A birthday celebration was the perfect excuse for a weekend with good friends in the lively foodie capital of Portugal – Lisbon. It was a short visit from Friday to Sunday, but we had a great time and got lucky with beautiful weather too. There wasn’t time to get out to Cascais or Sintra so those will have to wait for another visit, but we managed to visit the old town and hit some foodie highlights such as sampling the amazing seafood at Cervejaria Ramiro and mingling with our friendly fellow diners at Solar dos Nunes. We also got a feel for the city and people when wandering and uber’ing around. They’re a friendly bunch and rightly proud of their hometown. We even encountered a protest march (against out of towners buying property and pushing up the prices for locals) but it was all very peaceful and they were happy to tell us all about it. There’s no denying the numbers of tourists but there are still plenty of places to sit back and enjoy snacks and a drink on a terrace such as on the Praca do Comercio overlooking the Tagus. The weekend in Lisbon whet our appetite, but we’ll be back.
I finally made it to a country I have been wanting to visit for over 20 years and it really didn’t disappoint. As I expected the people were incredibly warm and welcoming, the scenery awesome, the food delicious and the sense of adventure alive and well. I have heard, as I am sure many have, that it has changed a great deal in the last couple of decades. However, although I have no point of reference for the comparison, it is most definitely still the land of smiles and inspired awe in all members of my family on our holiday to Thailand.
Culture and wonder in Chiang Mai
As it was our children’s first trip to Asia, we wanted to combine some exploring with some down time, so after recovering from the long flight in Bangkok for a night we travelled to Chiang Mai to do some exploring. Chiang Mai has quite a different feel to Bangkok and although it’s a bustling city with many travellers, it felt quite traditional and authentic. While there we packed in several activities. We have some friends who live in Chiang Mai so arranged to join them for our first excursion and we went out of the city to try white water rafting. Well with a 10 and 12 year old in tow I was a little concerned about safety, but the Thai instructors were consummate professionals and not only provided a thorough safety briefing, but also pulled over to the bank of the river at one tricky patch of rapids, so I could walk down river past the danger with the kids. It was still exhilarating and we even saw some elephants strolling by towards the end of the trip.
The next day we had an early start to get up into the hills for one of the highlights of our whole trip – a visit an elephant sanctuary. They hope to encourage the mahouts to offer tourist experiences without rides or any other activities that cause harm to the elephants. When we arrived at the village, the excellent guide introduced our small group (approx 10 of us) to 3 elephants. We fed them – wow can they eat; it was like feeding huge Labradors – if you paused there would soon be a nudge to get on with it!!! Next we took a walk in the forest with them while the guide told us more about how they are cared for, answered our questions and even told us a bit about their characters. After a while (during which they ate some more), we followed them down to a mud pit where they could have a good roll in the mud and we were invited to help by rubbing the mud into their skin. Finally, we all walked together down to the river where the elephants got in, followed by us and we all splashed around together to clean the mud off and cool down. What an experience!!!!
While in Chiang Mai we also visited the night market and had a Thai cookery class which included visiting a local market. The teacher was excellent, very patient with us and the children and the food was, of course, delicious.
Beach relaxation in Phuket
We decided to have our R & R in the middle of the holiday so flew to Phuket next where we stayed at the lovely Surin hotel. It is located on its own beach, but also close enough to the village so you can walk out to explore and have a meal if you choose. We didn’t venture out of the hotel too much, but did have a couple of Thai massages as well as a lesson in how to give them in the hotel. The focus of the hotel is around the unusual black bottomed swimming pool and beach front. It particularly appealed to us as there are cottages all around the property which have 2 bedrooms linked by a bathroom which fit a family of four very well.
Vibrant and mythical Bangkok
To finish our Thai adventure, we went back to Bangkok. It’s a great city – much as you would expect with the hustle and bustle of everyday life going on around you. Highlights for me included visiting the temples (including having a Thai foot massage to escape an August downpour, walking the city streets and taking the Skytrain as well as a trip on a longtail boat along the Chao Phraya River and its canals / Khlongs. We had a tour on one which included visits to temples and a small floating market, feeding fish, seeing monitor lizards and learning some of the history of Bangkok, Thailand and its Royal family. On our last night in Thailand we even managed to visit one of the iconic rooftop bars which have the amazing views of the city all lit up. All in all, a brilliant trip that we’ll remember for a very long time.
The red city of Bologna is heaven for foodies. It was like a warm hug from some lovely Italian mama in the cold wet, November weather we found there. We stayed at a lovely central hotel so we could get straight out and explore the amazing architecture and I particularly like the university which is said to be the oldest in Europe. The towers and porticos make the city distinctive (and help to get around in the rain). We loved the market where you can eat as well as shop for food and there’s plenty of opportunities for retail therapy as well. The restaurants were of course a highlight in the ‘stomach of Italy’ and we enjoyed the pasta and rich sauces, cheese and red wine.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to sail in the Mediterranean then read on, as that’s exactly what we wanted to discover last summer. We also wanted to explore the lesser known Balearic island of Menorca so decided to combine the two. We arrived in the delightful city of Mahon and were greeted by our very helpful sailing company ‘Menorca Cruising’ who usually offer sailing courses, but had agreed to let us hire one of their boats and borrow their instructor Andy as a skipper for 5 days. We did some shopping and then were immediately off for a quick afternoon sail in the massive natural harbour of Mahon to get a feel for the boat and learn some of the basics. The kids took to it straight away and had lots of questions for Andy. It was extremely hot in Menorca at the beginning of August so being out on the water with the breeze was a great relief. Over the course of the following few days we sailed from Mahon south to Binibequer where we spent our first night aboard. We also travelled further along the coast to Cala en Porter which has a lovely beach and Cales Coves which is only accessible by boat. The clear, turquoise water everywhere meant it was easy to jump in for a refreshing swim and Andy helped us to learn some sailing along the way. We finished off with a couple of shorter day trips to Illa de Colom, which is just off the National Park Albufera des Grau and extrememly picturesque, and finally Illa de l’Aire which is simply referred to as lizard island locally because of the large population of black lizards that live there – the kids loved them.
Menorca is very welcoming and relaxing, and if you want to learn sailing I couldn’t recommend Menorca Cruising enough.
The city of Valencia isn’t the cleanest or most picturesque of Spanish cities, but it has a lively, vibrant feel which gives it real character and there is so much to do! We visited the City of Arts and Science with it’s aquarium as well as the cathedral and beaches. However, my favourite feature of the city is the park which has been created in a former river bed. It’s a great use of the land and includes courts, playgrounds and a bike path as well as plenty of green space to simply relax in.
We also ventured inland and discovered quiet villages that suddenly come alive with bull-running and midnight paella cooking competitions! Perhaps next time we’ll come for the Las Fallas festival!
A wonderfully diverse country. We really wanted to tour around Morocco, as there is so much to see and do. We started in Marrakech – what a city! Our kids first visit to Africa and so culturally different to anything they have experience before. I loved the vibrancy, sounds and tastes. We stayed at a riad in the medina and everyone was so welcoming and helpful (the hand-drawn map from our riad manager was the only way we found our way back!) Next we went to the foothills of the Atlas Mountains to go horse-riding and zip-wiring at Terres d’Amanar. There are so many activities there you could stay a lot longer, but after 2 days we were off to the coast to the lagoon town of Oualidia. It is a beautiful place and we had a very relaxing stay at La Diouana where we were very well looked after by Abdillah and Fatima who cooked for us even though our French only stretched to basis requests. The lagoon and beaches keep us happy for the whole week.
