I decided to take the opportunity to seek out more ruins and set off to find the site of the Mausoleum of Mausolus, the origin of the word mausoleum and one of the original Wonders of the Ancient World. This was once a magnificent forty-five metre high marble tomb, decorated with statues and friezes and built in the third century BC as a burial chamber for King Mausolus of Caria.
The history of the Spalding Flower Parade stretches back to the 1920s when the sheer number and variety of tulip bulbs grown throughout the area surrounding the market town became an annual feast of colour.
The crowds that came in created many problems for the town and coaches and cars caused chaos on the narrow lanes around the fields and this continued to happen until in 1948, the Growers’ Association became involved in organising a Tulip Week. With the help of the Royal Automobile Club, a twenty-five mile tour through villages and country lanes was planned to show the best fields.
Posted in Arts and Crafts, Europe, History, Holland, Literature, Natural Environment, Postcards, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Amsterdam, Life, Photography, Spalding, Spalding Flower Parade, Travel, Tulip Fields, Tulip Summit.
The island of Rhodes is one of the most interesting and has been inhabited for six thousand years and due to its geographical position on the major Mediterranean Sea trade routes is situated at a natural crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and this has given the city and the island many different identities, cultures, architectures, and languages over its long and varied history.
Posted in Arts and Crafts, Beaches, Cathedrals, Europe, Food, Greece, Greek islands, Greek Taverna, History, Knights of St John, Literature, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Culture, Dodecanese Islands, Holidays, Knights of St John, Lindos, Photography, rhodes, Travel
A bus ride to Piraeus is a truly unique experience.
The roads were busy but the driver of the blue Solaris flexibus seemed totally oblivious to other vehicles as he charged along at high speed, switching lanes, clattering over tram lines and tossing the passengers about like the Saturday night lottery balls on hard unyielding plastic seats. Luggage flew out of the overhead racks and passengers not gripping on tightly were thrown from their seats. Suitcases were scattered along the floor and little children were thrown into the air.
Posted in Athens, back packing, Europe, Food, Greece, Greek islands, Greek Taverna, Postcards, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Culture, Food, Greek Bus Ride, Life, Motoring, Photography, piraeus, Travel, UNESCO Greece, World Heritage Site
I began this series of posts about Entrance Tickets in April 2014 and this was one of the early ones. I cannot really explain why but I have always kept my Entrance Tickets and they remain safely stored in a travel memory box.
The series of posts cannot go on much longer however. I am running out of material, not because I no longer visit places when I am travelling but because so many places no longer issue paper tickets. Booking is done on line and instead of a ticket there is a QR code on a mobile phone to swipe through a scanner.
I like the feel of a ticket, I like told it between my fingers and judge the quality, this one at Cordoba was especially fine and then I like to carefully put it in between the pages of my guide book to make sure that it doesn’t get creased.
I think that this is rather a shame. Places generally need to be booked in advance with an allocated time slot. It is no longer possible to wander up to a entrance booth, hand over cash and receive a nice shiny Entrance Ticket in exchange. Somehow it takes the spontaneity out of city break travel, everything has to be done according to a timetable.
Posted in Africa, Arts and Crafts, El Cid, Europe, History, Postcards, Spain, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Andalusia, Antequera, Cordoba, Culture, El Cid, Parador Hotels, Photography, Reconquista, Travel
Ouzo is an anise-flavoured liquor produced from grape must (the remnants of wine-making) and it can only be made in Greece and Cyprus . No other beverage is as uniquely Greek or as closely linked to a culture as ouzo is to Greece. Greeks drink the most ouzo and ouzeries serve it alongside appetisers called meze. Often drunk on its own or gently diluted, ouzo has a very strong anise flavour that takes some getting used to.
The ‘Boss Bar’ really had been an excellent place, the staff were attentive and friendly, the food was good, the beer was cold and the prices were reasonable. It has taken me a while to get to the point of this story but there was always complimentary ouzo to finish the evening (except when there was complimentary melon which quite frankly wasn’t so good) but the place had my fullest recommendation.
Posted in Athens, backpacking, Beaches, Europe, Food, Greece, Greek islands, Greek Taverna, History, Literature, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Greek Food, Greek islands, Life, Ouzo, Photography, Santorini, Travel
Philoxenia consists of three basic elements:
Posted in Arts and Crafts, backpacking, Greece, Greek islands, Greek Taverna, History, Literature, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Culture, Greece UNESCO, Homer's Inn, Hospitality, Ios, Life, Travel
After taking the bus into Naxos town we walked to the top of the town to find the Venetian Cathedral tour that was highly recommended in the Island hopping guidebook. We waited around in the courtyard outside the Cathedral and not a lot seemed to be happening and we wondered if we were going to be disappointed.
Eventually an old lady in an extravagant floral blouse and with a worn out old dog for a companion ghosted in from a secret door in an adjacent room and enquired if we were there for the tour and we told her that yes we were.
Posted in Arts and Crafts, backpacking, Beaches, Europe, Food, Greece, Greek islands, History, Hotels, Literature, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Culture, Greece UNESCO, History, Holidays, Life, Museums, Naxos, Naxos Cathedral Tour, Photography, Travel
As we walked around the town and couldn’t help noticing that there were three distinctive smells. Proctor and Gamble Tide detergent (no longer popular in the United Kingdom) which clung like velcro to the fresh linen hanging on the washing lines outside the houses, then incense, leaking out under the doors of the churches and finally the divine aroma of fresh moussaka and other Greek specialities being prepared for lunchtime in the tavernas and the bars.
Posted in Arts and Crafts, backpacking, Beaches, Europe, Food, Greece, Greek islands, Greek Taverna, History, Natural Environment, Postcards, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Culture, Cyclades, Greece UNESCO, Greek Ferries, Holidays, Life, Milos, Photography, Travel
In June 2012 we travelled to Russia for a two centre holiday in St Petersburg and Moscow. Given the state of east/west relationships this is not something that I expect ever to do again.
Posted in Age of Innocence, Cathedrals, Europe, Food, Hotels, Literature, Postcards, Russia, Travel, World Heritage
Tagged Arbat Street, Arbatskaya, Life, Moscow, Photography, Travel, Vodka
Have Bag, Will Travel 