Whilst the sun shines (2024)

04/09/2019

So, we are in Orlando with the prime purpose of having a couple of days ar Universal ahead of enjoying a 7 day cruise starting on 1st September. This has now turned around to a holiday in Orlando with a few days on a cruise at the end of the week. The weather so far has been marvellous - no signs of what is to come in the next 4 hours or so. [ 283 more words ]
https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/orlando-waiting-for-dorian/

So, we are in Orlando with the prime purpose of having a couple of days ar Universal ahead of enjoying a 7 day cruise starting on 1st September. This has now turned around to a holiday in Orlando w…

02/06/2018

Cheruthuruthi On from the waterfalls at Alleppey to our next stop on the tour - the River Retreat - with some time to relax. The hotel is also a centre for Auyrvedic treatments - as were many of the places we stayed, even offered on the Houseboat - where an "oily rubdown" was included in our stay. Ok, it had a more technical term but that was basically it - impossible to turn over on the wooden massage bed without slipping all over the place. [ 792 more words ]
https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2018/06/02/kerala-india-part-2/

Cheruthuruthi On from the waterfalls at Alleppey to our next stop on the tour – the River Retreat – with some time to relax. The hotel is also a centre for Auyrvedic treatments – …

30/05/2018

Kochi So, following our expedition to the "Golden Triangle" a couple of years ago we thought a return trip to India would be a good idea - but this time to the Houseboats, Tea Plantations, and Wildlife of Kerala. What a good idea it turned out to be! After a long flight to Mumbai the connecting flight to Cochin was really just a short 2 hour hop away. [ 764 more words ]
https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2018/05/30/kerala-india-part-1/

Kochi So, following our expedition to the “Golden Triangle” a couple of years ago we thought a return trip to India would be a good idea – but this time to the Houseboats, Tea Pla…

29/04/2018

As the wise words say - location is everything - and they were right here. We took another trip to a Landmark Trust property. I think this is our 4th one (see Gibside in an earlier tale - the others were "pre-blog"). The house, Elton House, was 50 yards from the Roman Baths (and next door to a pub - location is everything). [ 630 more words ]
https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2018/04/29/bath/

As the wise words say – location is everything – and they were right here. We took another trip to a Landmark Trust property. I think this is our 4th one (see Gibside in an earlier tale…

28/01/2018

So, for the first time this year we weren't bogged down by work, illness, or the weather, to make a day trip out in to the English countryside. Equipped with walking boots, coats, hats, gloves & scarves we drove the 50 miles or so to a lovely, largely Tudor, Suffolk village. It does well to maintain it's Tudor heritage and benefits from a National Trust site (The Guildhouse) and the privately owned Little House Museum both in the market square. [ 386 more words ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/lavenham-suffolk-england/

So, for the first time this year we weren’t bogged down by work, illness, or the weather, to make a day trip out in to the English countryside. Equipped with walking boots, coats, hats, glove…

04/10/2017

Day 1 - Thunderstorms Day 2 - Thunderstorms Day 3 - Thunderstorms Sitting watching the third day of rain from our balcony at The Grand Hotel in Gozo. Our poor walking boots haven't even left the suitcase yet. Thinking of renaming the site to "Whilst the rain pours" but we're here for a while so plenty of time for it all to change - and better than being at work!

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/gozo-in-the-rain/

Day 1 – Thunderstorms Day 2 – Thunderstorms Day 3 – Thunderstorms Sitting watching the third day of rain from our balcony at The Grand Hotel in Gozo. Our poor walking boots haven&…

23/09/2017

A great pleasure to be back in Venice again - a few days either side of another cruise trip. On previous stays we've stumbled across the Carnival and been priced out of our favorite hotel, probably due to the Clooney wedding. This time we stumbled across the Venice Regatta and were almost priced out of our favorite hotel both due to the Regatta and the Film Festival (but we gritted our teeth and paid up). [ 415 more words ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/venice-2/

A great pleasure to be back in Venice again – a few days either side of another cruise trip. On previous stays we’ve stumbled across the Carnival and been priced out of our favorite hot…

12/09/2017

On a recent visit to the North of England we decided to stagger our journey back (and use up some hotel loyalty points) with a night at Hollins Hall (Marriott). The hotel is one of their Country Clubs with a golf course - not that either of us play - which means that they tend to be lovely old buildings set in well kept grounds with a quality restaurant. [ 336 more words ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2017/09/12/haworth-yorkshire/

On a recent visit to the North of England we decided to stagger our journey back (and use up some hotel loyalty points) with a night at Hollins Hall (Marriott). The hotel is one of their Country Cl…

22/05/2017

Looking for an unusual place to stay – take a look at the Landmark Trust. They have a wide range of extremely well maintained buildings available from cottages to old forts. This is one of them - The Banqueting House, Gibside. We’ve stayed in others before – Nicole Tower in Jersey and the Abbey Gatehouse in Tewkesbury. What they have in common is a wow factor that I don’t think you can get anywhere else. [ 399 more words ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2017/05/22/gibside-northumberland/

Looking for an unusual place to stay – take a look at the Landmark Trust. They have a wide range of extremely well maintained buildings available from cottages to old forts. This is one of them & #8…

20/05/2017

What a wonderful place to spend a weekend – unfortunately we only had a few hours as a cruise stop, part of a 7-day western Europe cruise on Princess. After a free shuttle bus ride (probably provided by Bilbao tourism rather than Princess Cruises) we had only a few hours to explore the town. Dominating the riverside area is the modern art Guggenheim Museum, so let’s start there. [ 247 more words ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2017/05/20/bilbao-spain/

What a wonderful place to spend a weekend – unfortunately we only had a few hours as a cruise stop, part of a 7-day western Europe cruise on Princess. After a free shuttle bus ride (probably provid…

03/05/2017

It’s been a little while since we’d been away but we were really looking forward to this one. We’ve been to Jersey many times before and always enjoyed being there. Just to put it on the map, Jersey is one of the Channel Islands just off the north coast of Normandy, France. Jersey is not classed as part of the United Kingdom but is a Crown Dependency, along with Guernsey, Herm, and Sark. [ 919 more words ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2017/05/03/jersey

It’s been a little while since we’d been away but we were really looking forward to this one. We’ve been to Jersey many times before and always enjoyed being there. Just to put it on the map, Jerse…

21/01/2017

So, every morning that I walk to the office – on average 4 days a week – there’s always people taking pictures. Not many tourists at that time of a morning, just people on their way to work, so I thought I’d join them. I’ve been doing this walk for about 2 years now but only recently thought about the sites I pass on the way so thought I’d share some with you. [ 649 more words ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2017/01/21/london-on-my-way-to-work

So, every morning that I walk to the office – on average 4 days a week – there’s always people taking pictures. Not many tourists at that time of a morning, just people on their way to work, so I t…

23/10/2016

One of our early stops on the cruise was Cartagena. I’d done a little bit of research ahead of our journey and thought that the Roman Theatre would be a good place to start. It’s difficult to know just how far the town is going to be from the cruise ship, but no worries with this one – the Cruise Port is right next to the City Walls. [ 397 more words ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/cartagena-the-one-in-spain

One of our early stops on the cruise was Cartagena. I’d done a little bit of research ahead of our journey and thought that the Roman Theatre would be a good place to start. It’s difficult to know …

02/10/2016

Have to start by saying what a marvelous experience check in at Southampton was. We went from car to ship in less than 15 minutes. We've been with other lines and waited (in something of a holding pen) for a couple of hours. This was fantastic. If I had a hat I'd take it off to them! We've spent a lot of holidays on cruise ships over the years and so noticed them change over time. [ 304 more words ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2016/10/02/life-aboard-the-independence-of-the-seas

Have to start by saying what a marvelous experience check in at Southampton was. We went from car to ship in less than 15 minutes. We’ve been with other lines and waited (in something of a ho…

06/08/2016

After what seemed like an age without a break we managed to fit in a trip to the quiet countryside of Suffolk. Absolutely no space for any wi-fi enabled products so we managed a marvelous Digital Detox (apparently all the trend just now - oh to be so on-trend!). We stayed at Potash Barns in Brundish - down a tranquil country lane. [ 249 more words. ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2016/08/06/a-weekend-in-suffolk

After what seemed like an age without a break we managed to fit in a trip to the quiet countryside of Suffolk. Absolutely no space for any wi-fi enabled products so we managed a marvelous Digital D…

01/07/2016

Limoges Arrived in Limoges on a cold and wet Sunday. Not a good start. There’s no public transport in to the centre but the cab fare is fixed at €24 between the airport and the train station. With this in mind I thought ours would be about the same – given that our hotel (Hotel de Paris) was just across the park from the train station. [ 716 more words. ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2016/07/01/a-wander-through-france-limoges-uzerche-carcassonne

Limoges Arrived in Limoges on a cold and wet Sunday. Not a good start. There’s no public transport in to the centre but the cab fare is fixed at €24 between the airport and the train station. With …

10/06/2016

Feeling adventurous on a Saturday morning last August we spotted an advert in the paper for this tour from Newmarket Holidays and booked it on the spot. Ok, adventurous for us, but no backpacking, camping, or arranging own transport in this one so, on the face of it, a highly organised, relaxed, adventure in to the unknown! Most of this turned out to be true, but a relaxed tour it ain’t – more of that as we go on. [ 1411 more words. ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2016/06/10/india-tigers-the-taj-mahal-and-a-lot-more-besides

Feeling adventurous on a Saturday morning last August we spotted an advert in the paper for this tour from Newmarket Holidays and booked it on the spot. Ok, adventurous for us, but no backpacking, …

23/03/2016

Ok, it needs no help from me in attracting visitors as it’s regularly at (or near) the top of the list of top UK attractions. Last year it had over 65 million visitors. This year it has an extra 3. I was inspired to go along again following our recent trips to Athens and Ephesus although when we take tours of archaeological sites abroad there is, more often than not, a reference to “……and the original of this object is on display in the British Museum.” [ 333 more words. ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/british-museum

Ok, it needs no help from me in attracting visitors as it’s regularly at (or near) the top of the list of top UK attractions. Last year it had over 65 million visitors. This year it has an extra 3.…

12/02/2016

Well, our 4th time in Venice but the first Wintertime visit. We booked on a whim a couple of months ago as I had some Hilton points burning a hole in my pocket. Unfortunately not enough for the Hilton on Giudecca (stayed there a couple of years ago, lovely to be so near the centre of Venice and stay in a hotel with a roof top pool/restaurant/champagne bar – not many of those around) but almost enough (with a bit of cash on top) to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn, just a short Bus ride in to the centre. [ 633 more words. ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2016/02/12/venice

Well, our 4th time in Venice but the first Wintertime visit. We booked on a whim a couple of months ago as I had some Hilton points burning a hole in my pocket. Unfortunately not enough for the Hil...

10/01/2016

Back in Tenerife for what must be the umpteenth time! We've stayed in 2 main areas over the years - the south, in Golf del Sur, or the north (as we are this time) in Puerto de la Cruz. We stay in the south if we are after a few days of not much else but sitting in the sunshine, but we've done that for the last 2 years so thought it was about time we went back to see the penguins at Loro Parque - but more of that later. [ 600 more words. ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2016/01/10/tenerife-puerto-de-la-cruz/

Back in Tenerife for what must be the umpteenth time! We've stayed in 2 main areas over the years - the south, in Golf del Sur, or the north (as we are this time) in Puerto de la Cruz. We st...

23/10/2015

So, we reach the final trip (based on current plans, but you never know!) of 2015. A whole 11 weeks until Tenerife in January 2016. We’re staying in Anvil Cottage, near the centre of Winchcombe, for a couple of days. On the first night we had dinner at The Lion Inn, which was absolutely fantastic. A little more than we normally spend on dinner for 2 but the food was well worth it and the service was excellent. [ 197 more words. ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/cotswolds-winchcombe-2/

So, we reach the final trip (based on current plans, but you never know!) of 2015. A whole 11 weeks until Tenerife in January 2016. We’re staying in Anvil Cottage, near the centre of Winchcombe, fo...

10/10/2015

The centre of Dubrovnik is a wonderfully compact walled city dating back to the 12th century. As you come through the main Pile gate the city opens up to a wide pedestrian street with narrow lanes running off both sides. Care – the lanes have some steep climbs to them! What else can you do in a walled city – apart from climb the walls? [ 900 more words. ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2015/10/10/cruise-stops-dubrovnik-santorini-and-kusadasi-ephesus/

The centre of Dubrovnik is a wonderfully compact walled city dating back to the 12th century. As you come through the main Pile gate the city opens up to a wide pedestrian street with narrow lanes ...

09/10/2015

Well, despite Celebrity's security concerns in Istanbul we made it across town from the airport to the port relatively comfortably. In fact, the only difficulty was of their own making. We'd booked transportation with them a couple of weeks ahead via the UK call centre – but no record of it when we got to the airport. Frustratingly, the people at the airport holding up the Celebrity signs don't actually work for the company so little we could do apart from pay them for a 'new transfer' and spend some time with Customer Relations on board (thanks Alexis) to get our $50 back. [ 399 more words. ]

https://whilstthesunshines.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/life-aboard-the-celebrity-constellation/

Well, despite Celebrity's security concerns in Istanbul we made it across town from the airport to the port relatively comfortably. In fact, the only difficulty was of their own making. We'd booked...

Whilst the sun shines