Christmas with a Difference – Love it or Loathe it.
Christmas will come around every year and you either love it or loathe it. The hype of Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year. Christmas lights go up at the beginning of November. The TV advertisements tell us we are failures if we do not have the big family table groaning with food, with all […]…
Cascais
We visited this popular seaside resort on the Portuguese Riviera via a train from Rossio station in Lisbon. It is a wealthy community originating from when the King of Portugal made his summer residence there in the 1870’s. Also, due to its neutrality in World War II and the town’s elegance, Cascais became home to […]…
In search of the Northern Lights in Norway
Silver Traveller Alan cruised to Norway and the Arctic Circle in search of the Northern Lights and discovered small coastal towns and villages, mountains covered in snow and frozen waterfalls, but did he see the lights…?…
Travelodge in Crawley was ideal overnight stay for early flight from Gatwick
Travelodge, Pegler Way, Crawley This is a very short review as I didn’t take any photos, we had no time for breakfast and had already eaten before we arrived there in the evening – basically all we did was sleep for a few hours, make a cup of tea, shower, get dressed and leave for […]…
So much to see on the tiny island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice
When we were at the top of the San Giorgio Maggiore campanile (see my recent review) we could see down below a delightful garden and green space, a magnificent maze, a restaurant garden and old monastery buildings that I knew as the Cini Foundation, having once been to an art exhibition there. The Cini Foundation […]…
A different type of cruise
A short cruise to try out Virgin Voyages, a real mix of age groups, we 60plusers did not feel out of place. I loved the concept of no main dining room, but the variety of smaller restaurants each with there own vibe. Drinks on board where reasonable, food quality good. As this was a short […]…
Evening meals at Monterey hotel
The evening meals were wonderful. Every day we had a choice of meals, always freshly cooked and well presented….
Baixa de Lisboa
The central area of Lisbon is Baixa. It is also the finest part with a mix of traditional Portuguese culture, places to socialise and shop with some magnificent historic buildings. Our hotel was located in this quarter, so it was easy to walk around and experience so much. Having said that – it also has […]…
Sintra
Sintra is one of the most popular tourist places in Portugal and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Amidst the forests and hills are some amazing buildings such as the Palacio de Monserrate, Quinta da Regaleira and the Palacio da Pena. The town itself used to be a summer reteat for the Portuguese royalty and […]…
Glorious views from the top of S. Giorgio Maggiore Campanile
THE ISLAND OF SAN GIORGIO MAGGIORE – The Church and Campanile The impressive white facade of San Giorgio Maggiore church can be seen across the water from St Mark’s and tempts tourists to hop on a vaporetto (No. 2 service clockwise) to see what’s inside, just one stop away. The church is late 16th century […]…
Christmas Markets of the Rhine cruise on Amadeus Riva
Lesley Bellew joins Great Railway Journeys’ Christmas Markets of the Rhine cruise on Amadeus Riva – and finds it’s just the ticket to get into the festive mood…
Down the beautiful Rhine
Ahhh – to be collected form home and driven to Heathrow is THE way to start your holiday! This was our 2nd trip with Saga and we LOVE their service. A very interesting mix of passengers, all about our age.. so much in common. Great river stops, wonderful food, brilliant cabin. ALL you need to […]…
