FORTY YEARS OF TRAVEL

GRAPE PICKING IN FRANCE

I woke up this morning and I realised that it is almost exactly forty years since I first travelled abroad! Unfortunately, for that journey I did not keep a journal, therefore, I have never written an account of my trip.

I was just 16 years old and had only ever had one holiday in my entire life. That one and only holiday had been on the Norfolk Broads in the UK, a mere 70 miles from where I lived.

For my first trip abroad I was travelling to Epernay in the Champagne region of France to pick grapes for two weeks. I was travelling with my best friend Derek, at 21 years old he was the one who had organised our trip, applying, through an agent, for the position of fruit picker. I had to lie about my age as applicants were supposed to be at least 18 years old.

We travelled by train and ferry via Dover, Calais and Paris. The owner of the vineyard picked us up at the train station at Epernay to drive us the final few miles to Champagne Jardin, our home for the next two weeks.

It was hard work, and not very pleasant when having to work in all weathers, but the harvest had to be got in on time. The pay was good for me, as a recent school leaver, working in the horticultural trade, I was only earning 35p an hour. Picking grapes I was earning the equivalent to about 50p an hour. The food was excellent and we had wine with every evening meal. We slept in a dormitory and the experience was, on the whole, a good one.

When we had finished grape picking, Derek and I joined some other travellers making their way to Spain. Sadly, due to lack of experience and money, we only got as far as Nevers in central France before we gave up trying to thumb a lift to Spain. Instead we caught the train back to Paris and returned home, tired and in need of a bath, but satisfied at our achievements.

This was a great first experience of travel for me, it had given me an appetite for travel and the following year I returned to France and finally made it to Spain. In the intervening years I have travelled as much as I can, visiting large areas of Europe, a little of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, North America and Canada. I can pack my bag and be ready to go at the drop of a hat, any excuse!

It is only in the last few years that I have turned my hand to writing about my travels, I have by no means covered all of my adventures, there is more to come. Hopefully readers of this blog enjoy reading my travel reviews and will return to read more reviews as they are posted. Please do leave comments if you find anything of interest or of help in your own travel arrangements.

Here's to the next forty years!

SAGA PEARL ll

(EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE OVER 50s)

 

 

Passing the towering cranes of Felixstowe container port, Saga Pearl ll gracefully eased her way into the port of Harwich. In the glistening May sunshine this small, but elegant, cruise ship looked every inch the epitome of luxury, very much resembling a modern yacht in her blue and white livery. I watched from a vantage point along the roadside, a mile from the port, as the ship made her way towards the cruise terminal. Having watched her arrive. I made my own way, by car, to the terminal in order to board.

At the cruise terminal, passengers mingled with crew members, all waiting to board. There was an air of excitement about the place as old friends met, and new friendships began to form. Many of the entertainment staff, waiting to board, were youngsters in their late teens/early twenties, some of them embarking on their very first cruise. The entire terminal building buzzed with excited chatter, and the feeling of anticipation was almost palpable.

 

 

I boarded the ship at 3.30pm, having had my passport checked and gone through the usual security checks. My first impression was very favourable, cheerful staff greeted me as I stepped aboard and made my way towards the reception area. At only 18,591 tons, Saga Pearl ll is a small ship. This, of course, is reflected in the communal areas, but, although smaller than most, the reception area was bright and welcoming and served its purpose well. The main reception desk also served as a Bureau de Change, there was also a tours desk for booking excursions at the ports of call.

As boarding had commenced later than usual, it was too late for lunch, however, afternoon tea was now being served in the Discovery Lounge. This sumptuous tea consisted of hot sausage rolls and fried scampi, an extensive range of sandwiches, rolls, and cakes, and of course the obligatory scones, jam and clotted cream. This magnificent spread was laid out buffet style for the passengers to either help themselves or be assisted by the ever helpful staff. Once seated, passengers were served tea and coffee by attentive waiting staff. 

 

 

 

Having indulged myself with the afternoon tea, I went to explore the ship. As one of the first people to board, I was in the enviable position of having both the time and the space necessary to really appreciate the facilities.

I decided to work my way from the lowest deck (C Deck) up through all seven decks to the Sun Deck. C Deck is home to the spa area,with its indoor fresh water swimming pool, gym, sauna, and treatment rooms. The spa area is open from 7am to 7pm, towels and gowns are provided and changing rooms are available. The Medical Centre is also situated on this deck.

 

 

 

 

Up one deck to B Deck. This is the first deck to accommodate passengers, with accommodation consisting of standard sized cabins. Located on this deck is the hair and beauty salon (open 8am to 7pm) and the Cinema. The cinema is fairly small, but I was informed that it seldom gets full, so plenty of space with comfortable seating for those passengers who want to take in a film during the cruise. The cinema is also used for keep fit classes.

 

 

 

 

Up another flight of stairs to A Deck. This is the deck on which I had boarded the ship, here you will find the reception area as well as more passenger accommodation. On this deck the cabins are a mix of standard and superior grades. The ship has a total of eight cabin grades, this gives passengers a wide variety of cabin style from which to choose, and a level of accommodation to suit all budgets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Promenade Deck is the entertainment hub of the ship, you will not find any cabins on this deck. At the front of the ship is the Discovery Lounge, home to a small stage on which the main entertainment takes place, this is also where I had my fabulous afternoon tea! Making my way from the Discovery Lounge towards the rear of the ship, I pass the ship's Shop and the Briefing Room. The Briefing Room is home to several computers which, although do not have general Internet access, are available to use for online newspapers and for photograph editing etc. There is free wifi on-board as well as computers with free internet access in the very well stocked Library. Just off of the Library is Shackleton's, a very classy, intimate cocktail/piano bar. Before I reached the Main Dining Room, I passed the Card Room, often a popular place for passengers on these smaller cruise ships. The Dining Room was very tastefully decorated and the tables elegantly laid out in readiness for this evenings meal. In this restaurant you have both fixed and open dining options and meals are waiter service. Occasional, intimate dining can be arranged in the small Chart and Ward rooms, situated either side of the main dining room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Boat Deck has only twenty cabins, these are the higher grade cabins and suites, twelve of which have balconies. On this deck you will also find the Verandah Restaurant (the second dining room). In this restaurant breakfast and lunch is self service but dinner in the evening is waiter service. From the restaurant there is access to the outside verandah area, which is home to the outdoor, salt water, swimming pool. 

 

 

 

 

Up another flight of steps to the Bridge Deck. Only seventeen cabins to be found on this deck, these are superior cabins and suites, including the Owners Suite, the ultimate in luxury! On this deck you will also find the Sundowners Bar, an intimate little bar, ideal for a quiet drink with friends. The bar opens out onto the sun deck and barbecue area.

 

 

 

 

The seventh and final deck is the Sun Deck, this is purely for pleasure with an area for sunbathing, as well as various games to play. There is a Short Tennis court, Shuffle Board, Table Tennis, and a Dart Board. During my exploration of the ship I have used the stairs to access all of the decks, but for those less mobile there are lifts available.

 

 

 

 

With all these amenities on-board, I am sure every passenger boarding today will have a wonderful time on this fifteen night cruise to the Northern Cape, Norway is beautiful at any time of year and what could be better than to view this magnificent country from the comfort and safety of this elegant and luxurious cruise ship?

 

A Few Facts & Figures:

The ship weighs in at 18,591 tons and has a twenty foot draught.

Total passenger capacity is 449 and total crew 252.

There are seven decks and eight cabin grades.

Two restaurants and three bars.

Two swimming pools, inside fresh water, outside salt water.

Cinema, Gym/Spa, Hair & Beauty Salon, Library, Shop, games facilities.

Refurbished in 2010

For more information visit: www.saga.co.uk/cruises  

Splendour of the Seas

CRUISE WITH ROYAL CARIBBEAN

It was a beautiful sunny July morning, and I was boarding Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines‘ Splendour of the Seas’ in Venice, surely life doesn’t get much better than this! ‘Splendour of the Seas’ at 70,000 tonnes is a medium sized ship which has a capacity of 2,076 guests, with a guest to crew ratio of three to one. The cruise that I was about to embark on was a six night cruise out of Venice calling at Athens, Mykonos and Split, I was in a standard inside cabin which turned out to be reasonably spacious with twin beds, two bedside cabinets, dressing table, television, soffa and coffee table, shower and WC, and plenty of wardrobe space.

Check -in at Venice had been remarkably quick and efficient, it helped that I had pre-registered on-line which saves time at check-in. I was onboard the ship by 11:30 but as the staterooms would not be ready until 13:00 I had a look around the ship before going to the ‘Windjammer’ for lunch at 12:00. The ‘Windjammer’ serves hot and cold food from self service food stations and the food is of a good quality, I got my food then sat facing  one of the windows, looking out towards Venice I could see  two other cruise ships in full view. The ’Legend of the Seas’ is the sister ship to ’Splendour of the Seas’ and the other cruise ship was the ’Poesia’ the newest ship from MSC.

After checking out my cabin and grabbing my swimwear I headed to the outdoor swimming pool and hot tubs, the perfect way to unwind after a long journey, I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing before returning to my cabin to change for dinner, I was on second sitting, so plenty of time for a pre-dinner cocktail or two in the ’Viking Crown Lounge’. The lounge is on the top deck with great panoramic views, it also doubles as the night club later in the evening.

Dinner was at 20:30 in the main dining room and was excellent, the service and food was of a very high standard, after dinner I went to the ’Top Hat’ lounge where a live band was playing.

The next day was a day at sea so a chance to relax and make use of the facilities. Even with the ship being full and having a day at sea (the time when everybody wants to use the facilities) it was still possible to find a space away from the crowds, I used the Spa steam room and sauna, which although not as extensive as many cruise lines was adequate and not too busy. I also swam in the indoor pool which is in the solarium with a sliding roof, enabling the pool to be used in all weather. this pool was never as busy as the outdoor pool and so ideal for getting away from the crowd.

That evening was spent investigating more of the bars onboard, having another excellent dinner and taking in one of the shows in the theatre which was of a very high standard.

The following morning we arrived at our first port of call, Piraeus (Athens). I walked to the train station from the port which took me about twenty minutes, there were local buses which would also take you there for 80 cents. I caught the train into Athens which again only cost 80 cents for a journey of about twenty minutes.

I spent some time just walking around the ’Agora’ and the little streets in that area, then I took the tourist ’road train’ which for 5 euros took us up to the ’Acropolis’ and around Athens. The total journey took about an hour, but you could choose to get on and off as often as you wished for the same price.

The cruise line does of course offer excursions at all its ports of call and for some, especially lone travellers or less independent people, would be worth taking up, but Athens is cheap and easy to get to from the port for those wishing to go it alone.

The third day of our cruise and our second port of call, Mykonos one of the Greek islands. I took the cruise lines shuttle bus from the port to the town which took about ten minutes. From where the bus dropped us off it was an easy walk into the main shopping area  where all the restaurants, bars and cafes were. Take care as you walk around as there are many scooters darting about the little streets, it seems to be the transport of choice for local tradesmen. I walked through the town past the many clothes shops which I was told by some fellow passengers were very expensive. I then proceeded on to view the Mykonos Windmills.

For those looking for a beach to chill out on, there is a large resort type beach in the north of the island.You would need transport to get to the beaches, local taxi being the safest bet, but it would probably pay to pre-book your return trip as if the taxis are in great demand you may have difficulty getting back to the ship on time, and if you are not on a ships excursion and you are late back, there is every chance the ship will sail without you. I spent the morning in Mykonos then spent the afternoon relaxing by the swimming pool, the weather had been fantastic throughout the cruise but it did mean that sometimes it was a little too hot to walk around exploring too much.

The fourth day of the cruise was another day at sea so even more time to relax and check out the ships facilities. I took advantage of a tour of the ships kitchens which was very interesting, the Head Chef showed us around a very large and spotlessly clean kitchen which was run very much like an assembly line with each person having a specific task to do.

The show that night was a string quartet, very talented musicians but also very entertaining with a lot of humour in their act. Later in the evening I met up with the quartet in the ’Viking Crown Lounge’ and we had a good old ’sing song’which went on into the early hours.

Day five and our third and final port of call, Split in Croatia. We anchored outside the port and used the Tenders to get ashore. Disembarking was easy and straightforward and it was just a short trip across the harbour to reach dry land. Once ashore it was an easy stroll into the town with it’s historic buildings, beautiful squares and vibrant market place. Today was probably the hottest day of the cruise and the sun was at times unbearable so it was refreshing to walk amongst the market stalls and make use of the shade they provided.

I spent about two and a half hours walking around Split and I was impressed with what it had to offer, it is a very beautiful area and I would very much like to return one day and spend a little more time there. That is one of the advantages of a cruise, you get to visit many places and it gives you an insight to whether you would enjoy spending more time there, if it is a place you are not particularly impressed with at least you are not stuck there for the entire holiday.

The rest of the cruise was spent relaxing and visiting any of the bars that I had so far not had time to check out, each bar would have some form of entertainment be it a pub quiz, a pianist, live band etc. All in all a most enjoyable cruise, the ports of call were all new to me, and I found them all interesting and very accessible, the ship was a lovely ship and a good size for finding your way around, the staff were very efficient and friendly and the food and entertainment was excellent.

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IBIS HOTEL

IBIS HOTEL, LONDON EXCEL

　

There are many reasons why people visit the docklands area of London, the proximity to London city centre (only 6km), with all the attractions of the capital city, being just one of them. There is, of course, the fascinating history behind this area, and the modern redevelopment which includes residential as well as commercial premises, and several very good restaurants and hotels.

 

The reason for my visit, on this occasion, was to visit the Telegraph Cruise Show which was being held at the London Excel. For those who don’t know, the London Excel is a huge exhibition centre situated between Custom House and Prince Regent DLR train stations. Within two minutes walk of either station, London Excel is easily accessible by train, as well as by road.

 

As I was visiting the cruise show over two days, I decided on an overnight stay on the Saturday night. My choice of the Ibis Hotel proved to be a very wise choice indeed. Situated, virtually, on the doorstep of the London Excel, the Ibis Hotel is approximately only 150 yards from the conference centre, just one to two minutes walk. The close proximity of the hotel would prove invaluable as it meant I could easily nip back to my hotel room during the course of the day, if I needed to.

 

On entering the hotel, I was struck by how bright and modern the reception area was. This modern style of hotel décor is not always to everyone’s taste, however, the Ibis, unlike many other modern, contemporary hotels, still manages to retain a warm and very welcoming atmosphere, and I for one found it very pleasing. The welcoming atmosphere was enhanced by the very efficient and friendly reception staff. Check in was quick and efficient and every care was taken to ensure that I was happy. As I had arrived early in the morning, long before check in would normally commence, I left my luggage in a secure area whilst I visited the cruise show.

 

On returning to the hotel, later in the afternoon, I was given my room key. The key took the form of an electronic swipe card, like so many hotel keys do nowadays. The card also operated the lifts from the reception area to all eight floors. This is a great security measure, as it means no one wandering in off the streets can gain access to the guests rooms.
 

My room was situated on the 7^th floor and overlooked the Royal Victoria docks. This elevated position afforded me wonderful views of not only the docks, but also the river Thames in the distance, as well as the O2 Arena and the recently constructed Emirates cable car attraction. All 278 rooms at the Ibis London Excel have similar facilities comprising of: WiFi, automatic wake up call, telephone, TV with pay to view channels, smoke alarm, en-suite shower, hair dryer, tea/coffee making facilities, desk, sofa and a stool. Where the rooms may differ is the bed configuration. You can choose from a double room with a queens size bed, a twin room with two single beds, or a family room with a double bed and a single bed. There are 15 rooms with facilities for guests with reduced mobility.

 

The room was perfectly acceptable, with everything that I would need for my stay. The hotel itself is not big on facilities, you won’t find a swimming pool or spa here! But this is not a resort type hotel and is aimed at the business visitor and those who merely want a clean, comfortable hotel to base themselves, whilst they visit the local area. The hotel does, however, have a very nice bar area adjacent to reception which is open from 11:00 to 01:00, and the breakfast dining area is used as the restaurant between 18:00 and 22:00, serving a good selection of reasonably priced international dishes. There is also a business area opposite reception where free Internet use is available on two computers.

 

The breakfast room/restaurant is in keeping with the décor of the rest of the hotel, modern, but tasteful. There is a combination of seating, from the more conventional table and chairs, to higher bench style tables with high stools. Breakfast is self service from a very impressive range of both hot and cold foods. Everything from the traditional full English to a more continental style breakfast is on offer, catering for all tastes. Tea, coffee, juices, yogurts, fresh fruit, cereals, it is all there to be enjoyed.

 

 

For anyone visiting the dockland area of London, and, in particular, London Excel, I highly recommend the ideally situated Ibis Hotel for a convenient, clean and comfortable stay.

Other information that may be of interest:

If not eating in the hotel restaurant, there are many fine restaurants within easy walking distance, ranging from Indian to Chinese, to Italian, as well as more traditional food. And of course London, with its plethora of eating establishments, is easily accessible.

Parking can be arranged at the Novotel hotel which is attached to the Ibis. The cost is £15 per day. Advance booking is recommended as space is limited to 70 places.

 

The current General Manager of Ibis London Excel is Mr Brian Opauka.

Address and contact details for Ibis London Excel are:

9 Western Gateway

Royal Victoria Dock
London E16 1AB
Tel: (+44) 207/0552300
Email: H3655@accor.com
Website: http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-3655-ibis-london-excel-docklands/index.shtml