“I want to see the monkeys,” Madam tells me one morning. We are still in Málaga, and I don’t even know if it has a zoo, or indeed any wild animals larger than a pigeon with attitude. “No, not in a zoo. In Gibraltar.” Gibraltar and I have something of a history. That sounds like … Continue reading Gibraltar
Malaga Too
At the base of the Alcazaba fortress sits the remains of a Roman theatre, which is impressive not only for its age but for the fact that everyone managed to lose it for several centuries. Built during the reign of Augustus, it was used for public performances until the 3rd century, then buried, forgotten, and … Continue reading Malaga Too
Torremolinos
All I know about Torremolinos I learned from Monty Python: "You sit next to a party of people from Rhyl who keep singing 'Torremolinos, Torremolinos', and complaining about the food, 'Oh! It's so greasy, isn't it?'" I dug up a couple more cultural references from the 1960s and 1970s: "A scandalous place where drugs and … Continue reading Torremolinos
Malaga
Thursday Storm Goretti is blowing outside our bedroom window. I can hear the glass creaking in the wind. Sixty-mile-an-hour gusts are forecast overnight, and the temperature is hovering just above zero. I’m huddled under the covers, wondering whether I should go and fetch another blanket. What is it with naming storms nowadays? It used to … Continue reading Malaga
Las Palmas
‘I don't want to go on camel rides, do you?’ asks Madam. ‘Umm,’ I reply, ‘I remember donkey rides on the beach, but not camels, my sweet.’ ‘I don’t want to visit the crocodile park, do you?’ ‘Crocodiles? No, I'm fairly certain there aren't any crocodiles in Eastbourne. It would have been in the paper … Continue reading Las Palmas
A Week in Tenerife
The skies are leaden, there is a fine drizzle. A northerly wind, which the weatherman describes as blustery, blows a fine rain horizontally. He says, with masterful understatement, that it will feel a little chilly today. Spring seems late this year. No daffodils, to me the first sign of spring, are showing. I recently bought … Continue reading A Week in Tenerife
Chania (and Bergen)
Greece. We are laying on a sun bed on the beach in Chania. We shared a bottle of wine last night as well as a cocktail (or two) and are feeling a little delicate, so plan on resting today Madam turns to me and says ‘You didn’t write a blog on our trip to Bergen’ … Continue reading Chania (and Bergen)
Cambridge
We haven't had much of a summer this year. A grey cold damp winter flowed seamlessly into an equally grey summer, albeit warmer, with only a few sunny days. Our recent trip to Norfolk had been damp and cold. Normally, we would book somewhere with guaranteed sunshine, but overseas travel has meant a confusing mass … Continue reading Cambridge
Norfolk
We can see Norwich cathedral from our hotel bedroom window. Actually, I'm being a little generous. If we stand by the window and peer sideways we can see the spire over a brick wall and a building or two. We normally stay in one of the budget hotel chains but, invariably, find ourselves fronting a … Continue reading Norfolk
Glastonbury and Wells
We’ve been lucky with the weather the last two weeks. We have had the odd shower but it has been mostly dry and warm. As we headed into the outskirts of Glastonbury the following morning the rain started. It was a steady light rain that signalled its intention to go nowhere fast. We parked at one end of … Continue reading Glastonbury and Wells
Travels With Madam 