Pirate times in Gdansk

We arrive in Gdansk yesterday, the flight was late getting in so we didn't make it to the apartment until quite late Thom and was very tired. The Airbnb we rented was nice in a new apartment block close to the centre with shops and cafes close by. The only issue was it was quite noisy we could here the bleeping from the bridge raising ever hour and lots of people coming and going.

Today Wanda had booked us on a Pirate ship journey down the Motlawa river. Thom enjoyed the ship we had seen one going by from our balcony already so going on was quite a treat. During the voyage we got to know many things about Gdansk. The port is simply vast you can the why it was of stratigic importance. After returning from the pirate ship we headed to the centre of town to have a go on the wheel there. The wheel is 50 meters high so just a touch over 1/3 of the London eye height of 133 meters. Thom enjoyed it thought he said "You can see a lot of city!". Next stop was the Gdansk sign, next to the rive r it provides a nice photo backdrop. Then onto lunch at śliwka w kompot. Finally we had a look aroud the Soldek, thefirst ship build in Gdansk after the war. The Soldek was a bulk carrier, it used to ferry coal and iron ore. Thom enjoyed walking around seeing the engine room. It took 850kg of coal an hour to power the ship! I can't imagine how hot it must have been for the folks stoking the engines.

View from the wheel

Soldek

Relaxing in Kos: An All-Inclusive Review

We recently returned from a wonderful week-long, all-inclusive trip to Holiday Village Atlantica Mikri Poli Kos, and it was exactly what we needed! After a busy year, it was fantastic to have a break from the usual routine and just relax.

One of the absolute highlights for Thom was, of course, the kids' club. He had an amazing time, especially enjoying the water slides and spending hours splashing around in the swimming pools. It's always great to see him so happy and entertained, and it definitely gave us a chance to unwind a bit more, knowing he was having a blast in a safe and fun environment.

Delicious Dining and Fantastic Entertainment

The food at the resort was mostly good, offering something for everyone. The main buffet restaurant was brilliant, with a great mix of Greek and British dishes, ensuring there were always familiar favourites and exciting new tastes to try. We especially loved the themed nights, like the Mexican day with delicious burritos and chili con carne – a really fun touch! While we didn't particularly enjoy the Greek specialty restaurant, the variety and quality at the buffet more than made up for it.

The kids' entertainment was also a huge hit. The Amphi-theatre was the hub for all the evening fun, hosting a lively kids' disco and various other entertaining shows that kept the little ones enthralled. It was lovely to see Thom and all the other children dancing and having such a good time.

Relaxation and Keeping Active

While Thom was enjoying the kids' club, we even managed to sneak in some well-deserved relaxation at the resort's spa. We both enjoyed a fantastic massage one day, which was pure bliss! It was wonderful to have that time to ourselves to truly unwind. And speaking of keeping active, I was also able to get my training sessions in at the gym, which was a huge bonus for me. As a keen runner who will be tackling the Chicago Marathon this year, maintaining my routine even on holiday is important!

Exploring (or Not) Beyond the Resort

Although the resort offered so much, we did venture out briefly one day. There's a village just a short 1km walk away, which we explored, but we didn't see much more of Kos beyond that. There was also a convenient bus service to the capital, but given how warm it was during our stay, we mostly chose to enjoy all the amenities and comfort of the resort itself.

For us, the all-inclusive aspect made the trip incredibly easy and stress-free. Not having to worry about meals or activities was a true luxury. We loved being able to just go with the flow, enjoy the beautiful surroundings, and simply soak up the sunshine. It was lovely to have the freedom to do as much or as little as we wanted, without any pressure.

Kos itself is a beautiful island, and the resort provided a perfect base for our family. It was exactly the kind of rejuvenating break we were hoping for.

Welsh rarebit

Today we headed to Plas yn Rhiw a national trust maintained Manor House and garden. Located on the hillside is that spectacular views out to the sea. Its a bit out of the way down some narrow siding roads I was a bit sceptical however it turned out to be a really lovely visit. While small by national trust standards is perfectly formed, the grand was a joy to walk round and the views were well worth the trip. The cafe is particularly stand out too we enjoyed a coffee and cake there. 

There is also a free EV charger in the accessible parking section.

After the house we headed to Aberdaron for lunch. Eating at a cafe inside a building which dates to 1300 we then had a stroll around the beach. The tide was coming in and Thom enjoyed running from the waves. I skipped stones into the water and enjoyed the views.

It was sunny while we were on the beach but then the weather changed quickly so we headed home early with rain lashing down! This evening we decided to have a quite one and got ourselves a chippy tea from a place in Pwllheli

Aviation museum

 

Yesterday we visited the Airworld Aviation Museum

Thom loved it!It is one of the very few museums where you can actually get into the exhibits. We sat in a Vampire and a helicopter, Thom wanted to 'blast off' and advised us to 'hold on tight!'. 

There are both aircraft and memorabilia there, with a bits from both world wars, and a section about the royal observer corps. Plus some search and rescue as that is based next door.

The place hasn't really changed since the last time we were there (2010), the modern simulator is powered by sun Sparc station 40, I used to run a second hand Sun ultras-arc 50 in 2008! Nevertheless I would recommend it! It is a really interesting place right next door to Caernarfon airfield where the air ambulance and mountain rescue are based.

In the afternoon, as the weather was very changeable,  we headed for a walk around the beach Morfa and Nant Bach beach. This was a new one for me, the beach was small and stony. It mostly serves as a harbour. There used to be a massive granite quarry nearby and there are signs of this with the remnants of large excavations visible. We saw a lot of half eaten crabs so the seagulls must have been busy. There were also plenty of boats anchored. There was a lovely view from the end of pier, took a panoramic photo. Thom wanted to be a tall giraffe and be carried around on my shoulders all way back to the car!

Sea Zoo

 

Today we visited Anglesey sea zoo. It’s got a decent range of fish, crustaceans and other ocean creatures from around the British Isles. Thom was a big fan of the lobsters and the small sharks. They even have a breeding program for sharks and you could see the fledgling sharks inside the eggs (video below).

My favourite bit though is near the end of the zoo, where there is an elevated platform over a large tank housing sharks and rays. You walk above them on a grated walkway as they swim around the tank.

Last time I visited the sea zoo was for Kath's birthday back in 2010. Quite a different energy visiting with a toddler. 

If you buy a ticket it gives open entry for 6 days, so we are hoping to get in a return visit. There is also a free EV charger outside unfortunately it was out of action while we were there.

We have headed to North Wales for a break away. Kath found a lovely converted barn about 10 minutes from Pwllheli on Airbnb. The views are the farmers fields complete with grazing sheep, Thom loved watching them and was admiring all the farm machinery too.

The place is done out to a really high specification with an open kitchen dining, and living area. With an outside area for warmer days. There are two bedrooms one of which is ensuite and a bathroom at the back. It's scrupulously clean and very well thought through space.

This was the out longest trip in the Polestar 2 since we bought it. The Airbnb has a charger we can use and on arrival we had used 60% of the charge so it worked well. Had we have gone to south Wales it would have required a stop to charge on route but so would we so far electric is proving no problem to live with.

Fun times rum times

Enjoying the first tonight in Wales with dead mans fingers rum

We could be strangers

Arrived home after spending a lovely week in Pembroke South Wales. We rented a cottage about a mile from Pembroke Village. It was an air bnb on a Farm we were really impressed.

Pembroke is a lovely small town complete with a Castle which we had a tour around. They have a huge map of castles in Wales on what was once a tennis court! 

Rhino at Folly Farm

There was so much to explore, we went to a different beach each day. Plus managed to find an excellent Farm/Zoo experience. Thom saw a Rhino for the first time and was enchanted. 

Tenby was our favourite day trip, we ended up going twice we enjoyed it so much. I had been there before in my youth but only had very vague recollection of the trips. Very impressed with South Wales seemed much more friendly and clean than the North. Really amazing beaches too.

We were really lucky with the weather mostly clear and sunny perfect really was a wonderful family get away.

Enjoying beach life

Pembroke Castle

New York day 5

We started the day with a bagel before going to explore the high line. Then for a wonder around Central Park. I should have got my medal engraved but somehow forgot it at the hotel, then decided that the queue was too big. 

I really missed out wearing it, most people seemed to have theirs on and got high fives and words of encouragement from passers by.

In the evening we headed to the the top of the Rockafella to take in the views, then headed to the hidden burger joint, which was phenomenal.

New York day 3

Today we visited the 9/11 memorial. Then MoMa before having a big pre race pasta meal in Hells Kitchen. Early morning tomorrow for the race.

New York day 2

Today we got up early so that I could collect my number from the running show before the race Jacob K Javitis Convention Centre - 11th Avenue at 35th Street.

We both bought ourselves a marathon toddy and I got a Garmin forerunner 220 to record the race on after my disappointment at my Apple Watch not lasting the whole race in Berlin.

Afterward we headed to a food tour. First we tried to get the subway but got hopelessly lost, so ended up getting a cab. Fortunately when we got there the food spots were amazing.

In the evening we headed out for a cruise and took some awesome night pictures of New York.

New York day 1

After a long Virgin Atlantic flight we arrived in New York. I had a big queue for immigration with my ESTA. Kath had already done her queuing at the US Embassy so her full visa was enough. It was quite bewildering seeing all the Americana a coach took us to our hotel in time square. It was small but we weren't planning on spending much time in there so it suited us.

Kath had booked us a table as Bar 54 Hyatt which gave us amazing views over the city and time square. 

The weather was still very warm it changed a little cooler over night,

Time Square Pano

Pleasure

Kasia and I headed to Anglesey to spend part of the long weekend with Bruce, Nina, Connie and Kath - Nina's Mum.

Nina had rented a cottage on the Island for a week family getaway. Unfortunately Bruce's parents had a car issue and could not join along.

Driving down on Saturday, it was the first long drive since I bought the BMW. It performed excellently on the long stretch of A55. While driving we listened to the latest album from Feist, entitled Pleasure.

The place we stayed at was called Clynnog Estate - a set of converted farm buildings and new build houses. We stayed at number 1, which I think was a converted barn or out building. Inside it was very well appointed, tastefully furnished with a large open plan dining kitchen and living space.

Saturday evening Bruce and I travelled to Menai and got a takeaway curry from Taste of India. I took chicken jaipuri special and Kasia had the sylhet chicken special. After dinner we sat in the living space talking and enjoying a few drinks. Nina's Mum amused us as she was by tracking the progress of the boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Kithschko on her phone. We really enjoyed their company it felt very natural and relaxed.

On Sunday we started with Connie asking us: 'What doing?' and a 6 km jog from the house round the to the nearest village. It was windy but we got a great view out. Arriving back to find Nina had made a lovely full English breakfast.

After breakfast we went for a look around Plas Newydd House. One of the National Trust properties on the Island, it was formally the residence of the Marquis of Angelsey. Inside it proved to be a fascinating house. Set in a stunning location with a views across the Menai straight. While exploring the house we were fortunate to catch a theatrical performance. A lady dressed in period costume talked us through the famous mural painted by Rex Whistler. He reputedly had an liaison with Caroline Paget, painting her nude, though there is some debate as to whether she posed or he used his imagination. After walking round the house we had a stroll arounds the gardens, then a play in the adventure park. Connie had a great time.

Edinburgh

Kath and I travelled to Edinburgh on Thursday morning after the Foo Fighters concert. It is a long drive, having enjoyed the gig a lot the night before, we listened to most of the Foo Fighters albums en route and then moved onto the the Manic Street Preachers Holy Bible.

It was the first time Kath had listened to whole album and I made her read the lyrics. It is a dark album full, but cleverly written so I hoped she would like it.

We arrived and checked into the hotel. Then, curious of what was out there, took the 15 minute walk to the town centre, we strolled through some of the Royal Mile before finding somewhere to eat. Fancying something spicy we tried out the Gurkha cafe and restaurant. It was excellent Nepalese food, even better than the Ayo Gurkhali back home in Wilmslow. Feeling full but not ready for bed we decided to go and watch a film. There was a small Odeon cinema hiding underneath a restaurant on the way back to our hotel. We watched the modern remake of Poltergeist, it passed the time for our tired brains. Then went back to the hotel for a well deserved rest.

Our first full day in Edinburgh we headed to the Castle, starting with the excellent free walking tour then exploring the many buildings there, including the Scottish Crown Jewels.

After the Castle we decided to grab a bite to eat at the Albanach. A charming pub restaurant on the Royal Mile. While eating our fish and chips Kath got her IELTS results, which she passed brilliantly! With an extra spring in our step, food and a few drinks in our belly we walked along the Royal Mile to Holyrood. There we had a wonder the very modern Scottish Parliament building on our way to the Palace.

The Palace was impressive however its mostly faded glamour, the grandeur was put in a long time ago and is simply maintained. It was interesting to see the place where Mary Queen of Scots lived and her confidante David Rizzio was killed.

In spite of all the walking we decided to go on an evening ghost tour. There are many walking tours which tell about the dark heart of Edinburgh, stories about the body snatchers Burke and Hare, the disputed final resting place of David Rizzo and infamous villains of the Cowgate were all brought to life by our guide. It is clear there is a lot of grizzly history to draw on.

Saturday we planned to see the Manics in the evening, but we started the day by going on the Edinburgh parkrun. It was the best parkrun we had done so far, taking place outside the city on the Cramond/Silverknowes Promenade. We took it easy and enjoyed jogging in such nice surroundings and glorious weather.

After a shower and a change, we spend the day taking in the Scottish National Gallery. There are some amazing works in there including those by Rembrandt, Turner, and Degas. It is large and took us quite some time to walk around.

In the evening we went out for some sushi before heading to Usher Hall. Usher Hall is quite an impressive building, we had seating on the top but the view was good. Unfortunately the seats were pretty uncomfortable, I was actually glad that there was an interlude so I could stretch my legs.

The Manics did a full rendition of the Holy Bible complete with 90's era costumes. Then a set of their greatest hits. I really enjoyed the venom of the Holy Bible you can see how much they have changed especially songs like Your Love Is Not Enough.

Waves

This time last week I was arriving in Poland, after an early morning wake up, a short flight and queuing for what felt like an eternity at Modlin border control I met Kath and we boarded the coach bound for Bialystok.

That afternoon Kath, Wojciech and myself headed out to the Alpha department store to watch a Gone Girl at the cinema there. I had very much enjoyed reading the book and wondered how it would transfer to film. I really enjoyed what they did with the film, it lost a few details of the book but the characters really shined, especially Neil Patrick Harris as the creepy ex and Rosamund Pike.

We were a little speechless after the film, its pretty dark and asks a lot of questions so we went for a walk through the park to  get some Sushi at Tanoshii. We had an excellent platter of Sushi and some Japanese beer.

On Sunday Kath and I decided to have a lazy morning watching TV and enjoying each others company. We don't get enough time together so it was really nice. In the afternoon we went for a walk around Bialystok from her flat to the little Zoo. The wildcats and bears were out. I really enjoyed the wildcats, one of them was stalking round the cat like an more angry, less fluffy version of Coco, with a black harry potter lightning marking on his back.

The bears were being fed as we arrived so we only saw them for a few minutes as they headed into there home for dinner.

In the evening went for drinks, starting at Sherlock Holmes pub then onto Castle, then to a few more before taking a kebab back to the flat. Originally we had planned to meet up with some people but we ended up spending the evening together.

Tuesday was my last day in Poland. We had breakfast at Kaffka bistro, it was excellent fresh eggs delicately fried with bacon sausages with salad and fresh coffee. It filled me up until the evening. After breakfast we had a wonder round the park and took some papers Kath needed to the Polish GMC. Before boarding the coach for the long drive to Modlin before the flight home. Modlin airport is tiny, its a modern building but its overstretched supporting Ryanair. The gates were too small to hold the number of passengers getting on we flowed out into the next gate. After being hurried through by dire warnings over tannoy. I stood in a mass of people waiting, first we were let outside to stand under bus shelter type contraption while watching the passengers from another flight disembark.

I was fortunate with the weather while there was a storm in the UK Poland enjoyed a gorgeous Autumn day, I must have flown over the storm as when I arrived back in the UK there was no wind left but plenty of tree branches blown off.

Holiday in Sicily: Taormina

After braving Etna we decided to go and visit the Greek / Roman amphitheatre in Taormina. It was a slightly longer drive than to Catania, again taking us onto the autostrada.
This time I failed to understand the signs and ended up taking the wrong lane and missing picking up a ticket for the autostrada. That meant when exiting at the super busy Taormina exit I had a problem. At first I had visions of a huge fine, fortunately playing the dumb tourist paid off and after serval minutes talking via intercom we paid the 1.60 euro fare.

Making the mistake of setting the sat nav to search for the amphitheatre we drove into Taormina, around and up up up way into the hills on narrow steep and scary roads with nowhere to turn. After about 40 minutes driving up down round and through the pedestrian zone we gave up and parked, parking was a ruinous 3 euro per hour but after the ups and downs I would have paid any price to get out of the car.

After a strong coffee, we found the the theatre is in the pedestrian part of town which we hadn't driven around. It was however worth all the effort, the views were spectacular, and the amphitheatre its self is incredible. Build by the Greeks then extended by the Romans perched with views over the Ionian coast. It must have been a thing of true wonder when it was build, they still do concerts there now, indeed they were setting up for an event. I think Philip would have been impressed.
After having a good look round and taking many pictures we headed back into Taormina for a wonder around the town. It is much more touristy than Acireale, indeed there were plenty of English tourists. We bought some souvenirs and had a walk. It is a picturesque and nice town but not so impressive as Dubrovnik was last year.

Holiday in Sicily: Etna

What holiday in Sicily would be complete without a trip to Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in Europe. We decided to take one of the excursions in offered by Geo explorer after seeing their brochure in our hotel, and have it recommended to us by the receptionist.

Our guide picked us up from the hotel at 9.30am. Getting into the back of the 4x4 Landrover it was a little bit of a tight squeeze in the back with three other couples. The trip cost 50 Euro each plus 5 Euro shoe hire. I certainly would recommend the show hire as the scree could be difficult to negotiate in light shoes.

Our tour guide drove us up to the Etna park stopping first to the park a view inside a cave formed after a lava flow, a walk around an old crater at 2000M and a snack.

After the cave we headed further up Etna, looking at some of the past lava flows. The next stop was a basalt quarry, it was interesting to see how the lava cools, and where all the stone for the roads and buildings come from.

The trip then took us further up the Etna, first to a rest stop then on to the highest point of the trip the Silvestri Craters. These were old craters forming a line, one of which we walked round. The guide explained the process of their formation and pointed out some of the features like the rocks ejected out of the volcano. The views up there were nothing short of spectacular, though it was very crowded.

The final part of the trip was an excursion to a viewing point on the Southern side of Etna, here there were less lava flows but sometimes you can get a glimpse of the active area, this time we did not. The views were stunning though.

Finally we were taken down to the village of Zafferana for a snack. The snack was Arancini, a Sicilian delicacy. They are basically rice balls stuffed with ragu coated with breadcrumbs and fried.

I thought that the trip was a good value, especially considering the excellent context given by the guide and the lunch. I don't feel I would have appreciated some of this had we taken the trip alone. We did not get to see the active area, nor to the higher part above 2000 meters.

Holiday in Sicily: Catania

After several relaxing days we decided to venture from the Hotel and see some more of Sicily. We decided to start with Catania. A tourist and student hub Catania was destroyed by earthquake and volcanic eruptions in the 17th century and rebuilt in the baroque style.  Etna is still a visible presence on the horizon.

The drive to Catania was my second attempt at driving on the right. Again it made me curse Italian drivers for the total lack of empathy. They seem intent of barging through the smallest of gaps only to sit in traffic, honking their horns and gesticulating from behind the wheel.

Stall on the Catania fish market

We made the trip parking a short walk from the centre. Heading first to the fish market, we were pleasantly surprised to find a vibrant market with all sorts of fish from swordfish stake to sea urchins.

After absorbing the sights and smells of the market we stopped for a granita and a coffee in the centre of the town, the Fontana dell'Elefante. An impressive centre flanked by the Cathedral, the centre of which is taken by a rather odd looking statue of a smiling elephant topped with an Egyptian obelisk.

Bellini Theatre

We took a walk around Catania taking in the Cathedral, and the Bellini Theatre. As with Acireale there were many boutique shops. The outsides are sometimes scruffy but looking inside they are often incredible displays, almost art like in there objectification of the wares.