Lotus eating

For three weeks I have just chilled out, I have walked  3 times a week with the Larnaca, Amathus and Polygon Hashes and the occasional side trip of my own but other than that it has been reading in the sun and boxed sets on the DVD except for two Hash Xmas parties which included 4 hour John Travolta sessions that required huge amounts of Brufen the following day to get me ambulatory again. 

Natural stone bridge at Cape Greko

Looking West from Peyia - Nice place to build a house - see the for sale sign

So the lotus eating is over, and yesterday I headed West for a 3 day stay in Peyia, I avoided the motorway and it was worth it for the photo opportunities.

Petra Tou Romiou or Aphrodite's Rock

Today I revisited the Avakas Gorge which Jan and I walked a few years ago. It was eerily silent at midday but in a peaceful way and when I stood still the birds just carried on with their insect hunting within feet of me, I didn't feel as if I was on my own

Off the beaten track.

I went to the Mylos family restaurant the other night in the upper part of the village of Yialia and it lived up to its name, I was the only guest and I dined in one end of the large dining room - which in a previous life had been the village school - and the extended family ate with me next to a cosy log fire, an initially slightly daunting experience but I was treated like an old friend so was soon put at my ease. It was a lovely experience.

Jan and I used to enjoy the occasional bottle or two of Efes, a local Turkish beer when we went to Ali's Bar for a meal and to watch the belly dancers, unfortunately Ali's is no more. I have tried the canned Efes from Makro but it bears no resemblance to the real thing, you can imagine my delight to find that the local Turkish Cypriot shop here n Pyla sells bottled Efes and it tastes just as good as it used to, I now have a bottle or two in my fridge.

Duck!

The plan today was to walk one of the trails in the Akamas Peninsula which is a protected area and nearly a national park with signs like this everywhere.

On my way to the picnic site at the start of the trail, I kept seeing men in camouflage clothing in the bushes, at the picnic site itself there were hoards of hunters barbecuing and this was at 10 am. I decided that discretion being the better part of valour I would leave them to it, I did not fancy being peppered with buckshot after being mistaken for a legitimate target whatever that may be.

Latchi beach

I went for a quick explore around Latchi which has just about the right amount of tourist development for me, nice restaurants and cafes facing the marina and not an English breakfast or Irish bar in sight, and then I went to Polis which has gone the other way but it is mixed in with what used to be a nice small Cypriot town. This area is definitely worth visiting before it does get overdeveloped.

I settlrd for a Sunday chill session on the patio.

Latchi from the Akamas heights

Away from the tourists.

Yesterday saw the start of a new adventure, we headed off to Platres in the mountains to get hiking maps and books from the tourist office. The forecast for the weekend was rain and as we started climbing towards the hills it started spitting by the time we got to our destination it was hammering down - not a good start, however after getting the info we headed back to the coast and the rain eased off and touch wood has stayed away. We arrived at our secret destination at dark o'clock so we didn't know what the place looked like until this morning and what a pleasant surprise it was waking to the sun streaming through the window. The two bedroom apartment we booked is immaculately clean and in a lovely location and for three nights it is costing what you would pay for a night at a Premier Inn. 

My apartment

I have been out today exploring and on a 6 mile nature walk, it is hard to believe that I am still in Cyprus - the vegetation is green, I have only met two tourists and the locals are unbelievably friendly, everyone waves and says hello and I came back from my walk with a bag of lemons, oranges, pomegranates and tangerines and also two slices of cake all given to me by people in the village. I had to turn down the drinks in the local bar because I am going to a restaurant for dinner tonight and half a dozen glasses of ouzo or brandy would not have improved my driving skills.

When I got back down to the coast after the walk this was the sight that hit me, I don;t know why it is called sunset beach and there was no one else on the beach I could ask.

Exploring Cyprus

On Sunday, after my last visit in 1995 I went to the Turkish side of the old city of Nicosia, not a lot has changed, a few important buildings have been renovated or are being renovated with EU money (how does that work?) and there are a few more tourist oriented cafes and shops but they are still selling the same kind of copy sports clothing they were 25 years ago. The biggest difference is the border crossing in the centre of the old city and the ease of getting through, just show your passport and that is it. I had imagined that the Turks being mainly moslem and that their holy day is Friday this being a Sunday the place would be just a normal working day but no they seem to have stayed with the Sunday day off as it would have been before partition. Imagine the thrill I got when crossing the UN buffer zone to find two full teams of Pakistani workers on their day off, playing an ad hoc game of cricket. The pitch was a dust bowl in the middle of the buffer zone - what would have been the moat - the boundary was marked out with old tyres and cans and there was only one set of stumps but don't get the wrong idea this was a serious match and the bowling was lethal, I wasnt the only spectator.

I went exploring last week and ended up at an excavation at Choirokoitia, it is a large Neolithic village site dating back over 10000 years which was discovered in 1934, I spent an interesting couple of hours there and felt that after walking over the whole site that I had earned a big slab of locally made chocolate cake.

Today I got as far as Limassol and I went to the castle which is also a museum, the museum was mostly a collection of old pots which does nothing for me but one of the gravestones on display took my eye, it showed the figure of a man obviously wearing chainmail, I wonder if he may have been a Crusader - fantasy is a great thing. What was really interesting was looking at the building itself, it had been a defensive or religious site for nearly two thousand years and you can see parts of earlier structures within the current building indeed some of these were pointed out notices on the walls provided by the museum staff.

Recovery and exploration

The great news is that the lurgy is now under control thanks to 'Snip' if it is available buy it now for the next time you are struck down. I have now explored the whole area of Southern Cyprus east of Larnaca and to be honest it does not entice me at all. Yesterday I went up to Lefkara thinking I hadn't been there for along time only to realise that I had been there after Keira and Charlie went home - is it an age thing or something more sinister? I went out again today and visited old haunts at Kiti and Pervolia and I must admit that the wrinklies and Russians (W&R) haven't reached that far which makes this area desirable because it is still a community.

I am gradually getting into the Cyprus way of life - late starts and not too rushed, after all I've still got four weeks to go but the clothes are getting tighter, it doesn't help that there is a souvlaki shop just up the road and they are so friendly and cheap that I feel that I must give them my business. I have also been self catering and the difference it makes cooking or salading with local fresh produce makes the meals so much more tasty.The sad news is that one of the best fish and chip shops in the world, Lambros is closed for refurbishment - never mind it should be open again when I come back in March.
One of the reasons for my explorations is to find a bolt hole for the winter when I am finished with my world travelling and this [village house in Alaminos caught my eye, no garden but a secluded courtyard and an upstairs south facing patio - I haven't dared phone to ask the price.

5 weeks in Cyprus

I had a great start to this trip and I was sitting in Frankie and Bennie's ordering breakfast within 15 minutes of joining the bag drop queue, there is something to be said for using smaller airports like Liverpool for the whole relaxed, friendly atmosphere - even the security staff smile! I had a small panic attack after dropping my hand luggage but the casings and the disc drive all clipped back into place on my laptop and as you can see it is working OK.
It is good to be back in warm temperatures and I managed a Mixed Sandwich for lunch and souvlaki for dinner on my first day. The fly in the ointment is someone kindly gave me a dose of the lurgy, so I have had two days of feeling sorry for myself but the kindly local pharmacist recommended a medication called Snip and it seems to be doing the job. Knowing Cyprus this drug is probably still in the testing stage or on the banned drugs list in the UK but it is working for me.
So tomorrow the adventures begin with some local exploring of places I don't think I have been before and to see if there is anywhere I would like to live/hibernate in the Winter.

Saga Singles Santorini.

I don't know what I expected of this Saga singles holiday but it has been a lovely experience sharing adventures with 36 like minded people. Santorini was at the top of Jan's bucket list and I had always wanted to visit the site of the massive eruption that could have been the basis of the story of the Flood. Jan would have been disappointed with the reality of the island especially Oia which I visited this morning. Oia is a beautiful extended village on the northern headland of Santorini (the iconic photo of Santorini is taken here) but it has been spoiled by being turned into a Mecca of shops selling overpriced tourist tat and is a must see site for all the visiting cruise ships, I had a walk around and left on the next available bus.
Getting away from the tourist traps there is plenty to see and do, I can recommend visits to Akrotiri - a partially excavated 4000 year old town that was buried in volcanic ash just like Pompeii and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera has wall paintings rescued from the excavations as well as other finds. The island also has walking trails which are well worth seeking out, I managed a 10 mile walk yesterday with another intrepid Saga lout, the walk took in the highest point on the island which was quite interesting when we lost the marked trail on a very steep mountainside but we survived and celebrated with a pint of Alpha.
to.

Today is the last day, we fly home tomorrow so just tonight's farewell party to look forward to.

Paros v Naxos

After two days of driving around Naxos I have come to the conclusion that Paros is a nicer destination but that doesn't take anything away from the people of Naxos who away from the tourist centres are friendly, funny and very forgiving of my poor language skills. Naxos is mountainous and the views from some of the headlands are spectacular, the north west coast was my favourite and I shared beaches with herons and a mega-friendly cat who watched me as I combed the beach.

These islands would be ideal to cruise around, they are close together and have hundreds of little coves and small harbours which are the highlight to any visit.
Tomorrow we head back to Santorini with the risk of thunder storms en-route.

Paros to Naxos

I rode a scooter for the first time in my life on Sunday - never again, it was the most unstable thing I have ever been on and combine that with a single gear automatic gearbox it was an accident waiting to happen. Fortunately I survived and the little buzzy thing took me to the beautiful village of Lefkes where I wandered the streets and had my first ever visit to a kafeneon where I enjoyed watching the world go by with the locals. 

I went back again yesterday and walked the Byzantine Road from Lefkes to the port of Piso Livadi where I had lunch overlooking the harbour. Paros is a lovely island but the airstrip is being extended to take larger aircraft so the peace here will be a thing of the past.
The next adventure starts today, we catch the ferry to Naxos at midday.

We stayed in Alyki on Paros and the resort in the close season was pleasantly quite but the restaurants were still open and we were treated to wonderful sunsets every night.

Saga and Santorini

With a late arrival and various tours and reccies the time is flying, we are now on our second night in Paros after arriving last night and immediately going out for dinner at a local taverna.
The white wine here is very good, I haven't had a bad carafe yet in fact I consumed a little too much on Wednesday so I made up for it by going up to Ancient Thera on Friday morning - how is that for a view of the Aegean?

The people I am travelling with are great company, already I have spoken to all but two of the 37 on the trip. It has been an amazing experience hearing everyone's very individual story - not just a bunch of Saga old foggies but a cross-section of Britain over the last 70ish years.
I fell on my feet at this current hotel, huge room and a modern four-poster bed.

Aegean her we come.

It feels like months since we last had a holiday, it is, it is. No wonder Harry and Marmalade have been so grouchy lately. Well the adventure has started on a high note, I discovered that you can avoid expensive taxis and the Hotel Hopper bus at £5 per trip and catch the free bus from the hotel to the Heathrow Central Bus Station, so that makes this gin and tonic free. Checking in at Terminal 2 was hassle free, it felt like I had travelled back in time to the era before airport security - well done BAA.
This trip is a three island, two week singles trip with Saga but I am wearing my wedding ring so that should keep the predators at bay. The itinerary seems to provide a blend of culture and local experiences, we shall see.

London wash up.

Stomp was high energy and funny, good looking dancers who were obviously enjoying themselves and I didn't mind being picked out of the audience for not engaging with the show by the cast bozo.
I won't go on about it but Soho/the West End/theatre land call it what you will is average food, service and booze at inflated prices but pick your observation post and the ongoing Cabaret can make up for the cost.
My impression of London has changed, maybe it is the influx of outsiders but people are marginally more friendly than my last visit, that is when they are not totally immersed in their digital device which can present an impediment if they are encountered when supposedly ambulatory.
My biggest recommendation is get an Oyster card, I have been travelling on the underground for four days and still have not exceeded my initial £20 investment. Brilliant idea and so simple to use - well done Boris.

Meandering through markets.

Camden Lock market is huge and I got lost in it but after nearly two hours of meandering I had not bought anything, in fact the only thing I fancied wasn't for sale. I tried the Archway and Camden Passage markets with the same result, so off to explore Soho to find tonight's restaurant before Stomp.
Tomorrow the adventure is over, back to the clean air and peace of Gwytherin. It has been a fun four days but it is time to sort things out before the next adventure.

Shakespeare in Bankside.

Last nights bawdy and lively performance of Measure for Measure was hugely entertaining and the setting in the Globe and the players themselves added authenticity to the whole thing. I would love to see the Lord Chamberlain's Men perform there.

Art & Archeology.

The Museum of London lived up to the hype, three hours easily spent. Then it was rain dodging to a cafe for lunch before continuing with culture at the National Gallery only to find that some of the staff were taking Industrial Action so only half the rooms were open, consequently I missed seeing my favourite picture The Fighting Temeraire but I did get to see Vincent's Sunflowers and the haunting unfinished Three Men and a Boy by the le Nain Brothers also I was amazed at the fresh realism of Van Dyke'S paintings which were painted nearly four hundred years ago. Listen to me, I sound like a real culture vulture but I just like what I like, actually I am a real Philistine, most of the French impressionists leave me cold.
Anyway that is a surfeit of culture for me I am going exploring tomorrow if the weather forecast holds good. I plan to go to Camden etc to see the markets and meet the people.

The Commitments

The Commitments. Feckin brilliant. The first time I can remember dancing in the aisles, maybe I am just discovering my mojo - only taken 64 years. Go and see it.

Moving on to the Big Smoke

Yesterday's 07:47 train from Llandudno Junction to London Euston eventually arrived two hours ten minutes late all because some clown wanted some attention and threatened to throw himself off  the railway bridge in Shotton, so I didn't arrive at my digs for the next four days until 2 pm. I am staying in LSE student accommodation around the corner from Euston, there are shared facilities which I know would not suit some of you but for £45 a night B&B I can rough it for a few days and there are some really interesting people to share breakfast with.
Yesterday I managed to squeeze in a visit to the British Library as well as a tour of  Kentish Town before finding a traditional pub serving six real ales, the beer was very good and a snip at only £4.75 a pint but the interesting dinner was Veggie Fish 'n Chips with mushy peas which was actually battered deep fried haloumi now that was an interesting and tasty option.
Today started early, breakfast with the interesting residents then underground and Docklands Light Railway to Greenwich, the portion of the journey through Canary Wharf etc was fascinating with all the high rise stuff being built and the railway snakes through it all. Initially my visit to Greenwich was to go to the Maritime Museum which was very good but there was more in store. The history of the whole place is absorbing and I have now straddled the Greenwich Prime Meridian as well as having a bargain lunch at Wetherspoons. I continued my touristy travels with a visit to the Globe Theatre where I managed to buy a ticket for tomorrow night's performance and then off to gawp at St Paul's Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. The thing I cannot understand about the Palace of Westminster AKA the Houses of Parliament is all the windows have net curtains in them, I expected to see grannies peeking out around them. I was surprised with all the tourists, I had expected hordes of Japanese and Chinese and although there was a smattering of them the vast majority were Americans and Germans so don't tell me they are suffering from a recession!
Tonight's theatre visit is the Commitments, so bye for now.
P.S.
No photos this trip, you all know what London looks like.

Sardinia round up.

I must admit I have enjoyed Sardinia. It definitely has not been what I expected from my first experience when sailing from Portisco but the coast is just perfect in most places and inland is sparsely populated and very natural but the people are so welcoming - not that you could tell that initially from the look on their faces but engage them in conversation and everything changes, I suppose it is the same everywhere really. Just stay away from the glam tourist centres and it is brill.
Cagliari is quite a large city but the centre is very compact if you want to people watch Piazza Yenne is the place to go and you can eat and drink in the six venues there or travel another 100 metres and there are at least another dozen places with different menus.
Panic tanning tomorrow so this will probably by my last blog for a while, my next booked trip is not until mid October.

South West Sardinia

Moving West from the salt marsh around Cagliari and also past the pretentious and unpretty Chia there is an area of coastline with far more character, small bays, hidden beaches and many secure anchorages terminating in the new marina at Porto di Teulada, after that it is back down to the plain again. However, there are still anchorages and other port facilities available in San'Antioco and Portoscuso so the circumnavigation could be a pleasantly feasible idea.

Back to the hills.

My plan today was to visit a Roman/Carthaginian site on the southwest coast but it is close to a popular beach and being Sunday 90% of the population of Sardinia decided to go to that beach, after half an hour of travelling less than 200 metres I gave up and headed back to the hills to do what I missed yesterday. Despite being turned away from my first call at a medieval castle I remained optimistic and booked that for later in the day but I did take the advice of the castle ticket seller and go for lunch in a restaurant in the local park. I have supposedly had porcini mushrooms before, they were nothing like the meltingly tasty fungi I had with my tagliatelle today. Well fed and wined I went up to the plateau to try to find the horses, no such luck but the guy who sold me my admission ticket told me I was the only punter he had seen today (everyone else was at the beach) so I had the whole reserve to myself and what a brilliant experience it was, like being the only man left on earth, no outside noise just the sound of the wind in the aspens and birdsong, God I am getting to be quite the romantic.
I did keep my appointment at the castle and again I had the place to myself, wonderful.
Well only two more days of pizza and pasta, I will see if I can hit the Roman sites tomorrow.

Nuraghes and more.

Breakfast at Saperdabianca is colossal (photo to follow next week)
The explorations started immediately after breakfast by taking the back roads towards Barumini, the first stop was in Sanluri. There was a market going on and because this is inland away from the posh Costa Smeralda and the tourist resorts of the south coast the prices where amazingly cheap especially for all the lovely fruit and veg, just when I have stopped self catering ah well I can still enjoy the cherries and peaches.
From Sanluri I picked up signs for the nuraghe trail and went to the Su Mulinu nuraghe at Villanovafranca. An informative introduction by a one on one guide but his halitosis could slay you at 20 metres. Su Nuraxi at Barumini is a World Heritage Site and the ticket gives guided access to the nuraghe and also an interpretation centre and the Casa Zapata museum in Barumini itself, this was a really interesting experience enlivened by an hour-long thunderstorm which had the locals out taking videos with their phones. My original plan for the day had been to go up to the Giara di Gesturi, an upland plateau area claimed to have the only wild horses left in Europe, maybe I will get there another day.
I tried a different cafe in the same area as last night for dinner. I ordered steak but Italians idea of medium rare is a little different from most places I have been, I think the nearest it had been to the grill was as the waitress passed through the kitchen on the way to my table. The grilled vegetables were a revelation especially the aubergine which I am not mad on at home, this one actually had taste.

On to Cagliari.

Breakfast this morning was cherries and apricots from yesterday's market and also Brie and sesame crisp bread that was left from my self catering, cherries were £3.50 a kilo.

I also called to say goodbye to Posh and Princess. Princess seemed to be manoeuvring for a hug or even a goodbye kiss so I preempted her with a manly handshake.

The journey to Cagliari was supposed to take 3.5 hours but I went the scenic route down the southern part of the East cost and it took me over eight hours, I am sure there was a lot of cursing going on behind me when I was driving at 20 mph or suddenly pulling over to look at the views but I am now convinced that Sardinia has one of the most awesome coasts I have ever seen, it may be helped by the blue sea and sky and the high 20s temperature doesn't hurt but for consistent jaw dropping views this takes some beating.

My landlady recommended a restaurant for my evening meal, it is number one on trip advisor and only seats 25 so that wasn't  going to happen, I ended up in a pavement restaurant which was good, great cabaret from the locals, reasonable food but I made a basic wine mistake, I did an Adamson and asked the waiter what he recommended. You guessed it, I ended up with a very average over priced wine but my plan is to wind them up tomorrow have a beer or even water in their place and then just slip over one row into the next restaurant for my meal, petty I know but fun for me.

My landlady also told me that the town centre was only accessible by car or bus but I had a look on Google maps and it is only two and a half miles so I walked it and the good news is the knee is fine so far but what a different perspective I got of all the locals going about the everyday lives.

More exploring tomorrow.

The Invalid

Two days of not doing too much has driven me mad and also to drink but the wonky knee has stopped giving me agro so here's hoping.
I had a look on Trip Advisor to see what people thought of Olbia and I tend to agree with the contributor who said the best things were the tunnel under the town and the ring road though I did find a very pleasant spot today, the Golfo Aranci the gulf itself is beautiful and the town is clean and tastefully renovated with a mainly local presence there are also secluded beaches all around the gulf.
Tuesday's visit to the market was a non-event due to the hotel entertainment manager's confusion between Tuesday and Thursday so we are of to the market tomorrow now, then it will be laundry day before travelling down to Cagliari on Friday morning for five days.

Secrets.

Everything is such a secret in Sardinia, there are very few signs directing you to what you want to see, I got fed up looking for the well known (not) route to the beach so I just took a random turn and when the road ran out started walking. It was a great one and a half hour walk down to the beach and a little longer coming back, all uphill. The sand was that really course stuff and it made my feet tickle all the way to the root of my tounge so I kept the shoes on. My knee started playing up when I got back so I am now on Brufen and praying that it settles down, I have too many walks planned.
The mountain part of the SS125 was a twisting turning pleasure to drive at lunch time but for the rest of the time it was full of German motorcyclists, cows, goats, Italian idiots and Lycra loonies all getting in the way. I think this stretch of road must have been reviewed in the German motorcycle press because I estimate there were over 300 German registered bikes per hour passing my coffee stop at 11ish.
I am taking Posh and Princess to a market tomorrow before dropping them off at Porto Rodondo, while I retire to the pool to rest my poor knee.
Did I say the average daytime temperature is 25C? Just about right for me.

Sad.

Santa Teresa was one of the highlights of a sailing trip in 2010 but now parts of the traditional section of the town have been renovated and not in a good way, some of the old shops and houses are now brash emporiums selling plastic food and cheap souvenirs and even the old restaurants in the square have loud dance/ house music blasting out. A sad return down memory lane but I did experience an Eagles moment "a girl my Lord in a flat-bed Ford 'slowing down to take a look at me' actually she was driving a Fiat but it did make me smile.

Lazing in the sun.

The plan was to relax in luxury this weekend but I still find I cannot just lie in the sun so yesterday after doing the shopping for my new friends 'Posh and The Princess' I headed off to explore the Costa Smeralda. I prefer the view from out at sea, the reality of Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo is frighteningly too good to be true, all clipped, swept and polished to perfection. I much prefer the natural beauty of the West coast around Alghero. the afternoon was better, Lovely fresh food for lunch an hour by the pool reading and then a swim in the 50 metre pool. Today I dropped the ladies off in town and I am due to pick them up at 4pm. I have been planning the rest of my trip, tonight I am going up to Santa Teresa Gallura for dinner then tomorrow down the east coast to the Gulf of Orosei for either a walk to a remote beach with my picnic or maybe a boat trip to many beaches, whichever I manage I will try the other another day, There is lots to do on the island but it is all kept very quiet, trawling the internet reveals very little, all my information has come from locals and the free maps handed out by car hire companies etc.
Got to go and put on my taxi drivers hat. Bye.

Divertions.

Santa Teresa Gallura had to take a back seat after I found Castelsardo, yet another marina with all facilities but as you climb the hill towards the castle the bars and restaurants multiply until you hit the piazza or performance area. From there you can still go up to the castle for magnificent views and twee restaurants in the narrow streets within the castle itself. Yet another stop on the circumnavigation of the island.
I arrived at this remote resort and as I was checking in I heard a couple of ladies bemoaning the fact that the nearest supermarket was 5kms away so I volunteered to give Sandra and Margaret a lift to to do their shopping for the week. What a mistake. I sat outside the supermarket for nearly two hours while they made their purchases, still I am now a hero for the next few days.
A major monument on this trip was that I actually finished a Daily Telegraph crossword and within two days.
A chill out night tonight with the prospect of two more days of relaxing before excursions into the mountains and down to the eastern coast beaches for walks then who knows? I will just have to keep a low profile where my new friends Margaret and Sandra are concerned.

Castelsardo

Castelsardo marina from the Castle

The backstreets in the castle

Magic church tower

Stintino hits the spot

I wasn't sure about il Pape when I picked him up from Hertz but this version is nearly proper car sized, the diesel engine is powerful enough and the controls are simple and easy to use, I especially like the good ground clearance - much better for off-road (don't tell Hertz). The only faults are the ends and edges of the vehicle are difficult to judge and the gearbox is a little vague.

Today I followed Daniel's recommendations and they were well worth following. I spent an hour sitting on top of a hill with a 360 view just listening , there wasn't a sound of human manufacture, at first it was silent then the sounds of nature started coming through, amazing, the only time I have been away from traffic noise in the UK was in Scotland and that was probably because the noise of the wind drowned it out. Stintino has a beautiful beach but even on a Thursday in mid season it was busy the port itself though was quiet with ample pleasant bars and restaurants and what made it for me two harbours one of which had lots of small lateen rigged boats, I would love to go out in one to find out how that rig works. The place would make a brilliant out of season hideaway. Porto Torres was quite industrial but again had a pleasant marina, I am beginning to think that Sardinia would be a dream to circumnavigate by boat, there are pleasant marinas and sheltered inlets all around the coast I have seen so far.

I found out this afternoon that Daniel is actually Anna's son, I have lots of photos of them so they will be posted by 15th June when I get home.

Leaving my basic cabin here for a luxury apartment in Olbia tomorrow but I am obviously taking the scenic route and a couple more of Daniel's recommendations also I plan to visit Santa Teresa Gallura where the boys and I had a good night when we sailed here a few years ago, it was my favourite location on that trip.

Stintino beach and the water separating Sardinia and Corsica

Ups and Downs

An inspired choice today putting Vivaldi on the car CD player, it just seemed to fit with the location and the twisting turning roads up into the hills of North West Sardinia. I did a circular route down to Oristano through stunning countryside but the highlight of the trip was the coast road from Bosa Marina back to Alhero, I did some of it in reverse and it is beautiful both ways. Don't bother with Oristano, just a big town with narrow streets. Yesterday I did local exploring and although I did not seem many cars etc on the road besides the, Lycra clad loonies, when I got to the tourist sites they were all rammed full, I am glad I don't enjoy caves and churches.
Anna on closer inspection is quite frightening like an Italian version of Carmen Silvera from 'Ello ' Ello with psychedelic eye makeup. I will try for a photo before I leave.
I had a chat with Daniel this evening and he has given me a list of must see places for the next two days before I hit the expensive Costa Smeralda on Friday afternoon. So time now for my first serious local salad with a glass of the local white wine which to me tastes like a good Sauvignon Blanc.

Danielle and Mama Anna

My kitchen, basic or what.

Alghero

i have landed on my feet again, upgraded two levels on the hire car with Hertz, now driving a Fiat 500 Popemobile with less than 150 kms on the clock and I am now checked in to a cabin on a very local caravan and campsite ( think of of caravans on bricks) but Anna and Daniel are teaching me Italian, the Ichnusa beer is very good and I have been promised huge amounts of food tonight for £10. I hit Lidl for the staples this afternoon and I will start my exploring tomorrow with the old town and then who knows.

Oh No Bank Holiday Half-Term

The adventure has started.
Yesterday I had a great run down to Stanstead, less than four and a half hours, I had not realised that Stanstead was in Essex until I met all the TOWIE lookalikes in the bar and restaurant last night. I also had not realised that it was half term, imagine my horror at all the rug rats polluting the airport. Hopefully they will be flying to more touristy destinations and leave me to explore Sardinia in peace.
If you should ever stay in the Holiday Inn Express at Stanstead, don't bother with the breakfast it is tasteless mush and avoid the Becks Vier, I am sure it was watered down, the Amstel on the other hand is excellent and I couldn't fault the friendly efficient staff.

The last day in Amsterdam.

Rembrandt painted nearly 100 self-portraits in his career and it shows in his paintings, nearly half of his figures look uncannily like himself, I cut short my viewing of the Rembrant galleries and toured the rest of the Rijksmuseum, there are some fascinating paintings which made up for my disappointment with Mr Puddingface.

I also visited the largest indoor antiques market in Amsterdam, interesting, if I could get the prices they are asking for my old tutt I would be very well off. Needless to say I did not buy anything and headed off for an interesting canal-boat tour in a refurbished lifeboat which served the largest gin and tonic I have ever seen - brilliant, and the trip was good as well.

Cheers

The day finished with a return to my favourite Italian restaurant where I was welcomed as an old respected customer, it does not take long for people to get to know you here, which is nice.

Well another adventure nearly over just waiting for my flight back to Heathrow, then I am having five weeks off.

Amsterdam's missing markets.

My pre-trip research indicated three flea/antique markets on Sundays here in Amsterdam, I was disappointed to find only one and that was a tiny effete art affair at Spui patronised by very few people. The good thing was I found the flower market en route to the arty mart, I bought some rare bulbs to enhance my spring planting. With my market exploring curtailed I put away the map and went exploring wherever looked interesting and believe it got away from most of the tourists, had some divine cake and coffee - god my tastes are changing! After all that walking I retired to the front of my hotel with a beer for some extended people watching and tonight I dined at a little Italian restaurant complete with beautiful Italian waitresses, I may have to go back again tomorrow.
Tomorrow the plan is the Rijksmuseum for a little Rembrant therapy then on to the antique shops on a bargain hunt.

Delivering furniture

The famous 'skinny bridge'

Houses built on wooden piles gently drifting apart.

Amsterdam

You know how every adventure or exploration always has to have a bad day or crap experience to make you realise how good the rest of it is well for me it started on Thursday night in the Easy Hotel Heathrow. I had had an amazingly clear trip down, only four hours, a great Indian meal with Kerri, Taylor and Lily and then it all turned to ratshit. I had heard some loud talking through the paper thin walls but ignored it and went to sleep only to be woken up by an extra loud phone conversation after a while I did remonstrate with the perpetrator to no avail. The noise continued until 04:15 culminating in a heavy sex session which because of the thinness of the walls I felt a part of. Believe me this will be taken further. Anyway that was that and the curious way the security is handled at Terminal Five just left me with as smileon my face rather than getting upset.
I landed at Schiphol yesterday afternoon and was transported seamlessly to Amsterdam centre by train to my hotel in the middle of the red light district. My initial 3 hour orientation walk, restaurant meal and few beers did not give me a good impression but today's early start, wonderful cafe breakfast and walk though some beautiful parts of the city renewed my faith in my decision to revisit.

I wandered through the Neiuwmarkt where the food on display was saliva inducing with whole stalls dedicated to olives, nuts, cheese, mushrooms etc then on to other markets, museums and cafés. This could be a great place for a couple of weeks but it would have to be self catering with all the gorgeous fresh food available rather than the Pizza, Chinese or Steakhouse which is what the restaurants that seem to offer.
Well I have been sitting in a cafe with wifi waiting for the rain to stop, the sun has now appeared so that is all for now.

Anything can be done on a bike, smoking, eating, texting, etc

Baby seat.

Just the odd bike or two parked up.

Tenerife Adventures.

After a slow start and cancellations due to adverse weather (there is actually snow on mount Teide) on Tuesday I had my legs wrapped around Mumba for two hours and she didn't mind at all especially when I gave her a carrot. I am going to see her again this morning for my second riding lesson.
Yesterday the weather was OK to go bike rafting which is lazy cycling.....you go up into the mountains in a mini bus where you are introduced to your two wheel steed and then are guided on a 40km freewheel journey through sleepy villages, forests and farmland. The trip also included Tapas, wine and cava to celebrate making it down alive.
Tonight I am going to the opera and tomorrow I think will be a day off before flying back to what I have heard is frozen Britain.

Tenerife again.

I flew to Tenerife yesterday to get away from the cold and rain in Wales. When I landed it was raining but at least it was warm and I spent all afternoon in a bar watching the conclusion of the 6 Nations.
Today I travelled back 4 years by visiting some of the places Jan and I had been to when we were here before but Los Cristianos at this time of year is just wall to wall wrinkles eating British food and watching British sport in the bars. I have now done the touristy bit, the adventures start tomorrow.

Walking back.

Billy and I had arranged to have this week's Friday walk at Betws y Coed but he bailed because of some raindrops in Tarporley, he is becoming a real Cheshire softie.
I continued on without him on what Jan called the Chris and Margaret walk, named after our friends with whom we first did the walk up the Afon Llugwy to the Miner's Bridge with their sons Thomas, Matthew and James.
I was glad that Billy had pulled out as it was the first time I have done the walk on my own and it brought back happy memories but also a certain sadness because Jan and Chris are no longer here but the conditions were ideal, cool, dry and the river was full after all the rain so the falls and rapids were spectacular. I am a lucky individual to have this on my doorstep.

From Pont y Pair bridge

Family time in Suffolk.

Great day today. Spent time with my youngest daughter and her bump. Brilliant to carry on reconnecting and of course being a dad, ie replacing light fittings etc etc. temperatures up to 16C in March, what is going on?
Keira is cooking tomorrow so I will be well rewarded for my labour. I am sure her estimate of half an hours work is a gross underestimate.
People watching at Warners Gunton Park is fun, fun, fun. The majority are here to enjoy themselves but there are a certain few who think they are in Hollywood like the slightly overweight girl who thinks she is so cool that she struts so her boobs bounce and the young guy who is obviously being introduced to the potential in-laws - too cool in his houndstooth jacket and rolling shoulders. I love it but one visit will be enough.
Kay encouraged me to take photos of the inmates but I haven't mustered up the courage yet.

Moving back.

When my Mum took me and our Sue to Butlins in the 60s I never thought that I would see the same people 50 odd years later at Warners Gunton Hall in Suffolk. The same countrywide accents, the same food just smaller portions (nouveau quisine)?  And Chardonnay and Stella have now replaced Double Diamond and Port and lemon. The only thing that is really different is the entertainment, not a patch on the Sixties offerings, mind you Pwllheli was probably the breeding ground of the Merseybeat at that time.
You know the good thing about getting older?...........Nothing.
Ah well I have Sunday dinner to look forward to, Keira is cooking pork for us.

Beers in South Africa.

I have tried the local ales over here and they are very like the Aussie micro breweries. The Castle lager produced by the the huge SAB Miller company is pretty ordinary and like all the local lagers very fizzy and not advisable for a session. My favourite is the Amstel Slow Brewed, Extra Matured and Windhoek Draught which strangely enough comes in a bottle but a latecomer to my attention is Black Label Beer recommended to me by a local street drinker, at 5.5% good taste but it comes in 0.75 litre bottles.
Today is my last full day and this morning I braved Johannesburg's scantily signed road system to visit the Sterkfontein caves in the Cradle of Humankind, I was made up, only one wrong turn in a round trip of around 80km. Chilling this afternoon with an Amstel trying to decide where to go for my final steak tonight.

Moving North again.

My last night in Dundee, I went for the steak again. How can I refuse 400gm sirloin and 2 pints for less than a tenner. 
A long drive up to Johannesburg, as usual I took as many country roads as possible but it is pretty flat and boring. The worst job was finding somewhere to eat  away from tourist country, in the end hungry, thirsty and with my legs crossed I broke down and pulled into a Kentucky Fried chicken. I have never sampled the food in one of these joints before having heard the rumour of where the chicken comes from and now I can see why it is definitely the worst meal I have had outside of Cuba, never again.
I was a bit wary of coming to Johannesburg everyone I spoke to had stories or warnings about getting mugged, raped and murdered but my guest house is in Melville just a hundred yards from an area of shops, restaurants and pubs and the natives were friendly on my recce earlier this afternoon though the beer is more expensive than down South.

From Spion Kop to Rorke's Drift

A long old day yesterday driving up from Underberg, I had to detour to avoid some wet dirt roads, I know I can hear you saying " no sense of adventure" but I wanted to get here in one piece. I stopped off at Spion Kop both for the historical interest and because of its special significance to the football clubs of Lancashire particularly Liverpool, it was a moving experience and being on the ground really brought it home to me. I will add photos when I get home.

The British memorial on Spion Kop

British mass grave on the summit.

The girl in the ticket office with presents from Liverpool fans.

I arrived here in Dundee at 4 pm and rushed out immediately to find a pub with a TV showing the Wales v Scotland match, I eventually ended up in the golf club and was welcomed with open arms. Thank you. Well done Wales but I still don't know about Scotland's disallowed try.
Today has been a full day of battlefield tours of Isandalawana and Rorke's Drift with Pat Rundgren ( battlefield guide and author) it was a pleasure to listen and understand the history, tactics and cock ups whilst on the site where the conflicts actually took place, he also gave me his views on the encounter at Spion Kop, thanks Pat.
Elizabeth my hostess finished the day off for me with a fabulous steak dinner and her interpretation of the death in action of the Prince Imperial (the son of Napoleon lll) who died at Zulu hands whilst surveying for the advancing British army.

Memorial to the 24th Foot, wiped out at Isandalwana

Rorke's Drift

Nightmare in Pietermaritzburg.

Yesterday started so well, tasty breakfast and on the road before 9am, slipped seamlessly into the rush hour traffic moving North, took the slip road for Pietermaritzburg to go to the museum and visit the lanes when I ran out of directions, someone had stolen all the signs to the town centre, I tried North, East, West and you guessed, it was South. The same thing happened in my next scheduled stop in Howick, I did manage to find the waterfall before giving up completely. By then I had had enough and headed for my base for the next three days in Underberg.
Early start this morning driving to the Drakensberg mountains with Katherine Jenkins, it was cool and so peaceful in fact blissful in a landscape that was like a green Monument Valley. The rest of the day was just exploring and gassing with the locals. This is another return location at a cooler time of year and when I am fitter.