Our trip to Crete June 2016

Earlier this year I felt I would like a pleasant relaxing break somewhere warm with a beach. Jane agreed with me so off to the travel agents for brochures, initially we could not find anything we liked but eventually picked up a Jet2 brochure with good discounts which we explored.
There was a holiday to Crete where neither of us had been before, so we tried checking it out on the Internet,  all seemed to tick the right boxes and the price was very reasonable,  the only problem was that when wr tried to book online it more than doubled however we tried to enter details. In the end Jane rang and spoke to someone there who took us through the process and the holiday was booked,  we also spoke to someone else there about assistance I would need at the airport and that was solved also saving us money on reserved seats on the plane and a chance for Jane to go up in one of the special lifts with me when boarding the plane.

The day before the trip quickly came so there was all the packing and last minute tasks to do, there was a little hiccup when I realised the car parking at the airport finished before our plane landed,  but luckily it was soon solved, I sorted our boarding cards amd we were ready for our trip.

On the day we set off early and all went well at the airport,  we booked in and a pleasant gentleman came with a wheelchair for me to help negotiate round the airport. I told him the irony of the fact 20 years before I had done similar with two elderly ladies but now I struggle with standing in queues and my back goes into spasms.  He left us for a while so it was a chance for Jane to explore the duty free area and sort out food for our flight.

The man returned and took us through and onto the plane avoiding the usual problems when boarding, the plane, we were pleased that there was plenty of legroom,  quite unusual these days on many flights.  Unfortunately the flight was delayed for some reason for an hour, but otherwise no problems,  we had plenty to read and unusual for me I did not fall asleep.

We finally arrived five hours later, again had help getting off, collected our cases, and proceeded to our coach,. It seems that Jet2 do not use reps on their coaches rather that the driver announces the destinations. We travelled in darkness for about an hour before finally getting to the hotel. From outside it was very impressive,  we were quickly processed and taken to our room it was by now about 2am local time, still quite warm and humid, so we were greatful for the fact the air conditioning was working.

The room was quite spacious with plenty of storage space but as usual not many hangers, so just as well I had brought some with us. I had paid extra for a safe in the room so that was useful. The bathroom was also quite large and had both a bath and shower. Also in the room they had left two plates of sandwiches, fruit and water to make up for the fact we had missed the evening meal. We were soon sorted and ready for bed, we checked about breakfast times and settled for the night.

Inthe morning we realised we had a verandah with a view of the gardens and a table and chairs there, the room was a little basic but everything worked, there was a fridge but that seemed to not be working properly,  otherwise we were quite happy. We got ready and found our way back to the main building and to breakfast, we realised now how big the complex was and an indication of this was how large and busy the restaurant was.

Although large it was very busy and we had difficulty finding a table for two, but eventually managed,  like so many other places these days it was a self service buffet,  but had a large variety catering for all sorts of tastes. I was spoilt for choice with just the range of cereals, never mind all the hot and cold options. We enjoyed the quality and range of food there and again as with many other places it was a chance to people watch. There seemed people from a range of countries including France and Germany,  there were families couples and the place just seemed to cope with the food being replenished as people tried the various choices on offer.

Afterwards we went to chat to the holiday rep Lisa who was quite helpful but not pushy, again it seems they do not do welcome parties as other companies have in the past,  she was willing to help us with trips or excursions but with no pressure.  Next we went exploring and found how large the place was there were 4 reasonable sized pools catering for the fun sports people but then quieter shallow ones plus others for young children.  There seemed plenty of activities for those that wanted but peaceful quiet areas for the rest of us.

The one big problem I had whilst here was the lack of signs so initially we kept getting lost when trying to find our way back to our room. Apart from the grounds there were a series of bars, places to eat and a couple of mini supermarkets,  there wete also indooe and outdoor theatres,plus a number of small bays for those willing to walk that little bit further.

We found that first day very hot and the humidity was also high, resulting in us only doing a little walking and the rest either resting on the bed or verandah reading, apart from a trip down to the beaches where due to strong tides we both got soaked when the water came over the protective rock walls.

That evening we dressed up for the restaurant,  it seems men had to wear trousers and a shirt rather than T shirt, nothing was said about women and what they should wear that Jane felt was quite wrong. As we were only half board we were confined to a smaller section for seating presumably it was to check we were not drinking the free liquids available to those " all inclusive"  but in terms of food itself we could help ourselves to anything on display. 

The food was appetising to look at and smell with a very wide selection of meat fish and vegetarian, both hot and cold, some being cooked by the chefs as people waited, there was no check on size or number of portions people could have,  looking round, I think some piled their plates so high but then couldn't then finish the food. I must admit I ate a wider range and more than I would at home, but I hope without going over the top. I do wonder what happens to the food that is left at the end of the evening.

After we walked back through the hotel to our room, by then it was quite dark, but the paths were well illuminated and changed into more xasual clothes and sat on the verandah,  chatting and reading before going to bed. The air conditioning helped to maintain a comfortable temperature for us.

The next morning followed a similar pattern apart from the fact Jane pointed out a birds nest above the neighbouring door full of I think it was five chicks that bobbed up and down every time they heard a noise presumably waiting for their mother to feed them, which she obviously did, I tried to take photos of them but am not sure how well they will come out as it wad a dark shady area and often the chicks would just sit and wait.  In fact over the next few days Jane felt bored at times with the time I devoted to obtaining tha perfect picture or video. What was lovely at night was that mother sat at the side of the nest overseeing her chicks whilst in the day was off out foraging for food for them all the time. Its nice that the staff seemed to accept the presence of the little family.

A new adventure to Stratford on Avon 17 August 2015

Well here we go again this time off by coach for a few days in Stratford on Avon in the company of Brian and Andy,  oops not forgetting Chico. Its going to be a very early start and a few hours dtive including swapping coaches along the way.
First problem is my left big toe has suddenly decided to be painful, I have tried to ease it but we will have to see how it goes on.
Not sure if will be able to upload photos on here till we get back but hopefully we will capture Chicos adventures along the way

Safari here I come 9 June 2014

Well folks the safari to South Africa is not far away, I did worry last month when I had problems with my health,& mainly my back started to play up but also I started getting something that felt like electric shocks down my right arm. Luckily due to Gail and Andrea the physios things have improved, just now have to do more exercises to prevent a re occurrence.
I have had all my inoculations, I had read about monkeys being about the lodge so decided to have the rabies one as well but after buying it was warned I could have a bad reaction to it, so at present have vaccine in my fridge, sob sob. I did contact Saga who are arranging the trip, their view was, if I dont bother the monkeys, they will leave me alone, maybe I should of contacted them first.

I have bought a camcorder for the trip, couldent believe how small it is but can be used as conventional camera also. I have had to buy extra clothes for the trip, that are dark colours for when on safari, but also needed a mixture of warm for the early and late trips out but lighter for the middle of the day, have a list of things need for the trip such as special adapter for their electrical sockets, insect repellent, luckily was able to get this trip in a malarial free zone so one less tablet and adverse reaction to worry about, but have strong painkillers from GP just in case I need them for other aches and pains.
I had decided that when I found out I was travelling with Virgin that I would upgrade on the plane to their economy plus both there and back, because it would give me a better seat and more legroom on the 10 hour flight, I also joined their frequent flyer scheme in the hope it would help for future trips, also Saga had arranged for me to be picked up from home by car and transported to London by them. It was only the other day that I realised how much travelling was involved on this trip. I am being picked up at 1 30 pm on the day, then down to London for the evening flight at 9 30pm, then there is a trip of approximately 3 hours after to the lodge so it looks like in total is will be in excess of 20 hours before I reach my destination.
Well I will close for now but give more background on the trip as I get closer.

My Trip To Norway

Hi Folks, as some will be aware, I am off to Denmark then Norway for a holiday this Friday 21 June 2013 until 4 July 20913, it will hopefully be a trip of a lifetime, because I have promised myself that I would get see the Norwegian Fjords, for many years.

It all started with meeting my friend Mykle in London last year and him showing me photos of where he now lives in Norway, also my reading his story of how he moved there and the trip he does each year to come back over to England. This was the inspiration I needed to start planning the trip. I decided that a blog was the easiest way for me to give updates of the adventure rather than endless e mails.

Because I was waiting for an operation until that was carried out and I had the all clear nothing definite could be planned, then next task was to obtain travel insurance, which I eventually resolved, so the idea could start to develop into reality. I had also discussed a holiday with my friend Brian who has featured in previous Blogs and our other friend Alan, we talked about different destinations and in the end settled on Copenhagen, we were going for a week, so we then started working out how to get there and where to stay,

I contacted Which Travel for advice on things to do and see, then contacted my friendly travel agents Sue to ask for her help. It seems that Scandinavia, other than by ship is not listed in most holiday brochures. Unfortunately, Alan decided in the end that he was not going with us so we ended up booking for 4 nights, the first being the summer solstice(longest day) we booked the flight and accommodation and I bought a new lens for my camera to capture all the things I am hoping to see on the trip.

We are also hoping for a trip to Malmo in Sweden to see the bridge between the two countries. Brian will return home after 4 nights and my real adventure will really start I said I was considering visiting Norway and may call to see Mykle and his wife Jean, Mykle kindly offered that I could stay with them when visiting the area that they live in as a result we spent a lot of time through e mail and phone calls trying to work out an itinerary for me, up to this time I did not really know where he was in Norway apart from the fact it was away from the towns and cities, plus that it gets very cold in the winter, eventually we sorted out a trip that would enable me to see some of the best parts and beautiful scenery there, my friend Brian said I may see elk and wolves and possibly beavers, seems he had not done his research that well as Mykle stated this was unlikely, they lived further north.

The trip from Copenhagen, will take me by plane to Bergen where I will be met by Mykle, then boat to Sogndal, from there by car to his home in Myklebust for a few days, then we travel back to Bergen by coach, and I will stay for 3 nights, I then travel from Bergen to Oslo by train which Mykle tells me is quite spectacular, then later that day fly back to London, where as it will be in the evening I will stay before returning home the following day.

Due to uncertainty about the weather I will take a mixture of clothes, I have bought a tablet computer so I can continue to record the trip for the blog, the tablet has been a learning curve for me, but my son spent some time showing me what the various functions are for. I had forgotten how many pieces of paper are needed when travelling independently, as well as medication, transformers for charging devices, and guides, unfortunately over the weekend my back has gone into spasm, so yesterday I saw an osteopath, the pain has not yet abated, if it does not improve before Thursday I will have to go and see GP for strong painkillers, as I am not going to cancel the holiday

Our Families Trip to Disney Orlando

The plans for this holiday started over 12 months ago when I decided I wanted to have a special holiday with my family that we would always remember, so I went over to Ireland to chat to them about this, initially they wanted to go to Australia and do the sites, after a lot of discussion it was agreed that it would be too much with the time that we had available, in the end Disney in Orlando was where we chose.

The next thing to sort out was when did we go, well, what with the girls exams, my son's exams in relation to his apprenticeship as well as his training, the time to make all the necessary arrangements, finally it was agreed early June would be a good time for us all. The family then felt it would be a good idea to invite my friend Anne, who the girls treated as their big sister, so I contacted her and she was quite agreeable, in fact she was quite looking forward to it.

Well, it should now have been all plain sailing, particularly because Debbie and her family had been there many times, has had other friends, so with that wealth of knowledge all we had to do was book it, not quite, we looked at packages, we explored doing independently, we talked about staying at Disney, then what about staying in a house, where did we want to visit, were there other things we should be doing when we went on the trip.

What I decided to do, was to have a read of various books, so when on holiday last year I went through the unofficial guide to Disney from cover to cover, then started to realise the enormity of the task, so at Christmas when I went to visit the family I spent some time trying to sort out which was the best way to do it so we got the most pleasure, that didn't work out quite as I hoped, because how can five people with different agendas agree without a lot of debate.

The next obstacle was that Anne started to have health problems, that needed investigating, which slowed down the whole process, at the time I thought we would have a swift resolution and then get on with the task, so started to look out different types of packages and in the end it seemed the best thing to do, was to rent a house, hire a car, make at Ace Travel flying there, and the purchase of the Disney tickets and any others we required over the Internet, sadly despite all the time we spent, the whole thing became more and more complicated.

Sadly after a period of time we realised that Anne would be unable to come with us, but this did not leave us that much time to sort out all the arrangements, in the end I went to Sue at Ace Travel 2 who I had used in the past to book holidays, she spent a lot of time and effort and finally came up with a package that met all of our needs, that is flights, car hire, accommodation, with a suggestion that we book the Disney tickets and buy any others as and when we required them, at a price that was within my budget.




I forgot to say because my family were not seasoned travellers, I felt it better that we all travel from the same starting point and Dublin seemed to be the best place, so I arranged for a flight from home to Dublin on the way out and the reverse coming back, also because we had left it so late we had a flight change at Gatwick going out and returning, which would obviously make it a much longer journey.

There was all sorts of discussion was all sorts of discussion over the telephone about the arrangements and eventually we had the Visas, passports, vouchers for the accommodation, car and Disney tickets so we were now ready for our trip.

Well I set off to the airport, and the first problem was my baggage was overweight with Ryanair, so that cost £30 before even started, the flight to Dublin was okay and I met with family staying with them overnight, then the next morning at 3.30am we set off to the airport, on arrival we checked in, sadly most places were closed so we just sat round until it was time to board the plane, the trip to Gatwick was uneventful, I had asked for help because of my walking problems when I reached Gatwick, which was provided, the only problem was that it split the group, we should have met at the monorail but unfortunately this did not occur.

It then took approximately an hour to find out where the family had got to and meet up again, this was because they had gone a different route and travelled through security with my boarding card so I was stuck on the wrong side of the barrier, fortunately due to a kind member of staff eventually we met up again and boarded the plane, sadly due to an unpleasant man sat in front of me who reclined his seat with no consideration of me, causing me acute pain in my spine, when I tried to explain all he wanted to do was to have a fight, I decided the best thing to do was to move seat with the help of one of the stewards which solved the matter.

8/6/2009 The flight otherwise was uneventful and eventually we reached Orlando, I forgot to say previously that at the last minute the tour company had changed car hire companies from Alamo to Hertz, unfortunately Hertz did not have an office at the airport so we had to catch a bus to their depot then wait some considerable time before finally being sorted out, well nearly, because when the documentation was finished, I expected some kind person to show us the various controls on the vehicle, this only happened because I found a nice kind person who understood all the electrical controls, my son volunteered to drive, we managed to work out how to use the satellite navigation so off we went to the house.

Helpfully the owners had given the code we needed to get into the estate and then the house, I forgot to say that the MPV was a marvellous vehicle with air conditioning throughout maintaining 75 degrees when it was 95 outside, plus we later discovered even the seats were air conditioned (what bliss) so we were worried how warm the house would be, we opened the door and inside it was beautiful plus air-conditioned throughout, we went round the house exploring and deciding which rooms each of us would have, we discovered the outside pool and whirlpool, before we settled we decided to go to the local supermarket Wal-Mart for some shopping guided by the satellite navigation. What a surprise there were lots of food that we used over here, I was very brave & bought some Grits thinking they were a form of porridge. Again the heat was tremendous outside, at the supermarket we stocked up on food and returned exhausted and had a relaxing evening at the house,

When had recovered later went to Animal Kingdom to get the tickets, went to motor tax office & obtained disabled badge for car, which was best buy of the holiday at $15, then off to Subway & had a 12 inch one, (what a lot of decisions to make council a sandwich), then back to the pool, what bliss after all the travelling

9/6/2009 It was Vickis birthday today, so after breakfast and opening her birthday cards we went to Magic Kingdom to celebrate, first thing we found was it was a 20 mile trip, then at the toll booth we had no change and it was unmanned (still waiting to see if get charged) then on to Disney, first we had to pay for the car park, luckily because of the disabled badge we were able to go to the front, then a short walk to either the monorail or ferry, we decided the most exciting was the ferry so quickly boarded, whilst on the boat fireworks went off in the distance and we finally saw Cinderellas Castle.

At long last we were there, sadly not quite so, first we had to go through a baggage check, then we went to get a special badge for Vickis birthday and found out that she was entitled to a special card giving her $65 to spend on Disney products, we went through the barrier and into main square, then finally we hit Main Street where we could see the Palace in the distance, but where are all these people come from LOL, so now the adventure began.


Hang on a minute, what about my scooter, I had to sort that out at $45 per day, but so comfortable & no walking at all

The girls wanted to go on certain rides that were far too hair raising for the rest of us, more sedately we went to the nice air-conditioned shows that were very enjoyable, the next ride the girls wanted to go on broke down for over an hour, so we stood about in the sun waiting for them, it must have been over 90°, eventually the ride worked, the party split up for some time and we had various adventures in the course of the day, oh sorry I forgot to say about the parades, these occurred at regular intervals and were truly amazing with the dancing and singing as well as the marvellous floats, it really was magic & staff often would wish Vicki a happy birthday.

Later we went to Crystal Palace for a meal & met Winnie The Poo, Tigger Eyehoe & Piglet who were happy to have photos taken with the girls, then somehow we got split up again, but saw the illuminated procession, followed by the fireworks over the castle, truly a magic experience, then off home but hang on I have never seen so many people in one place at the same time, I could not believe how Disney managed to deal with us all, even on the monorail that we used to get back to the car, what a relief to have air conditioning

Forgot to say in the parks food & drink was dear, but there were plenty of drinking fountains & we had water bottles that we replenished to avoid dehydration.

10/6/2009 A more relaxing day at the house, spent time in the pool, playing pool & air hockey, later went to Lawlers, tool warehouse, Paul was the happiest I had seen him so far, with all these amazing tools (each to their own)

11/6/2009 Today went to Animal Kingdom, went on safari, saw all sorts of shows, sadly I had by now found they were a good place for me to fall asleep for a while in the scooter seat however good the show was, staff were very good with people with disabilities, later saw more parades, then in the evening another parade & the fireworks (not quite as good as others) then exhausted back to house to relax.

12/6/2009 Had easy morning then off to find shopping outlets,( never found that day), but found Downtown Disney & all the famous shops there so spent time exploring them

13/6/2009 Went to Epcot today, much more spacious & my favourite was Expedition Earth, which if you go you must visit at least once, saw variety of shows, but was to big to visit all, by now we had learnt to pace ourselves & went back to house for a break for a few hours, in the evening there were more fireworks (I thought the most beautiful of those I saw) went for meal at real diner, could not believe the size of the portions & drinks.

14/6/2009 We were all tired out today, so spent easy day at the house watching TV or in the pool, tried to master Li Lo with no success played in the pool & did some sun bathing, felt we all needed this break to restore energy from all the heat & activity

15/6/2009 Today went to MGM Studios, on reflection think for me was most interesting, with the movie backlots, with copies of famous streets, such as that in San Francisco, the back lot tour with exploding sets & hair raising car chases as well as the shows.

16/6/2009 Today party split some wanted to rest & the others to go to Space Kennedy, hang on someone had forgotten to mention it was 75 mile trip each way, umm, I enjoyed the trip but was totally exhausted due to no scooter, again fell asleep in show, others felt would of liked to spend much more time there, on the way back saw real alligator at side of the road, luckily was only small young one LOL

17/6/2009 Today was a totally different experience, at long last we went to the shopping malls, the one we visited had 160 shops, we visited most, sadly I could not see anything I wanted, LOL, also had a look at tool/ DIY places, , but no photography shops at all, nor book or electronic ones for me to enjoy myself in, the air con in them was great but so hot outside, I had my first real beef burger in one of the food places. Later we returned to the house & spent the rest of the day playing in the pool.

18/6/2009 Today it was Seaworld we visited, the highlight was seeing the Shamu show, with him & the others, showing off with their trainers, it was one of the highlights of the whole holiday for me, but why did so many off the audience want to get soaked by the waves created, girls found ride they really liked but then the rain started, so they were unable to go on, we waited for a while but no luck so, off to another shopping mall & more shopping, Son found pair of steel toe capped boots which he bought ( hope they fit) then later returned & saw more & grand daughters went on one of the scariest rides I have ever seen in my life. Finally we stayed to watch the fireworks, which were totally spectacular.

19/6/2009 Today was my birthday, previously we had agreed that we would have a relaxing day followed by a meal out followed by a visit to Magic Kingdom for the evening lights & fireworks, well that what happened and truly was lovely to be with the family in a relaxed setting, went for nice meal out finished with carrot cake but unfortunately nobody else likes it so was forced to eat it all on my own LOL.

20/6/2009 Today it was sad we decided to sort the house out ready for leaving the following day, then spent some time in the pool again, later back to Epcot yet again for the evening celebrations.

21/6/2009 Today left for home, had to leave car, think son would of taken it home if he could, went through security & all those other things at the airport, flight was overnight, sadly D.I.L had similar problem to me with person reclining the seat causing her problems, at London, no problems this time, but all exhausted. Final leg of trip for family to Dublin, everyone went off to sleep for hours, sadly I couldent until night time.

22/6/2009 Last little section for me to travel back home, was uneventful, then had to sort out washing & shopping, catch up on correspondence, it seems almost a dream had happened for the last two weeks.

Well what are the things I remember

The intense heat, the parades, the crowds, the fireworks, to much fast food, Shamu, the fun with the family, the pool, the size of the parks, the expressions on grandchildren’s faces when they met the characters at Crystal Palace, so, so many more things it would take pages to write in detail, but above all a fantastic holiday with my family, hopefully that none of us will ever forget.

I hope you have enjoyed the read & that maybe if you have not been will consider going & becoming a child if only for a short time, with experiances you will never forget

Yet another new Blog where will it all end

10 April 2007

Well all you readers I have finally done it despite all the pain I have created my new blog which you can view through the link. http://fastfood-francisthefearless.blogspot.com/

This is despite all the pain I am having at present, mainly because it had to be done.

Have you guessed where the location was, it was in fact in Ronda, in Spain.

Further good news, as you will know I have contacted everybody & already Hamster has offered to take up the challenge & provide some photos from an exotic location.

My friend Kath told me today that she has one of her photos on show at Manchester Art Gallery so to save you the trip I hope to show it on my Blog in the near future, fancy me having such talented friends.

Now for the bad news, it is possible that I may be arranging another concert for Bury Shopmobility & possibly have my first act, so you will have to put up with the ups & downs of this as the year goes on.

Even worse I will shortly be building up to finding my costume for my birthday fancy dress, also Brian & I went to check the building for the venue was still there yesterday, I will be keeping you up to date on progress, as we get nearer.