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Jayne Eckersall
Jayne Eckersall

Jayne Eckersall

traveled in 14 countries Read more
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  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    Poorly Penguin 🐧 Stays Home...

    October 21, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    It was not a good day today as this little penguin had a sleepless night and developed a “stinking” cold 🤧, so after breakfast, I sought refuge back in my bed 😴 at the Radisson!! This left Jayne with a free day to do as she pleased apart from regular refreshment visits to her TWO room bound travelling companions. So, there are no photographs today but a chance to share some of the Street Art we saw in Kaunas.

    1st Photo is the Bearer of Light by Vytenis Jakas, 2019

    2nd Photo is ‘Wise Old Man’ has become an Instagram staple; an enormous mural that dominates the entire side of a former shoe factory on the leafy avenue of Jonavos Street. The giant gentleman in question — wearing a red bodysuit while smoking a pipe bigger than his own head — is Jurgis Maciunas, a Kaunas-born artist who carried Lithuanian modern art into the wider world in the mid-20th century. He would have known the surrounding streets and buildings well — including Kaunas Castle, the medieval stronghold whose striking red-brick tower stands directly opposite the painting. Painted as a tribute to influential Kaunas-born artist Jurgis Maciunas, the 'Wise Old Man' mural adorns the side of an old shoe factory.

    3rd Photo is a big mural that can be found on the walls all over the city. This particular one was painted by a well-known Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic (who also has works in Vilnius or Warsaw).

    4th Photo is apparently one of the best street art pieces; “Princess on a Horse”. It was painted by a 7-year-old girl, Gabija, and then transferred to the wall by one of the artists. This is such a cute mural, and it definitely puts a smile on your face with its bright colours!

    Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how interested you are, I could not find any information on the remaining street art photographs that I took.    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    A bit of Culture?

    October 20, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Meeting up with Jayne in the hotel, I was surprised to hear her say shall we go to the Acropolis.🏛 Wow, I thought I didn’t know there were any ancient Greek monuments I Kaunas. Shortly after we arrived at the Akropolis 🕋 shopping centre 😁. Anyway, the weather was changing and threatening rain 🌧 plus I felt as though I was starting with a cold 🤧 so after a look around the shops, I sat in a coffee shop ☕️ watching the world go by🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️ and waited patiently for Jayne 👜👡🛍👠🧤🧣.
    In the early evening Jayne and I headed back down into the Old Town and fancying a glass of wine we popped into a sort of bar / restaurant; called Pjazz, playing good music and although not to busy gave off a really nice atmosphere. The wine 🍷 🍷was tasty, and we soon found ourselves calling our friendly waitress over and ordering another couple of glasses 🍷🍷. Still loving the atmosphere and now the music 🎶 we decided to order food from the quite appetizing menu; Salmon and vegetables for Jayne and a large rack of ribs (or as google would have you believe maxi ankle boots!!) for me. Oh, and another couple of glasses of wine🍷🍷.
    Our bill came to £60 with 48% being for the wine! We had a thoroughly enjoyable time in a lovely atmosphere with good wine, tasty food with friendly and attentive staff. ….. Why had we not been in here before???    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    A Lazy Morning

    October 20, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    It's another lazy morning for me anyway. As Jayne helped Pat, I went back to the Church of St, Michael thee Archangel, to take a few photographs 📸 📷 from a different perspective. I also noticed that it was open to the public , so I went. In 1895, Russian Czar Alexander III ordered construction of the Orthodox Cathedral for the Kaunas fortress garrison, as a representational structure, expressing luxury and official status The Sobor was designed by Russian architects and decorated by Petersburg artists. In 1919, it was transformed into a Catholic St. Michael the Archangel church garrison. In 1965, the church became a stained glass and sculpture gallery. After the restoration of independence, the St. Michael, the Archangel Catholic Church, is now operating again, and once again, the once removed crosses are raised high. ⛪️Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    A Walk in the Dark

    October 19, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    After meeting back up with Jayne at the hotel, we went out for our evening meal. Walking back down the Laisvės Alėja we came upon a very nice-looking Italian restaurant called Cash Della Pasta that we had noticed on more than one occasion during our many walks down Freedom Avenue. Jayne enjoyed her Salmon al Forno, whereas I; being rather adventurous, went for the Spaghetti Bolognese. £37 including a couple of large glasses of wine 🍷🍷 for us both.Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    Another Day Another Church

    October 19, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Christ's Resurrection Church
    This magnificent Art Deco church is a reflection of Lithuania’s turbulent history. It is the biggest basilica-type church in the Baltic States. The church was built in 1932–1940 after Lithuania regained independence. In 1922, the idea was to build a church as a symbol of thank-you to God for freedom regained in the temporary capital Kaunas emerged. However, construction was stopped by the Soviet occupation. The building was confiscated and used as premises for the radio factory (later called “Banga”) after the war. In 1990, the church was returned to congregation, during the restoration of the church, some changes were made in its project. The space in the church is in the style of a basilica with three naves. The architecture is monumental and laconic; the tower is 70 meters high. Visitors have the possibility to go to the observation deck on the church roof to enjoy the panoramic view of the city.
    After walking into the Church and having a look around the nave area with its altars and confessional boxes I decided to explore the upper echelons’ and feeling fit with no gym time I took the stairs rather than the lift! Stepping past numerous locked doors and windows in the tower; looking out onto the street below, I was thinking maybe the lift would have been a better idea!! Finally, with a beating heart 💞 I see daylight only to realise I have reached the roof of the church and not the top of the tower, which thankfully didn’t have any access. Unfortunately, the way the roof is set up didn’t provide 360-degree views. One side of the church overlooked the old town and river, including the area with our hotel whilst the opposite side looked out over the industrial area and residential area in the distance.
    It was a lot easier walking 😁👍 down the stairwell and then again walking down back to the old town.    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    A Different Part of Town..

    October 19, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    Thursday, I decided to go to the other part of town and check out the big white church we could see at the top of the hill from our hotel the Basilica of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
    Setting off down the Laisvės Alėja I then turned right at the fountain and headed to the Vytautas Magnus War Museum. Just to the left of the Museum is a garden that contains the Monument to the Fallen for Lithuania’s Freedom (Žuvusiems už Lietuvos laisvę, 1921), in its immediate surroundings, there is the Altar with the Eternal Flame in front of the Monument, the Grave of the Unknown Soldier in between them (Nežinomo Kareivio Kapas), and the busts of Povilas Lukšys and Antanas Juozapavičius – respectively, the first soldier and the first officer killed in the Wars of Independence in February 1919 – on the both sides of the Monument to the Fallen. Additionally, behind the monument are we wooden crosses and praying poles. In 1921-1922, four crosses, two poles with rooftops (“stogastulpis” in Lithuanian) and one praying pole (“koplystulpis” in Lithuanian) were placed on both sides of the Monument. The decorative crosses are part of Lithuanian tradition and today they are recognized by UNESCO and put on their Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. Crosses are made of oak wood and richly decorated, also with pagan symbols.
    Continuing on and following the signs for the Basilica I arrived at and took the; Žaliakalnis Funicular, built in 1931, and one of the oldest funiculars still in operation in the world, up the hill.    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    A Taste of Lithuanian 🇱🇹 Fayre

    October 18, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Heading 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️ back to the train 🚉 station or, as I have already said, the Stotis we decided to eat before we left and diverted into a traditional Lithuanian restaurant called Restoranas Etas Dvaras and ordered typical Lithuanian cuisine. For starters, we ordered Grated Potato Pancakes and Potato Dumplings filled with meat to share. For mains, Jayne ordered the Roast Chicken Breast and Salad whilst I went for the good old Chicken Kiev. With a couple of drinks, our bill came to £33.81 and to be honest, apart from the potato pancakes, it wasn’t very enjoyable!!
    We then caught the train 🚅 (2nd Class for £13 .91 just £8.86 or £4.43 each cheaper than 1st class and headed off into the sunset 🌇 towards Kaunas.    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    It's Raining 🌧☔️☔️....

    October 18, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    As we made our way 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️ to the Old Town of Vilnius, we could see the sky getting blacker and darker. As the skies opened, we were lucky enough to be across the road from a lovely Italian restaurant that didn’t bat an eye lid when asked if we could come in and just have a drink. The best thing about this restaurant was that they sold lovely wine 🍷🍷. So while the heavens opened and people sheltered 🌦🌧☔️ in doorways, we sat nice and warm just getting wet 🍷🍷on the inside. Once the rain stopped, we paid our bill and ventured out carrying on further down the street finding ourselves in Cathedral Square which is dominated by the Neoclassical cathedral, dating from the thirteenth century when a wooden church was built here on the site of a temple dedicated to Perkųnas, the god of thunder. The highlight of the airy, vaulted interior is the opulent Chapel of St Casimir, the patron saint of Lithuania. Next to the cathedral on the square is the white belfry, once part of the fortifications of the vanished Lower Castle. Between the cathedral and the belfry lies a small coloured tile with stebuklas (miracle) written on it, marking the spot from where, in 1989, two million people formed a human chain that stretched all the way to Tallinn, Estonia, to protest against Soviet occupation.
    Around the corner from Cathedral Square is Gediminas’ Castle Tower, which is the remaining fortification tower of the Upper Castle. Legend has it that the Grand Duke Gediminas dreamt of an Iron Wolf howling at the top of this hill, which he took as a prophecy of the great city that would one day stand in this place. The hill is where he eventually built a wooden castle.
    Grand Duke Vytautas completed the city’s first brick castle in 1409. Gediminas’ Tower has changed purposes since then, including being used as the city’s first telegraph building in 1838. The Lithuanian flag was first flown at the top of the tower a century ago. The Vilnius Castle Museum was opened in 1960, and in 1968, it became a subdivision of the Lithuanian National Museum.    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    A Grand Day Out....

    October 18, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Today is the day of Pat’s Operation, so there is nothing Jayne can do for her, so we are off to Vilnius the Capital of Lithuania. We caught the trolley bus 🚎 from outside the hotel to take us directly to the Kaunas Train Station or Stotis as station is in Lithuanian. For £22.77 we rode on the upper deck of the carriage in First Class for the 80-minute journey 🚅 to Vilnius. Enjoying the views as well as our free bottle of water, we arrived in Vilnius. Following the street signs, we made our way to the old town to see the cathedral and stand-alone tower after I had googled what to see in Vilnius.Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    Old Buildings of Kaunas

    October 17, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    Kaunas Castle is one of the oldest Stone Castles in Lithuania. Unique for its double walls and the surrounding tunnel, many events and legends of Lithuanian history are attributed to it. Today, the castle is home to various temporary and permanent programmes all year round.
    Just opposite the castle, St. George the Martyr Church is also worth a visit, for it is an important landmark of Roman Catholicism and has had many uses and owners during its 550-year history.
    The church was heavily damaged by fire in 1603, as well as by the Moscow army during the war with Moscow in 1656 and 1659.
    In 1812, the French army led by Napoleon converted the church into a flour warehouse. Last major repairs were carried out here in 1936. The church was used as a warehouse once again after World War II. P. Mažylis Medical School was established here during the Soviet period.
    In 2005, the church which was already in very poor condition was given back to the monks. The brick monastery building built in the 16th century next to the church preserved many of its Gothic elements.
    Reconstruction works of both the church and the monastery began in July of 2009.
    Walking back along the Laisvės Alėja to meet the girls for an early evening meal at Nefiskalinis Kvitas; yes, the place we ate at last night and yes, the place I did say we would definitely return to, I stopped to look at the exterior of what to me is a typical “cold war” Soviet building which was in fact the Central Post Office and built in the 1930’s, and still being used for that same purpose today. One interesting observation and one I have no answer to is, why there are chairs on the steps???    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    The Longest Day......

    October 17, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Tuesday was the longest day of our trip to Lithuania.
    To be more precise, Tuesday was actually 13 days long as I went to visit and walk across the longest bridge in the world.
    In order to cross the Vytautas* The Great Bridge (to give it its formal name) from one bank of the Nemunas to the other took 13 days, because Kaunas belonged to the Russian Empire and Aleksotas to the Prussian kingdom up to 1807. The different sides of the river had different calendars, which included a 13-day difference. During World War II, the bridge was blown up twice, only to be reborn in 1948 (architect Levas Kazarinskis); the bridge retraction mechanism is still of use today. Having crossed the Nemunas, you can try the funicular and climb to the Aleksotas area where you will see a breathtaking panorama of Kaunas.
    Once across the river, you can embark on a funicular journey, which is a unique experience in Kaunas, as this is the only city in the Baltic states where this means of transport is available. The Aleksotas Funicular; built in 1934, is much sought for the view you'll get (of the Old Town) once you reach the hill of the same name and stand on the observation platform.
    After walking down the steps back to the bridge, I made my way across the bridge back into Kaunas and walked towards the castle 🏰

    Vytautas*, also known as Vytautas the Great from the late 14th century onwards, was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno, prince of Lutsk, and the postulated king of the Hussites.    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    Later that Monday .....

    October 16, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Very near Town Hall Square is a rather bland looking building which is the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, built entirely of red brick with features of both Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles. Built in the 15th century, Vytautas the Great Church has seen a varied history as a Catholic church, storage space for ammunition by Napoleon’s army, and Orthodox church, and again as a Catholic church. Situated right next to the Nemunas River, Vytautas the Great Church has been flooded several times throughout history, thus it has seen numerous reconstructions with the largest renovations occurring in the 1930s and late 1970s. The largest Gothic structure in Lithuania, and the country’s only Gothic church with a basilica floor-plan as opposed to the usual cross-shaped design. Its one-of-a-kind interior, with its nine altars, is also breath-taking quite a contrast from its easily unnoticeable outside appearance.
    From Town Hall Square we walked around the corner to Kaunas Castle standing close to where the Nemunas and Neris rivers, converge this impressive brick castle was built in the 14th century at the beginning of the Teutonic attacks.
    Looking towards the Castle is the Monument to Vytis, a freedom warrior sculpture, with the state symbol in the coat of arms of Lithuania, knight riding a horse with a sword and shield.
    Walking back towards the hotel along the Laisves Aleja (which as you may have now gathered is the main walkway from one end of Kaunas through to the other end) we came across a very nice bar / café / restaurant called Paslėpti receptai where we had an enjoyable couple of hours drinking wine, gin and local beer whilst deciding on what to eat. Lovely food that included drinks and meals all for £53 for the 3 of us. We will definitely return there.    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    Midday and Still Walking 🚶‍♂🚶‍♀️ 🚶‍♀️

    October 16, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Turning Left at the City Fountain, we walked down to a rather impressive looking bridge 🌁 named the Simonas Daukantas Bridge built 1988, and connecting Nemunas island and downtown Kaunas, the length of the bridge is 151 meters. Built in 1988, representing the main tendencies of late modernism - the luxury and monumentalism. The supporting arch with the columns of Gediminas is one of the earliest symbols of Lithuania and its historical coats of arms. This symbol of statehood was incorporated during the building of the bridge and became public while still a couple of years ahead to the Independence of Lithuania in 1990. On the 4th of July in 1996, celebrating the National day, a Lithuanian aerobatic pilot Jurgis Kairys was the first in the world to legally fly under a pedestrian bridge (the gap between the constructions of Simonas Daukantas bridge and the river being only 7 meters). In 2000, Kairys performed an inverted flight under the same bridge, nicknamed the Ultra flight.
    Back on the Laisvės Alėja, and leaving the tree lined boulevard behind, we walked into the much narrower old town and stopped for a delicious cup of coffee. Despite being sat in the midday sunshine, I got bored, leaving the girls chatting, I walked around the corner and into the grounds of an Historical Palace a Neo-baroque building in the Old Town of Kaunas that served as the Presidential Palace between 1919 and 1940, this building is one of the most important locations of Lithuanian history. Once the home of presidents like A. Smetona, K. Grinius and A. Stulginskis
    Further on in the Town Hall, Square is the Church of St. Francis Xavier built by the Jesuits and who opened their first residence in Kaunas in 1642 and established a chapel in the House of Perkūnas in 1643. The construction of the church started in 1666 and was completed in 1720. The church was consecrated in 1722. The Tsarist Russian government gave the church to the Orthodox church for their use in 1824. The church was again assigned to the Jesuits only in 1924. After Lithuania was occupied by Soviet Union the St. Francis Xavier church was turned into a technical school, and the interior of the church was used as a sports hall. The church was returned again to the Jesuits in 1989, and renovation of the church took place in 1992.
    Also adjoining the Square is the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity, a late Renaissance period (with Gothic features), with a hall style, outbuildings, and a tower on the side. Its high roof and apse have small towers. The interior has three naves separated by pillars. The vaults are stellar and cross-shaped. There are a total of 9 altars.    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    Monday Morning Stroll 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️

    October 16, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania, located in the central part of the country, where rivers Nemunas and Neris meet. Vilnius, the capital, is some 100 km away. Borders with Poland and Russia (Kaliningrad Region) are not too far away either.
    After a very nice but leisurely breakfast, the three of us set out to find our bearings🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️and see what Kaunas has to offer. It didn't take us long after turning right out of the hotel, right at the next main road, and then right again to walk straight up to the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, which is the building we can see from our hotel room. Keeping watch on the Cathedral is Man; a modern sculpture, symbolizing freedom and liberation. Leading up to the square is the Laisvės Alėja (literally Liberty Boulevard or Liberty Avenue), which is a prominent pedestrian street in the city of Kaunas. It stretches between the St. Michael the Archangel's Byzantine-style church to the Central Post Office and Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum around the Kaunas Old Town, the oldest section of Kaunas. For a long time, it was the main commercial district of Kaunas. Stretching for 1.6 kilometres (1 mile), Laisvės Alėja is the longest pedestrian street in Eastern Europe. Motor vehicles can not travel along Laisvės Alėja, but they can cross it at intersections with other streets where motor traffic is permitted. The boulevard is separated into two walkways by a median strip lined with linden trees. A short walk down is the City Fountain. One of the main highlights of Kaunas was reborn just a few months ago. The water source installed 40 years ago, when the street was converted to a pedestrian boulevard, still fascinates passers-by and, according to the builders, is currently one of the most modern fountains in Lithuania, with a cooling “fog” effect and music system all controlled remotely. Try as I might, every time I tried to film the fountain in all its glory, it stopped. It was almost if someone was watching!!    Read more

  • A Holiday Where? ........ Why?

    A Friend in Need....

    October 15, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Background:
    Jayne came home from a catch-up with her friend Pat with a question............. "Pat has asked me to go to Lithuania with her to look after her after she has an an operation, and she can't ask anyone else." "Oh!", I said, "And are you going to go?"I've never been on a plane without you," came Jayne's response, "So you will have to come with me!" "OH!!!!" was my response.
    After clarifying exactly which city in Lithuania Pat was going to, my immediate reaction was to Google - Is Kaunas Lithuania worth visiting?
    Nice old buildings, good restaurants. It's definitely worth visiting and having a nice stroll. Also, it is very nice to go for a walk along the river and visit an Old Castle and St. George church. Doesn't sound too bad for a couple of days away in the summer ........ but we were going for seven days mid-October!

    So after a lazy Sunday morning, our taxi 🚖arrived to take us to the John Lennon Airport in Liverpool, picking up Pat en-route. The drive made a pleasant change from travelling to Manchester Airport, and with far fewer passengers travelling from here, we were quickly checked in through passport control and security.
    Our Ryanair flight took off 🛫 on time with just a handful of Brits on board the full flight landing just over 3 hours later in Lithuania's 🇱🇹 2nd city Kaunas. After clearing Immigration we quickly collected our bags and met the taxi 🚕 provided by the clinic to take us the 20-minute drive from the airport to the Radisson Hotel on the outskirts of Kaunas Old Town.
    After checking in and making our way to our home for the next 7 days, I checked the view from our bedroom window and was pleasantly surprised to see a "Cathedral" type building lit up. At least we had a decent landmark for finding our way back to the hotel if nothing else!!    Read more

  • To Cruise or Not to Cruise ...

    Do we stay or do we go?

    September 29, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    During the night 🌃, our phones 📞 pinged multiple times, and the news we had been dreading Patti had left the boat and was on the way to the hospital. But the patient was Greg, who had been taken ill and rushed to the hospital 🏥 So, the trip started with a dilemma and is now ending with a dilemma. Greg had been admitted in hospital, Patti was with him, and the Viking ship 🚢 had departed for Kinderdiyk with the rest of the Viking Cruisers and all of Greg & Patti's belongings. The dilemma we had was do we cancel our flight home and stay in Amsterdam to support Patti. Do we fly home and then book return flights back to Amsterdam or does Jayne stay and I fly home check on my mum and fly back to Amsterdam later with fresh clothes etc.? After much discussion and soul searching it was decided we would both fly home and then fly back if Patti needed us. Fortunately, she didn't, and Greg was discharged a couple of days later. A fast train 🚆 later, and they caught up with the boat in Cologne, Germany 🇩🇪. For us we checked out of the hotel at 7:00 am caught the airport shuttle bus and went swiftly through passport control but not without a questioning look about leaving, arriving and leaving again all within 20 hours!!!
    Fortunately, a working aircraft was there, and as we taxied out; I had my final reminder of my time 40 years ago by passing the hangar that I worked on the Boeing 747's in 🛫.    Read more

  • To Cruise or Not to Cruise ...

    Check Out to Check In

    September 28, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    After a group breakfast, it was time to check out of the hotel; knowing there would be no more girls in the windows of Amsterdam. We made our farewells and a promise that we would all meet up again somewhere in the not to distant future. Jayne and I headed off to the airport 🚕 whilst the Viking Cruisers head off to the Viking ship 🚢 and off down the River Rhine through Germany 🇩🇪 to Switzerland 🇨🇭 Arriving in good time at the airport we queued to check in our bagand then joined the slow and time consuming queue through passport control and security. After a drink and a bite to eat, we made our way to the departure gate where our aircraft ✈️ was waiting to take us home.
    Some 5 hours after checking in for our flight home, we had cleared passport control, claimed our luggage 🧳, and after a short taxi ride, we were checking in to our hotel (a poxy Moxy) .......... at Schipol Airport. Our aeroplane wasn't going anywhere, and so Easy Jet put us up in a hotel for the night with refreshment all free of charge. Our hotel was very basic, thankfully it was for only one night and the room did start to look a little better as we started decorating it by hanging our clothes up on the metal framework attached to the wall. We also discovered that Easy Jet had my age wrong as our evening meal was a pizza 🍕 followed by ice cream 🍦 accompanied by a soft drink 🧃. I am 66, not 6, I argued!!!    Read more

  • To Cruise or Not to Cruise ...

    Dinner Reservation for 10, 8, 6.........

    September 27, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Walking 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️back to the hotel, you quickly become accustomed to looking out for the odd bike 🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️!! Before going into the hotel, we stopped off at the Italian Restaurant Impero Romano to book a table for us all to eat dinner in that night. Not knowing that the others had an evening canal cruise booked with dinner. So from a booking for 10 people, the 4 of us had plenty of room at the table. After dinner, Greg and Patti invited us back up to their hotel suite in the clock tower at the hotel where they had prepared a belated birthday party 🥳 🍾🍷🍷🥂 for me, including a present 🎁 and card.Read more

  • To Cruise or Not to Cruise ...

    Doing the Tourist Bit.......

    September 27, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After breakfast 🍳🥐🧀 Jayne & I walked 🚶‍♂️ 🚶‍♀️towards the old town only this time via the Albert Cuyp Market, which was a first for me, having never ventured into the De Pijp area of Amsterdam. Originating in 1905 and with 260 stalls, this market is regarded as the biggest in Europe and is open 6 days a week from 09:30 through to 17:00. The market provides a real Amsterdam atmosphere and is popular with locals, students, and tourists selling fruit 🍉, veg🫑, cheese 🧀, accessories, clothes, flowers 💐 and fabrics.
    Leaving the market, we headed for the oldest part of Amsterdam, which also included the famous red 🚦light district and the only remaining gate of the now disappeared wall around the old town. The Waag or weigh house in English is a 15th-century building that following the removal of the walls housed the weighing scales for the local market, Nieuwmarkt, that surrounded it. After a refreshing drink 🍺 in the sunshine once again watching the world go by we walked the few hundred yards to Dam Square, pausing on Damrak looking at the reflections from the old buildings in the canal where the canal cruising boats were moored and overlooked by the Central Railway station. Dam Square was created in the 13th century when a dam was built around the river Amstel to prevent the Zuiderzee sea from flooding the city. During the sixties, the square was renowned for its Dam Square hippies. These days, it is one of the main tourist sights where entertainment and pigeons abound. On the south side of Dam Square stands the controversially phallic National Memorial statue, built in the memory of Dutch soldiers and members of the resistance who died in World War 2. Unveiled in 1956, the monument stores soil from all of Netherlands' provinces as well as from the Dutch East Indies.    Read more

  • To Cruise or Not to Cruise ...

    A Taste of Friendship

    September 26, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Walking 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️back towards the hotel from Vondel Park, we stopped off at an intriguing bar called Café Slijterij Oosterling, which breathes an atmosphere as if time has stood still there for more than a century. The café is also a liquor store. The property is from around 1735, when the Dutch East India Company sold coffee, tea, and spices from the Far East. The café has been owned by the Oosterling family since 1877. The brothers Marcel and Oscar, sons of Mari Oosterling, are the fourth generation Oosterling behind the bar. We had an enjoyable couple of hours eating toasties drinking beers 🍻 and just watching the world go past. Continuing our walk back, we passed houseboats on Keizersgracht and had our photo taken by an Australian brother & sister in return for taking their photograph 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨📸
    Nearing the hotel on the Amstel River, we walked past the Magere Brug or, more commonly and famously known as Skinny Bridge. The bridge spans across the river Amstel and is an Old Dutch design wooden bridge known as a double-swipe (balanced) bridge. Tradition relates that the bridge was named after the sisters Mager, who were supposed to live on opposite sides of the river. They are said to have had the wooden bridge built to make it easier to visit one another. However, it appears more likely that the original bridge acquired the name from being so narrow (mager means skinny in Dutch), that it was hard for two pedestrians to pass one along another. As traffic along the river Amstel increased, a wider bridge replaced the narrow one in 1871. Whilst Skinny Bridge is no longer skinny, it is by far still one of the most beautiful and most photographed bridges in Amsterdam.
    As I have lived in Amsterdam; albeit some 40 years ago, I was deemed the perfect person to go in search 👣👣👣 of a nice restaurant for our intrepid group of travellers to eat in 🍽. So after meeting in the hotel bar, we: Steve & Suzanne, myself & Jayne, Greg & Patti, Jared & Cheryl (Steve's daughter) made our way across the Amstel to the Cafe Restaurant De Ysbreeker for a really enjoyable evening 🍺🍻🍾🥂🍷🍹.    Read more

  • To Cruise or Not to Cruise ...

    Old Haunts

    September 26, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Waiting for the Americans to arrive from their various cities across the US, we (or should I say I) took the opportunity to revisit some old haunts. After walking through the tourist area of Rembrandtplein; (the famous painter who lived in Amsterdam and who's house is now a museum), with its many bars, cafes, restaurants, hotels and of course the modern sculpture of the Thinker. After stopping off at the Flower Market; famous for its tulips🌷 (from Amsterdam 🎼) and clogs in all sizes for the tourists, we walked down Leidsegracht crossing 3 of the main canals in Amsterdam. We stopped off at Leidsekade, where the hotel I stayed in when working at the airport is (no longer) there. Just 8 minutes later , we walked to our 1st destination, Cafe Helmers, on Eerste Helmersstraat, which was our (British Aircraft contractors at KLM) local bar when not working 🍻🍻🍻🍺. Physically, the shape of the bar had not changed much but visually quite a bit in the 38 years since I frequented it. So after stopping for the obligatory beer 🍺 (well, it would be rude not to and I was on a reminiscing trip). Shortly after, we left to walk 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️ to another important destination.
    Vondel Park, where in the summer bands 🎸🎶🎷 would play, people would walk🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️, cycle 🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️, run 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️, and sunbathe 😎😎. It is also the place where I knelt down to tie my shoe lace, I heard "YES" and ended up proposing 💍 to Jayne on a long weekend visit back in the late 80s 🤣🤣🤣    Read more

  • To Cruise or Not to Cruise ...
    It's not our hotel but a nice nighttime photo.

    Dilemma

    September 25, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Introduction:-.....
    There is nothing quite like a couple of dilemmas before you go on holiday!!
    This was our only booked holiday at the start of 2023; a Viking River Cruise sailing down the Rhine from Amsterdam in Holland 🇳🇱 to Basle in Switzerland 🇨🇭 with our river cruising friends from America 🇺🇸. It was a trip I was looking forward to as we were 10 people in 5 couples, 4 of which had enjoyed holidaying together before. Unfortunately, a couple of months earlier, Jayne and I had cancelled due to the illness of one of our dearest friends who were going to cancel. Our cancellation was accepted, but theirs not, which left us with our 1st dilemma. As we are now on a cancellation list, do we take two suitcases on our 3 day trip to Amsterdam just in case there is a no-show before the boat sets sail!
    Our 2nd dilemma started a couple of weeks earlier when my mum had a fall and ended up in hospital with a broken bone in her pelvis - so if the opportunity arose, do we go on the cruise????
    So there we were waiting on the train station at Poulton-le-Fylde for the 08:30 train to Manchester Airport with our single suitcase for our 3 day trip to Amsterdam to meet up with the Viking Cruisers on their pre-cruise extension.
    After a short wait at the departure gate, we were soon boarding the aircraft for our short 1 hour 20 minute flight 🛫 As it was a beautiful summers day, the visibility was excellent all the way to Amsterdam. Arriving at Schipol Airport 🛬 reminded me a lot of going to New York. Not visually, but the standing around in a long queue waiting to clear Immigration. However, 30 minutes after collecting our luggage 🧳 we were checking into our hotel the Pestana Riverside on the Amstel Canal. After unpacking, it was time to go out in search of food and a first Dutch beer in Holland for 30+ years.    Read more

  • Going to America

    Woah, we're half way there

    May 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Woah, livin' on a prayer; in the words of Bon Jovi.

    Well very nearly that was the case as when we asked at Tampa International Airport what happens if the flight doesn't leave at 3:45 pm and we miss our connecting flight to Manchester.
    We would have 2 options:
    Option 1 - stay the night in a hotel 🏨 in Tampa
    Option 2 - fly to New York and stay the night in a hotel 🏨 there!!🤔

    But as we know we left Tampa and after a slightly bumpy flight ✈️ we landed at JFK 2 & 1/2 hours later with ample time to have some dinner and browse the shops.
    At 8:40 pm (US) we boarded Diamond Girl for our overnight flight, touching down in a much cooler Manchester at 7:55 am (UK) the following day.
    Coffee ☕️ for breakfast at the airport before catching the 9:45 train from Manchester Airport to Poulton Le Fylde arriving home 🏡 about 11:30 am (6:30 am US time) 23 hours after leaving Greg and Patti's apartment. 🥱🥱😴    Read more

  • Going to America

    Time to Go Home 😭

    May 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Travelling day so another early start.
    Alarm at 6.00 am and out of the door an hour later but first another quick last look at the view.
    After saying our goodbyes 👋 to Patti it was into our chauffeur driven car, once again by Greg, who kindly took us the 1 & 1/2 hour drive from Longboat Key in Sarasota to Tampa International Airport, via the new Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
    Arriving at the airport, we said our goodbyes 👋 to Greg and thanked him for all he and Patti had done for us and vowing to meet up again soon we joined our 1st queue. Outside on the pavement is a fasttrack queue for Delta Airways. As we are flying to New York we waited in line only to find out about 15 minutes later we are in the wrong queue and we should be inside the airport. So off we go and while Jayne stands at the back of a long Delta queue I go and check to confirm that's where we should be. Following another announcement we joined another (but much shorter) queue for international destinations where we were finally able to Check-in and dispose of our cases. We joined the departures queue checking tickets before joining the queue to go through Security and baggage check. After this we stood in the non-queue waiting line to take the short shuttle ride to the Hub where our gate is.
    Hurray, finally through and no more queues. To celebrate I joined the the coffee ☕️ queue that went half around the Starbucks kiosk. Checking the Departures Board and we still had plenty of time as our flight was delayed 1/2 an hour so we slowly 🐌 made our way down to Gate E66.
    It's a good job we didn't rush because when we arrived at the Check-in desk our flight was further delayed to 15:45. Being true Brits we then joined the queue to find out what was going on with our flight and ongoing connection. Apparently there was a mechanical problem with the aircraft; as they say in America....No Bathrooms! Well I'll go before I fly I thought its only 2 & 1/2 hours, but no the aircraft can't leave. What about our connection we asked, no problem you still have over an hour to make it.
    Fortunately the plane left well before the re(re)scheduled time and we arrived at JFK with time to spare.    Read more

  • Going to America
    1

    The Last Supper and Sunset

    May 11, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Only a 1 hour wait, time for a beer, an enforced listening 🎶 to the band (who didn't know how to play .. Far Away 🤣🤣) then just as Greg's shrimps 🍤 were coming off the barbecue we were called to our table. Those that know me will be surprised to read that I had the Red Snapper; along with Patti, Jayne went for The Grouper and Greg had the Wahoo.
    During the meal we shared more laughter about the English language and how we say certain things and call things names that they (Americans) couldn't relate to.

    Red snapper is a large saltwater fish found in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. The most common red snapper caught and eaten is from the Gulf of Mexico. They have a “stronger” taste than other species of fish because they eat more crabs and shrimp, which makes their meat more flavourful.

    The Grouper fish can be found in 25 to 50 foot depths 1 to 12 miles off the coast of Sarasota where the black grouper are the prevalent grouper. The blacks average 6 to 12 pounds and come and go all year long but seem to be best in Spring and Fall. They hang out on all the reefs, breaks and structure they can find and some are better than others. They hide deep in the structure which makes them hard to pull out with light tackle. Since most of the fishing done in this area is on light tackle, most are lost.
    Wahoo have elongated mouths and razor-sharp teeth. These creatures are bad-ass, almost prehistoric looking fish, that swim fast, and fight fiercely — making for a fun day on the water in the Gulf of Mexico

    Wahoo have elongated mouths and razor-sharp teeth. These creatures are bad-ass, almost prehistoric looking fish, that swim fast, and fight fiercely — making for a fun day on the water in the Gulf of Mexico.

    After our early dinner it was a quick drive back to the apartment to catch our final sunset and then joy of joys pack our cases.    Read more

  • Going to America

    Saving the best till last

    May 11, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Owens Fish Camp is a Sarasota staple! The ambience is very niche, and really underscores the theme of the restaurant. You can't prebook this restaurant plus it only opens at 4:00 pm and they only take 'in person' reservations. It is, however, definitely worth the long wait when you get there. One consolation is that If you didn't have to wait for a table then you would miss out on the great outdoor seating area out back to enjoy music and drinks and appertisers while you wait an hour or so for a table.Read more

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