Gibraltar

“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 →

Land’s End and a Snow Globe

The sea spray splattered my glasses and the wind tugged at my hair causing it to stick up in an unusually expressive and interesting manner. I looked like a cross between a mad scientist and just plain mad. I zipped up my jacket. “Amazing! It’s like something from National Geographic!” Madam shouted above the wind. She was pointing … Continue reading Land’s End and a Snow Globe →

Grandma’s Bedroom in Penzance

We reached Penzance and I went up to the hotel reception to check in. We had booked into a more expensive hotel for tonight, mostly due to a lack of availability on a Saturday night rather than a desire for a better hotel. The hotel was probably upmarket fifty years ago. The world has moved on since then … Continue reading Grandma’s Bedroom in Penzance →

Charmouth to Exmouth and Jurassic Coast Fossil Hunting

Charmouth to Exmouth on our West Country road trip. Hunting for fossils along the Jurassic Coast and a trip to Lyme Regis. We headed to the Charmouth Heritage Centre and had a polite look round at the locally found fossils on display. The centre was set up in 1985 to encourage safe and sustainable collecting … Continue reading Charmouth to Exmouth and Jurassic Coast Fossil Hunting →

Bournemouth to Durdle Door

First stops at the Durdle Door, Dorset, the beach and Bournemouth on our road trip to the south-west. Due to Madam’s impressive driving skills we arrived in Bournemouth two hours before we could check into the hotel so we found a multi-story car park close to the pier where I parted with £4.50 for two … Continue reading Bournemouth to Durdle Door →