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Unloxit 2023

January - December 2023
As 2023 unfolds, a collection of experiences along the way. Read more
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  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 1

    The approach to Latin

    January 1, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    "The Approach to Latin" was once a school textbook but as my sister once said, that's all very well but what about when you actually REACH Latin? No one knew, but thanks to my fondness for Latin America, it was fitting that the London New Year parade featured some displays from that wonderful region. This procession follows the midnight fireworks, attracting half a million spectators and to my mind, is much more photogenic.

    There's a bittersweet feeling because while it's great to return to near normality, the last time this event took place was in 2020 when nobody expected the darkness of Covid. Now we can hope that the pandemic is largely behind us and look forward to 2023.

    Among the dozens upon dozens of ethnic groups in London, none of the Latin American contingent feature in the top 20 for numbers. Whether the girl in the main picture actually is from Brazil or just wants to look as if she is dressed for the Rio carnival, matters little because she's clearly having a good time. She pops up again the larger group, from my local borough of Lambeth. From there we travel to Ecuador, from where there's a considerable colony in south London, and then to Peru and Bolivia. Who could ask for more to brighten up a grey January day?    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 91

    Latin on the Atlantic

    April 1, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Continuing the Latin theme---Portuguese style---I spend a spring break with my friend Alan in Porto and Lisbon. Sadly the memory card for the Porto and much of the Lisbon parts of the trip got damaged and so I can show only the latter part of Lisbon. Arrival here is a comedy of errors too---we're delayed by a rail strike and are booted off the following train which is for de luxe passengers only, but manage to get seats on the next standard train.

    But what a wonderful city Lisbon is! The first image shows the Discovery monument, a grandiose 1960 creation on the the banks of the Tejo (Tagus). Whatever injustices were caused in the name of colonialism, I always admire the tenacity of the early Portuguese explorers who divided the New World equally with Spain despite that country being several times the size. The woman in the picture, by the way, was posing for someone else. The tree in the next image stands outside the Hieronymites monastery, showing a glimpse of the extravagant Manueline architecture of the early 1500s.

    The up-and-down nature of this port city provides endless views and perspectives. Here is one from the Alta (the high city) looking down to the Baixa. In some quarters there are more steps than streets, so it pays to watch one's footing on the small black-and-white cobblestones. They form attractive patterns but could be slippery in wet weather.

    Transport in Lisbon comes in various shapes and sizes. In the Baixa a policeman shepherds a taxi in the path of one of Lisbon's legendary trams. The photographers are standing outside Rossio railway station, an extraordinary mishmash of Moorish and Manueline themes. The antique lift of the same period, around 1900, is as Gothic as they come. As for modern transport, the Metro is efficient and simple to use, while journeys on foot can lead up Avenida Libertadores, as elegant as any Paris boulevard.

    The best for last---the old Moorish quarter of Alfama. Although the houses are later, the street plan of twisting alleyways survived the 1755 earthquake. Every so often the streets break out into beautiful "miradouras". As shown on the mural, Alfama is the home of "fado", the melancholy but passionate folk music style. Listen to Mariza and you'll get the flavour.

    If ever there was a Moreish trip, this is it.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    2
    211
    Day 150

    a.k.a. Skeggy

    May 30, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Continuing the trail of English seaside resorts, I leave the south coast and head east---Skegness in Lincolnshire. Its miles of sands became popular before package tours to the Mediterranean and it seems even more English than some other resorts I know. And with an East Midlands flavour. But the old line "Skegness is so bracing" doesn't lie; there's a brisk force 5 breeze coming all the way from Greenland!

    There's just the one railway line to and from Skegness and I take a day visit to Boston. Not as famous as the city after which it's named, it boasts a superb landmark, the largest parish church in England. It's known as Boston Stump because the upper part of the tower is an afterthought, competed 200 years after the 14th century main fabric of the church. The reason for its size is that Boston claims once to have been the second largest port in England. But the town has become a quiet backwater as is most of Lincolnshire, perhaps because it's not on the way to anywhere else.

    On other days, some outlying villages can be reached by local transport. People may complain about country buses but provided one doesn't stay out too late, they are reliable and punctual. When you've got time in hand, what does it matter if they run only once an hour?---at least they arrive when the timetable says they will. Hidden away from the theme parks and caravan sites some nice little churches can be found. Burgh le Marsh and Addlethorpe are just two of them. And then there's Mablethorpe, a dozen miles up the coast from Skeggy and a smaller version of it. Miles of sand and by the end of the week, the wind has started to ease off.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 152

    Cold wind, warm welcome

    June 1, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    The classic poster doesn't lie! The brisk on shore breeze blew throughout the time I was there, though mitigated by the sun which started poking through in the last couple of days.

    I forgot to say how welcoming the owners of my hotel were. Paul and Wendy, who had been running it for about 10 years, couldn't do enough to make me feel at home. The TV lounge always seemed to be free for me to watch classic films on Netflix. For my final night they moved me upstairs to a bigger room with panoramic vision; thanks to them for a nice stay.Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    12
    Day 164

    Kentish temple

    June 13, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Now it can be told---I much prefer Ramsgate to Skeggy! Not least because of a return visit to the endlessly civilised Royal Temple Yacht Club. The sailing season hasn't fully got going so all is quiet (apart from a quiz night on the Friday, and even that is restrained). They don't do breakfast but the Ship Shape in the cliff arcade, more than suffices. And then to a place that really is a temple, the charming Sailors' Church. The early Georgian terraces of Ramsgate are now familiar, in some cases appealingly overgrown and in others, put to use for an evening's tennis.

    On a rerun of the Margate-Ramsgate walk, I pass another example of Margate's gentrification with the creation of some giant street art. Round a headland, Joss Bay is having its week in the sun, while Broadstairs flaunts its Charles Dickens connections. The following day shows a beach scene in Deal. Although unmistakeably English, it's little more than 20 miles from France which makes London much further away.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 175

    If it's the last Saturday in June....

    June 24, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌫 18 °C

    ....we must be in the Lake District! On this annual reunion week, 12 of us are booked once again into two cottages near the river in Keswick. This time there's no disruption on the journey from London (or Cheshire, or Yorkshire, for those who arrive by different routes) and it's set to be a great week.

    It's market day in Keswick as we arrive, with a festive atmosphere (dogs allowed). I can't resist a naughty-but-nice call to Luchini's, the ice cream business which has been going since 1901. Also naughty but nice is the beer, and the Dog & Gun, continuing the canine theme, is one of Keswick's best pubs.

    Following the pattern of the daily walking party meeting the drinking party in the afternoons, we start with an easy hike to Rosthwaite. It's said to be the wettest place in England but then if there was no rain, there wouldn't be any lakes! A couple of days later we find this Victorian "picturesque", complete with a fine view of Windermere through stained glass. It's a steep climb past this to the summit but we're rewarded with a leisurely return walk past a sparkling tarn.
    Later in the week around Grasmere, the weather has closed in again but surely the residents of the mansion in the background aren't worried.

    Lastly, the name of this pub in Staveley is said to arise from a noble-born baby found in the nest of an eagle. But why the full stop after the Victorian signage? And before you ask, we do get some walking in: a gentle stroll there along the River Kent from Kendal, and then a route march to the town of Windermere for the last bus home. 12 miles in all.

    The final Saturday comes round all too soon but guess what---as I write this, next year's trip is already pencilled in.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 198

    There once were three men in Riga

    July 17, 2023 in Latvia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Much attached as I am to places with Mediterranean and tropical climates, I agree with two of my most trusted friends, Russell, and Alan, to go north this time. July is one of the best months to go, not just because the weather is at least as good as in Blighty but also with the massive hours of daylight. Who would go in January when the sun hardly rises above the horizon?

    The best flights to the three Baltic states are to Riga, a 2-and-a-half-hour flight from Stansted. The language of this small country is unlike that of anywhere else apart from its neighbour Lithuania but fortunately most people are friendly and many speak English. We're staying in what's known as the Moscow District, a quiet area that was established by Russian settlers and retains their legacy. Indeed, Latvia, in common with Estonia and Lithuania, has had a turbulent history. It suffered waves of occupations by Russians, the Germans and the Russians again before finally freeing itself in 1991. But Riga is now a vibrant city well on the tourist map. The first image, of the Academy of Sciences, is a Stalinist structure that reminds me of a similar building in Warsaw where they said the best place to be was in it because you couldn't see it!

    To go back in time---as you do---it's a 15 minute walk into the old town. Having suffered little war damage, it's a museum piece of 17th to 19th century streets. The upward-looking image is of St. Peter's church, followed by the House of Black Heads. Nothing to do with skin blemishes, it was the home of a medieval guild of merchants named after St. Maurice, said to be a Moor and hence darker than the local population. The old town hosts a plethora of excellent bars and restaurants---but that's another story.

    The 1920s clock tower stands in line with the Freedom Monument, an Art Deco creation from the interwar, independent period. A walk across the park---with its attendant canal---takes us to a wonderful network of Art Nouveau streets unlike anywhere else I have seen. The three days we spend in Riga are really not enough to absorb its special character.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 201

    Unfinished Baltic

    July 20, 2023 in Estonia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    There's not much in the way of trains linking the Baltic republics so we take a coach northwards to Tallinn, capital of Estonia. Much of the road is forested but we hardly notice the border as there were no checks (only on the way back). None of this have been this far north before. Tallinn is on the same latitude as the Orkneys and the sun doesn't go down till 10.15. Almost the land of the midnight sun!

    Like Latvia, Estonia suffered badly in the 20th century, passing like a ping pong ball in WW2 between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. There's little sign of that now in this prosperous city. A 10-minute walk gets us to the Town Hall area, swarming with eager tourists like us. It's not ashamed to recall the happier sides of its past, with eye-catching costumes on show. Continuing uphill, we enter the walls of the castle, started in the 13th century and well-preserved. Maybe---just maybe---the man playing "I just called to say I love you" is referring to Tallinn itself! The seat just outside the city walls provides garden therapy for others.

    Tallinn is a busy port both for cargo and passengers, but some of the redundant premises have, like Docklands in London, been converted to 21st century residential use. But there still reminders of past and present conflicts, with this WW1 picture outside a museum, and banners at the Russian embassy protesting about Ukraine.

    Would we go back to the Baltic one day? There's talk about it, and perhaps the third country, Lithuania, as well. An excellent 7 days.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 239

    Summer's last fling (or not)

    August 27, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    The August Bank Holiday weekend supposedly marks the end of summer but as I write this nearly three weeks afterwards, I'm pleased to say that it still has plenty of life in it. At the end of August the Notting hill Carnival, which fell silent for two years, is in rude health again. It started in 1966 and while inspired by London's Afro-Caribbean community, it's become a magnet for people of all persuasions to let their hair down. Lots of residents have fled to avoid the mayhem but some hardy souls stay on for a balcony viewing. Apparently 2 million people attend on the second day, a Monday. But as you can see, there's lots of clearing up for afterwards!

    Monday itself sees me at the gentler festival in Carshalton with music on two stages, Morris dancers and who knows what else. A great way to round off August.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 246

    Midday Express

    September 3, 2023, Sea of Marmara ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Last night I watched the film "Midnight Express". Based on the experiences of a backpacker jailed for 5 years for drug smuggling, definitely better seen after a trip to Turkey than before it! My landfall for a week's stay in Istanbul in early September is not without faults; the hotel is overbooked so I have to stay next door for the first night, but better than Sultanahmet Jail where the film's protagonist was banged up. (Incidentally, said jail has been converted to a luxury hotel; maybe it would have been worth staying there).

    Breakfast offers a tantalising view not only of the meal but of this part of the city. It's a jumble of streets and passages, a challenge for walking (and even more so for cyclists as the travel writer Rebecca Lowe reports). But what an amazing history! Istanbul achieved greatness when as Constantinople, it was split from the Roman Empire in the 4th century A,D. Aya Sofia, seen from the balcony of an upmarket tea shop, began life as a church, then became a mosque, was later turned into a museum and is now a mosque again.

    One of the pleasures of Istanbul is doing a "mosque crawl" because Turkish mosques are open to the public except at prayer times. There's a 15-minute queue to get into to the Blue Mosque but most of the others are almost deserted and reveal how talented the Ottoman architects were. This interior belongs to the 18th century Nuruosmaniye, an example of Turkish baroque and more flowery than the classic works of 2 centuries earlier. On another excursion I enter the Mehmet Pasa Mosque, where the curator tells me off for removing my shoes to walk across the courtyard. Why? Because my feet have got dirty again, so I have to brush off the dust before entering the mosque proper. Sorry about that!

    The sightseeing buses are abundant; I manage without them but can't avoid a look at the Pudding Shop. This has been a famous meeting point over the years especially for backpackers, which I was on my previous visit in the 1970s. Istanbul was, and is, a crossroads of the world. Turkish tea (which I have at another tea house) having been stewed for ages, is potent and best enjoyed without milk but with plenty of sugar. It's a good way to round off the day, as is the late afternoon view from my hotel roof terrace.    Read more

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