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere. Totally mesmerising show; didn’t know where to look, so much going on, such talent. A girl doing body lifts of another girl, a trapeze artist catching two people at once, tumblers going everywhere at once.

Day 17 Las Vegas- bought a day monorail pass, went to MGM, walked to New York, Excalibur and had lunch at Luxor. Then monorail to the other end of town Sahara where we stayed before. Recognised almost nothing, just the circular entrance drive and the huge gift shop opposite. Went over to Strat- formerly Stratosphere- very run down and sad, all its shops closed down. Back to Linq on monorail and walked to Venetian and took a Gondola ride and were serenaded. Very pleasant and fun. Later, Zombie Burlesque show. Outrageous, funny, but also amazing. Ballet, Contortionist like I’ve never seen, songs, a guy who could balance on stuff like you wouldn’t believe; wild.

Day 18 Leaving Las Vegas on my birthday, was a bit disappointing. Gambled a little bit and lost, no free drinks anymore, boo. Breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi consistently best breakfasts of holiday- gf eggs benedict.

Totally mind-blowing trip. So much to see, not enough words to describe it. So many pictures.

 

We arrived in Toronto in the middle of an airshow as it was Labour Day weekend. We were tired but forced ourselves to go for a walk around the block and buy a paratha snack from a world food street stall, before having an early night.

Next morning, we went to a classic diner for breakfast. Chris had a pretty classic breakfast with gallons of coffee and I had a heap of salad to fight jet lag- it was very good, though everything was super expensive. That applies to Canada in general and more-so USA when we popped over, and that’s my last word on that.

We walked down the famous Yonge Street past Dundas Square, where someone is always performing something. On this particular passing a guy was playing the recorder and two other men were dancing to it. We popped into the Eaton Centre and checked out the amazing food court, better prices, and offerings from every corner of the world. I was surprised how many locals eat this kind of food constantly instead of actually buying food in and using the kitchen in their apartment. We continued down to the waterfront; it was fifteen long blocks from the Chelsea hotel [the biggest hotel in Canada] to the waterfront, and impulsively took a water taxi over to Ward’s Island.

What an amazing and pretty place. Obviously, the home of many artists. All the little houses were so quaint and artsy, and many had glass fronted boxes outside displaying artwork.
We wandered around super impressed by one little house after another. We stopped for a coffee and a home-baked raspberry and chocolate, salted scone, which was even more delicious than it sounds; and we watched the Labour Day airshow, which was loud and close. Later on, we walked to Centre Island, which is like a theme park fairground kind of place. We had a nice lunch at the Carousel restaurant. We continued our walk down to Hanlon Point with its clothing optional beach and fancy marina. Ward’s Island was definitely our favourite. On the way back to the hotel we picked up a Dim Sum platter to share for supper.

The following day we discovered Tim Horton’s for breakfast. Steak and egg farmhouse biscuit and London fog tea latte; sounded odd, was all most excellent. We returned to Ward’s Island for a beach day as Toronto had been in the grips of a super heatwave since we arrived. We got under the shade of a tree, and swam in Lake Ontario. Saw a tiny toad on the beach, then later a black squirrel- the first of many, often tame enough to hand feed.

We had vegan wraps at the island café, then sat on the opposite beach looking at Toronto across the water, such an iconic view. As the afternoon drew on, we got the water taxi back and walked along to Sugar Beach. This is a stretch of harbourside next to the sugar factory that has had sand and sunbeds put down and is used as a city beach. Odd but pleasant.

We walked back along Church Street, which should rightly be called Cathedral Street as it is jam packed with huge old churches.

The next day we went to Queen’s Park and saw the government buildings and the University and then visited the Royal Ontario Museum. It was just before the really hot weather broke, and the humidity was around eighty percent so we were lured in by the idea of entertainment with air conditioning. While it did indeed fit that remit, the museum had lots more to offer. We especially enjoyed the Egyptian section, the Dinosaurs and the Natural History section and the Arts and Culture sections.

We went to the Eaton centre for an air-conditioned meal later on, enjoying Souvlaki followed by crème Brule ‘croffles’ which are waffles on sticks. Smoothies followed, so cold I got my first ever ice cream headache.

Another day, and the intense heat had calmed down somewhat. We walked to St Lawrence market, where we bought some Maple based souvenirs and things to try, as well as eating a peameal bacon roll with honey mustard sauce. We also tried Poutine. Later we went into The Queen and Beaver English pub which was interesting.

The following day we walked down Bay Street to the waterfront, then walked along the waterfront for quite a long way. We stopped at the Amsterdam bar and brewery to try a few local brews and some spicy cauliflower ‘wings’ all of which was excellent. We continued the walk until we couldn’t go any further and were pretty much leaving the city. We walked back past the CN Tower and stadium and aquarium, getting a stuffed pitta on the way. It was a lot of walking.

The day after that we explored a little local park and found a Farm boy supermarket and booze outlet where we could have been living much more cheaply our entire stay. Never mind. We had amazing noodles for lunch and then went to the Pogue Mahone bar for drinks while and hour and a half long parade for Jesus in Toronto marched by.

The following day we transferred to Niagara Falls for the second part of our trip. We went all round the state picking people up, but the driver was nice enough to stop at a Tim Hortons so we could use the washrooms and pick up a snack. Our hotel, the Crowne Plaza, the oldest in Niagara Falls, had a great view of both falls, and we explored the town a little.

The next day was our big, ‘explore Niagara Falls from all angles’ day. We went 520ft up the Skylon tower, where I forced myself to go to the edge of the viewing window and look out at the amazing views. On the descent I even managed to look out of the exteriorly placed glass elevator.

Then we went on the Hornblower boat, which like its more famous USA counterpart The Maid in the Mist, goes practically right underneath the Horseshoe falls. What an incredible sensation that was. Unmatched by anything I have ever done before on this planet, it was as fantastic as I imagined it would be, and more. Totally overwhelming, a full-on sensory blast- sound, wind, water, force- impossible to give it anything other than one’s full attention.
Then we went to the caves behind the falls, where we descended 158ft and walked through tunnels to places where the rock opens up and you can see the falls rushing down in front of you just a few feet ahead. The sensation of power from the water was just amazing.
We walked along the top of the falls to the bridge in front of the power station and watched the horseshoe falls tumbling and cascading over the edge.

We went back to our room, had a quick snack for lunch, grabbed our passports, ESTAs and US dollars and headed across the Rainbow Bridge to the USA. We bought a giant chocolate bar in the duty-free shop, then had to go to the window to collect it. But they don’t just give it to you; they escort you to the crossing and watch you put your dollar in the machine and pass through the turnstile onto the bridge before handing the chocolate over the fence. We found this hilarious and rather got the giggles. Great views of the falls going across the bridge, and some silly selfies with a foot in each country- had to be done. On entry, there was a very thorough but extremely friendly customs interview, with which of course we had no problem.

Once stateside we went straight into Niagara Falls State Park and had a good walk around. The views of the falls are still good, but not as good as from the Canadian side; but having said that, the park area is lovely and one can get really close to the top of the falls, both American and Horseshoe, so that you feel like you are practically in them, then inches away, they flood over the edge.

That was an amazing experience. We thoroughly explored the park going to areas where tributaries flow exuberantly into the main falls. We visited Green Island, Goat Island, Luna Island, Terrapin Island and Three Sisters Islands. By the time we had finished we felt like we had explored the falls from every possible perspective.
We walked around the town, especially enjoying Old Falls Street with all the big games along the tree lined avenue. I even stopped to throw a couple of Hacky Sacks at the targets. A lot of places were closed as we had inadvertently visited on 9/11, flags at half-mast. We couldn’t find anywhere suitable to eat; the only diner we found had no coffee; so we crossed back over the Rainbow bridge and had supper at the Canadian Hard Rock Café.

Later on, we went to the park and found a good spot to watch the fireworks and get night photos of the falls all lit up. We saw a skunk nearby but gave it a wide berth.

Our last day and it rained, so we were glad to have thoroughly explored the falls the previous day. We spent the day exploring the lovely kitsch parts of town. Got photos with the Hershey’s kiss and bought some chocolate. Had coffee and cheese straws at Tim Hortons. Played a game of dinosaur mini golf. Visited Ripley’s Believe it or Not, a good laugh and fascinating too. Had lunch at Wendy’s.

After going back to the room to pack and so on, we had a nice dinner at a diner, and a long chat with the staff as we were the last customers. Then we went on the Sky Wheel- my choice, but scary for me; had to grip Chris’ arm the whole ride. Great views, glad I did it. Chris had beer samples at the Niagara brewery, I abstained. Did some souvenir shopping, watched fireworks. Lovely end to a lovely trip. My only regret was not being able to do the immersive zombie ride because of flashing lights warning.

 

 

 

Ambassador Cruise ship; in some ways better than P&O (food standards, entertainment standards, speed of embarkation and disembarkation) and in other ways so much worse (So much disorganisation, getting stuff wrong and general queues for everything.) Though there are many other details I could go into about that, I won’t, as I prefer to write about the beautiful places we visit. Suffice to say, P & O wins for me, but maybe in five years or so Ambassador will have things running more smoothly.

The wildlife we saw while at sea and on land visits included a pod of common dolphins, geese, kittiwakes, gannets, fulmars, an eagle, Hebridean cattle, lots of puffins, guillemots, cormorants, lots of red squirrels, golden pheasant, Manx shearwaters, plus all the usual common stuff.

Our first stop was the Orkney Isles and the town of Kirkwall. When we docked it was drizzling, but that soon stopped and the day brightened up as we went into the town which was larger than I expected on the Orkney Isles. We had a look at St Magnus Cathedral, and The Bishop’s and Earl’s Palaces – castle ruins, then had a look around the shops and did some shopping. The people were very friendly and helpful, and overall, we found it a nice introduction to the outlying Scottish isles.

The second island we visited was Lewis in the Hebrides, where we anchored off Stornoway. We had to take a tender ashore, first time for that. We visited the Callonish standing stones, which are in the shape of a Celtic Cross and surrounded by lochs and amazing views.

We climbed up to the Dun Carloway Broch, an old tower, very low doors and narrow corridors. Once again, in the middle of nowhere with magnificent views, and the sun was shining. Then we went to the Black House Museum and cottages; traditional crofting family cottages, with six-foot-thick walls, peat fires (they had one burning) and no windows.

Our final Scottish island was Mull where we anchored off Tobermory and took a tender ashore. This was my favourite island, and we had a lovely sunny day for our visit. We walked around and explored a bit, then stopped in a pub called Mishnish, where we sampled 12-year-old Tobermory whisky and had Haggis nuggets with a local honey dip. Everything was amazing, the flavours of all those things, just fantastic. We did some shopping, then we visited Macgochan’s pub and had Braglach for lunch; which was a kind of goulash type stew with venison and ribs in it- very nice. After lunch we walked up through the woodland trail to a really pretty waterfall.

Next day we docked at Belfast, where we took a trip to Giant’s Causeway. It was all a bit rushed but nevertheless very impressive and we had a good yomp down to the stones.

Later we got the little bus back up to the visitor’s centre for a snack and some shopping, before popping into the Causeway hotel to try the Bushmills made in the nearby town of same name. On the trip back we got stuck in an Irish traffic jam of a herd of cows behaving very badly. They were running and jumping about all over the place, and the two farmers, one dog and a tractor were having a heck of a job getting them where they wanted them to go. The cows kept changing their minds and going a different way, it was very funny. We photographed some castle ruins too.

The next day we docked at Ringaskiddy for Cork, Eire. There was a shuttle but it took nearly an hour, and I have been to Cork before and was not desperate to revisit it, so we walked into Ringaskiddy and explored that instead. I had wanted Chris to taste Guinness from Eire, as it is completely different there than anywhere else in the world, and doesn’t travel well. So we visited the Ferry Boat Inn. The Guinness was lovely, the Murphy’s was nice, but the Beamish was best of all; super creamy with notes of coffee. The staff and customers were all very friendly and chatted with us most hospitably all afternoon, and we very much enjoyed the Craic.

Next day we anchored off the isles of Scilly. In the morning we took a local boat (provided in place of tenders) to the isle of Tresco, and visited the Tresco Abbey Gardens.

The gardens were as magnificent as expected from television, and had the added bonus of having the most red squirrels I have ever seen in one place, and certainly the least shy. The plants were just incredible, so many unknown species and tropical plants, and really huge and beautifully laid out gardens.
We walked around a little bit afterwards then took the boat back to the ship. Then we got another boat to St Mary’s island, the main populated island of the Scillys. We explored, shopped, popped into the Atlantic pub when the rain started for a few minutes. But nothing could dampen the beauty and enchantment of these isles, which exceeded my expectations.

Guernsey was our next stop; well, anchored outside the harbour anyway. The sea was rough and although it wasn’t raining there was a thick mist and the harbour master would not let the tenders come ashore. By the time they did allow it the queues were just too silly to bother, as we were there for two weeks not long ago anyway, so we stayed onboard and had an at sea day. There were drinks, a film, theatre and bands plus food and a sail away in the observatory. We felt that had been a better day than all the messing around. I had mainly wanted to swim in the Victorian sea pools anyway and the weather was not clement for that.

Our last day was docked in Le Havre, France. We got ashore early and did some shopping and exploring, as well as having coffee in a lovely little café. I really liked Le Havre and would love to go back and rent an apartment there for a week as the fish markets looked amazing. It is quite a pretty town, despite being a large port, and we had a beautiful warm sunny day. There was a stunning art installation made out of brightly painted containers that I was very impressed with.

It was an interesting cruise; a bit full on- I prefer some at sea days to relax and collect myself. I barely opened my book. I got to see places I would never normally be able to get to, and have definitely bookmarked a couple of future holidays: The isles of Scilly and Le Havre.

 

 

A tale of two hotels, complete opposites, two entirely different holidays in one really. We booked a TUI holiday to a supposedly four-star (really no more than 2/3 star) hotel in Crete, just outside Rethymnon. We had high expectations. It was listed as a beach hotel, but you had to cross a main road and find a footpath or cut through the really nice hotels just to get to the beach, so that was a lie to start with. There was supposed to be six restaurants; main buffet, Sushi and Asian, NYC Burger bar, Pizza and Pasta at Ristorante Italiano, Great Greek food and bar snacks. There was one buffet only. I never saw a single piece of sushi. When I complained I was told a variety of things; TUI have not updated the information on their website for four years; which is contravention of the trades description act at best. Then they told me the government wouldn’t let them serve food outside because of covid and because of Egyptian dust storms! They said all the styles of food mentioned were served on the afternoon snack buffet- a complete lie. Their idea of Asian buffet and Sushi was a plate of veggie spring rolls and some veggie dim sum. All the food was tired and some was off. The butter packs were rancid, the ice cream freezers were turned off overnight, the pancakes seemed to be put out again next day until they were so hard you couldn’t cut them with a knife. When I complained about this, they did not even deny that they kept putting the same food out. I was ill for the whole nine days I stayed there.

Sorry to be graphic but I had diarrhoea 5-10 times a day every day. When I complained about this, I was told twenty other guests were also ill, as if it was somehow our fault. Maybe check your kitchen hygiene Rethymnon Residences hotel. There were two bars, one unmanned. There was no hot water until the afternoon, and the adult pool area was not kept free of children, although there were two other pools and a waterslide for them. I could go on and on, but I’ll save it for my complaint letter to TUI who I will never use again, as this is not my first bad experience with them. The entertainment was not bad, a magician, belly dancing and a Greek night. We gave the disco a miss. We explored the local area a bit, just to get out. Did some shopping, played mini golf, had a frappe, and had our feet eaten by fish which I have wanted to try for yonks, and was a real hoot.

Eventually at breakfast on the ninth day, when I couldn’t find anything on the crappy buffet that looked safe to eat, and near to tears, I took matters into my own hands. We had cut through a hotel that looked lovely on our way back from the beach, so I found its website and booked us in online for the rest of our stay. Although their check-in time was 2pm, we walked over at 10am to introduce ourselves and explain, and they had a room for us straight away. Our wonderful holiday began at that moment.

The Rethymnon Palace is possibly the best, and certainly the nicest, hotel I have ever stayed in. The staff are all lovely and friendly, attentive and helpful. Once we were moved across and checked in, I did not leave the hotel until the cab came to take us to the airport home. There was no need to leave. This hotel had everything; it was heavenly.

It is actually on the beach and has its own beach section with sunbeds and a beach bar, as well as the main hotel bar and lounge. The cocktails were amazing. As soon as we checked in, they took us to a delightful room with comfy chairs, bed and sofa and a lovely balcony with a view of the pool,

the mountains and the sea. The shower was like something off a spaceship, jets everywhere and luxury, hot water all the time. There was a complimentary bottle of red wine in the room, but before we got a chance to open that, a girl turned up with an ice bucket containing a bottle of champagne and a big platter of fresh fruit, all perfectly ripe and absolutely delicious.
The sighs of contentment began then, and did not stop until we left. There was morning yoga in the garden, and mid-morning pool Zumba, both of which I tried and loved. I swam at least three times a day in the warm and huge pool that had a proper 3m deep end. I have never been so relaxed in my life; sitting by the pool, sitting on the beach loungers, paddling in the sea- I did go in fully once but have never been really confident in sea water, it moves around so much and is unsteady underfoot- not to mention the critters.

The food was out of this world good, and at one point they even put on a table full of Sushi (at last the Sushi I’d been craving)

and many other Asian dishes around the restaurant. The night we arrived was fish theme, but every meal was an absolute delight. Luckily with all the swimming and exercise I only put on three pounds, but C-man did nothing and put on 9! He’s lucky he loses it again really fast.
They seemed to put out everything as soon as one even thought of it. One morning I mentioned I liked Roquefort cheese, and at lunch time, there was a platter of it. Another time I spoke of the French patisserie, Religeuse, and next buffet, lo and behold, it appeared.
I tried quite a few of the cocktails and they were all really good, but eventually settled down with the two champagne cocktails; Mimosa and Kir Royal. C-man stuck with the Raki cocktails, liking Black Cretan best.

We both had a variety of massages in the spa, including one for me that had hot oil and candles and left me smelling like a chocolate orange. Sadly, we missed the Greek night but did see their belly dancing show, which was better than at the other hotel. People were much more reluctant to go on stage with the dancers and did not stay up there long. It was like watching a social class experiment, comparing the two nights.

The final icing on the cake was checkout. They allowed us to keep using the facilities for another five hours until our cab came; lunch, drinks snacks, right up to the end. Magnificent. Rarely have I been so relaxed and happy. Obviously, I was born for the five-star lifestyle!

 

 

 

For a change this visit we tried something different and stayed in a private cottage in the village of Freshwater. It was actually cheaper than the caravan park and so very much nicer. We arrived and immediately filled up the bird feeders, there were places to sit and watch the birds in the front and back gardens. We walked round Freshwater village and did some shopping. We walked to Freshwater Bay a couple of times too.

This holiday we saw so much wildlife, mostly birds, but other critters too, I’m just going to list what we saw. Not a red squirrel in sight this visit though. But so much wildlife, it was like an episode of Spring-watch on steroids.

Dunnocks, Blackbirds and a really gangly and rather dumb chick, Wood pigeons [one took the longest bath in the birdbath we filled, thought it was going to sleep in there], Robins, Sparrows, Jackdaws, Siskins, Blue tits, Chiffchaff, Coal tit, Jays, Starlings, Goldfinches, Great tit, Tree sparrows, bees, and that was just in the garden. Out on our various walks we saw; Black headed gulls, crows, thrush, turtle dove, stock dove, Buzzards, Greater black headed gull, black backed gulls, herring gull, magpies, small copper butterfly, orange tip butterfly, red admiral butterfly, Fire-crest, Swans, Mallard pairs, Shell-ducks and the cutest little chick that looked like an aquatic humbug zipping about all stripy and fluffy. Also Coots, Egret, Tern, Cormorants, Orange footed Geese, Cuckoo, Kestrels, Rook, Stone Chat, Great Grey Shrike, Collared dove, pigeons, Lapwing, Grey Heron and Bass right up by the shore feeding on small fry. Still more; Lesser spotted Woodpecker, Raven, Pheasant pairs, Cows and noisy suckling calves, Sky larks, Kittiwake, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtails, Field Fare, Sparrowhawk, Rabbits, Horses and lots of sheep and lambs plus more black sheep and cute little black lambs than I’ve ever seen in one field.

So the walks we did included one to Totland Bay then along the coast to Colwell Bay and back to Freshwater. We had some delicious fresh caught Sea Bass from the fishmongers in Freshwater.

We walked along the Causeway to Yarmouth. We had a light lunch at the Wheatsheaf and walked out on the pier. We had coffee at PO41 and then walked back along the causeway to Freshwater, stopping at All Saints Church and churchyard on the way back.

We walked up to the Tennyson Monument, and then carried on along the coastal cliff top to The Needles.

We visited the Old Battery then walked down to Alum Bay. We passed a mass of flowering gorse and the scent was intoxicating; like warm melted butter with honey and a hint of citrus. Just thinking about it makes me crave hot buttered toast and honey all over again.

It was a lovely relaxing week, filled with wildlife, walks and peace. The weather was great too.

 

We returned to an apartment we favour and have visited many times before in Ermou Square, Larnaca, Cyprus. It is very central to everything, therefore pretty noisy but you get used to that; and handy for spending time visiting family and friends. In between that we did some other holiday activities. We visited our friend Tony’s café which has moved to a new, bigger premises across the street. His icon corner is lovely, surrounded by Shepherd’s water skins and sticks. Food as good as ever.

We had coffee in the newly refurbished museum park, which was a building site last time we were there, but is very nice now. We visited the newly built market area which is very different from the street market and car park that was there before, though it did seem kind of sparse, but maybe it’s not entirely finished yet. Also they had made a good job of the streets leading into the market and to Agios Lazarus church. We paid a visit to the church, as always.

We walked down to the far end of Mackenzy and had lunch at a lovely restaurant called Salamis which comprised Cypriot pizza and keftedes and was excellent.

We went on a walk around the salt lake and through the park.

We saw red shanks, reed warblers, oyster catchers and knots, red pigeons, moorhens and many butterflies. We also saw a huge terrapin in the shallows at the far end near the Kamares arches. We shared a grilled salmon salad at the halfway café just beyond the arches.

We visited Dekelia for the obligatory best fish and chips on the island, then had a nice walk around as it was a lovely day.

There followed a couple of days of big dramatic storms with thunder, lightning, hail and rain like it was being poured by the bucket full.

We walked to the little harbour and had the most amazing fish meze at Zephyros, then walked back for cocktails in the Secret Garden café.

All stuff we have done before but with some new twists and a couple of new restaurants.

 

We spent the first couple of days chilling around the hotel complex which was pretty huge, with seven pools, and initially we needed directions and a map to get from reception to our room, or the restaurant. Time spent eating, swimming, relaxing, reading and waiting for C-man to recover from what was ailing him.

When we did get out, our first walk was along the edge of the Corralejo Dunas National Park which was right opposite the hotel. We carried on down to the sand dunes at the beach. We walked through the nudist beach with its pretty little lava and basalt rock circles for privacy. We walked along the sandy beaches past the big hotels to the edge of town, then that was enough for one day.

The beaches were very pretty, sandy, but also lots of rock pools and variety of scenery. The temperature was pleasant, high twenties, but it was really easy to get burnt, my nose being, as usual, the first victim.

The next day we walked along the beach into Corralejo town. We stopped at a nice surfer’s Tiki bar for drinks, and then carried on along to the harbour. We walked out on the harbour wall and watched the inter-island ferries, then walked back through the town, up the main busy high street.

The following day was a pool day, filled with eating, drinking, reading, swimming and sunbathing (sunburning). Rinse and repeat. Treat burns with aloe vera gel.

The day after that we visited the local municipal park, which was mostly exercise and activity based but also very pretty with volcanic rocks, cacti and a water feature. We carried on to the local market and shopping area for some supplies and some aloe vera gel as I had almost run out. Had a coffee in the centre of the shopping area and watched the world go by for a bit. Café culture.

After lunch we had a bit of a walk through the Dunas national park looking at the flora and fauna.

The next day we visited the twice weekly artisanal market then walked on into town. We went to a nice fish restaurant right on the harbour and had drinks, followed by a lovely fish lunch. On the way back we did some shopping and had ice cream.

The following day we walked right across the national park to the Riu Palace hotel where there was a surfing competition on the beach. We walked along the beach to the Riu Oliva hotel then had ice cream and coffee at the Banana bar. We found the little aloe factory shop that we had visited eight years previously on a day trip from Lanzarote, and the owner remembered us. She gave us another aloe plant free, so we left a donation for her cat charity. We walked back across the dunes park which took about an hour each way. The sun was blazing, pretty sure we were well into thirty degrees by that point, and it was like walking through a desert; baking sun, dry heat and shifting deep sand underfoot.

The day after that we walked into town the long way round, past abandoned half built hotels, closed down shopping centres and water park with a general sense of a wasteland straight out of a Ballard novel. Two years of covid on a tourist-based economy has really hit hard. We did some shopping then went for unusual burgers and cocktails at the Tiki bar. All very lovely, though one drink did prompt me to think about the four worst drinks I have ever had. Permit me to elaborate a little.

The worst was a pint of beer called Holy Goat from The Independent in Brighton. It was like Guinness mixed with grapefruit juice and gravy browning or something. It was described as having notes of tangerine and jasmine, but it was just awful. I couldn’t even drink it all and only managed half, each sip more difficult than its predecessor. The second worst was a Chocolate Orange Gin cocktail on P&O’s Arcadia. Sounds delicious, tasted terrible. I gave it away to someone who thought it was drinkable. The third worst was a Mei Tai on the MV Bolero. They didn’t put any Grenadine in, and it was bitter and hinted of drain cleaner. The fourth worst was a Smoked Negroni in the Tiki bar in Corralejo. It was very bitter and sour and overwhelmingly smoky. The dried orange slice helped a little bit and it got more bearable as the ice melted, but it did hit the spot with a nice buzz so not all bad.

The next day we visited the artisanal Sunday market. The local music and flamenco dancing didn’t start until after the market finished at two o’clock, but we didn’t find that out until a later date. I nearly bought a coral and black lava necklace but the heart pendant was made out of lava instead of the beautiful deep red coral, and I don’t want the symbolism of having a black heart, nor one made out of something prone to exploding suddenly and devastatingly.

The next day we walked along the coastal beach for a bit and swam in the afternoon.

The following day we walked down to the Dunes beach and paddled and looked at the tiny fish in the rock pools. I risked sitting on the sand with about an inch thick sun cream on my burnt shins. We walked past the house of a crazy surrealist artist who had decorated their exterior walls and garden within in the most extraordinary and colourful way.

On the last day we walked and shopped for souvenirs and had an Old Fashioned cocktail in a café, while watching the world go by. Another drink that gets better as the ice melts. I read something about adding water to whisky to free the spirit, and it does indeed alter the flavour as opposed to just watering it down. Never too old to learn new things.

It wasn’t my favourite Canary island, bit too much beach resort and not enough wild walks for me, but it was nice and sunny and relaxing.