A travelling/holiday thread

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

1 hour ago, sonyc said:

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🙂

That presence still feels alive in Warsaw because the architecture is so wonderfully scrambled and I think it's a pretty agreeable mix of old and new. Warsaw's got a reputation as a pretty ugly place and I'll certainly grant that the eastern side of the Vistula will never win any awards (but there's definitely some gentrification going on around Port Praski and the Praga districts), but Warsaw's Old Town can compare with any of them, especially when you consider the extent to which it was destroyed in World War Two and how deft the resulting restoration was.

Yet the financial district and all its skyscrapers (people forget that Warsaw's got loads of those) are probably less than a mile from the Old Town, and when you get to Plac Pilsudski and then Palac Kultury then that area is pretty "Soviet" in style.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Came back from Riga early this evening. Another very enjoyable three-day weekend with Miss TGS just wandering around the Old Town (Vecriga), sampling some local cuisine (more in her case than mine as she's the more adventurous eater) and doing the Riga half-marathon.

And this amusing sight greeted us next to the Russian embassy as some Latvians decided a bit of trolling - or indeed just Putin the boot in - was in order.

If you like Art Nouveau (more precisely Jugendstil) architecture then Riga's splendid. I'd say the German, Russian AND Scandinavian influence is pretty clearly evident, and if anything really stood out it was how little litter there was in the Old Town.

And if anyone is considering going there, then if you don't mind self-catering, the Revelton Suites come very highly recommended.

Edited May 8, 2023 by TheGunnShow

[PurpleCanary 5,563]

On 04/05/2023 at 19:07, sonyc said:

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🙂

Sonyc, a valid fear shared by me. And now four people killed in a attack on a synagogue on Djerba.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Lobbing in a few from Riga, I think it was @dylanisabaddog who explicitly requested it on another thread. Shots all taken by Miss TGS.

First shot, our suite (number 6) at the Revelton Suites. Consider it a VERY warm recommendation (reception is done via WhatsApp). Second shot is the House of the Blackheads, fully restored in 1999 after being destroyed in WW2 and initially built in the 14th century, I believe. Third shot is one of the squares, name escapes me. Four is a statue I got mixed up as it's not the Brivibas (Freedom) Monument, and five is a wonderful road of Jugendstil buildings.
 

Edited May 10, 2023 by TheGunnShow
Wrongly captioned number 4.

[dylanisabaddog 4,933]

22 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Lobbing in a few from Riga, I think it was @dylanisabaddog who explicitly requested it on another thread. Shots all taken by Miss TGS.

First shot, our suite (number 6) at the Revelton Suites. Consider it a VERY warm recommendation (reception is done via WhatsApp). Second shot is the House of the Blackheads, fully restored in 1999 after being destroyed in WW2 and initially built in the 14th century, I believe. Third shot is one of the squares, name escapes me. Four is a statue I got mixed up as it's not the Brivibas (Freedom) Monument, and five is a wonderful road of Jugendstil buildings.
 

That looks wonderful thank you. Every time I see a photo of a European square I wonder what it would be like if Norwich moved its market (shut St Stephens altogether?) It could be an extraordinary space. 

If there is anyone else like me with a peculiar love of town squares, go to Sienna in Italy. It's the best in Europe and if you're really very very sad like me you can go in the Town Hall and see the world's oldest example of double entry bookkeeping. 

Edited May 10, 2023 by dylanisabaddog

[canarydan23 4,060]

On 10/05/2023 at 17:32, dylanisabaddog said:

That looks wonderful thank you. Every time I see a photo of a European square I wonder what it would be like if Norwich moved its market (shut St Stephens altogether?) It could be an extraordinary space. 

If there is anyone else like me with a peculiar love of town squares, go to Sienna in Italy. It's the best in Europe and if you're really very very sad like me you can go in the Town Hall and see the world's oldest example of double entry bookkeeping. 

There's a decent square in Thessalonki, Greece. Aristotle Square if memory serves, not sure it fits your criteria as it's only bordered three sides by buildings and one by sea. Had a lovely souvlaki wrap there on my honeymoon. 

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

On 10/05/2023 at 09:42, PurpleCanary said:

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

Have been to both many times in last 30 years, never a hint of trouble  in either. Though we did watch two boatbuilders going at  each other...full on fist fight on Essourira docks, two cops  stood watching , peering around the prow of a boat.  My wife joked that when it was over , they'd arrest the loser😁. Also we were in a Cafe in Marrakech two weeks before it was blown to smithereens..... but then again People used Borough Market in the days leading up to that looneys  attack..... you can't legislate for loonies. Would have no hesitation going back to either country...after all most people are killed or injured by someone they know...not a stranger....worth remembering that. Non radicalised Muslims are are normal decent people, very kind, respectful  and eager to  help in any way they can.

Don't believe the Hype. 

Edited May 14, 2023 by wcorkcanary

[PurpleCanary 5,563]

9 minutes ago, wcorkcanary said:

Have been to both many times in last 30 years, never a hint of trouble  in either. Though we did watch two boatbuilders going at  each other...full on fist fight on Essourira docks, two cops  stood watching , peering around the prow of a boat.  My wife joked that when it was over , they'd arrest the loser😁. Also we were in a Cafe in Marrakech two weeks before it was blown to smithereens..... but then again People used Borough Market in the days leading up to that looneys  attack..... you can't legislate for loonies. Would have no hesitation going back to either country...after all most people are killed or injured by someone they know...not a stranger....worth remembering that. Non radicalised Muslims are are normal decent people, very kind, respectful  and eager to  help in any way they can.

Don't believe the Hype. 

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

That quote was from sonyc, not me, although I then posted to say I understood the sentiment.

[sonyc 5,529]

23 minutes ago, PurpleCanary said:

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

That quote was from sonyc, not me, although I then posted to say I understood the sentiment.

Yes, it was me. And my statement above was 100% intelligible. I had a worry but also wondered (i.e. could be considered a definition of an open mind) if the places were safe now. At no point had I considered legislating for loonies nor had I even intimated that non radicalised Muslims were not normal decent people. I have after all spent an entire career happily working alongside many such decent people. 

 

Ps. first time I guess of being the subject of an implied racism. And false identity for you too.

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

6 hours ago, sonyc said:

Yes, it was me. And my statement above was 100% intelligible. I had a worry but also wondered (i.e. could be considered a definition of an open mind) if the places were safe now. At no point had I considered legislating for loonies nor had I even intimated that non radicalised Muslims were not normal decent people. I have after all spent an entire career happily working alongside many such decent people. 

 

Ps. first time I guess of being the subject of an implied racism. And false identity for you too.

Jaysus lads , i apologise for the misquote, but the rest remains true, your only danger IS loonies. No implied racism , no one can deny its radicalised Muslims that have caused explosions etc.  Your everyday Moroccan or Tunisian  is no threat , so why the concern? They've been safe for years barring isolated incidents, which as i pointed out, can happen anywhere. 

[The Raptor 1,211]

The Tunisian desert is on my list of places to visit because they films star wars there. I'm not a fan of the heat and I don't really like sand but STAR WARS!!

 

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

1 hour ago, The Raptor said:

The Tunisian desert is on my list of places to visit because they films star wars there. I'm not a fan of the heat and I don't really like sand but STAR 

.Go in Dec-March it wont be that hot at all, you  may well need a jumper/ fleece in the evening . One time in April it was too cold to swim in the sea.  

[The Raptor 1,211]

Cheers for the advice wcork

[canarydan23 4,060]

I'm about to win this thread.

I've going to Haven in Hopton.

[canarydan23 4,060]

14 hours ago, The Raptor said:

The Tunisian desert is on my list of places to visit because they films star wars there. I'm not a fan of the heat and I don't really like sand but STAR WARS!!

 

I went to Tunisia years ago and visited Luke Skywalker's house and had lunch in his dining room bit. The Berbers still live in places like just like  that and I visited a genuine Berber home. No running water or sewage, but they had satellite TV!

[Sheva 123]

3 weeks in Adelaide this Nov/Dec for cycling competition.

Never been before, although lived in NSW as a kid for a bit. Looking forward to seeing the country again. Great time of year to get away too.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

4 hours ago, canarydan23 said:

I'm about to win this thread.

I've going to Haven in Hopton.

Off to the Faroes for the third time on June 2nd. Trying to get a boat tour in to the island of Mykines (Miss TGS is a real bird fan, and adores puffins) and have sent an email out to that effect. Might even do it ourselves and bus it to Sorvagur, but let's see what this operator has to say.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

18 hours ago, wcorkcanary said:

Jaysus lads , i apologise for the misquote, but the rest remains true, your only danger IS loonies. No implied racism , no one can deny its radicalised Muslims that have caused explosions etc.  Your everyday Moroccan or Tunisian  is no threat , so why the concern? They've been safe for years barring isolated incidents, which as i pointed out, can happen anywhere. 

Yep. It's always just the radical nutters.

Prime example, I went on placement at university to a border town called Guben as part of learning German. A pretty horrible incident took place called the Gubener Hetzjagd where an asylum seeker got chased through the town, jumped through a glass door into an apartment block to look for safety and he bled to death.

A former German teacher friend of mine, who was very active with the old Goethe Institut office in Manchester before it closed, was told by an expert that the distrust of foreigners in that part of Germany was severe with ALL foreigners, not just darker skin. So, she sent me a postcard urging me to watch out. This was very early in my placement - within the first month, and I discussed it with the HR boss. He said that it wasn't remotely at all foreigners and that it literally was a handful of cretins.

I never had a problem. Granted, I'm white and spoke good German at that point anyway, so I was reasonably well integrated, but I never had a problem.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Just come back this evening from the Faroes with Miss TGS. The half-marathon resulted in pulling out with hamstring issues (maybe chasing puffins on the hilly tracks of Mykines the day before wasn't a good idea after all) but considering that Miss TGS has said she usually loves warm climates and needed a fair bit of persuading to try the cooler Scandinavian air, we can safely say she's converted to the scenic charms of the Faroes.

I think Miss TGS had about 200 shots of puffins on her mobile phone. This was taken on the westernmost island of Mykines.


As opposed to this one where she shot loads at once, likewise in Mykines. I think that might need a rephrase but can't quite put my finger on it.



A nice view down by the quayside in Torshavn where the race started this year.


Two days after Mykines, we hired a car and just let fly around the north-east. This is a view of the coast from the northernmost village in the whole archipelago, namely Vidareidi.


Could throw a lot more shots in, but this is the last one, namely the village of Gjogv.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Out in Germany now in Miss TGS's home region. Today was the day I celebrated my 43rd resolution around the sun, so she had plans involving boats and one of Germany's largest reservoirs, the Hohenwarte-Staussee.

And she had the brilliant idea of getting a local baker to bake half a Sachertorte for my birthday. Fortunately we have numbers as candles now, otherwise we'd have needed a godd-amn fire extinguisher. Or a seriously big blo*job.

Edited July 2, 2023 by TheGunnShow
Wait. That act is censored?? Well, that sucks. And blows.

[FenwayFrank 2,459]

On 06/06/2023 at 20:54, TheGunnShow said:

Just come back this evening from the Faroes with Miss TGS. The half-marathon resulted in pulling out with hamstring issues

Well there's an excuse I haven't heard before 😀

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

1 hour ago, FenwayFrank said:

Well there's an excuse I haven't heard before 😀

My fault for borrowing one of Lukas Rupp's. 😉 

[PurpleCanary 5,563]

1 hour ago, TheGunnShow said:

Out in Germany now in Miss TGS's home region. Today was the day I celebrated my 43rd resolution around the sun, so she had plans involving boats and one of Germany's largest reservoirs, the Hohenwarte-Staussee.

And she had the brilliant idea of getting a local baker to bake half a Sachertorte for my birthday. Fortunately we have numbers as candles now, otherwise we'd have needed a godd-amn fire extinguisher. Or a seriously big blo*job.

The last time I went boating (row-boating in this case) on a German lake ("zwei stunden bitte") was a day or two before we beat Bayern Munich...🤩

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

15 hours ago, PurpleCanary said:

The last time I went boating (row-boating in this case) on a German lake ("zwei stunden bitte") was a day or two before we beat Bayern Munich...🤩

Was that close by at the Olympiapark or did you go to some of the famous lakes further south, like the Starnberger See or the Chiemsee?

I do have friends in Munich I haven't seen for years mainly as I tend to wander east rather than south, and the only time I was down south, in Lindau, they weren't around when I was....

[PurpleCanary 5,563]

20 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Was that close by at the Olympiapark or did you go to some of the famous lakes further south, like the Starnberger See or the Chiemsee?

I do have friends in Munich I haven't seen for years mainly as I tend to wander east rather than south, and the only time I was down south, in Lindau, they weren't around when I was....

It was in the countryside some way south of Munich. May well have been one of those lakes you mention. I had turned the thing into a a proper holiday.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

1 hour ago, PurpleCanary said:

It was in the countryside some way south of Munich. May well have been one of those lakes you mention. I had turned the thing into a a proper holiday.

If you like that sort of paddling/boating and end up in Berlin, then the Spreewald is a very warm recommendation to spend a day. Been there several times, indeed I lived near there as part of my university studies, and absolutely adore the place. Don't book hotels there though, they're very expensive as this is a place where Germans go for their jollies in their droves. You're better taking a one-and-a-half hour train ride from Berlin to Lübbenau, or taking the bus from Cottbus to Burg im Spreewald.

June/July is generally worth avoiding for the same reason. It was different there in 2020 when we were vacillating between lockdowns and not, but I managed to skip over there just in time for my 40th and go on a nice long boat tour of the place.

I will say that Lehde is an absolute must-see (this photo was taken back in April 2014).

Edited July 3, 2023 by TheGunnShow

[PurpleCanary 5,563]

4 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

If you like that sort of paddling/boating and end up in Berlin, then the Spreewald is a very warm recommendation to spend a day. Been there several times, indeed I lived near there as part of my university studies, and absolutely adore the place. Don't book hotels there though, they're very expensive as this is a place where Germans go for their jollies in their droves. You're better taking a one-and-a-half hour train ride from Berlin to Lübbenau, or taking the bus from Cottbus to Burg im Spreewald.

June/July is generally worth avoiding for the same reason. It was different there in 2020 when we were vacillating between lockdowns and not, but I managed to skip over there just in time for my 40th and go on a nice long boat tour of the place.

I will say that Lehde is an absolute must-see (this photo was taken back in April 2014).

Thanks, it was nearly 30 years ago and I am probably a bit old now for propelling myself! But I do like boat trips. And trains whenever possible. Truthfully not just because it is less harmful to the planet but budget airline flying is so tedious and to be avoided whenever possible. I see that night sleepers are coming back. I used such twice in Oz, and I am looking at that as a way of getting to Istanbul this year or next.

[Aggy 755]

1 hour ago, PurpleCanary said:

Thanks, it was nearly 30 years ago and I am probably a bit old now for propelling myself! But I do like boat trips. And trains whenever possible. Truthfully not just because it is less harmful to the planet but budget airline flying is so tedious and to be avoided whenever possible. I see that night sleepers are coming back. I used such twice in Oz, and I am looking at that as a way of getting to Istanbul this year or next.

(Assuming night sleepers refers to trains??) Would love to do an old school Orient Express trip to Istanbul and back. 

I’m possibly looking at Istanbul fairly last minute maybe September or October this year - a place I’ve always wanted to go.

[Herman 9,780]

1 minute ago, Aggy said:

(Assuming night sleepers refers to trains??) Would love to do an old school Orient Express trip to Istanbul and back. 

I’m possibly looking at Istanbul fairly last minute maybe September or October this year - a place I’ve always wanted to go.

It's a great city, you'll love it.

[Aggy 755]

6 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

Was that close by at the Olympiapark or did you go to some of the famous lakes further south, like the Starnberger See or the Chiemsee?

I do have friends in Munich I haven't seen for years mainly as I tend to wander east rather than south, and the only time I was down south, in Lindau, they weren't around when I was....

Lots of beautiful lakes down there - I have friends in Munich, Kaufbeuren, and Augsburg, who I used to visit most summers for a good few years when younger - lots of swimming (badly on my part) and hiking (not much better). Never got across to Lake Constance though.