Up early again to do a couple of miles around the deck and left the ship at 8.00am hoping to get the ferry to Charlestown, Nevis for the morning. Not possible as the next ferry was 10.00am and we were told there was not a ferry back until 4.00pm so it was Plan B!! A lot of open buses were booked already so we eventually found Mr Martin, who was willing to give up a complete island tour for US$25 each as long as there were four of us! Managed to find another couple and off we went! A very informative trip, with Mr Martin pointing out all the main buildings and schools etc, explaining that since the sugar export industry was closed down a few years ago, tourism has become increasingly important – as it ... read more

Up at 7.00am as we had arranged to meet another couple at 8.00am to share a taxi to Soufriere. The usual trip hustlers at the port, offering a variety of trips with different prices but eventually settled on a taxi trip to Soufriere (with Diamond International) , taking in a few fishing villages, the volcano and maybe a waterfall for US$40 each. A pleasant enough journey up the Morne Fortune mountain, past the colonial style, Governor Generals residence to a view point with marvellous views of Castries Harbour ! On to Cul-de-Sac Valley with its banana plantations before passing Marigot Bay, a palm fringed cove where the rainforest reaches right down to the waters edge. A quick stop and a wander at Anse La Raye and then onto Soufriere and views of the Pitons that are ... read more

Flew with Ryan Air 18.00pm( for a change!) for our 47 day visit to the house in Spain, arriving at the house about 23.00ish! Quite a lot of walks lined up - our first one being on the day after we arrived. so dragged ourselves out of bed to drive to the Refugio de Juanar on the Marbella Road to meet up with the rest of the Group at the old Hunting Lodge, which is now a hotel. A pleasant enough walk in the sun to a couple of miradors overlooking Ojen and Marbella followed by a Menu Del Dia at the Venta and a good catch up with friends old and new!! The next day we had a good clean of the house as the clouds gathered for a downpour and thunderstorm in the afternoon, ... read more

Tuesday 13thMay 2014 Very heavy rain, with a clap of thunder overnight, that fell as snow on the Pyrenees. A very easy drive out of La Seu D’Urgell running along a valley with wooded mountains but as soon as we got to Puigcerda and crossed into France, we were more or less up to the snow line with little snow-covered villages and hill top churches! I think the top of the Pass was around Font-Romeu Odeille-Via and after driving past Mont-Louis Citadelle ( we would have stopped if we had more time!) we drove down the very winding road, following the route of the narrow guage yellow train (built in 1910) , dropping slowly and steadily to Villefranche-de-Conflent. Decided to stop and have some lunch here, and then had a walk around the walled town before ... read more

Tuesday 6thMay 2014 Up and on the road by 9.30am and after a shop at nearby Carrefour we left Cordoba about 10.30am on the A4-E5 as far as Montoro where we took the N420 to Cuidad Real. Easy journey through the rolling wooded mountains and as Cuidad Real didn’t really appeal as a sightseeing place we decided to push on towards Toledo. We have been to Toledo previously so we branched off on the CM4167 (scenic route!!) towards Consuegra where we wanted to have another look at the eleven Don Quijote windmills and stretch our legs! The road wasn’t exactly that scenic – just more of a 1960’s road/track with lumps, bumps and potholes but it was interesting to drive across the huge multi-coloured plains and seeing the wind whip up small tornados of dust! The ... read more