Compared to some, we've not traveled far, but in our time Mandy
and/or I have been to America, New Zealand, Hawaii, Russia, Bulgaria,
Egypt, Israel, Kenya, Peru and quite a few other places.
Kenya
Possibly the most enjoyable trip we've had was our honeymoon.
Our Hotel in the Masai Mara
We went to
Kenya
on a safari and visited the
Masai
Mara, Tsavo and Lake Nakura. We stayed in lodges, which
were, on the whole, extremely comfortable and provided good
facilities, although checking your shower for, well, I'm not
sure what, and sleeping under mosquito nets reminded you
that this was not a B&B; back home.
While we were there, we took a hot air baloon flight over
the Masai Mara, which was as unforgettable as the travel
agents assure you it will be. If you get the chance, do it,
you won't regret, even if you have a landing as bumpy as
ours was!
Safari parks at home offer you the chance to see animals,
but there's nothing like seeing them in their natural state,
where people are the ones in the cages. We saw
Lions, Cheetahs, Elephants, umpteen different kind of
antelope, Hippos, Rhinos. The only major animal we didn't
see were the reclusive Leopards, which was a shame, but we
weren't disappointed.
We also spent a week on the beach, in Mombassa. Mombassa is not a
place I'd bother going again or recommend anyone else go to. Stay in
your hotel or, like us, rent a mini bus and drive up to Shimba Hills
to see more animals.
On the other hand, the Indian Ocean was beautiful and
snorkling amongst tropical fish was an unreal experience. We
also took a lunch trip on a dow, run by a renowned local
restaurant, on which we ate the most wonderful seafood I've
ever had. Having said that, everyone in the hotel had some
form of stomach upset, although most had not taking the boat
trip, so I guess the hotel food (Ok, though it was) was to
blame. It probably had more to do with our soft, western
stomachs.
The Shelley Beach Hotel, Mombassa
Pictures above (top to bottom, left to
right);
Girrafe's in the Masai Mara, Pelicans on
Lake Nakura, Elephants in the Masai Mara, A resting Leopard
in the Masai Mara, The first Lion we saw, in the Masai Mara,
A herd of elephants in Tsavo.
Left; Balloon over the Masai Mara in the
early morning .
Ever since our honeymoon, we've said we'd go on Safari again for
our 10th anniversary (maybe that should read if we reach our
10th anniversary). I hope we stick by that.
Russia
Being the first BA tour group back into
Moscow
after the Chernobyl meant that around half the group had cancelled.
They'd probably gone to the Lake District where all the radiation had
ended up.
We arrived ready for hot weather, as Moscow was in the
grip of the hottest weather they'd experienced in, I think,
80 years. Until, of course, we arrived, when the heavens
opened.
We were only there for 3 days, but we got to see all the
major sites. Standing on Red Square was really something in
the early 80s, but I guess now GUM's full of Gucci and
Benneton shops, it really wouldn't feel much different to
Berlin or Paris.
St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square
The gold on the Kremlin was something else, although a little
difficult to square with the egalitarian policies the founders of the
Soviet Union were supposed to favour. Still, I guess foreign cash had
to be attracted somehow and the idea of queuing for Lenin's tomb on
such a short visit didn't really attract us.
The gold topped churches of the Kremlin
The most memorable things about Moscow are probably St Basil's
Cathedral and the Metro, which made the grimy London Underground look
dangerous and seedy.
One day we'd like to visit St.
Petersburg and maybe return to Moscow in the winter.
Germany
We lived in Munich, Germany
for a year and so travelled around a fair bit.
Munich, itself, ranks as one of my favourite places and being
within an hour of the mountains and 3 hours of Italy and Switzerland
makes it all the more attractive.
Boats on Starnbergersee
Around Munich, The Starnbergersee and the town of
Starnberg are wonderful to visit and you should try to get
to the monastry-cum-brewery at Andechs. You're supposed to eat
in the self service restaurant as the Monk's disapprove of
serving others, but Mandy thought that a little ordinary so
we ate (and drank!) in the excellent gasthof next door.
Taking a trip to Garmisch-Partenkirchen is worthwhile
too, especially if you take the train or cable car to the
top of the Zugspitze glacier, which borders Austria.
Being able to jump into the car and just drive all day to
wherever you like was liberating and something which
frequently frustrates me when I take an hour to go 40 miles
in the UK. Obviously we used it to ski a lot, but we went to
the attractive Austrian city of
Salzburg a few
times (only about an hour away) and also to the German town
of Berchtesgarten, which is probably my favourite place in
Germany.
Probably best known (infamous?) for being the home of
Hitler's Eagle's Nest, the town is attractive in the normal
Bavarian way and nestles amongst the mountains. I also
bought a pair of ski boots very reasonably there years ago,
so it has nothing but good memories for me.
A Weissbier and the mountains, Garmisch
We visited the Black
Forest for a long weekend, staying in the small town of Triberg.
It was pleasant enough, but, aside from the architecture, you
could've been in the North Wales or Lake District forests.
Hexenlochmuhl was probably the most memorable place, although Triberg
and the lakeside town of Titisee-Neustadt were also attractive and
compounded the feeling of similarity with Britain's Lake District.
Left: The town of Triberg / Right: Hexenlochmuhl
The roads were quiet, and Black Forest Germans seem to be able to
cope with A and B roads much better than Bavarians, making a
weekend's driving a pleasure.
We also took a long weekend in
Berlin.
After Munich, it's dirty streets and rat filled canals came
as a culture shock, but the old East is full of some
wonderful gems of architecture, which the opulent West saw
fit not to retain.
It was clear that the West wanted as much Neon to shine
over the wall as possible and it now looks a like a rather
tawdry and vulgar, whilst the East, gradually shorn of most
of the ugly 60s buildings, is looking like the elegant city
that Germany, no doubt, want as their capital.
West Berlin's 'Rotten Tooth'
I also took a short, 3 day trip to
Lake Garda in Italy.
Driving over the mountains beat trugging down the Autostradas,
although seeing some of the worst excesses of Italian driving first
hand was a bit of a shock.
Limone on Lake Garda
However, staying in
Riva Del
Garda was great. I stayed in a small, cheap, pension
within walking distance of the town and wandered in to eat
and drink in the evenings. During one day, I drove around
the lake (almost 100 miles!) which was very picturesque. I
stopped and spoke with a German who claimed to work for BMW
and have the job of riding their bikes down through Italy as
a tester (great job!) and stopped for lunch in
Bardolino.
Another day, I took a boat ride on the lake, through the
hoardes of windsurfers, to the town of
Limone,
which clings to the side of the cliff and the lake. It looks
in peril of disappearing should it rain more than a couple
of hours, but it was just how I envisaged an
Italian lakeside village.
Given Garda's proximity to places like Venice, it's a great place
to stay for a longer trip and it figures high on our list of places
to visit.
Los Angeles
In 1996, I was lucky enough to go to
Los Angeles for a
couple of weeks on business. Of course, I spent most of my time in
the office, but as that was in Marina Del Rey, just on Venice Beach,
that really wasn't such a hardship.
Downtown LA
Aside from strolling along the prom at lunchtime and in
the evenings, I took a bus ride into
downtown
LA. When I told the people at work I'd done this they seemed
amazed that I'd lived to tell the tale, but I never felt
threatened and all the people on the buses were extremely
helpful.
I took a stroll around Alvera Street, the oldest part of
LA. This is quite interesting, but its fairly amazing to a
European that the idea of history in California is
only a century old. Some of my friends live in houses older
than Alvera Street!
That evening we ate on Redondo Beach Pier (Good seafood) and the
following day I rented a dire Oldsmobile and drove down to Long Beach
to see the Queen Mary (and drive on the street circuit familiar from
F1 and Indy Car races). In the afternoon, I drove back up to Holywood
(unless you're absolutely dead set on going there, don't bother, it
was dull as ditch water) and then into the hills behind it and up to
the Griffith Observatory, where the LA smog could be seen at its best
- Apparently the native Americans (Indians live in India or England
and cook great food, right?) called this area 'Valley of the Smoke'
or something, so fog has obviously been a problem here for hundreds
of years.
The final part of my day's driving was into the
mountains. This was great, the roads were like I'd seen in
all those films where the hero drives his sportscar into the
mountains and I enjoyed even the atrocious Oldsmobile I'd
rented.
As I said, I was staying and working in Marina Del Rey,
which is attractive, but very quiet. One night, someone
dropped me in nearby Santa Monica and if I ever go again,
I'll beg to be allowed to stay there. As well as the typical
indoor shopping mall, there is a pedestrianised shopping
area with restaurants, cinemas, street traders and shops,
which would've made evenings much less tedious.
Up in the mountains behind LA
Whilst I was there, lots of people said 'I bet you wanna stay for
ever' and "Isn't it wonderful here?", but, frankly, I wouldn't mind
if I never went there again, although that doesn't mean I would mind
returning, just I'm indifferent. The coast and the mountains were
pleasant, but the complete lack of green would depress me much more
than a little rain now and then.
Maybe I should try and get a business trip to Florida next time?
New Zealand
Mandy and her sister went to visit their great aunt in
Auckland a few years ago.
The trip was long, but it was a chance to see part of the world
neither may ever see again.
They stayed on the north Island, but visited
Rotorua, famed for its hot
springs and took a number of trips around Auckland, including one
around the harbour.
Mandy has said to me that it was pleasant, but not thrilling,
although she and her sister would've prefered to be a little more
independent whilst they were there. Distant relatives, very kindly,
put them up, but seemed to feel obliged to take them on guided tours.
On the way back, they spent a frantic day doing a day trip of
Hawaii. Mandy's commented that this was probably the most enjoyable
single part of the trip, as she'd expected to find Hawaii horriblty
commercialised and actually found it not.
