holidays

Black Mamba · Post by **Black Mamba** » 19 Aug 2008, 19:31

The headache has turned into flu like symptoms. Typical back in Britain two minutes and I’m floored!!!

France was terrific though. Great weather, great people, great wine. We had a great time. Mr. B.M and I would love to just move over there one day and stay. Maybe in a couple of years if we’re lucky

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 19 Aug 2008, 21:04

Poor Snakey One.

Maybe it's withdrawal symptoms from le vin??

SoupDragon · Post by **SoupDragon** » 19 Aug 2008, 21:34

Hope you feel better soon BM

I've got a cousin retired to France, well for part of the year. Must go visit sometime

Grunk · Post by **Grunk** » 20 Aug 2008, 14:44

Sandra wrote:
Black Mamba wrote:It was a lovely place, though expensive 5 euros for a bottle of beer at happy hour.
[img]
thats cheap, we went to a place in Palma which was 15 euros for a cocktail needless to say we only consumed one each.

Just read that and thought "sounds like you've been to Abaco" taced the thread back, and lo and behold...

Palma is a great place if you want a more chilled holiday than some of Mallorcan resorts. Good food and drinks if you go to the right places.

We'll be heading there in a couple of weeks (via oxford, portsmouth, bilbao, zaragoza, barcelona). going to have dinner in Forn, but it's gone a bit pretentious now that George Michael is running the hole how. It was much better whent he old boy was in charge.

There's also a great Argentinian restaurant not too far away too. One plate of sweetbreads and 0.5Kg of steak was less than £20 last year (I couldn't eat anything the next day).

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 20 Aug 2008, 16:36

Grunk wrote:
Sandra wrote:
Black Mamba wrote:It was a lovely place, though expensive 5 euros for a bottle of beer at happy hour.
[img]
thats cheap, we went to a place in Palma which was 15 euros for a cocktail needless to say we only consumed one each.
Just read that and thought "sounds like you've been to Abaco" taced the thread back, and lo and behold...

Palma is a great place if you want a more chilled holiday than some of Mallorcan resorts. Good food and drinks if you go to the right places.

We'll be heading there in a couple of weeks (via oxford, portsmouth, bilbao, zaragoza, barcelona). going to have dinner in Forn, but it's gone a bit pretentious now that George Michael is running the hole how. It was much better whent he old boy was in charge.

There's also a great Argentinian restaurant not too far away too. One plate of sweetbreads and 0.5Kg of steak was less than £20 last year (I couldn't eat anything the next day).

love Forn, also like Minimar at Portixol, lucky you, wish it was me!

arachnid · Post by **arachnid** » 16 Sep 2008, 22:32

Well we've been back from our holiday in Canada for over a week now!!!More or less got back to normal again!!

Had a great time!!
My first experience of camping was at a site in Quebec called Rayon de Soliel(nice site, but should've been Rayon de Mosquito!!) They certainly liked the taste of my blood!!!!

The next few nights were spent on another site at Shediac, near Moncton, New Brunswick
From there we toured Nova Scotia and visited Anne of greengables house on Prince Edward Island. Also toured Cape Breton Island where we drove to the provincial park and took The Cabot Trail where we were lucky enough to see a couple of moose!!!( great!!!)

Visited a Fort at Louisbourg and spent a few hours there before making our way back to the tent trailer( tent on wheels!!) for our last night of camping!!

Our second week was in a cottage( sheer luxury after the camping experience!!) at Charlo, on the Bay of Chaleur, New Brunswick. Visited places like Campbellton, Dalhousie and Balmoral, felt as if we were still at home!!!!
Our third week was spent at our friends home in Mississauga. A quiet week after all the travelling!! Although we did make our every time we go visit to Niagara Falls!!! Never get sick of seeing them, they're soooo great!!!!
We were even busy the day we were to fly home! Went to a wedding!! Wedding at three, flight at half past eight !!! Nice wedding though, it was in an old schoolhouse in Toronto! Had a wee drink before left, which made all the airport check in , passport control etc seem like nothing!!!

Luckily we didn't fly with Zoom!!!!

Having a wee problem with " photobucket", so will post some pics later!!!

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 16 Sep 2008, 22:49

Now that holiday season is passing ive started to regret not having one!

I havent had a full day of work at the Council since the 28th May and to be honest could really do with a long lie in bed and a day away from work and I will be loosing 14 of my paid annual leave days if I dont take them by the end of the month which is a bit of a scunner.

Note to self: Next year, conisder taking a holiday.

Post by **wangi** » 16 Sep 2008, 23:45

Got back this morning from two and a half weeks in New England, with an unplanned extra day in NJ / Manhattan thrown in.

Flew into Boston... It was then Provincetown, Cape Cod (Plymouth en-route); Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vinyard; Marblehead MA; Portsmouth NH; Portland ME (and Freeport ME for the shopping); Wiscasset & Camden ME; Bethlehem NH; Holderness HN (The Lakes); Stowe & Montpelier VT; and finally Burlington VT...

... Until our Burlington to Newark connecting flight was delayed - meaning we saw the Edinburgh flight push back but didn't get on. I night in "lovely" Piscataway NJ, but a good lunch in New York...

Lots of really nice places - must do it again with less stops! Highlights were Cape Cod & Vermont.

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 17 Sep 2008, 11:59

New Jersey, New York State and New England have some brilliant place names. I like Piscataway.

Sound like a great trip. Pity you didn't take your camera

Post by **wangi** » 17 Sep 2008, 13:06

Porty wrote:Sound like a great trip. Pity you didn't take your camera

Here's one for you - the rest are still incubating...

http://flickr.com/photos/lkindness/2820266440/

And yeah, some truly strange names around...

arachnid · Post by **arachnid** » 17 Sep 2008, 14:42

Marya wrote:Have a great holiday Arachnid. You must be really good friends; I've got some friendships that go back decades, but don't think any of us would manage 3 weeks holiday together

We're really great friends!!! And the four of us remain friends after spending a few nights nights in this tent trailer!!! Such good friends that Jan ( my friend) and I have decided that we are now sisters!!!!

The tent trailer

And this was our home for the second week! A bit more space this time!!!

The cottage at Charlo

arachnid · Post by **arachnid** » 17 Sep 2008, 14:56

Here's a few pics of our holiday!

The Bay of Chaleur

The Cabot Trail

Anne of Greengables House

The Fort at Louisbourg

Moose 2

The American Falls

The Horseshoe Falls

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 17 Sep 2008, 16:43

Lovely pics Arachnid, looks like you had a great holiday.

arachnid · Post by **arachnid** » 17 Sep 2008, 21:22

teddygirl wrote:Lovely pics Arachnid, looks like you had a great holiday.

Yes, we did!!! Took loads more pics!!!Mr. Arachnid had his camera and I had mine, and between us we took about 1000 pics!!!! That's the thing about digital cameras, just keep on clicking!!!

Think we could bore our friends to death saying " come and see our pics of Canada, we've only got 1000 to show you!!!"

arachnid · Post by **arachnid** » 18 Nov 2008, 23:03

Going up to Keith this weekend, noticed the weather forecast is for snow!!!

Better take the " wellies!" And some warm clothes!!!

rapunzell · Post by **rapunzell** » 19 Nov 2008, 00:01

I'm planning a short city break - in Edinburgh. Hopefully this will involve a club, a pub, a gallery and a museum. I am worried about access and general travelling though, as during the summer roadworks had already removed pavement ramps, taxis took detours round tramworks that cost loads, several buses had people who refused to give up the wheelchair space and left me in the rain. This trip may take some planning...

SoupDragon · Post by **SoupDragon** » 20 Nov 2008, 11:03

Looks like a lovely trip Arachnid
Wrap up well this weekend

Good luck Rapunzell, you hap up well too, looks like its getting chilly soon

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 26 Nov 2008, 23:30

arachnid wrote:Going up to Keith this weekend, noticed the weather forecast is for snow!!!
Better take the " wellies!" And some warm clothes!!!

Did you have a good week-end in the lovely Keith then ? I come from Huntly and know there was plenty of snow there, especially on Friday.

arachnid · Post by **arachnid** » 28 Nov 2008, 15:51

Yes, had a great weekend Teddygirl! Although Mr. Arachnid had to dig himself out the hotel carpark on Sunday morning!It rained that afternoon and evening so the roads were alright for driving home again! Stayed at the Ugie House Hotel in Keith, been there before and it's a nice hotel.

on our way up to Keith

on our way up to Keith 2

view from our hotel room

one of the low flying jets!

SoupDragon · Post by **SoupDragon** » 09 Dec 2008, 14:07

We were away at the weekend

Enjoying Scotts View

Melrose Abbey

No roadworks but other hazards!

SoupDragon · Post by **SoupDragon** » 11 Dec 2008, 12:05

Wallace Monument - Dryburgh

Temple of natures muse
Dryburgh

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 11 Dec 2008, 13:44

Im from around that area.

By the looks of the wallance monument some of the grafitti has been cleaned off, its forever being vadalised.

SoupDragon · Post by **SoupDragon** » 11 Dec 2008, 17:09

I'm sure it's just co- incidence that the monument is free from graffiti since you came to live here

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 01 Feb 2009, 10:38

Just back from a week in Venice. The holiday video is already complete and ready to view at:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3O34UZPuQUM

I forgot to check the settings so unfortunately it's 4:3 rather than widescreen. Remember to select 'watch in high quality' for best results.

Anyone else having problems with YouTube last night/this morning? It seems to be OK in Firefox now but still not working in Safari.

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 01 Feb 2009, 11:24

Ah! That answers a lot of questions! Ignore my email

Like the video (it played OK in Safari ) though had expected a version of the Boddington's ad. The weather looked good. You'd recommend Venice then?

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 01 Feb 2009, 12:57

This was my fourth visit to Venice. Here are my top tips:

1. Go off-season if you don't like crowds. Venice has 20 million visitors a year.
2. If you do go during the summer, make sure you have air-conditioning.
3. Save up - it's going to be expensive.
4. Buy the best map you can find and even then treat it with mistrust.
5. Forget the gondolas. Instead, make use of the traghetto services across the Grand Canal for a more authentic and infinitely cheaper experience. £80 or 50 cents - you decide.
6. Buy a 12 hour vaporetto pass. Set off early morning and visit the islands - Burano, Murano, Torcello etc. Save the last hour for the no. 1 service along the Grand Canal by night.
7. A Chorus pass gives you admission to many of the churches that otherwise charge.
8. Visit St Mark's Square early morning or at night when it is quieter.
9. Get up early one morning and head for the fish market at Rialto.
10. Top restaurant tips - Gam Gam, a kosher restaurant near the Jewish Ghetto and La Zucca in Santa Croce (book ahead).

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 01 Feb 2009, 15:13

For anyone contemplating a trip to Venice, there is also a new website called Venice Connected which (allegedly) allows visitors to save time and money by buying tickets and services before they arrive.

One disadvantage of going in Winter is that you may well find yourself wading through flood water, or 'aqua alta' as the Venetians call it. We saw a bit of it but not as bad as a few weeks ago when you could row a boat through Piazza San Marco.

Or alternatively

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 03 Feb 2009, 10:41

BeachBum wrote:Now that holiday season is passing ive started to regret not having one!....................................

Note to self: Next year, conisder taking a holiday.

Have you booked anything yet Michael? You know what they say about all work and no play...

There are some cheap flights on offer from Edinburgh this summer. Was very tempted by Sardinia again this year, but with the credit crunch looming large decided to opt out of the Euro zone ; we're off to Turkey instead. For me half the fun of the holiday is looking forward to it (the exception being, of course, annual family camp in a muddy field in Wales).

Anyone else booked their hols yet?

BeachBum · Post by **BeachBum** » 03 Feb 2009, 12:05

Marya wrote:
BeachBum wrote:Now that holiday season is passing ive started to regret not having one!....................................

Note to self: Next year, conisder taking a holiday.
Have you booked anything yet Michael? You know what they say about all work and no play...

A group of my friends are trying to talk me into going to New York with them.

However, I have no intention of a holiday, or indeed time off work.

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 03 Feb 2009, 12:13

BeachBum wrote:
A group of my friends are trying to talk me into going to New York with them.

However, I have no intention of a holiday, or indeed time off work.

What?

You need 'talked into' going to NY?!! You're kidding, right? And you are taking no time off at all? No good will come of it.

seashell · Post by **seashell** » 03 Feb 2009, 12:50

NY - I'd be there in a flash - if only I had the money. The recession is hitting hard as my husband is unable to get a job in his field - and is currently working in M&S coffee shop. Shouldn't complain, as it is a job after all - but the pay is not what we were accustomed to.

Just remember Michael - nobody ever said "I wish I'd spent more time at work" at the end of the day!

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 03 Feb 2009, 13:14

Sorry to hear that Seashell. Hope that things look up for your hubby soon. Don't think anyone can feel secure in the current climate. At the moment I'm trying not to dwell on what might lay around the corner. Foolish perhaps I know

Still think Michael needs to spend less time at work.

seashell · Post by **seashell** » 03 Feb 2009, 15:35

thanks, Marya - he's keeping on applying, so here's hoping.
Re holidays - I couldn't agree more. We did four tours on the west coast of the US - California, Nevada and Arizona - which I wouldn't have missed for anything. THe moment things are better financially, we'll be back there

arachnid · Post by **arachnid** » 05 Feb 2009, 23:26

seashell wrote: my husband is unable to get a job in his field - and is currently working in M&S coffee shop. Shouldn't complain, as it is a job after all - but the pay is not what we were accustomed to

My daughter works in the coffee shop in M&S!!!!

The one in Princes Street that is!

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 06 Feb 2009, 18:30

M&S coffee is consistently excellent. The staff are properly trained and the coffee is all Fairtrade. I just need to persuade them to start using organic milk and I'll be happy.

We found a great coffee bar in Venice and found an excuse to go there every day. The terminology is a little different. Latte means milk and that's what you will get if you ask for it. You could ask for a caffèlatte but what you probably want is a cappuccino. And the concept of takeaway coffee doesn't really exist - you drink your coffee at the bar or counter, which is much more sociable. Nor do they use the term 'espresso' - just ask for un caffè if that's what you want. And Italians consider it very odd to drink a coffee made with milk after a meal. Cappuccino is considered a meal in itself and it comes in one size only. The idea of a bucket of coffee-flavoured frothy milk is, as you might imagine, an American one to go with the bucket of popcorn and greedy piggy-sized portions of everything else. Italians invariably add sugar to their caffè and it's often served with a glass of water.