Off to the Lot Valley and St Cirq Lepopie

There was no panic to leave this morning and at breakfast i tried to get some white bread and although the lady who served us said sure no problem, laughingly said do you want the whole baguette and then produced the same dark brown bread which my tum does not tolerate. So Jennifer reached in to her bag and pulled out the remains of the baguette we purchased yesterday and I gnawed on that instead. We then finished packing our bags an headed out to the car after asking for help in bringing the baggage down four sets of rickety stairs and Noel got the car and we loaded up.

Our plan yet again was to take the country route and avoiding motorways and toll roads which the satnav did for several hours whilst we stopped en route for some bread to go with our cheese and tomato self made baguette sandwiches at a little town in the middle of nowhere. En route on the Western side of Perigueux  many houses with their roofs blown off and many trees down and somebody must have made a fortune selling tarpaulins to all the locals and the roofing guys will make a killing over the next year or so, we only hope they had buildings insurance. The storm was widely reported in the press and I think that a couple of people may have died as a result.

We stopped in St Astier for lunch , this was nice little town with a very comfortable parking location, seats with some shade , a loo and whilst there a number of cars turned up we assume to go to the cinema which was in the same square.

Following lunch a a lot more miles thro roads sometimes only wide enough for one car, a bit like first thing this morning crossing in between field with the road following the sides of the square fields the Satnav decided without our intervention that there there would be no way of us arriving on time in  St Cirq Lapopie and immediately sent us to Toll roads for about two hours that brought us into Cahors at around 1530 where we did some food shopping for the next couple of days at the Carrefour that we used in the past. The shop looked a bit of a mess with a number of chiller cabinets broken and with limited stock. We looked for some strawberries and this is the third supermarket in the last few days without any success, strange as Waitrose and Costco in the last few days had plenty. No doubt Brexit was to blame.

We finally arrived at the St Cirq Lapopie Hotel and Spa around 1715 after a nice drive alongside the River Lot and then were shown to our self catering apartment which is very nice except for limited kitchen equip. For dinner we had a ham and prawn salad which was very nice and a glass of wine before kicking off our shoes with Jennifer reading her book on slavery ( did she have me in mind) and Noel listening to music  and so a very pleasant evening indeed.

And off to bed around 2230 after a very pleasant day

Not the best of nights!!!

Noel was pretty tired after the nights events and so we had a slow morning and late breakfast where there was basically nothing to eat but fortunately there was lady sitting alone who spoke fluent French and English who was able to help us out and the kitchen produced some small white rolls that had been toasted and were fine.

A short while later her husband turned up and we were talking about travel and the fact we had lived in Asia etc and they lived in Switzerland and I mentioned that I visited Switzerland quite a it as I worked for Kuehne & Nagel at which point his face changed a little. I said do you know KN and it was then he poured out his story how bad KN had been for his business and unable to set up tracking systems and nobody seemed to care, I said there is perhaps nothing I can do but he said they had changed to DHL and they now see m to be as bad??? so not a happy teddy.

Early afternoon we went shopping down town for our travels tomorrow and the decided to have lunch in a little café which was really excellent , Noel had the burger and fries and Jennifer a smoked salmon and prawn salad and both were very large dishes and so not chance to eat anything much later. 

Off then to the supermarket where we purchased some brie and a baguette and tomatoes and then went back to the Hotel for a mid afternoon rest. At around 1900 it started with heavy rain but we stayed in the room and enjoyed the bread and cheese and then Noel discover the TV was a smart Tv with Netflix and previous guests had signed in but not deleted there  sign on details and so we were able to watch a film for a couple of hours before retiring again to bed where we slept well.

Thank god Noel did not have a repeat of last night……

This was certainly not in our plans!!!

The bell in the cabin started ringing at at 0500 and so we dragged ourselves out of bed and had a shower and then off to for a breakfast, well you could have bacon and eggs etc etc but at 0530 in the morning its not good and so Noel had a petit pan ( small white bread) and Jennifer a raison something or other with a cup of tea which the serving lady dropped the lot on the floor just prior giving it to me, this should have been a warning of problems to come.

By about 0715 local time we were off the ship but the the French Immigration staff seemed to have gone AWOL as we waited in line with no movement for about 45 minutes and then started to creep forward at a very slow rate indeed. I am sure some people would blame BREXIT for this but no its the French Immigration who do like working at this port as there are no problems like this at Le Havre or Cherbourg or St Malo and when we got closer to the Immigration booths it became clear why the the delay as there are five booths but only two were sort of working…quite appalling really.

However at around 0830 we were heading south and there was a large bang and rattle , rattle noise and some lights came on the car??? we pulled off the main road via slipway which was very close and discovered we must have driven over something and had a puncture in the the rear nearside wheel. Damn or something like that. This car has one of these small temporary wheels which I tried to change but I could not move the nuts. However whilst standing and pondering what to do next a French registered car stopped and out an English couple who live nearby en -route to the local rubbish dump and stopped to see if they could offer any help. This was really nice of them as they went to a couple of local garages which they knew nearby only to discover one was closed and the other had only one guy working and so he could not leave. The English guy also had a go at trying to move the wheel nuts but it was no go and so Noel called the Lexus assist Europe for some help and they said it would take about 60-90 minutes for them to get somebody to us, oh well all we can do is wait.

A few minutes later a French car pulled up and he started to help then pointed out that I had the car jack in the wrong location which is easy to do as I could not get down on the floor due to my knees and so he corrected this and after a few minutes we discovered that he was a tyre mechanic and he changed the tyre and told us where to go toe het a new tyre. Just hen he had finished the English couple had returned still trying to find assistance and then the Lexus support truck turned up and so we had to explain what happened,. So off we went a few miles down the road to Falaise where they checked the tyre and it was repairable and it would seem that whatever had hit the tyre an punctured it had entered and left leaving a nice clear hole which they could fix and did for 36 Euros.

We were hungry know and it was 1200 ish and about ten minutes away there was a Leclerc supermarket where we purchased some sandwiches, mine on a baguette was the most disgusting I have ever had and decided to not to eat.. So off we travelled South and changed our plans and hit the motorways to save time as original plan with eight hours to fill before Hotel check in and a slow drive were now out of the window.

We reached the Design Hotel Des Frans Garcons in a small town outside of Saintes where we had stayed some 9 years ago and forgot how many steps there in this place . Its still a nice and different hotel but if you have waling issues then its really not for you.

After briefly unpacking we sat by the pool in the 33 C temperature and had a beer and then went for a swim and the water was not heated and so quite a shock to the system when you first get in. Dinner was to be served by the pool and I had forgotten the hotel only serves food for its guests and only has a very small menu but Noel found something that should be able to eat which was a beef carpaccio but without any onions or garlic please which was delivered accordingly only was not to be.

We ordered a bottle o red wine which Noel only had one small glass ( that is by Noels standards) and some cheese to finish whilst Jen had the same. BY 1100 that night Noel knew that something was wrong as he spend five hours on the loo with bad diahrea which means they perhaps did not use a clean pan but who knows. So all in all not a good start to the holiday.

Leaving for France tonight

Another busy day, we that's not quite true as we watched the Belgian F1 GP and then a brief rest and we finally left home for the trip to Portsmouth to join the Brittany Ferries car ferry to Caen which leaves at 2245. We left home shortly after 1900 and arrived at the port at about 2015 and there was already a long queue to check in and so we waited for a while and eventually we ready to got thro security, normally with the caravan you get pulled over for a big check over but just the two of us in a car we were waived thro. 

Finally at about fifteen minutes before departure it was our turn to drive on board and we headed for our cabin on the ninth floor which is a long way when there are no lifts close by and carry overnight bags but we found the cabin and settled in for the night.  Well I say the night at they wake you around 0500 as the ship arrives at 0545 UK time or 0645 French time.

And so the bed

Week 22 August thro to Sat 27th August

With Joanne and the children still with us we had a quiet day on the Monday the 22nd August which is Noels actual birthday and then on Tuesday the 23rd we went to see our son and family for a late afternoon BBQ which was really excellent and Michael is clearly good at this so would have no hesitation in going back for more.

We then decided that we would do a Euro trip and have a break and so we had booked on the Sunday overnight Brittany ferries to Ouistream ( Caen) and from there we would follow a route that we had completed with our Texan friends a few years ago and then on to Italy. We had hotels to book and get all the car and travel documentation ready and also get the house up to date and what with two sets of plumbers visiting for various jobs we had a busy old week and perhaps thankful that we had planned some vacation time. Also we went to a funeral of a long standing friend followed by the wake where we met people who Noel had not seen for years.

Right we are really nearly ready to leave…..

Its party time

We had a relaxing morning playing with the grandchildren Katherine and Christopher then they headed off to the Hotel to check in early so they could all use the swimming pool. We went there about 1500 and met with our German based friends Gero and Jackie and we had a good time for about 90  minutes chatting about many things then Noel had to meet the DJ and then Maitre D to discuss the evenings events. At 1800 our guest began to arrive and by about 1845 nearly all had arrived apart from one couple from Exeter who said they could not attend very late in to the event, Noel was not happy with this.

The wine and beer was going fast and so we headed in to the large room which looked really nice and the flowers on the table made the room look very nice and so we had about six tables and a large dance floor and a DJ who was warming up. Noel had already chosen the music what to play during the dinner and they were all Noel’s favourites. Noel then welcomed all the guests and made the following speech.

“

Dear Family, Friends and in this very strange  woke world, Lesbian, Gay , Bisexual, Transgender, queer Etc etc etc

Thank you all for coming to join our family in celebrating two rather important milestones in our life. The first being  my 80th birthday which, quite frankly  six years ago, I did not think that I would actually reach after some serious health issues. But a far more important event is that it was Jennifer and my 51st Wedding anniversary on 31st May this year and the time has flown by

When you reach the age of 80 you suddenly realise that your friends are also growing older and suffering from various ailments Unfortunately quite a few members of my family and also some very close friends  are not able to join us due to in certain cases severe health challenges preventing them from travelling. Whilst some Far East friends have been unable to travel due to Covid Travel restrictions currently in place. And finally there are also friends who are away on holiday at this time and unable to join.

But I would really like to thank the friends who have travelled from overseas ( Gero and Jackie and Jerry & Mura) to join us this evening. And  I'm so glad to have both our daughter Joanne and Son Michael with their respective partners Tim and Becky together with our four lovely grandchildren (Kathryn, Christopher, Ethan and two month old Archie) for joining this important milestone event.

At this point I would like you to raise your glasses to absent friends and family

The idea for this party came whilst we were  in Florida and enjoying a glass of Chardonnay, but little did I realise some of the challenges in organising this event as I had anticipated that Covid would be a  thing of the past and that all my friends would be fit and well, how wrong I was If we carry on like this  I might have to cancel the planned event for my 100th Birthday as I feel I may or not be the only person attending ??

When it came to arranging for a location for this evening we did look at a number of locations but then Jennifer reminded me of the following .

On 30th July 1970  we attended the start of the Tall ships Race in Plymouth and on the way home  after a very long drive we ended up at the Wheatsheaf Steak House on the A30 at Virginia Water for a meal and as Jennifer said she would treat me for dinner after a nice couple of day’s away with her parents,  and so I sort of felt obliged to ask if she would marry me as a thankyou for buying me dinner,  to be honest I was expecting an immediate reply but, all I got was Hmm ‘I will think about it and let you know possibly tomorrow.’ Oh well I thought and started to check my previous girlfriends telephone numbers..

So on the afternoon of the 1st July whilst I working in the Maidenhead, Jennifer called to say we should meet and discuss the marriage proposal and as she was based in Ashford we should meet in the middle at a pub by the river called The Anglers Rest (now called the Runnymede Hotel)…where she accepted my offer of body and soul and but of course and more importantly still, the cash .

Also another lovely memory of this place  was when I was just a kid my parents would bring me together with my two sisters and whilst my parents enjoyed the beer and my sisters helping open the locks I would go fishing  and so you can perhaps understand that this location does bring back some really special memories.

Well tonight I hope you will all enjoy it. We will be having a buffet and the  wine, beer, soft drinks etc are all on us but those guests who require a 2002 Dom Perignon or a 1787 Chateau Margaux should start looking for their credit card.

Later you will be offered a piece of  Birthday cake which has been prepared by my daughter Joanne and my daughter in law Becky. Thank You ladies…

We will try to meet as many friends as we can tonight and hope you can also hit the dance floor later.

Please send any photos of this party which would be great

Again Thank you for joining us on this special night and to my wife lovely Jennifer , Thank you for everything, I would not be here without you and I love you to bits..”

We then started the buffet and I must say it was really excellent and the side of beef had people going back for more. Once the dinner was over Noel and Jen started the dancing with one of our favourites “Savage Garden - Truly, Madly, Deeply”  and  then we were joined on the floor a few other guest and then to liven it up on to Le Chic and we danced the night away whilst consuming a reasonable amount of booze.

When just about the time most people had left at around 1130 some of us staying in the hotel went to the bar for a nightcap and we finally went to bed about 0130 which was late for us.

Gosh that was a really good night but the last time we shall do anything like this again as to much hard work.

Well its Noels 80th Birthday Party tomorrow

When sitting by the swimming pool in our rented house in Florida passing the time away whilst sipping on  glass of Costco Chardonnay when the idea that perhaps a party to celebrate our wedding anniversary of 51 years at the same time as Noels 80th birthday, its all seemed so easy then. Now several months later what with dealing with who is and who is not attending including those who said they would and then suddenly can not is a bit of a challenge as it keeps mucking up the seating plan which I finally completed after the 7th time.

With Joanne and the children staying with us there was quite a lot to do and also to ensure that the flowers from the local Byfleet florist were delivered on time and of Joanne and & Becky working on the Birthday cake which I was not allowed to see until after the dinner.  This event is panned to take place at the Runnymede Hotel at Egham and at previous occasions when we have used their buffet when meeting with our ‘Jubilados’ friends has always been a success but had no worries there.

Having congratulated myself on completing the table plane two more couples suddenly dropped out and so we are down to about 50 people as against the planned 70 odd. Ah well thats life, lets have a glass of something an go to bed and worry about it tomorrow.

9th June 2022- On our way home

 Well we had an early breakfast and sat in the lounge for a while and then returned to the bedroom and finished packing the suitcases. We had arranged for a decent car to take us to the airport as the Istanbul Taxi driving was poor and to spend perhaps an hour in their care I don't think we would have survived it. The large BMW 7 series was waiting for us and although it was a little pricey it was so much more comfortable than the alternative and off wee went to the Airport and the traffic was light, surprisingly, and it only took 45 minutes to reach the airport.

En-route the the airport the driver was on the mobile phone briefly and I heard him say British Airways and when we arrived at the Airport departure area there were two guys waiting to greet us. One for the luggage and the other to show us the way?? and then it would appear that when we booked the car we had also booked the VIP Airport support so the representative did just about everything for us including taking us to the lounge and then eventually off to the gate. Istanbul Airport was mind blowing and perhaps the best Airport I have ever been to apart from perhaps Singapore.

Apparently the Airport was designed by a British Company with assistance from a Finnish consortium and they have done a brilliant job. 

This is a massive building, perhaps the largest in the world with a brilliant design and the colours and signboards I would say this was the perfect airport. We killed about an hour in the lounge and we then went to the gate and boarded the BA Airbus 320 and it was packed,. The flight left about 30 minutes late but they made that up en-route so the we eventually arrived on schedule. The food on board was sparse and really BA should do better, no wonder people are leaving the airline in droves and we shall seek alternatives the next time we fly.

We arrived at Heathrow terminal 5 and followed the underground passages which

are dark and dreary and this terminal is the pits and when you get to immigration its surprising the staff don't leave as its low light, grey paint and most unpleasant. Its also badly organised so whoever designed it needs a good kick the arse.

Our Taxi was waiting and we got home around 0930 and had a lovely cup of tea.

Well that the end of the Blog for the time being and I think, actually I know, we are a little travel weary after being away nearly 15 weeks this year and so its time for some time at home. In the meantime we have a street party on 25 or 26th June and then Noel's 80th Birthday Party which will no doubt erase the Queens Jubilee into a small day out...

8th June 2022- How can things go so wrong-Long Live the British Black Cab

We awoke to see a grey and overcast sky and with rain being shown to come later and at around the time were planning our boat trip so our decision was to wait and see how the weather improves or otherwise. So went down to breakfast and afterwards sat on the balcony overlooking the park and some kids playing on the equipment for a while and then we talked about the boat trip but we were both tired from yesterdays long walk and when considering that we have just spent two weeks on a cruise ship stopping at islands every day so do another boat trip even on the Bosphorus  seemed to be over the top and that a further walking day would be over the top and so a quiet day and mid afternoon dinner was planned.

Following breakfast we made arrangements for a car to take us to the airport as neither of us fancied a beaten up old Fiat being driven by a lunatic whilst using two phones and keep talking to people whilst keeping his right foot hard to the floor until something appeared in the road ahead, not for us for a one hour drive. We need to print our boarding passes later and so we discovered how to do this. About three days ago I mentioned to the receptionist of the Executive Lounge the bloody McDonalds type music and we have noticed about one day after the music changed to much more relaxed sounds, so you have to complain to get things done.

Around 1500 we thought about heading over to the Corner Irish Pub which was a simple thing the day before and the taxi driver was instructed where to go and of we went at a high rate of knots missing cars and pedestrian  by inches and the whole road scene made even worse with the electric scooters everywhere it was a hang on and hope you get there type ride. Needless to say the driver did not speak a word of the English language and the n he tried to drop us of at several wrong locations and him insisting he was correct and we were wrong, he kept waiving his arms around saying TRAFFIC , TRAFFIC No good you get out and he said using google translate we were only 4 minutes from the bar but he cannot go due traffic. So out we got and tried to follow google maps for walking which we have not really done before and unknowingly headed of in completely the wrong direction, however the streets we walked were fascinating with one with every shop selling different types of musical instruments. After a while and bearing in all the very narrow streets with high buildings dear old google GPS was not working and so we were completely lost. So the only solution was to try and get another taxi via Uber but after being exhausted Noel hit the wrong buttons and sent the taxi to the Irish bar instead, what a prat. We finally found another Taxi who offered to take us at some exorbitant price which we negotiated down and spent another twenty five minutes in a taxi and the driver again dropping us of, or attempting to , at the wrong location. This is ridiculous.

So we started walking we hoped in the right direction this time and after a few minutes found a group of police and one helped by looking on his own phone and said that way until ZARA then ask again. So off we went again a reached Zara and at that point the google maps was getting very excited saying the bar is seventy metres away and finally we found the place. Gosh the beer tasted good after about one mile unexpected walk and Noel without his walking poles. By this time we were both rather tired from walking, lack of food and water  but spent an enjoyable couple of hours at the bar and having dinner.

We called for an Uber taxi who found the bar without any problems?? unlike the other idiots and he dropped us back at the Hotel around 19.00 and so Noel was able to do the BA check in and get boarding passes printed.

The rest of the evening we watched some stuff on I-Player and then retired to bed shortly after 22.00 having had an exhausting afternoon compared to the quiet day planned, such is life. Yes London Black Cabs  oh boy what a difference it makes having decent safe drivers who are not on two phones at the same time and whizzing in and out of traffic as though he has only a few minutes to live . Ah well  we pack up tomorrow morning and leave for the airport at 13.30.

7th June 2022- A walking tour of Istanbul

After a late breakfast we departed the Hotel by Taxi and went to the Galata Bridge, one of the few bridges that cross from Europe to Asia, and walked over the bridge and watched the literally the ten’s of fishermen  all pulling lots of little fish from the water. What was strange the fishermen were only operating on one side of the bridge only, perhaps something to do with tides. This area, like everywhere else, was thronging with people and also below the bridge were very many ferries which operate up and down the Bosporus and fascinating to watch.

From there we headed to the Spice Market and there was shop after shop selling all sorts of spices and with a few cheap watch shops in between, watches were being sold for about £ 8.00 . All the way passing the various shops the storekeeper or his staff are stepping out in front of you saying ‘Hello where do you come from and you must by my…. whatever it is they are selling.  Needless to say we did not try any of the foods offered as for Noel this could have been a real problem. After about an hour and half wandering the streets we were needing  a rest and a drink but not sure where to safely eat we came upon a Burger King and decided we would opt for some chips and not risk the Burger and not knowing what was in it and also unable to question the staff selling it.

From there we carried up the hill and through interesting street after another with wonderful old building’s and not one empty shop insight and with lots of people everywhere reminiscent of Hong Kong crowds it looks like the economy is booming, well at least here it was. We finally arrived at the Blue Mosque along with several hundred other people only to find it was largely covered with tarpaulin and scaffolding and so you could really see the outside properly. There was also a queue to go in and it requires taking off shoes which isn't good for Noel balance and as we were getting a little tired we decided that  was enough for the day and we need a beer and food we can rely. We had already picked out an Irish Pub and they generally are good and we caught a taxi who ripped us of a little bit so we leant our lesson and we arrived after about 45 minute taxi ride at the Corner Irish Bar which was really good. The beer menu was significantly bigger than the food menu which largely consisted of Burgers of various types, pizza’s and of course fish and chips which we both went for. We tested out the Carlsberg draft beer which tasted brilliant after a hard days walking and then decided rather than have all the taxi price issues again Noel called for an UBER which worked well.

We arrived back at the Hotel quite tired after all our walking uphill and down dale , as they say and then spent a quiet evening i the room watching BBC I Player programs. Perhaps we should have come to this place twenty years ago when we were much fitter however there is a limit to how many churches, museums and mosques you can loom at but we found the spice market well worth the visit but did not visit the grand bazaar as we really don't need anything. We are considering a boat ride tomorrow if the weather is nice although just having come off a two week cruise do we really need another boat ride?

Gosh we both ache….

6 June 2022- Day 2 in Istanbul, not quite what we expected

We awoke this morning with a haze over the city and the potential for rain later in the day. Noel has a throat problem normally associated with getting a cold  which is a pain as he cannot take most proprietary medicines as they contain sucrose and glucose etc however we went for breakfast and our plans for today again a restful day and the go on the evening Bosporus cruise. After breakfast Noel did all his photo uploads to the blog whilst in the Executive Lounge whilst Jennifer went for a swim although it was not to warm unlike the cruise ship.

The lunch we had upon arrival yesterday did cause me some small issues down below but we put that down to missing meals but anyway we went back the the restaurant in the hotel for lunch with Jennifer having  the sea bass and Noel the salmon. Well there must be something they are using during the cooking or that the salmon was very fatty but we both then started to experience tummy issues and so decided not to go on the cruise  but continue with a quiet day with Jennifer doing more sewing. The Executive room in the Hotel is very comfortable and the staff are nice and friendly and the food, if you can eat it, also looks nice except the background music is totally wrong for a quiet lounge, more of that later.

So in the afternoon we spent some more time in the room with a nice view over a park and tall buildings in the distance with a large main road flooded with traffic. Prior to going back to the executive lounge for early evening snacks we went to a bar on the 14th floor with views all around Istanbul for some photos, there was an outside area where it would have been nice to sit in but the smell of cigarette smoke was overpowering. We enjoyed our snacks in the lounge but the music was getting rather frenetic and so I had a chat with the receptionist explaining that as a world traveller the Executive lounge should be a restful place and not with music like McDonalds, he understood my point but asked me to wait whilst he filled a report to the GM of the Hotel.

Using our VPN we watched a video on BBC I-player for a while and then a couple of videos on you tube and then making plans for the next days assuming we feel better that is.

It looks like Boris will have a tough time with the ‘vote of no confidence’ rather stupid of the Tory MP’s to start this with all the problems of the world, the papers indicate Jeremy Hunt ( I think that's the correct spelling) is behind this movement, Oh my god what a disaster he would be . He failed miserably as Health Secretary so what make him think he could become a UK PM , Lord help us for we do not know what we do!!!

Time for a little rant on the world state today

Having over the past couple of weeks time to read many newspapers and listen to both the USA and OZZY TV channels as well as SKY and BBC there is pattern emerging around the world which the UK news papers are not covering so here goes.

The Economy and INFLATION

The UK papers and TV Channels are full of cost inflation matters and everybody is blaming anything from Brexit to Boris to Ukraine and even Russia. What they don't point out that the US inflation is such that fuel is 2.5 times more than it was a year a ago. Two years ago you would pay less les USD 2 per gallon and now it is reaching USD 6 and for Diesel over USD 7 and of course the cost of running vehicles increases considerably and so the cost of transporting foodstuffs and anything else has also grown well beyond expectations.  This matter is also reflected in a lot of countries around the world but  where in the UK press do you see coverage of this??

Flights and Airport Delays

The ongoing problems at UK Airports is also a problem elsewhere in the world. Having been on a ship with guests from Australia, USA and other places they were all complaining of the same problems in their countries where Airlines have laid off staff and then unable to get them back or even attract new people to join so inevitably planned flights are cancelled due to lack of crew, airport staff of all types. I receive airline updates from various people and in the last week Amsterdam airport had to be closed as it could not handle the current load of passenger and in the end KLM the home carrier stopped allowing people to fly to Amsterdam Schiphol  Airport and all the all the planes flew empty back to their home station. It will take a long while for new crew and airport workers to be trained and have the required security checks before we ever get back to what might be considered normal.So please what has BREXIT got to do with it. People seem to have completely forgotten about the two year Pandemic screwing everything up.

Russia and PUTIN

What Putin has tried to do appears to be failing quite badly as they did not expect the rest of the world to get involved. It is clear that Putin is worried with no success, riots at home, the Russian economy falling to bits and even worse ladies unable to buy Gucci handbags and the like. At least Biden seems happy as he can now and does blame all the current inflation worries, cost of fuel and lack or baby formula (very bad at the moment in the USA and not improved by Government giving lots of stocks to arriving immigrants) on Putin irrespective of the fact that Trump started to allow oil from Alaska and so there would not have been a USA problem. In the last couple of days Biden has said the high cost of fuel is a good thing as it will help the drive to low emissions, Ha you tell that to the Americans who have no public transport anywhere near them and they fuel for their vehicle to get to work .Its a surprise Biden did not blame his son for the Ukraine war.

Depp vs Heard

Neither person came out of this court case looking good only it was surprising how many women are against Heard and supporting Depp and it was subsequently proven that Depp who may be a piss artist and a druggee was more likely to smash up a kitchen cabinet than hit his wife. Looking at Heard all she wanted was fame like another lady called Megan something or other who married a prince who she thought might be the right hand of God and help her get better paid film parts, oh boy was she wrong.

Boris and Local Government

Lets talk about local Government first, their are many County and Borough Councils who have borrowed money and poured into useless investments when in fact they money was to be spent on the community. Billions have been spent investing in Land, Buildings, Housing developments, Utility Companies etc . Even our local council ( Woking) has suddenly been recognised as a total failure by the investment in a huge Town center development which nobody needs or wanted and so its empty. Brilliant.

The party gate and Boris is one of the most stupid and embarrassing political issues to have hit the UK for some while. I accept he should have been perhaps a little more careful but the biggest problem is the bloody useless civils servants, Oh dear how ‘YES MINISTER’ is so true. I don't give a monkeys uncle if Boris had a pint after work, running the country is not like driving a bus, so give him some slack. When writing this there is planned a vote of no confidence this afternoon in Westminster and if they kick him out what even bigger idiot will they appoint…

You can see why I get angry…..

5th June 2022 We arrive in Istanbul and time to leave the ship

The ship arrived in the Istanbul Harbour at about the same time as our alarm clock went off, really don't like these early morning and by 0715 the ship was tied up and they had started to unload the baggage. We headed down to breakfast and as we have our on private arrangements we did not need to follow the rest of the guests on board, some were staying on for another week or two, but about 100 guests were leaving the ship here and so we waited over breakfast as we had ordered a car to meet us at the port and take us to the Conrad Hilton Hotel where we would stay for four nights. The car was ordered for 0945 but the driver turned up one hour early, did not affect the price thank heavens, and so we decided to leave the ship a bit early to avoid keeping him waiting to long.

Having disembarked we had to go through a X-Ray security check and immigration which took all of ten minutes and we then got a porter to take our bags to the waiting car. The streets were quite empty and many shops closed but I suppose it was about 0930 on a Sunday. We crossed the bridge from the Europe side to the Asia Side of the town and the bridge was packed with anglers but would be a little concerned eating fish from this port area. We arrived the the Hotel many hours before our anticipated arrival time but we had to go thro arrival security where the car is checked by a machine to look for bombs in the vehicle and then we had to go thro X-Ray machines for both us and baggage, such security, however the receptionist was very helpful and found us a room immediately on the 15th floor ( top floor) with great views over the city. So after unpacking and settling in to the toom we had a quick rest and then went for lunch in the restaurant and had to go thro the ‘no garlic, onions etc etc and they were most helpful in guiding me over the menu and I ended it with a small steak which was very nice and tasty.

We spent the afternoon in the Executive lounge which was part inside and part outside and Noel did his photo uploads which took quite some while but eventually as the sun came down lower and shining more  in to the balcony it became impossible to see the screen anymore and so we spent another hour and enjoyed the free tit bits and drinks and then headed up to the Summit Lounge to check out the menu and a quick beer but after about 7.30 pm we were both feeling a little tired and so headed back to the room where we spent a quiet evening. discussing what we shall do in the way of site seeing, the round town bus or private tour.

Tomorrow we plan a quiet morning and then perhaps in the evening and boat cruise on the Bosporus.