We do get very attached to aircraft. Particularly when we are in them at 30,000 feet. Just imagine then, how much more intimate a moment you’d have if you were on first name terms?
Elisenda Masanda and I clicked almost instantly. Her smooth yellow tones and XL seats were made all the more attractive by the soft Spanish words that were emanating from her speakers.
Now, I’m all in favour of chocolates and champagne on a first date but somehow when you know that the new object of your affections is quite literally holding your life in her hands well, then it’s a whole new ball game isn’t it.
Sadly, our brief relationship was over before it had really begun, but I knew in my heart we were destined to meet again. And we did, some three days later in Seville airport. There she was, tantalisingly out of reach in the arms of another on her way to Athens, so on the bounce I turned my affections towards Connie Barjara who had a much better set of engines on her anyway.
Before you think I’ve lost all my marbles, let me just say that flying with Vueling makes you think a little differently. It’s an airline that has a refreshingly alternative way about it. It was the first airline to let you choose your seats on booking, it has XL seat options, you can put your boarding pass onto your phone and you can pay using Paypal. Its ground breaking in-flight themes have royally entertained passengers with cat walk shows to Cirque de Soleil. They have even presented a French version of the vagina monologues! But my personal favourite? The Jade Jagger designed night club version called Jezebel in partnership with MTV, complete with gold seats, pink lighting and even a glitter ball to round it all off so to speak.
Vueling is a thoroughly modern thinking Spanish airline sitting between low cost carriers and scheduled services, proving that value for money flying is not just all about treating passengers like production line cattle. This is an airline with a personality and a visionary CEO who cannily understands that providing passengers with an entertaining and positive economical alternative makes good business sense. And with a 7% increase in revenues and 11% increase in capacity compared with the same quarter last year, the signs are that he is bang on.
Their fleet of 35 aircraft (which includes my lost loves Connie Barjara and Elisenda Masanda named after their 2 millionth and 5 millionth passengers by the way) are state of the art Airbus 320’s and operate out of southern Spain connecting directly to many destinations in Europe including London, as well as north Africa and Russia.
So, bring on my flying night club and crank up that audio. Now, where did I leave my medallion and chest hair wig…..
www.vueling.com
Friday, 7 January 2011
Brookes Adrenaline Walker
The feeling was undeniably like walking in butter, made all the better because I knew the shoes were doing good things for the dodgy tendons in my feet. The old adage you get what you pay for comes very much to mind with these babies, because at around £90 they are somewhat costly. But when you consider the physical benefits, you shouldn’t think twice about it.
Brooks has been in the sports high performance shoe business for decades and produces footwear coveted by Olympic standard athletes the world over. The shoes cater for runners and walkers of all pursuits from track and field to road and rough terrain like many of the fashionable brands, the difference with Brooks is It produces footwear biomechanically designed to seriously protect and support all kinds of gait. Collapsed arches, foot pronation, wide sole and general build. The result? A shoe that will provide the support you need to be able to feel comfortable throughout your outdoor activity, whether you’re a long distance runner, a sprinter, or just a normal person like me who enjoys a good walk.
Brooks has been in the sports high performance shoe business for decades and produces footwear coveted by Olympic standard athletes the world over. The shoes cater for runners and walkers of all pursuits from track and field to road and rough terrain like many of the fashionable brands, the difference with Brooks is It produces footwear biomechanically designed to seriously protect and support all kinds of gait. Collapsed arches, foot pronation, wide sole and general build. The result? A shoe that will provide the support you need to be able to feel comfortable throughout your outdoor activity, whether you’re a long distance runner, a sprinter, or just a normal person like me who enjoys a good walk.
Monday, 11 October 2010
InterRailing for Glampackers - Graz to Brno
Austria and Czech Republic and home.
21st September
Austria was a delight to watch from the train. Either gentle pasture with the odd collection of sheep, or dramatic valleys and mountains with waterfalls and lakes.
Bad Warersdorf is a natural thermal water resort in central Styria that takes the phrase ‘back to nature' very seriously, with plenty of opportunities for those of you who prefer doing your water sports naked. Quellenhotel, our wellness hotel was one of those places where you just strolled around all day in a terry cloth robe sampling the different saunas and whirlpools as the mood takes. There is something rather liberating about using a Jacuzzi naked, but that's another story.
With both of us feeling very well after our intensive two days of wellness, we moved on the Eisenstadt, the home town of Haydn in Burgenland, Austria's newest region.
For Haydn lovers it is a veritable treasure trove, but there is also an amazing Palace there the former home of yet another European wealth dynasty the Esterhaze family.
The town is very quiet and not somewhere I would recommend for lovers of nightlife, although coming across a show by an ACDC cover band in the community centre was something of a welcome surprise. Not sure if Haydn would have approved though....
The train onwards to the Czech Republic was a simple process with a quick change at WienerNeustadt and we were over the border in no time and on to our final country.
Moravia, the Czech Republic's southern region, has often been overlooked due to the fame of Prague in northern Bohemia, but now, with its wines gaining a global reputation for high quality, (the whites in particular, are simply delicious), the area is growing in popularity.
But there is more to it than wine. The Liechtensteins lived here before getting their own principality, and left behind some of the grandest palaces and gardens you will ever see. The little town of Lednice has the Liechtenstein legacy all over it, with their vast estate and palace dominating the countryside. The extensive gardens and indoor conservatories are jaw dropping with flora and fauna brought in exclusively from all over the world. These people were so filthy rich they even built huge follies all over the place just to make the countryside views more pleasant. Truly astonishing.
Brno is the Czech Republic's second city, and although nowhere near as big as Prague, it has enough of its own architecture and history to make a stay there very worthwhile.
In particular, Speilberg Castle (no relation to the film director) and the Peter and Paul cathedral. The old city has plenty of little narrow streets to get lost in, with lots of bars and restaurants and like most of Moravia, it will provide good value for money.
Czech food may be a little on the heavy side to eat all the time, but there plenty of other cuisines available as alternatives.
So we finally completed our amazing train journey. 2,500 miles, 6 countries and 14 hotels later we could reflect on a fascinating adventure where we met all kinds on interesting people and places and more than a few interesting stations too!
Travelling across Europe by train was an experience that we thoroughly enjoyed and it proves that you don't have to be a young student to ‘get it'. InteRail on today's network offer you a stress free (well most of the time) way to see Europe without the fuss and palaver of airport security.
Would you need to go first class? If you decide to stick just with major cities then the carriages would be a better standard, there are less crowds and you can use the lounges at the stations.
Otherwise, a standard class ticket will be perfectly acceptable. Of course, a luxury hotel is a different matter entirely......
21st September
Austria was a delight to watch from the train. Either gentle pasture with the odd collection of sheep, or dramatic valleys and mountains with waterfalls and lakes.
Bad Warersdorf is a natural thermal water resort in central Styria that takes the phrase ‘back to nature' very seriously, with plenty of opportunities for those of you who prefer doing your water sports naked. Quellenhotel, our wellness hotel was one of those places where you just strolled around all day in a terry cloth robe sampling the different saunas and whirlpools as the mood takes. There is something rather liberating about using a Jacuzzi naked, but that's another story.
With both of us feeling very well after our intensive two days of wellness, we moved on the Eisenstadt, the home town of Haydn in Burgenland, Austria's newest region.
For Haydn lovers it is a veritable treasure trove, but there is also an amazing Palace there the former home of yet another European wealth dynasty the Esterhaze family.
The town is very quiet and not somewhere I would recommend for lovers of nightlife, although coming across a show by an ACDC cover band in the community centre was something of a welcome surprise. Not sure if Haydn would have approved though....
The train onwards to the Czech Republic was a simple process with a quick change at WienerNeustadt and we were over the border in no time and on to our final country.
Moravia, the Czech Republic's southern region, has often been overlooked due to the fame of Prague in northern Bohemia, but now, with its wines gaining a global reputation for high quality, (the whites in particular, are simply delicious), the area is growing in popularity.
But there is more to it than wine. The Liechtensteins lived here before getting their own principality, and left behind some of the grandest palaces and gardens you will ever see. The little town of Lednice has the Liechtenstein legacy all over it, with their vast estate and palace dominating the countryside. The extensive gardens and indoor conservatories are jaw dropping with flora and fauna brought in exclusively from all over the world. These people were so filthy rich they even built huge follies all over the place just to make the countryside views more pleasant. Truly astonishing.
Brno is the Czech Republic's second city, and although nowhere near as big as Prague, it has enough of its own architecture and history to make a stay there very worthwhile.
In particular, Speilberg Castle (no relation to the film director) and the Peter and Paul cathedral. The old city has plenty of little narrow streets to get lost in, with lots of bars and restaurants and like most of Moravia, it will provide good value for money.
Czech food may be a little on the heavy side to eat all the time, but there plenty of other cuisines available as alternatives.
So we finally completed our amazing train journey. 2,500 miles, 6 countries and 14 hotels later we could reflect on a fascinating adventure where we met all kinds on interesting people and places and more than a few interesting stations too!
Travelling across Europe by train was an experience that we thoroughly enjoyed and it proves that you don't have to be a young student to ‘get it'. InteRail on today's network offer you a stress free (well most of the time) way to see Europe without the fuss and palaver of airport security.
Would you need to go first class? If you decide to stick just with major cities then the carriages would be a better standard, there are less crowds and you can use the lounges at the stations.
Otherwise, a standard class ticket will be perfectly acceptable. Of course, a luxury hotel is a different matter entirely......
InterRailing for Glampackers - Zagreb to Keszthely, Hungary
Crossing the border on the train was a little interesting, with no less than three separate passport inspections, one from the Croatian side as a sort of going away present, and then two from our new Hungarian friends, who seemed to eye us with more than a hint of suspicion. Perhaps it was our first class tickets and big suitcases, or more probably, just our vivid imaginations.
Suddenly we were in Hungary, and again, the countryside changed. A couple of changes later at stations with incomprehensible names and the wide waters of Lake Balaton came into view.
The town of Keszthely (pronounced Kesterhay) is during the Summer season, a very busy but elegant resort town that lies on the southern edge of Lake Balaton, one of the biggest inland natural lakes in Europe. It also has a remarkably grand white palace that dominates the town too.
Late September however, proved to be a very quiet time, and with the weather turning wet, it was not perhaps looking its best. The lake though was magnificent and you could see the attraction on a sunny day, taking a cruise or sunbathing by the nearby beaches. The palace is worth a visit, and nearby was a marzipan museum, a porcelain doll collection and a synagogue dating back to the 16th century.
We were guests for a couple of nights at the lovely home of the family Moritz, who run a smart inn just outside the old town centre. Herr Moritz proved to be a charming host, who spoke much better English than our feeble attempts at Hungarian and made us very welcome.
The Moritz house was very comfortable, with lovely rooms, free wi fi and a more than adequate breakfast. Herr Moritz even insisted on dropping us back at the station after our stay.
The restaurants in town are cosy and colourful, all offering hearty traditional regional cuisine with the pick of them being Bacchus a lovely rustic place that's a hotel and its own wine museum. We literally rolled out of there after a mighty meal that was all of £23 for the two of us.
Lake Balaton would certainly be worth a visit if you were in Budapest for more than a few days in summer.
Suggestions:
Guesthaus Morritz, Mora Ferenc Utca 5
Restaurant : Bacchus, Erzsebet kiralyne st 18
Keszthely Palace
Suddenly we were in Hungary, and again, the countryside changed. A couple of changes later at stations with incomprehensible names and the wide waters of Lake Balaton came into view.
The town of Keszthely (pronounced Kesterhay) is during the Summer season, a very busy but elegant resort town that lies on the southern edge of Lake Balaton, one of the biggest inland natural lakes in Europe. It also has a remarkably grand white palace that dominates the town too.
Late September however, proved to be a very quiet time, and with the weather turning wet, it was not perhaps looking its best. The lake though was magnificent and you could see the attraction on a sunny day, taking a cruise or sunbathing by the nearby beaches. The palace is worth a visit, and nearby was a marzipan museum, a porcelain doll collection and a synagogue dating back to the 16th century.
We were guests for a couple of nights at the lovely home of the family Moritz, who run a smart inn just outside the old town centre. Herr Moritz proved to be a charming host, who spoke much better English than our feeble attempts at Hungarian and made us very welcome.
The Moritz house was very comfortable, with lovely rooms, free wi fi and a more than adequate breakfast. Herr Moritz even insisted on dropping us back at the station after our stay.
The restaurants in town are cosy and colourful, all offering hearty traditional regional cuisine with the pick of them being Bacchus a lovely rustic place that's a hotel and its own wine museum. We literally rolled out of there after a mighty meal that was all of £23 for the two of us.
Lake Balaton would certainly be worth a visit if you were in Budapest for more than a few days in summer.
Suggestions:
Guesthaus Morritz, Mora Ferenc Utca 5
Restaurant : Bacchus, Erzsebet kiralyne st 18
Keszthely Palace
Thursday, 23 September 2010
InterRailing for Glampackers
September 16th Split to Zagreb
The Croatian train service is not what you would call state of the art. It may run a direct route to Zagreb, but it takes a lifetime to get there. It just brings things into focus a little about how lucky we are to have comfortable and fast trains.
Still, it was direct, and the countryside was beautiful. Zagreb though, was well worth the wait. Wide boulevards, parks and fountains. There is an old ‘upper' medieval town accessed by steps or a funicular, and a more modern, (modern by medieval standards) ‘lower' town. They told us that the man responsible for Budapest's fine architecture was instrumental in much of Zagreb's lower town development, and it certainly shows. The parks are wide and green, the architecture grand Baroque and you can almost imganie the horse carriages clanging along the streets. What clangs now though are trams, which are free to use in the city centre.
I said on my radio show that Croatia brought us the neck tie, well a Croat also invented the pen, a certain Eduard Penkala and he lived in Zagreb.
We stayed at the sumptuous Regent Esplanade, one of the original Orient Express Hotels where guests stayed the night on their way to Istanbul. They say that civilization begins at the terrace of the Esplanade, and this hotel is truly legendary. Anyone who is anyone has stayed there and today the service is still impeccable and the building an art deco marvel.
Like Split, the prices in Zagreb are very cheap in comparison to the Euro zone, and the food is excellent. This is a city that in my view makes the perfect weekend break. There's that bit of eastern European mystery, it is very safe to walk around, it's great value and nearly everyone speaks English.
Sadly, our 2 nights were over in a trice and we headed on for Hungary, but with great memories of Zagreb. We will return.
Suggestions:
Hotel: The Regent Esplanade
Restaurants: Zinfandel's at The Regent and Pod Grickim Topom (top of the funicular)
The Croatian train service is not what you would call state of the art. It may run a direct route to Zagreb, but it takes a lifetime to get there. It just brings things into focus a little about how lucky we are to have comfortable and fast trains.
Still, it was direct, and the countryside was beautiful. Zagreb though, was well worth the wait. Wide boulevards, parks and fountains. There is an old ‘upper' medieval town accessed by steps or a funicular, and a more modern, (modern by medieval standards) ‘lower' town. They told us that the man responsible for Budapest's fine architecture was instrumental in much of Zagreb's lower town development, and it certainly shows. The parks are wide and green, the architecture grand Baroque and you can almost imganie the horse carriages clanging along the streets. What clangs now though are trams, which are free to use in the city centre.
I said on my radio show that Croatia brought us the neck tie, well a Croat also invented the pen, a certain Eduard Penkala and he lived in Zagreb.
We stayed at the sumptuous Regent Esplanade, one of the original Orient Express Hotels where guests stayed the night on their way to Istanbul. They say that civilization begins at the terrace of the Esplanade, and this hotel is truly legendary. Anyone who is anyone has stayed there and today the service is still impeccable and the building an art deco marvel.
Like Split, the prices in Zagreb are very cheap in comparison to the Euro zone, and the food is excellent. This is a city that in my view makes the perfect weekend break. There's that bit of eastern European mystery, it is very safe to walk around, it's great value and nearly everyone speaks English.
Sadly, our 2 nights were over in a trice and we headed on for Hungary, but with great memories of Zagreb. We will return.
Suggestions:
Hotel: The Regent Esplanade
Restaurants: Zinfandel's at The Regent and Pod Grickim Topom (top of the funicular)
Interailing for Glampackers
September 14th Pescara to Split
Split. The Diocletian Palace. The Riva. The islands. The sun. The Dalmation coastline is truly spectacular and one that will live long in our memory. We took the overnight Blue Line ferry across from Ancona, which is pretty cool as you go to bed in Italy and wake up in Split. In true glampacking style we had a VIP cabin complete with Jacuzzi and separate lounge, which turned out to be very comfortable. Sadly though, the rest of the ferry was a major disappointment. No credit cards were accepted on board (which would have been fine if they had mentioned it beforehand) and only the self service cafeteria out of the many promised eateries was available to us due to "heavy group numbers". The whole ship had an air of gloomy boredom about it, with the mostly Asian crew doing their best to avoid everyone. We did however get to Split on time and in one piece so it did the job.
Split has a lovely feel about it, a slow relaxed attitude that just lets you luxuriate inside its welcoming embrace. The whole old town is practically an open air museum, with the huge roman Diocletian Palace dominating everything. Once inside the walls, every street is seemingly part of it, with bits of ancient floor, or part of a wall wherever you look. There are even bits of it in office buildings. The palace, once the retirement home of Emperor Dioceles, is a wonderfully preserved example of roman architecture and has been lovingly and painstakingly excavated by the Croatian authorities. Split itself is small enough to walk around and navigation is easy as all the signs are in English as well as Croat. There are lots of little windy streets with umbrella adorned cafes on every corner and plenty of eating options, but The Riva, the café-strung promenade right along the waterfront, is the place where people go to see and be seen. The summer months are hot and there is a real Mediterranean feel about the place, with a strong Italian influence, but without Italian prices! The difference in price is astounding, with a good meal costing only about £25 for two of us. Talking of meals, there are many restaurants in the town, often family run places but the quality can be patchy, so get recommendations. We stayed at the Hotel Park, loved by everyone in Split. It is very close to the old town but also next to a lovely small beach with a great café.
Split is in many ways overshadowed by the more popular Dubrovnik further south, but there's no getting round its appeal. There is the wonderful old town of course, but there's also the beautiful islands too and there are frequent ferries to get you over and back.
We loved Split, and you'll love it too.
Suggestions:
Hotel Park
Marjan Hill Café (great views)
Buffet Fife (unglamorous but great food)
Fish Market
The Diocletian Palace
Split. The Diocletian Palace. The Riva. The islands. The sun. The Dalmation coastline is truly spectacular and one that will live long in our memory. We took the overnight Blue Line ferry across from Ancona, which is pretty cool as you go to bed in Italy and wake up in Split. In true glampacking style we had a VIP cabin complete with Jacuzzi and separate lounge, which turned out to be very comfortable. Sadly though, the rest of the ferry was a major disappointment. No credit cards were accepted on board (which would have been fine if they had mentioned it beforehand) and only the self service cafeteria out of the many promised eateries was available to us due to "heavy group numbers". The whole ship had an air of gloomy boredom about it, with the mostly Asian crew doing their best to avoid everyone. We did however get to Split on time and in one piece so it did the job.
Split has a lovely feel about it, a slow relaxed attitude that just lets you luxuriate inside its welcoming embrace. The whole old town is practically an open air museum, with the huge roman Diocletian Palace dominating everything. Once inside the walls, every street is seemingly part of it, with bits of ancient floor, or part of a wall wherever you look. There are even bits of it in office buildings. The palace, once the retirement home of Emperor Dioceles, is a wonderfully preserved example of roman architecture and has been lovingly and painstakingly excavated by the Croatian authorities. Split itself is small enough to walk around and navigation is easy as all the signs are in English as well as Croat. There are lots of little windy streets with umbrella adorned cafes on every corner and plenty of eating options, but The Riva, the café-strung promenade right along the waterfront, is the place where people go to see and be seen. The summer months are hot and there is a real Mediterranean feel about the place, with a strong Italian influence, but without Italian prices! The difference in price is astounding, with a good meal costing only about £25 for two of us. Talking of meals, there are many restaurants in the town, often family run places but the quality can be patchy, so get recommendations. We stayed at the Hotel Park, loved by everyone in Split. It is very close to the old town but also next to a lovely small beach with a great café.
Split is in many ways overshadowed by the more popular Dubrovnik further south, but there's no getting round its appeal. There is the wonderful old town of course, but there's also the beautiful islands too and there are frequent ferries to get you over and back.
We loved Split, and you'll love it too.
Suggestions:
Hotel Park
Marjan Hill Café (great views)
Buffet Fife (unglamorous but great food)
Fish Market
The Diocletian Palace
Friday, 17 September 2010
Interailing for Glampackers - September 12th Positano to Pescara
Leaving the Med west coast, and thankfully the bad weather (and mud slides) behind, we drove our car back towards Naples, but continued on a little way to Caserta where we dropped off the car at the station. (It was far better than trying to negotiate the Naples traffic again).
After just one stop at Foggia, we arrived at the Adriatic resort of Pescara in the lovely region of Abruzzo, one of the lesser known regions of Italy but as far as I am concerned a hidden gem, and long may it continue to be so.
Abruzzo is famous throughout Italy for its pure olive oil, fresh saffron, fantastic lentils, sugared almonds and red Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and white Corfinio wines. It’s a spectacular region, on one side there’s the Gran Sasso and the Maiella mountain ranges and on the other, just miles and miles of golden coastline. It’s also probably the cheapest part of Italy with prices some 20% lower than the rest of the country. Pescara is the main resort town and provides the perfect place to base yourself to see all that Abruzzo has to offer.
The Best Western Plaza was a lovely four star hotel very close to the station but also right on the pedestrianised main street leading down to the sea front. It was a gentle 5 minute stroll to the beach where the umbrellas and beds beckoned.
In the quaint mountain town of Bucchianico near Chieti we met olive oil sommelier Francesca Di Nisio, who has an olive oil museum in an old abandoned mill that she had spent years renovating. Learning all about the art of oil making and the difference between good and bad oils was fascinating.
She also produces delicious extra virgin olive oil and wines from her own vineyards in Chieti under the brand name Cantin Arte
The mountains also harbour some historic towns such as L’Aquila so sadly damaged in an earthquake in 2009, Castel de Monte the location for George Clooney’s film The American, and Sulmona, which apart from its impressive roman remains is also the home of the Italian confectionary, almond confetti. These coloured sugar and chocolate coated almonds are made into floral arrangements and used in weddings throughout Italy. Yes you can eat them too!
Pescara is a great place for a weekend break, and we’ll be back one day soon, but for now, it was time to go on to Ancona and catch the overnight ferry across to Croatia.
Suggestions:
Best Western Plaza Hotel
Olive Oil Museum www.cantinarte.com
Best apertivo: GTime Bar
After just one stop at Foggia, we arrived at the Adriatic resort of Pescara in the lovely region of Abruzzo, one of the lesser known regions of Italy but as far as I am concerned a hidden gem, and long may it continue to be so.
Abruzzo is famous throughout Italy for its pure olive oil, fresh saffron, fantastic lentils, sugared almonds and red Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and white Corfinio wines. It’s a spectacular region, on one side there’s the Gran Sasso and the Maiella mountain ranges and on the other, just miles and miles of golden coastline. It’s also probably the cheapest part of Italy with prices some 20% lower than the rest of the country. Pescara is the main resort town and provides the perfect place to base yourself to see all that Abruzzo has to offer.
The Best Western Plaza was a lovely four star hotel very close to the station but also right on the pedestrianised main street leading down to the sea front. It was a gentle 5 minute stroll to the beach where the umbrellas and beds beckoned.
In the quaint mountain town of Bucchianico near Chieti we met olive oil sommelier Francesca Di Nisio, who has an olive oil museum in an old abandoned mill that she had spent years renovating. Learning all about the art of oil making and the difference between good and bad oils was fascinating.
She also produces delicious extra virgin olive oil and wines from her own vineyards in Chieti under the brand name Cantin Arte
The mountains also harbour some historic towns such as L’Aquila so sadly damaged in an earthquake in 2009, Castel de Monte the location for George Clooney’s film The American, and Sulmona, which apart from its impressive roman remains is also the home of the Italian confectionary, almond confetti. These coloured sugar and chocolate coated almonds are made into floral arrangements and used in weddings throughout Italy. Yes you can eat them too!
Pescara is a great place for a weekend break, and we’ll be back one day soon, but for now, it was time to go on to Ancona and catch the overnight ferry across to Croatia.
Suggestions:
Best Western Plaza Hotel
Olive Oil Museum www.cantinarte.com
Best apertivo: GTime Bar
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