USA and Canada

Mid October 2023 was Jims first visit to New York and Boston. I had been to both but only briefly on day trips so I was looking forward to seeing more of both cities. Our itinerary incorporated Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas,  Fall Northbound cruise with a few extra nights at the end. 

The taxi journey was very long, over an hour I think. Much of the ride was along Ocean Parkway, a Jewish area with beautiful houses and many synagogues. We stayed overnight in Brooklyn but the light was already fading so we found a local bar, The Black Horse which was comfortable and close to our hotel, comfort Inn Prospect Park.

We were very much looking forward to our Heli NY trip but the weather decided otherwise and it was cancelled. It was a very grey and wet day with very poor visibility so we got an Uber to Cape Liberty, a short  but very expensive journey costing almost 100 USD. We were allowed to board early and enjoy lunch and the facilities on board Royal Caribbean’s Jewel Of the Seas for our 10 night Fall Northbound cruise. We could just about identify Statue of Liberty from the ship and the New York Skyline beyond but it was really foggy, grey and raining so we were just happy to enjoy lunch on board 

Knowing my previously disastrous relationship with The Atlantic I took patches and wristbands but I can honestly say this turned out to be my smoothest ocean cruise by far. 

Our first stop was in Boston, a  city Jim was keen to see and I was keen to return to. It had been 45 years since my last visit, a day trip from my British Airways days. I remembered it being a very walkable city but the port isn’t as convenient as the airport. We planned to get public transport but it wasn’t practical so we hailed a cab. It was a sunny but very chilly day. The driver took us to Quincy Market. We walked around the shops, cafes and the waterfront and then followed part of The Freedom Trail. We came across the statues of families who had risked everything escaping the potato famine in Ireland to start a new life in The USA and Canada. Many died making the crossing and others did settle down on the other side of the Atlantic. The USA and Canada can claim more Irish descendants than Ireland itself. We strolled through Boston Common and the Public Park, then we discovered the area of Back Bay which was lovely but bitterly cold. 

Our next stop was Portland Maine. Portland itself isn’t very big but it is very expensive. The shops are mostly independent. Portland is very hilly but walkable. We got away from the tourist area and discovered the east end with a wonderful view over the bay and the lighthouse, a memorial to those lost at sea and a memorial to 9/11. 

Our first stop in Canada was in St John in New Brunswick which was disappointing overall. I regret not getting a tour here to the more picturesque Bay of Fundy. I did like the brightly painted container village though. There is also a market and a shopping mall, not an exciting one but i did pick up a few craft bits there and a baseball cap.

Cape Breton Island was much nicer and the sun shone which was an added bonus. Our guide Diana was a local and she told us of the history of the island, the first nations people of Membertou, the small museum of Whitney Pier. The capital is Sydney, a small town but actually two years older than its more well known namesake. They do actually have the same origin. 

Our next port of call was prince edward island, canadas smallest province, previously only accessible by ferry but now there is Confederation bridge, 7kms long and the longest bridge in the world to span over seasonally frozen water. Our guide, peter the piper did his best to inform,  motivate and entertain us throughout an extremely wet and windy tour.

Two days later we arrived in the tiny village of Saguenay. Had i realised the fjord could be seen from the ship and in fact with a much better view than from the coach , i would not have taken the tour which was unexciting and the most expensive tour we did. The weather was also worsening with flurries of snow. We were told to expect proper snow about a month later.

One thing about cruising is that you are guaranteed to come across a few characters and this one was no exception. First of all notable mentions to Island Vibz from T&T which was a duo, Curtis the singer and his son Curtis the keyboardist. These were a fantastic reggae and soca duo who never disappointed, and their rendition of Night Nurse, one of jims favourite songs was so good. They played it for the little Irishman whenever they were in the Safari Club. Next, the Filipino singer Kantatero whose party piece two or three times a night was “who the f… is Alice” it will take a good while to get this song out of my head. If I ever hear it again it will always remind me if this cruise and i will probably curse him for the rest of my life. It must drive the bar staff mental. Next is a character we named Sellotape Sam. He will be remembered for the sound of sellotape and the making of various DIY gadgets which invariably also included balloons and plastic cups so he could win the egg drop and the build a boat competition (he didnt) but he did come in handy for sticking two tiny bits of tape on my camera which seemed to accidentally go into weird modes. It did the trick. Our other character was phone a friend. We dont often watch or join in game shows but we just happened to be sitting there. It was who wants to feel like a millionaire? First to choose the contestants. The winner was an elderly gentleman who answered the first question correctly. He managed to answer the serious questions but the joke ones deluded him completely as he failed to see the logic in the question or the answer. I wont do a spoiler in case you ever do this cruise. On one of the last rounds, he phoned a friend which happened to be his wife who by now was trying her best to disown him. After an obviously pretend conversation in which his wife didnt know the answer they gave him the top prize anyway, a million raffle tickets which was actually 10, I overheard him say to his wife. Did they actually phone you? I suspect not as i didnt hear it ring. It was all I could do to stop myself laughing. 

We finished our cruise having visited 3 US States and 4 Canadian provinces each with their own character which means we have now had a taste of 6 of the 10 canadian provinces and 18 of the 52 Us states. 

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Quebec City beckoned, but i had not expected one of those to be white. The end of October 2023 saw a thick blanket of snow on the Pleines D’Albert for our tour of Quebec City. The locals were also taken by surprise as they dont normally have snow in October. Quebec City is absolutely beautiful with twee independent shoos and restaurant, it is however a very difficult city to find your way around. There are many streets that are unmarked and stairs not marked on the map. It was also snowing so our map was completely destroyed anyway. By the end of day 2 we finally figured out a much easier way to get into the walled city using the street alongside the outside of the city walls, then just one steep hill and no stairs. Our hotel Port Royal was well located just outside the city walls in The Vieux Port area,  with a decent restaurant and bar attached. The following day we dreaded he Quebec countryside tour which would have been miserable in the snow but the sun  shone  and revealed a rainbow at the end of montmorency Falls, how lucky we were as the weather worsened again afterwards as we visited the chocolaterie, a tourist trap with a captive audience on Ile D’Orleans but it was at least dry enough to watch the gulls on the beach nearby. We visited a copper centre, created by the artist Arthur Gilles and now 5 of his descendants, daughters and granddaughters have continued his stunningly beautiful work . Again there are options to buy but there was no pressure or expectation so we just enjoyed the exhibition and the demonstration. Our last stop of the day was at the huge basilica of St Anne de Beau pre with its collection of crutches from people who no longer needed them following the miracles performed by the church, a beautiful ceiling, stained glass and organ, and outside there are almost lifesize figurines of the stations of the cross.

On reaching the city again we worked out that there was a Irish bar on a flat road leading from our hotel. Sadly it was closed for renovations but we did finally work out how to get to Murphys which had really friendly staff and live music, and so did St Alexandre next door with the same management. Both pubs cater for many nationalities and tastes with a varied menu and a huge selection of draught beers. We really enjoyed Quebec City but it was now time to complete the final leg of our journey to Montreal. 

We ordered an Uber to Gare de Palais for our train to Montreal. It is walkable but not with luggage. There are few trains and only one route to Montreal and Ottawa so it was really easy to check in our luggage and make our way to the clearly marked carriage. Our cheap Senior economy fare included an individual luggage rack above a comfortable armchair seat which had a footrest and power points. It also reclined and had wifi which actually worked so it was a very smooth, comfortable and quite scenic 3 and half hour journey. 

On arrival into Montreal the cab ripped us off with a fare of 25 CAD for a 5 minute journey and he didn’t want to give me change out of 30. Lesson learnt, get wifi and an uber. We did also find Quebec very expensive. Our hotel Le Petit was in a great location, literally round the corner from Vieux Port and the Basilica de Notre Dame and the continental breakfast included delicious freshly baked pastries. Although Montreal is a grid city it was still difficult to navigate since the metro isn’t that extensive and there were always dossers  begging at the metro stations so it did feel a little unsafe, buses are not frequent, cabs are a rip off if they realise you’re a tourist. It is a very walkable city but just as in Quebec City, few streets are marked. It would take a few days to recognise the main streets and then count off the blocks, however despite the difficulties with public transport we really enjoyed Montreal. It is a very arty city with many museums, old and new parts of the city, the riverwalk, the basilica of Notre Dame and Mont Royal which the city is named after with its beautiful fall colours and fantastic views of the city. There are also some good pubs and restaurants around the city. Our favourite ones were McKibbins and The Victoria .

We were pleased that cabs charge a flat rate of 50 CAD to the airport. We thought this was a fair price for that journey. Both hotels charged a 200 CAD deposit and I am still waiting for the refund so you do have to allow for that in Canadian hotels.

The Algarve

It is many years since we visited the Algarve, and only briefly. This time we chose Vilamoura, an area I have heard so many good things about. we knew it wouldn’t be cheap so we went mid range and chose an apartment that claimed to be walking distance from the marina. Reasonable walking distance is a whole different ball game if you have mobility issues like I do.

After walking down to the marina on the first day, it was much further than we expected so we ended up getting cabs everywhere. We made good use of Uber and all cabs came within 5 minutes and all the drivers were reliable and helpful whereas the bus services are sparse.

Vilamoura is known to be a fairly upmarket resort so we were quite surprised to find no less than 7 Irish pubs round the marina, mostly with very loud music. Quarteira was a quieter resort with a nicer beach of golden sand and it had much less touristy feel about it.

Loule is an inland town with a covered market and a city park with a cafe and art gallery, There is a castle, also some interesting churches and museums. In the afternoon we took a cab to the very exclusive resort of Vale do Lobo where there are a couple of very nice, relaxing beach bars overlooking the characteristic red cliffs that make the Algarve unique.

Albufeira was a half an hour drive by cab and although Albufeira is very touristy, it is a much older resort with character. W discovered a delightful restaurant, The Beach Basket, in a side street overlooking The Atlantic. This served a lovely vegetarian casserole as well as one of the best swordfish steaks Ive ever eaten.

Amsterdam in the spring

After a bad start, a two hour delay with a rowdy stag party behind us we landed safely at Schipol to a wet afternoon. Our delay meant rescheduling our dinner slot at the Ben Cohen Tel Aviv Street food. Our delay meant that we only had time for dinner and a quick pint before tiredness won and we had an early night.

After that, the timing was perfect. The next two days we couldn’t have wished for better weather which meant we could fully appreciate Amsterdam in the spring. We had booked Keukenhof including the coach from RAI Amsterdam, a short walk from the quirky Citizen M hotel through the lovely Beatrix Park. We were dismayed to see a lengthy queue and Jim was ready to abandon our trip but in fact the operation was highly efficient and the queue went down very quickly. The traffic was heavy so it took almost an hour to get there.

Keukenhof  is only open from March to May so April is the perfect opportunity in which to visit the gardens at their best. Tulips are always at their best in a crowd and the rainbow carpets consisting of thousands of tulips carefully arranged in every possible variety and colour in amongst scented hyacinths for added beauty. Our only regret was not arriving earlier as it was very crowded but despite the crowds it was certainly well worth a visit.

Large planters full of fresh colourful tulips can be seen in every area of the city so if you don’t have time for Keukenhof you are guaranteed to see many varieties of tulips.

In the evening we went to a comedy gig at Chicago Boom which was all in English and seated so although it started late, it was very enjoyable.

There are a number of boat trips round Amsterdam and we chose the Flagship cheese and wine tour, a leisurely hour long cruise along the canals. We made sure we had our quota of very drinkable Sauvignon Blanc.

We ended a very enjoyable afternoon in a local Kroeg which means traditional pub in Dutch where we sampled a vegan bitterballen which are crispy meatballs.

Amsterdam airport is very close to the city and even closer to Amsterdam Zuid where we were staying so after a substantial breakfast at the hotel, it took just 20 minutes to get to the airport including the walk from the hotel to the station.

City tips

Do not attempt to use NS Online app unless you speak Dutch. I ended up buying the wrong ticket. I did sort it out eventually but it is really easy just to buy a ticket at the machine at the station

Do on the other hand buy a pass on the GVB website. It is valid on buses, trams and the metro within the city limits and very simple to use. This works on a 24 hour basis from the time it’s activated. It wont always work on buses but it’s paid for if an inspector checks. You will need to turn off your phone wallet to use the app.

If you want to visit a museum, exhibition, canal trip etc it is highly recommended to book weeks in advance as they are likely to fill up.

A smartphone is essential to move around the city so always bring a spare battery and lead

Nobody expects a tip in Amsterdam and everybody takes card payments so we did not spend any cash.

Costa Christmas

Our family have long since grown up so the novelty of excited faces opening presents has long since worn off so stressing over veggie loaf and sprouts yet again seemed pointless. This year we decided to book Christmas in the sun and we found a suitable bargain with Jet 2. We were tempted by a hotel I had stayed in before about 18 years ago. I knew Pez Espada was on a long flat promenade and there were local bus services to provide inexpensive choices for us to get out and about 

This seemed even more appealing once energy bills rose, the weather got bitterly cold and half the country were on strike.

Our taxi cancelled at the last minute so we had to ring around and ended up paying 50pc more but we were left with no choice. We just couldn’t rely on a broken rail service to get us there on time. 

The queues for passport control at Malaga were very long so we arrived later than we had hoped. 

Plz Espada definitely didn’t disappoint . The hotel has been fully refurbished and remodernised so the rooms are looking really bright and fresh but the features for which it is famous, the inlaid marble floor, the photos of celebrities and a new Frankie’s cocktail bar have all been kept. 

We were slightly disappointed to find how little was open. After Covid restrictions lifted, tourists returned in droves and 2022 was a  on stop crazy summer and many of the bar, restaurant and shop owners put up their shutters and went home or on holiday for the winter. Over the course of the 9 days, we found a few favourite haunts within easy walking distance, notably Tahiti Bar run by Jane and Mike, Browns Bar, El Mojito and the new Rocket Bar. 

I had mentioned an ex pat bar in the book where Anna and I had such a good laugh and we stumbled upon the  bar with the John Smith signs outside. We now know it is El Mojito and it has some great entertainment but it gets extremely crowded 

The bus ride to Malaga City was cheap and easy and there was a handy hop on hop off bus, always overpriced but handy for maps showcasing the must see highlights of the city so once we determined that the old town was just across the road and through a nice little area of parkland we set off to explore the interesting pedestrianised cafe lined alleyways leading from the cathedral in every direction.

The cathedral itself is impressive and also the colourful building next to it. The reason I wanted to go to Malaga City was to see the Picasso Museum which was inexpensive but also underwhelming. It was interesting to see how his work evolved but there are only a few of his most recognisable works. The lights were very spectacular and they dance to the music 

Pez Espada  is between Benalmadena and Torremolinos, the former being the closer of the two . Both are walkable along the flat promenade but both of these resorts are very hilly. The promenade itself is lined with chiringuitos (beach bars) about half of these are open and serving drinks and seafood 

Being one of Spain’s oldest  tourists resorts, Benalmadena Marina and Costa were built in the seventies and although it looks quite dated it is still a nice spot to sit and watch the world go by from one of the many cafes on the beachfront and round the marina. There are also some designer shops and jewellers 

The bus services are frequent and cheap and also well serviced. We had planned to go to Mijas but in the end we opted for the bus to Benalmadena Pueblo about half an hour away and high above Benalmadena Costa and Marina. The Pueblo is very pretty with a little church but the main attraction are the stunning panoramic views of the coast below. 

Our next bus ride was to Fuengirola to the huge market which was too much of a temptation as it stretches S far as the eye can see, so nstead we walked from the terminus where there are many internationally known high street shops as well as many bars, restaurants and tourist shops. Most of them are open in Fuengirola which is much bigger and busier than Benalmadena and Torremolinos.  

On Christmas Day, the hotel arranged a huge sit down gala dinner but this did not suit us being an 8pm start and without alternative vegetarian choices on the menu. The chef was prepared to give us salad instead but sitting with strangers on a table and being served a salad and drawing attention to ourselves didn’t excite us either so we found a Chiringuito and ordered lunch on the beach, either way don’t expect Turkey, roast potatoes and sprouts, it isn’t the Spanish way. 

It was on our penultimate night that we discovered a karaoke bar almost opposite our hotel. This was Rocket Bar because of its main tribute act to Elton John although he can cover other artists as well and plays keyboard.

Our 9 night Christmas break passed all too quickly and it was time to say goodbye to our newly acquired friends . 

The weather has been amazing every day with each day getting hotter than the last but it also gets cold at night but cool and dry also means no mosquitoes, a huge bonus as I am normally a honeypot to the bastards 

WARNING One important thing to add is that in our cashless society I had expected my leftover euros to last but be aware very few bars and shops accept cards here so I got through my cash very quickly. There are ATMs on every street corner but none are attached to banks and not only do they all charge commission but also it is a very poor exchange rate so 150 euros with no option to choose charge in euros cost over £154 (exchange rate on Monzo is 1.13 so 150 euros should cost £132 so that’s a staggering £22 rip off) 

A quarantine poem

I went into 2020 all guns blazing

I thought my vision looked amazing

The reality was a different story

About as good as Jackanory

That year saw the end of my career

It hit me hard after 48 years

The government simply didn’t care

There are other priorities out there

The travel industry was out in the cold

Youre just a lazy cow I was told

Find a job and get off your arse

At my age thats an impossible task

All that year I had no money

Living on fresh air really wasn’t funny

I painted in the garden, I tried to have fun

I really did enjoy the sun

I tried my very best to help myself

I bought some stock, it went on the shelf

I let my creative juices flow.

My imagination went wild, I was ready to go

Being festive I put up the tree

A bit of cheer for Jim and me

But Boris said that Christmas wasn’t to be

Just stay indoors, no family

Christmas cards all ready and sent

In lockdown Christmas came and went

Surely 2021 couldn’t be worse

Getting rid of the Covid curse

I wasn’t convinced but there was always hope

Without that none of us could cope

I kept myself busy with my writing

Trying to come up with something exciting

With some help from my friends on zoom

There were experts to help me in the room

My family helped me as well

So now my book was ready to sell

Finally my book was ready in May

My very own book was on display

The few that bought it had good things to say

The lovely comments made my day

I can honestly say how hard I tried

Briefly I was full of pride

In some ways this summer was worse

This covid thing really is a curse

Painting was a way to stay happy

Even with the weather so crappy

I really missed my travelling days

But getting used to staycation ways

We were so grateful to get to Crete

My lovely Greek friends we were pleased to meet

For a few months we were virtually free

To enjoy some leisure time and liberty

Briefly we enjoyed museums and shows

Enjoy them while we can as they will likely close

I made so many lovely sparkly things

Baubles, wreaths and Christmas rings

It was so hard to find Christmas fairs

To get rid of my stock upstairs

Winter is looming, the skies are grey

The news is gloomy, Its Omicron today

I had my jabs I had nothing to fear

This year I’d enjoy some Christmas cheer

The tree went up in pink and white

I tried so hard to get it right

My plans were killed for Christmas 21

Covid arrived and killed my fun

Lots of wine but no family here

We’re in quarantine, no Christmas cheer

So what hopes do I have for 22

I just don’t know what I should do

Two years ago I thought I was strong

I tried to be, but I was wrong

Theres no point in having ambitions and plans

With covid restrictions and travel bans

I hope that for my travel friends

This covid thing will have an end

Not too sure where I go from here

I just want to stop living in fear

And think ourselves lucky that we are alive

That most of my friends and family survived

We think of the few that didn’t make it through

And when we can we’ll drink to you

RIP Adrian, Aunt Rose and John

Never forgotten now you are gone.

Art and Culture Days Part 2

I try to do roughly a museum a week and a theatre visit as often as I can

Since I had my friend Ann visiting from the north, we planned a London tourist visit to fit around the World Travel Market. World Travel Market was much smaller this year with no Australia/New Zealand or Pacific Islands, and the Americas and Caribbean very much scaled down. There was virtually no catering due to the risk of people grabbing food which is understandable but it was lovely to catch up with friends I hadnt seen for a long time.

I thought I knew London pretty well as I’ve lived in this city nearly all my life. We did a river trip down the Thames with TRC – Thames River Cruises . We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day and I was surprised how much more I learned about London from the unofficial guide and it has inspired me further towards my next book. I thought this was extremely good value at £13 return. I will definitely be doing this again armed with a notebook! We got off at Greenwich to explore the Cutty Sark. This is the first time I had seen it since the restoration and as it stands now as a partially covered interactive museum it is very interesting and it is 50% reduction with the Art Pass. There are lifts so there are possibilities for disabled visitors. Don’t miss the figureheads on the Lower Ground floor. I liked the shop here and bought some lovely gifts. The cafe here is very expensive with a small bottle of water costing nearly £2 but the coffee was good. The food range is very limited as well but Greenwich Village is just a short walk and there are plenty of good pubs, cafes and shops nearby. If we had more time we would have visited The Maritime Museum and The Royal Observatory. Greenwich has much to offer and deserves a full day.

We managed to get the theatre twice during Ann’s visit to London. The first show was a modest local production “Old Bridge” at Bush Theatre with a storyline that was heartfelt and thought provoking. The second show was “Prince of Egypt” a much more lavish production at Dominion Theatre. I had seen it before and it was just as good the second time.

I booked Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel at Cannon Factory near Tottenham Halle, an area full of down and outs begging outside the station. The venue is the only building left standing in an entire street of building site redevelopment. I was slightly miffed that I had paid extra for VIP entry to avoid queueing. In fact there was no queue, not even one person It has the advantage of being all at ground level and with benches along the middle. Although the building itself has a very makeshift feel about it, the projection and resolution were excellent. and gave viewers the opportunity to see each fresco from 4 metres rather than 20 metres in person I found the numbering system confusing. The entry fee included an audio which worked well and the commentary was clear and simple but also too long at each point. It gave a good insight into the theology especially the Old Testament and the prophets as well as the art aspect,

Coming soon – Handbags at V&A and Faberge also at V&A. I am also definitely planning Christmas Lights at Kew and I would still like to see the Astronomer Photography exhibition at Greenwich

Art and Culture Days

Since my retirement I have been meaning to fill my days with visiting all the exhibitions and museums that I never seemed to have time for.

I promised myself I would definitely visit Van Gogh Live at Kensington Gardens, a particularly beautiful venue a a sunny day. I had never got that close to Albert Memorial before and We took the time to admire the details.

The cost of Van Gogh Live was around £24 and worth every single penny. It was beautifully presented and the projected resolution on each and every painting was amazing. I could admire each and every brush stroke to carefully chosen music to suit the mood of each painting. The timeline was taken right from pencil sketches in Amsterdam through Paris, Arles and right the way though to the sanitorium showing several paintings at a time giving us time to appreciate and understand each stage of his artistic life. Add to that the subtle wafting of lavender and other fragrances this exhibition was certainly one of the best I’ve ever seen. One small criticism was the lack of seating. Standing for over an hour was very tiring and our legs began to give way so as much as we enjoyed the exhibition we were glad it ended so we could go for a coffee and lunch. Although temporary the cafe was excellent. 9/10

Van Gogh Immersive – I treated myself to this for my birthday and it was near Liverpool Street. The problem was I just couldn’t find it. I walked round and round in circles until I eventually found it. I struggled with the stairs here but there was plenty of seating. There were different things in each room and I particularly liked the virtual reality. The main projection however was in a tent and only one painting at a time was shown, chosen from each stage and I was a little disappointed in this. It was slightly more expensive than Van Gogh Live but not as good 7/10

Curioser and curioser at V&A. In these covid times prebooking can be a real pain in the neck. I wanted 3 tickets @£20 each no reduction for seniors. All I could get was 1130,1145 and 1215 as 3 separate tickets. We hoped that the time slots were not strictly adhered to and that we could all go in together. We got there just after 1130. There was no queue and there was a lift as well as stairs. The exhibition was well presented with some good content and an understanding of who the real Alice was, how Lewis Carroll came about, how his imagination found the characters and all about the early illustrations. There was a long queue for the virtual reality and this was more of a game than a journey through wonderland. There are plenty of cafes nearby

The Museum of Brands – wow what a bargain this turned out to be! Right near my house and for just £9 adults and £7 seniors there are over 15,000 exhibits. We thoroughly enjoyed this well presented exhibition. There was also a temporary exhibition at no extra cost. The shop had some interesting content. There is a lovely garden at the back and plenty of seating in the cafe with a decent choice. The service was slow but in fairness there was a group in there. I will definitely return 10/10

For my birthday earlier this month, Carol kindly bought me an Art pass which is valid nearly a year so that has given me further incentive to enjoy museums and to get the best value from the Art Pass. So far I have managed to get half price on Cutty Sark next week and the free museums often have 10pc in the shop so I could have saved a further £12.20 on the ones I had already paid for recently.

Paddington Bear at The British Library – convenient to get to but there are a lot of stairs. There are ramps but one has to walk further to use them. The exhibition was very cheap at £3 but it was literally one room and that is really all it was worth. I managed to sneak into the Elizabeth and Mary exhibition which was much bigger but of less interest to me personally. The shop had a few interesting things but it was expensive. The cafe was very unappealing 3/10

The Japan Exhibition at Kew Gardens – I had to prebook but as I have had a lot of problems with my legs recently I booked at the last minute. This cost an extra £2 which I felt was cheeky. I arrived having prebooked to find myself at the end of a 20 minute queue along with 2 very heavily pregnant women and a few elderly people with walking sticks. I felt this could have been managed better. They are probably short staffed. I walked to temperate house as the train is only running non stop. I found myself at the end of another queue but at least it went down quickly. The centre piece was as impressive as I hoped however apart from that there was little else in the exhibition to warrant going just for that purpose which was what I did. The colours of autumn were as beautiful as I hoped. The cafe was noisy and there wasn’t much choice. Kew gardens isn’t on the Art Pass 6/10

The pros and cons of the franchise model

15 years ago, being fed up with a daily commute and office politics, I gave all that up to go it alone as a travel consultant. It felt good to have my own business. At first I saw all the advantages of working in this way and thoroughly enjoyed all the extra opportunities this gave me. I was able to find my own customers and I interacted with them on a much more personal and friendly level than I could as an employee.  I could spend as long as I wanted with my customers, take them for a coffee, drinks  or even dinner instead of sitting face to face in a shop with a queue behind them. I found I went to many more events, and it became very much part of my social life. I was able to deal with many small specialist tour operators and I knew and liked many of the people who worked for them. Travel Counsellors held all the licences, negotiated all the contracts and were always there to support us if we had problems in resort. I made lots of friends but I didn’t have to see them every day. We never had to fight over holidays and we were always able to choose our time off and somebody was always willing to cover my business. I was much happier being part of the Travel Counsellors family and also being my own boss. I felt valued by my loyal customers and I often received cards, flowers and lovely messages from them. I had many more opportunities to travel and I saw more of the world in the decade from 2010-2019. I loved that era and will never regret that part of my life

Although I was happy, over time the disadvantages became much more apparent. Financially I was definitely worse off than I had been and of course my wages never increased since airlines, cruise companies and some tour operators cut our commission and customers were more inclined to research prices on the internet. The cost of postage and stationery went up every year so in real terms I was slightly worse off every year.  The winter months were particularly difficult but the bills remained the same as they were in the more fruitful summer months. Sometimes companies that we had used for many years were for various reasons no longer on our approved list. This often meant I had to turn customers away, sometimes never to return even if the company had been reinstated. There was no holiday or sick pay, and no union to maintain good working conditions. Although there was no actual office politics it was still important to maintain a good relationship both with my personal customers and also with my colleagues and head office and towards the end that became more difficult and that led to my eventual downfall. It became more difficult to get cover so I ended up on call 24/7 while I was on holiday, I could never switch off as there seemed to be more and more problems to deal with and  airlines etc. became more unforgiving and instead of amending free or for a fairly nominal fee, they were charging ridiculous amounts, often hundreds of pounds and sometimes even the entire airfare often wiping out all my earnings for the month. Many of them charged premium rate to call them and sorting problems out often cost over £10 in phone calls. More often than not the problems were not my fault nor that of the client but it was my job to sort them out. I became as stressed and frustrated as I had been as an employee and it was also starting to cost me a lot of money, more than I was earning. There seemed to be more rules, regulations and more and more information was needed. Increasingly I felt like a number rather than being a valued professional. Increasingly my customers were using me for information and booking themselves. I began to find events tiring and physically more difficult as I got older. The internet, Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic killed my business stone dead and with less support than I had had in the past, I soon realised my business would never recover so at that point all the passion I ever had for the travel industry disappeared but I hope the book highlights how much I once loved the industry.

Since my retirement from travel,  I have been offered many franchise opportunities and get rich quick schemes with Utility Warehouse, Tropix, Forever Living etc. but to survive as a franchisee you must have total belief in the product and total commitment just as I once had in Travel Counsellors, I loved the company, I loved my friends and most of all I loved travel. I don’t want to be part of another franchise and even less, an MLM or pyramid scheme. Once my world crumbled, I wanted to make my own products, to be unique and not to be just like hundreds of others. I wanted my profits to be 100% my own rather than shared with the franchise. I wanted to have my own ideas , my own unique brand and be able to fix my own mistakes and make things right in my own way and not to feel controlled by others. I can still choose my own holidays but I no longer have to rely on others to cover me. I’m not tied to my phone and email 24/7 and my friends have noted that I am a lot less stressed than I was as a travel consultant. Financially I am no better off but at least I’m not lining airlines pockets at my own expense and I’m not spending a fortune on expensive phone calls.

West of Ireland

After 18 months of not being able to travel anywhere during the pandemic at last we had a window as qualifying double jabbed people to go to Ireland. Within 10 minutes of hearing this news we booked our flight to Ireland West (Knock) with Ryanair. Check in at Stansted was fairly straightforward and the queues were not as difficult as we feared although it was also busier than I had anticipated. There was no signs of any social distancing etc on the flight which appeared to be fully booked.

Bus Eirann have never had a particularly good service but it was improving until Covid hit. There used to be a service which connected well with the flights and took just over an hour. At the moment there is only one bus operating between Westport and Athlone and the route is longer which means that the existing service is roughly 4 hourly. From Knock Airport we had just over an hour wait so although not ideal, it worked reasonably well. I asked hopefully if they did a senior discount and to my amazement the driver asked if I had a UK Freedom pass and that was accepted for a free ride all the way to Roscommon.

Our home for the week was a small B&B in the centre of town. They asked for our Covid certificates which are required for all indoor venues including all the pubs and restaurants we frequented. Shops and public transport still require masks to be worn.

Roscommon itself is a young and lively town but only about half the pubs are currently open and during the week only a few of the restaurants were open. Roscommon has a ruined castle and a lake. There is also an abbey with a grotto.

During our stay we used the limited bus services to our advantage and were delighted to discover a direct bus to Galway. They didn’t accept our freedom passes as this weas an Express so that was understandable. Galway felt very different without the music and the tourists. We had our best breakfast totally by accident as we stumbled across a café frequented by locals. The lack of crowds and tourists was refreshing to be honest but we did miss the street buskers and musicians. Although I have been to Galway before we had not visited the beautiful stone cathedral nor walked along the canal path to the historic part of the city.

We allowed ourselves a good 25 minutes for the short walk back to the bus. The bus was already in but the driver said it was full but we pointed out that we already had tickets. He told us to sit down and immediately set off. We were a little concerned that we had left 10 minutes early and somebody on the bus said the bus had left late so Jim asked where the bus was heading.  “Derry”. “Derry!!!!!”. We screamed to the driver to let us off and we had to run back to the bus station where we just managed to get the right bus by the skin of our teeth. Wow that was close! In our haste, Anna had left her bag on the other bus containing a book about terrorists and an umbrella and the bag was one from the Sharjah tourist board with Arabic writing on the side. This suspicious bag was now unaccompanied in a bus heading for Derry. On our way back Anna and I both got caught short and had to stop the bus for a wee. He wasn’t impressed and I think he was pretty glad to see the back of us.

The next day we took the bus to Athlone and used our passes which gave us the option of using either the bus or train back. We had never been to Athlone before. It was an interesting city with a castle, the River Shannon, boat trips to the Lough, a haven for birdlife and Sean’s Bar, the oldest pub in Ireland c 900AD.. This is certified in the Guinness Book of Records. Expecting it to be a tourist rip off we had planned to have one drink in there and then cross back over the river to a less touristy bar. In fact Sean’s Bar served a decent pint and to our surprise it wasn’t overly expensive either. We enjoyed Athlone and we decided to catch the later train back. The problem was, we were unaware that all trains must be prebooked and allow just 50pc capacity. Our train was fully booked but after speaking to the supervisor and establishing that we were only going one stop we were told to get on and our passes were accepted.

It was now Sunday and Anna realised to her horror that she had dropped her tablets somewhere. After much googling and not getting very far, we thought the best plan was to go to Boots which thankfully was open. The number they gave us does not work on English mobiles in any format so in the end after much frustration we used an Irish one. To cut a long story short, many phone calls and a visit to the local hospital and clinic and back to Boots, she got her emergency supply of tablets.

We wanted to visit Strokestown, the park, manor house and famine museum but time, weather and lack of transport meant we had to leave that for another time. It was lovely to see my brother-in-law and our niece with her husband and her boys, now three fine young men.

Roscommon is a great base and there are all the shops you need but I would still advise car hire to get around, although parking is a bit of an issue.

Medical Emergencies in Ireland

I tried to google this and couldn’t find the answer. For real emergencies call 112 or 999.

For lost medication

You cannot call 111 from Ireland so my next thought was to ask in Boots which was open on Sunday.

You can also visit the local medical centre who will issue a prescription.

The phone number I was given was 1850365000 which is for Westdoc which covers Mayo, Galway and Roscommon. Note this phone number only works on Irish phones. You need full name, date of birth and home address. A nurse will call you back and refer you to the doctor who will then invite you to the local clinic and issue a prescription. The doctor was 25 euros and then there was a prescription charge.