A travelling/holiday thread

[Midlands Yellow 3,995]

On 03/11/2022 at 22:00, benchwarmer said:

In the summer of 1978 I went by bus from London to Athens where I slept out on the roof of a backpackers hostel, then by ferry from Piraeus to Crete which was fairly unspoiled in those days. Slept out again on deck and woke up with a parched mouth from the salty air.  In Crete I took a local bus up to the Plain of Windmills, where I consumed far too much alcohol and watched for at least an hour in hypnotic fascination at dozens of windmills turning at different speeds in the valley below.

I then got a ferry from Crete to the Peloponnese and ended up in a half-built hotel in Nafplion.  The next morning I had to get an early bus to Athens, but found that the hotel owner had locked us in overnight and gone home.  He turned up just in time, I gave him an earful, he raised his fist, I stared him out and then ran for it, catching the bus with seconds to spare.

Can’t stop thinking Summer Holiday now with Cliff. 

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

On 02/11/2022 at 22:20, Mr Apples said:

Nevermind all this glamour, I'm off to Aviemore (the Vegas of the Highlands) next week 🤩...will probably be pishing it down. 😱🤣

Apples

Learnt to Ski in Aviemore in 79/80/81 courtesy of the Brutish Army, we used to stay in the Badminton hall of one of the big hotels...classed as an exercise so we were actually paid more while there, same in Garmisch Partenkirchen in 82/83  . 

Planning a trip to the Andaman islands  dec/jan 23/24.  

[Wings of a Sparrow 1,419]

Watching the programme where Alan Carr and Amanda Holden are doing a house up in Sicily, looks a lovely place. Poss holiday destination this year 👍

[Herman 9,780]

1 hour ago, Wings of a Sparrow said:

Watching the programme where Alan Carr and Amanda Holden are doing a house up in Sicily, looks a lovely place. Poss holiday destination this year 👍

I think that is the place where you could buy some house ridiculously cheap so long as you spend a certain amount of time and money on it. 

[Wings of a Sparrow 1,419]

12 minutes ago, Herman said:

I think that is the place where you could buy some house ridiculously cheap so long as you spend a certain amount of time and money on it. 

That's the one 👍

[Aggy 755]

3 hours ago, Wings of a Sparrow said:

Watching the programme where Alan Carr and Amanda Holden are doing a house up in Sicily, looks a lovely place. Poss holiday destination this year 👍

Sicily on my shortlist this year. We did three city breaks in Paris, Vienna and Budapest towards the end of last year so fancy somewhere a bit more beach-y (but with plenty of history as well for me!). Fairly close by Malta another on the list.

[kick it off 1,952]

Off to Iceland on Monday. Not been before so looking forward to it, but it's a school trip with 40 year 10s though so won't be a relaxing jaunt!

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,189]

On 04/02/2023 at 19:09, kick it off said:

Off to Iceland on Monday. Not been before so looking forward to it, but it's a school trip with 40 year 10s though so won't be a relaxing jaunt!

How are you liking Iceland?

I'd invite you down the pub, but you are probably busy😄

[kick it off 1,952]

3 minutes ago, How I Wrote Elastic Man said:

How are you liking Iceland?

I'd invite you down the pub, but you are probably busy😄

Ermmmm not what I thought to be fair. I've spent a huge amount of time on coaches over last few days. Some cool stuff here but not sure I'd hurry back, and if I did, I definitely wouldnt be rushing back in February!

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,189]

14 minutes ago, kick it off said:

Ermmmm not what I thought to be fair. I've spent a huge amount of time on coaches over last few days. Some cool stuff here but not sure I'd hurry back, and if I did, I definitely wouldnt be rushing back in February!

The weather has been a bit extreme this winter for the south west. It's the first time in 4 years I've genuinely felt nervous driving sometimes, and I only have to commute from Reykjavik to Keflavík or Grindavik. 

And of course it's dark in the mornings 

What trips have you done, Golden circle I would guess? South coast?

Iceland isn't that small, and even some attractions close to Reykjavík involve a bit of a drive 

Personally, I prefer the 24 hour light of the summer, but I've overheard some tourists say they can't understand why people come in the summer as there's no northern lights....to each their own, I guess 

 

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

On 08/02/2023 at 19:05, How I Wrote Elastic Man said:

The weather has been a bit extreme this winter for the south west. It's the first time in 4 years I've genuinely felt nervous driving sometimes, and I only have to commute from Reykjavik to Keflavík or Grindavik. 

And of course it's dark in the mornings 

What trips have you done, Golden circle I would guess? South coast?

Iceland isn't that small, and even some attractions close to Reykjavík involve a bit of a drive 

Personally, I prefer the 24 hour light of the summer, but I've overheard some tourists say they can't understand why people come in the summer as there's no northern lights....to each their own, I guess 

 

I realised how big Iceland is when I was eyeing up a running event in the far north-west called the Alfanes run which takes place in July as part of a small festival, up around Isafjördur. And I'm sure I read that the bus trip from Reykjavik was more a matter of days rather than hours - and as there are no trains, it's realistically a flight from Reykjavik City Airport up to Isafjördur.

That's probably going to wreck the budget, especially with the Faroes already in the books.

Gonna love this event in Verona tomorrow. I'm sure of it. Doubt it'll be one of my better performances, but I'm sure I will love this race.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Might as well chuck in a night shot skimming the edge of Verona's Roman Arena, taken about 30 minutes ago. Running past it tomorrow as well. Should be fun on old cobble.

"There is no world without Verona walls,
But purgatory, torture, hell itself.
Hence banished is banish'd from the world,
And world's exile is death."

(William Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet)

Edited February 11, 2023 by TheGunnShow

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,189]

19 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

I realised how big Iceland is when I was eyeing up a running event in the far north-west called the Alfanes run which takes place in July as part of a small festival, up around Isafjördur. And I'm sure I read that the bus trip from Reykjavik was more a matter of days rather than hours - and as there are no trains, it's realistically a flight from Reykjavik City Airport up to Isafjördur.

That's probably going to wreck the budget, especially with the Faroes already in the books.

Gonna love this event in Verona tomorrow. I'm sure of it. Doubt it'll be one of my better performances, but I'm sure I will love this race.

There is a bus service from Reykjavík to  Hólmavík, changing in Borgarnes, then another bus on to Ísafjörður, but the last leg is summer only. The summer schedule is not yet published 

Best option is probably flying, but if you have 3 or 4 days rent a car and explore the westfjords 

The airport at Ísafjörður is on the other side of the fjord, so you would need to find a way of getting to town...I guess you could run! 😀

 

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

2 hours ago, How I Wrote Elastic Man said:

There is a bus service from Reykjavík to  Hólmavík, changing in Borgarnes, then another bus on to Ísafjörður, but the last leg is summer only. The summer schedule is not yet published 

Best option is probably flying, but if you have 3 or 4 days rent a car and explore the westfjords 

The airport at Ísafjörður is on the other side of the fjord, so you would need to find a way of getting to town...I guess you could run! 😀

 

Yeah, I don't drive, so hiring a car is never an option.

This is probably as much as the fitness thread as the travel one, but I got a very surprising personal best time at the Giulietta e Romeo half-marathon in Verona today. Old PB was a chip time of 1:42:20 at Torshavn in June last year, but I hammered that by running a chip time of 1:40:46.

[The Raptor 1,211]

All this is making me want to go back to Iceland. I was half way along the south coast on a bus when 9/11 happened. Driver put the radio on but I didn't quite believe what was being translated back to me until we got to where we were staying and saw the pictures....

I shudder to think how much things cost there now. The cheapest pint was £5 then!

It's still on the revisit list tho. The problem is so are a lot of other places and I only have a finite amount of time/money!

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,189]

20 hours ago, The Raptor said:

All this is making me want to go back to Iceland. I was half way along the south coast on a bus when 9/11 happened. Driver put the radio on but I didn't quite believe what was being translated back to me until we got to where we were staying and saw the pictures....

I shudder to think how much things cost there now. The cheapest pint was £5 then!

It's still on the revisit list tho. The problem is so are a lot of other places and I only have a finite amount of time/money!

I don't get around as many bars as I used to....

My local has happy hour from 4-7pm and beer is about £5.30. Unhappy hours it is £8.50. I think there are a few bars a bit cheaper, though 

That's for 500ml rather than an actual pint 

[kick it off 1,952]

So now had to time to decompress from Iceland, my overlying take is still the same. I'd go again happily but never in February! Would need to really look at it and assess the best time of year to go.

For the record, waterfalls were spectacular, geyser at Strokkur impressive, thingvellir was really cool, although as someone who dives, I'd like to check out lake Silfra and dive between the tectonic plates too if I went back. Icelandic people not what I expected, much friendlier and warmer than I anticipated.

Worth a trip to see it, although be aware that it's a lot of sitting around on a coach. Probably fine if you're with loved ones but trickier when it's 40 15 year olds accompanying you.

Now starting to look ahead to summer and what that entails. Got a week in Devon booked in already for mum's 60th, just got to organise some kind of relatively cheap, hot, beach holiday with the kids (aged 2 and 6, recommendations of kid friendly destinations welcome, preferably europe and not too much of a flight) and if finances allow, maybe a trip to Egypt with the missus to see the coral reefs again before we destroy them all through climate change.

[Midlands Yellow 3,995]

On 14/02/2023 at 09:02, kick it off said:

So now had to time to decompress from Iceland, my overlying take is still the same. I'd go again happily but never in February! Would need to really look at it and assess the best time of year to go.

For the record, waterfalls were spectacular, geyser at Strokkur impressive, thingvellir was really cool, although as someone who dives, I'd like to check out lake Silfra and dive between the tectonic plates too if I went back. Icelandic people not what I expected, much friendlier and warmer than I anticipated.

Worth a trip to see it, although be aware that it's a lot of sitting around on a coach. Probably fine if you're with loved ones but trickier when it's 40 15 year olds accompanying you.

Now starting to look ahead to summer and what that entails. Got a week in Devon booked in already for mum's 60th, just got to organise some kind of relatively cheap, hot, beach holiday with the kids (aged 2 and 6, recommendations of kid friendly destinations welcome, preferably europe and not too much of a flight) and if finances allow, maybe a trip to Egypt with the missus to see the coral reefs again before we destroy them all through climate change.

Tossa de Mar is a little gem of a resort for a family holiday. Under an hour away from Barcelona airport. 

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,189]

I realise that there is probably nobody here that this impacts but I have to advise against travel to Iceland

There are currently 2000 Efling union members on strike which is having a, so far, small impact on hotels and fuel supplies in the south west. The impact is likely to worsen in the coming days

Then next Thursday, we face a  very strange situation. The employers have voted to place all other Efling members under a work ban. That's around 18000 people who are not striking, but will not be allowed to work. This work ban is intended as a tool to put pressure on Efling union to stop the strike. Should it actually go ahead, it will be devastating for tourists and locals alike 

I don't usually do this, but I am contacting UK media (bbc, sky, guardian & independent so far) to try and break this story to warn travellers.

I get that a labour dispute in Iceland is less interesting than watching grass grow to the average UK audience, but given the impact on travellers and the potential crazy employer initiated work ban, I'm giving it a go anyway 

[canarydan23 4,060]

On 14/02/2023 at 09:02, kick it off said:

So now had to time to decompress from Iceland, my overlying take is still the same. I'd go again happily but never in February! Would need to really look at it and assess the best time of year to go.

For the record, waterfalls were spectacular, geyser at Strokkur impressive, thingvellir was really cool, although as someone who dives, I'd like to check out lake Silfra and dive between the tectonic plates too if I went back. Icelandic people not what I expected, much friendlier and warmer than I anticipated.

Worth a trip to see it, although be aware that it's a lot of sitting around on a coach. Probably fine if you're with loved ones but trickier when it's 40 15 year olds accompanying you.

Now starting to look ahead to summer and what that entails. Got a week in Devon booked in already for mum's 60th, just got to organise some kind of relatively cheap, hot, beach holiday with the kids (aged 2 and 6, recommendations of kid friendly destinations welcome, preferably europe and not too much of a flight) and if finances allow, maybe a trip to Egypt with the missus to see the coral reefs again before we destroy them all through climate change.

North of Ibiza is great for families. Away from the hubbub, it has a Greek island feel to it, and where we stayed, Portinatx, the sea stayed shallow for miles, so very child friendly. We had a week there when my eldest two were 4 and 1.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Getting myself in shape for Prague and its famously fast course at the end of March/start of April, and Miss TGS is particularly keen on going through the national museum (and she's driving from her home in eastern Germany to join me in the Czech capital). Both of us are wondering about day trips and yeah, I might ask what she thinks about visiting the old ghetto in Theresienstadt...

Edited February 24, 2023 by TheGunnShow

[canarydan23 4,060]

Well, you can keep your cultured excursions, this year I'm going to Disney World.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

34 minutes ago, canarydan23 said:

Well, you can keep your cultured excursions, this year I'm going to Disney World.

Was looking at going to Karlovy Vary for a day trip, but it's four hours in the train (there and back) in a day. Probably more than enough in Prague bearing in mind we're there for three days, and one of them's gonna be spent banging 13 miles out at something resembling a pace.

That said, my hotel's smack in the heart of the Old Town so we can readily do some local sightseeing straight after. Besides, I know full well I adore Dresden, so I don't see any reason why Prague won't be similar.

[Aggy 755]

3 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

Getting myself in shape for Prague and its famously fast course at the end of March/start of April, and Miss TGS is particularly keen on going through the national museum (and she's driving from her home in eastern Germany to join me in the Czech capital). Both of us are wondering about day trips and yeah, I might ask what she thinks about visiting the old ghetto in Theresienstadt...

I went to Prague on a 6th form history trip, and we did a trip out to Lidice - if you’re interested in WW2 era history then worth a trip from what I remember (and I’d guess the exhibits etc have probably been improved in the 15 or so years since then). Although if you’re only there three days then perhaps not. 

(We had a coach but it looks like it’s only a 50 minute metro ride from the centre.)

I can’t really remember much about Prague itself if I’m honest.

Edited February 24, 2023 by Aggy

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

A few shots of Prague when Miss TGS and myself went over last Thursday for a weekend. She took the shots. Had to plonk one of our hotel room in-it was as if the Czech Laura Ashley had let rip on the interior design in a traditional old building in Mala Strana.

We'll definitely go back and to the same hotel too, called the Boutique Hotel Constans.

Roll on Riga next month, and Torshavn (for the third time) in two.

 

Edited April 6, 2023 by TheGunnShow

[Nuff Said 5,146]

On 04/02/2023 at 16:45, Aggy said:

Sicily on my shortlist this year. We did three city breaks in Paris, Vienna and Budapest towards the end of last year so fancy somewhere a bit more beach-y (but with plenty of history as well for me!). Fairly close by Malta another on the list.

We did Sicily once. Air Italia lost our luggage on the way there, and on the way back (the morals being fly direct if you can and avoid Air Italia). It is without doubt the worst place I have ever driven, if you’re not confident the locals will eat you alive on the road (and I have driven in many countries in Europe and elsewhere).
 

And the Sicilians were the most unfriendly bunch I’ve had the misfortune to encounter. I suspect it’s a cultural thing, and they’re probably fine once you get to know them, but they don’t make eye contact, don’t want to talk to strangers and generally act as if you’re an inconvenience. I may have been spoilt by many years spent holidaying in Crete where the Cretans value hospitality above all. We did have one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten though, turned up on spec at a restaurant recommended by the owner of the place we were staying and left hours and about 10 - vegetarian - courses cooked on the spot later.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Riga in three days with Miss TGS. I have mentioned her a fair few times so here's a Prague shot from outside the Czech National Museum, looking away from it.

 

[FenwayFrank 2,459]

Blimey, you’re punching ! 😂

[PurpleCanary 5,562]

Some random travel suggestions/memories.

Australia. Broken Hill in the “accessible Outback”. A (former) mining town but great for art, with a “living desert” open air sculpture park a short bicycle ride up the road going north. The best way to arrive – at 6am from a sleeping compartment on the Indian Pacific.

The Mereenie Loop Road (4WD and permit required) from Alice Springs to Uluru. Along the way Glen Helen Lodge and the ancient red-rock enclosed Finke River, the former Lutheran first-nations mission at Hermannsburg, and King’s Canyon. As well as Uluru Kata Tjuta is close enough.

Crete. Knossos of course and the Samaria Gorge, but then down to Hora Sfakion and the less touristy south and east coasts.

Montenegro. Yes, getting touristy but inland still a sense of what the Balkans is supposed to have been like not that long ago – hidden, mysterious and rather dangerous.

Budapest. Still buildings pock-marked by war and uprising, and its history marked by the statues on display and those now nowhere to be seen.

Slovakia. The unspoilt north-east corner, with Bardejov a gem of a medieval town.  For art fanatics the one-horse village of Mikova, from where Andy Warhol’s father emigrated to the US, and nearby Medzilaborce, with a museum honouring the son. The road to the Dukla Pass, scene of a vicious WW2 battle unknown in the west, with tableaux morts of Soviet tanks crushing Panzers, and heart-breaking war memorials to young fighter pilots.

Romania. Dracula-infested Sighisoara, with wooden churches, and the Danube delta with a boat trip to Sulina – one of those rare towns accessible only by water.

Scotland. The Outer Hebrides. A trek to get there, but then blissful emptiness. Harris, Barra, and the beaches of Great Bernera, with the New World the next stop across the Atlantic.

Madeira. The way to escape the busyness is by way of walks in the interior on the footpaths along the levada water courses.

Tunisia. The medina and the great mosque at Kairouan, the Tozeur oasis, various Star Wars locations, for serious aficionados, and the island of Djerba, believed by some to be the origin of the Homeric legend of the lotus eaters.

Morocco. The old centre of Marrakesh, and the road over the Atlas Mountains to Ouarzazate and onto to Zagora, on the edge of the desert, with the sign that it takes 52 days by camel to fabled Timbuktu.

[sonyc 5,526]

1 hour ago, PurpleCanary said:

Some random travel suggestions/memories.

Australia. Broken Hill in the “accessible Outback”. A (former) mining town but great for art, with a “living desert” open air sculpture park a short bicycle ride up the road going north. The best way to arrive – at 6am from a sleeping compartment on the Indian Pacific.

The Mereenie Loop Road (4WD and permit required) from Alice Springs to Uluru. Along the way Glen Helen Lodge and the ancient red-rock enclosed Finke River, the former Lutheran first-nations mission at Hermannsburg, and King’s Canyon. As well as Uluru Kata Tjuta is close enough.

Crete. Knossos of course and the Samaria Gorge, but then down to Hora Sfakion and the less touristy south and east coasts.

Montenegro. Yes, getting touristy but inland still a sense of what the Balkans is supposed to have been like not that long ago – hidden, mysterious and rather dangerous.

Budapest. Still buildings pock-marked by war and uprising, and its history marked by the statues on display and those now nowhere to be seen.

Slovakia. The unspoilt north-east corner, with Bardejov a gem of a medieval town.  For art fanatics the one-horse village of Mikova, from where Andy Warhol’s father emigrated to the US, and nearby Medzilaborce, with a museum honouring the son. The road to the Dukla Pass, scene of a vicious WW2 battle unknown in the west, with tableaux morts of Soviet tanks crushing Panzers, and heart-breaking war memorials to young fighter pilots.

Romania. Dracula-infested Sighisoara, with wooden churches, and the Danube delta with a boat trip to Sulina – one of those rare towns accessible only by water.

Scotland. The Outer Hebrides. A trek to get there, but then blissful emptiness. Harris, Barra, and the beaches of Great Bernera, with the New World the next stop across the Atlantic.

Madeira. The way to escape the busyness is by way of walks in the interior on the footpaths along the levada water courses.

Tunisia. The medina and the great mosque at Kairouan, the Tozeur oasis, various Star Wars locations, for serious aficionados, and the island of Djerba, believed by some to be the origin of the Homeric legend of the lotus eaters.

Morocco. The old centre of Marrakesh, and the road over the Atlas Mountains to Ouarzazate and onto to Zagora, on the edge of the desert, with the sign that it takes 52 days by camel to fabled Timbuktu.

Barra (and the whole of the outer Hebrides) is beautiful. Unspoilt heaven and time feel like it stops still. Quite a thing for a holiday to achieve. Also, Budapest is a favourite place including the old town (and Monuments Park) which almost involves a journey through time to get to it - a bus trip up the hill then a change onto a train (through a 1960s Soviet tunnel out into a modern train station). I like the fact that they've kept the statues and there is a ramshackled museum but with a moving video of Hungarian political struggles. I do love former 'Soviet' cities I must admit and most of central Europe for that reason. In Warsaw that presence still feels alive.

I would love to go to Tunisia and Morocco but just worry now that they are safe. Maybe they might be now.

A favourite area for me is the whole of the south of France and the Romanesque architecture and the greenness of New Aquitaine. Tree covered roads, lazy summery days and 1970s French music. Heaven🙂