Ali's Travel Tales

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2011-12-04T20:47:00.001Z

Barton Grange Garden Centre, Near Preston

Butlins Skegness September 2011

2011-09-18T16:49:00.000+01:00

I went to Butlins every year as child from being 6 years old to 16 years old. We went to Pwhelli for
the first year then Ayr in Scotland every year after than (both are now Haven Holiday camps).
I now have a family of my own with a little boy who is 2 (nearly 3) so as much as we love our sun holidays, feel that Butlins is more suitable and I hope he has as much fun as I did as a child. On this trip, we took my sister as well who has downs syndrome.

We have just come back from Skegness, where we did a Monday - Friday in a Silver apartment but with half board Premium Dining. We wanted an apartment rather than just a room so that we had a proper living room and Kitchen should we want to make snacks for lunch (as it happened we didn't need to). We went to Butlins last year also when my little boy was 1 and he didn't really join in as much and was terrified of the characters, but this year he had his picture taken with Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder and Thomas and the fat controller, he also loved the rides for under 5's in Bob's yard and the mini discos.
We made the mistake last year of going self catering and it cost us a fortune in food so decided that this year would be half board. We booked the premium dining option and our restaurant was the Yacht Club. The food was lovely and there was plenty of choice and the staff were polite and helpful. I have lisyted the below a diary of our week so you can see all the things available. Sometimes we found there were a couple of things on at the same time in different venues, so we struggled with that.

Monday - We arrived around 2.30pm at Butlins, and although you can check in then, the keys for accommodation are not activated until 4pm. Therefore we decided to have a wander around and went to the funfair. The main funfair has a couple of child rides, but it is mostly adult rides consisting of Dodgems, Mexican Hat, Umbrella and a few others. There is a family carousel, trampolines, jungle train but most children's rides (for under 5's) is in Bob's yard. There is quite a large soft play area in the arcade which has a baby bit, young children's and an area for older children too. Once we checked into our accommodation (silver apartment), we freshened up and headed to the Yacht Club for tea. (4pm-7pm). After tea, there are 2 under 5's disco's at Reds and Skyline Pavilion, which my little boy loved.
This was one of the nights that there were 2 shows on at the same time that we wanted to watch. One was a Tribute to Kylie Minogue and the other was an Abba Sing along. The Kylie show won so we headed
over to Reds to watch the show which was great.

Tuesday - Breakfast is served between 8am and 11am, so after breakfast we headed over to the Skyline Pavilion to watch the Little Big Club featuring Bob the Builder, Pingu among others. Then we went to Reds to watch the Loony Tunes Experience with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Tweetie Pie which my little boy had never watched before but does now. After lunch, we went swimming in the Splash Waterworld, which is really big and has a toddler area, so my little man loved that. After swimming, we headed back to the chalet top get freshened up before tea. After tea, we headed to the Skyline Pavilion for the under 5's disco and then the Skyline Gang in Celebration.

Wednesday - After breakfast today, we headed over to Kickabout Quay for the 0-5's play around which included basketball, tennis, football skills and other games. At 11am there was a soccer tots session which was great especially as my little boy goes to a club at home called Little Kickers where they are taught football skills for 18 months to 4 years and this was very similar. At lunchtime, my husband took our little boy to Papa John's restaurant for lunch, while I went and got pampered at The Spa. Papa John's do a special all you can eat pizza, pasta and salad for £8.95 per adult and £3.95 per child at lunchtime. The Spa is lovely and I had a Garra Fish Foot spa which was £10 and a facial at £40.The only thing my sister had a hot stones back massage at £40. I find disappointing is that if you have any treatments, it doesn't include use of the Spa pool, sauna etc. If you want to use these facilities, the cost is an extra £16 for one and a half hour or £20 for 3 hours. I just think that it would be better if they discounted the rate if you are having Treatments. However the treatments are great and the spa is lovely.

In the afternoon, we took our little boy to Bob's yard for him to go on the rides which he loved. When he went on the lady bird ride, he kept shouting 'faster Gaston' (Gaston is the lady bird who barks on Ben and Holly's little Kingdom.) After tea, we headed to the Skyline Pavilion for the under 5's disco then the Skyline Gang meet and greet and the Redcoats Disco. My hubby wanted to see The Beatles Experience which was on at Centre Stage. They were very good and even my little boy was still awake and was clapping while they were on.

Thursday - My little boy wanted to meet Fireman Sam, and there was a photo shoot with him at 1130, so after breakfast we went to Bob's Yard so that the little man could go on some rides until it was time for the photo shoot. We were a bit wary as to whether he would actually go and meet Fireman Sam as in the past, he has been terrified if characters came near him, even in July in Scotland he was scared of their mascots. We queued for about half an hour and when it was our turn, the redcoat asked him if he wanted to go on his own or with us and he said on his own. He actually loved it and went of his own accord which really shocked us. After the photo shoot, my little boy went swimming with his dad and as I couldn't be bothered going again, so I took my sister to the Skyline Pavilion as she wanted to watch the Skyline Gang cheerleading, and then the Redcoat Cheerleading. After swimming, my husband and little boy met us in the Skyline Pavilion for the Thomas Skyline Adventure. After Thomas, it was the Skyline Gang in Junk Funk which my 2 year old put his hand up and volunteered himself to go up and do sime drumming. We had to take him away after his little gig as he wanted to go to the Bob the Builder Photo shoot. It's all go go go.

After tea, we headed over to the Skyline for the Tots disco and then queued up to get into the Centre Stage Theatre to watch the Redcoat Show 2011 - Celebrating 75 years of Butlins. Centre Stage is always busy and there is always a queue early on to get in. The redcoat show was great and because I went to Butlins from being a young child, it was funny to see how much Butlins had changed over the years. One memory I do have was Billy Butlin died while we were at Butlins in Ayr many years ago, I remember an announcement was made
at the time.

After the Redcoat show which my little boy really enjoyed (especially Billy Bear), he was saying he was tired and wanted to go to bed. (Too much excitement for one day), so my husband took him back to the chalet, while myself and my sister headed over to Reds for the Beautiful World Show celebrating the music of Take That. They were excellent and sang old and new songs and everybody was up dancing.

Friday - Boo hoo, don't want to go home.
We decided to check out before breakfast as you need to be out of your accommodation before 10am. After breakfast, we went to the fun fair for one last thrill and took the little man to the toy shop. We left Butlins at around 1230pm after having lunch at Burger King. We wanted to book next year's holiday at the shop before we left but couldn't as we need to check we can have the time off first. I will be coming back next year whatever anyway and will be booking as soon as possible.

Although we have done a lot this week, there is so many things that we didn't get time to do and next year there will be even more stuff.

See you next year Butlins and thanks for a fab holiday x

Butlins 2011

2011-09-18T10:32:00.001+01:00

Butlins 2011, a set on Flickr.

some photos from our trip to Butlins. My little boy who is nearly 3 loved it.

Lego Discovery Centre Manchester

2011-08-24T22:22:00.000+01:00

Below is some pictures from the Lego Discovery Centre at The Trafford Centre Manchester. Prices start at £6.75 per adult for a fixed time ticket and £11.75 for a flexi ticket. You can buy tickets with Tesco Club card Vouchers too.

Britannia Country House Didsbury

2011-08-24T22:05:00.000+01:00

We booked our night away at the Britannia Country House Hotel via Travelzoo from one of their top 20 deals that they send out every week.

We paid £60 for three of us in the room, being myself, hubby and my little man who is 2. The deal was £50 for dinner, bed and breakfast and a bottle of wine in the room and it was just an extra £10 to take my little boy with us.
When the top 20 email comes into my inbox every Wednesday, I scan to see what I can book next, with most deals, you can book online or by telephone.

The Hotel is about twenty minutes from Manchester city centre, and is very close and handy for Manchester Airport. There is a Britannia Hotel a little nearer to the airport which is the South Manchester Britannia Hotel and is 3 miles from the airport.
The Britannia Country House Hotel is a lovely hotel in a nice setting with a long driveway. There are quite a few different car parks within the grounds. There were 2 weddings going on when we were there so it was quite busy. We had prepaid for the Hotel when we booked, so we were checked in very quickly. Our room was on the third floor and was quite big with a double bed and a single bed in it. It was clean and had a fabulous bathroom with a large jacuzzi bath in it.

The Health Centre is called Spindles Health and Leisure Club and even residents have to pay (although it is a discounted rate) but entry was included with the deal we had booked. There is the main pool and a toddler pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna as well as a fully equipped gym. We spent the afternoon in the pool and took it in turns to go in the sauna and steam room while the other played with our little boy.

We had our evening meal booked for 7pm and we were seated very quickly. It was a carvery, the waiters came and served starters and for the main meal and dessert, you could help yourselves. We had gammon which I have to say was delicious and for dessert, there was a choice of gateaux, ice cream or fruit salad.

There is a residents bar which is open until late, we chose to sit outside so that our little man could have a run around. I do think it bit of a shame, that there is so much land around the Hotel (which is mainly car parks) but no play areas.

We had our breakfast the next morning before checking out which was lovely and had loads of choice. There was a choice of full English, croissants, choice of cereals, fruit and/or yoghurts. I suppose if you are really hungry, you could have all of it.

Our checkout was very quick as we had already pre paid for everything, so we decided to head over to the Lowry Outlet Mall for a bit of retail therapy. They are always advertising on the television so thought we could go and grab a bargain. It took about 15 minutes to drive there at Salford Quays, there is plenty of parking and you get up to 4 hours free parking if you make a purchase at one of the shops. You just go and get your card stamped from the information desk.

There are more shops than I thought there would be, as we live quite near to Freeport outlet Mall which is a little smaller. We got a few bargains in Gap and Nike store, there is also Trespass, Whistles, Marks and Spencer's, Home and Craft world, Cadbury and many more. There is a food court, Vue Cinema and Lowry Theatre which always has lots of shows on. The Trafford Centre is not too far away or if you fancy a bit of skiing or snowboarding there is the Chill Factore close by. For the kids there is the Lego Discovery centre which is located within the Trafford Centre and is well worth a visit.

All in all, we had a great weekend and can't wait for the next Travel zoo deal that we can book.

Blackpool Air Show

2011-08-07T23:17:00.001+01:00

Blackpool Air Show, a set on Flickr.

Sunday 7th August 2011

Mabie Farm Park

2011-07-14T22:24:00.040+01:00

On the final day of our weekend in Southerness (we stayed at Parkdean Holiday Village), we decided to head to Mabie Farm Park. Mabie farm park is in the Dumfries and Galloway countryside and is in a beautiful setting. It is about 15 minutes drive from Southerness and I cannot recommend it enough for a day out if you have children regardless of their age. My little boy is 2 years old and loves animals and we even have an annual pass for Blackpool Zoo.

Mabie farm is owned and operated by Julia and Allan Shuttleworth and have made it a very enjoyable, fun day out. It costs £6.50 for adults and £6.00 for children admission. You can also buy bags of food at 50 pence and you are asked four legs or two?. This is because they sell food for the goats and pigs and also the ducks and chicks.
The park is open daily from 10am until 5pm from April until 30 October. There is plenty of parking available.

The day that we went to the farm was beautiful weather and there was even talk on the radio, that it was the hottest day so far. There are activities for all weather conditions. The animals that you can see are goats. pigs, lambs, buffalo, cows, Shetland ponies and many more. There are also birds such as peacocks, quail, hens, guinea fowl and ducks plus many more. There are also donkeys available and donkey rides for the children (they are provided with riding hats.)

The outdoor facilities consist of four lane astroslide, bouncy castles (to suit different ages), a huge jumping pillow (that I really wanted to play on but not really appropriate), 2 AstroTurf grass slides for grass sledging, quad bikes for the older children and a huge area for running around or just playing. There is also a small express that runs around the farm, a boating pond and pedal go karts for children 4 plus. My little boy's favourite was the children's wooden houses which is situated near to trampolines, there are either 3 or 4 plus a plastic one and he loved playing in them.

Should the weather be a bit rubbish, then there is still plenty of indoor activities going on. There is a straw barn with rope swings and bales of hay to play with, an indoor climbing wall, keep fit area for toddlers and ride on tractors. There is of course the indoor barns with the goats, pigs etc as well.

In the afternoons, there is an opportunity to handle some of the smaller residents such as guinea pigs, mice and rabbits. There are picnic areas scattered around the farm and you are permitted to bring your own food and have picnic, there is just a sign at the cafe asking that it is just used for people buying food, which is fair enough. You are also permitted to bring your portable barbeque's and there is an area set aside for this.

I was quite surprised at how reasonable the food was in the cafe/tea room, as usually when you go to tourist attractions and there is nowhere else close by to buy food, you get ripped off. They sell hot and cold food, snacks, crisps and sweets and there is also an ice cream counter selling the local 'cream of Galloway' ice cream.

I forgot to mention above that some of the rides such as Donkey rides, quad bikes, paddle boat and the choo choo express, there is an additional charge for but everything else is included in your admission. On the way out (and on the way in) you go via the shop. The shop sells toys, wellies and raincoats as well as home made items such as jams, cakes (inc coffee cake which was yummy) and other home made items.

We found Mabie Farm quite by accident while looking for something outside of Parkdean to do in our weekend. I don't think we have anything like this anywhere near where I live, which is such a shame as it was a great day out. Unfortunately we didn't get to spend the whole day as we had to travel home, but we had a good few hours or so which went to quickly and our little boy didn't want to go.

If you are staying in the Dumfries/Galloway area or at Southerness, then I recommend a day here especially of you get good weather as it does make a difference. But whatever you decide to do, enjoy your visit.

Southerness July 2011

2011-07-10T19:29:00.000+01:00

We booked our Parkdean Weekend break via the Sun Newspaper £9.50 holidays ages ago. We have never booked one before so was a little dubious. Of course it isn't £9.50 as you have all the extras like under occupancy supplement if there aren't 4 of you, bedding, summer supplements (if required) and entertainment passes (at most parks), but it was still good value for money. We had put 4 choices down and was booked into Parkdean at Southerness which is on the Solway Coast near Dumfries.

It is a beautiful area and took about 2 and half hours from Blackpool to get there. We checked in very quickly and our caravan was near to all the amenities (which we were surprised at - we thought we would be furthest away). The caravan was a 2 bedroom static and spotlessly clean. The bedding was on the table for us to make up, but there was plenty of room in the living and kitchen area. The bedrooms and bathroom were tiny, but this is to be expected.

Parkdean is only small on a scale with Butlins had has everything that you need for a break away. The entertainment crew are called 'Troupers' and the children's entertainment are defined by ages. Tot Stars are under 4's, Starlanders are under10's and Freestyle is 10 and over but not quite adults. There is a full entertainment programme everyday from 10am where there is an hour of different activities for different age groups. Lizzie the Lizard and Sid the seagull are the mascots who entertain the children. My little boy was terrified just as he was at Butlins last year when he met a 6 foot Bob the Builder.

Doors to the show bar open at 6.30pm in the evening and until 8.30pm it is mainly family entertainment with silly games, shows and a disco. At 8.30pm there is bingo then cabaret and then a disco. This does vary depending on what day of the week it is. We were there Friday to Monday and dropped very lucky with the weather as it was scorching hot. There is a water splash (Flume Lagoon) which I believe only opened this year which has children's pools, flumes and is great. The thing that impressed me about it is the way it is run. When you go into the pool, you are given a coloured band, so you only get a limited swimming time (not sure what it is, around 2 hours I think). After the period of time, the lifeguard calls your coloured band and you get out. But this means that the pool is never crowded and there are never huge queues for the slides, also something which is worth a mention is that they have proper hairdryers in the changing rooms. (not the rubbish air blowers that are in most public swimming pools).

There are a couple of outdoor play areas and an indoor play area for the kids to enjoy. All the entertainment and swimming pool is in the Venue which also has amusements, Costa Coffee, The Show bar, Takeaway and a bar which has a full food menu offering food all day from 10am including The Highland Breakfast (the food is reasonably priced considering you are in a Holiday Park). There is also a Launderette on the site and an over priced Costcutter shop which sells everything you could possible need for your break.

Parkdean is on the Solway Coast Road so you have the beach on your doorstep and there is a signposted footpath to the beach from the park. There is also a Southerness nature trail guide and you can ask reception for the nature trail quiz and I believe if you complete it then you receive a certificate. One thing worth mentioning is cash machines, there is one on site but there is a charge of £1.60 to use it so I wouldn't recommend this. Parkdean has a customer service level which they want to be excellent so all the staff wear a little badge which is a pair of feet meaning (we walk in your shoes).

The customer service is excellent and when you eat in the bar, the staff come over and make sure everything is OK and ask you to fill out a survey at the end. But even in the pool area, entertainment and reception the staff were all friendly and helpful.

We did only have 3 nights at Parkdean from Friday to Monday and I think we had the best weather of the year so far as it was scorching hot. On the Saturday morning, we took our little man to Tot Stars - Tot Crafts and he made finger monsters and loved it.

This finished at 11am, then we took him to the beach to tire him out some more and he collected shells in his bucket. Then in the afternoon, we went swimming just to finish him off. In the evening, we went to the show bar from 6.30pm until 8.30pm when bingo starts. We decided to go back to our caravan and have a barbeque as it was still really warm, (We brought disposable ones with us).

On the Sunday at 10am it was Tot Stars - Music Tots where they got to try and play with different musical instruments and he loved this. Later on we drove to Dumfries which is about 15 miles away and took about 20 minutes or so. There were quite a few free car parks which we were amazed at as they don't exist in Blackpool. Dumfries is lovely and we had a walk around the town centre and shops and then took a walk down to the river.

In the evening, we headed to the show bar for the mini disco until bingo started at 8.30 then took our little man back to the caravan and put him to bed and watched television. (I really didn't mind missing out on the bingo!). Checkout is at 10am and the beds have to be stripped ready for the cleaners to go in. On the Monday of our departure, we took a drive to Dalbeattie which took about 20 minutes and is a very small town compared to Dumfries, but has a few shops and the people were very friendly. I bought my square sausage and Haggis to take back south with me from the butchers.

We spent most of the day at Mabie farm Park which I am going to blog separately as it was a great day and there is so much to do and I would definitely recommend it. It is only about 10 minutes from Southerness and has things for every age group to do from feeding the animals to riding Quad bikes. Not far from Southerness in the opposite direction to Dumfries is a small village called Sandyhills which has a beautiful sandy beach and I would recommend this if you are stuck for something to do. If I had more time, I would like to drive the scenic road to Gretna Green as it is supposed to be beautiful. There is also the Gretna Green outlet village which has outlet stores including M & S, Ralph Lauren, Rockport and many others. I would recommend this area and Parkdean at Southerness is great for families and will be going back soon.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach - Nickelodeon Land

2011-06-25T14:24:00.001+01:00

I have lived in Blackpool for most of my life and spent many a happy time at Blackpool Pleasure Beach . I remember when they used to have rides before the season started at 15p many years ago when I was a child then it went up to 50p and as the rides got better so did the prices. I fell out of love with the Pleasure Beach when they started charging an entrance fee to get in of £5 per person as well as paying for each individual ride or buying wristbands.

However since I now have a child of my own who goes mad every time we drive past and see Dora, I thought it was time we made an effort and took him. He is 2 and is Dora mad. As I have got older, I have become a bit of a baby when it comes to rides and don't really go on anything which is why I begrudge paying an entrance fee, plus the fact that I think it should like Alton Towers where you pay to get in and everything is included or pay individually but not both.

Anyway we just wanted to have a nosey so decided not to buy wristbands on this occasion as we didn't know if he would actually go on anything (we went to Butlins last year and he wouldn't go on any rides). He was very excited when we got in and watched the Ice Blast shoot up in the air. We made our way over to Nickelodeon Land (previously Beaver Creek) and I don't think he knew what to make of all the rides and everything that was going on. A couple of the rides were not open as Nickelodeon Land only opened in April. The Rugrats Lost River and Spongebob's Splash Bash were 2 that were not operating.

You can pay for rides individually rather than buy a wristband if you choose, but if you are planning on making a day of it then it would be cheaper to buy a wristband. Each ride requires so many tickets (if paying individually), tickets can be bought in the shop at £1 each and the rides required 2,3 or 4 tickets per person depending on which ride. There is a mini stage and shows throughout the day in Nickelodeon Land and you can meet Dora and Spongebob Characters.

If like me you don't tend to go on the rides or buy a wristband, the entrance fee includes a ride on the Pleasure Beach Express Train round the park, The Chinese Puzzle maze, The South Beach show and The dancing water show. There are rides for every age and every taste. I am glad that the pleasure beach has kept some of the old rides such as the Revolution, Grand National and Steeplechase to name a few.

As I think I mentioned before, it has been many years since I last went to Blackpool Pleasure Beach and I remember lots of burger and over priced fast food stalls. There are still burger and fast food stalls but one thing I did notice was there were restaurants with fairly priced meal deals, such as the Gourmet Burger meal deal which was £5.95 for adults (burger, fries and a drink) and £3.95 (approx) for kids meal. There was a pizza deal on as well which I think was all you can eat for £7.95.

There are lots of stalls selling drinks, souvenirs and food all over the park and it is very easy to get around. As well as an amusement Park or Resort as it now calls itself, Blackpool Pleasure Beach has lots of shows too. The Hot Ice show has been going for years and is always a great show worth seeing or if you fancy yourself as the next Torvill or Dean, you can actually go ice skating as the rink is within the park. There is also Ken Websters Hypnotist show for over 18's, When Frankie met Robbie and Circus of Horrors plus many more for which details are on the Blackpool Pleasure Beach website under entertainment. Also don't forget to watch the dancing Fountains which are situated near the Haunted House.

There are loads of Hotels around the Blackpool Pleasure Beach including The Big Blue Hotel, which I believe is owned by or classed as part of the pleasure beach. This is a four star family Hotel next door to the pleasure beach. If you want something cheaper but just as close, there is the Travelodge which is a 5 minute walk and has rooms from £19.99 (when they have offers on), but you do have to pay for parking even though it has its own car park. The Hotel has a covered car park which is £8 per 24 hours and only had 16 spaces. There is an open car Park attached to it and I do know they charge £5 for up to 8 hours but not sure what it goes up to after that.

Don't park in the South Beach car park across the road from the Pleasure Beach unless you have to as it is very expensive. There are lots of car parks dotted around and a few at the back of the Pleasure Beach on Bond Street which will be cheaper. If you want luxury, then there is the 5* Boutique Hotel a few minutes walk called Number 1 South Beach. As well as celebrities staying there, Channel Four's Hotel Inspector visited it too. There is of course loads of Hotels and B and B's along the promenade too, for more information go to the Visit Blackpool website.

I do think that the Pleasure Beach is a great family day out (albeit very expensive) and they always have offers on especially if you book online and there is something for every age and taste. I am going to take my little one again but will wait until the kids go back to school in September as when I went last week on a Monday, it was lovely and quiet and we didn't queue for anything but I imagine its going to be a very busy summer holiday for them. Enjoy x

Take That Progress Tour 2011 - Manchester

2011-06-19T11:12:00.000+01:00

I have been a Take That fan since the mind 1990's and have been to at least one show every time they have performed in their home town of Manchester since 1995 and think they always put on a fab show. I went to the Circus Tour and would have argued with anybody that that Gig could not be bettered when I heard they were going to be doing a Tour in 2011.

The day the tickets went on sale, my hubby and I nearly divorced when it looked like I wasn't going to get tickets. I had logged onto my account with Ticketmaster at 0845 (tickets on sale at 9am) and felt confident that I was logged in and would have no problems. How wrong I was. At 9am as I tried to book my tickets, the website crashed (I was on my laptop and hubby tried on his computer). As I panicked, we decided that we would try and get them over the phone. Hubby tried to get onto Seatwave and a couple of other reputable companies but it was the same with all of them.
Anyway after 2 hours of constantly trying on the phone and throwing my toys out of the pram, I finally managed to book tickets over the phone for Sunday 5th June 2011at City of Manchester Stadium, and my poor hubby wasn't even going!

I had heard that the Pet Shop boys were supporting and was happy as love all their songs. The day of the gig came and we were all happy, their were 8 of us in total getting a minibus to the stadium from Blackpool at £17 each which I thought was pretty reasonable. There was a fan zone at the stadium which open from 12pm lunchtime and would stay open until 6am the next morning should the demand be there. The queues to get in were huge and I am glad we got there in plenty of time. We had heard that they were being strict about what you could take in to the stadium but the security must have had a field day.

There was a big pile of confiscated items such as unopened boxes of chocolate, a picnic including chicken legs, bags of unopened crisps among other items including umbrellas. Basically we were told you could take unopened bottles of water in only. When we got in, we were told that all we could stand anywhere or sit in any seats that were available as the reserved seats were in a different area. We managed to get seats a few rows from the front in a block near the stage and had a great view. The heavens opened so we were grateful for a seat undercover.

The Pet Shop Boys came on about 7.30 and did all their popular songs that everybody knew including 'West End Girls', 'Left to my own devices', and a few others. They were on for about 45 minutes and got the crowd going.
Take That came on at about 8.30pm to lots of screaming and excitement with 'Greatest Day', and they didn't disappoint. They did a few songs as a foursome then went of stage and Robbie came on and opened with 'Let me entertain you' and sang other favourites such as 'Rock DJ', 'Come Undone' and 'Feel', and I fell back in love with him again. I always liked Robbie and was gutted when he left Take That and went to watch him in Leeds on his Tour a few years ago.

He was OK and think (after reading his book) that it was a tough time for him as I was a little disappointed with his performance.
He kept waffling and seemed as though was on something but tonight, he was definitely back with a bang and the love was back. He was the confident, cocky Robbie that everybody loves and a proper showman and when he finished his solo set with Angels, the stadium erupted. Robbie sang a few songs on his own then Take That were back on as a five piece.

The stage had a long runway with another stage at in the middle of the stadium so that wherever you were sitting you could see. They had a proper big show with loads of dancers and fireworks and sang songs from every decade. Jason and Howard did a break dancing dance off and Gary a couple of songs on the piano including 'Million love songs' which is one of my personal favourites. Robbie did 'Lulu's bit on 'Relight my Fire' and there was a couple of Robbie's solo songs thrown in such as Rudebox.

They did about 2 1/2 hours in total including Robbie's set and I loved every second in fact I loved it so much I went again. (More about that later). There was a huge mechanical man on stage which moved about and at one point they actually used the hands as a mini stage. As I said before, I would have argued with the Circus could not be out done but I was wrong, this was bigger and better than any Take That gig I have ever been to before. I think also that Manchester City Stadium was a great venue and a great atmosphere.

The only complaint I would have about that night was there were not many toilets in the stadium (or didn't seem to be) and I only went once and that was quite enough. It took 40 minutes to queue for the loos which as you can imagine was a bit of a nightmare. Also I wasn't drinking that night which is a good job really as it was £4.50 for a glass of wine so no wonder they didn't want you bringing your own food and drink into the venue.

On the Friday after the gig my friend (who had gone with her other friends the day before me) rang me to ask if I fancied going to see Take That again tomorrow (Saturday) for £11. I asked her if she was off her head and where she was getting the tickets from but if she could definitely get them then count me in.

She had heard from another friend that some extra tickets had been released just for that weekend on Ticketmaster and Seatwave that would be 'restricted view' which is why they were £11 and I had paid nearly £60 each for my original tickets. She did manage to get the tickets and we were really excited to be going again. This time I decided to drive as there were only 4 of us and was a bit optimistic about parking as I had been pre warned not to use the Stadium car park as the roads were closed after the gig for a period of time and it would be a nightmare getting out.

After a couple of wrong turnings we were on the right road and parked about 200 yards from the stadium thinking it would be easier to get out (how wrong we were about that too). It took us over an hour just to get away from the stadium towards the motorway due to the huge volume of traffic and on a normal journey, it would take me about an hour or so to get home from Manchester, this took well over 2 1/2 hours.

We had been advised that the restricted view tickets we had booked were actually reserved seats, so felt that we didn't need to join the huge queues to get near the front. We collected our tickets and the seats were at the side of the stage, but nearer to the back of the stage, we weren't bothered about not being able to see the main stage as we had been the previous week, but we had a good view of the runway and second stage. The show was every bit as good as the first time we went and the added bonus of being able to see them go onto the stage from the back stage area, plus there were big screens for the bits on the main stage that we couldn't see. On the plus side, there were no queues for the toilets but not so good for my friends who had to pay £17 for a bottle of wine.

The Progress Tour was the best ever and I wish I was going again and again and this time I really don't know how they could make another any better, but only time will tell and I really hope that the 5 of them are back for good.

Fuerteventura 2011

2011-05-15T12:00:00.000+01:00

When we decided to book a package holiday for our summer holiday this year, I was optimistic. I had not been on a a package holiday in years, but wanted a proper family holiday that would suit my two year old and my sister who has special needs a can't walk very far. After lots of research and advice we decided on Fuerteventura which is the second largest Canary Island after Tenerife. Mainly because I had been to Majorca in May before and the weather can be a bit hit and miss. The flight was very good on the way out, we decided not to book any in flight meals, but there was a snack trolley you can buy from and apparently you can hire a PSP from the airline to play games if you are bored. They were charging £7 for this.

Costa Calma

In the past, I have always booked my holidays myself booking the accommodation and flights separately but wanted this to be as easy as possible so decided to book through Thomas Cook after looking through stacks of brochures. We decided on the 4* Costa Calma Beach Resort on an all inclusive basis. Having checked Trip Advisor
before we booked, it had very mixed views and it seemed the best of a bad bunch but looked as though it had everything we wanted and needed for our family. The coach journey from the airport took one hour to the resort of Costa Calma where we were staying. We arrived at the Hotel at around 9.30pm and the Hotel had arranged food for us as the restaurant had closed. The Hotel looked very clean and the reception staff were very friendly on arrival and we were checked in very quickly. We had requested adjacent rooms which we were given and the rooms were spacious and clean. My only gripe, and it is not with just this Hotel, it seems to be the same wherever you go on package Holiday Hotels is that it is always twin beds. Do Double beds not exist anymore? I have stayed in Chain Hotels where there are twin beds but they are clipped together underneath to make a double, but can be separated if required. Anyway moan over, I had requested an extra pillows for us and within 10 minutes I had them.

One of the pools

We didn't go to the welcome meeting as we lost track of time plus it is hard trying to get a 2 year old to sit still for 5 minutes never mind 1 hour. Our rooms had a side sea view and was nice and bright with a decent size balcony and more importantly clean and had air conditioning (more about that later). The dining room was huge with plenty of chairs and tables and loads of choice of food. There were breakfast cereals, yoghurt's, fruit and meat and if you fancied a cooked breakfast that was available or pancakes and cakes and if you were really hungry you could have some of everything. As well as the main restaurant, there is a snack bar in the grounds near the pools which serve Continental Breakfast, Lunch, snacks and Coffee and Cakes in the afternoon. You definitely would not go hungry anyway. On All Inclusive all food and drink are free from 0800-2300. If you wanted drinks after 2300, you had to buy vouchers from the reception but nobody did this, they went to the bar before 2300 and got a few rounds in.

Costa Calma Hotel Beach

There is a kids club within the Hotel, but children must be 4 to go in it, but they got to do treasure hunts, art, games and other activities and at night between 8pm and 9pm there was the 'Mini Disco' where the entertainments crew got the kids dancing to Agadoo, Superman and The music man among other 80's classics. My little boy loved it and we had to make sure we had eaten by 8pm so he could go and do his boogie boogie dancing. There were very few British at this Hotel (which didn't bother us), it seemed to be mostly Italians, Germans and Polish people. There are five swimming pools in total (2 are children's pools) and there is absolutely no reason to get up early and reserve sun beds as there are lots of areas and more than enough for everybody including the 2 beach areas in addition to the pool areas. There is also a roof top area for the sun worshippers where there is just sun beds and no umbrellas or shaded areas.

Costa Calma Beach

The Costa Calma Beach resort is huge, as well as the 5 pool areas, there is a sister Hotel in the grounds which is the Nautilus Beach which I had a nosey and that looked very nice too. As well as plenty going on for the kids, there is plenty of activities for adults too should you be bored. All are free and they include Archery, Table Tennis, Shooting and darts. There was also aqua aerobics in the afternoon and the Hotel has a Padi Diving centre too. There is a leisure centre which has a sauna, massages and a gym. There are computers that you can use at the Hotel, should you want to access the Internet at EUR1 per 10 minutes. You can also pay for wifi if you have a lap top with you which is EUR 5 for 24 hours and you can access this anywhere in the hotel including your room, but please be aware this does not work for Ipod's as we found out.

Another of the pools

There is entertainment six nights a week and as I mentioned before it is mini disco between 8pm and 9pm. Then they have the 'Diploma ceremony' between 9-9.30pm which is certificates awarded to the winners of the days activities. The entertainment includes Flamenco Dancing, Snake Lady, funny sketches, and singers (some bad and some very bad). We spent most of the week by one of the children's pools which my little boy loved. At the beginning of the week he wouldn't go in on his own and by the end wouldn't go in with us, he wanted to do it all himself. The food selection at lunch times was very varied with a choice of pasta, cold meats, chips, fruits and cake. Dinner also had a wide choice of food with different themes every night such as 'Spanish', 'British' and 'German' so they would have soup, then maybe a stew or steak, paella, pasta or fish and again the cold meats favoured by Europeans and ice cream, cakes and fruit. They were quite strict at the evening meal than men could not wear shorts or vests. This depended on who was on the door as the night my hubby was sent away for wearing long short, when we finally sat down to eat, there were quite a few men in there with shorts on.

Roof Terrace suntrap

We didn't take a pram with us as we picked the Hotel for the simple fact that we didn't need to go walking anywhere and it had everything that we needed in the resort and it did. However we thought it would also be a shame to not see any of Costa Calma at all so this is where we had a problem. I asked the Hotel if they had a spare pram knocking about anywhere that we could borrow for a couple of hours, but of course they didn't. I came up with an idea that I would ask our rep Abi thinking that I know what the answer will be but if you don't ask then you don't get. I did ask her and she said she would see what she could do and get back to me. Sure enough the next day (her day off) she rang me to say she had managed to borrow one from the office and would drop it off at the Hotel. Not only did she do this she dropped it off on her day off and was an absolute star. We did have a walk into Costa Calma and it took about 15 minutes to the Shopping Center (well I dispute the phrase Shopping Centre), it had about 5 shops one of which was a Spar and a few shops selling tat. There was a coffee shop and a couple of bars. The resort of Costa Calma is made up of Resort Hotels so most guests are on all inclusive so there isn't really the need for lots of shops and bars but if you were booked on a self catering basis then I think you would have to eat in the Hotels or you would struggle. You don't really need to leave the Hotels as they all have their own beaches, pools and shops within the Hotel.

Pool Bar

As I mentioned before we did not attend the welcome meeting so we had a look at the Thomas Cook folder to see what else the resort offers. There didn't appear to be that many local trips that you could book other than the Oasis Park which we didn't go to but it is kind of a zoo/nature park and has sea lion displays, Camel Rides and petting farm among other attractions. It is approx 5km from Costa Calma resort and is EUR24 for adults and EUR12 for children 3-11.

The Hotel we stayed at is actually and Apart Hotel and offers different rates from self catering, bed and breakfast to All Inclusive, although I think if you booked self catering you would struggle unless you intended to eat in the various Hotels as there is not very many restaurants. The food rates at the Costa Calma Beach Hotel are as follows. Breakfast EUR7.50, Lunch EUR16.00, Dinner EUR16.00 and All Inclusive EUR33.00. All meals are buffet style so you can help yourselves as many times as you like. Drinks are also included on All Inclusive and in the restaurants and snack bars there is coffee machines, Local beer tap and soft drinks tap which has coke/coke diet/sprite/fanta orange/fanta lemon so you can help yourself whenever. There is also a water tap which people used to take empty bottles and fill up. The bar has cocktails, local liquors and other drinks. The Hotel rooms have mini bars which are empty, however the fridge was still cold even though it didn't have any contents in so we used to keep our water in there to keep it nice and cool.

There are three shops in the Costa Calma Beach Hotel/Resort for your convenience. There is a jewellery shop selling mainly silver and gold, a convenience shop selling cigarettes, suncream, pool toys, sweets and newspapers as well as souvenir Tat. There is also a surf shop selling O'Neill branded clothing such as swimwear, jumpers (because you need a jumper in the Canaries!) and other items of clothing. There are also 2 vending machines selling overpriced bars of chocolate for about 2 Euros.
In the snack bar by the pool there is a freezer where you can go and help yourself to ice cream tubs for when it gets really warm. We found that it could be quite cloudy and even grey in the mornings (although still warm) and it looked like it was going to rain a few times, but apparently this is quite common and even though it is grey, the sun is still out above the clouds so when you think you can't get burnt, you most definitely can. It never did rain and was always warm with a nice breeze.
We were coming to the end of this holiday and if anybody is thinking of going to this Hotel and has a look at trip advisor, please do not be put off by the reviews, it is a lovely Hotel and is very clean and the staff were lovely and went out of their way to help. The only very small quibble that I would have is that after the Mini disco finishes at 9pm there is nothing really for children to do as there is entertainment on and the kids got bored . There is a games room with pool tables, football tables but that is all and anybody knows it is hard to keep them entertained. Luckily for us, we had some 'Peppa Pig' episodes on our Ipods for him to sit and watch which worked for a while until he got bored and wanted to run around. Our flight was at 2100 in the evening, so we decided to pay EUR30 to keep our room until our 1730 pick up time which is worth the money.

Broncemar Beach

Now here is where things get interesting and unfortunately for us, the next 24 hours will be remembered for ever. So we got to the airport at checked in and airports are never great with young children anyway, but to be fair to Fuerteventura Airport, they do have a play area with a slide, bus and a few other things for the kids to play on so that helped and I don't know why more airports don't take note. Anyway we are sat on the flight ready to head on the runway (this is 9pm at night) and then the pilot announced that there may be a 'small problem' with one of the wheels and they were taking the plane back to the base as a precaution. Shortly afterward the head stewardess made the dreaded announcement. 'Ladies and Gentleman we are sorry to have to inform you that there is a problem with one of the wheels and the engineers do not have the equipment here to fix it so unfortunately we are going to have to offload everybody and put you all in accommodation and try and get the problem fixed tomorrow as the airport is now closed'.

Dangerous wire next to metal pipe

I was quite excited at first as we were being taken to Caleta de Fuste ten minutes from the airport and we had actually looked at booking into staying here at first but decided on Costa Calma. We were being divided into two hotels being the 4* Barcelo and the 3* Broncemar Beach which I know 2 people who had stayed here so wasn't worried. Being one of the last off the aircraft we were told that we were going to the Broncemar Beach. The Resort is ten minutes drive from the airport so we got there quite quickly but it was nearly 11pm at night and everybody was beginning to get grouchy.

The 'Child Friendly' Terrace

The Airtours Rep was very good and I think he was in the pub when he got the call as his shift had finished hours ago, but he was on hand organising everybody and said that families would be checked in first. we got the keys to our two rooms that we needed and headed to them. (The Broncemar reminded me of Butlins in that the rooms/apartments were in little villages with road names.) We eventually found our rooms and opened the first door and the first sight that greeted me was a dead cockroach in the kitchen/living area which is where the pull down bed that my toddler would be sleeping it. If there is one thing I hate more than anything, it is cockroaches dead or alive. I walked out and decided I would have a quick look to see if my sisters adjacent room was any better.

Nope. Her apartment was in darkness and had no lock or more importantly door handle on it. As I went back to tell my hubby I was going to go to reception to tell them he told me to come and look at the bathroom. I kid you now there wasn't just one but loads of what looked like ants or something small crawling all over the bathroom. It was filthy and disgusting and there was no way any of my family were going to stay there. When I got to reception and told the receptionist, she looked at me as if if was stupid and just said that a maintenance man was coming to fix the door with no handle and that's the best she would do.

The rep was still in reception (I think he was called Paul) and I told him and he told the receptionist they must find me a better room. I was given a 2 bed roomed apartment on the first floor, so made my way back to the family and we found the new apartment. Hubby opened the door and all I heard was 'I don't believe this' the living room was flooded and I don't mean a splash of water I mean proper flooded. Somebody had decided the defrost the fridge which was in the kitchen/living room area and the floor was covered in water. Hubby went to reception this time and we were told to wait for somebody to come and mop up. By this time it was getting nearer to midnight. I had a look round the rest of the apartment and while there was nothing alive and crawling (that I could see) it was grubby. The bath which had the shower in was filthy with hairs in it, the kitchen worktops was grubby and had chunks missing out of it and if you are less than 7 foot (which we all are) then you need to hold the shower head and hold it over you as the shower head holder was near the ceiling. The beds looked cleanish but we decided not to take any chances and slept on top of them and was scratching all night (although I do think it was my imagination after what we had seen). I personally think that the rooms that we were put in are not used until peak season, so have probably been cleaned ages ago and were not going to be done again until it gets busy, so we didn't fancy taking our chances with their towels either. One other very important factor you need to know if you are going to stay at the Broncemar is that they don't have air conditioning and charge EUR15 per week to borrow a fan. Now what kind of accommodation in the Canary Islands that is hot all year round doesn't have air conditioning? We woke up about 7ish and just wanted to get out of the room as fast as possible. One thing I noted in the kitchen (see above picture) is that there was a bare wire next to the metal water pipe, so you just have to hope your not in the shower if they decide to touch. Also I wanted to have a look at the terrace (we were on the 1st floor), and the rail was as wobbly as anything and on the terrace was a very small wall which my 2 year old would have climbed on no problem with an even smaller side which when you fall off it (because boys like climbing) you would fall two stories. Not exactly child friendly. I really wish had filmed or taken pictures of our first room, but we just wanted to get out of there ASAP. My hubby took a video of the room that we stayed in which is below.

After breakfast and getting out of the hell hole, we did have a wander round Caleta de Fuste before or pick up at 1200. There was certainly a lot more going on than Costa Calma, there were plenty of shops, restaurants and bars and it was full on English people. It seemed like a nice resort but we chose Costa Calma as we didn't want to be going very far and wanted everything handy which it was.

I don't blame Thomas Cook for anything and to be fair all the reps, cabin crew and everybody we came into contact with were fantastic and helpful and it wasn't their fault. When you have to get 150 people into accommodation in very short notice, you have to use every available resource. Thomas Cook own Airtours (who use the Broncemar Beach) but it is not in the Thomas Cook brochure. I find it very hard to believe that there would be any good feedback for this hotel. (3* Plus - more like 2*)

We did eventually get home 20 hours late, and had a great holiday apart from the last 24 hours. If I had checked into the Broncemar Hotel at the beginning of my stay, I would have been on the next flight home.

The video of the room we stayed in

Blackpool Stanley Park, Motorcycle Show and Classic Car Show

2010-08-29T17:03:00.082+01:00

Stanley Park is a beautiful place to visit and a great day out for all the family. It is set in 256 acres and has lots for everybody to do. There is the boating Lake with Pedal and rowing boats available for hire, large childrens play area, crazy golf, putting and tennis courts. There is also the band stand and the Italian and Rose Gardens and Fountains. There is lots of wide open spaces and picnic areas should you just want to relax and watch the world go by.
It is also next to Blackpool Model Village and across the road from the zoo, should you want to combine your visit with any of the above.

There is always something going on at the park should it be a fun day, music in the band stand or heritage day. Last year Stanley Park was the starting point for the Cycle Tour of Britain and this year the race for stage 1 will end on Blackpool Promenade on Saturday 11th September at approximately 1340. The park has also hosted The Blackpool Motorcycle Show and The Classic Car show in the Italian Gardens.
It is free entrance into the park and it was free to spectate the above, but there are charges for crazy golf, putting, hiring of boats and tennis courts. There is also The Art Deco Cafe where you can sit inside or outside and skate park for boys and their toys.

The Blackpool Motorcycle show took place on Sunday 11th July this year in the Italian Gardens in the very lovely Stanley Park. It was a beautiful sunny day and the bikes were great. Entrance was free for spectators and there was a really good turn out. Stanley Park is hosting more and more events and has a lovely setting.

Blackpool Classic Car show

This was held on Sunday 29th August from 10.00am until 4pm and was free for spectators. We were very lucky with the weather as it was a beautiful sunny day (windy) but at least sunny and dry. There was a very good turn out with lots of very lovely cars.

To view more images from the Classic Car Show visit my Flickr page.

Blackpool Pride

2010-08-28T23:07:00.000+01:00

For the last five years, Blackpool has been hosting a 'Blackpool Pride Parade and event' and every year it has got bigger and bigger. Although I have never attended the actual event, I do like to go and watch the parade. It is normally on for a couple of days and there are market stall's, entertainment such as Xfactor's Lucie Jones, Tight Fit, The Cheeky Girls and Blackpool's own Betty Legs Diamond (all appeared this year 2010) as well as many others. The parade is always very colourful and flamboyant and great to watch and should not be missed if you are in Blackpool. I always try and take plenty of pictures and have photos from 2009 and 2010 on my Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/geminiali.

Below are some pictures from the Parade from 2009 and 2010.

Blackpool Pride Parade 2009

Pride Parade 2010

There is a website that is one of the partner associated with the Pride Parade and that is BAGS (Blackpool Accommodation for Gays) for any help with accommodation.

Blackpool Illuminations

2010-08-28T22:32:00.000+01:00

There is probably not a person in the world (well maybe some people) who have not heard of or seen Blackpool Illuminations. They usually shine from the first weekend in September until the around the 7th November and the switch on is always a big event. Everybody from Red Rum to Dr Who and Top Gear have flicked the famous switch over the years and this year it is the turn of Robbie Williams who will turn them on Friday 3rd September 2010. This year's switch on is causing controversy as it has always been a free for all event, but this year while still free is a ticketed event. So people wanting to go and watch had to apply then there would be a lottery for wristbands, of which the people of Blackpool were going to be given a few thousand tickets and the rest given to others. However it emerged last week that some of these tickets had ended up on ebay, which obviously angered people from Blackpool, so they are supposed to be in the process of being removed from ebay. Back in the day when I was growing up, the switch on was always at Talbot Square opposite North Pier and as it got to be a bigger event, it moved to Central Car Park. This year it will be held on St Chad's Headland as as well as Robbie Williams, it has emerged that Russell Watson, The Wanted, Olly Murs, and Gabriella Climi will be appearing, Alesha Dixon and The Plain White T's are also rumoured to be appearing.

There are many ways to view the illumination's and if you have the energy, there is no better way than walking them (although it is a very long walk!!!)
If you want an easier way then you can either drive through them and depending on what day and time you choose to go, it can take a good couple of hours or if you don't want the stress of driving there are open top bus tours which operate Monday to Friday from Marton Mere Holiday Park.
If you fancy something a bit different why not book tour on an illuminated tram which departs from North Pier Tram stop and costs £5 for adults and £3.50 for children over 5 (under 5's are free).
Blackpool Landau's also operate tours prices on request to each landau and as far as I am aware they are not allowed to operate on Saturdays (according to Blackpool evening gazette) due to the amount of traffic.

For more of my Blackpool and Illuminations photos go to my Flickr website.

On Tuesday 31st August 2010, there is a 'Ride the lights' event along Blackpool promenade, which is a preview of the lights by push bike only. It is from 7pm until 10pm and you can ride and see as much or as little as you choose with no other traffic other than bikes oh and its free too.

Blackpool Zoo

2010-08-28T21:25:00.001+01:00

A visit to Blackpool is not complete without a visit to the zoo. There has been a lot of redevelopment lately and it is now a great place to visit and is definitely worth a day out. I have actually bought an annual pass for £29 which is basically the cost of two visits and I can go as many times as I like. You do have to pay for parking on top of the admission cost which is a little unfair but apparently the money is reinvested in animal projects. The zoo is a little out of the way of Blackpool Town centre, near the De Vere Hotel but there are buses that will take you there. It is £14.50 for adults and £10.25 for children (over 3), under 3's go free and there are concessions for students, pensioners and people with disabilities and family passes. There are also online booking discounts. Inside the zoo there is 'The Children's zoo' which has its own area with donkeys, rabbits, pigs and many more. There is a large outdoor play area and picnic areas as well. The food from the cafeteria is very expensive so I would recommend taking your own if going for the day. If the weather gets really bad and you are on a day trip to the zoo, you can always take your little monkeys into the Playbarn which is next to the zoo. It is a large indoor play area for babies, toddlers and older children, I think it is about £3.00 entrance fee (free for under 1's). It is a good way of tiring the children out if you think they are not tired enough after your day at the zoo!!!!

Check out more of my photographs from the zoo on my Flickr.

World Horse Welfare Penny Farm Nr Blackpool

2010-08-28T19:27:00.001+01:00

Well worth a visit and free entrance is World Horse Welfare Penny Farm which is open on Wednesdays and weekends. Like I said it is free entrance and there is ample parking, it is on the outskirts of Blackpool so you would really need a car to get there or Stagecoach Bus X61. There are usually about sixty horse at any one time mostly rescued from people who keep them as pets or can no longer look after them. There is also a coffee shop and gift shop and every September they have an open day with displays by the Kings Troop and Household Cavalry. There is also an adoption scheme for the horses. This is a great under stated family day out which is not a publicised as it should be. The stables are indoors so you don't have to depend on the weather to enjoy it.
The volunteers and staff at Penny Farm are very helpful and knowledgeable about all the horses and will make your day a fun day out. There are activies throughout the year at Penny Farm so it is worth checking out the'Whats on Page' of their website for more details.

Blackpool - My Home Town

2010-08-15T19:13:00.241+01:00

Well I decided to do this blog over a year ago but things happened and it never materialised so I am going to start now by saying 'We are premier League' because we were not when I decided to do this and want to say Good Luck for this season to Ian Holloway and all at Blackpool FC.
What can I say about Blackpool???

Well I have lived here since I was a baby when my mum and dad moved here from Glasgow and have grew up thinking that Blackpool was a dump, although it has its moments it is having more and more events and attractions on and is trying to establish itself as the number one UK tourist spot once more. Being more famous in recent years for the 'hen and stag parties' although there are still plenty that come to party, Blackpool is doing its best to bring the families back to the resort.

I am a keen but amateur photographer and love getting out and about taking photographs and want to make the most of the town I live in, so now try and go out whenever there are events on in Blackpool and take some photographs and publish them on Flickr so that people can see how great the town is. As well as looking in the Blackpool Evening Gazette, I always check Visit Blackpool for all the latest news.
This year on Friday 3rd September the lights will be switched on by Robbie Williams which is a great pull for the town although for the first time it will be a ticketed event and I do wonder if there will be many local people who will get tickets. This event is a register now and there will be a lottery for tickets. I want to share some of my photographs and details on some of the events that have and are taking place in Blackpool.

Since the promenade started being done up it has become a really nice place to go and relax, there are grassy areas and seated areas and in lovely surroundings as the promenade was beginning to look shabby and really needed updating. I used to go to the pleasure beach quite regularly, although I don't really like the rides, it is a great place to take some fantastic photographs, but since they started to charging an entrance fee (which I begrudge paying seeing as though you still have to pay for all the rides) I haven't been, although I believe they do have special offers regularly on books of tickets and the Hot Ice show is always fantastic.

The sandcastle water park is a great attraction for families and people of all ages and at the prices are £10.35 for adult and £8.55 for children over 3 (there are discounts for seniors and people with disabilities) and also family tickets available. It is a great day out with lots to do but it does not have its own car park so it is either street parking (of which there is little in this area) or in the car parks although there are car parks, they are expensive if you are parking all day so if you are on holiday, it may be cheaper to travel by tram or bus.

Below are some events that have taken place in and around Blackpool.

Blackpool Championship Parade

Every year Blackpool hosts the World Firework Championships and this year is no different, but usually they take place over a few weekends however this year they will take place over three days being 10th - 12th September 2010. They will also be set off from the beach between Central and South Pier this year instead of from North Pier as in previous years.

It is always a great event although in some instances the events have had to cancelled due to our lovely British weather!!!

World Cup Cape Town 2010. 10th-25th June 2010

2010-07-18T22:32:00.730+01:00

We had been planning this trip to South Africa for the FIFA World cup since 2006 on our last visit there and was very excited about returning for this amazing event. Originally we had planned to follow England around South Africa (thank goodness for the birth of my son!!), but when he came along in 2008 decided to ditch the idea and still go, but stay in one destination, this being Cape Town.

View from our balcony

After emailing lots of Hotels and Apartments for prices in May 2009 (many of whom would not commit until the World Cup draw was made in November of that year), we finally booked a lovely two bedroom apartment via the Owners Direct website. We wanted to have accommodation booked before booking the flights which didn't go on sale until July. The apartment was a lovely loft apartment in the centre of Cape Town in Adderley Terraces on Adderley Street with secure parking.

(Our Pool - not that we could use it. Too cold!!!!)

We have always flown to south Africa with KLM in the past and always found them cheapest, and we knew we were going to be paying well over the odds of what we had ever paid before. We ended up booking direct with British Airways, after checking out all the web sites such as Expedia, Travel Supermarket, Skyscanner and Kayak. We tried them all (after 20 years in the travel industry, I knew who to try.) KLM were charging silly money and it shows as on our return flight, there were loads of dutch who found British Airways cheaper to fly back to Holland via Heathrow than direct from Cape Town to Holland with KLM. The nearer our holiday got, the more hype and from December 2009 when British Airways Cabin crew threatened to strike, we were worried and as dates got announced we started to panic and it did take all the enjoyment out of looking forward to this holiday and of course the hype of the world cup. When the dates were announced, we were happy but slightly nervous as the last date was the 9th June and we were travelling on the 10th. Have to say though, BA were excellent on every level, we travelled with our son who was eighteen months old and had never flown before BA made it all so easy. We got to board first at London and Cape Town and we had already previously booked bulkhead seats with a bassinet. The only problem we found (which was no body's fault) was that as our son could not fit in a bassinet, was offered a seat which gets strapped onto the pull down tray. Great until there is a little turbulence and the 'fasten seat belt' signs come on, then we had to take him out and the seat had to be taken down (not a problem except he was asleep), so we decided to ditch the seat on the return flight, but still the crew and (cabin and ground) were very helpful and could not do enough to make the flight more comfortable for us.

Jubilani Ball (V and A Waterfront)

The day we arrived (11th June) was the opening Ceremony for the Fifa World Cup in Johannesburg. We had tickets to go to the evening game at Greenpoint Stadium which was France v Uruguay. The stadium was amazing there was a fan zone once you got past security so that if you wanted some entertainment before going into the game there was plenty. There was a stage which had dancers, Emirates tent, plenty of food and drink Outlets, Fifa Shop and lots more to see and do. It did nearly kill me getting to our seat though as we were on the third tier up and six flights of stairs to climb, then once we were there, another flight of stairs to get to our seat, but it was definitely worth it. Although have to say the actual game was boring, but the stadium and atmosphere were amazing.

France v Uruguay (Greenpoint Stadium)

On the day we arrived in Cape Town (11th June), it was lovely and sunny and warm, little did we know to enjoy it while we could. The very next day, the rain came down and poured for three days, so we just had a shopping and eating day at the waterfront until the England v Algeria game.

No trip to Cape Town is complete without a trip to see the penguins at Boulders Beach. Boulders is about an hours drive from Cape Town and is in a lovely setting. We did actually have about an hour without rain on this particular day, I am glad to say, but it does get very busy and people to tend to try and shove you out of the way to get photos. It is worth mentioning if you drive to Boulders to stop off at Muizenberg which is on the way, as there is a lovely beach here with bright coloured beach huts.

Penguins at Boulders Beach

Muizenberg

When South Africa were awarded the World Cup, the media started a witch campaign (especially in the UK) and especially in the lead up to the world cup starting every day was a different story about how South Africa should never had got it, 'they can't handle it', 'it will be a disaster', 'there is too much crime' and the list goes on. Well having been to South Africa a few times previously, we knew what to expect and what you can and cannot and have to say that South Africa did themselves proud. It was all so well organised and the FIFA Fan fests were excellent and had plenty of big screens, lots of bars and food outlets as well as craft stalls, stages and entertainment tents. We spent quite a lot of time in the fan fests as there were three games on a day for the first week or so. There was even a grandstand so when it rained at least you could go undercover.

Zakumi

Italy v Paraguay (Greenpoint Stadium)

Greenpoint Stadium

The Italy v Paraguay game had a better atmosphere than the France v Uruguay game and it was buzzing.

While we were in Cape Town, we noticed lots of brightly painted zebras scattered around and these are part of the 'Not all is Black and white Zebra Campaign' and World for all Foundation.

England fans invade Camps Bay

England Fans invade V and A Waterfront Cape Town

We have been to South Africa and Cape Town many times before and been to most of the attractions at least once, such as Robben Island (well worth a visit), Table Mountain, Boulders Beach, Cape Point and most of the other 'must see and do' of Cape Town. However, this time we had a toddler with us so had to find things to do that he would enjoy.

I did find a website that had 101 things to do with kids very useful for ideas. We had planned to go up Table Mountain on the first clear sunny day we had, but when we got there changed our minds as the queues were unbelievable, so decided to give it a miss.

Instead we headed up Signal Hill which we had never done before and were pleasantly surprised. Everyday at 12 noon the 'noon gun' is fired from Signal Hill. The views over Robben Island and Cape Town were magnificent and I still do not know why we had never been up there before.

View from Siganl Hill

We had also never been to the South African Museum, is situated in the Gardens (along with the Planetarium), so decided to pay a visit. I would recommend this and my son loved it. There are different exhibitions on throughout the year, there was a wildlife photography exhibition, African Dinosaur, The representational taxonomies of disease, among others. The walk through the gardens is lovely (when it's not raining) and the squirrels are very tame and there are loads of them.

Squirrels in the Gardens

For a really good shopping trip, we headed out to Century City, which is about half an hour from Cape Town, which is as it says on the tin (a city). We had been here before and there are loads of shops from designer to high street, food courts and restaurants and luxury apartments. Most gifts and souvenirs that we bought were cheaper here than in the shops at the V and A waterfront.

Next on our list of child friendly activities was Le Bonheur Crocodile Farm and Drakenstein Lion Park which we all enjoyed very much. They have a shop (Le Bonheur) selling very expensive Croc skin bags, croc pate and other delightful souvenirs, there is also a licensed cafe overlooking a lake with amazing views and you can do Bass fishing.

View from Le Bonheur Croc Farm

Snowy the Albino Crocodile

Drakenstein Lion Sanctuary

That evening, we had a meal at Gordon Ramsay's Maze restaurant situated in The One and Only Hotel at Cape Town Waterfront and I have to say the food and service were amazing. The restaurant was not too posh that you felt out of place and there was a good choice of food and it was very child friendly. After the first course, our waiter brought my son a box over which said 'Kids only' on it which you could colour in and inside the box there was play dough, things to colour in and crayons and it definitely kept him occupied between courses. After we had paid the bill (which was very reasonable considering!), the waiter came over with lollipops in a holder that were covered in nougat, then a plate of mini brownies and a box of macaroons to take home and all I can say is that if you get chance then go as it is worth every penny.
Talking of restaurants and especially child friendly, we went to Spur at the Waterfront a few times as it had a great atmosphere, and the staff do a dance and get everybody clapping and going. It is a steak restaurant and the portions are very generous (and the desserts are yummy!!!!). Previous to going to Gordon Ramsay's Maze (which only opened about 18 months ago) our favourite place to eat was City Grill at the waterfront. They have very tasty dishes and as well as selling steaks and fish, they South Africa dishes such as Kudu, Ostrich, springbok and Venison among many other dishes. City Grill is still one of our favourites, but Maze has just taken over slightly with the service (it was the chocolate brownies that did it!!!!)

Next to be ticked off was Hermanus. We have been to Hermanus which is famous for whale watching, but the best time of year for that is end of July until September and although we knew we probably would not see any, Hermanus is a lovely town to visit.

Hermanus

The next day we went to Bloubergstrand Beach and then onto the Cape Town Ostrich Farm at Durbanville.

Boubergstrand is about twenty minutes drive from Cape Town and this is where you will get the best views of Table Mountain and an amazing beach. Bloubergstrand is a surfers paradise and there are golf courses nearby and restaurants.

Bloubergstrand Beach

After having a very nice breakfast at the News Cafe in Bloubergstrand, we headed on to the West Coast Ostrich Ranch (in the guide we had it was called Cape Town ostrich ranch), which is in Durbanville and has Table Mountain as a back drop. We had a lovely sunny day on the day we came here and as well as tours, cafe and shops, there was a child's play area with a large sand pit which my son loved. In fact he loved it so much and found a playmate that he then didn't want to come on the tour that that we had booked and paid for. (We had to wait about an hour before somebody was available to take us on a tour.) The tour was good and you can sit on an Ostrich and have your picture taken with Table Mountain in the background, but I though the Ostrich farm we went to on a previous visit to South Africa was better. This was at Oudtshoorn when we visited Knysna.

West Coast Ostrich Ranch

One of the 'in' places to see and be seen is Camps Bay. Camps Bay is only minutes away from Cape Town and has beautiful beaches, and lots of shops, bars and restaurants and is knows as a 'posers paradise'. One of the stories that we heard while in South Africa that the most expensive rented property (rented by a fan(s)) and not officials or players was in Camps Bay and was rented for 1Million Rand for the month of the world cup (approx £100,000). It is beautiful and in a great location, you can even have a massage on the beach. We have been to Camps Bay loads of times and the my son loved the beach.

Camps Bay Beach

Misty Cliffs (Chapmans Peak Drive)

Chapmans Peak Drive

Cape Point

Wheel Of Excellence at Waterfront

If you hire a car while in South Africa and have the chance you must drive over 'Chapmans Peak Drive'. which is a scenic route from Noordhoek to Hout Bay. The last time we were in Cape Town the road was closed as it does when it is windy. You will see the most beautiful views ever while driving through some beautiful little towns. You do have to pay on the toll bridge which is about R300. We drove over Chapman's Peak drive on our way to Cape Point which is also a must see day out. At Cape Point there is now 'The Flying Dutchman' funicular railway which you can ride to the top where the Lighthouse is if you don't fancy the steps. There are lots of wild baboons and ostrich's and as cute as the baboons are god help you if they see you eating food as they can be very vicious and people do still eat in front of them even though there are warning signs everywhere telling you 'do not feed the baboons' and 'don't eat in front on them' as they will attack you for your food. Cape Point is about one and half to two hours drive from Cape Town depending on the route you take. It gets very busy especially at the bottom where the 'Cape of Good Hope' is and there are always lots of tour buses so would recommend stopping off here early or on your way down. We discovered lots of little paths that you drive down in a car that take you cave hideouts and secluded beaches that the tour buses cannot do as they are not wide enough.

Stellenbosch and Spier was next on our list of things to do.
Spier is in the heart of the wine lands and is a huge wine farm which as well as being a farm also has an eagle and Cheetah sanctuary as well as shops, restaurants and a spa. It is in beautiful surroundings and is well worth a visit although I am not sure about the cheetah having a enough space, but that is only my opinion.

On our second to last day, we booked on to the City sightseeing red bus tour around Cape Town. There are two tours that you can take either round the city or a Blue mini peninsular tour which goes to Kirstenbosch Gardens, among others. We decided to just book on to the Cape Town Tour, which takes about two hours (if you stay on the bus) and goes to all the main attractions like the Waterfront, Sea Point, Camps Bay and Two Oceans aquarium as well as many others. But you can hop on and off all day if you choose.
It was very good and well worth the money especially if you have a nice day which we did so sat upstairs outside.

This day was Thursday the 24th June 2010 when Holland were playing Cameroon and there was definitely a 'Dutch Presence' and the atmosphere was fantastic. We actually had the privilege of going to this game which was a very good game.

This is my first world cup and even though England did terrible, we had a fantastic time and when I got home I even missed the sound of the vu vu zelas. We met the most amazing people from all over the world and the South Africans really know how to host a great party. We still love South Africa and there are still many places that we have not been to. We definitely want to drive the Garden route from Cape Town and discover all the places along the route.

Harrogate, Skipton and Knaresborough

2009-08-24T12:53:00.193+01:00

We booked into the 3* White Hart Hotel and Conference Centre in Harrogate via the Late Rooms website. The good thing about Late Rooms is that you do not pay any extra booking fees and you actually pay at the Hotel. We paid £70 bed and breakfast for the room and would definitely recommend Late Rooms and the White Hart Hotel. It is in a great location and is only a few minutes walk from the town centre and the breakfast was buffet style and there was loads of choice. The White Hart Hotel has ample parking which is free for residents and the staff were friendly and helpful.

On the way to Harrogate, we stopped off at Skipton to have a look around and visit the market. Skipton is a market town which has a castle, Canal and the famous Market which takes place on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday on the High Street. It was very busy and car parks spaces are scarce but it is a nice place to have a wander round and is a good gateway for exploring the Yorkshire Dales.

After our lunch in Skipton, we continued onto Harrogate which took us about forty minutes or so to get there (once we figured out the one way system.). Harrogate is a lovely spa town and gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. I had been to Harrogate before, but only for the day so was looking forward to my weekend here. We were very lucky with the weather as it was lovely, sunny and very warm. The one way system in the town centre can be a bit of a nightmare to navigate but if you know exactly where you are going then it is fine. After checking into the Hotel, we went into the town centre do some shopping. There are plenty of High Street shops to browse around such as Debenhams, Monsoon, Kath Kidston to name a few.

There are also lots of other specialised shops such as The Cheeseboard, Hoopers Department Store, Montpellier Quarter, Whites of Harrogate (selling designer clothes such as Armani, Amanda Wakeley and La Perla among others) and The Urban Retreat plus many more. Once a month there is a local farmers market in the centre of Harrogate, usually the second Thursday of the month from 9am until 3pm selling local produce.

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There are also lots of cafes and tea rooms such as Betty's Tea Rooms, and Jenny's' tea rooms. Harrogate is a spa town and has a beautiful Spa and Turkish Baths which is well worth a visit and also feature in 'The Good Spa Guide'. Other attractions in Harrogate are a visit to the Mercer Art Gallery which has over 2000 works of art and hosts various exhibitions throughout the year and The Royal Pump Room Museum. (Currently hosting 'Only Human' until 3rd January 2010)

If museums are not your thing, but gardens are then Harrogate also has beautiful gardens such as Valley Gardens situated in Regal Low Harrogate and are said to be Alan Titchmarch's favourite public garden and RHS Garden Harlow Carr which is near to Harrogate.

There is plenty to if you have children also. For young children under the age of 10, there is Kidzplay which is a children's indoor play area, and there are outdoor games in the park such as bowls, crazy golf, and tennis and you can hire boats. There is also Pots 2 Go which is a ceramic cafe that lets you paint your own pots. There are other activities not far from Harrogate such as Hesketh Farm Park at Bolton Abbey and Monk Park Farm at Thirsk.

We bought an Eating Out guide from the Tourist Information as we wanted to find a child friendly restaurant and we found it very helpful. It tells you which make children welcome and have highchairs and baby changing facilities. We opted for Damn Yankee. It was very busy and the food was reasonable and there was lots of families in. They offer Steaks, Mexican, Vegetarian and burgers within the menu.

On the Sunday we decided to visit Knaresborough which not fare from Harrogate. Knaresborough is a market town famous for Mother Shiptons Cave and Historic Park. It also has lovely walks along the river with cafes and ice cream stalls. You can hire boats on the river and if feeling energetic there are cycleways and you can hire bikes. For children, there is Halycon Leisure club karts , Knaresborough Castle Museum as well as Skate parks and picnic areas. We were very lucky with the weather as it was a beautiful sunny day and very warm.

We took a lovely leisurely walk along the river and made the mistake of going to Marigolds Cafe for some lunch. The views from the cafe across the river were stunning however we felt it was overpriced, rushed and the staff didn't seem to bother and the service was bad. You queue up like at Mcdonalds and they bring the food to your table. I think what really did it for me was when the waitress brought my glass with her fingers inside of it and maybe its just me but I found it very unhygienic. We noticed the business was for sale so maybe that's why the service was bad because they just weren't bothered.

The further we walked we found lots more riverside cafes but at least we know for next time. The railway bridges are very picturesque and the views stunning. We walked right along the river and up to the city centre which has a lovely cobbled square and had lots of nice little shops. I would liked to have had more time to explore Knaresborough as what we did see of it was lovely so will have to go back soon and do a little bit more sightseeing. They have a bed race in June each year which runs through the town and there will be a christmas Edwardian market on 5th and 6th December 2009. If you are in the area then I would recommend a visit as there are lots to see and do and I will definitely be going back soon.

Durham 2009

2009-02-04T12:04:00.146Z

We travelled by car to Durham and was a little worried about the roads as the weather has been so bad and there had been a lot of snow. The roads were fine, but there were white blankets of snow as we travelled via Cumbria. We had originally booked into the Marriott Royal County Hotel but changed at the last minute to the brand new Radisson SAS Hotel as the leisure centre at the Marriott was closed for refurbishment. We booked the Radisson online and they had an offer of 20% discount for a two night stay which was £60 per room per night (Room only). The Hotel is a 4 star which opened in November 2008 and has a lovely leisure centre, parking for 130 cars (which you do have to pay for - it was £6.50 per 24 hours) and free Internet access for guests. It is in a great location, on the banks of the River Wear and is a five minute walk from the shops, restaurants and market.

There is also a Premier Inn on the other side of the River which is called Durham City Centre and rooms are from £61 per room per night, so I would try and book the Radisson or Marriott if you can get a similar price rate as they both have leisure facilities. Durham is a Market and University Town (the University is the third oldest in England) and is known for its ancient cathedral. Durham is also home to a Castle, both the Cathedral and Castle are World Heritage Sites.

We had a walk round the Cathedral which is huge and offers free entry, although there are donation boxes. You are not permitted to take photographs inside the Cathedral, although you can buy a licence pass if you wish to take photos for educational purposes and this is £15. There is a nice cafe inside the grounds of the Cathedral which I would recommend. The Stained Glass windows in the Cathedral are beautiful. The Castle is a five minute walk from the Cathedral and is also a stunning Building. The Castle is part of the University but is open to the public for tours.

We had a walk along the river which was really nice and you have stunning views of both the Castle and Cathedral. After we visited the Cathedral we headed to the market and shops. Although the shopping centre is not as big as Newcastle, there are quite a few shops in Durham. There is the indoor and outdoor market and most high street shops such as Marks and Spencer, British Home Stores, Monsoon among others. The streets are cobbled and quite hilly (good for the calves....). There are also two Oxfam shops, one selling clothes and accessories and the other selling books, DVD's etc. I noticed that the Oxfam shop had a pair of Jimmy Choo Shoes in the window (I have never seen designer items like that in an Oxfam Shop before!!!)

I found the people very friendly wherever we went and when we checked into the Hotel on the Friday, the head of housekeeping approached us and told us if we wanted anything to let her know... The one thing that I could not understand is that I could not get network for my mobile in the Hotel. I have been to some remote places in the world and been able to get coverage but not in the Hotel in Durham which was a bit of a pain as I had to keep going outside in the cold to use my phone or check for messages. There are a few restaurants in the city centre in an area called Walkergate and a few pubs that offer food such as Wetherspoons. There are also pubs such as Yates and Walkabout if you fancy some nightlife...

One thing that surprised me about Wetherspoons was their dress policy. We met up with a friend of ours in Durham and went for lunch in Wetherspoons, he was wearing tracksuit bottoms and was told that the policy is that tracksuit bottoms are not allowed to be worn in their pub. The thing I find bizarre is that as good as Weatherspoons is (and the food is great), it is not exactly Gordon Ramsay or a classy wine bar. I remember jeans not being allowed to be worn in some pubs years ago but never tracksuit bottoms, this was in the afternoon as well so I do not see the harm - but what do I know!!!!

There are other attractions to see and do in Durham in addition to the Cathedral and castle such as the Oriental Museum (part of the University), Durham Miners Heritage Centre and Durham Light Infantry Museum and Art Gallery. Since having a baby last year, it is now interesting to see how hard it can be sometimes getting in and out of shops that have very narrow paths. After pushing the pram around all day I certainly felt it the next day on my legs after walking up and down the hills.... The next day we were planning to go to Beamish but decided we would leave it until our baby boy was a little older and could enjoy it.

Beamish is an open air Museum and has costumed staff and demonstrates two stages of the North East's History. We ended up going for a look around the shops at the Metro Centre in Gateshead as it was so cold and did not want to be outside. On the way to Gateshead we stopped off at the Angel of the North Sculpture at Gateshead, our friend had recommended we see it although he thinks it is a monstrosity. It is known as 'Gateshead's Winged Wonder' and is twenty metres high and fifty four metres wide. It overlooks the A1 at Gateshead and was created by Anthony Gormley. I think it is different!!!!!!

The Metrocentre is huge and has plenty of indoor and outdoor parking. It is similar to the Trafford Centre in Manchester. It has over three hundred shops and over fifty restaurants and a Cinema. There are shops including Debenhams, Lush, House of Fraser and Mothercare.

It was very busy when we were there and you certainly would not think there was a recession on!!!! There is a lot more to see and do in the North East of England than we had time for. I believe Newcastle is a great city to visit and has great nightlife, but we just ran out of time.

For football fans there are lots of clubs to choose from such as Newcastle United, Sunderland and Middlesborough. I did feel a little cheated on my visit to the Cathedral as I had heard about 'The Sanctuary Knocker' on the door, however we found out that it is actually a replica and the original is in the St Cuthbert Exhibition in the Cathedral Precinct.

We had a great weekend and would definitely recommend Durham, there is so much more to see in the County and surrounding areas than we had time for. It is easy to find your way about and Durham, Newcastle and Gateshead are not that far apart.

If you are going to visit Durham or the North East and can go anytime, I would maybe recommend going in the Spring and not in February as it was freezing.......

Stratford upon Avon 2008

2008-08-19T07:59:00.089+01:00

We travelled to Stratford upon Avon by car using the M6 toll Road. We had checked the traffic and being a Friday night the roads were very busy. The M6 toll Road was empty and it cost £4.50 for cars which is worth it to get a clear drive without being stuck in traffic. (we had been stuck in a jam around Cheshire!!!). We had booked into the Stratford Hotel in Stratford upon Avon (formerly Stratford Victoria) and it was very nice. It has parking for over 200 cars and is centrally located (about five minutes walk to the main shopping area and river.) We had originally tried to book into the Stratford Manor Hotel which is the sister Hotel of the Stratford, I am really glad we didn't now as it is quite a way out and you would have to travel by car or taxi to the centre of Stratford. There is a mini gym at the Stratford but no pool, however guests can us the pool at the Stratford Manor Hotel.

The breakfast was great and there was lots of choice of English cooked breakfast, continental, pastries and cereals (if you were really hungry or greedy you could have all as it is a buffet breakfast!!!!). We had booked in for two nights as my husband had a driving experience booked at Long Marston Airfield on the Saturday and Stratford was the nearest town. We arrived in Stratford at around 7pm and after checking in, we decided to go for a wander to get something to eat. There are lots of restaurants to choose from, we settled on a beefeater near the River.

The food was not great, I had asked for a burger well done and it came as a char coaled brick and very dry, but I suppose I did get what I asked for!!!!.

The next morning after breakfast, we had a wander round the shops, the buildings are all so old and beautiful and it is really weird to see these really old buildings with a Pizza Hut or Costa Coffee attached to them. We drove to Long Marston Air Field around lunchtime which is only a few miles and about twenty minutes away from Stratford. My husband had a driving Experience booked with Drivers Dream Days, who offer driving experiences at different locations around the country in luxury cars from Porsche and Ferrari to Aston Martin and Lamborghini's. They also offer off road driving experiences.

We were hoping for nice sunny weather, which is one of the reasons for choosing August but we should realise by now never to expect nice weather in this country and it was grey, drizzly and cold. You can book a drive on the day if you have not pre booked. My husband had an Aston Martin and Ferrari experience booked.

The price for the driving experience includes insurance, but on the day you can pay for an insurance waiver (approx £20 - £30 depending on weather) which covers you for any damage to the cars otherwise you are are liable for the first £2000 damage.

Most drives include three laps and a high speed ride in a Subaru. There is a viewing area and you can buy DVD's and photographs of your experience for about £25. There are tea, coffee and refreshments available to buy on the day also which is a good job as it was cold, wet and windy on Saturday. My husband's first drive was in an Aston Martin, when he was called he was told he was being upgraded to the Aston Martin DB9 Convertible so it was such a shame the weather was rubbish.....

The Aston that he actually drove had not been used all day so he was taken out for one lap with the instructor to make sure everything worked before taking his three laps. As much as he said he enjoyed it, he felt that three laps was not enough and could not make the most of driving such a luxury car. Next up was the Ferrari 355 which he also enjoyed but being such a different car said it felt weird as your bum is nearly on the floor. This was a Christmas present and I think it is a great gift to give somebody who likes luxury or fast cars and realistically is never likely to own one. The website has experiences to suit all budgets from £89 up to £229. They also offer high speed passenger rides for children.

This was my hubby's second driving experience, the last time he drove a TVR which is his favourite car and he has a huge love for them. After his driving, we headed back to Stratford and went to the No 1 Shakespeare Pub to watch his beloved Liverpool in their first game of the new season. After the football (which I am glad to say the Reds won!!) we headed back to the Hotel to get showered and changed to go out in the evening.

We wanted to eat somewhere in between a pub and restaurant and their are loads to choose from. We decided on the Rose and Crown which is a huge pub, but has a separate dining room. It was really nice inside, and the food was delicious and very reasonable. We both decided on the Bombardier Beef and Ale Pie and as delicious as it was, only order if you are very hungry!!!!! I only managed half of mine and felt really guilty as it was so tasty but huge the pudding that I had my eye and was looking forward to on when browsing the menu never got ordered as I was totally stuffed. The waiter was also very friendly and came over a few times to make sure everything was ok and we had everything we needed. After our meal we went into the pub which was very long and had a few drinks.

On the Sunday after breakfast, we checked out and went for a walk along the River. The weather was up and down, one minute it was sun shine and the next there were showers. It did brighten up eventually. The walk along the river was lovely and peaceful with lots of boats and barges. We also had a walk around the streets looking at the old crooked buildings. Because we did not have a lot of time, we did not get to do any of the tourist attractions that Stratford has to offer.

We did walk past William Shakespeare's House but did not have enough time to go in and this is one of the most visited attractions in Britain. Mary Arden's House and Anne Hathaways Cottage are also popular attractions. Other attractions to visit are Hatton Farm Village and Stratford upon Avon Butterfly Farm. (which is the UK's largest Butterfly Paradise. There are also boat trips on the river.

Not far from Stratford is the Historic town of Warwick. Warwick Castle is also a very popular Tourist Attraction and is said to be Britain's best Medieval attraction. We did not make the most of what Stratford and Warwick has to offer because we had a schedule to stick to, but Stratford Upon Avon is a beautiful town and would definitely recommend it. We will definitely be back again especially to do the walking ghost tour in Stratford.

South Africa 2006 Part 2: Knysna

2008-08-10T19:19:00.120+01:00

We left Cape Town and drove to George which took us about four hours, we had originally booked into a hotel in George as it had been recommended to us. We stopped off at Witsand on the way which is a small beach town en route and it was very pretty. We also saw some whales from the beach. We had booked into the Protea Landmark Lodge Hotel in George. The Hotel reception area was nice but the rooms were very basic and not very nice, they did not look like they had been cleaned.

We drove around George and decided it is not the place we thought it was, as it was just an industrial town, so went to get something to eat while deciding where to go instead.
We had booked into the Hotel in George for 4 four nights and was definitely not staying for that long.!!!! Our one and only evening in George was spent at the Casino in Mossel Bay which had lots of restaurants in it. We decided on Knysna and booked into the Graywood Hotel for three nights (we would spend the first night in George and move to Knysna in the morning!!!!).

The Graywood Hotel was lovely and resembled a ski lodge. The Hotel is only a 3*, but it is nicer than some 4* Hotels I have stayed in!!!. The people were friendly and the rooms were lovely and clean and the Hotel has a secure covered car park. Knysna has a nice waterfront with shops and restaurants. It reminded me of a smaller version of the V and A waterfront at Cape Town. We booked a boat trip to do some whale spotting and although the heavens opened while we were on the boat, we did see some. That evening we went to the African Restaurant across the road.

The weather was mixed while we were there for a couple of days it poured and at one point Knysna lost electricity, fortunately for us the Graywood had a generator so we were ok. The next day had beautiful sunshine all day as we drove to Ootdshorn to visit the Cango Ostrich farm and Cango Caves. The farm is privately owned and offer tours and the opportunity to ride or feed the Ostrich's. The tour takes 45 minutes and is worth going. The cost of the tour is ZAR50.00 for adults and ZAR25.00 for children.

The caves are also worth visiting and there are two tour on offer which are the Standard Tour which cost ZAR55.00 and the Adventure Tour which cost ZAR70.00 and take 60 minutes on the standard and 90 minutes on the adventure tour. The caves are stunning and should not be missed. That evening back in Knysna we went to JJ's restaurant at Knysna Waterfront. They offer a varied menu including seafood, delicious steaks and South African Game among other items. My sister had the Chocolate Fondue as a desert and it was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted (there was so much I had to help her finish it....)

The next day we headed to Knysna Elephant Park which is rehabilitation centre which offers tours, walks and rides and also has accommodation. The rates are ZAR145 for adults and ZAR75 for children. You can also buy buckets of food at ZAR25 and feed the elephants. The elephants are orphans rescued from culling operations or abandoned. The tours can take up to an hour but you can stay at the park for as long as you wish. We then headed to Plettenberg Bay and booked an Ocean Safari for more whale watching.

The rates are expensive but there are only two companies including Ocean Safaris that are licenced to offer tours. There are two types of tours being the Discovery Cruise ZAR300 and the Premium Cruise ZAR500. The discovery cruise is operated on boats without a licence and are legally obliged to stay 300 meters from the whales, and the Premium is a Close Encounter tour which is permitted to approach whales up to 50 metres. We booked the Premium Tour as we decided if we were going to book a tour we might as well do it properly.

We were not disappointed and saw loads of whales, seals and dolphins and they were really close. Unfortunately I was not quick enough with my camera to get good shots... Plettenberg Bay is in the heart of the Garden Route and is close to Ootdshorn and Knysna. The beaches are lovely and the sea is warmer as it is the Indian Ocean.

Although it had been warm and sunny all day, when we got back to Knysna in the evening it was raining and cold so we did not want to go too far. Just a few minutes from our Hotel was a South African pub called Oldes. South Africa were playing rugby and it was being shown on the big screen, so it was really busy and there was a great atmosphere. There was a spit roast which was free for customers. We had a great night there and the people were friendly.

The Graywood Hotel only offered a bed and breakfast basis although there is a Hotel bar and it is in a great location and is walking distance to the Waterfront. We had heard about the Outeniqua Choo Choo Steam Train which used to operate between Knysna and George, but while we were there part of the track and bridge was damaged due to bad weather so it was was not running. We had come to the end of our stay in the Garden Route and I would recommend Knysna as a base to explore.

The day we drove from Kysna to Cape Town was a nightmare as there had been a landslide because of the bad weather, which meant instead of a four hour drive, it ended up taking us nearly seven hours. Because of the Land Slide, part of the main motorway (N2) collapsed at Wilderness so we had to use the back road through the Mountains. Apart from this mishap, we had a great time in this area of the country and will have to go back as we did not get chance to explore the area as much as we would have liked....

South Africa 2006 Part One: Cape Town and Hermanus

2008-06-26T14:36:00.223+01:00

We flew to Cape Town from Heathrow with South African Airways direct on 19 August 2006. We found the service very good and the crew were friendly and helpful. We had reserved a car at Cape Town with Europcar who are one of the main companies in South Africa. We had booked into the Radisson SAS Hotel a the Waterfront in Cape Town for one night before moving onto Hermanus. The Radisson is a Five Star Luxury Hotel and the rooms were huge and the sun was shining so it was a good start.

We went for lunch at Panini at the Waterfront who serve delicious food, and then relaxed around the Hotel. That evening we went to the City Grill for a meal (which is one of our favourites). It is a steakhouse selling everything from Springbok to Karoo and Calamari and it very reasonable priced. The next day we drove to Hermanus on the scenic route via Bettys Bay and Stony Point. Stony Point has a Penguin Colony which we visited and we saw some whales and a dassie at Bettys Bay. When we arrived at Hermanus, it was quite cold and windy.

We had booked a lovely apartment with a sea view and under floor heating (which came in handy as it was cold!!!). Hermanus is a lovely seaside town that has a whale crier who blows a horn every time whales are spotted in the area. We did not see any whales in Hermanus, it gets so busy that even whales are spotted it is hard to get near the sea because it is so busy. The next day we drove along the coast and the first stop was Stamford where there are lots of nice old buildings.

We then went to De Kelders which is 25 minutes drive from Hermanus and is much quieter than Hermanus and is situated in Walker Bay. We saw lots of Southern Right Whales here and they were close to the shore. It is said this is a preferred area for the whales as it has sheltered bays. De Kelders is also known for its seafood and being a fishing village. We briefly stopped at Gansbaii next which is famous for white shark cage diving. You can also spot Southern Right Whales from here.

After Gansbaii we drove to Bredasdorp to the Kapula Candle Factory. You will have seen Kapula Candles at some point in South Africa before in shops as they are sold everywhere. The candles are hand painted and in various colours and styles. The factory also has pottery and crockery for sale. We spent far too much money and when we left, we were wondering how we were going to get everything home in one piece. We decided to go to Cape Agulhas which is the most Southern Tip of Africa and where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean meet.

On the way to Agulhas, we stopped at Arniston, which is a lovely seaside town home to the warmer Indian Ocean (famous for its wine). The beaches are lovely and you can go fishing, whale watching and visit the De Hoop Nature reserve. It was a bit cold and windy, so we did not hang around. Although Arniston is on my list of places to return to when it is not winter!!!! We arrived at Cape Agulhas at around 1600, and although the sun was shining, it was a little cold. There is not a lot to commemorate it other than a plaque and a candy striped lighthouse.

The Lighthouse is a monument with a museum and a tea room. Cape Agulhas is also known as 'Cape of storms' because of the treacherous coastline and many shipwrecks that have taken place over the years. It is said that when you stand on the shore towards the sea, the Indian is to your left and the Atlantic is to the right. We watched the sunset which was beautiful before heading back towards Hermanus. The drive back to Hermanus was scary as it got dark we must have taken a wrong turning and when we got to Napier, the tarmac ended and we were on a dirt track for miles with no light, other vehicles or shops. There were so many potholes we were terrified of the car breaking down. We did make it back in one piece eventually and treated ourselves to some comfort food at Spur and then home for a hot shower.

We arrived back in Cape Town on 27th August after a very long drive from Knysna. What should have taken about four hours ended up taking over six due to to bad weather. There is only one main road between Cape Town and Knysna which is the N2. As there had been heavy rain the road was closed because of a landslide and we had to take the narrow back roads up and down hills. We had booked a two bedroom apartment at Green Point 5 minutes away from the Waterfront. The Devonshire Apartment is owned by a lovely man called Leon. The apartment is on the seventh floor with spectacular views over Cape Town and has secure parking and reception.

That evening, we just fancied a light tea so went to the Paulaner Brewery at the waterfront where they do Bockwursts t0 die for. It's also one of hubby's favourite places to get a beer, so he was happy. The next day we visited the Two Oceans Aquarium at the Waterfront which has lots of exhibits and feeding and you can even go diving!!! In the afternoon, we went for a walk down Long Street which is one of the oldest streets in Cape Town and has lots of Victorian Buildings, shops, cafes and restaurants and on to Green Market Square Which is the City's best known flea market.

In the evening we went to the Waterfront and shopped at the Red Shed Craft Workshop which is open until about 9pm. It sells arts and crafts from all over Africa. There are lots of other shops and restaurants at the waterfront also. We had booked a Cultural Tour while we were in Cape Town which includes some of the Townships, District Six Area and Museum and Bo Kaap.

The next morning we set off for Cape Point going via Simons Town and Boulders Beach. Simonstown is a Navy Town with lots of nice shops and restaurant, it is a few minutes drive from the Penguin Colony at Boulders Beach. We have been to Boulders before and it is a great place to visit. It was sunny but very windy and there were not as many penguins as on previous visits, so we did not know if they were nesting. We then drove onto the Cape Of Good Hope and Cape Point. We decided to get the funicular half way up then walked up the steps to lighthouse where you can take in the spectacular views.

On our way back from Cape Point, we saw a family of baboons and an ostrich. We stopped off at Hout Bay and Constantia on the drive back to Cape Town. Constantia is a well known wine valley area where the very wealthy live. That evening we went to Camps Bay which is a ten minute drive from Cape Town. Camps Bay is the place to see and be seen. It is full of trendy bars, cafes and restaurants and has a lovely beach and designer shops. It is always busy there with people posing on the beach and spending daddy's money!! There are all the usual water sports available and also wellness spas.

We wanted to experience Chapmans Peak Drive which is a drive between Noordhoek and Hout Bay and is said to be one of the most spectacular drives in the world, but the road was closed due to bad weather, so we were a bit upset. We went up Table Mountain the next day as it was the first warm clear day we had, although it was cold up there. We are not fit enough to walk (especially after eating out for a week!!) so took the easy way up by Cable Car. In the late afternoon/evening we went to Sea Point to watch the sun set and then on to our favourite City Grill restaurant at the Water front at Cape Town. Tomorrow was our last day and we had booked a walking Tour of the Bo Kaap District which we had never visited before. The Bo Kaap is known as the Cape Malay area and is a suburb of Cape Town with lots of brightly coloured houses and the residents were mostly descendants of slaves imported by the Dutch in the 17th Century.

We had a guide called Shereen who was very helpful and knowledgeable, she took us around the streets and to the museum and into her home where we were given drinks and cakes. In the afternoon we went to the beach at Bloubergstrand which is twenty minutes drive from Cape Town. This is the best place to get the perfect picture postcard view of Table Mountain (but its a secret so don't tell anyone!!!!!) The beach is amazing and was not crowded although the sea was flipping freezing!!!! For our last night we decided to visit the Grand West Casino just twenty minutes drive from Cape Town. The sign at the Casino entrance made me smile 'All firearms must be be left at reception'.

The food was not great to be honest as the waiter brought the main meal before we had even finished our starters and then the steak that I ordered to be well done was pink, and apart from that (oh and losing at Roulette!!) it was a good night. The Grand Casino is on a complex that has shops, restaurants and family entertainment. The next day, we were flying home in the evening, so had our breakfast at the waterfront and spent the day there watching street entertainers before leaving for the airport.

The Devonshire apartment we stayed at in Greenpoint is in a great spot, you can walk to Sea Point and the Waterfront and there is lots of shops close to the apartment such as Woolworths Food (the same as M&S food in the UK). There is also electric gates on the car park at the apartment. We had a fabulous time, although I would not travel at this time of year again as it is their winter. The weather was not great and we normally travel in November when it their summer. The winter is regarded as the best time of year for whale watching and is a cheaper time to travel than in summer.

Coming Soon..... Knysna

Santa Susana (Costa Brava) 2007

2008-06-26T14:34:00.040+01:00

We flew to Santa Susana for the weekend in November to see if it was suitable for a possible summer holiday in 2008. We flew with Ryanair from Blackpool to Gerona and had booked Resorthoppa to take us from the airport to the resort. We have used Resorthoppa a few times for transfers and they have always been very good. It cost about £17 return and took about 45 minutes to get to the resort from Gerona.

We booked into the Aqua Onabrava Hotel which I highly recommend. The Hotel is on the main promenade, and has an indoor and outdoor pool, gym and spa. All rooms have a balcony and air conditioning and the Hotel has entertainment. We had booked on a bed and breakfast basis for three nights. There is also a snack bar in the Hotel selling Burgers, Hot Dogs and Pizzas etc.

The weather was quite warm. You could walk around in a T shirt, but it was not quite sunbathing weather or warm enough to use the Outdoor pool...

Santa Susana is not a huge resort and there is a train line across the road from the Hotel with regular services to Lloret de Mar, Barcelona and the resorts in between. The beach is a five minute walk under the train tracks. There was not a lot open when we went in November, but we just wanted to see what it what like. There are a few shops and restaurants in the resort and in the season (which is from Easter until October) there are stalls along the promenade at night selling arts and crafts.

The resort next to Santa Susana is Malgrat de Mar, and is about ten to 15 minute walk away. This is a larger busier resort than Santa Susana and has a few more shops and restaurants. We also noticed that there are quite a few camp sites in the area. As most of the shops and restaurants were closed in Malgrat and Santa Susana, we decided to get the train to Calella which is an even busier resort two stops away and has lots of shops and restaurants open all year round. The train took about ten minutes and cost EUR2.90 return. The tourist shops and restaurants in Calella were closed but 5 minutes walk from the promenade is the main shopping area with lots of narrow streets each filled with shops, bars and restaurants.

The area was quite busy and there is every kind of shop selling clothes and shoes to cheap tourist tat, but it was nice to wander round and see different shops. We also found a nice restaurants to eat in. We had a walk along the promenade and there were a few bars open on the beach. The trains run quite late back to Santa Susana so we had a few drinks in Calella before returning to our hotel. On the Sunday we had a walk along the beach from Santa Susana to Malgrat then found a cafe selling delicious ice cream on our return.

The food in the Onabrava was very good with lots of choice. I would definitely recommend Santa Susana, even though not much was open (we knew this would be the case but wanted to see what it was like!) we got an idea of what kind of resort it is. It is a quieter resort than its neighbours and I would say suited more to families and couples, but then you can have the best of both worlds as Malgrat is within walking distance and Calella ten minutes away. You can also get the train to Barcelona if you fancy a day away from the beach.

Calella (Costa Maresme) 2008

2008-06-16T21:07:00.100+01:00

We flew with Ryanair from Blackpool to Gerona and booked ResortHoppa to our Hotel. Ryanair are really rubbish and the customer service skills are severly lacking, but they are convenient for flying from Blackpool and that is the only reason we use them. I would rather pay more for an alternative carrier if I could as long as it was from my local airport, but they seem to have the monopoly at Blackpool. The baggage allowance is 15k (and the cost for booking a bag has just gone up - to pay for the penny flights I guess!!!!!) which is fine but Gerona is not really a commuter route and most people are going on holiday have more than 15k (you are also not allowed to combine baggage!!!! As we were only going for a week, we tried to travel light but we were 9k over (between 3 of us!!!!), but the check in person took pity and only charged us for 2 kilos - well done her.

Th excess baggage fee has also just gone up to £12 or EUR15 per kilo, so it would have cost us a fortune had we had to pay the correct fee. The cabin crew also are not very friendly and we could not understand a word they said (I asked other people on the flight and they couldn't understand them either!!!), so God help us if they were announcing anything of any importance!!!!!. We had used Resorthoppa before and found them to be very good, it cost us £17 per person return to Santa Susanna which is about a 45 minute drive away, and you can book online. We had another mix up when we arrived at our Hotel, as we thought we had booked into the Maritim at Santa Susanna, when we got there we were told we had actually booked into the Martim at Calella two resorts along!!! (bloody travel agents!!!!!!).....

We jumped in a taxi to Calella disappointed and wondering how the mistake was made, but we had nothing from the Hotel except an email saying we had booked a sea view room (it had no address on it!!!), we got to the Hotel and decided to make the most of it. The Maritim we had booked into was nice enough and part of GHT Hotels. We had booked a Double Sea View room and was actually allocated a twin sea view room (which hubby was not happy about - we have twin beds to come later when we are about 70 and booking Shearings Coach Holidays!!!!!) They did change us to a double eventually, the room was clean and had a nice size balcony. My poor sister had a single room at the back with a Juliet Balcony (you could stand on it but would not have been able to shut the door!!!) which is fine except they do advertise every room as a balcony!!!! Apparently there is only 1 x single room per floor and they are in the same position!!!!!

We had booked half board, so went for tea after we had checked in, which was OK but typical Spanish Package Holiday food (i.e unidentifiable meat and fish - if it needs a label should you eat it?) We had a wander around the resort after tea and found we were in the centre of everything so that was good as there were loads of shops, bars and restaurants all within a few minutes walk of our Hotel, there was also the Train tracks across the road which has a regular service to Barcelona, Santa Susanna and other resorts along the coast. I must be getting old as the first night was the worst night's sleep ever. It was about 0430 in the morning when we got to sleep as there was a German Bar next to our Hotel and Germany had just beaten Poland in their first game of Euro 2008 (you would think they had won the Cup they were that noisy!!!!) To be fair it wasn't really their fault as I am sure any other fans would have been just as noisy, it was down to rubbish double glazing in our room. There was no difference when the doors were open or shut!!!!(We were also only given one pillow each!!!!)

On our first full day, we decided to spend the day at the beach as it was lovely and warm plus the Hotel was just across the road. We hired sun loungers and a parasol at EUR4 per item which I thought was quite reasonable. My sister has a learning disability and is also very fair and burns in the sun in the UK so we had to make sure she was covered up well. The beach was nice and never got too crowded, although it was stony and hurt your feet a little when walking on it. There are lots of beach bars and stalls selling light refreshments and drinks. There are peddle boats that you can hire as well. My hubby went for a swim but did not stay in the sea long as he said it was freezing!!!!!!

We stayed on the beach until about 2.30 ish and decided to go for a Siesta to catch up on some sleep!!!! We decided to go to Santa Susanna that evening to see what we were missing!!! We got the train which took about 10 minutes and cost EUR2.60 return. Santa Susanna is much quieter resort than Calella, we had been to a really nice restaurant on our last visit in November and were hoping to have a meal there. Unfortunately for us there was a sign on the door saying closed for personal reasons, so we had to find another place to eat. There are lots of restaurants around, but like in Calella the food on offer it what they think British tourist's want - pizzas, hot dogs, English breakfasts etc... We did eventually pick a restaurant, but in true MaccyD's style the food looked nothing like the pictures on the menu - why have pictures of the food then?

We decided to watch the Holland v Italy game in a pub, as there were hundreds of Dutch supporters all dressed up and we thought it would be a good atmosphere. I was surprised as even 20 minutes after kick off there were dutch fans walking the streets (that would never happen for an England game!!!!!) There are lots of stalls on the promenade selling arts and crafts, but everything seemed to shut down about 2300. The streets became deserted and the only entertainment seemed to be in the Hotels. We also missed the last train back, so had to get a cab which cost us EUR20. This was when we decided we were glad to be in Calella where at least there was still things going on (although as least we would get a quiet night sleep here!!!!) We went back to Santa Susanna by train on Tuesday for the weekly market and the heavens opened. The main road is closed off for the market which was interesting!!!!! It is full of stalls selling copy perfumes, wannabe Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags and cheap copy football shirts and clothes. The only stalls we liked were the fruit and veg selling huge spring onions (you don't get them that big in Asda!!!!!), apples and every other fruit and veg you can imagine. We bought some apples, grapes and cherries.

We spent a couple of days sitting by the pool which was good as it never seemed to get too busy, this may have been because there was a roof terrace on the 7th floor which was a sun trap, but as there was no shade or parasols, we decided not to risk getting burnt. We went to Marineland which is two parks in one, being a small mini version of Seaworld but also had a water Park with slides etc. There is a free bus from various resorts to the park and it costs EUR22 entrance fee (worth every penny and a great day out!!!!) Marineland is in Palafolls nr Malgrat and takes about forty minutes from Calella (depneding on how many pick ups there are). There is a Dolphin and Seal Show and a Parrot and Exotic Bird show. You can also see Dolphins, Seals, Pink Flamingoes and other exotic birds. There is also a Dolphin Encounter which is an extra EUR50 and involves getting your picture taken with a Dolphin and educational facts. The Water Park has lots of slides for adults and kids and is quite big. The only drawback is the food is very expensive EUR6.90 for a Hotdog which is a rip off (and not very nice - how do you make a mess of a hot dog anyway?), but this is the case with all parks unfortunately. I would definitely recommend this as as great day out and it is worth the entrance fee.

There is the main Water Park at Lloret De Mar which we did not get to. We visited Malgrat de Mar one day and then walked to Santa Susanna and got the train back to Calella. There is enough to do and Calella is a good base (although quite noisy), you can get the train to Barcelona and Lloret de Mar and the other resorts along the coast, and it is very reasonable. I know I am getting old when I want a quiet nights sleep (about ten years ago the first thing I would do is find the nearest night club!!!!!) I did enjoy this holiday, and without sounding like a snob (cause I am not!!!!), it is not really my idea of a holiday (bucket and spade holidays are not my thing!!!), the restaurants are full of english food and english pubs. The Hotel would not lend us an iron as they send ironing and laundry out for a fee - so we bought a cheap one and considered setting up a rival service in reception!! This holiday was ideal for my sister and that was the reason we booked it but it was a break and 15 years ago it probably would have been my ideal holiday!!!!!

Cow Parade

2008-05-29T20:07:00.234+01:00

Cow Parade is the worlds largest free art exhibition. It originated in Chicago in 1999 and is working its way around the world. It is basically life size cows (not real obviously!!!!) made of resin or plastic and companies sponsor cows and then invite artists to design them. The cows are around for about four months and then they are auctioned off for charity. I was lucky enough to be in Chicago in 1999 when the cows were in town.

I was visiting my friend in Niles, Michigan and had booked a couple of nights in Chicago before flying home and she told me to 'Watch out for the Cows In Chicago'. I did not have a clue what she was talking about, but she just said you will know when you see them!!!!!! Soon enough when we got to Chicago we saw them scattered about all over. There was quite a few on Michigan Drive which is the main shopping area, John Hancock Building, Intercontinental Hotel and Sport Stadiums as well as many other locations. It was not possible to see them all as there were over 300 all over the city.

Although Chicago was the first official Cow Parade it did actually start in the summer of 1998 in Zurich as a trial by Beat Seeberger-Quin. The cows are all given names with a reference to the design, location or theme of the cow. One particular cow which became famous after Cow Parade in Chicago was 'Sky Cow' which was auctioned off and bought by Oprah Winfrey and is said to be grazing at her ranch in Indiana!!!!

In December 2000, I had booked a Christmas shopping trip to New York with my mum and my friend and found out that the Cows had been there in the summer, between June and September. We were a bit gutted we had missed them, but a lot of the gift shops especially Hallmark were selling miniature replica cows from the New York and Chicago Cow Parade. This was when my addiction began!!!!!!! I bought about three I think, as I was conscious about getting them home in one piece. I had tried to buy them in Chicago, but nobody seemed to be selling them at the time.

Since Chicago and New York Cow Parade has been all over the world to cities including Tokyo, Denver, Sao Paulo, Bratislava and Auckland among many more. I have caught three parades in London, Manchester and South Africa but I as gutted to miss Edinburgh and Dublin as they are easy to get to from where I live.

Cow Parade is very popular now and you can buy the miniature Cows from shops all over the world, but after our trip to New York and I had decided I was going to collect them, you could only buy them online in the USA.

This did prove very costly especially as I was being charged tax from the postman when he delivered them depending on the value. I had originally decided to collect every one from each parade but that became impossible as there were about two or three a year in various cities and the fact that there would be up to about fifty on sale from each parade, I would need to win the lottery a few times over. I decided to check out cows on each parade and put my favourite on my birthday and Christmas wish list. They cost between £12.99 and £19.99 for the small cows so it can be very costly. You can buy the cows for a certain time and then the Cow Parade company retire them out to pasture and you then find them hard to buy. Some of the older cows from Chicago and New York have become quite valuable.

The London Cow Parade ran from June until September 2002, the charities benefiting from the auction were Childline and RABI. We booked a weekend down to London to try and see as many cows as possible, we managed to get a list of them all and the locations of where they were and ticked them off as we saw them. We did see quite a lot but they were spread out all over, so it was not possible to see them all. I think there were about 150 cows in total all over London in different locations such as The Ritz Hotel, Liberty Store, The BBC, Berkeley Square and Buckingham Palace among others. In some locations such as Haymarket, Marble Arch, St Katherines Dock and Canary Wharf (to name a few!!) there would be more then one cow. Some of my favourite cows were 'Beef Wellington, 'Cow Bus', 'Sea Cow' and 'Cower Bridge'.

It was fun travelling around London hunting for them and we were very lucky that the weather was warm. The one thing that did disappoint me was the vandalised cows at the Opera House at Covent Garden. There was one which had been written on, and another which had a broken foot (why would somebody do that?) It is just disgusting that the organisers, sponsors and artists go to all the trouble and hard work and somebody has to spoil it.

The summer of 2004 saw Cow Parade travel to Manchester with over 100 cows residing all over the city. The chosen charity for the Manchester parade was Manchester Kids. We travelled to Manchester for a Cow Parade hunt, location list in one hand and camera in the other. There were over 100 cows in Manchester scattered about in different locations. Again we were very lucky with the weather as it was lovely and sunny.

We travelled to Manchester Piccadilly by train and one of the first cows we saw was the Dangermoo-se Cow. As my husband is a big kid and Dangermouse fan he was quite happy!!!! We did not get round to see every cow as they were located all over the city including Manchester Airport and Wythenshaw. The cows that were in the city centre were easy to find and there was a few in each location including St Ann's Square, The Lowry, Victoria Station and Piccadilly Gardens.

As far as I am aware they provided great entertainment to all who saw them as there were always loads of people around them taking photos. There were ten cows on the Arndale Centre which is always really busy anyway. Some of my favourite cows from this parade were Mooer's Moomalade (Triangle), Daisy Beckham (Arndale), Vivienne Westwood Cowture (St Ann's Square) and China Moon (Lincoln Square). Some of the cows that resided in Victoria Station and the Arndale Centre were actual seats that you sit on.

I bought about four or five miniature cows from Cow Parade Manchester, the problem is I do not have anywhere to put any more and I have had a few which have been broken when people have been to my house and picked them up as they are so fragile.
In 2004 my husband and I had booked a holiday to South Africa visiting Cape Town, Durban and Victoria Falls in Zambia. We found out that Cow Parade would be in South Africa when we were there so we looked forward to that.

One of the Partners of Cow Parade South Africa was Kulula which is a low cost airline that operates within South Africa. Because we had booked a couple of flights with them, we managed to find out information on the aircraft about where the cows would be and what dates etc. The cows were spread out all over the Country from Johannesburg and Pretoria to Durban and Cape Town so there was no way we would be able to see them all.

We were going to Durban and Cape Town so knew we would be able to see the cows there. The South African charity chosen to benefit from the auction was CHOC (Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa). Our first stop was Durban and there were quite a few cows on the sea front and Shopping Centres. There were more cows at Durban than Cape Town, but the majority of them were in Johhannesburg, Sandton and Pretoria. Some of the cows that we saw were Peace Cow, Walter Sisulu, Sisonce and Mooti Cow.

This cow is the Ama moo Moo, Ladumooo. Eish! Hlalala! - The Udderly Bullish Cow which was in one of the shopping centres in Durban. It is promoting the FIFA Soccer World Cup to be held in South Africa in 2010. Cow Parade in South Africa raised over R1 million for Charity and proved to be very popular. Cow Parade has now become so popular and the word is spreading quickly as the parade goes from City to City and Country to Country.

You can buy the miniature versions nearly everywhere now and they are always being sold on eBay. You can also buy books, plush toys and many more. The website that I used to buy everything from is Cows Cows Cows this is great if you live in the US but can be costly if purchasing from outside the US the good thing about this website is it is a very good reference site especially for retired cows and if you are looking for a particular cow and are not sure where it was.

Current cities hosting cow parade at the moment are: Tijuana, Mexico; San Jose, Costa Rica; and the island of Capri, Italy. Coming soon are:Taipei, Taiwan; San Diego, USA; and Madrid, Spain. If you are in or around any of these destinations then I would definetly recommend that you visit the cows.

Sex and The City: The Movie

2008-05-29T08:45:00.028+01:00

I went to watch the Sex and The City Movie last night and I have to say it was Fabulous!!!!!!. It was opening night and two and a half hours long but it did not seem that long. The cinema was full last night and it seemed to be three catergories of people, there were the girls watching with their friends, the gay men, and couples (you could see the look on the men's faces that they really did not want to be there!!!!)

There was a guy walking round selling packets of sweets, and if you bought one, you got a free Sex and the City cloth bag. I don't think he even made it into the cinema as he got bombarded just as he left the shop. I am not sure if this was an opening night promotion or they will be giving these with every purchase while the film is running. There has been loads of hype about the film, and a couple of weeks ago, I had read in a downmarket magazine that one of the girls dies!!!!! I am happy to report that is rubbish, they were all very much alive when the credits rolled at the end of the film!!

You can watch the trailer below...

You do not had to have watched the series, but it definitely helps as the film takes place three years after Big (or John as we now know him!!!!) rescued Carrie from her slap in Paris!!!!! There are references to things that have happened in the last series and you need to at least have an idea of the history of the girls. It is very well written and there are a few twists, near the beginning just when it is getting to be predictable something happens to throw a spanner in the works!!!!. There are also a few surprises and the usual plug of fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton, Manolo Blahnik, Gucci and a huge plug for Vivienne Westwood.!!!!!!

The film takes place over a period of about five months as it follows the girls lives, there are a few of the old guys including the gorgeous Smith Jerrod, Mr Big, the adorable Stamford Blatch and Anthony (the wedding designer!!!!) I would love Stamford or Anthony as my GBF (gay best friend!!!!) as they are fabulous!!!! There are others in it, but these are my personal favourites!!!!

Regardless of what the media have said about the bitching and back stabbing between the girls, they are great together on camera and this film definilety needs all four of them as they bounce off each other and after all it would not be Sex and the City without all of them as they are all so different and each bring their own individuality to the film.

I would abso-**!*-lutely recommend this film if you are a Sex and the City Fan and hopefully in the future there will be another one, as I am thirsty for the next installment!!!!

South Africa 2004 Part 3: Victoria Falls Zambia

2008-05-27T21:55:00.080+01:00

We flew with Nationwide Airlines to Livingstone from Johannesburg for the final leg of our holiday. We had booked into the Zambezi Sun for three nights. There are only a couple of Hotels at Victoria Falls on the Zambia side including the more luxurious Royal Livingstone. Victoria Falls is sandwiched between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Zambezi Sun is a lovely Hotel set in beautiful grounds with well placed Zebra roaming around and is only a 5 minute walk to the falls. We went in November and this is not the best time to visit as it is summer and the falls are not as spectacular as they would be in the wetter months of March to May. However they were still fantastic and you could actually hear them on the walk from the Hotel to the Falls.

There are lots of nature trails around the Falls and we would to see a family of baboon's (a troop?) every morning. A couple of mornings we would see some elephants across the falls where it was dry. Our guide had told us they would not be able to do this in the wet months. We booked a boat trip along the Zambezi River to Livingstone Island by the Falls and is this was said to be the closest you can get. The island is completely covered during the wet season. We were told that the best view of the Falls was from Zimbabwe, however with the Political Situation you are not advised to go and if you have a British Passport you are even more unwelcome as it is more expensive for a visa!!!! The Victoria Falls Bridge which connects Zambia and Zimbabwe has a checkpoint at half way which if the situation was different you could cross into Zimbabwe. You can also do Bungee Jumping from this bridge if you are brave/stupid enough!!!!

We had an hour in Livingstone (named after David Livingstone) on one day which is about twenty minutes away from Victoria Falls. It is a a small colonial town with only a few shops. It has the Livingstone Museum in it, but not much more. We booked a fishing trip on the Zambezi River as my husband is a fair-weather fisherman. The boat trip was amazing as long as you did not put your hand in the River as there are lots of crocodiles about. I had a go at fishing, but I kept getting my line caught in the trees and it had to be untangled a few times. My husband caught a Tiger fish which he was quite pleased about. He did put it back in the river though. When you are on the river you have Zambia on once side and Zimbabwe on the other.

We saw lots of vultures feeding off a dead elephant on the Zimbabwe side, it was horrible and our fishing guide told us this is because the Army are not being paid so are killing the wildlife to eat. It is so awful what is happening in Zimbabwe, we had an Englishman in our boat who had lived in Harare for years and was telling us what a beautiful country it was before the trouble began. It was beautiful and calm on the river and we really enjoyed it. There are lots of opportunities to see wildlife (and drnk beer)so go and take your camera even if you do not fish.

As I mentioned before, The Royal Livingstone was the more Luxurious Hotel at the Falls and was a 10-15 minute walk from our hotel. There was a shuttle that went between the Zambezi Sun and Royal Livingstone. The Royal Livingstone is on the edge of the falls and on a clear day you can see the whole falls. This Hotel is also set in beautiful grounds, and we would to see cheeky monkeys playing on the grass. There are bars, restaurants and shops in the Hotel. We enjoyed watching the sunset on the river as the Hotel is more open than the Zambezi.

The Hotel that we were staying in also had shops, bars and restaurants in the grounds as you are advised not to wander outside the complex (not that there is anywhere to go anyway!!!) We ate in the Hotel restaurant a few times, but we also tried some of the restaurants around the complex. Both Hotels had lovely pools which were great to cool down in after a long day at the falls or out sight seeing.

If you are adventurous, there are activities that you can do within the falls such as white water rafting, River Boarding, and Canoeing among others. You can also book a helicopter ride over the falls or a Micro Light Aircraft.

There are Game Reserves in the area such as Mosi O Tunya, Lower Zambezi, and Kafue among others. There are also walking safaris, and Elephant Safaris. The people that we met were all very friendly and wanted to tell you about Zambia and the history of it.

You do need a visa for Zambia for most passports, but you get it at the airport on arrival for a seemingly random amount of cash - no change! We were also advised that we had to have a yellow fever certificate, but nobody asked us for it when we were there so check before you tavel. The currency is Zambian Kwacha, but they prefer US Dollars or Pounds Sterling. I would definitely go back to Victoria Falls, but would like to travel in March or April and see them at their best.

South Africa 2004 Part 2: Durban

2008-05-27T21:53:00.121+01:00

We flew to Durban from Cape Town with Kulula, which took two hours and cost about £35 . There are regular flights to Durban with Kulula and Mango which is a new airline. They are the low cost airlines which fly within South Africa. We had booked into the Holiday Inn North Beach (Now Southern Sun) for four nights. The Hotel is overlooking the gorgeous North Beach, and we were lucky enough to allocated a sea view room.

Durban has one of Africa's best beaches and well known for surfing as it is in the Indian Ocean which has better conditions and is warmer. Durban is also the largest city in KwaZulu Natal. The beach and promenade at Durban known as the Golden Mile has golden sandy beaches, that lovely blue sea (that you don't see in the UK!!) and lots of shops, bars, restaurants and hawkers selling paintings, carved wooden ornaments and beads among other items.

We were advised that we must visit the Victoria Market in the Indian Quarter (or Indian Market as it is known!!!). Durban has the largest population of Indian people outside India. We travelled by taxi to the Market and it certainly was as experience!!!!! As soon as we got out of the taxi, we were pounced on by sellers all trying to get us to look at their stalls. The market has lots of stalls selling mainly herbs and spices as well as fruit, veg and fish. They also sell furniture, brassware, wooden ornaments, and materials. Much of it is too big to take home in your luggage!

As good as it was to see the hustle and bustle of the market, it got a bit on our nerves as you cannot browse the items as you are being pestered all the time. As soon as you hit the market, you smell the exotic aroma of the spices as you wander around. There are a few malls in Durban, but we were told that the Pavilion had the largest range shops and is similar to the Trafford Centre in Manchester. It has shops from designer to High Street Stores and sells everything from clothes and accessories to furniture and African Curios. We travelled about by taxi as the buses are not very reliable. Although one driver went to fill up before he could take us any where and you got the impression that he only put enough fuel in for our journey!

It was my husbands birthday while were in Durban, so we decided to have a day at the races and got a cab to Greyville Race Course. It only cost about £5 to get in and was really quiet. It was a beautiful sunny day and everytime we have been to the horseracing at home it has been cold, windy and raining so this made a refreshing change. The main racing season in Durban is July, which is always busy and is compared to Royal Ascot. They also have the Durban Gold cup which is held in August.

There were quite a few races and obviously not as much prize money as the big races of July and August, but it was good fun. My husband was really surprised at the price of beer which was about R7 (50p) - this compared to the £3 t the Aintree Grand National (see previous post). Soft drinks were also very cheap.

You could also buy snacks and souvenirs. I was quite surprised at how close you could stand to the course and the winners enclosure. It is a lot smaller than Aintree in Liverpool so you can see the stables and get close to the horses and jockeys. We had a few winners and it was a brilliant day out and we are really glad we went although we could not find a cab outside to take us back to the hotel so we risked the walk which was a bit nervy at times!

I am a big fan of Cow Parade and if you have never heard of it the it is basically a Public Art Display on live size painted cows. They are dispayed all over attractions and towns for a period of time and then auctioned off with the money going to Charity. Cow Parade was in Durban when we were there. The cows were scattered all over. They were on the promendade, in the shopping centres, Metro and Botanical Gardens to name a few. We did not get round to see them all, but we got round as many as possible.

There are plenty of things to do and see in Durban as well as soaking up the rays and shopping!!!!. There is the Botanical Gardens, Temples such as the Umgeni Road Hindu Temple and the Shri Mariamman Temple at Mount Edgecombe. There is Fitz Simons Snake Park which is home to 157 different snake species, lizards and crocodiles, Fun World, Sea World (not to be confused with Sea World in Florida), Water World and MiniTown.

As far as eating out goes, there are lots of cafes and restaurants to eat in Durban. The first night we got ready to go out and find a
restaurant at night, the doorman of our hotel asked us where we were going. When we told him, he told us that you should not walk about after dark in Durban as it is not safe. He said that everybody goes to the Suncoast Casino which is like a resort rather than a casino and has over seventeen restaurants inside as well as shops, takeway, casino and cinema. There is also a play area for kids.

Our hotel and most of the hotels along the North Beach run a shuttle bus to and from the Casino which is about 15 minutes away. As we did not want to take any chances, this is what we did. The restaurants include Jaipur Palace, News Cafe, John Dory's Fish and Grill and Spur among others - Spur is everywhere in South Africa! I am sure that people do eat out in restaurants rather than going to the casino, but we like to wander around on foot as I believe this is a better way to get your bearings.

The South Africans love their sport and rugby and cricket are both very popular. Unfortunatley (for my hubby!!! and fortunatley for me!!!!!) there were no games on when we were there or he would have dragged me to a game. We did go past the Absa stadium, and it looked pretty impressive, it is huge and holds 52.000 people. Durban among the other main cities in South Africa are preparing for the World Cup which will be held there in 2010.

The games will be held in cities including Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria in June and July 2010. You can combine Durban with a safari as there are games reserves in the Kwazulu Natal area such as Abu Madi Game Ranch Mkuze and Leopard Mountain Game Lodge among others. We really liked Durban, but we did a lot of lazing around (after Cape Town, we wanted a rest!!!!) and did not do all the things that we could have done. If money is no object or you want to book that once in lifetime experience, you should book Rovos Rail which is South Africa's answer to the Orient Express and is pure luxury, the itinerary of which includes in game reserves.

Durban has a subtropical climate, and it can get hot and humid in the summer months which are November to February, but it is still warm even in the winter. The currency is South African Rand and it is cheap in Durban. The people are friendly and all the time we were there, we felt safe although we were advised against walking about at night. I would recommend a stay in Durban as it is cheap and easy to get to.

South Africa 2004 Part 1: Cape Town

2008-05-27T21:49:00.150+01:00

We flew to Cape Town in November with KLM via Amsterdam. The service was very good and there was plenty of room in economy. We were lucky as we were on board a new Boeing 777 and there was a huge choice of movies and games to keep us busy. We had booked into the Holiday Inn Waterfront (now the Southern Sun) as we had stayed there last time and it is in a great location. This was our second visit to Cape Town, so we were a little more confident and decided to hire a car. We had booked 5 nights in Cape Town before flying to Durban, so we decided to explore a little more than we had done on a previous trip.

We booked tickets to go up Table Mountain, and although we had been before, the view is just amazing and we never get bored. It is better to pick a clear day when there is no wind (Monday morning is recommended as there tends to be less smog around after the weekend). You will find that if it is windy, the cable cars will not operate. There are hundreds of species of flowers and plants on the mountain as well as nature trails. If you are feeling energetic or brave, you can walk up the mountain or abseil down the mountain!!!!!

The next day we were heading for Hermanus, which is known as one of the best places in the western cape for Whale Watching. The drive is mainly all coastal and is a beautiful scenic route. We stopped off at Bettys Bay and Stony Point en route to Hermanus. Betty's Bay is situated in between Kleinmond and Pringle Bay and is about 45-60 minutes away from Cape Town. You can visit the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens at Betty's Bay or just walk around and take in the beautiful views. Stony Point is at Betty's Bay and there is a Penguin Colony and old Whaling Station which is also worth a visit. The colony at Stony Point is smaller than that at Boulders Beach and it is off the beaten track a bit so there are usually much less people around and it can be a good way to avoid the coach tours.

Hermanus, which is in Walker Bay, has a Whale Crier who blows a horn when there are whales in the area so that whale watchers can hurry to the sea front and try and catch a glimpse. As well as being popular for whales, Hermanus is a lovely seaside town which has lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. There are market stalls selling mostly whale and African souvenirs. There are other areas close to Hermanus where whale watching at close range can be seen such as De Kelders, Gansbaai (famous for shark diving in a cage!!!) and Kleinmond among others.

There are lots of Hotels and B&Bs in the Hermanus area should you want to spend a few days there, but we like to base ourselves in Cape Town as it is handy for the motorway. Just 10 minutes drive from Cape Town is the beach resort of Camps Bay. This is where the wealthy have their homes. It has a beautiful beach and has plenty of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. There are plenty of beach activities such as volleyball, Windsurfing and water skiing. There are also lots of spas and wellness centres here. It is the place to be seen and you don't feel like you are in Africa in fact it reminded me a little of Ocean Drive in Miami.

The next day we were visiting Boulders Beach Penguin Colony and Simon's Town which is a former Naval Base. On the way we stopped at Muizenberg which is known for its colourful beach huts (we were told that this was the setting for Atomic Kitten's cover of The Tide is High!!!!). Muizenberg is in False Bay Muizenberg is popular with families and adults and is quite often used for fashion shoots as it has white sandy beaches and turquoise blue sea. There are lots of Hotels, B&Bs along the promenade and former Grand Mansions.

We arrived at Boulders Beach next and paid to go into the Penguin Colony which is definitely worth a visit. It is a conservation and educational centre and you can see the penguins at close range. There is a quite a long walk to get to the actual beach where the penguins are. There is an area now where you can swim next to the penguins, which was not there when we were last there. We next went to Simon's Town which is only a few minutes drive away.

Among the attractions in Simon's Town is the Naval Museum. There are Ocean activities such as cruising, whale watching, fishing and African Shark Eco Charters with companies such as the Simon's Town Boat Company. There are lots of cafes and restaurants selling seafood, and cuisine from all over the world. If you are missing English pub grub, you should visit the Two and Sixpence Tavern which is a traditional English Tavern. The best way to explore Simon's Town is on foot, but there are buses and taxis as well.

That evening back in Cape Town we decided to eat at one of the many restaurants at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. There are loads of cafes, bars and restaurants selling every kind of food from Seafood, Pizza, Italian, Belgian, French and many more. One of our favourites is the City Grill Steakhouse, in my opinion they have the best steak and they also sell African specialities such as Springbok, Ostrich, Crocodile and much more and the Green Dolphin which has live jazz bands and booking is recommended. The Waterfront is popular with tourists as there are lots of shops, Galleries and Hotels. The Robben Island Ferry also leaves from here. The main Tourist Information office is based at the Waterfront where you can get maps and book tours, safari and fishing trips. It is also home to luxurious Hotels including the Cape Grace and the Victoria and Alfred. There are street entertainers and the Two Oceans Aquarium is at the Waterfront.

On a previous visit to Cape Town, we had booked a Culture Tour which took us to the District Six Area and museum and on a Township Tour of Langa where we visited the Chris Hani Community School founded my Mrs Maureen Jacobs. The classrooms were old ship containers, and Mrs Jacobs and her teachers gave the children an education but had no help from the government. I had enquired before travelling if there was anything the school may find useful such as stationary. I was told that any donations would be most welcome.

Working in the travel Industry, we are always being given pens, and other airline stationary so I decided to get my work colleagues to help. I asked them for any spare pads, pens, rulers and I scrounged some freebies from some of the Airlines we deal with. The school were really grateful and it was wonderful to see the kids again. It gave me great pleasure to be able to help!!!!. I have heard that a few months after our visit, Oprah Winfrey visited the school en route on a visit to see Nelson Mandela and has given the school a building and the kids all now have their own books.

We also visited the Khayelitsha Township where Vicky Ntozini has opened her shack to visitors to give you a taste of a real Township experience in Vickys B and B. I have met Vicky twice and she is a wonderful woman who gives profits back to her community. Cape Town is like two different worlds, as you travel from the airport to the Waterfront the first sights you see are the shacks in the townships on one side of Table Mountain, and then other side it is all luxury hotels and high rise buildings.

We had two days left and decided that we were going to spend one day at the winelands and the last day visiting Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. The winelands are famous in South Africa, and there are lots of routes such as Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Constantia and Paarl to name a few. It is a beautiful drive and there are lots of Wine Farms where you can stop and visit the cellars and do wine tasting (booking a tour is probably better if you like wine so you do not have to drive!!!!). I am not really a wine drinker so my hubby did the tasting and I did the driving!!!! [This is the way it should be - hubby] Stellenbosch was home to the first wine route and is probably the best known. You can also buy the wine from the farms.

Our last day was spent at Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope national Park. The park is huge and you will see Baboons and Ostrich's. The view along the coast is beautiful. At Cape Point, you can walk up to the lighthouse (not for the faint hearted) as there are loads of steps or ride the Funicular. Whichever you choose, you will be rewarded by the view!!!! There are signs all around warning you not to feed the baboons, do so at your own risk!!!!! We saw some silly woman giving one baboon some food and its family then came over and became aggressive because she wasn't' sharing any more and they then started jumping on the car!!!!

After another tiring day. we had to pack for our flight to Durban the next day. Even though we explored more of Cape Town this time, we are still not done as there are so many more places we want to go to, so I will have to plan my next visit when I get home!!!!!

Coming Soon..... Durban