Abigail, Dawn and Sue

A couple of weeks ago I had a rather random but very enjoyable Friday off work.

I had booked a place at Abigail Ahern's interior design school.  I read Abi's blog every day and enjoy hearing about her design projects and the masterclasses that she runs in London, New York and Sydney.

Arriving at Dalston Kingsland station and making my way through the authentically gritty local street market I realised that Hackney is still up and coming rather than up and come!

As I got closer to Abi's road, the first signs of gentrification began to appear and I stopped at an organic food store and café - Healthy Stuff - for a flat white.

Abi's house was just around the corner - easily spotted by the fabulous Farrow & Ball Downpipe exterior paint job.

Inside the house was amazing - tea in the basement kitchen as Abi and Graham's crazy dogs got overexcited and then upstairs to the schoolroom in the attic.  The day was great fun, a mixture of lecture, house tour and good old natter with an interesting group of people - all very inspiring!

The day ended with pink champagne and cupcakes, followed by a cab to Atelier Abigail Ahern - Abi's shop on Upper Street.

I then moved on to the second part of the day - Dawn French in conversation with Sue Perkins at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus, followed by a book signing.

I am a big Sue Perkins fan so was very excited at the prospect of meeting her at the signing.  Alas it was not to be, the conversation on stage was over an hour long and brilliantly funny, but only Dawn attended the signing part (well it was to promote her book Oh Dear Silvia I guess).

Barcelona 40 +1

Up relatively early we headed back to La Boqueria for breakfast - more pan con tomate and fresh figs, washed down with Vichy Catalan and a café con leche.

At 11 Sarah and I joined a Gaudi walking tour, with an Irish tour guide. Three hours later we were ready for a late lunch at La Jardi in the courtyard of the Antic hospital.

Carina arrived straight from the airport with just a small bag and a thirst for cava. One bottle later we headed to the apartment, dumped said bag and set off for dinner in Raval.

Barcelona 40

Waking bright and early on the morning of the big four o - I was pleased that the hangover seemed minimal. A Berocca later we headed out for Mercator St Josep La Bouqueria en route to Sitges for a day at the beach.

We settled on Bar Boqueria for breakfast - drawn by the extensive selection of tortilla available. One spinach tortilla and café con leche later we were good to go.

Reaching Sitges priced traumatic, primarily due to unusually appalling map reading skills and the lack of helpful sigbage on the Metro. Heading for an interchange at Passeig de Graçia we ended up at Graçia itself and after an altercation with a scary lady Metro worker headed back to Plaça Catalunya to access the adjacent Renfe station,

Sitges was beautiful - we hit the beach after a cheeky gazpacho and lay there for the afternoon, before heading back to Barcelona around 6 for a quick siesta and some olive oil crisps before the evening's activities.

Dinner was at Tapaç 24 - an amazing place by cgef Carles Abellan tgat has three queues - queue 1 is on the street, then queue 2 is on the stairs to the basement where the restaurant is based, then finally queue 3 is in the bar area. The food was amazing - as well as the usual tapas staples, we had one of the signature dishes - Bikini (toasted ham and cheese sandwich) with iberico ham, manchego cheese and truffle oil. We passed on the McFoie Burger for obvious reasons. For dessert we had chocolate ganache with pa (bread), olive oil and sea salt.

Barcelona 40-1

I always think that rain (at home) is a good start to a holiday, so when the rain is so heavy that you need to wear a kagool and get a taxi the 300 yards to the station it must be a really good start?

Gatwick was a breeze, though I still don't understand why the queues to check in at the airport retro style are so much shorter than than the queues to simply drop your bag - having checked in online in your own time and printed your boarding card using your own paper and toner (or your employer's)? I opted for the former and headed straight to the desk.

Arriving at Barcelona airport was similarly straightforward - barely 10 minutes from plane to taxi.

The apartment (my first experiment with airbnb.com) is very cute, and the neighbourhood in the Barri Gòtic is lively but central. After a quick change we pretty much head straight out, we have a quick beer in Plaça George Orwell and then head for the Ramblas - and almost immediately stumble into the Festes de Mercè parade. This consists of drumming bands and people in outsize medieval costumes - sometimes squirting water at the crowd. After about half an hour it becomes apparent that the same core characters are looping around so we head off in search of another drink.

We end up in the cathedral square where the symphony orchestra was about to start a free concert - Tchaikovsky I think.

We then headed over to Raval for more drinks and dinner. We stumbled across a Chinese country and western giv, sung in Catalan on an outdoor stage - it was actually pretty good!. A glass of cava at Buenas Migás half way then guacamole and ceviche at Rosa Raval. Then drinks at Café de las Delicies before heading back to Barri Gòtic and Plaça George Orwell for a lat(ish) San Miguel and some tapas in a slightly grungy bar - the pintxos (crusty bread with manchego and an anchovy) were delicious as were the olives and chorizo. Behind the bar the bar staff were whipping up omelettes to order, but we resisted and headed to bed.

Speaking of Lewes...

This weekend I attended the Lewes Speakers Festival, a three day event featuring a mix of authors, broadcasters, philosophers and other notable speakers on subjects as diverse as the Arts & Crafts movement, post Nazism in Germany and science vs religion.

Taking place in the All Saints centre a beautiful de-consecrated church in a pretty church yard, the audience frequently consisted of the type of uber-liberal ladies of a certain age that Lewes is known for - this proved particularly entertaining in the debate about the impact of liberal morality on the welfare state, but more of that later.

I missed the Friday evening launch topics (absolute monarchs followed by Marina Lewycka talking about her new book) due to work commitments.  But I was there bright and early on Saturday morning for the 10am talk on the The Arts & Crafts Country House. The speaker was Clive Aslet, editor-at-large for Country Life, his approach was an eclectic cantor through archive photographs from the magazine dating from the early 20th century.  The talk was a little rambling and breathless and the most interesting point he made was that Country Life, when first published, was conceived as aspirational but accessible guide for newly affluent professionals and industrialists - much as interior magazines and tv shows are viewed today.

Next up was Professor John Lewis asking Has Science Buried God?', he gave a balanced, but ultimately Christian, view that science is only possible because of the existence of a God - i.e. that it is only because the universe is created and given order, that science is able to study an ultimately explain it.  Professor Lewis, was a jolly and engaging Northern Irish man who relished a vigorous debate with non-believers - provided they passed the dinner test - that is, however vociferous the debate, could you still have a pleasant dinner with them and remain friends?  The chairman of the event, obviously very excited to be in Professor Lewis' presence rather took over the event and extended his introductory comments into a lengthy personal Q&A session to the exclusion of the audience, until after stating "Just one final question...", he was met with a weary "Dear God, please don't!" from the front row.

The pre-lunch slot was taken by Josceline Dimbleby (ex wife of David), this took the form of an on-stage interview by the editor of Viva Lewes the local what's on magazine.  It didn't get off to a particularly successful start, when Josceline wrong footed the interviewer with an unexpectedly intimate description of losing her virginity at the age of 18 - the talk was meant to be about her new book Orchards in the Oasis, which combines her love of travel and cooking.  Instead of latching onto this surprising but fascinating turn, the interviewer stuck slavishly to the script and responded "It's always interesting to hear about family influences on cooking...".  The interview never quite recovered, though Josceline came across as delightful and the rolling slideshow of food and travel shots made me hungry for lunch.

In the choice between a late lunch and Jonathan Meades talking about French society, post Hollande's election, lunch won out and we decamped to The Real Eating Company, before returning sated in time for AC Grayling's lecture on The Good Book - the Humanist Bible.

Grayling's style is relaxed and conversational and the topic was interesting, though my philosophy graduate companion felt it was lazy and derivative - partly because she had heard him give pretty much the same lecture some years before.

The last session of the day (for me) was a debate between Theodore Dalrymple (a writer and retired prison doctor) and Polly Toynbee (Guardian journalist and former BBC social affairs editor) on the assertion that 'the welfare state and liberal attitudes to morality are the principal causes of the breakdown in society'.  As you might expect the audience was heavily weighted towards Polly's viewpoint.

Sunday's event started at 10am with Baroness Julia Neuberger, senior rabbi at the West London Synagogue, talking about her new book Is that all there is? where she considers what it is that makes life worthwhile.  This was easily the best and most engaging talk of the festival, Baroness Neuberger was eloquent, witty and warm in her approach.

The next topic, Frederic Taylor on Exorcising Hitler: The Occupation and Denazification of Germany', was interesting but delivered in a dryer more traditionally academic style, though the debate afterwards was made more real by the personal experiences of those in the audience.

After a break for lunch at Bill's (regrettably missing a discussion on the paranormal) I returned for my final session - Peter Conradi (author of The King's Speech) on the The Great Survivors: How monarchy made it into the 21st century.  This was a light and fast moving cantor through scandals and high points of the last seventy years or so from Sweden to Spain.  

Three further discussions were to follow on Burma, low carbon economic growth, and drug laws, but it was time for me to go home.

Amsterdam in June

It's not often I get to travel overseas with work - we're a very UK focused company, so I jumped at the chance of adding a few extra nights onto the end of a food and beverage conference in Amsterdam.

The conference hotel was super luxurious, so my downtown hotel (NH Carlton) was a bit of a culture shock when I switched from 'paid for' to 'paid for by me' and moved there. The website presents it as a smart modern 4* hotel, the reality is a bit 80s-tastic and not in a good way - the giant triangular mirror that faces the bed is reminiscent of the Clockwork Orange film poster...

Having overindulged on the previous two nights, including a superb reception at the jawdroppingly beautiful The Dylan, I decided to take an afternoon nap then have a fairly chilled evening.

The first part of this blog writing took place in a stunning new Starbucks concept store - not a chain I usually frequent, but it was raved about at the conference and has the added benefit of free wifi. The store is amazing - it's in a bank basement and reached by sweeping twin staircases from the street that are edged in kelim throw cushions for lounging on; the raw exposed concrete structure and cracked and beaten tiled floor contrast with the beautiful old delft tiled walls, coffee sacks and sculptural wood - there is also hardly any branding - just a simple chalk version of the mermaid logo in the window.

Not feeling that hungry, dinner was eaten on the go at Burger Bar, a hole in the wall place where you choose your meat and preferred weight, then the burger is made fresh in front of you from a bowl of meat - the weight flashes up on an LED screen as it is weighed before shaping and pressing. I had 200g (the smallest size) in black angus. The burger was delicious and served medium rare (dripping blood), with a small side of fries. Way too much for me so I ended up leaving nearly half the burger and most of the fries.

Up early the next day I walked through the bulb market to Spui a square surrounded by bookshops, with a second hand book and print market in the middle - though nothing much is open early (9.30). Breakfast is latte and a croissant at Coffee Company, taking advantage of the free wifi that seems to be provided everywhere.

On to the 'nine streets' that form a grid over the western canals - lots of quirky stores and cafés including Screaming Beans (time for another latte stop). Over coffee I plough a little further into Iris Murdoch's 'the black prince' - our latest book group choice - now half way through (page 205) but finding it tedious in the extreme. I think it is meant to be parody of a farce, but there is precious little to laugh at so far and all the characters seem to combine dullness with unlike-ability.



Back on the streets there are lots of people on bikes coming at you from all directions - most ring their bells to avoid collision but it is quite disconcerting nonetheless. Many of the bikes have a coffin like box on the front containing a small child or shopping.

I head in the direction of Anne Frank's house but the queue is depressingly long and doesn't appear to be moving so I leave it for another trip.

I wander on to the Boerenmarkt organic street market - the cheeses and meats are amazing and a woman walks towards me eating a yellow pepper like a lollipop - holding it by its stalk. There is also a museum of cheese, which basically just seems to be a shop but pretty much everthing can be sampled - twenty odd samples later I move on...

In a window I spot a flyer for a photographic exhibition on the ruins of Detroit by Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre, I have coveted their book for a long time, having seen it reviewed in a magazine, the chance to see the full size pictures was not to be missed. The gallery doesn't open until 2pm so I seek out somewhere for lunch settling on a tiny bakery café that specialises in quiche and tarts. The olive quiche is delicious - as is the chocolate tarte.

The exhibition is as good as anticipated and is held in a wonderful gallery space.

I pass more random shops as I wend my way back to the hotel, I am intrigued by the Febo hot food takeaway shops that sell burgers, croquettes and other local delicacies from vending machines - apparently they are a local tradition - I'm not tempted!

There is an amazing art deco / art nouveau cinema called Pathé Tuschinski - I am tempted to watch a film, just to see the interior but decide to have a drink instead!

My life in books

This last few months I've really reconnected with reading - maybe it's getting used to the longer commute, or the fact that I cracked and bought a Kindle, or maybe these things just go in cycles...

On moving here last year I set out to join as many groups as possible in an effort to construct a social life in a new city, pretty much from scratch - oh and my other aim was to try and not base my social life around alcohol.

Some of the groups were good, but the times or locations didn't work with commuting, other groups just didn't work for me for other reasons, the alcohol avoidance didn't really work either - us Brits are pretty pub-centric after all!

My big success was The Brighton Book Club found through meetup - a highly recommended site for anyone looking to find out what's going on in their area.  The group is large and lively and meets monthly in an upstairs room in a pub.  After just the first night I felt welcome and at home, over the following months we read:

Work commitments and holidays meant that I missed a few others along the way...

I can honestly say that I wouldn't have chosen any of the above books, and to be fair I haven't enjoyed all of them, but they have got me back into the habit and routine of reading again - meaning that I've also read lots of other books in between.

Inspired by reading books I wouldn't otherwise choose, I then started to search for book blogs to further pique my interest - my favourite is Savidgereads and I love forward to Simon's (almost) daily updates dropping into my inbox!

This then led me to Goodreads - an amazing site, where you can record and rate your entire library, post reviews, engage in discussions or simply browse recommendations - you can even link to online sites to buy a copy if you're inspired to buy.

I also obsessively managed to collect a full set of vintage Agatha Christies from ebay - my favourites are the wonderful Pan paperback editions from the early 1950s.

                                                           

Finally I found that through my Pinterest boards I can celebrate my love of beautifully designed book covers!

So what have I discovered?

• I love books now as much as I did when I read my first Enid Blyton over thirty years ago (The Secret of Moon Castle since you ask)
• I am a bit geeky and get a soothing satisfaction from cataloguing things
• I can get as much pleasure from a beautiful old book cover as from the story inside - mid century 'Saul Bass' style ones are my favourites

... and what am I reading currently?

         ... Patrick Gale for pleasure 

                           ... and Iris Murdoch for the Book Group 

Beach

A short blog today on account of the fact that most of it was spent on the beach reading.

Woke early (again), refused to look at my watch for at least an hour - when I did it was 6.30. At 8am I gave in and got up, heading out to find a bakery. After a few false starts I finally found a cute little shop with a bakery counter. The front of the shop consisted of small tables for two at which say elderly ladies, the back of the shop was the counter where the men stood drinking espresso. I successfully ordered a coffee and selected three different croissants to take away - cue lots of bag miming with the jolly woman in the housecoat behind the counter. Just as I was about to pay the fresh bread arrived so I ended up buying warm crusty rolls too.

After breakfast we strolled down to the station to catch the train to Cascais the glamourous beach resort half an hour away, with a casino that was the inspiration for Ian Fleming when he wrote Casino Royale.

The small crescent shaped Praia da Rainha - the Queen's Beach - seemed apt as it was the Diamond Jubilee back home.

The next few hours were spent people watching, reading and snoozing. The people watching had many highlights, including: the mahogany coloured couple with matching thongs, the beautifully dressed and accessorised Swiss couple who de-robed in front of us and the gay couple in the micro shorts. When no-one interesting stepped into view, Lucy Worsley kept me entertained on the Kindle.

Lunch was taken on the terrace overlooking the beach - service as everywhere we have eaten this trip was a little flaky but the food was good, though the jug of sangria was just too big and defeated us.

A leisurely stroll around town took us to a strange gallery come café - again with very strange service, they seemed to want to discourage us from ordering anything - the homemade lemonade would not be sweet enough apparently. We sat on the roof deck and waited for the drinks to arrive, eventually the waitress brought them to us and glared at me. I wondered aloud if we had stumbled into a lesbian venue and that was why I was not welcome? The girls laughed and told me not be silly, then stopped suddenly as a Birkenstock clad lady with cropped hair and a man's shirt stepped onto the terrace.

Final meal of the trip was at a tiny tapas restaurant - not the one in the Lonely Planet guide that didn't actually exist, but one very nearby. The service was (as in every other Lisbon establishment) friendly but flakey. They gave us a table for two and forgot to bring the third chair. Then they forgot to bring the couvert, until the chef noticed us looking longingly at it sat on the side. Once handed over it was amazing - chewy ciabatta style bread with herb cheese, beetroot cheese and black olives. The tapas were equally great - crushed tomato and garlic bruschetta, hickory smoked baked Parmesan balls, padron peppers sat in salt crystals and roasted garlic, prawns flambéd in chilli oil and flambéd scallops with a fresh salsa - we had to order more bread just to mop up the delicious juices.

Back then to the apartment for a relatively early night.

Lisbon - a wonderful tone-up for the calves

The noise of a tram hurtling along beneath the window woke me at six (after 4 hours sleep). Feeling a tad hungover I reached for the paracetamol. Two and a half hours later waking again I felt slightly more human and pleased to see the sun streaming through the window and glinting on the estuary of the Rio Tejo in the distance.

Lisbon is built over seven hills - most of which we walked up (and down) yesterday. My calves feel taut and tender - fingers crossed for buns of steel after this trip!

A late breakfast in the apartment consisted of homemade fruit salad, bread rolls, cheese and tomatoes, then onto Castelo de São Jorge.  Annoyingly I lost my €7.50 ticket within minutes of buying it and had to purchase a replacement. The castle was just ruins, so not a huge amount to see - though we were pleased to spot another coordinated hair and handbag combo - this time in a tasteful rosewood tone.

Lunch on the terrace near the apartment was a simple affair of sangria, omelettes and sardines - though the cute little 'free' cheese that can with the bread turned out to be a hefty €4 each, on top of the cost of the bread itself.

Lunch was walked off with a brisk walk to Cais de Sodré station to catch the train to Belém - the home of the pastéis de nata. We queued up to enter Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, where they make a staggering 15,000 tarts a day - you can watch them at work in the kitchens and take photos though the windows of the quality control section. The bakery has been trading since1837 and the café can seat 2,000 but we took ours to eat in the park where the temperature nudged 30', whilst the tarts digested we dozed in the sun and read.

After a short nap back at the apartment we headed back to Baixa for spit-roasted chicken and fries at Bonjardim. The meal started well when we were offered a complimentary white port as an aperitif. We studiously ignored the goats cheese, having been caught out earlier but we couldn't resist the fish croquettes. The waiter took my order and then disappeared without asking the girls what they wanted - after much laughter and confusion we caught his attention and confirmed that food was on its way for all three of us. The meal was delicious and when the bill arrived it was less than €10 each - basically we had shared a single meal between three, though there was more than enough.

Lisbon on a Sunday night is not lively so after a further trek up and down hills, we were ensconced back in the apartment with a bottle of red and some olive oil crisps before 11pm.

Drizzle, trams and haberdashery

Awoke early (6am), fought it till 7.00 then did some Kindling until the girls woke up.

The plan was to head to the Feira de Ladra (thieves market) via breakfast - lots of random stuff including two second hand gas combi boilers - obviously the Portuguese version of Corgi is not as diligent as in the UK.

Coffee (and an amazing almond tarte) in the square by the Museu do Fado provided an entertaining hour of people watching - there were so many 'ladies of a certain age' wearing tabard style housecoats that we could have been in a Pedro Almodovar film. There was also a glamorous fifty-something woman with a leonine mane of golden hair, and a fabulously coordinated woman with orange handbag, orange Chanel shades and matching orange hair. Coco would be turning in her grave.

We made a quick sojourn into the Museu do Fado - not worth E5, but vaguely interesting - Fado is apparently a traditional form of guitar based singing that is somehow linked to brothels of the early twentieth century. The exhibit included a doll's house brothel - bet they don't feature often in letters to Father Christmas!

We tracked down Garrafeira da Sé - a wine tasting cellar near the cathedral that was recommended by Lonely Planet but the owner was disinterested and didn't offer any samples.

Just time for a coffee stop at Pois Café then a quick foray into the Sé Cathedral before heading over to Bairro Alto.

We walk down a whole street consisting solely of haberdashery shops - who knew you could buy bra making kits?

Whilst trying to find a restaurant called Fábulas we stumbled across a wonderful artisan chocolate shop called Xocoa - one of a chain of four from Barcelona apparently. Hooked in by the free sample ganache tart I left having purchased a bag of chocolate dipped orange peel and bars of Jamaican pimento, orange and lemon chocolate - and got directions to the restaurant!

Fábulas is recommended for its beautiful terrace, but sadly it was full so we dined inside. The goats' cheese, black olive and tomato salad was delicious - the cheese hard and waxy, more like manchego than goats' cheese at home. Several hours later we emerged disappointingly into drizzle and headed for the famous No 28 tram that wends its way through the city via most of the tourist highlights. Maybe it was the grey skies and the rain, but it wasn't quite the exhilarating roller coaster ride described in the guide book.

En route to the apartment for our afternoon siesta we stopped off for supplies in case Portugal's Sunday trading laws make securing breakfast tomorrow difficult. The shop owner is very sweet when we spy and try to buy a bag of croissants that are his supper - he sees our disappointment and offers them to us anyway but we politely decline, leaving with cheese, tomatoes, bread rolls, biscuits, Lipton's tea (a sure sign of being on holiday) and UHT milk (yum).

Three siestas later we are ready to hit the town.

First stop is the open air bar on the Largo das Portas do Sol - basically a viewing point to watch the sunset.

A beer later we head over to Baixa to A Ginjinha a tiny 1840s hole in the wall bar serving shots of Ginjinha - a sickly cherry brandy with incredibly sour cherries floating in it. Not unlike an alcoholic cough mixture. We then head over to eat at Café Buenos Aires for dinner - a wonderful meal starting with tempura zucchini flowers, baked Parmesan in Filo pastry and followed by sun dried tomato tortellini or rare steak, all accompanied by sangria with crushed raspberries.

To walk off dinner we headed to Bairro Alto to Solar do Vinho do Porto - an 18th century cellar bar with an extensive (try 10 pages plus) menu of ports - some over E20 a glass. We slipped into to cream leather club chairs and waited to be guided through the menu. And waited. And waited. Finally a condescending waiter approached and snorted with derision when we asked for a recommendation from the menu. We upped and left settling for the rooftop bar at the Bairro Alto Hotel and the nicest sourest Negroni I've had in ages. Finally we ended up in Bar Belo Di-nós Cabo Verde. A hipster cool bar with a live fado band and lots of bearded, glasses wearing geeks dancing with pretty girls. Two beers later we jumped in a taxi and headed home.

Diamond TAP

12.58... 12.59... 13.00 - I quickly click on the 'out of office' message and log off - holiday begins.

By 13.27 I am ensconced on the Gatwick Express bound for the airport, book in hand.

It goes against the grain to carry a real life book, when the Kindle is fully loaded and ready for the trip but with less than hundred pages to go of Evie Wyld's debut novel I'm too far in to leave it behind.

At the terminal by 14.00 - plenty of time to check in for my first ever flight with TAP Portugal, to Lisbon. The line is depressingly long, a whole plane's worth of people and just two desks open... I return to my book, if I can just get to end before I reach the front of the queue I can slip it into my case and save carrying it. No such luck, still ten pages to go.

Gatwick security is a breeze - almost fully automated for maximum efficiency - and by 14.30 I am sat airside in Prêt skinny latte in one hand, last few pages of book in the other.

A quick tour of the duty free shops (one Clinique purchase) and a stroll to the gate in plenty of time to board at 15.40 for take off at 16.10. Make that 16.50 after forty minutes of faffing by the baggage handlers.

The flight is uneventful except for the casual attitude taken to the 'fasten seatbelts' instruction by ostensibly middle-class parents with children who frankly you would expect to be more safety aware.

Fully sated by the turkey ham roll and strawberry smoothie in the strawberry shaped bottle, I emerge onto Portuguese soil about an hour later than expected. The girls are arriving on a later flight from Manchester, also TAP, also late. Should I wait in arrivals or brave the slightly convoluted instructions to the apartment?

One slightly confusing phone conversation later (me in English, apartment keeper in Portuguese) with the added complication of a stag party sound track in the background I proffer my phone to the taxi driver to read the email directions to the point of drop off in the Alfama neighbourhood. I am instantly shamed by his impeccable English as he asks if I am here for the Bryan Adams concert?

I am dropped off at the allotted location and my phone rings, it is the apartment keeper's daughter with a slightly better command of English 'did you call this number?' 'oh - you're already there!'. 'I'll be 10 minutes, maybe 15'. 15 minutes later the phone rings again 'maybe another 15 - sorry!'.

Finally after a forty minute wait on a bench with my suitcase trying to look both nonchalant and visible, she arrives. The apartment is literally two minutes walk away. It is charming, once you have climbed the vertiginous stairs (I have been up ladders that were less steep).

The girls arrive about 10pm and after a brief tour and bartering session over the two beds and the sofabed we head out for a late night snack, before hitting the sack at midnight.

Very Good and Proper - good blog!

Our Facebook job | Very Good and Proper

Savidge Reads - I love this blog

Bookshops I Love; Reid of Liverpool | Savidge Reads

sorting photos

Like many people over the years I have uploaded photos to various sites across the internet.

Unable to track down some precious photo files a couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to reclaim and organise my photographic history.

Through Google searches (and some lucky guesses at forgotten passwords) I tracked down accounts with Flickr, Kodak Gallery, Photobox and Picassa together with the ubiquitous Facebook and dug out old CDs and negatives.

The most exciting find so far has been three sets of negatives, that included pictures from after my graduation ball together with the pictures of my post graduation road-trip by Greyhound bus across the US  (see my earlier blog: usa coast to coast by greyhound bus).

Seattle - from my road trip

6,720 photos later, I now have all my photos dating back to 1998 (when I graduated) organised in iPhoto on my Mac and backed up at Picassa Web Albums.  

My next target is a trip to my parents to track down earlier photos (hopefully) stored in their loft....

half a trip to Cuba

Another trip down memory lane - this time a notebook with travel journal entries from a trip to Cuba, or rather half a trip - I guess I gave up writing for the last few days!

Like the US one I have not edited this or filled in the gaps - maybe I'll do an updated version later


Thursday 24th January 2008

Up at 5am, airport for 7am - 3 hour delay - flight didn't leave until nearly 1pm

Mooched round shops - Frankie & Benny's for breakfast - voted 'best breakfast at the airport' - I'm not convinced, the three egg omelette is very small - coffee at Nero, last minute purchases then off

Old style entertainment on the plane - and they ran out of booze!!  Chavvy cabin crew 'Mawgan'

Taxi to Havana - saw dozens of people on a truck

Arrived at Casa Humberto  - 'no room at the inn' - after ages we were collected and walked to a fabulous place owned by Myla, checked in, petted Linda the dog then were told to go back to Casa Humberto!!

Cute little house on the roof - no aircon, just windows

our 'little house' on the roof of Casa Humberto

Very cold night - shower cold

Met Sarah, went to Taberna de la Muralla on Plaza Vieja - good mojito, strange tapas - sort of cheesy garlic bread with ham


Friday 25th January 2008

Woke feeling cold - must get a blanket - at 6am, dozed until 8am then up - lovely sunrise, cold shower

Walked to Plaza Vieja - some good art shops - then Museo del Chocolate - thick Aztec hot chocolate and orange digestives!

Walked to Plaza de Armes - book market - then on to Parc Central and Capitalo with old style polaroid cameras

Down to Museo de Revolution via overpriced cafe, then lunch at Bar Cabaña - chicken and rice

Walked back through tat market - Museo de Fotograph - interesting but like family photos - cool 'view finder'

Coffee at Cafe del Escorial - giant moka pots - on Plaza Vieja

Walked along Malecon to meet Sarah at Hotel Nationale for mojitos, then dinner at Paledores - spicy lamb and spaghetti

Early bed


Saturday 26th January 2008

Sarah came over to Casa Humberto, walked through Havana Vieja and saw a parade

Taxi over to Hotel Libre - fab 50s design - three hours by pool - no tan despite brilliant sun

Back to Casa Humberto before meeting Sarah at Casa del Armistad for drinks then on to Tropicana - fab evening - lost jumper

Back via bar then late bed


Sunday 27th January 2008

Very hungover, no time for breakfast at Casa - ham and cheese croissant in square

Havana Club Rum Museum then walk along Opisbo

Tried to get lunch at Hotel Inglaterra and bar on Opisbo - no service

Torrential rain then back to collect bags and taxi to bus for 2pm - lunch at bus station

3pm bus - great coffee en route

Couldn't get phones to work so no accommodation booked


Monday 28th January 2008

Arrived Santiago 7am ish - 16 hour journey - Britney moment with casa hawkers pressed against windows of bus station

Went with Martin (a teacher) in an old Plymouth to Casa Marti - great house - Martin speaks English

Wandered around town - Casa Grande Hotel for view and mojito $2 - lunch at pizza place (had pork), ice cream from street vendor (first peso purchase!) - unfortunate side effect a few hours later!

Sarah and Hywel took a salsa class, I took a nap

Dinner at Casa - dry fish, vinegary fried banana, rice, soup and postre (only soup and postre were good) - not worth $8, bed early


Tuesday 29th January 2008

Nice breakfast at Casa - fruit, bread, honey, sweetened coffee, scrambled tomato eggs

Taxi trip (with Martin) to Moro - a fort - and Cay Granma - an island - $45 plus $10 for extra boat trip

Thought about hotel pool but $10 entry each plus taxi

Casa Grande for mojitos and black bean soup then back to casa roof to read

Paladores for dinner - fried chicken - then Casa de Trova

Casa de Trova

Wednesday 30th January 2008

Day bus to Camaguey - two hours late arriving, aircon broke so had to open windows

Really tired - nice casa with poodle and dalmation

In the courtyard of our Casa - no idea why

Dinner - tinned tuna and chips, drink in Cambio

dinner in Camaguey

Thursday 31st January 2008

Cameguey boring, breakfast expensive, coffee in Galleria Square

Casa organised taxi to Trinidad for $70 to avoid overnight bus and boring evening

Arrived Trinidad - wonderful casa - dinner at Estila - best on trip so far - roast pork, salad, banana chips, potatoes and creme caramel


Friday 1st February 2008

No cash!

Bus to beach $2

beach at Ancon near Trinidad

All day at beach - got sunburnt on shoulder and ankles

Bumped into Nicolas - French guy from Casa Humberto - had beer with him and arranged to meet up in the evening

Great fried chicken at Casa then out to Casa de la Musica - met Nicolas and a Cuban / Irish guy


Saturday 2nd February 2008

Borrowed cash ($200) from Hywel

Day out to mountains on a truck - 800m above sea

Interesting coffee plantation, then a walk from hell!

coffee plantation in mountains outside Trinidad

Met fun Aussie couple and nice French couple, guide was very cool

Nice lunch in Price on way back - walked around Trinidad - bought art, met Nicolas again at Casa de la Musica - very early night!


Sunday 3rd February 2008

Train at 9.30 to plantation - cool tower, train very dirty

plantation reached by train from Trinidad

Bumped into Aussie and French couples again

Ate only rice, beans and salad - Olga thinks I'm ill but I'm just too full!

Power cut in the evening - candles and torches provided

Got laundry done - very early night


Monday 4th February 2008 - Thursday 7th February 2008

No entries

USA coast to coast by Greyhound Bus (1998)

Sorting through old files, I stumbled across a pack of photo negatives from the summer when I graduated from university and lived in Charleston South Carolina.  At the end of the summer I bought a 30 day Greyhound Bus ticket and headed across the country.

The photos proved to not be that exciting - they were pre digital, so I guess I rationed my use of the camera - but the accompanying travel journal is more interesting - or at least is is for me!  I have resisted the desire to fill in gaps in the entries with my memories and this is the diary unedited.



Wednesday 26th August 1998

Left Charleston SC at 5am - first leg of the journey is Charleston SC - Columbia SC - Atlanta GA - Montgomery AL - Mobile AL - New Orleans LA

Hurricane in the morning - hit North Carolina, no storms in Charleston but incredible sky

Columbia SC - lots of army guys in uniform, one asked me how the tickets worked as he'd never been on a bus before

Columbia is like Charlotte NC but fewer, shorter sky scrapers

Driver and guy sat at front are discussing funerals (presume the guy is an undertaker) - "if a family member dies, can you do their body?" answer - "only cousins"

Apparently if a Greyhound bus hits and kills a deer, they report it to the police and the deer is delivered to the school food service and 'processed / ground up' and served in the school food system

Atlanta GA - driver is asked by the bus station staff to take an 'extra' passenger with no ticket with the right 'put him off if he causes trouble', thirty minutes of arguing later the driver refuses and sets off advising us over the PA system "if there is anything I can do to make your journey more comfortable just come up and tell me, if you don't feel like coming to the front then send someone else"

Montgomery AL - put watch back one hour to Central Time - groovy new bus station

New bus driver - "...no cigarettes, marijuana or crack - that includes the bathroom; chewers - you can chew but you can't pop"

Atmore AL - passed a 'mobile home outlet centre'



Thursday 27th August 1998

Met English couple on bus - Amanda and Martin from Potter's Bar - shared a cab to the New Orleans LA Youth Hostel

Went out at 2.30pm with them and a New Zealand girl called Cherie - streetcar was $1 - had coffee at Cafe du Monde - very touristy and over-rated - incredibly hot

Went back to sleep until 7.30 then we all headed out to Bourbon St - tacky and touristy - good covers band / awful 'po boy' sandwich; got wasted, got put in taxi, threw up in hostel and got into trouble



Friday 28th August 1998

Woke late - awful hangover - went straight to Greyhound depot as no interest in staying longer in New Orleans

Bus to Santa Fe NM will be over 24 hours - had ticket endorsed until 27th September

Bumped into Amanda, Martin and Cherie at depot - swapped addresses

Several English people on the bus - too tired to speak - bus left at 12.30pm

Lost double seat at 4pm

Due to hit Dallas TX at 1am - long layover - will talk to English people I guess

Driver "...one more thing. Get off my bus!"



Saturday 29th August 1998

Arrived Dallas TX at 2am (late) due to leave at 2.30am but actually left at 4.30am

Talked to English guys from Sussex Uni

Almost decided to stay in Dallas but would be pricey and only JFK museum to see - (should) get long layover in Albuquerque NM

Bought cheesy JFK postcard

Dallas depot - good camaraderie between delayed passengers as we sit on our bags on the floor

North Texas is very flat - soil an amazing red colour - saw a 'nodding donkey'(?) oil well in a small house's back yard

Very large cockroach between seats in front for most of journey

Stopped at Amarillo TX for 1.5 hours - walked to a Subway and around deserted downtown - usual mix of second hand shops, pawn shops and bail bond stores - took some photos - a contrast of 1930s and 1950s architecture

Spoke to English guys again - one called Steve - the other unwell

Set off at 1pm for Albuquerque NM - driver haring around bends

Passed 'Happy Tracks Horse Motel with stables'

Bus delayed at rest stop - when a woman had to be forcibly removed by the police fro refusing to show her ticket

Incredible scenery - orange rivers, tabletop mountains and prairie (?) as far as the eye can see - drive is interminably long

Long wait at Albuquerque NM - wandered round downtown for half an hour but backpack is heavy and there are few stores

Bus delayed for Santa Fe NM - arguments broke out over separated families, swearing and headphones!

Arrived Santa Fe NM very long walk to Youth Hostel and told that I have to do 'chores' - I choose to do the trash as it was the least involved - weirdo guy kept talking in the room - free breakfast

Amarillo TX

Amarillo TX

Amarillo TX

Sunday 30th August 1998

Santa Fe NM disappointing, all gift shops and paper cup cafes - not feeling too great hope it is altitude and not something else

Santa Fe NM

Went to cool photography gallery then walked back to hostel (via Taco Bell)

Walked (in hellish heat) to bus station, which was closed until bus due - lost $1 in snack machine

Santa Fe NM

Guy called Kevin got on bus at Albuquerque NM and we talked pretty much solidly until Flagstaff AZ - he's a dancer / engineer

Arrived Flagstaff AZ 11.15pm - ride arranged to hostel

Slept badly - now have sore throat



Monday 31st August 1998 (Labor Day)

Woke up in Flagstaff AZ - it's pouring with rain - decided to skip Grand Canyon - too wet and delaying trip by a day would mess up my schedule

Set of at 9am for Las Vegas NV - Aussie gave me a lift to bus

Unbelievably stunning journey over mountains and dessert

Sore throat is worse and now have a dodgy stomach

Arrived in Las Vegas NV at 4.30pm  - checked bags into locker and took bus to The Strip

Las Vegas NV

Las Vegas NV

Las Vegas NV

Tuesday 1st September 1998

Waiting for 3am bus to San Francisco CA - desperately tired but feeling better - must phone for accommodation from rest stop and do laundry on arrival - meeting Ollie tomorrow

Dirty old man on bus kept pestering me - otherwise a dull journey across agricultural land

Arrived in San Francisco CA 5pm-ish - hostels all full, paid $68!! for a box with no bathroom at Pension SF - did laundry, felt ill, bed at 7.30pm



Wednesday 2nd September 1998

Checked into Globe Hostel for $18 - much better

Did the shops - Banana Republic is amazing - lots of drunks and beggars around the town - did cable car and bought bus pass

Met Ollie at 4pm despite giving him the wrong coordinates, checked him into same hostel then went out walked round a bit then had an awful TexMex meal - couldn't eat it as too ill

San Francisco CA

Bed at 9.30pm - didn't sleep - felt terrible



Thursday 3rd September 1998

Up at 6am to drugstore - the remedy seems to work

Brakfast at Laundromat, wandered round to Golden Gate Bridge - too foggy to see it - bought Alcatraz tickets for evening - lunch at a lovely Italian in North Beach - back to hostel to change for the evening and Alcatraz

Alcatraz is amazing - cold, misty, dark we get the boat across, tour guide walks us to the prison, then we have an audio guide around the prison then  another tour guide to take us back to the boat

Alcatraz - San Francisco CA

On to Castro - used the subway - Castro is unimpressive just three small blocks and very dull - awful dinner at restaurant - drink at Irish bar beneath hostel, didn't sleep again but felt better



Friday 4th September 1998

Up early - breakfast at Laundromat again

Checked out and walked to cable car then to Union St (shopping), Fillimore St (steep), Haight district (hippies) - good lunch but not hungry - finally sent postcards

San Francisco CA

Changed and collected bags

Bus at 3.30pm for Portland OR - doesn't seem to take coast road


Saturday 5th September 1998

Arrived Portland OR in the morning - awful journey, coughed all night

Journey from bus to hostel is miles - walked to Burger King then got a ride - bloke with a beard and bedding in the back of his car (a bit scary)

Hostel seems ok - go for breakfast in Hawthorne district nearby

Hostel is actually pretty bad - twenty bed subterranean dorm with communal bathroom

Shopped in Portland - bought a watch

Went to advertising museum - bus trek to middle of nowhere - awful meal at a brewpub - then bed at the hostel with a chronic snorer in the room


Sunday 6th September 1998

Great breakfast at Hawthorne Cafe - eggs benedict

Managed to avoid 'chores' and hung out downtown instead

Feeling really ill - bad mexican meal - tried to go to brewpub but it's shut, so went to same one as last night - awful service, awful beer


Monday 7th September 1998

Left early for Seattle WA - bus full so had to wait a few hours for the next one

Arrived Seattle WA and checked into Green Tortoise Hostel - a bit happy clappy but clean and bright - and private bathrooms!

Dinner at fish and chip place by water - fun and a different angle on fish and chips to the UK

Went to Alibi Room Bar - very nice


Tuesday 8th September 1998

Good night's sleep - feel ok - went to Pike Place Market - amazing fish and flowers

Pike Place Market - Seattle WA

Walked Seattle, shopped etc - Space Needle is crap for $9

Russian pie type thing for late lunch - very good

Coffee and photos in very first ever Starbucks shop - then watched bad parking

Seattle WA

Bought a book in an indie bookshop - sign states ' don't steal the anarchist texts'

Went to Capitol Hill / Broadway gay area - great fun - sex shops, bars etc and got cruised repeatedly

Poor meal on fake pub type bar then coffee at Seattle's Best Coffee


Wednesday 9th September 1998

Poor night's sleep - ignorant sods kept  turning light on - left for 12 noon bus

Waited for bus and talked to a Canadian - suddenly no bus, never had been a bus, despite tickets sold that morning and bus sat there with destination sign - French woman is thrown out of bus depot for complaining

We go to Starbucks (94 branches in Seattle) then caught the 1.30pm - saw incredibly fat Greyhound driver

Bus driver - Seattle WA

Awful group of noisy passengers at rear

Got cross-examined at border - Aussie guy forced to get off bus

Arrived in Vancouver BC - nice station - Skytrain to city centre - hostel is $6 (Canadian) for a private room! with queen bunkbeds! free breakfast!

Found a fab restaurant - the Water St Cafe - wonderful halibut, wine etc for $80 = £30 for two!

Chinatown very scary - offered coke, weed and sex just walking round


Thursday 10th September 1998

Went to Stanley Park - walked round shore then took bus to downtown then bus to Granville Island Market  - crap touristy and naff - took bus to Yale Town  arty district - soulless - walked to Robson St - main shopping area - very cheap!! CDs £6 at Virgin Megastore, M&S, FCUK, Armani, Club Monaco etc

Vancouver BC

Met Ollie back at hostel then back to same restaurant - fab meal again - Ollie paid

Saw Double Jeopardy being filmed - rain scene

Drink in hostel bar and then bed


Friday 11th September 1998

Frid breakfast at hostel then shuttle service to airport - saw Ollie off then on to bus for me

Sent postcards then left

At customs I was cross-examined - "why Charleston?"

Had to look after bus for driver then talk to depot on phone for driver while he watched customs guys check the bus - cool driver!

Long layover at Portland OR before boarding with Driver Savage "Morning Class!" for Salt Lake City UT


Saturday 12th September 1998

On bus all day, arrived in Salt Lake City UT at 6pm ish - walked to hostel - the one NOT recommended by the Rough Guide - I can see why - owner is wired and rude - I had to wait 15 mins for him to finish a conversation before checking in

Went out between 7 and 9 to a shopping mall - Borders bookshop - awful meal at McDonald's , no OJ, tea or coffee - so settled for milk


Sunday 13th September 1998

Went to the Temple, immediately adopted by Korean missionary - she quickly realised I was a lost cause!  Interesting in a weird kind of way, everyone (all day) in Sunday best 'Christian' clothes, within the Temple teeth everywhere, but outside the Temple no smiles

Salt Lake City UT

Salt Lake City UT

Walked up to the State Capitol and lay in sun for a while looking at amazing views

Salt Lake City UT

Bus at 7pm - Driver Savage again - stopped at Kum & Go gas station


Monday 14th September 1998

Awful journey through the night - no seat on driver's side so couldn't get comfy to sleep

Arrived in Denver CO 6am ish - old guy in depot booked hostel for me after quizzing me about Glen Miller??  Walked to hostel - allowed in room straight away so got two hours sleep!

Walked Denver then went to State Capitol and joined tour with 'Edna' - very interesting / informal

as featured in Dynasty opening credits - Denver CO

Met an English girl called Q - hung out together all day - went to the Mint (dull), historic district and Tattered Corner Bookstore

Did laundry then walked historic district before early to bed

Denver CO

Tuesday 15th September 1998

All day bus to Dallas TX - pleasant muffin and coffee next to hostel in Denver before setting off

Empty bus at 11 - passed an Emu or Ostrich farm

Stopped at 5pm for (surprise surprise) McDonald's rest stop - phoned Paige and actually spoke to her - aim for 3.30 on Friday - bus is very comfy and has low window sills

Saw a drive in cinema in Springfield CO called 'KarVu' - a desperately depressing small town

Stopped in Campo CO a bizzarre one block two - went into store - all counters and glass cases with stock decades old - faded medicine packets etc - one large soda fridge with a handful of cans and about ten candy bars - sort of diner counter at rear

Campo CO

Bus laid over in Amarillo TX for 1 hour - scary guy on phone to customer services needing money to buy food to go with his medication or he "might go crazy" - strange eyes!  Lots of old ladies on bus


Wednesday 16th September 1998

Arrived in Dallas TX at 7am in torrential rain - no sign of it stopping

Asked at customer services for recommendation for breakfast - response: "what you don't like McDonald's??"  

Lots of flying cockroaches outside the depot, scary people in McDonald's - chatted to mad woman

Walked in rain through downtown Dallas - Neiman Marcus appears to be the only store - eventually found a Starbucks, absolutely drenched, waited two hours - rain didn't stop, went to Neiman's - dull and I felt like a shoplifter in my holed soaked t-shirt

Walked to Dealey Plaza and went to JFK Museum  - excellent audio tour for $8

Looked at West End - extremely tacky

Back to depot at 12.30 - customer services couldn't suggest any eastbound buses so I found my own to Nashville TN - who knows?  Sat opposite an incredibly hairy woman was stares at me

Mean driver - old school grey uniform etc - only allowed 5 mins at rest stops - preceded and followed by a lecture

JFK Museum Dallas TX

Thursday 17th September 1998

Messy bus change in Nashville TN - driver tried to be friendly but failed - no-one knew what was going on, which bus was going where etc - plus toilets closed by aggressive hispanic cleaner

Arrived in Atlanta GA at 7am - treated myself to $60+tax night at Hotel Super 8 - wonderful!!  Took a bath and a shower, watched VH1, wandered round Atlanta in the morning - shops etc then changed and headed to Centennial Park / CNN - then back to hotel - slept all afternoon

Woke at 7pm  and went out - unsatisfactory McDonald's - everything else closed - then back to hotel for Friends wedding episode on TV

Atlanta GA

Centennial Park - Atlanta GA

Centennial Park - Atlanta GA

Atlanta GA

Friday 18th September 1998

Up at 5am for 7.15 bus - Starbucks not open at 6am as it should be!  Fell over and grazed hands, cut my lip and lost my dignity! - non-one acknowledged or helped, went to wash hands at depot and look at cut lip - aggressive beggar asks for money - couldn't deal with it

Uneventful trip to Charlotte NC - saw tobacco fields on way to Raleigh NC


Customer mix:

Charleston SC to Atlanta GA - poor black
Atlanta GA to New Orleans LA - poor black and white backpackers
New Orleans LA to Dallas TX - black and white trash and backpackers
Dallas TX to Santa Fe NM - white trash
Santa Fe NM to Flagstaff AZ - white trash and hispanic
Flagstaff AZ to Las Vegas NV - hispanic and backpackers
Las Vegas NV to San Francisco CA - hispanic
San Francisco CA to Portland OR - asian (Oriental)
Portland OR to Seattle WA - white and asian
Seattle Wa to Vancouver BC - white and asian
Vancouver BC to Seattle WA - elderly white
Seattle WA to Portland OR - white
Portland OR to Salt Lake City UT - white trash
Salt Lake City UT to Denver CO - white trash
Denver CO - to Dallas TX - elderly white and black
Dallas TX to Atlanta GA - black and hispanic
Atlanta GA to Charlotte NC - black and white
Charlotte NC to Raleigh NC - black