Barbados Diary: Day 3

This being a special day for us (yes, certain pieces of paper were signed on this day 5 years ago), we decided to have a very relaxed day.

Lying down on the beach reading our books, going for a swim in the lovely turquoise sea, and drying off again on the beach. Very tiring indeed...

 

We didn't even have to go anywhere else to have lunch, as the hotel offered service to our sun loungers. The rum punch was also a hit. Apparently :)

 

After an afternoon doing much the same as the morning we ventured the whole 10 metres to our hotel, went up to our room and got ready to go out for dinner.

For this evening we had planned to go to St Lawrence Gap, and in particular to eat at Sweet Potatoes.

They had some pretty potent cocktails on offer, but the food was what we were here for, and was very good (service of course exceptional).

 

The unfortunate thing this night, was that I ended up with acute stomach cramps and could not enjoy the meal as I should. As a disclaimer here, I suspect possibly something from lunch on the beach as I felt the effects before the meal was served. Olga was fine, and thoroughly enjoyed her meal despite the company.

Once recovered we walked a little bit more around the area and headed back to the hotel.

Barbados Diary: Day 2

Breakfast then beach seemed to be our regular routine in the mornings, allowing us to soak up some sun, swim, read and not get sunburnt.

We then hopped on a bus to Speightstown (pronounced Spicetown). This destination is quite a way up the west "platinum" coast, passing all the fancy boutiques, mansions, golf clubs and restaurants.

Being the most traditional of towns in Barbados, the atmosphere is very relaxed, the buildings sometimes colonial, sometimes just local architecture. A lovely bit of coastline, a pier, and a great Fisherman's Pub. Here we stopped for some refreshments (it was nearly midday and the sun was beating down on us) whilst watching the boats pass by.

Next up, try and find a bus that would take us to Farley Hill Nature Reserve and the Barbados Wildlife Reserve. Crossing the road to speak to various drivers, we realised there wasn't actually a bus that would be stopping where we wanted (most people would drive themselves), but one of the little minibuses said they would make a diversion and drop us at the end of the road. This they did, and we arrived at Farley Hill to find that the entrance fee only applied to vehicles, so we could walk in for free and marvel at the stunning views of the island from this high point.

After looking over the lush forested landscape and coastline, we headed to the other side of the road where the Wildlife Reserve was to be found. This was not free entry, but was well worth the price. Here we walked around an "open" enclosure and saw tortoises (who seemed to rule the pathways and would head straight for you until you moved out of their way), green monkeys (running and playing around in the trees, on the ground, and anywhere they could get to), plus other local wildlife such as deer, birds and alligators (don't worry, they were in a "closed" enclosure).

We ended our visit to the reserve just after feeding time, when all the animals come together to feed in a central spot. This they generally did harmoniously, although occasionally the monkeys would take the food out of the deer's mouth and eat it themselves.

We took a bus (now we knew when they would pass here) back to Bridgetown, although shortly after boarding noticed that it was the end of the school day. The children in Barbados get free travel on the state buses, so it filled and filled until there was not even any room to stand. This in the afternoon heat whilst travelling for a couple of hours meant that we arrived back at our hotel sticky and tired.

After showering we headed down to the beach, where we could relax in the sun, and had a plate of cheesy chips to help us recover.

The evening saw us take a bus down the coast a bit to Oistins. On Fridays and Saturdays there is a big fish market here, where then turns into a big Fish-Fry in the evenings, serving up their catch to the bustling crowd. Getting down here on these nights can be very slow. Traffic crawls to a halt as many cars try to find a non-existent parking space. Best to take the bus to nearby and walk the rest.

So amongst the music, the people and the smoke from the cooking, we joined the queue to have flying fish, mahi mahi, mac pie and coleslaw. The food is some of the tastiest, with the atmosphere very buzzing. Wash it down with some local Banks beer (or even better, the rum-cask-aged 10 Saints beer). Definitely an experience worth having, although it was very busy. Maybe next time we'll also try during the week when it should be more relaxed and fewer queues.

Now fully fed, we walked back a bit and then took a bus back to the hotel for the night.

Barbados Diary: Day 1

Waking up to the sound of the sea washing up on the beach, whilst the sun tries to shine through the thin curtains must be one of the most relaxing ways to be awoken. It certainly was for us. Paradise, pure!

Breakfast of cereal, fresh fruit (of course mostly exotic), plus some local pastries and banana bread set us up for a lovely morning on the beach. The local wildlife also quite liked the breakfast, and if you left your tale unoccupied whilst fetching more food, you would come back to find birds eating up your leftovers.

 

Lying under the palms (actually this day they were almond trees - they may be smaller than coconuts, but still hurt when they fall on you) watching the sun move across the sky, the people in the water and our room about 30m above us, we devoured the pages of our books feeling fully relaxed.

The temperature here was great. Never did it go below 20 degrees Celsius (meaning you didn't get cold at night, even with the window open) and during the day it reached about 28 degrees. Perfect for drying off after a swim in the warm waters for the Caribbean. Of course, this being near the equator, a sun lotion is required most of the time, as the sun burns your skin pretty quickly. But even I survived intact, applying the cream whenever we went out.

Once the hunger pangs started occurring, it was our sign that we had to move onto to something else. Returning to our room, showering and picking up cameras and guide books, we went out to get a bus to the capital - Bridgetown (or B'town as the signposts suggested).

We were told there are three types of buses in Barbados. The official, state run ones (blue school-bus size, with yellow stripe down middle), private company ones (yellow school-bus size, with blue stripe down middle), and the minibuses which are all privately owned (and white in colour). They all cost the same and so we got on the first one that came along, which happened to be a little white minibus.

More people climbed on board at every stop, with few disembarking, until we realised there were more people than seats inside.Some people were sitting on other's laps, feet, and the floor. The speed of acceleration and braking even out-did the Colombian buses. We found out later these are nicknamed the suicide/kamikaze buses.

However, after about an hour and a half we arrived at our destination (well, actually it was the non-state bus depot just outside of the centre), and made our way in the midday sun to the centre of town.

Looking at our Lonely Planet, we decided to take one of their recommended spots to eat lunch, called the Balcony Restaurant, found on the first floor of a department store called Cave Shephard. We were the only non-locals eating here, and apart from the slight chaos in filling your plate and finding a table to sit at, we enjoyed it very much. The food was very tasty, the servers friendly, and the price was very reasonable for the quality and quantity provided. We tried some of the local specialities including a bit of flying fish, which was very tasty.

After the late lunch we spent the rest of the day looking around Bridgetown, taking in the sights, the harbour and the old buildings, before getting back to the bus depot and taking a yellow bus back to the hotel (only took 45 minutes).

Seeing as we had filled ourselves at lunchtime, we decided that an evening dinner would be too much, so instead we went to a small mall down the road and had some home made ice cream and cakes.

Back at the hotel, leaving the balcony door slightly ajar, we then headed off for bed so that we could make full use of the next day. Listening to the waves lap onto the shore and the turning of the roof fan made sure we relaxed into the dreams which were in fact reality.

Barbados Diary: Day 0

Swimsuits? Check.
Sun lotion? Check.
Summarized and categorised list of all places to visit, eat at and what to do, nicely assimilated from multiple reliable sources on the internet and typed up onto crisp new sheets of A4 paper? Check.

We were ready for our holiday!

Having arrived at Gatwick Airport with plenty of time, we had a look around the shops, grabbed a bite to eat and sat in the main area reading whilst awaiting the gate announcement.

This duly came, and we made our way (after leaving the finished magazines on a chair so someone else could enjoy them before they get recycled) towards the appropriate gate feeling quite smug.

You see, normally when we travel somewhere else we feel envious at each gate we pass which states a better destination than our own. This time it was our time to be the enviable, no gate could match ours, and we watched the other people going past it saying to themselves "I wish I was going there".

 

 

No, that's not me in the background...

The waiting area filled up, people came by in their posh frocks - too many to all be in first class. Lucky for us we weren't too shabby either, as the dress code was one of the many aspects read up on in advance.

Time for boarding. Goodbye surprisingly sunny London, you'll feel a lot colder when we return.

The flight was like most transatlantic flights, although our first with BA. The TV screens in the chairs seemed smaller than those of Delta, and didn't have any games on offer for inflight entertainment. However they did have the films.

We needn't have worried about the flight being full, as ever other row seemed to be empty, so plenty of space to spread out if you so wished (right, Olga?).

Four films finished, and we came into Bridgetown Airport just after sunset, so we saw the lights on the island, but alas not the coastline. That would have to wait until the following day.

Oh yes !

Getting off the plane brought back memories of the Barranquilla climate (being roughly the same latitude this isn't surprising), however, even Olga had to admit it - this was Barranquilla, but comfortable :)

Queuing for the immigration desks there were some lovely colourful posters along the walls, next to signs saying "no photography". I duly acted like an ignorant tourist, and got the following shot:

Ignorance is bliss

Leaving the airport we needed a taxi to our hotel, and so what did we do? You got it, joined another queue. This is all quite the norm for us English folk, but seemed to be beyond the people of a more continental / merkelesque origin, who couldn't believe you couldn't get in the first cab if you pushed hard enough. Luckily there was security on hand, and the queue moved forward in it's defined manner. Oh, colonial remnants :)

Getting to the hotel took about 20 minutes going through roads with palm trees all over the place, the hint of rum in the air, and always smiling faces.

Coconut Court, Hastings, Barbados. Our home for the next week.

After checking out the very comfortable room and unpacking our things, we then started to plan the next day. Except, where did all those meticulously researched and typed up notes go?

If anyone reading a What Digital Camera magazine found on a chair at Gatwick is planning to go to Barbados, I highly recommend you take out the collection of A4 pages used as a page marker and keep them safely with you on your trip.

We finally relaxed to sleep to the sound of the sea lapping up against the shore 30 foot below us, and the roof fan slowly turning around.

Barbados Diary: Introduction

It's been a very long time, and excuses have grown thin (how do they do that? Can I copy that idea and patent it?) but here's a bit of expansion into the diary genre.

A well-deserved holiday was in order to finally relax and disconnect, and after a bit of deal-searching, link-foraging and bargain bashing, we found a great offer to Barbados.

As such (and in case I forget in a couple of month's time) I decided to put up a day by day account to look back on when you're stuck at home surrounded by snow and getting the winter blues.

Enjoy!

Having a feast with Jamie

Last weekend saw Jamie Oliver get together with other chefs, plus a selection of bands and musicians to deliver The Big Feastival, in Kingham, Oxfordshire.

Live music, food stalls, cookery classes - what was there not to like?

It was a lovely sunny day, a few clouds in the sky, and a bit of a breeze, perfect for being outside all afternoon/evening.

The only downside of this being on a farm, was that as it had rained the previous day, there were still patches of mud around - not much good when you're wearing sandals. D'oh!

The food stalls ranged from Brindian, to a paelleria, churros, BBQ, vegetarian, goat's milk ice-cream, pizzas, fishdogs - basically anything you could think of. And all cooked to the standards of the restaurants most of the top chefs work for/own.

The music was good, but it was the food we were there for. And the pinnacle of the day was of course the final cookery demonstration done by Jamie and his teacher: Gennaro Contaldo.

The 'show' was superb. Funny all the way through (they had been behind the scenes drinking for most of the day), the food smelled amazing, and everyone learned something from it.

Of course there was a downside to the day. Walking home from the train station saw Olga twist her ankle. Although she could walk back home without any pain, at about 3.30am it really started hurting, which meant that after an ibuprofin and an ice-pack, we set off to the JR Hospital A&E.

 Despite the 4 hour expected wait time, we were actually in and out (after having x-rays and bandages done) within two hours, so well done nurses (who were also in pretty good moods considering the time of the Sunday morning). Olga was of course happy it was just a sprain (and I think the drugs had started to kick in by then too).

To see all the photos from the festival click here.

Life's a beach

On the back of the Olympic success story, we finally managed to find time to visit a place we've neglected for quite a while. Yes, that's right, the Guiri was going back to Valencia!

Apparently Valencia was the most popular place to be at this time, as flights were nearly non-existent (or 5 times the normal price), which meant we took an alternative route, flying from Birmingham to Alicante.

 

Arriving in Alicante in the evening with 30 degrees Celsius was a pleasant change from the British weather we had just been experiencing. Dropping off the bags, we headed out for a dinner of tapas and a stroll along the waterfront.

The next day saw the thermometer go up and up whilst we tried to cool down on the beach (or rather, in the sea). There's nothing quite like it, and we only got out of the water when we saw how wrinkled our fingers had become.

Lunch saw the first paella of the trip, with gazpacho for starters and flan for dessert. Just enough to whet the appetite for Valencia, which is where we headed on the train.

In Valencia we invaded the apartment of Sylvia who was kind to us throughout our stay. Just a stone's throw away from the centre, this was great for meeting up with friends plus going to the beach.

Of course the beach was also visited here, but alas we couldn't venture further afield due to the shortness of our trip and the amount of things we wanted to do.

So, in no order whatsoever, here are the great friends we were able to meet up with again: Silvie, Gloria (& Abdon), Pepe, Ana, Miquel, Martha, Jordi, Gema (& Victor, Alejandra, Claudia), Fernando, Valeria (& Iker), Bruno, and Albakra (& Sofia, Albert, Alicia).

We had an amazing arroz negro made by Gloria, paella de mariscos, paelle con costilla, all sorts of amazing montaditos, pumpkin ice-cream and much much more (and could still fit into our swimming attire).

But all good things must come to an end, and as such, a week after our arrival we headed off by train to Barcelona to catch our plane back home.

So was it worth it? Of course it was! It brought back many good memories, we caught up with news from all the people we met, did some shopping, beach and sea, and of course enjoyed the sun. Next time we will have to try and meet up with those who weren't available.

To see the full album of photos, click here.

Hasta luego !

Olgui's Pink Birthday

That time of the year has come around again. Yes, it was celebrations all round as Olgui celebrated another candle appearing on her cake.

This year we met up in All Bar One with friends for a pink-themed party. Some people went all out, others had to search high and low for anything in this colour.

With Elena, Clea, Monika, Gianina, Eva, Andreia and Mar, the place got pretty busy (and lively).

We actually only noticed the torrential downpour at midnight when we left to go our separate ways, but nothing a quick run couldn't fix.

 

Here's to another year of a wiser and more mature (like the wine, not the cheese) Olgui :)

Ali, Marilyn, and Cryptic Tea

Before the end of the first quarter of 2012, the delightful Ali decided to pay us another visit. Although we couldn't guarantee the weather, it actually turned out okay in the end.

Friday night saw us visit Pierre Victoire's restaurant and have an amazing French meal. This was followed by a meet up with the girls (it was actually 3 guys to about 20 girls, so we weren't complaining).

We got up early on Saturday to get the train down to London (or is that up?) where we headed towards Oxford Street. Not for any shopping, mind, but rather to visit the Getty Images exhibition of Marilyn Monroe. There were photos of her during filming, plus private photos shopping, visiting London and relaxing. Also on show were the costumes from some of her plays, photos of which you will see below.

After the exhibition, we went down Regent Street so the girls could do some shopping in the big stores. After a light snack for lunch, it was off to the theatre to see Absent Friends, which was very enjoyable.

Of course the hunger came back after we  came out of the theatre, so we went to St Martin on the Fields for a spot of afternoon tea in the crypt which was very atmospheric (and quite tasty too).

On returning home we unwound on the sofa watching the latest episode of Inspector Montalbano. What a full day !

Sunday was not quite so early, but as the sun came out we headed off to Witney where after walking around for a bit we returned to the Hollybush for our Sunday Lunch. What a meal it was! This place is definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Witney one day.

After all that, it was time to say goodbye to Ali as on Monday morning she left for Mainz again. I'm sure it won't be her last visit though, so better get planning already...

You can see the rest of the photos here...

Oxfordshire Cycle Trip #2

Yesterday afternoon the sun was out, and after a light shower had gone away, it was perfect timing for getting out on the bike again and enjoying the fresh air.

Unfortunately this time the internet had just stopped working at home, so I was not able to plan any routes. Instead I just head off towards Islip and from there took any roads that looked interesting. Of course there were some hills along the way, yet again I was caught out by a long slow climbing hill, which once around a corner, turned into a very steep hill.

This time though, the only moments needed to stop were to check where I was (although this doesn't help when the phone signal is also lower than one bar). After passing some nice villages with funny names like Noke, and woodland on both sides of the road, I decided it might be time to head back towards home before I get too lost (and didn't really fancy going back up some of those hills I had just descended).

At this point I realised that I was in fact pretty close to Headington, so the return route was going down the Headington Hill, passing the mosque, and then through St. Clements and between the university buildings until hitting the usual Oxford Road back to Kidlington.

So here's the map for those interested:

View Larger Map

After a relaxing shower a siesta of a couple of hours was in order, and I awoke nice and fresh in time for a Madras and an Old Crafty Hen whilst watching the latest installment of Inspector Montalbano.

Now it's just started snowing...c'est la vie...