Sitting and staring in stunning Santorini

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Cathy

When: 9th Sept to 17th Sept Where: Santorini, Greece Stayed: Tholos Resort

Ahhh Santorini – land of the honeymooners, no flushing of toilet paper, no drinking of tap water and the most beautiful sunsets in the world. Geographically, the island is fascinating. It sits about 200km off the mainland of Greece in the Aegean sea and is essentially the product of a series of volcanic explosions which resulted in a giant caldera. The main part of the island slopes downwards into the sea (about 300m above sea level) with small white washed villages nestled into the layers of lava around the edge of the caldera. The outer parts of the island have a range of beaches of varying colours depending on which geological layer is exposed – red, white or black. All of this is very interesting, however for me, let’s be honest, really what the geographical layout means is a CRACKING view.

We stayed in a resort called Tholos in the beautiful town of Imerovigli. It is also known to many as the ‘Balcony to the Aegean’ – presumably because of its show stopping view of the sunset each night. After only a few minutes in the village, it was easy to see why all of the resorts and hotels in Imerovigli are built to provide stadium seating views out over the sea. Simply stunning. The town doesn’t boast the glitz and glamour of famous Oia – however it turned out to be absolutely perfect for what we were looking for. Peaceful and quiet with just enough restaurants in walking distance and a view to make you pinch your skin in a reality check.

The resort consisted of several apartments and studios built in the traditional Cycladic style. With the white washed walls built on different levels of the cliff, the steps to get between the different parts of the resort were almost vertical. Challenging to say the least at 34 weeks pregnant. However its somewhat precarious position meant the resort took advantage of the spectacular views of the volcano, deep blue Aegean sea and mesmerising sunset – so much so that it was easy to while away hours (day or night) simply staring at the view. The pool was perched on the edge of the resort and from our vantage spot on the sun-beds each day, we could very easily picture ourselves sliding straight from the pool into the ocean in one seamless move. After a particularly slow afternoon I was almost tempted to throw something over the edge of the cliff just to double check the view was real…gazing off into the distance in a trance like state it was easy to get a bit caught between dreamland and reality!

The location was absolutely perfect for us – the accommodation unfortunately was not. Without dwelling on a low point in the trip, Tholos messed us around to the point where we had to move rooms 3 times during our 9 day stay. Turns out, Tholos were running a little scheme which enabled them to have maximum occupancy by putting guests into sub-standard rooms (pushing 3 stars) before moving them into the luxury accommodation as advertised – but only after guests complained… Unfortunately every couple around the pool verified our theory which was extremely disappointing. Especially in light of the somewhat extortionate prices being charged… yes, Santorini is expensive but this took things to a whole new level. Nevertheless, the room we ended up in was lovely and once our blood pressure returned to normal (and we let go of our outrage at the injustice of it all) we lapped up the easy access to the pool and picture perfect views.

Eating in Santorini was un-doubtedly one of the highlights of our stay. Still can’t work out why the feta, olives and tomatoes taste SO much better in Greece…

With 16 restaurants within walking distance of our resort, we simply rolled from breakfast (hand delivered on our balcony), to the pool, to lunch, back to the pool and then out for dinner. Our favourites included La Maison with it’s traditional food in a more fine dining setting, Mezzo with its Greek Tavern type experience, Anogi for fantastic value for money, Bella Thira with Gyros that kept Justin returning day after day and Galini Cafe with mouth watering savoury pancakes decked out with the freshest local produce. All with views to send you into a staring trance of course!

In true honeymoon style we did very little other than to eat, sleep, swim and stare while in Santorini. This is exactly what we both needed after several years of pretty hard core travel. The mini excursions we went on were interesting but in all honesty, each time we left the resort we started day-dreaming about our position by the pool and whether it would still be vacant on our return… Famous Oia was beautiful in parts but didn’t live up to its hype for us simply because of the volume of tourists trampling through the village from dawn to dusk. It was impossible to appreciate the world renown sunset with elbows digging into your ribs and cameras being shoved in your face. Fira (capital) was chaotic and we couldn’t get out of there fast enough while our visit to the red beach and black beach (Kamari) while fascinating to see, felt far too much like tourist attractions and we couldn’t wait to get back to the relative isolation of Imerovigli and the peace of our resort.

Another time and another headspace we may have felt very differently about how to spend our time in Santorini, however serenity and relaxation were definitely the hottest items on our menu each day…anything that detracted from that didn’t stand a chance. After all, why leave your balcony when you have a private viewing of one of the most spectacular shows on earth around 7pm each night?! No brainer.

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Being pleasantly surprised in Amsterdam

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Cathy

When: 16th to 18th August 2013 Where: Amsterdam Stayed: The HIlton

Much to our delight, Amsterdam was a city full of surprises. Prior to actually going there, images of seedy backstreets and the notorious red light district were what sprang to mind. Yes, scantily clad ladies parading in doorways with young men blotto from a stag do leering at them is still a big part of the culture – but it turns out there’s a heck of a lot more to the city.

We stayed at the Hilton which was around 15mins tram ride from the heart of the city and only a few minutes walk from Vondelpark. Surprise number 1 – there are a huge number of parks and green spaces scattered throughout the city (about 40!). The location ended up being ideal with the surrounding streets a lovely leafy green, boutique shops scattered throughout and one of the 165 canals humming quietly out the front of our hotel.

That was until we returned to the hotel after a long day of trotting around the city to be greeted by thumping music and a heavy base – making our bones reverberate about 3 blocks from the hotel… long story short; we complained and unashamedly played the pregnancy card which ultimately resulted in an upgrade….to the John Lennon Honeymoon suite! Jackpot! Decked out in the traditional 60’s style complete with shag-pile carpet and retro green colour scheme, the suite was the room that John and Yoko honeymooned in and wrote a number of songs from. 360 degree views across the city and enough space to house a small family simply added to the ‘wow’ factor.

With my feet starting to drag a little with pregnancy exhaustion, we didn’t run ourselves ragged as is our usual style for weekend city breaks. Though we did ensure a few of the necessary touristy boxes were ticked. A Blue Boat canal cruise gave us a packaged up view of the best of Amsterdam. With around 2500 houseboats gracing the city waterways, hundreds of bridges to marvel at and beautiful canal houses with gabled facades just crying out to be photographed, the city is certainly a sight to be seen. Interestingly, most houses have a hook out the front that enables residents to hoist up heavy items rather than take on the narrow winding staircases that are typically inside. To aid the ‘hoisting’ process, the clever Dutch also built many of their houses on a lean – not the result of poor craftsmanship as many people hypothesize! All of this simply adds to the novelty and charming appearance of the city.

Waterside cafes and restaurants are plentiful and with the sun shining, we made the best of what Amsterdam had to offer. Café Het Molenpad was a hit with its simple yet tasty sandwiches – the novelty of knowing our table could tip into the canal at any point also added to the experience. Love it. From the boat we oohed and aahed at the quaint yet trendy appearance of the Jordaan area; and hot-footed it back over there to have a proper squiz on foot. Boutique shops and lovely cafes with independent charm, spread out across leafy cobblestone streets. Fantastic people watching too.

The people in Amsterdam were extremely friendly and helpful – like a breath of fresh air to not be ostracized simply because you’re a tourist. Turns out there are around 180 different cultures within Amsterdam – this acceptance and tolerance of other cultures extends right back to the early days where the importance of building relationships abroad was critical to survival of their trade industry.

Bikes are King in Amsterdam – to the point where it is not a relaxing experience to try and cross the road. We decided in the end, the only way to ensure safety was to look at least 10 times in the space of around 5 seconds. More often than not this gives you a degree of whiplash however bikes just seemed to materialize out of nowhere if you hesitate. The stats show there are around 880K bikes in the city (there are only around 800K residents so figure that out…!) and about 60% of locals ride everyday. So you can imagine the sheer volume of two wheeler people movers this creates. A healthy lifestyle – as long as you’re not on foot!

Of course it’d be remiss to talk about Amsterdam and not indulge in the Red Light district for a few sentences. After an interesting meal for Justin’s birthday at Greitch – famous for authentic Dutch food – we took a tour through a world that we’d previously only seen in documentaries. Although an extraordinary sight to be seen and very much feeling like a Hollywood movie set; I felt a real sense of sadness looking at the girls in the doorways. Most of them are gorgeous young things and you can’t help but wonder what their story is. What has driven them to this point of degradation and humiliation? At around 120 euro per client there’s some quick money to be made but it’d have to be on pretty desperate terms looking at the state of the clientele they deal with. Interestingly, there appeared to be a linear relationship with quality of the girls and the proximity to the main hub. Justin quipped that some of the girls should be paying the clients for some action instead… not funny… well just a bit. I was quite happy to leave the RLD and it’s intoxicating smell of mull and sweaty men behind after only a short visit.

Overall Amsterdam proved to be far more than it’s reputation had led us to believe. Although it will probably always have a seedy side to it due to its liberal attitude to drugs and prostitution; the city is also full of charm, character and beauty. Outside the pulsing heart beat of the city center, it’s an absolute delight to mosey around in peace and quiet of the backstreets….just watch out for the bikes!

Trying not to burn under the Tuscan sun

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Cathy

When: 31st July – 4th August 2013 Where: Lucca, Tuscany, Italy Stayed: Relais Del Lago

Before going to the Tuscan region of Italy, I’d built up a pretty vivid picture of what we would find there…mostly courtesy of the classic movie ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’. Needless to say my expectations were shrouded in romanticism and Hollywood stars. Despite my very high expectations, I wasn’t in the slightest bit disappointed. Rolling hills, olive groves, over-sized sun flowers lining the sides of the narrow un-graded roads, cicadas singing you to sleep, bikes from somewhere circa 1970 sitting propped up against old farmhouses, fruit orchards delivering breakfast straight to your table… the list of clichés goes on. I kept expecting to find Diane Lane clad in a head-scarf picking grapes in one of the many vineyards.

Our digs for the 4 days was a charming converted farmhouse called Relais Del Lago. Family run and exhibiting all the characteristics of a typical Tuscan household we quickly realized our trip was going to end about 2 weeks too short. Relais Del Lago sits about 15mins drive outside of the famous Tuscan town of Luca. Despite being quite close to a tourist hot spot, the B&B turned out to be so remote that our faithful Sat Nav (Tommy) couldn’t even find it. First attempt took us straight to the back yard of a very friendly non-English speaking family. Several minutes of charades later and we were back driving through their personal orchards in an attempt to find something that resembled more of a road than driveway.

Relais Del Lago has 8 private rooms and a fine dining al fresco restaurant with views across the stunning property, showcasing a peaceful sunset most nights. Set under the trees with fairy lights, lanterns and candles twinkling late into the night and the friendly sounds of vino glasses clinking, the restaurant was straight out of my movie script. The breakfast set up in amongst the shade of the pergola, vines and surrounded by a rainbow of potted plants and vintage style furniture was equally as mesmerizing. The star of the Relais Del Lago show was the pool however. At a relentless 36 degrees day in day out, the pool became a necessary part of our daily routine. So ensued 4 days of poolside kipping, paddling, trying to block out the screams and shenanigans of the French, Belgian and German families, and then venturing out for a feed as the heat got too much – even in the shade.

We learnt pretty quickly that although the Italians are famous for their fresh food and quality produce, in the remote parts of the country side absolutely nothing happens outside of 12-2pm. Of course we learnt this the hard way. Eat on schedule or go hungry!

Equipped with a confused Tommy (took us an hour to go somewhere that was only 10mins away…did wonders for our poolside zen state…), our daily adventures took us all over the (North Eastern) part of Tuscany. Each little town we visited as picturesque, friendly and quaint as the next. Montecarlo, Castiglione Garfagnana, Castelnuovo Garfagnana and Borgo a Mozzano. Tuscany certainly epitomizes the catch phrase ‘it’s not just about the destination…’ Each tight corner showcasing a different part of the glorious country-side. That’s if you can take your eyes off the road – no mean fete with crazy locals apparently keen to take on blind corners as a challenge. No need to slow down for on-coming traffic…

Lucca, a famous medieval walled city was more of a step towards tourist-ville than the tiny villages and towns we’d been visiting in amongst the hills and orchards. Nevertheless, it was well worth a visit. We hired bikes and rode around the wall taking in the different faces of the city. It’s probably worth clarifying that when I say ‘bikes’ in some cultures they could’ve passed as shopping trolleys with seats. Seemingly with a mind of their own the bikes provided an added challenge to navigating the hundreds of other (unqualified) cyclists doing the same thing. Lucca is a charming city steeped in some interesting history despite the relative congestion of tourists and inevitable tourist pricing. Car free streets with boutique shops, cute cafes, more gelato than you can poke a stick at and festive piazza’s done the way only the Italian’s know. To end our day in Lucca we had dinner at a trendy but super relaxed and friendly restaurant tucked away in the backstreets – Canuleia Trattoria – definitely off the tourist trail.

Sitting under the trees in a private courtyard with fairy lights dotting the night sky, homemade pasta warming our bellies and carafes of vino being downed like water I couldn’t imagine a more complete Italian experience. Only seeing a young mother breastfeeding with a baby in one hand and a glass of red in the other with a cigarette burning in the ashtray the following day topped it!

Extremely friendly locals who are tolerant of tourists with a worse grasp of the language than us, spectacular Hollywood scenery complete with every Tuscan cliché you can imagine, vine to plate food, spotless blue skies and we were well and truly under the spell of the Tuscan Sun…

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Remembering how good life can be in Nice

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Cathy

When: 27/06/2013 – 01/07/2013 Where: Nice, France Stayed: Mercure Nice Centre Grimaldi

Question: where will you find one of the largest contingents of sunburnt Brits, Americans and Aussies outside their respective countries?

Answer: Nice. Especially around mid to late June when fair skin is ripe for a beating…

Unfortunately we added another two to that particular tally. Apparently it’s possible to still buy suncream that ISN’T water resistant. Trap for new punters.

Nice sits on the south east coast of France. Proudly overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It’s the 5th largest city in France but the 2nd most popular. Having spent a few days there its very easy to see why it ranks so highly in the popularity stakes.

All reminders of dreary London were left behind as soon as Nice greeted us with the welcoming arms of a balmy evening. Ahhhhh…it was so lovely to breath out the grey air of the UK. No angry Londoners ready to elbow you in the ribs for a spot on the tube here. We stayed at the Mercure Grimaldi which turned out to be in a fantastic location. An easy five minute walk to the Premenade des Anglais, and a 10 minute stroll to the old town, we had the best of both worlds practically on our doorstep. Set back off the main restaurant drag in the new part of town (Rue Massina) the Mercure provided basic, clean accommodation with extremely welcoming staff.

IIt’s difficult to say what the most appealing aspects of Nice are. The old town (Vieux Nice) provides a flash back to the early days where you could imagine locals bartering and haggling for a good deal in the backstreets. It has the feel of a kind of grand bazaar with a maze of narrow streets offering cured meats, cheeses and pastries until you start to feel your digestive system getting backed up at the thought. The surrounding buildings are all beautifully Mediterranean looking with wooden shutters, a rainbow of pastel colours and and plantar pots displaying brightly coloured flowers on the window sills. It’s impossible not to stop for a crepe as the need to ‘get your french on’ becomes incredibly inviting.

Probably the most well known aspect of the old town is the cours Saleya which offers a smorgasbord of restaurants at night. Unlike anything we’d seen before with what I would describe as ‘too much choice’ – we quickly became overwhelmed and totally incapable of making a decision. Fortunately the old faithful adage of ‘go where the people are’ paid off and we ended up with a fantastic meal at La Safari.

In quite a contrast to this, the Promenade des Anglais (literally the walkway of the English) wreaks of money. This is where all the major hotels sit and you’re likely to see more leather humans kitted out in white wardrobes, and inline skaters weaving through the crowds than you can poke a stick at. Regardless of the time of day, there are hundreds of people exercising on the Promenade, basking in the sunshine and smiling ear to ear. Happiness – this is an emotion we’ve not seen a huge amount of on the streets of the UK. We quickly joined the throngs of smiling people as the glorious sunshine and mere sight of water kicked the endorphins into gear.

Although the Promenade offers an over-priced and slightly ridiculous 5 star private beach experience we couldn’t resist getting involved. Afterall, when in Rome! Paying more money than is sensible for a sun bed, towel and umbrella on Lido Plage we set up camp for the day. With a waiter on hand to take food and drink orders and hotel style bathrooms for exclusive use it was pretty easy to see how people could justify that kind of money on a daily basis. We looked across the fence at the great unwashed plebs who were roughing it on the pebbles in the searing heat and concluded that it was worth every penny. We also decided that yes, that would most likely be us next time…

Despite the dividing fence, the one thing we had in common was the challenge of actually going for a swim. Walking on pebbles with bare feet is one thing, but throw in a forceful onshore swell and all of a sudden, a simple swim becomes a real mission. In what must’ve looked like a bad comedy routine, Justin and I spent a good 10 minutes trying to overcome the elements in order to get ourselves back onto shore. The act involved planting your feet in the pebbles around thigh height in the water, biding your time until the tide receded slightly and then putting your thongs back on, gripping the bank of pebbles with your hands and lunging forward all while the sea recedes for a few mere seconds. It was critical to get some traction and a few steps in before the sea returned – consider yourself toast otherwise. It was quite amusing to watch the carnage on the shoreline as people attempted their own versions of exiting the water. There was something validating in watching highly refined individuals dripping in money lose all control and be thrown into a pile of arms and legs.

Going hand in hand with people who are ‘happy’, it’s probably no great surprise that the locals were actually really friendly too. It was such a pleasure to be thrown the odd ‘bonjour’ completely unprompted on the streets, and to be forgiven time and time again for our poor grasp on the language. A standout example of just how friendly the locals were was at Cafe Le Sejour. Coming highly recommended on trip advisor, the family run restaurant gave us one of the best eating experiences we’ve had in a long time. Bending over backwards to ensure we understood all the translations and were comfortable and enjoying ourselves, it almost felt appropriate to give them a hug when leaving. Outstanding food and service with table seating outside on a balmy evening, a mere few minutes from our hotel – what a find! Being spoilt rotten with nearly 2,000 restaurants to choose from in Nice, fortunately we also chose well the following night with In Vino… surprising considering the benchmark from the previous night!

Nice can be summed up as a bit of a show stopper. A simply beautiful city with jaw dropping views from Castle hill, an eating culture that could surely put you into an early grave, a friendly disposition with a splash of pretentiousness for amusement thrown in and a healthy beachside lifestyle that screams out retirement options. Thanks Nice, see you again in about 30 years if not sooner.

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Waiting for things to get easier in St Petersburg

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Cathy

When: 29/05/13 – 02/06/13 Where: St Petersburg, Russia Stayed: Park Inn Radisson, Pribaltiyskaya

We’d been pretty excited about our trip to St Petersburg. On paper it ticked all the boxes. Extraordinary architecture, canals winding through the city, magical White Nights, a fascinating and extravagant imperial past, a plethora of restaurants, world renowned ballet and opera and an intriguing history. We were practically clapping our hands together with excitement. Sadly, our experience pulled up a tad short.

The downhill run started early on in the trip for me; it went something like this: trapped on a shuttle bus between the plane and the terminal in searing heat, two and a quarter hours in the passport control line with elbows in my ribs, on the receiving end of an adult tantrum from a sales assistant who didn’t like the size of then note I gave her, 90mins on another shuttle bus to the hotel with a driver who thought he was playing ‘dodgems’…

And all of that was simply arriving in the country and getting to the hotel…

Pulling up my optimistic pants, I assumed I’d just had a series of unfortunate experiences. Sadly the hotel staff did little to shift my perception. I wanted to remind them that it wasn’t my fault they worked in a hotel that arguably could pass as a prison in many respects, and that I had nothing to do with the selection of the location for the hotel being in quite possibly the most inconvenient (and ugly) part of the city. I held my tongue.

I saved my questions and comments for a significantly friendlier local who was our guide for the Hermitage museum. I’ll never forget my shock at being told not to be friendly to people I don’t know, not to smile if asking for help in anyway and to most definitely never compliment someone. What?! Apparently people will be instantly suspicious if you try to be a generally nice human being – a hangover from the days of communism… oh boy.

Fortunately the Hermitage lived up to it’s hype. St Petersburg has over 100 museums scattered throughout the city, the Hermitage is by far the most well known and prestigious of them. I read somewhere that it would take you 11 years to spend just 1 minute looking at each piece in the museum – that gives you an idea of the scale. In addition to the obviously impressive collection of art, one of the most memorable aspects of the museum is it’s architecture.

Extremely well maintained in Baroque style; each room is simply jaw dropping. High ceilings, winding staircases, grand chandeliers, intricately detailed ornices, lavishly decorated halls – the museum even smells like imperial money. It was previously home to the Russian Tsars (also often known as the Winter Palace) so it’s probably no great surprise.

The Hermitage fronts the river Niva, the main waterway in St Petersburg. Considered the Venice of the North by many, St Petersburg is surrounded by water and is built on a series of around 42 islands. The islands are all very well connected by beautiful old bridges and the weaving canals between the broad boulevards make it an extremely picturesque city.

Everything centres around Nevsky Prospkt which is the main drag that runs through the heart of the city. Adorned by beautiful buildings, well known monuments, large shopping centres, grand squares and countless restaurants – most tourists make a bee-line for this area. Here we tucked into some traditional Russian donuts, gawked at The Church of our Saviour on Spilled Blood, contemplated buying some tacky Russian souvenirs and were gob-smacked by the sheer volume of fur available for purchase in Gostiny Dvor.

Not too far from Nevsky Prospkt is St Isaac’s cathedral – an elaborately decorated church with a 300 step pathway to the cities best viewing platform. The gold dome of the church (now a museum) can be seen all over the city and is somewhat of an iconic landmark. The view was impressive to say the least; though we were a little distracted with hotel envy given the number of grand establishments in the area.

With so many palaces and museums to check out, we took some trip advisor advice and paid Peter Hoff Palace a visit. After a 40minute hydrofoil ride we entered a whole new world. A luxurious imperial estate with incredible gardens and one of the largest fountain ensembles in the world was just stunning. Built for Peter the Great, the extravagance of the Summer Palace cannot be understated. The only downside being absolutely no english anywhere. Sadly a lot of the impact (outside of the obvious visual) was lost on us simply because we didn’t know what we were looking at and apparently providing information for tourists is not necessary. Very disappointing for such a breathtaking tourist attraction.

All in all, St Petersburg gave us a very unique cultural experience. By the end of the trip I was almost used to having my plate taken away before I’d finished my meal, being grunted at in greeting and had internalised my desire to smile as much. Fortunately the younger generation seem to be far more open to speaking to foreigners and some even quite keen to practice their English. As a result, we found ourselves returning several times to the University area of the city to eat. Cafe Zoom was a standout. Despite a very mixed experience, there is absolutely no doubt the city is simply spectacular from an architectural point of view and the history is fascinating. Just don’t expect a warm reception or things to be particularly easy…

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Living the high life in Hong Kong

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Cathy

When: May 5th to 7th 2013 Where: Hong Kong Stayed: Mandarin Oriental

Taking a step back in time in Innsbruck

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Cathy

When: 28/3/2013 – 1/4/2013 Where: Innsbruck, Austria Stayed: Best Western Goldener Adler, Old Town

There’s a lot to love about Innsbruck – in fact, I can’t decide what I love most about it. Could it be the15min cab ride from the airport, jaw dropping mountainous backdrop, medieval style buildings in the full spectrum of pastel colours, people who will bend over backwards for you, easy access to numerous ski resorts or is it the restaurant / cafe culture that leaves you paralysed by choice? Why choose a favourite among your children, just accept that it’s got a lot going for it!

Surrounded by mountains and located in a deep valley, Innsbruck sits between zee Germans and the Italians. It’s this location that gives Innsbruck such an incredible and imposing backdrop to the city. Walking through the 800 year old town, you really get a sense for what the city must’ve been like centuries ago. Despite now being swathed in bustling cafes and boutique stores; the old medieval style buildings with their collaboration of Gothic and Baroque architecture provide a real sense of an era long gone. The Golden Roof with its many gold plated copper tiles, sits majestically at the heart of the old town. You can almost picture Emperor Maximilian I perched in his royal box observing the knights and great unwashed below him.

Innsbruck is a well known sporting precinct, most famous for having hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. During our stay we paid the Bergisel Ski Jump a visit – a futuristic looking tower first built in 1925 and then renovated for the ’64 and ’76 Games and then again in 2002. With 365 degree views across Innsbruck, it provides a breathtaking view of the city and incredibly scenic backdrop. The only thing more impressive than the view is the fact that people actually throw themselves off the ski jump for sport!! Peering over the edge and seeing what the athletes see before they launch themselves into the air is mind blowing. There are 455 steps to the top – I’m happy to report we didn’t break a sweat during the funicular ride up. Boom boom.

We stayed at the Best Western Goldener Adler, conveniently located in the Old Town. Immersed in tradition and stories from another time, this family run hotel was so welcoming that we almost felt like an extension of the family. This is consistent with the majority of our experiences in Innsbruck – just feels as though people are keen to help you rather than challenge you as a tourist. For example, the Ski Rental shop will come and pick you up from your hotel to make life easy, and there is a free bus service around town that will take you directly out (and back) to any number of the 8 neighbourhood ski fields to save you hiring a car. Don’t mind if I do!

We only ended up skiing one day while in Innsbruck due to the unpredictable weather and visibility. All of this equals danger and handwork for those of us with tired legs. Our day of skiing was spent at Stubai Glacier – one of Europe’s largest glacier skiing areas. The highest point is around 3200m which means snow is pretty much guaranteed until around June – and some of the views are absolutely spectacular. It’s primarily an intermediate / family ski resort with access to 50km of downhill skiing. Plenty to keep us interested but with a reputation for always having snow, it also presents a pretty packed set of pistes. Unfortunately we ended up in the midst of a white out early afternoon which brought our session to a somewhat early close. Dodging human cannon balls in clear view is one thing, it’s another when you can’t see a metre in front of you!

Back on cobblestones and we wiled away the hours browsing boutique stores, cafe hopping (more apfel strudel than any human should eat), checking out the handmade goodies and sampling food from the Easter markets. Nothing wrong with a little pre dinner bratwurst is there? It’s no great surprise that eating was an absolute pleasure in Innsbruck – the only downside being the fact that smoking hasn’t yet been outlawed. A side of cigarette smoke has never aided my digestion.

We had an outstanding meal at our hotel one night followed by a fantastic experience at die Wilderin another night. Family run by a couple of very passionate locals we were encouraged to finish our enormous starters in exchange for shots of schnapps. Being early in my pregnancy poor Justin took one for the team… Fortunately the food was fantastic and the friendly atmosphere made it very easy to kick back for hours on end. A relaxing way to end our trip and memorable enough to overshadow the line of people 200 deep at the Easy Jet check in desk. Can always rely on a budget airline to bring you back to reality with a swift kick in the backside!

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Chasing the Northern lights in Reykjavik

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Cathy

When: 27/2/2013 – 2/3/2013 Where: Reykjavik, Iceland Stayed: Fosshotel Baron

Our biggest regret when it comes to Reykjavik is that we didn’t stay longer. Four days felt like scratching the tip of one of their awe inspiring glaciers that we didn’t have enough time to see. Although it’s a small city (c200K) – probably more like a country town compared with other European cities – its packed full of personality, charm and adventure.

We purchased a package deal with Iceland Air for our trip which included flights, hotel, transfers and a Northern lights expedition. This was a convenient and cost effective option if you’re happy to stay in a shoe box with no natural light and a shower that doesn’t provide elbow room for washing your hair. Hmmmm not ideal. Fortunately we were able to upgrade to a studio apartment so not all was lost – a good watch out for new punters however.

Reykjavik, the world’s most northerly capital, literally means ‘bay of smoke’ – named as such after the early settlers saw plumes of steam coming from the ground. These are actually geothermal vents which today are used to fuel many state of the art geothermal pools and spas across the city (in addition to providing energy and heating to houses). The most famous of these is the Blue Lagoon which is set amongst the lava fields. The Lagoon consists of 6 million liters of geothermal sea water – basically a gazillion tones of milky, super therapeutic water that seeps into your muscles and almost sends you comatose. Total bliss and no great surprise that Natural Geographic has added it to the list of the 25 wonders of the world.

The landscape surrounding Reykjavik is completely foreign and feels a little bit out of this world. Shaped by centuries of earth quakes and volcanic eruptions, it’s looks more like something you’d see as backdrop to an Alien movie. If you did nothing other than drive around the Golden Circle in Iceland you’d still leave feeling pretty chuffed about your experience.

Mother Nature was very poorly behaved throughout our entire trip save for a 4 hour window (more on that later). Constant rain and gail force winds meant the temperature felt significantly colder than it actually was. It was pretty easy to see who the tourists were walking around the city – those who persisted with umbrellas (aka us) versus those who don’t even bother trying anymore. The city itself was clean, friendly, incredibly modern and had a fantastic cafe and restaurant culture. Laugavegur was the main drag and it offered a plethora of eateries and boutique shops including more jumpers in the traditional Icelandic design than you could poke a stick at. (Otherwise known as the type of jumper you might consider wearing on Christmas jumper day at work. BUT exceptionally warm and cosy.)

We sampled many of the cafes including C for Cookie, Laundromat cafe and Grilled Market for dinner. Fortunately we’d timed our arrival with the Food and Fun festival which turned out to be a stroke of genius. The festival involves world renowned chefs working with local restauranters to create a fusion of flavours using local ingredients. The meal we had at Grilled market was absolutely outstanding and rates as one of the best. The fact that 2 tenors serenaded the room for part of the night just made the experience that bit more special. The only low point (for some of us) came when Justin mistakenly asked the chef if he was from Finland…..ahem, where are we my darling?!

With access to so many phenomenal natural wonders of the world, we were champing at the bit to get our ‘adventure pants’ on. The bus tour out to Gulfoss (mind blowing waterfall that rivals Niagra falls in power) and Geysir (the King of all spouting hot springs) was impressive and memorable.

However it was the Northern Lights expedition that we’ll remember most vividly for years to come. Let’s face it, you’d be pretty shattered to go all the way to Iceland and not see the Northern Lights. For us, it was the main reason we booked the trip in the first place. With horrific weather on the first night it was no great surprise to hear the tour had been cancelled. Fortunately a window of clear skies was due to open the following evening and the tour operator summoned every tourist in the city (well it felt like it). We all duly rugged up, tussled for a good position on the bus and sat back waiting for the light show to begin.

The tour guide gave us an explanation of the Northern lights (aurora borealis) and was mid sentence – explaining how the natural light displays result from the collision of charged particles with atoms – when he abruptly stopped and started shouting at us to look out the window. ‘1 o’clock, 1 o’clock, 1 o’clock Northern lights, Northern lights!’ I don’t think I’ve seen so many people simultaneously go into panic mode since I last watched the sinking scene from the Titanic! A flurry of arms and legs, coats, beanies and cameras with only a sense of calm reinstated once it became clear there were only so many faces that could be pressed up against the windows. Nevertheless, the natural light show was most certainly in action and fortunately the bus found somewhere to stop before there was any serious carnage.

It’s easy to see why chasing the Northern Lights could become somewhat of an obsession. Up to the minute weather and solar activity help the hunting process, but really, no one has any idea whether they’ll be graced by the display or not. Luckily we saw a mixture of discrete (more defined) and diffuse (spread out) displays across a spectrum of fluorescent green, yellow and orange. We stood outside in freezing conditions with our necks aching and bladders bursting but unable to move for fear of missing the best part of the show. Despite our luck, I still couldn’t drown out the little voice that queried whether it got any better and perhaps if you were further out of the city they might be even more vivid… tough crowd I know…

All in all we had an incredible trip to Iceland – one that well and truly lived up to it’s greatly hyped reputation. We came home feeling 3 feet taller after our invigorating experience – even Justin leaving the iPad on the bus at the airport and subsequently sprinting at full tilt to chase it down didn’t dampen our spirits. I credit the super clean air and therapeutic water for keeping my blood pressure down.

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Dodging bullets in Madonna di Campiglio

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Cathy

When: 24/01/2013 Where: Madonna di Campiglio, Italy Stayed: Cristal Palace Hotel

Two hours north of Verona lies Italy’s most famous resort – Madonna di Campiglio. Often cited as the jewel of the Dolomites, Madonna di Campiglio is a charming town sitting at 1500m altitude. With around 150km of ski runs and 57 lifts in the area not to mention an impeccable ski bus set up, the resort provides an ideal playground for the budding intermediate skier – aka us.

Despite being in one of the most beautiful and friendly ski resorts in the world with amazing food and awe inspiring ski access – our trip to Italy was fraught with mishaps and mini crises that seemed to snowball. (pun intended!)

It’s so ridiculous that it’s probably easier to sum it up in bullet point form – in sequential order, here’s the low down:

1. Gatwick Express packed it in leaving us sprinting for a train we had around 50% hope of going in the right direction. Oh how I love unhelpful staff at the train station. Luckily we were on the right side of the equation and made our flight with 5mins to spare. Really relaxing start to the trip.

2. You know that sick feeling you get in your stomach when all the bags have been collected off the carousel and everyone has made their way towards customs – but you’re still standing there waiting?…yep, that was me. Gotta love a missing bag that contains all your ski gear…on a ski trip…in a foreign country.

3. It’s one thing to have a bag go missing but it’s another to receive abysmal service and incorrect information. 8 phone calls to British Airways ‘help’ desk (aka ‘let’s make it up’ desk), four episodes of being hung up on and 2.5 days later my bag showed up. Having been told 6 different stories about my bag and having absolutely no idea when it would be delivered I moved into a mantra state of ‘I will not let BA ruin my trip, I will not let BA ruin my trip…’

4. With no ski gear to speak of, and in fact no clothes or toiletries full stop we urgently sought out the nearest shopping centre to the airport. ‘Thank god we bought Tommy (our Sat Nav) with us’ Justin and I remarked to each other on the way out to the car. After rummaging around in our hand luggage for 10minutes and pulling the entire contents of Justin’s bag out on the ground we declared Tommy was missing. Oh joy no navigation system in a foreign country…

5.Several hours later including at least an hour in the town where we turned the map in circles trying to find our hotel, we finally arrived. Being told ‘you’ve received an upgrade’ was music to our ears and we finally started to relax despite being minus 1 bag. The relief was short lived unfortunately as we quickly discovered our so called ‘upgrade’ was directly above the bar with fantastic acoustics for the music and moving of chairs on the floor boards. We were regaled with this noise until around 1am. Say no more.

6. Good news!! The skiing was sensational and with me kitted out in some of Justin’s thermals, some hired attire and some purchased clothing we clocked up the miles on the slopes in no time. Some of the most beautiful backdrops we’ve seen were splashed across the resort with long trails sweeping through the trees simply mind blowing. On countless occasions we stopped mid way down a run to take in the sights and commit it to memory. Amazing stuff. We covered each of the main ski areas we could access from Madonna di Campiglio including Pradalago, Pinzolo and Cinque Laghi.

7.More good news!! Eating and Apres ski in Madonna Di Campiglio was some of the best we’ve experienced. Chalet Fiat mountainside had an impressive range of food while Bar Suisse served up so many tapas it almost amounted to a full meal. Antico Focolare was packed to the rafters and for good reason – homemade pasta in a festive atmosphere with great service. Big tick! Le Roi also delivered simple pizzas in true Italian form – just what the doctor ordered after a big day on the slopes.

8. Sleep deprived, exhausted from 3 solid days of skiing and wrung out from stressing about the whereabouts of my bag, we embarked on the journey back to the airport during a serious dumping of snow. Just what you need when you’re driving on the opposite side of the road in a foreign country without a Sat Nav system when you’re feeling weary. Actually what I think you need even more is to be pulled over by the Italian police to partake in a game of ‘guess the question’…15mins later, ‘no male’ was dished out and we drove away wondering about the next installment of our trip.

9. We didn’t have to wait long – a delayed flight was on the cards. In all honesty we would’ve been surprised if the plane had been on time. Par for the course really. The icing on the cake however was some extreme turbulence which had us holding hands and whispering words of love and affection. You know there’s a problem when you’re practically sitting on the person next to you as the plane gets thrown across air shafts and the air stewards run for their seats… not an overly comforting sign. Especially when it lasts for the majority of the trip!

Fortunately we made it back home in one piece – completely exhausted and relieved to be on home turf with both bags in our grasp. The trip had all the signs of an absolute debacle but fortunately we didn’t ‘let the bastards grind us down’ and we came away with a very strong resolve to return to Madonna di Campiglio which rocketed to the top of our favorite ski resort list. Brava!

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Cathy & Justin Abroad

Scratching the surface of the rest of the world

Category Archives: Travel 2013

Sitting and staring in stunning Santorini

Being pleasantly surprised in Amsterdam

Trying not to burn under the Tuscan sun

Remembering how good life can be in Nice

Waiting for things to get easier in St Petersburg

Living the high life in Hong Kong

Taking a step back in time in Innsbruck

Chasing the Northern lights in Reykjavik

Dodging bullets in Madonna di Campiglio