Christmas in Croatia

Day One - Arrived in Dubrovnik on time this morning a bit tired after driving to Gatwick overnight. Fortunately managed to sleep on the flight which is unusual for me.
Met our tour manager the lovely V at the airport and she remembered me from a holiday I did 3 years ago in Rabac. She takes the honour of been the first TM I have had twice, even gave me a hug, now there is a bonus.


Like what I have seen of the hotel Lero so far nice and clean,
rooms good shower, etc. Just about to get ready for welcome drink and meal so will reserve judgement on the food until later.
Had a walk into the old town for bit of lunch, very impressive, guided tour tomoz so should get some good photos.
Only met a few people so should get chatting with a few others tonight.


Day Two - Thought last nights meal was fine, it was buffet style and a decent choice. I opted for veg soup followed by chicken for my mains.
Slept really well last night, bed is very comfy and of course a couple of beers in the bar helped, well got to be sociable.
Was a leisurely day today as we didn't leave the hotel until 10am for our guided walk around the old town which is an interesting place.








In the afternoon following the walk a few of us went up the local mountain overlooking the town on the cable car. Some stunning views and a nice little cafe where we had lunch. Few of us had a steak sandwich which was good.

Basically just strolled around since before walking back to hotel for an hours chill before getting ready for tonight. A bonus was on the way back got to see the sunset of the Adriatic, was an amazing view.








The evening meal was OK but noticeable that the choices where very similar, same two soups and identical sweets. Mains where different and I went for the goulash.

Day 3 - it was an early start for the 3 hour drive to Mostar in Bosnia, journey was pleasant as got sat with a nice young lady called Gill on the coach and walked around together.

Did have an incident at the border as one lady in our group forgot her passport, not sure how because V our tour manager reminded us all numerous times, some folk just don't listen I suppose. Fortunately the border guards where in a good mood and let us in.
On arrival the devastation caused by the wat of the 1990s was obvious, although they have rebuilt much of it there was still plenty of bomb destroyed ruins and other places riddled with bullet holes.

We had a tour of the city before been taken to a restaurant for an included lunch. Was traditional Bosnian apparently and I enjoyed.

 
Eventually back to the hotel to prepare for the Christmas eve festivities and what a let down the meal was, same starters and sweets added to a very poor choice of mains, lots of the group where not happy to say the least.
We did have some live music in the restaurant after dinner a a bit of singing and dancing. To get the party going V had to pick on someone to drag on the dance floor, yes you guessed, don't know why they pick on the shy ones.
Know people were not happy with the food but that was nothing to how a good few felt when they shut the bar at 10-30pm. Some Christmas eve party that was, few of us did sit in reception while midnight to see chrimmy in properly but not really good enough for a Xmas holiday in my opinion.

Day 4 - The highlight of Xmas day is often the big meal, well not at this hotel, worst meal yet. Once again for the 4th day running we had the same soups as starters and identical desserts. The main course for meal was something called beef which was more fat with cold potato's and carrots, pathetic about sums it up.
Only one lady serving and she was clearing tables as well as getting everyone's drinks, ordered a glass of wine to enjoy with my meal and it turned up when had about finished. Wasn't not even a jug of water on the tables, lots of the group not happy. Certainly nothing resembling Xmas, not even a cracker to pull (Is this really a cristmas holiday as we were led to be be believed).

A few of us are planning to eat out on some of the other nights, would rather pay and get something nice than put up with the sub standard school diners the hotel serves.

Nothing planned to fill our day so couple of us done quite a bit of walking , to the port before lunch and a good long one in some woods this afternoon which ended overlooking some cliffs. Tried to follow a footpath marked on a map only to find it no longer exists, lol.

Later that evening we were supposed to have a light supper but the hotel provided a 2nd meal, believe this was after V had had a word about the meals and peoples complaints, even got free glass of wine courtesy of the hotel. Was some nice Pork and a couple of different sweets but clutching at straws if it was meant to be a major improvement.

Had a few beers on the night, plan was to have an early night but with encouragement from Godrey, Jane, George & Gill got to bed around 1am.

Day 5 -
Sadly hotel food was again mediocre and this nice hotel is been let down by the kitchen and early bar closures in my opinion.
Think tomorrow night a couple of us are gonna eat out at a local restaurant, I know half board is paid for but the food is ruining what should be a good holiday.

Today we visited Montenegro which was interesting first going to Kotar then to Budva, both cracking places although we got a bit of a soaking as we had wind and rain for the first time. Would love to go back and explore on a nice day.
Didn't have my holiday mate Gill with me as she was not feeling too good so took day off , nothing to do with the drinks or late night of course.



 










Day 6 - In the morning we went to cavtat which is a lovely place had a gorgeous chocolate drink, well it was so thick you had to eat it rather than drink. Had a nice walk around the bay before back on the bus.

Next it was wine tasting, went with no great expectations as it was a very small vineyard. However turned out one of the best I've visited, enjoyed and thought they looked after us well.






On returning to Dubrovnik mid afternoon took the opportunity to walk the impressive city walls. Well worth doing but be warned lots of steps to go up and down.
Last night decided to abandon the hotel food and went to a nice restaurant with Gill, Jane and Godfrey. Cracking meal so enjoyed it, was then to a local bar for a few laughs.
Don't think we were the only ones not eating at the hotel, JY really need to look into this as the food can only be described as "school diners before Jamie Oliver".











Day 7 - Bit of a chilling day as weather is wet and windy so cancelled a planned walk. Did go for lunch with a few of the group at the Bosnian restaurant next to the hotel. Was Richards birthday so helped him celebrate.
Last night thought the food in the hotel was slightly better, had some beef and was more variation of veg. They seem to have tried since Xmas diner but still a long way to go. Hope they can get things sorted fo the group following us for new year, I now V was trying to get the message over to hotel management.

Had a few beers and laughs in the hotel bar last night.

So to sum up the holiday in my opinion :-

Negatives - hotel food, hotel bar closing early (especially Xmas eve), no proper Christmas diner just much the same.

Positives - Vlatka our TM, Hotel staff, comfy bed and decent room, hot water, hotel location, Places we visited (well worth it) and of course some of the people I met, made some very nice friends which is always good on a solo group holiday.



One final story was the journey home, we got to Dubrovnik Airport as planned only to find it was closed due to high winds. Our plane had landed at Split and it was eventually announced after hanging around over 2 hours that they would bus us to the plane (a four hour journey).
Was rushed through security at Split and on the plane as the pilots were close to there hours, once in the air we were informed Gatwick was closed and were aiming to land at heathrow and be bussed to Gatwick, later this was to everyones dismay announced this had been changed to Luton.
Eventually hour luck changed and Gatwick reopened and we were one of the first few landing after an earlier incident.
Still we were 7 hours late and many people missed their buses, trains and planes home, fortunately i had already planned to stay over and a couple of others from our group booked the same hotel as had missed their transport. Just got to the pub to enjoy a couple of nice British beers and a lovely mixed grill.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hope everyone who reads my blog has a great Christmas and 2015 turns out to be a fantastic year.

City Break - Boston - Where everbody knows your name

Back in summer 2007 I decided to visit Boston for a short City Break and must admit its a place worth visiting and you can find plenty to entertain you for 4 or 5 days.
Its a bit different to the more modern American Cities, its more like a small British City with narrow streets which isn't surprising as we built it.
Its easy to get around on foot although it does have a small subway system and the centre is only a few stops from the airport which saves exspensive transfers.

Ok memory is a bit sketchy but using my photos here is a few of the things I did while over there :-

Boston isn't the cheapest for hotels in America but i found a decent deal at a small place called the Milner Hotel and it was adequate for me. The room was small but it was clean and actually incuded breakfast which was great. Location was great very close to Boston Common. Got talking to someone in a local bar and learned that it origionally (back in the day) was a Brothel and had been converted into an hotel.

 Boston Common is nice and a great place to chill out in the afternoon which i did on more than one occasion after a day site seeing.

 Wallking around Boston you come across lots of interesting places inluding the famous Quincy Market, excellent place to grab a bit of lunch.

 Around the market area was lots of street performers, bit of everything. Most impressive were a group of acrobats that actually turned out to be English.

 One day I decided to walk the Freedom Trail which goes from the Common to a Naval museum across the river.
The walk takes you through some historical areas and is about 2.5 mile long (so 5 mile as i walked both ways).

Got to mention that Boston is a big Baseball town an as a sports fan had to visit Fenway Park. To be honest though cant really understand the American love of this game, not one of my favorite sports.

 

 Another day jumped on a ferry which visited a number of small islands (Harbour Islands) where you got a good view of the Boston skyline.
You could get off at a few of the islands, some nice walks, beaches, etc. On one was Fort Warren an old civil war fort.

Remember visiting Salem on the ferry from Boston harbour as it was very hot and thought a boat ride a good idea planned to get the 4pm ferry back to Boston. I was really sticky after walking the streets in such high tempretures so I decided to grab a quick pint at about 3pm on my way to the ferry dock. Now let me tell you I don't normally drink during the day but that beer tasted so good, it never touched the sides. Well one pint led to another and I got chatting with the locals when I realised it was nearly 8pm and thats when the last ferry leaves. I was so close to missing it, almost spent the night sleeping under the stars in the home of witches.

 Of course a visit to Boston wouldn't be complete without doing lunch at the Cheers bar.
It was next to the common just opposite side to where my hotel was but only a 10 minute walk.

 While i was there think we were trying to take it back as redcoats were parading around the streets.

 Was also a big road race although not the famous Boston Marathon, but plenty taking part. Felt sorry for them as the tempretures were excessive.

Tallest building was the Prudential tower, not sure how it compares with places like New York or Chicago for height. Still it has some great city views from the top.










One thing I'll say about Boston there are plenty of Irish Pubs which is good if you are on your own as i've said in previous posts its no fun eating in restaurants unless with a group or as a couple.
Only thing I'll add is that I think most are owned by the same company as the menus are all the same.

So thats Boston, worth a trip I believe.

Holiday Calories do count

For many of us been on holiday means weight gain and for me this year has been  tough one with no fewer than 6 trips completed. And if I'm honest I've not worked hard enough between my trips so have decided i need a push before Xmas followed by another one afterwards.

One thing I'm not prepared to do is diet while on holiday, i like a drink or two and do enjoy my food especially when eating out.

Don't let me fool you my weight as always been on the heavy side but does fluctuate significantly although i'm actually reasonably fit for my age. I actually don't weigh myself i go by my clothes and how tight they feel nd must admit some of my holiday clothes were getting uncomfortable.

So my push began on my return from America and i believe its starting to take effect, its not easy but with will power i'll be able to wear all my glad rags dring the festive season.

One of my issues is my sweet tooth and thats one thing i've cut out completely, don't have anything in the house to tempt me. Bread is another thing I've eliminated at this time so no filling up on that and cheese has been limited. This s definately the right way for me.

I also occasionally would have a bottle of beer at home but not at present.

Am also trying to build up my exercise.

So how do you keep your weight in check following holidays ?

Thought I'd share this with you because I'm sure I'm not alone doing this and it is holiday related.

Americas Heart & Soul - Part 4 - "New Orleans"

First thing I'll say is that I think 450 miles in one day is too far, the interstates we travel down on this holiday arn't the most scenic in America. This Holiday needs to follow route 61 along the Mississippi for this leg of the trip and not I55, extend the holiday by one night with a overnight stop added at either Vicksburg (civil war history) or Clarksdale (birthplace of the blues), seems such a shame racing past them places.
Stephen our tour manager gave us an American history lesson on route to try fill in the hours on the road, a few listened, others plugged there music in while many tried to catch up with needed sleep.

We stopped for lunch at somewhere called Golden Corral an all you can eat buffet for around $12, was very good value i thought, plenty of choice, liked the puddings but i always like puddings.

Our other stop was at the Oak Alley Plantation which told us a bit about the days of the Slave, we also got a tour of the main house plus of course a free drink. Was ok but was there too long but suppose given the distance Ted our driver needed a rest.




As we started approaching the Big Easy we were driving through many swamps finally getting to our hotel early evening. The hotel was virtually an old warehouse but i liked it although some thought a bit far from the French Quarter (15 min walk) but ok by me was a nice area itself and i walk that to my local.

After getting showered and changed we were taken on a walking tour of the French quarter (Jackson square, Bourbon St, etc). Afterwards some returned on the coach while many stayed out to look for food which was a plenty.

Five of us found a bar/cafe we fancied and ordered our drinks and meals. When the meals came only four arrived and guess whose was missing (almost like Dennys last year). The staff were very apologetic even the chef came out to apologise and said it wouldn't be long. Others laughed as when mine came they had about finished and i was starting to feel anorexic, however i had the last laugh when the knocked it off my bill, first meal in new Orleans was a freebie. We eventually went back to the hotel for a couple more drinks before getting our heads down following a long day.

Next day was Teds final day with us, decent chap so thought most of us tipped him well and in the morning he took us over the longest bridge in the world (24 miles) over water for those that wanted to. This was followed by a City tour with a local guide which was ok but as i've said its not perfect on a coach.





The highlight of the evening was the Mississippi River Jazz cruise, enjoyed it the music ws excellent although i'm no jazz expert, the meal was adequate but not the best i've had. However do think all those that went seemed to enjoy.







Following day was the one optional excuursion i opted for, the swamp tour which was good, saw plenty of alligators and our boat driver had a small young one on board for those that wanted to handle one. However he stupidly held it on one of our ladies backs that didn't want it near her, frightend her somewhat which was well out of order and i hope someone from JY complains to the company because Stephen was made aware on our return.

On our return we had some free time in late afternoon to do our own things i took the opportunity to go to the Louisiana Confederate Museum, was small and wish i had more time to visit the much larger world war 2 museum next door. Still its a city i feel we just scatched the surfice so may go back one day.

Went out to eat in the French quarter then to a bar advertising music we had seen not too far from the hotel. Thought it would be good but sadly can only describe it as noise somewhat spoiling the last night for me, bad choice as plenty of other options in New Orleans.





Finally on the last morning before making our way to the airport some of us found time to visit the Madri Gras Museum which was basically a big warehouse where the design, make, repair and store some of the floats. Was wel worth the visit.





So summing up the holiday, it was good but could be improved in my opinion with a few little tweaks. Stephen our our manager was excellent certainly no complaints there and it was a nice group of people to travel with. My personal experience was a bit spoilt by my sore ankle and not sleeping too good through other issues in the early part but that was all just bd timing and othing to do with the holiday. If you fancy it, go for it as there are many excellent experiences and highlights on the way.

Americas Heart & Soul - Part 3 - "Memphis"

Day 6 we hit the road early and the planned stop at a family run restaurant was cancelled due to the amount of people expected. There had been a big religious convention in St Louis (judging by the hats i saw was thinking Royal Ascot).
It was agreed to stop and get food at a large Walmarts which was actually fine as i don't mind a sandwich at Lunch. Also gave a few of us chance to do some bargain shopping and i came away with a couple of pairs of Wrangler jeans for $22 each (about £14 to my reckoning).

At this stage need to say we had a birthday on the coach, not just any birthday it was Dawns 40th so we all gave her a rendition of the song while Stephen our Tour Manager presented her with a cupcake with 4 candles on (one for each decade).

On arrival in Memphis we stopped at the visitors centre to use the facilities, steal all their leaflets and pick up some scruffy bloke who was out city guide. Now Memphis is a city you look at that on the surfice looks awful but actually provides some of the holiday highlights sadly our tour wasn't one of them. We did go to the Lorraine Motel (national civil rights museum) to see where Martin Luthur King was shot but most of us were dissapointed we didn't have time to go in.

Still at the end of the tour we got one of the highlights when we visited Sun Studios albeit a little late, the tour of the small studio was fantastic with a really enthusiastic bloke telling us the history in a humerous fashion. You do feel in awe when you stand at the microphone where the likes of Wolf, Cash, Perkins, Lewis and someone called Presley once stood.






We then got to our hotel which was located only a couple of blocks to Beale Street where everyone was heading for the food and nightlife. So it was a quick shower & shave and hit Beale, group i was with decided to eat at Silky O'Sullivans Irish Bar, was a woman singer on and by the looks of the black rings around her eyes think she was on something sronger than aspirin. She had a decent voice but killed a few songs by been too loud (or am i getting old).

After the meal had a walk up Beale looking in a few souvenier shops so June & Steve could compete in the fridge magnet competition.
For entertainment we had decided on Blues City Cafe where a group called Hillbilly Casino where playing, they were a Rockabilly act from Nashville and when the walked on stage the looked crazy but was they good, awesome i would and what a range of songs. Some people bought their teeshirts but for some unknown reason i wanted one but ended up with their Christmas Album. Latest night out of the holiday but definately a Memphis highlight.

Following morning and breakfast at TGI Fridays which was ok it was off to Church and a Gospel Service, turned out interesting but even if you didn't like it you couldn't leave judging by the bouncers on the doors keeping people in. The Gospel singers were amazing nd the lead singer had a cracking voice and they even had a guitarist & drummer in the church.
Now the reverand was something out of the movies and he gave a sermon like you've never seen he also encouraged a lot of friendship and we all had to give people near us a hug on more than ne occasion. Certainly was a experience.

Following our escape from the hugs and handshakes it was on to Graceland where we spent 5 hours, for me 4 hours would have been enough but appreciate more ardent Elvis fans would want to stay all weekend.

Was impressed though enjoyed touring the house and the various museums and its well worth doing even if you are not his biggest fan. Passing the grave was quite touching.

















That night some of us decided to eat at TGI Fridays food was fine but they took an age for them to find us some knifes & Forks, ok for those with chips but me as i had mash with my meal. Poor service to be honest and didn't really deserve their tips that we gave them.

Afterwards it was a walk to Beale for a couple of Beers but it was much quieter on a Sunday night as most of the weekend crowd had gone home.

So thats Memphis and following Day it would be on the road again for the trek to New Orleans.