SALOU  2017

LET'S GET AWAY 5

 

 


Off to Salou, up on the Costa Dorada. Nice weather, nice hotel, 4R Playa Park (although the queing system for the restaurant was awful) with a nice view over the town from the balcony. Hired a car for the week so we got about the area a bit - had a quick visit to Cap Salou, round the corner. (far right)

                        

                                    

 

 

Playa Capellans

 

 

 

 

 

Another Manrique sculpture on the roundabout at San Bartolomé near the entrance to the Museo del Campesino.It's called Monumento al Fecundidad (Fertility monument)

 

 

Cap de Salou
Hotel and view

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sitges Parroquia de Sant Bartomeu and Sitges prom
Tarragona

 

 

                 

               LANZAROTE

                              SEPTEMBER 2017

                 

 

 

 

Omar Sharif's old house at Nazaret - apparantly he lost in a game of bridge !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Off to Lanzarote, Playa Blanca again and stopping at Coral Beach Hotel, right at the far end. It's based around separate villas which proved to be ideal ( apart from the occasional visits from 'Colin the Cockroach' !

 

Puerto Calero, a very upmarket port between Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen. The posh yacht in harbour, apparantly is owned by a German who had something to do with insulin.

 

 

El Charco de los Clicos (Green Lagoon) near El Golfo, which is formed from algae and is in an extinct volcano crater.
Telamon, the shipwreck between Arrecife and Costa Teguise. It beached in 1981 and furthur reading is found at here.

 

Bit misty but ventured right up north - in the distance is the island of La Graciosa.
Salinas de Janubio - salt flats north of Playa Blanca.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         OXFORD

       OCTOBER 2017

 

                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                     

         BLACKPOOL

                          OCTOBER 2017

 

Stopped off at Bourton on the Water which is a lovely little village (of the year no less !)

 

Just a 2- day break to Oxfordshire. Stayed at the Talbot at Eynsham which was lovely - own little 'cottage'

 

 

Bladen church, where Winston Churchill along with Clem is buried. There are other family members buried there and the church window tells a story aboiut our famous war leader.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                        

       BLENHEIM

                                     MAY 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blackpool Tower by day and night - went on the tram to view the illuminations

 

Took Ellissia and Marley to Blackpool for 2 days - they loved it and we stopped at the New Hampshire Hotel - small and very nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                        

                            

            CAISTER

 MAY &  AUGUST 2018

 

 

 

 

 

As we liked Oxfordshire, we decided to use some Tesco vouchers and visit Blenheim Palace, the home of the Duke of Marlborough and was the home of the Churchill-Spencer family.

 

 

 

Our stay, the Royal Oak at Burford.

 

 

 

 

Walked around the grounds which were designed by Capability Brown.

 

                                     

The massive organ ? and chapel

 

 

 

       CORRALEJO

                             MARCH 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loads of seals up the coast at Horsey
Does Grandad really have to go on this ?
Hired a boat up at Wroxham - great fun for an hour.

 

 

 

 

 

                                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice all inclusive hotel, Arena Beach - our apartment (fully equipped even though all incl.) is on the ground floor next to the pool - lovely chill out time !
Took the bus to Puerto del Rosario - this liner was in the harbour - massive!!

 

Cambrils
Caesar Manrique's well-known Timanfaya Devil sign.
2x2 day breaks with kids at Caister, courtesy of our good friends John & Cath.

 

Vicky can never resist C & A !

 

GRAN CANARIA

August 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Views of Corralejo town from near the hotel - bit of a walk but that's what we like.Far right shows Los Lobos The Wolves), a small island with it's own lagoon - never been but passed it

 

                                    

                                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMSTERDAM

 

A week in the sun with all the family - me, Vicky, Rebecca, Tyler, Robson, Ellissia and Marley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We're very exited and on our way - a first for Marley.

 

 

 

 

 

Marley wouldn't l !eave the pool

 

Up to no-good again !
Olé

 

All incl. TUI Hotel Orquidea at Bahia Feliz. Our appartment was massive -  the second one up in the picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Van Gogh museum

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schipol is a massive airport !

 

Stayed at the Mercure Hotel, out-of-town and caught the tram into the city
One of 3 Amsterdam, signs in the city.

 

2 nights in Amsterdam - makes a change - amazing, albeit very expensive, place to visit.

What a surprise !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very imposing train station

 

 

 

We booked to visit Anne Franks House which was very interesting - fascinatinating to think the whole family and others (8 people) lived in such cramped conditions for 2 years.

 

A typical Amsterdam canal scene

 

Royal Palace, one of 3 in Holland.
Took a canal boat trip - very good value. On the left is the NEMO Scvience museum and the 2nd from right is the Chinese floating restaurant Sera Palace

 

The Buddhist Temple
....an unexpected and unfortunate trip to the Orkneys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- something to take home ?

 

                                                                        Sadly, Andrew, Vicky's brother passed away February 2019

. He and Teresa moved there 3 months ago and we travelled up there - 545 miles + 1 hour ferry for the funeral. I must say it was a pleasant journey and the islands are very scenic - we will visit again in better circumstances. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...then Pentland Hotel at Thurso - hotel not bad but Thurso is a dump !

 

On the way we stopped at the Mercure, Inverness....
Had to visit John O' Groats whilst nearby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those historians, Scapa Flow was the base for the RN during both wars due to it's strategic position - you can still see the gun emplacements. The Orkney's have much history and we intend to explore it more one day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stopped at the Smithfield Hotel, Dounby - nice - our room was top left.
...and we stopped at the Olde Ende Hoose in Kirkwall on our last night. Kirkwall is a typical north Scotland fishing town with not much happening.

 

Snow around, the ferry goes from Gill's Bay to St Margarets Hope and was bloody cold !
On our way home we stopped at the Station Hotel, Perth because I was knackered ! I wouldn't recommend the hotel really - very date but cheap.