The Ancient city of Seville

Last month, two of my work pals and I went to Seville for a City Break. We chose to go during the week when it is less busy than the weekends, and also late September when it is not quite so hot as the summers tend to be. Seville happens to be the warmest city in continental Europe. It is also the hottest major metropolitan area in Europe, with summer average high temperatures of above 35C (95F) and also the hottest in Spain. The week before we visited it was averaging daytime temperatures of 38/39C! Way too hot for us although it was still in the low 30's and quite humid while we were there. Thankfully the evenings were cooler.

Seville is approximately 2,200 years old. Various civilisations have been instrumental in its growth and has left the city with a distinct personality and a large and well-preserved historical centre including three UNESCO World heritage sites.

It is indeed unique and beautiful. We spent 4 days and 3 nights there which was enough for a city break and an introduction to Seville, but I would love to go back again and explore more of the city as there's so much to see. It's a place I imagine I would never tire of.

We stayed in a charming Airbnb apartment just on the outskirts of the city centre, about a 20 minute walk into town. It's always nice to experience a local feel and to relish the quietness you don't necessarily get when you're in the thick of things.

We had no real itinerary planned but had booked the Restaurant Recovero with a rooftop terrace for our first night so we could see views fo the city at night and get a sense of where we were. The vista was of course stunning and the food was delicious.

We loved walking through the narrow winding streets exploring the shops and myriad cafes and tapas bars to stop for a coffee or refreshing glass of Sangria. An excuse to rest weary legs, not that we needed one! 

To escape the searing heat on day two, we went down to the river in the late afternoon and spent an hour on a boat learning a bit more about this wondrous city. For €18 with Cruceros en Sevilla we boarded the boat near the Torre Del Oro and leisurely cruised up the river and back. 

Later in the evening we enjoyed a fabulous Flamenco show which we had prebooked through Tablao Flamenco. We were treated to an hour of passionate music and dance by some super talented performers.

We also visited Las Dueñas Palace which we stumbled across on our way to the Metropol Parasol. The Palace has a wonderfully diverse collection of art and sculpture set in stunning architecture that included styles from the Gothic-Mudejar era to the Renaissance period. 

We also went to see the Alcazar of Seville and Seville Cathedral and La Giralda but did not go on the tours inside as the queues were too long. The Cathedral is one of the largest in the world behind St Peter's in Rome and St Paul's in London. The Giralda tower was once part of a mosque that was originally there and this is evident in it's architectural style.

Situated in the Plaza de la Encarnación, the Metropol Parasol also known as the 'mushrooms of Seville' is an ultra modern structure, opened in 2011. It was designed by a German architect, Jürgen Mayer, who won a competition to revitalise the square. It is the largest wooden construction in the world.

There is also an antiquarian museum in the basement, along with market stalls and bars on the ground floor, where we sampled some local sherry and bought vacuum packed Manchego cheese and cured meat to bring home with us.

On our last full day, after exploring more of the city on foot, we went to the Seville Museum of Fine Arts or Museo de Bellas Artes. It has works of art by mainly Spanish artists, although not exclusively, from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque era right up to the 20th century.

After another full day of walking till our feet ached, our last night was spent at a lovely restaurant near the cathedral. Fitting in quite nicely with the locals who like to eat late, we had tapas and sangria, serenaded by street musicians.

Seville has definitely left a stamp on my heart (and my passport) and I hope to return again very soon.

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Kefalonia, Zakynthos and Ithaca .. jewels in the Ionian Sea

I've been wanting to go to the Greek Island of Kefalonia for quite some time and this year that dream became a reality.

Every year in June my girl friends and I go to an island within a four hour flying radius of London. The pandemic stopped us going for 2 years and last year we finally got to go to Corfu in September. This year we looked at a number of island  options but connections didn't work out with flights and ferries so we booked an EasyJet holiday to Kefalonia. It was a great deal and an easy process. Flights, accommodation and transfers all organised and paid for in advance.

We took a super early flight out so that we could make the most of our first day. We arrived around lunch time a little before check in so went and had a lovely lunch by the pool. 

The hotel Apostolata is set into a hillside and all rooms have a view of the beautiful Ionian sea. The location is lovely but it is about 3kms outside of the main town of Skala so if you like to be in the thick of it this is not the place for you. The hotel offers a free shuttle service every day except Sunday - twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon, the last one being at 5.30pm.

Our first full day was a Sunday, so as there was no shuttle service, we chose to walk to the town to get a sense of the area. Mostly downhill on the way there, it took about 40 minutes to our first stop at Nautilus restaurant which had a beach which you could access on a stepped path down the hill. We had a coffee and booked lunch for later on, giving us free use of the sun beds and umbrella. The beach was quite stoney so we walked further into town and bought beach shoes as we had forgotten to bring ours with us.

The water was crystal clear and relatively warm and it was such a joy to be on the beach and in the water again.

Lunch was delicious fresh fish with Greek salad and local wine. It was such a perfect location with views of the beach and sea. A great start to what was to be a fantastic holiday.

We went back to the beach for another swim and decided we had enough energy for the walk back. I have to say, that last kilometre or so up the hill was a struggle particularly as we didn't have suitable footwear (flip flops are really meant for the beach) but we racked up about 13,000 steps that day!

We booked 2 days of boat trips - one to Zakynthos or Zante as it's also known, and one to the island of Ithaca. Both trips were fabulous and we we went with Valsamis Cruises. It took about 90 minutes to get to the beautiful Shipwreck beach which was wonderful to see but crowded on the day with other boats dropping tourists off. The sea was too rough for us to get off and swim but it didn't matter as we had about 20 minutes to take it all in before going on to see the Blue Caves. I couldn't get over the myriad variations of the blues of the sea, it was just amazing. 

Cruising onward around the island we stopped at St. Nikolaos for about an hour and a half where we had a leisurely lunch overlooking the sea and the small harbour. On the way back we dropped anchor in a secluded bay for the chance to swim off the boat and enjoy the peace and tranquility.

Similarly, the trip to Ithaca was about an hour's sail away from the port of Poros but the island was charming and different to Zante. It was an enchantingly beautiful place, just as you'd imagine a Greek island would be. 

The capital Vathi, which was our first stop, is situated around a deep natural bay and retains all the charm and traditional architecture that is typical of the Ionian Islands. We got off there to spend an hour or so wandering around the
town with its water front shops, cafes and restaurants. 

Our second stop and where we had lunch was Kioni, also set in a sheltered bay with restaurants and cafes on the beach. This is an island I would love to come back to explore more. 

On the way back we stopped again at a beautiful secluded beach to swim in the crystal clear turquoise sea.

Mid week we got the local bus service for a trip to the capital of Argostolion on the other side of the island from where we were based. At a cost of €4.50 each way it was a bargain.

The journey took almost 2 hours as there were a number of stops along the way but it was an interesting trip on winding roads through little villages and seeing a great deal of the island which is surprisingly quite mountainous. The roads are generally quite narrow so there's no hurrying the process.

Argostolion looks relatively modern with a pedestrianised area filled with shops, cafes and restaurants. It was fairly quiet while we were there but apparently can get quite busy at times as it's a cruise ship stop. We checked out the shops and stopped for a Frappe - iced coffee - outside a typical Greek cafe.

We headed down to the water front and had lunch in a restaurant Aristofanis recommended to us by a local resident and it didn't disappoint. I love the Greek diet of fresh fish vegetables and salad. I could actually live on it permanently. 

The rest of our time between the day trips was spent at the beach in Skala, right in front of what became our favourite, Milos beach bar and restaurant. Two sun beds and umbrella plus two bottles of water was €8 for the day. The beach is mostly sand so not too many rocks to contend with and there is also a shower and changing hut.

We stayed there for lunch and went for drinks in the evening as we loved the location and the hospitality of the owner and his staff. We even got to see the strawberry super moon rise over the sea one night. A magical, serendipitous experience to remember. 

We met so many lovely people who also appreciate the beauty of this region and return every year without fail.

I think I may have left a little piece of my heart in Kefalonia and would love to come back to this beautiful island again one day.

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A long weekend in Beaune, France

I love a road trip, and recently at the end of May, had one with 3 friends. We drove from Zurich where they live, to Beaune in France, a three and a half hour journey on the auto route.

Beaune is situated in the heart of the Burgundy wine region and there is so much to see and do you would be hard pressed to get it all done in a few days, but try we did. The town itself is relatively small with an abundance of restaurants, bars and wine shops. We went on a holiday weekend so it was particularly busy with tourists from all over the world. We stayed in a gîte right in the centre of the town with easy access to everything. It is surprisingly quiet at night.

We had planned in advance to hire electric bicycles to cycle through the vineyards. The cycle route is off the main roads but occasionally we would have to navigate through villages with fortunately very little traffic to contend with. We stopped en route in Meursault for a coffee before continuing our journey to the Hotel Le Montrachet where we had a gorgeous lunch with accompanying wine from the region. 

The ride back was slightly more arduous, again stopping in Meursault for a drink, but we managed to get the bikes back by the agreed time of 6pm. It was a fabulous experience and one I would highly recommend. All that fresh air and open country was an utter joy.

We spent most of our time in Beaune itself. It has a great array of restaurants and bars to choose from. On the Saturday morning, there is a lovely French market with local produce, crafts, clothing and antiques. Its a bustling place full of atmosphere and definitely worth trying all the lovely fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as cheeses, meats even fresh pasta from an Italian trader.

Our favourite wine bar was Le Bristrot de Coin, a small bar on
the edge of a small square with a fab choice of local wines. The owner is very knowledgeable and recommended some great wines for us to try. 

We also ate lunch twice at a lovely restaurant La Superb, Bar à Manger, a Michelin guide recommendation. An unpretentious family run business, the food and wine paring was perfect.

We hopped on the train for the 20 minute journey to Dijon, the capital of the Burgundy region where we spent the afternoon. It's a picturesque town full of gothic and renaissance  architecture. Known primarily for producing mustard there is also the Musée des Beaux-Arts, housed in the Palace of the Dukes. 

We strolled around the town, stopping for a glass of wine right in front of the gothic church of Notre Dame where a wedding had just taken place. The bride and groom drove off in a Mini - how romantic!

A beautiful four days in France spent in predominantly late spring sunshine, we couldn't have asked for more.

Back to Switzerland and a day trip with a difference

Going back to my last blog post I alluded to the fact that once you're in Europe it's relatively easy to get around to visit another country. Switzerland borders three European countries - Germany, France and Italy and they can all be accessed via train or by road.

Fortunately for me, I have a friend who lives in Zurich so I was able to go back again and do a bit more exploring. On the day I arrived we spent time walking around the city centre and relaxing with a glass of rosé at Mövenpick in the early evening. 

We had planned a trip the next day to Lucerne and bought a day pass ticket which covered trams in Zurich, the train there and back and boats on the lake. Such good value at 75CHF, approximately £60. 

The train journey took about 40 minutes and we wandered around the town for an hour or so until our ferry to the Bürgenstock Hotel was ready to depart. I had seen this luxury hotel perched on top of a mountain with it's amazing views featured on a tv program. Although it's way out of my price range to stay there, going for lunch at one of their restaurants is perfectly doable and reasonably priced. 

It was so relaxing gliding along the lake taking in the mesmerising view until we docked at the pier to take the funicular cable car up to the top of the mountain. This was an extra cost of 50CHF about £40 for the return journey, but totally worth it for a truly spectacular experience both ways.

We had also booked in advance for their Spices Kitchen restaurant, which offers a mix of authentic dishes from Thailand, India, China and Japan. The magnificent panoramic view is like nothing else I have seen and the food and service was exquisite as you would expect from a hotel of this calibre and it's unique location.

After our wonderful lunch we were back on the funicular and the ferry to Lucerne where we picked up another boat and spent another 2 hours cruising on the lake and witnessing the fantastic scenery and lakeside towns till we reached Brunnen where we disembarked and caught the train back to Zurich.

Coming up next - a four day long weekend to the Burgundy region in France.

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Zurich, Zermatt, Milan and Colmar - whirlwind week

The wonderful thing about being in Europe is the ability to travel to another country relatively stress free. At the beginning of March I flew into Zurich, Switzerland from London City Airport and was blessed with early spring sunshine. All Covid PCR tests are now not required for us so getting through border control was a breeze. Apart from having to wear a face covering on the flight, it has all started to feel 'normal' again.

My best friend has lived in Zurich for a number of years and it's always best to be guided by a 'local' who knows the city well. My first couple of days were spent walking around the city centre getting a feel for the place. I had been there once before about 5 years ago but it was only a day either side of a trip to Italy for a long weekend, so can't say I really saw that much of it.

This time though we had planned a number of day trips, the first being a train journey to Zermatt in the south of the country near the Italian/French borders. This meant getting up at 6am to catch the 7am train in order to get the maximum hours from the day. Zermatt lies just below the iconic Matterhorn peak and we were lucky to get such a beautiful day to enjoy walking around this picturesque village with it's boutiques, cafe's and restaurants. We stopped for a drink on the sun terrace of The Omnia Hotel with a prime view of the mountain and the surrounding area. It was a beautiful day and there were a number of people paragliding over the nearby slopes. What a spectacular view that must have been!

Our next day trip was to Milan in Italy. Since the pandemic, the rules have changed and you must now book a reserved seat on the train which was a direct run through to Milano Centrale. The stop at the Italian border took a little longer than usual as all health passports were checked as well as whether we had the correct masks. It's mandatory to wear one indoors and on all public transport. All of the people complied with this rule which surprised me and I didn't see one person in breach of this law.

Milan has always been a favourite of ours and it was lovely to be back after almost 3 years. The weather stayed sunny and mild and we had a great day shopping and enjoying lunch al fresco. All that pavement pounding was tiring so we finished our day with a glass of prosecco before catching the train back to Zurich.

Since we were definitely on a roll, the following day we met with a friend and embarked on a road trip into France to Colmar in the Alsace region. The journey only took about an hour and a half from Zurich, skirting around Basel before entering France.

Colmar is well known for it's preserved old town and beautiful architectural landmarks. Again we were blessed with a stunningly beautiful spring day and walked through the town admiring building after building, each more picturesque than the next. It has a lovely array of shops and restaurants each sympathetically blended into the shop fronts. We ate lunch at the Restaurant Bartholdi which serves French cuisine with Alsacienne and fish specialities. 

We spent about 2 hours in total enjoying 3 courses and a bottle of Crémant which is the local sparking wine from this region. 

It was leisurely and relaxed with time to digest between courses. In my opinion, the best way to eat - if you have the time of course. 

I had white asparagus for starters and the main course of river trout with toasted almonds was cooked to perfection. Not one for desserts as a rule, I just had to try the meringue with berries and ice cream. C'est magnifique! 

Bucket list for the week's day trips well and truly ticked, we spent the next few days in Zurich mainly walking to different districts for food and sight seeing. We took a walk along the lake on the Sunday and it was brimming with people. 

Families enjoying the sunshine, people walking dogs, and even budding street artists honing their talents at the Rote Fabrik art and cultural centre.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Zurich is all about banking and being one of the most expensive cities in the world, and you'd be right in one respect, but it has so much more to offer.  Needless to say, I'll be back here again very soon!

Fun fact - did you know? Zurich is avant-garde: it was not only home to Dada, but also the place where the Freitag bag and world-renowned Helvetica typeface originated. SWISS TOURISM

If you want to travel around the city by train, tram or bus get yourself a Zurich Card, where you can enjoy Zurich in all its diversity and save time and money. The card can be purchased in the Zurich City Guide App. where all the information about discounts are to hand on your phone.

Cost - CHR 27 for 24 hours and CHF 53 for 72 hours

 

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Back to Barbados after almost 5 years ...

I've just had a wonderful week in Barbados with my best buddy after an absence of almost 5 years. It felt so great to go back as it is one of my favourite places in the world. Friends have often asked me 'what's so great about Barbados over any of the other Caribbean islands?' and I would say it's all about the culture, but mainly the people and the fact that the temperatures are pretty much consistent all year round. It is such a chilled out place, feels really safe and the people are so friendly and hospitable.

The fact that this was my eighth visit means that I have gotten to know different parts of the island and seen quite a bit although of course there is always more to see and experience.

Our accommodation was at the Beach View Hotel in Paynes Bay on the West Coast. I have stayed there a couple of times before and it will be my first choice again when I next go back. The location is perfect and it has such a laid back chilled atmosphere, it feels like a home from home. They have a choice of apartment style suites or spacious hotel rooms with small kitchenettes. There is also now a restaurant/bar in the newly extended part of the property called the Sugar Apple Cafe which offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

The beach is right across the road and there's lots to do within walking distance or even a bus ride away if you don't have access to a car. 

We saved a lot on cabs this trip, opting to take the local reggae bus with the locals. The cost was minimal .. Bajan $3.50, around US$1.75 or £1.30 for each trip. Be prepared though if you ride with them - they play loud music and no-one batts an eyelid. We loved the vibe and really enjoyed taking those buses.

One day there was a traffic jam and the driver asked if anyone was getting off. The answer was 'no' so he detoured through the back streets and bypassed the block. Problem solved.

Our first venture on the buses was nearly to the top of the island. We were on our way to one of our fave restaurants The Fish Pot for lunch. After a morning walk along the beach we hopped on the bus and when we reached Speightstown we discovered we would have to get another smaller bus from there. People were so helpful in directing us to the right one and even after we inadvertently passed our stop, they turned the van around and took us back. Nothing was too much trouble.

We were lucky to get in at the restaurant as they were
really busy that day so it was fortuitous that we had allowed the extra time as we had no idea how long it would take us to get there. I've only ever been there at night so it was lovely to see it in the light of day, and the food and wine just as good as I had remembered it. 

Most of our time during the week was spent at the beach in the morning before having a late lunch as a main meal. This suited us better as we could then go out for a drink in the evenings without the heaviness of another meal which we realised was too much after the first couple of days. 

On our first day we had a flying fish sandwich for lunch
from the local street vendor next to the fish market. It was so delicious and made even better eating it on the beach under the shade of a tree.

The first few days the sea was a bit rough but got better as the week went on. Walking along the beach to the next bay was quite treacherous as the ebbing and flowing waves would drag quite sizeable rocks into the water. I got whacked a couple of times on my ankles which was not pleasant.

I won't go into details of what we got up to every day as it was pretty much the same pattern apart from lunching at different restaurants. We would normally head to the beach in the mornings, have a swim and bask in the turquoise sea for at least an hour then go out for lunch. Afterwards we would go back to the beach for another swim and sometimes stay on to watch the sun set. Every evening it was different and always stunningly beautiful.

We went back to The Lone Star which I return to on every trip. I love it there and this was the first time going for lunch in the daylight. The food and wine selection is always top notch and of course the sea view is to die for. It's always worth booking in advance to ensure you get a table, especially at this time of year in high season.

We had dinner, lunch with drinks in the evenings at
Quattro Passi Bistro which was just across the road from the hotel. Previously known as The Cliff Beachclub it has had a revamp and an extension with a gorgeous lounge bar facing the sea. We regarded it affectionately as 'our local' and got to know the staff who were ever attentive and helpful.

We also tried Positano (previously Daphne's) which was a 5 minute walk north from our hotel. Right on the beach it's a perfect location for beach side dining and the Italian dishes were very good.

We took a walk towards Bridgetown one day and discovered yet another beach side restaurant Il Tempio in a gorgeous location. We had lunch there but as it was Election Day no alcohol was permitted to be sold or served until 6pm that evening. We were more than happy to have water with our meal but it seemed very quiet everywhere, with people understandably opting to wait until the evening when they could imbibe their favourite tipple.

We continued our walk towards Bridgetown after lunch and stumbled across another fab restaurant Cala Roca - its previous incarnation was Cin Cin by the Sea another former favourite. We went in for a coffee but ended up with a mocktail instead (no alcohol allowed till 6pm). It was the best Virgin Mary I have ever tasted. Lots of spice and so delicious, there was no need for the vodka.

With only 2 days left of our vacation we made a reservation to have lunch at the same place the next day.

I had a fabulous fresh fennel and grapefruit salad to start and a truffle mac and cheese pie. Usually I would choose a fish dish as it's always freshly caught but I just had to sample the pie as it's an island staple.

It was nice to be able to get French Provence rosé Minuty at most of the restaurants that we visited. It is always my choice to drink wines from this region so I was very happy.

Our last day was spent swimming and hanging out at the beach again followed by a late checkout and a lovely bon voyage lunch at Quattro Passi. Nothing nicer than having good food and a sea view imprinted in our minds before setting off for Grantley Adams International airport and our flight home to cold, grey London.

I have so many photos and memories I would love to share but it's impossible to do in this blog post so I hope I have been able to give you a flavour of our wonderful week on this beautiful tropical island. There's so much more to do and it's also worth doing a trip around the island to see the wild Atlantic coast and more beautiful beaches on the south coast. Until next time ...

Hotel and flights from London Gatwick was booked through British Airways