I had the most fabulous sleep in the lovely Crowne Plaza in stunning bushland a few minutes from Belfast Centre. I must have been tired as woke up this morning with all of the lights on and children’s television blaring Bob the Builder. The Titanic Museum was simply amazing. One would never go there unless prepared for flashing lights and heaps of all sorts of virtual reality, but it was awesome. I loved the ground floor of the museum that was made of glass with the wreck of the Titanic below. Every wall was projecting the sea and the wreck, and I did actually feel like I was in Titanic’s watery grave.
From the Belfast docks to one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the world was super easy. The Causeway Coastal drive took a couple of hours, but past some of the most stunning scenery ever. The cliffs, views of Scotland, and the fishing villages were simply beautiful. I had stood in Colonsay and seen Ireland, but today, the stunning clear weather meant I could almost touch Scotland. It was so surprisingly close. The basalt columns in Country Antrim were impressive, but completely overrun by tourists. It was worth the drive for the stunning coastal views, but the millions of people and the exceptionally touristy visitors centre in the home of the giants made me determined to visit in winter when the masses have cleared out.
The drive back along the highway was pretty quick and I turned the lovely car South. I didn’t realise that I had entered a different country until the road signs changed to km. I skirted around Belfast and Dublin and sang my way through Tipperary. Tonight, I am sitting in the fantastic Absolute Hotel in Limerick and have just had the most absolutely fantastic dinner. It came with a beautifully shaped bowl of goodness knows what. A quick poke made me realise. Of course, I am in Ireland. A great big bowl of absolutely fantastic mashed potatoes washed down with a very good G&T.
Work has been pretty frenetic, so I escaped for the weekend aboard a super cheap Easy Jet flight to my ancestral home.
There is something about London that always makes me feel that I am at home. After my quick trip through Paris to pick up jam for Fiona, the speedy sojourn through the tunnel really helped my head. The more the altitude dropped, the better I felt. As always, the quick trip from Paris to London was just lovely and it was very civilised sitting on the hurtling train munching on delicious quiche, washed down with a beautiful rosy French wine. I was super excited to walk off into the mad rush of London. It really is one of my favourite cities in the world. I had delicious dinner with the gorgeous Sarah at Aqua Shard and yep, London is still one of my favourite cities in the world.
The story of the young orphaned girl who lived with her grandfather high in the Alps near Chur was my very favourite as a child. Whilst much criticism has been directed at Spyri, the last time I visited the Alps I thought of Heidi the whole time, and this time was no different. I did an epic train trip from Venice. From 0 m above sea level I trained to Milano and then up the side of the Italian lakes to Tirano. From Tirano, I went to the highest railway crossing in Europe, reaching a height of 2,253m before I dropped slightly into St Moritz. Whilst the Bernina Express, and the UNESCO world heritage railway were absolutely stunning, by the time I got to St Moritz I had a shocking case of vertigo so changed my plans slightly and stayed put for a couple of days. I think the climb up Heidi’s mountains, albeit in a stunning train, and dehydration, literally did my head in. I stayed holed up at the very lovely Grand Hotel Des Bains Kempinski St. Moritz. It was lovely to have a hotel holiday, but I did rather wish everything would stop moving. Switzerland is so damn expensive. A bottle of water was more expensive than a good bottle of wine at home, even at the supermarket, and I decided that if I didn’t move myself, I could end up bankrupt.
Our boat sailed right around the Mediterranean and you hardly felt it moving. Fiona and I had been cruising as kids and I did expect to have the same bit of sea sickness – seriously though, the thing hardly moved. It was so beautiful sailing along past islands and then at other times, seeing the sea as far as you could look. The sunsets were impossible to describe. I have been to Dubrovnik before and enjoyed my visit again. We sat and had beautiful lunch overlooking Kings Landing but gave up on climbing walls as the sun really was relentless. By the time we docked in Slovenia we were well and truly in holiday mode and just went for a little amble and then back onto the boat for a swim.
I had thought a day at sea would be boring, but that was the best bit of being on a ship. I really could have quite happily stayed on board for the whole trip. Each morning the buses were lined up early and people streamed off for the various shore excursions. When the masses had departed, it was so lovely to have a leisurely breaky, a latte in the nice coffee shop, and then stroll off the ship when we were ready. Our day at sea was probably my favourite day. Probably made even more favourite by a fantastic massage with the most incredible view of the sea. It was so nice just to sit on deck, swim, and wander up to the very top of the ship to sing along to Abba in the dark at the open-air cinema as we sailed along the Greek coastline.
The restaurants on board were fantastic and the staff were equally as good. I am astounded how they managed to produce such beautiful meals, with so many people on board, but night after night the meals just kept getting better. The bars had the most fantastic entertainment and it was so nice to stroll down, listen to some great music, eat delicious food, and then fall into bed with the waves crashing.
Sleeping under the stars 