Our London and Cambridge Adventure between Christmas and New Year 2015

Following our trip to Italy we spent several days in Roydon, Essex, enjoying the balmy winter weather, family, life in a small village, and the local pub fare.  However whenever we left this quiet sanctuary, it seemed as if all the London crowds travelled with us!  For example, we travelled by train to the Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford but by lunchtime all of London was there too! On another day we secretly escaped to Cambridge – but that did not work either!  Crowds of locals and tourists were everywhere, resulting in queues to get into the famous Eagle Tavern with its world famous ceiling in the RAF bar, the room in which the 'secret of life' was announced and even its own ghost!

 There was a crowd at the Ronald Searle exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum which was not helpful when viewing his and the works of other caricaturists of the 20^th century.  A magnificent building that the Fitzwilliam Museum is housed in – we did not have time to view all the works – but the décor was quite something.  A day of wandering around, lunching at the famous Fitzwilliam Café  - luckily we did not have to queue here to enjoy their delicious food – was ample to get a feel of this renowned University City. Sadly, not one of the University buildings was open for us to inspect, nor was the Polar Museum, which was recommended to us.

Back in London we travelled several times into the central city, to Foyles Bookshop, Rays Jazz Shop – both in new, better designed buildings, shopping, and strolling along in the early evening, enjoying the beautiful Street Christmas decorations.

On our last full day in London, which happened to be the first rainy day of our holiday trip so far, we decided to visit the British Museum. However all the London crowds were there first…… We joined the quickly moving queue into the building and enjoyed a lovely lunch upstairs before enjoying the exhibits.

Most notable of the items we had time to see was the Rosetta Stone and the story of hieroglyphs and the Parthenon sculptures gallery. We would certainly return to the British Museum and view more of its exhibitions!

Rae's Shopping Adventure in Florence

Time to go shopping!   I had heard there was a Brands Outlet place near Florence and decided to check it out. Just before I hopped on to the wrong bus I found out that there there are actually two outlet shopping centres near Florence, each serviced by almost identical black coaches. I had already chosen to shop at The Mall – I had not heard of the Designer Outlet place , so jumped on this very comfortable coach which proceeded to travel forty-five minutes out of Florence, high up in the foothills. Opened in 2000 with five high end brand shops, today there are over 50 stores housed in several modern buildings including a 3 story Gucci complex, in neat landscaped grounds. By far the most popular store was Burberry, which always had a queue of at least 20 people outside.  Overall the items offered were not inspiring  to me, but I did purchase some ‘needs’ at the Armani store. So The Mall has been ‘done’ and not to be again – perhaps I would try the Designer Outlet in future.

For our evening meal we were recommended several places, including the renowned Gabi – however when we arrived, its refurbishment was not yet complete  -we were a day too early!  However we managed to placate ourselves at a nearby restaurant which delivered some more delicious Italian local fare for us to enjoy.

A day on the Water, Venice, Italy, Day 2

There is nothing better for maritime lovers to be out on the water, in any capacity, even while on holiday! Today we  boarded our ferry and set off for our water adventure in Venice. The day was so – unusually, we found out – warm and balmy – the water was so calm that we could have reached out and trailed our fingers in the water, and the sky was so blue….  We travelled past the extensive mud flats with a few birds flying here and there, and landed on the formally arranged tree bordered Cemetery Island. Extensive, well maintained, and still to be completely filled, this sanctuary presented a preliforia of family histories of the area – some still in their telling. The monuments also offered a history of memorials over time, in the area.  After a time of peace and reflection we cruised to Murano, an island not only renowned for its lace making, but for its colourful houses lining its canals. We all disembarked, admiring the colourful buildings with their closed doors and drapes, suspecting that their inhabitants might have felt like goldfish in a bowl! However we  tourists all strolled merrily by, occasionally dropping into the few lace and souvenir shops that were still open during this off-season, admired the island’s thick furred cats and all arrived at the one restaurant that was open to enjoy lunch  off an Italian styled family run ‘international’ menu which very efficiently catered for the huge variety of ethnic groups that called by. We thoroughly recommend the soup of the day! Upon our return to the ‘mainland’ we chattered with some very interesting people from China and Germany who had  ‘popped over to Venice’ for a few days break. Oh if only we could do the same……  We concluded this lovely autumn day by strolling  past St Mark's Square through Venice’s very exclusive hotel and shopping area, noting that the Christmas decorations were appropriate to people who might shop in this area. For our last supper in Venice we dined like royalty at another family restaurant - Trattoria Vittoria that we discovered upon another visit and again enjoyed the décor, authentic Italian food and hospitality.  Next day we travelled by train -  you might have noticed that pic of the water as we travelled along the causeway from Venice on to Bologna – our next adventure in Italy…..

A Weekend Adventure in Melbourne, Australia

How can one describe a weekend  Melbourne?

The 5pm rush hour on a Friday night – when it takes a Shuttle bus an hour to get from Southern Cross Station to Novotel in Collins St – a 20 minute walk,  we later discovered.

The late nite cafes in the Block and Royal Arcades – friendly people, variety of delicious food and live music on Friday and Saturday eves.

All the Laneways – the shopping, businesses, cafes – always crowded, the architecture, the Chocolate shops!

The David Shepherd Shoe Shop in Collins St – a Huge Array of  fantastic footwear  - which I had forgotten about til the last hour before we had to come home.

The Lindi Chocolate Café next door – ideal to recover and reenergize for more shopping.

And the Gazi Greek Restaurant – so popular that you have to book – any time you want to come along – and interesting décor in the toilets.

And then there is the eclectic Curtin House in Swanston St – known as one of Melbourne’s  ‘Vertical Laneways’ – full of Thai Restaurants, art spaces, bars and a roof top bar which shows films from time to time – we love the ambience and food of “Cookie,’ which if busy, has a cosy champagne bar tucked around the corner.

Not to mention Chinatown and the Greek Quarters…..which we did not have time to explore this visit….

Federation Square with its street theatre and interactive art and technology exhibitions, the aboriginal art, is always on our list to check out and over the bridge, the National Gallery of Victoria which currently has an exhibition by the famous portrait photographer Edward Steichen.

Then there is the walk along Southbank, Skydeck  for panoramic views over the city, the Aquarium, DFO shopping centre……

We did not get to the beautiful  St Kilda Beach, the Restaurants in Lygon St, the shops in Chapel or Richmond Streets!  Or Victoria Market. Or to the James Bond Exhibition….   Sigh….  I guess that is all the more reason to return to this exciting city of Melbourne with all its history, architecture, shops, walkways, nooks and crannies and……….

A tantilizing glimpse of Cork, Ireland

Ahhhh!!! So much to see in Cork, so little time!! The only perception I had of Cork was that locals partook in lots of sailing, including the biannual Cork Week Sailing Festival, a racing event that many New Zealand sailors aspire to go sailing in. Cork, a major Irish seaport, is the Republic of Ireland’s second largest city. Literally meaning,“swamp,” Cork is often referred to as the “real capital of Ireland” by its residents. There is much rivalry between Cork and Dublin. Cork people consider themselves ‘different’ to the rest of Ireland, often referring to themselves as ‘rebels.’ Indeed they have their own accent, very musical and pleasant to listen to, which is great, because they tend to love talking! On Saturday morning, after a pleasant evening relaxing in the Collins Bar at comfortable Carrigaline Court Hotel, we visited the English Market in the Cork City Centre. Established in 1788, many stallholders, often run by families, have been there for over 100 years. The current market buildings were constructed in the mid 19th century until they destroyed by fire in 1980 and had to be extensively refurbished by Cork City Council. Today the Cork English Markets is very multicultural, selling a huge variety of food and fresh produce, all beautifully displayed, and attract local visitors and international travellers alike. Even Queen Elizabeth visited during her recent trip to Ireland in June.

The shopping precinct of Cork has changed much over the past 15 years, and is perfect for to go shopping along its traditional streets,

to admire the eclectic array of old and new buildings, and indulge in a tad of shopping followed b a delicious coffee in the eclectic Bookshop Coffee house – as we did. Oops! Lunch time and that means time to go sailing with the Royal Cork Yacht club……

Kilkenny, Castle, National Craft Gallery and Pub, Kilkenny Ireland

Kilkenny, Ireland is a very tidy traditional town, overseen by the large historical Kilkenny Castle, a U shaped series of buildings, surrounding one end of Green Park land stretching ‘into the future’ it seemed. Across the road in the Kilkenny castle yard, originally the buildings of the stables and coach houses of Kilkenny Castle, is National Craft Gallery, opened on 2000. All the buildings, beautifully restored, feature static and working exhibitions of modern and traditional Irish Art and Craft. The National Craft Gallery is a beautiful area to stroll around, indulge in shopping and appreciate the creativity of Irelands best crafts people.

As one tends to do towards as the end of a busy shopping and touring day, we all visited in interesting looking Irish pub, The Left Bank, situated in the former Bank of Ireland Building. As with several pubs we visited in Ireland, the 4 floors inside the pub as well as outside area, were stunningly and eclectically decorated and we spent much time admiring the different areas of the pub.

Kilkenny, even though we only had a glimpse of the historical houses and buildings looked a very interesting town, ideal for visitors to spend more time there and indulge in a local Irish adventure.

Shopping at Kildaire Shopping Centre Ireland

Mindful that much of our group liked shopping, we visited the white, elegant ‘chic’ luxury factory outlet shopping centre at Kildaire. To prepare ourselves for exciting shopping we dropped in for coffee and the beautifully appointed Italian Restaurant L’Officina then set up It was hard to know where to look first! After picking up some important essentials, we then moved on to another adventure before returning to the old Kildaire Village to visit a large, popular, cabbage smelling pub for a buffet lunch rapidly spooned onto our plates before we could blink an eyelid. Later we strolled through the village of Kildaire- its traditional and a lttle run down main street a complete contrast....

Impressions of Belfast, Ireland

It was most valuable to have a tour guide introduce us to Belfast, Ireland - she quickly gave us a feel of the city and its history. As we travelled around in our bus,admiring and hearing history of the buildings, visiting landmarks such as the Falls Road area, the International wall - spotlessly kept, and the Peace wall - with murals covered in grafitti of quotes and supports of sympathy, it was interestng to note that the tour qiuide referred to the citizens as ‘them’ and ‘us.’ Belfast, as well as being famous for the ‘Troubles,' and the scene of much 'spilled blood,' is also the birthplace of Mother Theresa, Milk of Magnesia and Dunlop Tyres and portable defribulators. The defribulators were invented at the local Hospital which was named after the highly regarded Queen Victoria. Today was the day that Queen Elizabeth was visiting Belfast, and the dubious summer weather kept the rain away for her garden party of 20,000 guests. We always seemed to be about half a mile away from her, and when we visted the new Belfast Titanic exhibition centre she had already been and gone. The iconic Belfast Titanic Centre building (nicknamed 'The Iceberg' by Belfast residents), erected on Titanic's original construction site the Harland and Wolff yards, was opened in March 2012 and by July had received over 250,000 visitors. Everything about the building is relative to Titanic and the sea, for example the height of the building is the same as the bow, and an inside wall is constructed of similar materials to that of Titanic. In Belfast City a memorial has been erected to recognise the people who died in the Titanic disaster. Everyone is named on the memorial. The memorial receives many viistors, including descendents who become quite emotional during their visit. Our Shopping Adventure in Belfast. The English Food Market is an interesting place for travellers to visit - such a variety of beautifully presented fresh seafood, meats, vegetables, oh and chcolate, which we all gorged on! Then it was off to explore the nooks and crannies of the shopping centre. Then we espied a shop selling leather goods owned by an Irishman who immediately had us in fits of laugher with his stories. And yes, we bought....

Visiting Dublin, Ireland

Dublin, Ireland, the city of romantics, poets authors and artists. Oscar Wilde, James Joyce Today a city empty apartments and shops, shoppng mals, negative building values and unemployment. Very old and interesting buildings nestled amongst newer uglier ones. A traveller needs time to explore a new city however with not much ot it available we elected to bipass a visit to the Guinness factory - which, we found out was an excellent historical display culminating in one of the best high views of Dublin, complemented by a glass of Guinness beer in one’s hand. Instead we walked through Dublin City to visit the Book of Kels at Trinity College. Our Trinity College guide was a young graduate student who was saving to study as a lawyer in London later in the year. With typical Irish humour he had us Dublin' in laugher as he described the triumphs and tribulations of the construction f the university buildings - many shortcuts were made, usually as a result of lack of funds. The book of Kels exhibition was very well presented - much information about the book and the beautifully intricate art. What patience and precision those early artists had! The Long Room library at Trinity College with its high arched ceiling and books reaching to it from the floor is the storage place of all old and new published books. It had a fascinating display of publications - opened - going back centuries with details about the artistic and publication techniques. I have to say I am not sure if I would return to Dublin - probaby because we spent so little time there and therefore did not absorb the feel of the city - unlike Belfast, but that is another story.

The Chester and Liverpool Adventure

We travelled by rail from London to Chester, through gentle hill rolling green fields and hedgerows, still rather sodden from recent deluges. Very easy on the eye and this green eye candy, along with the gentle rocking of the comfortable Virgin Express train soon had our heads nodding. Our hotel at Chester was at “The Mill’ a former corn mill set on either side of the call, and converted into a hotel by its owners about 20 year ago. Both our room and bathroom were luxurious and spacious, thanks to the hotel website which family inspected when booking the best room they could find for us. The Mill Hotel was immaculately kept and compete with large spa, gym and swimming pool, whick I immediately took advantage of. We expecially liked the prints of Venice (one of our favourite cities) taken many years ago, which adorned the walls - so appropriate for a hotel spanning both sides of the canal and also boasting the only privately owned canal bridge. Chester and the River Dee were most significant for milling, waterway trade and transportation, and more recently for hydro power generation and tourism. The food, tudor style architecture in the main shopping mall and the walkway around the city walls is most popular with travellers. Ah, Liverpool! Home of the Liver Bird and the Beatles! No, we did not do a Beatles tour, but we did stroll down Mathew Street which features the ‘Cavern’ - not the original, and the many Beatles paraphernalia shops and pubs with names such as the ‘Hard Days Night.’ A stroll along the Docklands - now a World Heritage Site - gazing over the Mersey River - remember that song by Gerry and the Pacemakers?? and a visit to the Beatles Museum brought the nostalgia, the music and the exciting days of the 1960’s to the mind. The lads of went to the pub a beer and to watch the Irish v All Blacks game whle the gals quckly checked out the summer sales. While the shops and prices were the same as London, the overstocked untidiness and crowds and queues in the London shops wre missing - much more condusive to shopping!! And yes, we did purchase a couple of little items......

Cities with nooks and crannies - paradises for travellers who enjoy shopping

Many cities such as London, have nooks and crannies which are great for travellers to visit as these give one the real ‘feel’ of the city. Often one needs a ‘local’ fo find these so we were delighted when a friend introduced us to the ‘Lamb and Flag’ in Rose Street, Covent Garden. www.lambandflagcoventgarden.co.uk/ Situated around a couple of corners down some narrow cobbled streets, this pub dates back to 1772 and has played host to many famous people including Charles Dickens. The current owners have kept the original look of the plae depicting its colourful past and we were also treated to ‘recent’ anecdotes experienced in the lifetime of our local friend, also called Charles. A couple of days later we were the same area in London, looking for a Ray’s (not mine) jazz shop, located in the famous Foyles Bookshop - which is well worth a visit. On the way we passed through Denmark and neighbouring streets which turned out to be a small music mecca, with guitar, saxophone, sheet music and other shops selling simiar wares. It was thrilling to hear strings of music wafting from all the shops as we strolled by. Even the Regent and Oxford Street areas, looking fully scrubbed up and very clean in preparation for the Olympics, have lanes and alleyways leading off them enticing strollers to explore the boutique shops bars and eateries. London, like many other cities such as Liverpool, is changing its conjested inner city street to walkways which make exploring ‘nooks and crannies’ much easier. Chester is another city of nooks and crannies, which when we visited, may travellers were exploring. The main street, complete with clock tower dedicated to Empress and Queen Victoria, is lined with tudor styled buildings. between the ground floor shops were many staircases which led to the first floor shops or to lanes to other parts of the city. The city wall, often at first floor level, enables strollers to look into offices and residences as they pass by. More about nooks and crannies to come...

Singapore - the city of Sales - not!

It was quite by chance that I heard about the great sales of Singapore especially after being informed that it was no longer the place for cheap items. However when we visited Orchard Road where all the shopping malls were, it was most disappointing. Apart from the lamp post banners and a few shops having small ‘sale’ signs in their windows and advertising 10-15%off ‘some’ items there were no crowds and no people walking around with huge branded paper shopping bags. The shopping malls were old and tired but elegant. The shopping experience was most disappointing. especially as one cannot claim tax rebates at the airport from some shops. For shopping in stunning malls I recommed the newly revamped Westfield mall in cenral Sydney. From designer outlets enticing shoppers to shop using the five senses such as Kava, the quant elegant tea shop withfrilly table cloths and picket fences, to designer and department stores, the Westfield mall is a delight for shoppers and eye candy feasters. England is the place for sales in June! In London everything is on sale - from 10 to 70% off - and crowds and queues everywhere. Much better! In fact, everywhere we have been to - Liverpool, Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Galway - same sales, tidier shops and fewer people. Might have to invest in another sutcase....

Ah - Naples, Pompei and Sorrento

Our cruise ship the Costa Serena's last port of call was Naples. Anxious to view Mt Vesuvious we were up early an high up on deck, however mist shrouded this famous mountain and instead we were reduced to viewing the many superyachts lounging about -ready to hibernate for winter. Soon we were on a bus travelling to Sorrento, a quaint seaside tourist town. We left the port, passing many very shabby apartment buildings in the Naples city centre, boarded a train and travelled for about an hour through the Naples suburbs and surrounds. The land is very fertile, our guide informed us and it was interesting to see gardens, lemon tree plantations and glass houses dotted everywhere throughout the suburbs. Upon our arrival at Sorrento, we were directed to a place to have a 'technical' stop, which meant a toilet and coffee break. The local coffee is excellent here. I think it is Neopolitan. It has a unique taste and I have to say that coffee has never tasted the same since - it was so delicious! Off we went on our walking tour. Sorrento is old historic, quaint and very tourist orientated. The streets are narrow - many are just walkways and the whole place is geared for local and upmarket shopping. As it was near Xmas the town was decorated - Christmas trees, leafy bowers under windows and Xmas lights everywhere! It must look so picturesque at night!
Eventually we arrived at the water's edge. Er - not exactly - we were about 50 metres above the water on top of a rocky cliff. In Sorrento it is difficult to get to the sea. And there is no beach! Instead people have to pay to sunbathe on piers stretching over the beautiful, clear, blue waters. At last our walking tour ended -not surprisingly, at a pre arranged shop from where we could purchase almost anything made of and to do with lemons - from a huge array of sweets to lemoncellos presented in most decorative bottles, handcrafts and ornaments.

Thankfully we did not have much time to contribute to the local economy and shop - the prices were Definately for the Well Heeled Traveller, and soon we were back on the train. Oh, look! There are the ruins of Pompei! Why didn't we visit them? other Cruise Ship visitors confirmed what we suspected - one needed a whole day to inspect the genuine and replica ruins on display. I would like to come back to Naples and visit the Pompei ruins, and also inspect the city centre - a group of very tall newish glass buildings soaring like a sore tooth out of the eyesores of apartments in the suburbs by the port's edge.

And now it is back to the Costa Serena and get ready to finish our Italiabn cruise ship adventure at Slovena.

How to get lost on a cruise ship

For someone who goes boating on a cruise ship for the first time it is very easy to get lost. Because the main foyer or the restaurants may be several floors high one often cannot travel from one end of the boat to another on the same floor or corridor. And do not think that to ask a crew person the directions! On the 4th floor, you will be told, but you will not be informed that you must go up an additional level, around a corner then down again. And do not ask another crew person either! Oh that person was new and did not know, you will be told. Oh well, after all that stress of getting lost I think I will retire to the warm spa and solarium...... Now, purchasing that Spa package and relaxing from the crowds of passengers is more my cup of green tea...... Just a minute, are there not 6 pubs, cocktails of the day,lots of wine,dancing,shopping and art to be enjoyed? Must get travelling around this cruise ship, there is so much to discover! Now where is the library? Ah, found it on the last day of our trip when we had to queue to pick up our passports!

Our week as Shore Crew at Newport Rhode Island

Two weeks after travelling to the Invitational Cup Regatta at Newport Rhode Island and now fully recovered from jetlag I now have time to reflect on why we were a little bit tired from that most exciting week.

On each of the 7 days we would do the shopping for 14 people. Fortunately we only had to cook dinner for 4 nights owing to the social activities put on by the New York Yacht Club. Most days we visited the boat shops for parts. Then each morning we would arise around 6.30 to prepare lunches 18 scrumptious rolls, snacks, sliced fruit, gateraded beverages etc etc and breakfast for everyone. We quickly became most skilled at negoting bulk food prices st the supermarket and finding real, rather than water infused meat for lunches. We became so adept at making bread rolls - that by the time we finished the 130th we reckoned we could take on Subway and win! The surprise tidbits were well received by our hardworking sailors. After transporting them to the jetty to pick up their boat we would to a quick tidy up and rush off to our next job - that of being New Zealand's number one fans! We were most fortunate to be offered spectator positions on some of the New York Yacht Club members' most luxurious vessels to watch the racing. These ranged in size from 70 to over 120 feet in length. A couple which could be better described as little ships had the capacity go to sea for up to 3 months without refueling. The owners were most hospitable and we met some very friendly fellow boating visitors. After the racing we would dash off and go shopping for more supplies then join in the after race activities. These included a magnificent seafood buffet on opening night and on the prize giving night a meal almost to die for, followed by dancing to blues music. However the most memorabale evening was the lobster meal. We all sat down to consume One Whole Lobster each! These are the same size as our New Zealand crayfish so this was an absolute luxury. To ensure our enjoyment we were all issued with a plastic bib, pliers, and instructions on how to eat them. Delicious!

At last the last day dawned and at a very early hour for a Sunday we dragged ourselves out of bed to farewell our sailors, some straight home while others via exotic places like Lea Vegas. After a final tidyup of our lovely
home for the week we strolled through Newport mainstreet before boarding the bus to next adventure. And how did our team go? They got 10th overall - and beat the french! See the Invitational Cup we site for more information.

Would we go back again ? Yes! For more racing and maybe some sightseeing this time........

New York - a Glimpse of a Glimpse...

We have been in New York for 4 days and 5 nights and that is pretty much all that I can say - a Glimpse of a Glimpse! We took 2 bus tours - one uptown and the other downtown but the traffic is so dense at times that the trips are exceedingly long! At least the tour guides are entertaining.

So we have done - the MeT Museum - loved the Afghanastan exhibition - they were part of the Silk Road route and had a blend iof intereting artefacts etc, and a huge quantity or works from the European artists. Saw 2 floors of the Guggenheim centre - but the most intersting place was the Frick Museum - a home of carefully selected items At some stage I will add more about this.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) had a most comprehensive exhibiton of art works from James Ensdor (pardon spelling but it is nearly 1am) - his satire, paintings, sketches and themes were quite something. We have done the State Empire Building the statue of liberty, visited Harlem, Soho, China town, Greenwich town, Tribeca - the list goes on... but they were all just glimpses.

Especially as when we visited these museums it had been raining and I am sure that all of New York travellers from overseas followed us!

Tonight we did a show - West Side Story - a slightly modernised version but beautifully and tastefully done.

We have been so busy that I have done very little shopping, but the shops do stay open late! But not til after 1am, I am sure....

Our glimpse of Art and Culture has just whetted our appetite for more - New York, we will certainly travel to you again!!

Thoughts on our Cuban Holiday

It is quite some time since I wrote about our winter holiday, and to say that I have been very busy since our return is true, but not a great excuse.

However, I am still reliving my Cuban holiday! Last weekend I met someone else who had been holidaying in there a few months before I did.

I would like to have enjoyed the Casa experience, as he did. And enjoying a Cuban resort, as he also did. Staying in a Casa, or local home is like a Homestay - one up from back packers I guess. My associate's casa was in the very old part of Havana, and the decor was sixites/seventies. I have heard that staying in a Casa is a great way to experience the Cuban way of life. And a Swedish relative who had also recently visited Cuba, confirmed this. Especially as his hosts were most hospitable. I asked him, "Did you go to ..." and "Did you do...???" "Er, no" was the reply. "We were too busy partying."

Chris and I decided to stay in a Hotel, and after considerable internet research, including inspecting, on google earth, the hotel swimming pools - well, I did - we settled on the Hotel Mercure Sevilla Havane, Havana. The Hotel Sevilla has a most interesting history, and a couple of walls in the foyer with the forever stopping elevators are dedicated to this. There is a huge array of photographs, mainly black and white, with detailed captions. It makes you feel as if you are in a time warp! We found out that we were staying in the room directly above the one which Al Capone slept in.

I have never spent so much time in a hotel foyer, as I did at the Hotel Sevilla. There was so much happening! The decor, people coming and going, and live bands playing from breakfast time til after supper. We very quickly found out that it was cheaper to give them a tip/donation rather than purchase a CD which worked out at NZD$20. But we inadvertently acquired a very good Cd with great compilations of Cuban music.

If one likes partying, then Havana is the place to be. Not only is there music everywhere, Rum cocktails are so cheap - at around NZD $3 each, and delicious! I wonder if it is because Havana Rum is most generously applied to each drink? Much better than NZ rum, but I do know of a couple of barpeople in Ponsonby who make mojita's which taste almost as good as the Cuban ones.

If you are not into rum, but you cannot help foot tapping or evening dancing a bit of Salsa to the lively Cuban music, you do not even have to go into any of the bars or cafes. Just do as the locals do - hang in the windows! The glassless window shutters are always open to let the air circulate, and the openings are always full of people leaning in from the street, enjoying the ambience and music. Just watch where you put your bag, though...

The food, after reading about how not to go to Cuba for the cuisine or shopping, I enjoyed. Simple, with not much variety of ingredients, it was always cooked beautifully and well presented.

So there are the basics. Oh, and I had better mention the weather. January is ideal for Travellers - not hot and muggy, but a bit cold for the locals. There was not all that many travellers or back packers about, which suited us very well. Too cool, in my opinion to languish around the swimming pool, but I did take a couple of quick dips. And yes, as all the travel articles say, the pool is overlooked by a dilapated apartment building!

More about that later....

Winter Holiday in Venice - the best time to go in our opinion

We awoke on our first morning in Venice to tiny snow flakes falling into the garden courtyard outside our hotel window.

Another white holiday! And in Venicia! Wow!!

But no, the day was not cold enough, and the streets and steps had been well coated with rock salt to prevent ice forming.

On this our third trip to Venice, we walked everywhere, rather than hopping on and off the Grande Canale Ferries. There I found another reason for holidaying in Europe in winter - there were very few people there! We could wander down all the narrow streets withouth pushing past people coming the other way. We could do all the window shopping we wanted, without looking over people's heads if we could. We discovered many restaurants and cafes, and did not have to queue.

Best of all, St Marc's Square was not chocker full of people and pidgeons! We could stand in the middle of the square and gaze around us. We had decided to visit the Cathedral, as last time we came to St Mark's Square, in the summer, there was a huge queue of tourists to get in, so we visited the Doges Palace next door, instead. Today, there were no queues at all, so we could wander in and gaze at the Byzantuim style decor and art, at our leisure. Upstairs we went out onto the narrow balcony, which gave us an unobstucted view of of St Marcs Square, without pushing past people to take pictures. You may recall in a recent blog about the 4 horses at the National Geographic Shop and Museum not far from Piccadilly Circus in London, which were made of driftwood and modelled on the very same horse on this balcony. Today, replica horses are of this balcony the originalss, made of bronze, have been restored and are now inside. Also inside accompanying the broze horses, is an excellent exhibition of the history of the cathedral, its contsruction and resoration, art, articfacts, and tapestries.I am positive that this exhibition was not here when we first visited, around eight years ago. What is most interesting, and we found this also in other exhibitions about restorations, whether they be art or buildings, is the technology involved and the methods of the restorations, from the 'facelifts' to the preservation and restoration of the underneath materials which we do not see.

No, we did not visit Harry's Bar this time or go up the Tower, from which one gets an awesome view of of Venice and its surrounds, but we did meander through the markets and shops at the Rialto Bridge, as well as through the many squares and narrow alleyways admiring all the beautiful, but old appartment buildings, hotels and palaces. Of course it is hard to ignore the shabbiness of some,and the pealing off of plaster of others. But Venice is not crunhbling down into the sea. One only has to look beside many the shabby doors to find modern security keyboards for owners to get to their apartments. Like many cities, in Venice buidling facades cannot be changed, but behind the facades, if the real estate advertisements are true, apartments do seem to have all the mod cons.

We noticed several changes in Venezia since our first visit, 8 years ago. Because the damage sustained in the 1976, or round that time, high tides and flooding, Venice, along with Florence, sustained much damage and lost many art works and treasures. As a result various localworld wide groups, including "Save Venice" fundraised and restored many buildings in Venice. I recall one group which selected 10 Churches to restore, and visitors were encouraged to visit all ten and, of course, donate to the resotrations. I did not see and reference to the project this time so am not sure if the programme has been completed or not. But the clock tower, with its two men striking the bell on the top, has been finished. And a new bridge, located to the right of the railway station has appeared. This means that people coming to Venice by car, or bus across the causeway, do not have to walk miles to reach certain parts of the city. And what I always liked, when walking out of the station at Venice, was gazing across the canal at this run down church building. Today it is covered with neting for restoration, and topped with a huge advertisement for a fashion company!! One hopes that the company is paying a signifant amount to place such an eyesore for visitors wanting to feast their eyes on 'old Venizia.'

Winter definately is the best time to visit Venice. Certainly it is cold. I understand it can be foggy at times. But it is warm between the buildings and in the shops. There are still some hardy Gondoliers about, if one wants a cold romantic ride around the canals. It is also the best place from which to take photos from the water.

But we did wonder - what is the winter night life like in Venice? We discovered that the Restaurant promoting live Jazz Music every night means every night from March to November. Then, quite by chance we found out. One evening, which happened to be a Friday, we thought we would wander to the Rialto Bridge Area to relax inside (too cold outside by the canal) for dinner. We heard modern music, and turned towards it. There in this square, was a lot of people, in coats, hats and scarves, all standing up outside in the cold, all drinking and talking. The source the music was from one of several bars. Consisting of a counter, stock and no seating, these bars all served drinks to clients who stood outside. We found a bar which had seating inside, and squeezed in, sat down, and watched the activities. Outside, all the people seemed to come and go really quickly. We wondered why as we sat in the warm, enjoying our campary and soda's. Later when we left the bar, we found out why. Outside the temperature was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.....*

* nautical saying - google it to find out what it means....



We found