Train Travel In UK

Brighton on the south coast on England is a popular seaside destination known as ‘London by the Sea’. The history behind the name comes from the 18th century when George VI enjoyed to party in Brighton. London’s elite followed his path and made Brighton into a fashionable place to be. The town has plenty of Victorian architecture remaining, including the Royal Pavilion which is worth a visit.Brighton today is still a popular seaside destination, with its amusement parks and piers. The stretch between the 2 piers is full of entertainment with restaurants, bars, arcades and night clubs. Away from the promenade there are more attractions, including shopping in the many clothing stores, jewelers and antique shops. Visit the museums, the large marina and outdoor sports centre.

Business is also important to Brighton. High-tech media companies have recently set up in the city, it also attracts many business people for conferences as it houses a large number of hotels and facilities. Transport: how to get there and around

It is easy to get to Brighton from London. The train system that was built back in 1841, can now take less than an hour to reach Brighton. The regular bus service from London Victoria Station also covers the distance in less than 2 hours. By road you can access Brighton by the M23 which leads into the A23 to get into town.

The town itself has an adequate bus service and plenty of taxis to choose from to get around. To make the distance along the seafront you can use the electric railway, which is apparently the oldest in the world. A new addition to the local transport is the tuc-tuc, a motorised trishaw from Asia, this is a fun way to travel. Weather

The weather is at its best during the summer months of July and August. You are more likely to experience some warm, dry weather. However, this cannot be guaranteed as British weather is notoriously unpredictable. Take your rain coat just incase. Accommodation: Luxury to budget stays

The internet can offer some of the best information on the cost, range and location of hotels in Brighton.Attractions & Events

During May you can enjoy the Brighton Festival. The city comes alive with visual arts events, street processions and performers, theatre attractions and music. The festival takes place throughout the city with a festive fireworks display each night.

For a holiday you will always treasure, be sure to visit France. With so much to offer within one country, France hosts the most tourists than any other country in the world. From romantic, cultural Paris to the heights of the snowcapped French Alps to the southern sizzling beaches. France hotels can add to the splendor of your trip with an amazing selection that can be found with ease on the internet.

Paris: fashion capital of Europe

Surrounded by style and romance you just cant help fall in love with Paris. Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, street café’s and fashion boulevards, a boat trip on the River Seine there is so much to see and experience.

Transport: how to get there and around:

The main airport which greets most visitors to Paris is Charles de Gaulle. Paris can also be reached with ease by train from surrounding countries and many destinations within France. If traveling from the UK the ferry is also an option.

Getting around Paris is best on foot, it’s a great place for walking and sightseeing. If your not feeling so energetic there is a metro system.

Accommodation: Luxury to budget stays

The internet can offer some of the best information on the cost, range and location of hotels in Paris.

Weather

Paris is fortunate to be situated in a basin so has little rain compared with the rest of the country. Generally the weather in the capital is temperate.

Attractions & Events

Parisians love to celebrate, here are just a few events you should look out for.

* The glamorous Paris Fashion Week showcases the latest designer spring collections in March.

*Bastille Day is a special day for the whole country. The French National Day is celebrated in Paris with style on the 14th July with parades, parties and fireworks.

*The International Photo Fair is also worth a visit and takes place in November.

Nice: treasure of the Côte d’Azur

Nice has a special ambiance and charm that attracts a great number of visitors to walk through its old cobblestone streets. Nice offers history, culture as well as the modern delights of shopping and night life. Add to this the long stretch of beach and you have a great holiday combination.

The temperature in Nice makes the pebble beach a great spot to relax. The waters are warm, clear and inviting and are just a pebbles throw away from neighboring St Tropez and Cannes.

Transport: how to get there and around:

Traveling around France is easy using the impressive, fast rail system. You can get to Nice by train and bus or if traveling from further a field, the International Airport is just 6 km’s from town. Ferries are also an option, they run to Corsica.

Getting around Nice is easy on foot, it is pleasant to walk around and explore the sights.

Accommodation: Luxury to budget stays

The internet can offer some of the best information on the cost, range and location of Nice hotels

Weather

Summertime in Nice can be scorching up to 40 C. Typical climate however can be described as Mild, averaging 15 C. Winter is also mild with lowest temperatures being around 5 C.

Attractions & Events

*Nice holds an annual carnival during the latter half of February. The lavish street parades end with a fabulous fireworks show.

*During June, the city hold religious processions and prayers for patron saints St John and St Peter.

*July is for music lovers as the worlds finest Jazz players meet in the city for the Nice Jazz Festival.

Stockholm

The capital city of Sweden is also the most enchanting. The attractive city offers waterways, parks, gardens, fairytale castles, churches and palaces. The maritime feel to the city also makes it a lively, energetic place to visit.

Transport: how to get there and around

By air, you can travel to Arlanda airport. Stockholm’s airport is located about 30 miles from the city centre. By land you have the option of long distance bus or train. The main bus station is Cityterminalen, which is nearby the train station Centralstationen. If coming from Helsinki or Turku, the ferry is also an option.

Climate

From May to July you can enjoy the Swedish summer which brings around nine hours of bright sun each day. The winter however dark and very chilly with frequent snow. The temperature in July and August averages 16 C and below freezing in the winter.

Accommodation: Luxury to budget stays

The internet can offer some of the best information on the cost, range and location of hotels in Stockholm.

Attractions & Events

*From May to August there are theatre performances at Drottingholms Court for the Summer Music Festival.

*For great food, drink and entertainment head to Kungstradgarden for the Taste of Stockholm event in early June.

* The Jazz Festival is held mid July, in early August you can experience the lesbian and gay Stockholm Pride event.

*Film lovers can watch 24 hours of films at the November International Film Festival.

Oslo

Oslo the capital of beautiful rugged Norway has plenty to keep the visitor interested. Fo one thing, the city boasts 50 museums and many art galleries. Highlights are the Viking Ship Museum, the Munch Museum and Holmenkollen. A new attraction is the Nobel Peace Centre.

Transport: how to get there and around

The International airport in Gardermoen serves Europe and North America well.

The train can link you as far as London, and the bus serves Russia, Germany and other Scandinavian countries. Ferries also run to Germany and the UK.

Oslo city is compact enough to walk around, although you could spoil yourself with a ferry trip on the fjord. There is also a choice of buses, subway system and taxis.

Weather

Oslo weather is fairly tame in comparison to other Scandinavian locations. Temperatures are around 16 C upwards during the long days of the summer. However being coastal there is frequent rain. Winter is snowy and there isn’t much daylight, so can be quite gloomy.

Accommodation: Luxury to budget stays

The internet can offer some of the best information on the cost, range and location of hotels in Oslo.

Attractions & Events

*An important day in the Norwegian calendar is 17 May. Constitution Day is a traditional day is widely celebrated with dressing in folk costume.

*Beach bonfires are lit on Midsummer’s Eve, another big celebration in Oslo.

Helsinki

The city with its waterways and parks feels the fresh air from the nearby sea. With influences of Russia and Sweden, the Finnish capital has a bustling market square enveloped by classic architecture and al fresco cafes make if a great place to hang out on long summer nights.

Transport: how to get there and around

Vantaa International Airport, 12 miles away from the city serves flights from Russia and other European countries. The ferry connects Sweden, Estonia and Germany. The train also has international connections.

Traveling around the city is made easy by a single ticket which serves all public transport including the tram, metro, ferry and bus. You can also conveniently rent a cycle from a coin machine and try one of the city’s cycle trails.

Weather

The winter months can get as cold as -5 C in Helsinki, where as the summer averages 25 C. If you are looking for some sunshine, the best months to visit are June to September.

Accommodation: Luxury to budget stays

The internet can offer some of the best information on the cost, range and location of hotels in Helsinki.

Attractions & Events

*If you like a tipple, the event where most drinkers overindulge is the May Day Festical, Vappu.

*Kaivopuisto Park holds weekly concerts each Sunday throughout the summer.

• The Arts Festival at the end of August to September is a popular time for celebrations in the city.

Hersonissos

Crete

May 2008

 Dear David,

 Yes I know, you didn’t get anything about the video clip of the fireworks, well I was getting a bit ahead of myself and of course Easter being so late, we hadn’t actually had it when I sent your letter! This month as I managed to get a few photographs I’ve put a link on the page so that you can watch them, even if it is a month late. Taking pictures of fireworks is always difficult as just when you think you have the best and stop filming, the next bit is even more spectacular!

 Over the last month there have been a couple of trips to ‘the City’ (as we call it) to help someone else spend their money, which is always the best way of going shopping. Ostensibly the trips were to buy furniture, but naturally we had to go for a coffee or two and so there was a chance to take a few new pictures, particularly around Lion Square.

 Now I like Heraklion, it is a compact city and has many fine buildings in various states of repair and restoration, and it is still possible to walk around the virtually intact city walls, passing over the various gates and, of course, visiting the grave of Nikos Kazantzakis on the way round. Most visitors go there just to visit the Archaeological Museum, missing out the interesting Museum of Crete on the coast road, and the fine churches of St. Minas and St Titos, and a good chance to sit and people watch from a street cafe!

 Platia Eleftheria, or Freedom Square, always seems to be a focal point for tourists, possible because it is near the museum, and there are number of large cafes down one side, personally I avoid them because unless you manage to get in the front row you can’t see anyone passing by, so I head for the network of small pedestrian streets between the museum and Lion Square where there a large number of cafes in varying styles and also some very nice ‘boutique’ shops, along with a couple of ‘naff’ souvenir shops. Even better around this area you will not get ‘komakied’ into a place against your will and the prices are often a slightly better, for instance on a recent visit a frappe, a Greek coffee and a beer served with a bowl of mixed nuts, some crisps and some very nice chocky cookies came out at €6 and that included the essential glass of iced water with the coffees. And what can be more fun than sitting on the street watching the people passing by and wondering where they are all going! While you are around this area a wander around the shops can be quite intriguing as there are still a number of ‘specialist’ shops, for example there are shops that only sell ladies tights and men’s socks, or how about a shop that only sells rope, string, and chains? There are also a couple of good haberdashers where you can buy zips by the centimetre and every conceivable type of button you could ever want.

 If you choose a cafe behind St. Minas church on the edge of the square, you can often get to watch an impromptu 5-a-side football match, and if you are going to have a look at St. Titos church then in one corner of the ‘front yard’ you will find ‘Pagopeiion’ which serves some excellent ‘Mediterranean’ salads and other dishes, they also have regular jazz sessions here late at night. A wander around the small back streets yields some interesting erections, and I am always surprised by the lack of noise considering that one is in the middle of a vibrant living city not yet ruined by over-pedestrianisation!

 A walk around Lion Square is essential and note the plate glass paving slabs, a result of discoveries made during the recent renovations. Thankfully they have taken away the awful wrought iron railings around the fountain, of course, in the UK they would be putting these in to stop anyone falling into it!

 From the square down to the Port is 25th August Street where you will find all the shipping line offices and travel agents, ideal for booking your day trip to Santorini or ferries and flights to lots of other destinations. There is also a fine example of Greek pedestrianisation schemes, as 25th August Street is closed to traffic along its length, but halfway down there is a street which crosses it which carries traffic, often resulting in traffic/pedestrian jams, this is also a favourite street for union demonstrations when they are on strike (or about to be, as they plan these things in advance here).

 Now it is May, tourists are beginning to arrive ‘in bulk’, and at last everywhere seems to be open so as I promised I will try to explain the difference between kafenions, ouzeries, meze houses, and restaurants although the lines can be a bit blurred at times.

 As the names suggest kafenions and ouzeries are where you get served coffee and ouzo, they are often only small places with fluorescent lighting and formica tables where you will find older Greeks, usually men, reading the paper and playing cards or backgammon, or just righting the wrongs of the world. Usually the best Greek coffee is served in these places as they make it properly using a real ‘Briki’, a small brass ‘saucepan’ with a tin plate lining, over a low heat, and do not let it actually boil which is a complete no-no, so that it comes out with a nice froth on the top. Around here they say the thicker the froth the more luck you will have! Many of the modern cafes do not use the ‘Camping Gaz’ stove, but the milk boiler/frother on the espresso machine, which is fine as long they don’t ‘overcook’ it, which they usually do! One of the best places around here for Greek coffee is a shop called ‘Art of Tea’ in Koutouloufari, where they have one of the proper ‘hot sand’ hotplates that brews the coffee gently and slowly. As it happens they also have a wide range of herbal teas and culinary herbs for sale as well as those tall brass pepper mills and other brass items for sale.

 In most of these places you will also often get a small plate of nibbles ranging from a few bits of tomato or cucumber through to pieces of feta cheese and olives, these will be refilled regularly if you stay a while, you can also get some ‘interesting’ wines and raki in these places!

 A meze house is where you get mezes! This is the traditional Greek eating out method where you order a number of small plates and share them between you. I mentioned one of these ‘Ta Filarakia’ in the March letter. The surroundings are quite often intimate, in as much that on busy nights someone on the next table will have their plate on the corner of yours, due to lack of space on their own table (a good sign that they have over-ordered), the tables will be wood or formica, and if there are tables cloths there will be a paper or plastic one over the top so you don’t muck it up. The napkins will be paper (and please do not call them serviettes, those are what ladies use once a month). The menu will usually be a pad where you mark of the number of each dish you want and it’s often in Greek only! The wine will come in anodised aluminium jugs, rather like those water jugs we used to get in the ‘dinner room’ at school, or an earthenware jug, and it may be slightly cloudy. You will also find things like cuttlefish cooked in its own ink and ‘volvi’ on the menu, and the raki should be free at the end and served with whatever fruit is in season.

 Meze houses are one of the cheapest places to eat, but sorry to say that many tourists find them a little daunting even though there will usually be someone to help them with the menu, and so miss out on a great deal of Greek food! Experiment is the word that needs to be used.

 A restaurant or estiatorio is up market, until I get there when it becomes a meze house with linen table cloths. No only joking really, but perhaps not. Restaurants have a proper menu, usually printed (although by law the prices must be changeable so they are usually written in by hand on a shiny bit so they can be changed, or in pencil), and are just that little bit smarter.  One problem you can get with places like this is too much food, as you begin by ordering a variety of mezes as starters but then when you order the meat it comes out plated with side salad, rice, potatoes and so on when all you wanted was 4 lamb chops to share between you! If you know that they serve up the meat as a ‘main course’ then order just a Greek salad as a starter. One slightly annoying thing that can happen here also is the appearance of a basket of bread which you haven’t asked for but which you get charged extra for, this is a bit like a ‘hidden’ cover charge. I don’t know for certain but I have been told that ‘cover charges’ are actually illegal here.

 With the season getting under way, we have the usual number of visitors who are coming to look for houses or businesses to buy. I always find this quite amusing as most of them seem to have done little research and many have never run a business before, I am thinking that maybe I should add some more articles to my blog with some helpful suggestions. What do you think?

 The new Easyjet flights (well not new really as they used to be GB Airways) are proving popular with independent travellers, although some visitors have complained that they are paying a fortune in excess baggage charges, but on the other hand they are arriving with only a ‘purse’ as hand luggage when they could have had a bag weighing 5+ kg on board with them, I gently try to explain this but I am sure that many of them completely miss the point! And of course Aegean Airlines are now running daily scheduled flights from Heathrow Airport to Athens with connecting flights to Crete, which at least saves collecting your bags at Athens as they can be checked straight through!

 As baggage allowances are gradually being reduced on all airlines it is worth considering a rethink on what you actually pack in the suitcase too! For instance I have seen visitors unpack around 3 litres of liquid (which equates to around 3kg weight) from their suitcases, made up of shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, skin creams, sun tan oils, etc. I sometimes think that we don’t have such things here and that we all walk around smelling awful! I don’t really think their hair is going to fall out, or their skin suddenly age by ten years in a week just because they haven’t brought their favourite shampoo or moisturiser! Too much sun while they are here will do that for them.

 What would they have done when soap was pink ‘Lifebuoy’ carbolic or ‘Wrights’ coal tar? But of course when that was all we had then we didn’t have allergies, and even better we were really clean and bacteria free!

 I didn’t see the article you mention about prices throughout Europe and Greece being the most expensive, I did hear about it though. As with all price comparisons you have to compare like for like and quite often this is impossible especially with food products. With an average per capita income of €800 per month in Greece it can’t be that expensive or we wouldn’t be able to afford to eat! I don’t know whether it would have a positive or negative effect if I was to do a price survey on basic items and put it on the website but I will stick my neck out and do a restaurant survey for you and put the results on the website, this only seems reasonable as most visitors end up eating out even if they do start off ‘self catering’!

 That’s your lot for this month…….Except for a link to some pictures http://www.villaralfa.com/easter.html

Yours as ever,