15 June 2009

I was recently very lucky to be offered a place on a travel agency educational trip to Syria with tour operator Cox & Kings. Of course, I jumped at the chance, having wanted to visit Syria for a long time and to find out more about the country and the tour operator too. Our journey began with a flight out to Damascus where we stayed for the first two nights, visiting the atmospheric Damascus Souk, the beautiful Omayyad Mosque, the Church of St. Ananias, the Azem Palace and the National Museum as well as getting a panoramic city-wide view from Mount Qassioun. Damascus is a great city, absolutely jam-packed with energy and life and here we got our first taste of how hospitable the Syrian people are. After two packed days, we set north-east in the direction of Palmyra, stopping on the way at the Greek Orthodox village of Maaloula where we visited the Church of St.Sergius and the Convent of St.Thecla. The shrine in the convent was well worth the climb up over 100 steps to see and was carved out of a solid rock-face. After a lunch stop we continued our journey towards Palmyra, arriving in the desert oasis town just before sunset where we witnessed the last rays of sun disappearing behind the mountains – it was a lovely sight to see and very moving as simultaneously we began to hear the various Muezzin calling people to prayer at the mosques of the town below. Next morning we began our tour of the spectacular ruins of Palmyra, beginning with the Temple of Bel and the Tower of Elhabel. It's a little hard to take in when you are there as the scale of the site is mind blowing and when you think how difficult it must have been to move stone and build back in the 2nd century it fills you with a real sense of awe. Escaping the midday intense 40 degree celsius heat we retreated indoors before continuing with the rest of the site later that afternoon exploring the Great Colonnade, the Theatre & Diocletian’s Baths and remaining there until after sunset. Next day we set off again on a long coach journey from Palmyra heading westwards via the city of Homs to the Crusader fortress, Crac des Chevaliers. The fortress was built in the 12th century by Knight Hospitaller and we spent a few hours exploring, all the time as throughout our entire trip accompanied by our wonderful guide Mahmoud who was the fountain of all knowledge and a real gem. From there we continued to the Mediterranean coastal city of Lattakia. I am a real sea lover so being able to see the Med after spending 4 nights inland was a tonic. While there we visited Ugarit, a site of archaeological excavations dating back to 2000BC and the Lattakia Museum which houses artifacts found on the site. After Lattakia our next destination was Syria’s 2nd city, Aleppo but not before we stopped on the way at Salah ad-Din’s castle, a Crusader castle built in a spectacular location between two ravines. Aleppo was a real highlight for me. It has a real buzz as a city and you really get a good idea of real-life urban Syria there. The Souk in Aleppo is out of this world and the sights and sounds are all pervading like the man selling tea from a huge pot slung over his back, making his presence known to potential customers by tapping out a regular rhythm with two metal bowls, stall holders vying with each other to see who can entice you in to their shop first and smells of spices like cinnamon all around. It really was an unforgettable experience and I hope that one day I can return to Aleppo to explore the Souk further. At the end of this wonderful trip, I’ve come away with an impression of Syria that is 100% positive. The scenery is astounding from barren desert in the east to lush mountains and valleys in the North West, the cities are alive and kicking with noise and life and the people are among the kindest I’ve ever met and went a long way to making the trip for me, especially our guide Mahmoud. I would definitely recommend a trip to Syria for a holiday to remember, especially if you have already been to say Egypt or Jordan. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

13 May 2009

I’ve just returned from a fantastic trip to the fabulous city of Istanbul and I must admit, I was totally blown away by the place. I’d wanted to visit the city for years but just hadn’t got round to it, however earlier in the year a friend of mine who is a frequent visitor there asked if I’d like to go for a long weekend at the end of April and I jumped at the chance especially as I’d be going with someone who knew the city well. On arriving at Istanbul airport we made our way to our lovely hotel in the Sultanahmet district and as it was very late at night, decided the best thing to do would be to get a good night’s sleep before taking on all the sights fresh the next morning. One thing I hadn’t expected was being woken up at 4.30am by the Muezzin calling everyone to prayer from the Blue Mosque – what a brilliant experience and one I won’t forget – it was so different from anything I’d ever experienced before. Next morning the Blue Mosque or Sultanahmet Mosque to give it its true name was the first port of call on our meanderings. To put it plainly, it’s one of the most spectacular buildings I’ve ever seen and really takes your breath away with its sheer scale. From there we crossed the road to visit the Hagia Sophia, a museum and former mosque and originally a Byzantine church – another great building and very interesting inside as you can still see the original mosaics pertaining to its Christian origins as well as the elements from its conversion to a mosque. To complete a truly memorable first day, we took ourselves off to Topkapi Palace where we visited all the various pavilions, lovely tended gardens and the Harem. Topkapi Palace really deserves the best part of a full day, so maybe I’ll spend some more time there on my next visit. Next day, after some lovely Turkish meze the night before we took a rather nice boat trip which criss-crosses the Bosphorus all the way from Istanbul to Anadolu Kavagi almost at the entrance to the Black Sea. It gave a different perspective to the city and really helped me get my bearings on the layout of the city as well as getting some good photographs too. As it was a rainy day, it kept us under cover too and was a great diversion from the busy streets. Our final day begun with a visit to the Spice Bazaar in the Eminonu district and the Rustem Pasa Mosque nearby which is decorated with some beautiful Inzik Turkish tiles and well worth the detour, followed by the Museum of Islamic Science which explains the developments of various scientific processes through the ages that took place in the Islamic world including developments in astronomy & medicine. Of course, I only really scratched the very surface of this bustling, vibrant, cosmopolitan city, so that gives me the perfect opportunity to return there where I’ll be visiting the Grand Bazaar, Taksim Square the Istanbul Modern Gallery to name but a few sights as well as soaking up the buzz of the Beyoglu district. Can’t wait.

10 February 2009

Palma de Mallorca feels like a second home to me. This has been my 17th visit to the island of Mallorca and my 10th visit to Palma, the islands' capital city. You may wonder why I've been so often and why I return year after year, so in this short report I'll aim to explain. This latest trip to Palma came about just by chance really - I'd been looking at a short northern European type city break for the end of January after visiting Berlin and Gothenburg last year, but upon searching I found a great deal to Mallorca which I couldn't resist. After arriving from the U.K. following a short flight, the first thing to do was check-in to our hotel on the Paseo Maritimo in the heart of Palma, quickly unpack and head out for a nice lunch. That's one of the things I like best about Palma - having a nice long lunch at one of the many eateries located on the Paseo Maritimo right next to the yacht marina. You can pass a couple of hours people watching and seeing the local yacht owners making repairs and tending to their lovely boats. If you've already read my La Rochelle report, you'll realise how much I like food and people watching! From the Paseo Maritimo, it's just a short 10-15 minute walk into the city centre of Palma where you'll find all sorts of shops, boutiques and department stores as well as a wealth of museums and galleries. My particular favourite galleries are the Museum of Contemporary Spanish Art just next to the Plaza de Espana which houses works by Miró and Gordillo to name but a few and the Museum Es Baluard which is located just back from the Paseo Maritimo near La Llonja. I try to visit both on each trip as they have some great temporary exhibits as well as their permanent collections. This trip, I decided to pay a visit to the nearby holiday resort of Palma Nova. It had been years since I'd seen it last and we were curious to find out how accessible it is from the city. After only 15 minutes on the fantastic local bus service from Palma, we found ourselves strolling along the beachfront in Palma Nova. Although it's off season in many of the tourist type resorts of Mallorca, Palma Nova was still busy with pavement cafes open and full of visitors. I was very pleasantly surprised by Palma Nova and will think about basing myself there on a future trip as you have the convenience of the city close by, but have the lovely beaches there to relax on during hot weather. Evenings in Palma were mainly taken up with having dinner in one of the multitude of restaurants on offer. In the old town, there is a great choice of Spanish tapas eateries to choose from as well as some nice bars. Also just about 15 minutes walk from the old town is the district of Santa Catalina. This area has transformed itself over the last 5-10 years and now has some great modern and trendy places to eat and drink and is brimming with local people socialising and having a great time - A brilliant way to see local life and to sample some of it for yourself. After 5 days of relaxing, gallery visiting, shopping and eating it was time to head home. I'm always sad when leaving Mallorca, but at only 2 and a bit hours flight away and with such easy access from all over the U.K., I know that it won't be that long before I'm back again.

23 June 2008

Having recently returned from a week long break to La Rochelle on France's Atlantic coast, I thought I'd share with you my experiences there and tell you what a fantastic time I had in this lovely port. Never having been to this part of France before, I was excited to go to a more "regional" area, which is still relatively unknown to the mass tourist market. My previous trips to France had been to Paris and to the area around Nice & Cannes on the Cote D'Azur. The old town area of La Rochelle and the Vieux Port is simply stunning. The Vieux Port was crammed full of small sailing boats and I spent a lot of time around this area watching the comings and goings of the boats. Here I found lots of places during the day to take the weight off my feet and stop for coffee or pastries, or to have a long leisurely lunch by the quayside. The buzz of this area doesn't stop in the evening though as there are scores of restaurants to choose from, many of them specialising in fish and seafood including the local oysters for which the town has a good reputation. Further into the old town, we found a daily market which has an outdoor section for fruit and vegetables and an indoor arcade with lots of cheese and butchery stalls to choose from. As well as this there are lots of smaller individual shops in the area to browse around. La Rochelle has two main beaches. Plage de la Concurrence, which is situated near the Vieux Port and Plage des Minimes which can be reached by taking the frequent "Bus de Mer" across the harbour. A trip that is worth taking with or without a beach visit as it offers great views of the town from the harbour. From the harbour you can take many different boat trips including excursions to the Ile de Re and to Fort Boyard, a defensive fort built just offshore to protect the port. Near to Plage de la Concurrence, you will find a long beachfront walkway which runs parallel to the Avenue du Mail, a grand tree lined road with park land in the centre, perfect for shade and rest from the heat of the summer sun. At the end of the avenue, the Parc Frank Delmas is well worth a visit to see it's lovely landscaped gardens. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to La Rochelle and hope to return there in years to come.