NPR

After decades of persuasion I have finally conceded and we are going an a Caribbean cruise next February, sailing on Celebrity Beyond with a few days in Miami before and after. After even more persuading we are flying business class for the first time to scratch that itch. I have a bit of a sinking feeling that I will regret blowing so much money on it. Hopefully not.

Blackmac wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2024 9:58 pm After decades of persuasion I have finally conceded and we are going an a Caribbean cruise next February, sailing on Celebrity Beyond with a few days in Miami before and after. After even more persuading we are flying business class for the first time to scratch that itch. I have a bit of a sinking feeling that I will regret blowing so much money on it. Hopefully not.

A few of my mates who have bene dragged onto cruises admitted they actually quite enjoyed them. I can certainly see how hopping on and off at a new destination every few days would make a very enjoyable holiday.

If you're going on a cruise, may as well flyt out in style. In for a penny, in for a pound.

inactionman wrote: Thu Jul 25, 2024 8:05 am

Blackmac wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2024 9:58 pm After decades of persuasion I have finally conceded and we are going an a Caribbean cruise next February, sailing on Celebrity Beyond with a few days in Miami before and after. After even more persuading we are flying business class for the first time to scratch that itch. I have a bit of a sinking feeling that I will regret blowing so much money on it. Hopefully not.

A few of my mates who have bene dragged onto cruises admitted they actually quite enjoyed them. I can certainly see how hopping on and off at a new destination every few days would make a very enjoyable holiday.

If you're going on a cruise, may as well flyt out in style. In for a penny, in for a pound.

I'm very wary of what I perceive to be a regimented style of holiday where I constantly have to be somewhere at stated times to get on/off ships, excursions etc. I also don't like rushing destinations and I'm not too keen on the popping into a port for half a day and not be able to mooch about at my leisure. But I agree, I also know loads of guys with the same reservations that have enjoyed the experience.

Blackmac wrote: Thu Jul 25, 2024 8:16 am

inactionman wrote: Thu Jul 25, 2024 8:05 am

Blackmac wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2024 9:58 pm After decades of persuasion I have finally conceded and we are going an a Caribbean cruise next February, sailing on Celebrity Beyond with a few days in Miami before and after. After even more persuading we are flying business class for the first time to scratch that itch. I have a bit of a sinking feeling that I will regret blowing so much money on it. Hopefully not.

A few of my mates who have bene dragged onto cruises admitted they actually quite enjoyed them. I can certainly see how hopping on and off at a new destination every few days would make a very enjoyable holiday.

If you're going on a cruise, may as well flyt out in style. In for a penny, in for a pound.

I'm very wary of what I perceive to be a regimented style of holiday where I constantly have to be somewhere at stated times to get on/off ships, excursions etc. I also don't like rushing destinations and I'm not too keen on the popping into a port for half a day and not be able to mooch about at my leisure. But I agree, I also know loads of guys with the same reservations that have enjoyed the experience.

I can understand the reservations, I always avoided any packaged tours for the same reasons. Pre-kids we used to book flights and a hotel/apartment for the first few nights, then just take the rest of the holiday day by day and travel to wherever we ended up. A real sense of freedom, and we could pick and choose what we went to see.

Such freedom has its downsides, of course, in that it's a constant worry about transport and the next leg, so I can see how having that taken care of would be a nice change of pace. Also nice to arrive on a luxury liner rather than on a congested road in a hire car.

You don’t have to get off the ship in Nassau and shop with 3000 other passengers for local tat. On shore days the ship will be quiet and it’s a great time to get a good sunbed by the pool.

So Normandy is a bit cool this year. Means temps are low twenties so not too bad for us paddies. Caen is a pretty good town for a few days. Got to do the beaches. The battery at Longues-Sur-Mer is brilliant. Caen castle is alright. Will be better after the renovation works are finished. Falaise castle is really good though.

Uncle fester wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 10:16 pm So Normandy is a bit cool this year. Means temps are low twenties so not too bad for us paddies. Caen is a pretty good town for a few days. Got to do the beaches. The battery at Longues-Sur-Mer is brilliant. Caen castle is alright. Will be better after the renovation works are finished. Falaise castle is really good though.

I loved my few days in Normandy many years ago. Pretty much concentrated my itinerary around the battlefields to be fair, but it is a lovely area.

Blackmac wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2024 8:28 am

Uncle fester wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 10:16 pm So Normandy is a bit cool this year. Means temps are low twenties so not too bad for us paddies. Caen is a pretty good town for a few days. Got to do the beaches. The battery at Longues-Sur-Mer is brilliant. Caen castle is alright. Will be better after the renovation works are finished. Falaise castle is really good though.

I loved my few days in Normandy many years ago. Pretty much concentrated my itinerary around the battlefields to be fair, but it is a lovely area.

Going in October with a mate. We're doing Sicily in September with the partners to keep them sweet.

Jock42 wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2024 8:31 am

Blackmac wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2024 8:28 am

Uncle fester wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 10:16 pm So Normandy is a bit cool this year. Means temps are low twenties so not too bad for us paddies. Caen is a pretty good town for a few days. Got to do the beaches. The battery at Longues-Sur-Mer is brilliant. Caen castle is alright. Will be better after the renovation works are finished. Falaise castle is really good though.

I loved my few days in Normandy many years ago. Pretty much concentrated my itinerary around the battlefields to be fair, but it is a lovely area.

Going in October with a mate. We're doing Sicily in September with the partners to keep them sweet.

I'd be more into the castles and stuff but the airborne museum is Saint-Mere-Eglise is really good. They have a cutout of a glider setup as if it were flying into the landing zone. Very atmospheric. Town also has the paratrooper stuck on the church steeple exhibit.

Loads of American and British flags on houses with the anniversary. Few Canadian flags too.

The museum in Caen is very good - it's very wide in scope and covers the buildup to and causes of WWII and gets into the Cold War as an aftermath.

Some of the WWI museums a bit further south can be a bit dull as they're mainly just collections of old equipment. The one in Caen is more thoughtfully done. It's also got a whopping great Typhoon hanging in the foyer and part of the site is an old German command bunker used by General Richter.

Uncle fester wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2024 11:06 am

Jock42 wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2024 8:31 am

Blackmac wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2024 8:28 am

I loved my few days in Normandy many years ago. Pretty much concentrated my itinerary around the battlefields to be fair, but it is a lovely area.

Going in October with a mate. We're doing Sicily in September with the partners to keep them sweet.

I'd be more into the castles and stuff but the airborne museum is Saint-Mere-Eglise is really good. They have a cutout of a glider setup as if it were flying into the landing zone. Very atmospheric. Town also has the paratrooper stuck on the church steeple exhibit.

Loads of American and British flags on houses with the anniversary. Few Canadian flags too.

The museum at Arnhem has something similar. Loathed to feed into the airborne stuff though

Apparently there's no credible evidenced for the lad hanging off the church.

Just got the call that our October trip to the Breede has been confirmed. We also booked our trip in Jan to swartvllei. Tye charter operator is very popular because he gets results so you sometimes have to sit on a waiting list and be prepared to take a date that becomes available.

Extreme estuary adventures is a class outfit. Looking forward to my boys getting some good action. Leeries at Swartvlei and Kob, grunter and leeries on the Breede. I would recommend hum.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id ... tid=ZbWKwL

We have fished with him before. I love his boat. Local manufacturer in Kommetjie. Fusion boats. He has top of the line fishfinders that link to his very impressive trolling motor, off the front of his boat , that works on GPS to keep the boat at exactly the same spot without dropping anchor or starting his main motors. You can see it behind the 2 guys with the grunters. Also hardly any gunwhales so you need to be careful not to fall off the boat but it gives you 360 degree fishing. Which is great because he says that lure cast and retrieve fishing is becoming increasingly popular because of the skill involved and low gunwhales ensure little snagging when site casting to a fish. We have 3 sessions so will dedicate one session to that. The other 2 sessions will be bait fishing for the 20kg plus kob on fresh live bait and fresh prawns for Grunter.


Breede and swartvlei

Went Nice fews ago which was fine for a few nights break.
Doing a beach holiday with my wife in a few weeks. First holiday without my daughter.
Going to Cala Galdana in Menorca. Not really my choice but my wife fancied it and it was fairly last minute I am sure it will be OK.

Will look to do a few City breaks next year. Budapest and Gadansk possibly and Seville or San Sebastian.
Wouldn't mind doing a cruise on the Fjords either.

However I suspect future parental contributions when my daughter goes to Uni may be somewhat of a bother.

Did a trip around the Pyrenees in June.
First visit to Spain
"The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain" is a Lie.

Had 3 visits planned for some peaks via cable car/funicular, ended up all being dropped as the Mounts were all in cloud.
Every single lake/Reservoir on the Spanish side was full.
The downside to all those reservoirs is that there are electricity pylons everywhere.

All the talk of droughts in Catalonia yet so much farmland still growing Rice.

Spanish food really excellent and good value.

So many old buildings in towns and villages are just festooned with electricity cables, Prince Philip would have said something.

Basque is a weird language.

Did the Madrid trip. My feedback for anyone who might be interested:

1. Palacio Real was good - 8/10. More or less the same as Windsor or Buckingham Palace in the sense that it is basically room after room filled to the brim with ornate artworks and furniture. Still worth visiting.

2. Las Ventas bullring - 10/10 Highlight of the trip for my daughter. A really inexpensive self guided/headphone tour and the bonus was it was pretty much deserted. Really enjoyed the info on how the bulls are raised and the conventions of bull fighting. I felt like this particular outing was the most authentically Spanish experience. The design of the arena was architecturally stunning.

3. Santiago Bernabeu - 7/10. Unfortunately due to refurbishments taking place you couldn't get behind the scenes or into the dressing room but was still a bucket list item I was pleased to check off. Best part for me was the exhibit that had the match day programme of all 15 European Cup finals and the boots (or replicas) of one of the players that participated in the final.

4. Retiro Park - 10/10. Best public park I have been in. Clean, and very well maintained.

5. Prado & Sofia Reina - 9/10. I've no clue when it comes to art but I loved both museums. The best part of the Reina was the propaganda posters from the Spanish civil war. Best part of Prado was the Spanish landscape realism of the 19th century. There were some incredible paintings of the Spanish Moroccan war by (I think Fortuny) that I really liked the look of.


Madrid overall, wonderful. It's compact enough that it is walkable - after the first day we didn't use the underground.
People were helpful, place was very clean and orderly. One of the best cities I have had the pleasure of visiting.

First full day in Garda, fucking hot. 31 and forecast to get hotter everyday.

Did ferry to Bardonila, which appeared to be just a huge flea market on the waterfront and busy as fuck.

Soon fucked off to Sermione and had a dip at Jamaica beach, which was awesome. I could tell the young G-string'd girls were impressed with my dad bod and pale skin. Roman ruins impressive too.

Accidentally jumped the queue for the ferry back.

Thick Irisher on the ferry was very entertaining chatting with his family trying to decide the difference between a lake and a loch and pointing out the land marks they'd just visited while his wife was convinced they they hadn't, it was a nice distraction from the 2 German couples and their fat feral kids.

Had a nice dip in the pool back at the hotel and a couple of beers. So now just chilling before wondering out again to find a spot to eat.

Just had a week in the Lake District. I know the area well enough to avoid the tourist swarm. Great week of walking and Kayaking.

Off to Menorca next week for rest and Sun.
Can't wait.

C69 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:32 am Just had a week in the Lake District. I know the area well enough to avoid the tourist swarm. Great week of walking and Kayaking.

Off to Menorca next week for rest and Sun.
Can't wait.

Did you get midges? Never had them at the Lakes until this year and they were pretty bad.

Slick wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 11:06 am

C69 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:32 am Just had a week in the Lake District. I know the area well enough to avoid the tourist swarm. Great week of walking and Kayaking.

Off to Menorca next week for rest and Sun.
Can't wait.

Did you get midges? Never had them at the Lakes until this year and they were pretty bad.

No midges and very few wasps.

Has anyone done a tour of Italy?
Ive been twice, once to Rome and the second time to Cagliari.
I'm looking to do a tour in the summer of 2026, starting from Rome and I had two things in mind:

1. Going north from Rome and doing the obvious, Florence, Venice etc.
2. Going south and taking in southern Italy and Sicily.

The tourist hotspots in Italy are of course in the centre and north of the country but I think I quite like the idea of going south and exploring a little off the beaten track. Anyone have any ideas?

Hugo wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:53 pm Has anyone done a tour of Italy?
Ive been twice, once to Rome and the second time to Cagliari.
I'm looking to do a tour in the summer of 2026, starting from Rome and I had two things in mind:

1. Going north from Rome and doing the obvious, Florence, Venice etc.
2. Going south and taking in southern Italy and Sicily.

The tourist hotspots in Italy are of course in the centre and north of the country but I think I quite like the idea of going south and exploring a little off the beaten track. Anyone have any ideas?

Go to Sicily - we had 10 days there in June, staying in Ortigia then Ragusa, higy recommend it.

We did North from Rome, Florence, Siena, Turin, Milan all by rail very easy. We stayed at the old FIAT factory in Turin, unfortunately the rooftop track was closed when we were there, Turin feels very different to anywhere else I've been in Italy found plenty to do there

Hugo wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:53 pm Has anyone done a tour of Italy?
Ive been twice, once to Rome and the second time to Cagliari.
I'm looking to do a tour in the summer of 2026, starting from Rome and I had two things in mind:

1. Going north from Rome and doing the obvious, Florence, Venice etc.
2. Going south and taking in southern Italy and Sicily.

The tourist hotspots in Italy are of course in the centre and north of the country but I think I quite like the idea of going south and exploring a little off the beaten track. Anyone have any ideas?

Bologna and Bergamo are both nice, as is Tuscany.

Hugo wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:53 pm Has anyone done a tour of Italy?
Ive been twice, once to Rome and the second time to Cagliari.
I'm looking to do a tour in the summer of 2026, starting from Rome and I had two things in mind:

1. Going north from Rome and doing the obvious, Florence, Venice etc.
2. Going south and taking in southern Italy and Sicily.

The tourist hotspots in Italy are of course in the centre and north of the country but I think I quite like the idea of going south and exploring a little off the beaten track. Anyone have any ideas?

A few years ago, we had a wedding to go to in Tuscany so we flew into Milan and made a road trip out of it. Did a bit of hiking and camping in Gran Paradiso National Park, and also stayed in Treviso, Bologna, and Siena when travelling to and from Cortona in Tuscany. It was all good to be honest.

robmatic wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 4:28 pm

Hugo wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:53 pm Has anyone done a tour of Italy?
Ive been twice, once to Rome and the second time to Cagliari.
I'm looking to do a tour in the summer of 2026, starting from Rome and I had two things in mind:

1. Going north from Rome and doing the obvious, Florence, Venice etc.
2. Going south and taking in southern Italy and Sicily.

The tourist hotspots in Italy are of course in the centre and north of the country but I think I quite like the idea of going south and exploring a little off the beaten track. Anyone have any ideas?

A few years ago, we had a wedding to go to in Tuscany so we flew into Milan and made a road trip out of it. Did a bit of hiking and camping in Gran Paradiso National Park, and also stayed in Treviso, Bologna, and Siena when travelling to and from Cortona in Tuscany. It was all good to be honest.

Same, went to Tuscany for a wedding and did a wee tour around. I had a dislike of Italy built into me as a kid and had never really been and wasn't sure I'd like it. Utterly amazing. All the main bits like Florence, Pisa, Luca etc are busy, but unmissable imo.

duke wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:59 pm

Hugo wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:53 pm Has anyone done a tour of Italy?
Ive been twice, once to Rome and the second time to Cagliari.
I'm looking to do a tour in the summer of 2026, starting from Rome and I had two things in mind:

1. Going north from Rome and doing the obvious, Florence, Venice etc.
2. Going south and taking in southern Italy and Sicily.

The tourist hotspots in Italy are of course in the centre and north of the country but I think I quite like the idea of going south and exploring a little off the beaten track. Anyone have any ideas?

Go to Sicily - we had 10 days there in June, staying in Ortigia then Ragusa, higy recommend it.

Oh. We have a wedding there next summer and were thinking of going for a couple of weeks and renting a villa. I'll come back to you on this, if I may!

Slick wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2024 9:24 am

duke wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:59 pm

Hugo wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:53 pm Has anyone done a tour of Italy?
Ive been twice, once to Rome and the second time to Cagliari.
I'm looking to do a tour in the summer of 2026, starting from Rome and I had two things in mind:

1. Going north from Rome and doing the obvious, Florence, Venice etc.
2. Going south and taking in southern Italy and Sicily.

The tourist hotspots in Italy are of course in the centre and north of the country but I think I quite like the idea of going south and exploring a little off the beaten track. Anyone have any ideas?

Go to Sicily - we had 10 days there in June, staying in Ortigia then Ragusa, higy recommend it.

Oh. We have a wedding there next summer and were thinking of going for a couple of weeks and renting a villa. I'll come back to you on this, if I may!

Sure, will be happy to answer if I can.

duke wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:59 pm

Hugo wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:53 pm Has anyone done a tour of Italy?
Ive been twice, once to Rome and the second time to Cagliari.
I'm looking to do a tour in the summer of 2026, starting from Rome and I had two things in mind:

1. Going north from Rome and doing the obvious, Florence, Venice etc.
2. Going south and taking in southern Italy and Sicily.

The tourist hotspots in Italy are of course in the centre and north of the country but I think I quite like the idea of going south and exploring a little off the beaten track. Anyone have any ideas?

Go to Sicily - we had 10 days there in June, staying in Ortigia then Ragusa, higy recommend it.

We looked at there for next month but decided on somewhere coastal so we can dump the women at the beach as we do some geeky WW2 stuff.

inactionman wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2024 10:28 am Bath tickets are a bit tricky to come by - first match is Northampton on a friday which will unquestionably be a sellout.

Bath as a city is well worth a trip in its own right. Bristol is another option for a visit and for rugby - Ashton Gate is pretty large capacity.

Well, shut my mouth. I've just booked my ticket and there's a good few hundred still available.

It might be because its £69 to stand behind the goals, the swindling bastards. I checked my online account and the last Friday night game I bought was in 2016 for Bath-Bristol, £29.

inactionman wrote: Sat Aug 24, 2024 8:31 pm

inactionman wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2024 10:28 am Bath tickets are a bit tricky to come by - first match is Northampton on a friday which will unquestionably be a sellout.

Bath as a city is well worth a trip in its own right. Bristol is another option for a visit and for rugby - Ashton Gate is pretty large capacity.

Well, shut my mouth. I've just booked my ticket and there's a good few hundred still available.

It might be because its £69 to stand behind the goals, the swindling bastards. I checked my online account and the last Friday night game I bought was in 2016 for Bath-Bristol, £29.

More than 100% price increase in just 8 years for a dying league? Fucking ridiculous!

Jock42 wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2024 11:32 am

duke wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:59 pm

Hugo wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 3:53 pm Has anyone done a tour of Italy?
Ive been twice, once to Rome and the second time to Cagliari.
I'm looking to do a tour in the summer of 2026, starting from Rome and I had two things in mind:

1. Going north from Rome and doing the obvious, Florence, Venice etc.
2. Going south and taking in southern Italy and Sicily.

The tourist hotspots in Italy are of course in the centre and north of the country but I think I quite like the idea of going south and exploring a little off the beaten track. Anyone have any ideas?

Go to Sicily - we had 10 days there in June, staying in Ortigia then Ragusa, higy recommend it.

We looked at there for next month but decided on somewhere coastal so we can dump the women at the beach as we do some geeky WW2 stuff.

Venice is wonderful but too crowded! I love the Italian Dolomites and some really interesting WW1 & 2 stuff around Cortina etc. Lots of walking and spa resorts/hotels. Corvara has some fantastic restaurants too.

Having said all the above my son and fiancé were in Sicily last summer and loved it too.

In Menorca ATM.
Scorchio

Sandstorm wrote: Sat Aug 24, 2024 8:36 pm

inactionman wrote: Sat Aug 24, 2024 8:31 pm

inactionman wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2024 10:28 am Bath tickets are a bit tricky to come by - first match is Northampton on a friday which will unquestionably be a sellout.

Bath as a city is well worth a trip in its own right. Bristol is another option for a visit and for rugby - Ashton Gate is pretty large capacity.

Well, shut my mouth. I've just booked my ticket and there's a good few hundred still available.

It might be because its £69 to stand behind the goals, the swindling bastards. I checked my online account and the last Friday night game I bought was in 2016 for Bath-Bristol, £29.

More than 100% price increase in just 8 years for a dying league? Fucking ridiculous!

Same at Murrayfield for the 6N. In fact, my debenture tickets have doubled in 5 years

Sards wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2024 2:19 pm
Breede and swartvlei

So pumped. Month and a bit to go.
Upgraded my one fishing rod and reel. Bought a larger rubber duck with a motor for me to go out on the 2 sessions I will have free. Just praying for this kak weather to end so we can make the most of it.

Heading to Switzerland next month for work, but I've got a couple of days to myself to explore the place. Not sure what to do, I'll be close to Zurich.

assfly wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2024 7:54 am Heading to Switzerland next month for work, but I've got a couple of days to myself to explore the place. Not sure what to do, I'll be close to Zurich.

Start of winter there surely.
But an amazing country to visit. Maybe a train ride.

Off to the States in a few weeks. Fly out Tuesday, fly back the following Tuesday. Four cities, four MLB games, one NFL game, one College football game and maybe an MLS game.

assfly wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2024 7:54 am Heading to Switzerland next month for work, but I've got a couple of days to myself to explore the place. Not sure what to do, I'll be close to Zurich.

Fantastic golf tournament on there 5-8 September, Omega European Masters. Usually has a decent field but the attraction is the location - the golf course is at Crans-Montana, up at the ski resort

https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-to ... ters-2024/

So you get views like this




P.S. it's usually in July, moved this year for the Olympic golf tournament, so can't guarantee the weather.

assfly wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2024 7:54 am Heading to Switzerland next month for work, but I've got a couple of days to myself to explore the place. Not sure what to do, I'll be close to Zurich.

Go to Basel. Less than an hour by train. Really pretty little city on the river. From there take the train 20 mins north into Germany and the Black Forrest. This area feels like Stellenbosch. I love it.

Sandstorm wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2024 11:49 am

assfly wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2024 7:54 am Heading to Switzerland next month for work, but I've got a couple of days to myself to explore the place. Not sure what to do, I'll be close to Zurich.

Go to Basel. Less than an hour by train. Really pretty little city on the river. From there take the train 20 mins north into Germany and the Black Forrest. This area feels like Stellenbosch. I love it.

I heard their trains are world class

I would love to take my kids on a world class train. Not the shite we have here.

Mind you

There is so much to do in South Africa that we will never get out of here and abroad before I go