India

 

I had no problem at all in India. The food in Goa was excellent and the manager of the cafe in the hotel, the Lemon Tree, where we stayed understood all about allergies. Lemon Tree are a mid-range Indian group, that from the hotel in Goa, seem to be getting nearly everything right.

In Mumbai, we stayed at Taj Mahal Hotel and Tower, which is right by the waterfront and very much a flag ship for the Taj group, who incidentally are part of Tata, who have just bought Jaguar. That was superb too and when we ate on the top floor in their Lebanese restaurant, the chef came out and discussed everything. He even made some soy bread. The meal was the most expensive we had, but it was only about £40 for two. Most of the others in cafes in Goa and Mumbai were of the order of £15 including a bottle of quite passable Indian wine.

One of the managers in the Taj said to me that ALL five star hotels should know about allergies. They did.

The only mistake on the whole trip was that BA gave me a non-gluten free roll with an excellent breakfast. But as it was wrapped, and as it looked the same as my companion’s, I didn’t eat it.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

 

This is a message from an Internet cafe in Panaji, Goa. It's called Cyberjoint.

It's hot (36 degrees or so) and it's coming up to two. I've just had a delicious lunch of two samosas and two fresh lime sodas for the princely sum of 34 Rs or just under fifty pence. This was in a restaurant called the Shanbag Cafe, which was recommended by Lonely Planet.

As has been said before there doesn't seem to be too much of a problem with food. We're actually staying in a place called The Lemon Tree at Candolim, which is very good, except that there's a small leak in the bathroom plumbing. Luckily on the fresh water side.

So if anybody is thinking of coming to Goa, I don't think they'll have too much of a problem. The restaurants seem to use gram flour for everything including batter. And as to the wine! That has improved a lot since I was here last.

It's also been nice and warm since we arrived.

Now this is one real and extensive change in my life since I was diagnosed a few years ago. Then I'd peel like crazy in the smallest amount of sun and generally feel hot, bothered, irritable and unwell. But today, I've been walking round in the sun with no ill-effects at all. I can't even seem to get a tan, other than a very
pale one. But the sun does make me feel well. Perhaps all it's doing is create large amounts of vitamin D.

Are we short of that as well?

I know that if I don't get the sun, it doesn't make me feel well at all.

Holne Chase Hotel

 

I spent a nice two nights at this hotel.

Food was excellent and they understood gluten-free. In one case, where I forgot to say I didn’t want toast with scrambled egg and smoked salmon, they actually cooked me another, despite it being my fault.

Eating Gluten-Free in Minsk

 

I did not want to be adventurous with my eating in Belarus.

As a coeliac, there is nothing worse than having to travel on a plane or drive down the motorway, with your guts telling you in no uncertain way that they are unhappy with the gluten. Your best course of action when this happens, is to sit near a toilet. Or sometimes permanently on it!

I had prepared by bringing a good box of supplies with me.


The box contained Trufree crackers, Fruit Break bars and Oskri Sesame Bars. If the worst had came to the worst then I could have existed on them, plus a few bananas, other fruit and a salad or two.

The Belarus Hotel has a Panorama restaurant on the twenty-second floor with expansive views of the city.


I'm afraid that the picture doesn't do the view justice!

I thought I'd be careful and only have a main course with a glass of wine. At least the menu had an English translation and there seemed to be a lot of choice.

I'd also brought one of CeliacTravel's excellent menu cards in Russian, so I gave it to the waiter and asked if a pork something was OK. He took the card and checked with the kitchen.

I was getting a bit apprehensive, but when the meal arrived, I had no worries. The pork had obviously been cooked without any source and it came with some onions, peppers and tomatoes. They did bring a cup of tomato sauce to go with it, but I decided that as I was ahead I'd stay there.

I had no reaction to the meal at all. The card had done its trick.

The two breakfasts that I ate in the hotel were fine too. But then with a buffet, you can usually be fairly careful about what you eat. I stuck to fruit, cold meats and vegetables.

So would I be more adventurous if I went to Belarus again? Probably, especially if I went with someone, who understood their cooking better than I do!

As a postscript here, much of the cooking in Belarus is based on potatoes. They even make pancakes that way. So if you're careful, it isn't one of the most difficult places to eat gluten-free.

But you'll have to take your own biscuits or bread!

Calais and P&O Ferries

 

I got mixed up in the trouble at the Chunnel on Friday night as I was coming back from France. Actually, very easy getting into the Port at Calais and then due to P&O I had to wait two hours later than I should for the ferry. Partly, this was due to port problems, but it wasn’t too bad as I spent a lot of time educating a medical student about coeliac disease.

I was getting hungry as although it was only eight in the evening all the snack bars seemed to be closed and you could just about get coffee or a Coke. Incidentally, there was a lot more available at Dover than Calais. So I just waited for the boat.

I did get a good coffee and some crisps on the boat, but the notice in the Food Court summed it all up. “Food Allergy Advice – Whilst every effort is made to maintain the integrity of all food served onboard, we regret that due to the complexity of our operations, we are unable to guarantee that any food will be free of food allergens.”

Is that good enough?

Problems in Northern France

 

Last week I stayed with a friend in Northern France. I won’t say shopping is a nightmare, as we knew exactly what we were doing, but trying to find anything prepared without dextrose was very difficult. If it was declared it was dextrose de blé, which is wheat. I even found prepared salads which declared the allergies not to contain gluten, but had dextrose de blé. Most crisps and ham seemed to contain it as well.

After what has been said on this list whilst I have been away, that is wrong!

At least my friend is a very good cook and we ate in all the time.

Belgian Grand Prix - 1

 

I’m off to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa on Sunday. It would have been our fortieth wedding anniversary, so I felt I should do something completely different. Celia would have hated it. I probably will! Let’s hope little Lewis wins!

But has anybody got any ideas for snacks I can take with me. I shall be taking cold sausages, salad, TruFree crackers, chocolate and nuts, but it’s on trips like this, where I suspect the offerings at the other end are totally useless, that I really feel hungry and trapped. My problem is that I can never pace myself and I’ll probably eat all the food I take as early as I can. At least, I’m travelling on after the Grand Prix to a friend in France, who knows my dietary requirements.

Germany

 

I’ve just had a few days away in western Germany, where I visited Xanten, Altenberg, Wuppertal, Cologne, the Moselle Valley, Trier, Montschau and Aachen. It was great fun despite the rain. The interesting thing though, is that I didn’t really have any problems with gluten. Most places knew exactly what to do and the standard German breakfast of cold meats and cheese is naturally gluten-free.

One of the highlights was the Flying Metro in Wuppertal.

Does Anybody Like Rice Cakes?

 

I recently went to Montreal for a weekend on business. Coming back there was no gluten-free bread or biscuits, but they served rice cakes. They really are truly awful. Does anybody like them?

As an aside Montreal was good, but not if you are an unprepared coeliac. At least the breakfasts in the hotel were fruit and eggs, but otherwise waiters and restaurateurs didn’t have a clue. Strangely though I met two people, who had close friends or relatives who were so it’s not as though the disease is unknown.

I’ve posted my experiences of the city here.

I’ve since done a Google search for gluten-free restaurants and there are a few lists.

Wembley

 

I went to Wembley yesterday for the Blue Square play-off final. Stadium great, public transport much improved, views good, Coke expensive and food absolutely non-existent for a coeliac. So take a packed lunch.

View a full report as a PDF!

Kenya

 

I've had requests to put up the details of my holiday in Kenya, so I've extracted the Kenya part of the book as a separate pdf file.

Travels with My Celia(c) - Kenya

You can also see the video I took on my YouTube site.

I've also put up the videos from the Siruai, which was where I rode in the Masai Mara.

Food on the Go in The Netherlands

 

I just spent a couple of days in The Netherlands to see a couple of friends and didn’t find the food too difficult. One of the problems is that a lot of their meals are bread based, but I did get a couple of good meals in Italian restaurants without trouble, as the owners were real Italians and knew about celiachia. One thing that I did find was that in a chain called Albert Heijn, which always seemed to have a selection of very good salads, that were marked gluten free.

Travels With My Celia(c)

 

I've put up some notes that will form my book called "Travels With My Celia(c)" on the Internet. If anybody wants to have a look, feel free.

View the Book as a PDF File

London - 15th to 17th February, 2008

 

I'm putting a lot of my experiences of travel together in a book called "Travels with my Celia(c)". It's an awful pun I know.

The aim is to write something that is personal, light-hearted and hopefully gives a bit of information to coeliacs who might want to go somewhere different.

View the chapter on London!

Catering at Exhibitions

 

I normally avoid eating at exhibitions and such-like as there is usually never anything remotely gluten-free except Coke and perhaps a few crisps. Today, I went to an exhibition at Earls Court and was intending to turn up, walk round, exit and the take the tube to somewhere more friendly.

But, they had four types of sealed salads which were a pretty good meal for me. I chose a Nicoise and although the plastic knives and forks were their usual useless selves, the salad was quite tasty and much more than OK. It contains lots of tuna, a whole egg, a lot of cucumber and tomato and not too much lettuce. Unfortunately, there were olives. I hate olives. There was also a cheese and egg salad, which looked gluten-free.

But the salad was only £4.50, which I thought was very reasonable for an event, considering that a 33cl. bottle of Coke was £1.80.

I shall be writing to Earls Court.

Son Julia Hotel, Majorca

 

We stayed at this hotel in Majorca for my sixtieth.

They understood what to do and a good gluten-free few days was had by all.

I should say that the hotel is not cheap, but the grounds, pool etc are magnificent. Note too, that we’ve spent New Year on the island and were able to swim outside, as it’s not unknown for the temperature to be 20 degrees. A double room in October was about 184 Euros a night upwards. Suites were up to 700 Euros.

They seem to be part of the Stein Group of hotels and I’ve e-mailed them to see if all hotels have the same gluten-free policy.

As an aside, I noticed that at Palma Airport, all of the prepared salads were properly labelled and it was obvious which contained gluten, as it’s the same in one form of Spanish.

Gravetye Manor

 

We went here before we went off to Majorca for my sixtieth birthday on the 16th.

It was very good and they even produced some gluten-free bread for the nibbles. And that was without warning.

But we couldn't make any allowance for the awful weather.

Visiting London

 

This is based on an e-mail I wrote to a guy in the States, who's visiting London in August.

He'd queried the cost of food in London.

It wouldn't be that much for a fish. We ate in L'Escargot on Saturday and the food was about £23 each for two big courses. My wife actually paid £15 as she stuck to the set menu. But L'Escargot is expensive.

If you have your own flat, you'll be fine. Pimlico is not an area of London I know well, but you are very close to Tate Britain, which is an excellent gallery. It's free too! All the big museums are.

How long are you staying? The reason is that you can get some pretty good Tube/bus tickets or buy an Oyster Card.

This site explains it all.

I should say that I'm sixty next month and not short of a bob or two, but I always use public transport in central London. Even late at night, as it's all very safe. In many cases use the buses, which are easy with an Oyster as you just touch the reader and walk in.

You also have to remember that given good weather, London is not an expensive city. You can roam a long way on public transport and there is much outside to see. Just walking along the river from Pimlico to the city is a free show, unlike any other city in the world.

If you like the theatre you never need to pay full price on say a Monday or a Tuesday. Just go to the half price booth in Leicester Square. I've seen some very good shows that way. In fact last weekend we went to a small theatre in Soho and paid £7.50 for the ticket as against the £30 plus you'd pay full price in a top theatre.

So come and enjoy my city.

Top ten things to visit, in no particular order :-

1. Hampstead Village and the Heath - Northern Line and then walk down to Cafe Mozart on Swains Lane, bus back to central London
2. Greenwich - Take the Docklands Light Railway from Bank through the city
3. The City - Just walk around it.
4. British Museum - Free and the best roof in the world - See the Hoxne Hoard.
5. Trafalgar Square and National Gallery - Whistlejacket
6. Tate Modern - What to do with an old power station
7. London Eye - That will cost you a bit but worth it.
8. Regents Park and Canal - Walk the Canal from the Park to Kings Cross
9. North London Line - Take the train across the top of London and see all the development of Eurostar at St. Pancras
10. Crossness Pumping Station - Difficult to get to, but the four largest beam engines in the world

Hope all this helps.

Salzburg

 

Last week I went to Salzburg on business.

It’s not my town really, as Mozart is not my taste in music. Well, I don’t have any taste in music.

I was with a German speaker and I coped very well with the food. In two restaurants, the chef came out and ascertained what I needed and made sure everything was fine.

It’s a very pretty city, but I didn’t see that much, as it was chucking it down.

Incidentally, the flight cost £32 from Stansted on Ryanair. That was all taxes and charges.

The Aeolian Islands

 

A few weeks ago, Celia and I went on holiday to the Aeolian Islands. If you don’t know where they are, they are a series of about ten volcanic islands, that lie between Sicily and Naples. The best known is the active volcano Stromboli, which is how every child draws a volcano. It’s even got smoke coming out the top. But although the islands are in fact part of Sicily, they are rather different in character.

We stayed in two hotels on two different islands; Panarea and Salina.

Panarea is an unusual island, just a few kilometres across, where there are no cars. There are just golf buggies, those funny three wheel vans and pickups, and of course scooters, some of which are electric. Even the Carabineri and the taxi drivers use golf buggies.

The hotel we stayed at was smart and very chaotic. I didn’t get glutened, but it wasn’t one I would trust, so we ate out in the town. We found an excellent restaurant/hotel called the Da Pina, where they really understood what was needed, even if their English was limited. They have a website at www.dapina.com. From the web site, it also appears they have villas and I did check out the delis on the island and eating GF shouldn’t be a problem.

Most people understand about coeliac on the island and we had an experience in the bar on the port, where when they discovered I was a coeliac, they always brought GF nibbles with the drinks.

Panarea has a reasonable sandy beach, with a restaurant called Zimmari, which is south of the main town. Except that you had to pay for the umbrellas and loungers if you wanted them, it was an ideal beach for kids in that there were no sellers of anything.

Salina is a much bigger island and we stayed at a hotel called the Signum. It is excellent, family-run and has a web site at www.hotelsignum.it. It was quite expensive, but I couldn’t fault it. As an example of how careful they were, they always provided an appetizer before meals. They would tease by saying, I wasn’t having one and give Celia a crostini or something like that. Then I would get a special one of rice or mushroom.

So we ate in the hotel every night.

One thing you ought to like if you go there is rabbit or coniglio as they are native there. I suspect they were released by the Normans, who ruled the Islands in the Middle Ages. They brought rabbits to the UK as well.

They cook it rolled up with vegetables and no bones.

So we had a very good holiday in perhaps one of the most unusual places in Europe.

We got there by flying to Palermo and then getting a hydrofoil. As you can see, we stayed in hotels, but friends had an excellent time with their family on another island, Lipari, where they self-catered. Lipari is much bigger and has a lot more to do, with many shops, a big museum, marina, castle and cathedral.

I’m going to post this to my Coeliac Diary with a few pictures.

New York Gluten Free

 

This web site looks interesting for anybody who wants to go to New York and needs gluten free food.

Socca and Shopping

 

In the Nice area, they make a bread called socca. It is GF as it is made with chick-pea flour. We actually didn’t get to try it, but I’d be interested in reports.

The other reason we went to Nice was that Celia wanted to buy her summer wardrobe. The clothes shopping is not as good as say Paris, but she did manage to add four kilos to our luggage on the way home. One thing she finds is that she can still buy bikinis in France that are suitable for an older lady, but she can’t find anything that fits in the UK.

Are the French a different shape to us?

Weekend in Nice

 

We’ve just come back from an enjoyable weekend in Nice. A nice weekend?

We used a book called Walk and Eat Nice by John and Pat Underwood, which is quite small and fits in the pocket. Only when I got there, did I realise that the book has been written by a coeliac. They recommended a restaurant called the Le Pot d-Etain, which was excellent. There was also quite a few tips on how to find gluten-free foods in the city and recommendations for hotels and restaurants all round the city and in the environs.

We flew EasyGo from Stansted and stayed at the Hotel Windsor which was excellent and reasonable as we had a very large room for about £100 a night. You’d have paid at least £250 for a similar standard in London. We booked on-line and the hotel system was excellent.

It was also close to the train station, so we did a couple of trips to Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Antibes for just a few Euros. If you do that make sure you know how to use the automatic ticket machines for the TER, as the queues for the guichet were horrendous. For those who complain about our trains, the local trains from Nice were large brand-new double deck monsters. Or rickety trains of a certain vintage. But we did get to travel back from Antibes to Nice on a double-deck TGV, with four engines and sixteen coaches. You can walk from one end to the other on the top deck.

It’s a pity that our loading gauge is so small, that we can’t get the extra capacity we need by going double deck.

I’ve since checked with Sunflower Books and they do other guides in the same series. Check their web site for details.

Astraeus to Gambia

 

We flew to the Gambia on Astraeus from Gatwick.

Just a quick post to say that the GF meals were actually quite good.

We flew what they call Star Class, which is a bit more upmarket but they made a mistake with the meal on the way out and I got one for steerage. It was a Citrus Ginger Chicken the CFH Group in Wrexham. It was very nice, even if it had too much coconut for my liking.

Coming back I got the Star Class meal, which was again chicken and very good.

This was a much better experience than I got with BA when we went to Turkey.

The only problem I had was they gave out nuts mixed with the odd biscuit. I didn't need to eat them and mistakenly ate a biscuit. Serves me right for being greedy.

The Gambia

 

This will probably end up as a series of posts and certainly I'm quite prepared to answer any questions.

Celia and I decided to go to The Gambia, as we needed a break, wanted some sun and it is about the shortest flight where you can get reasonably warm at the New Year.

To quote the Lonely Planet guide "For vegetarians, this region can be a challenge." I hoped it wouldn't be the same for coeliacs. But then I'm not supersensitive, it was only a week and there was a lot of interesting things to see like the birds, the forests and the other wildlife.

We had a very good time.

We did stay in a very good hotel called NGala Lodge which is owned by its Belgian chef and he had been warned. For instance on the first night, I ordered a starter based on grilled fish. Normally, he breadcrumbed them, but for me he did them plain. And they were very good.

We ate in a couple of restaurants and I had no trouble at all. Generally, the waiters speak very good English, as it is promoted as the National language. One thing though the holiday rep from Gambia Experience told me, is that no-one minds if you seek out the chef and ask his advice.

But the good thing is that most of the food seems to be naturally gluten-free. We had one of the local dishes which was effectively beef in a spicy peanut sauce. There is also a lot of good fruit and plenty of things like eggs and bacon at breakfast, even if I had problems convincing them that I didn't want toast.

So if you want a nice winter holiday, I'd recommend The Gambia. But I would plan more than I did, as we would have had a better holiday if we had. That is nothing to do with food, but I'd take a bird book, stay perhaps in two places and learn more about the people.

Southampton West Quay Shopping Centre

 

I went Christmas shopping with my wife, Celia, our son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter at the West Quay Shopping Centre in Southampton on Saturday.

They spent all of this money on the place and then they fill the Food Court with crap. They didn't provide a parking system that was fit for purpose either.

We decided to eat in the Cafe Giardino, because I had noticed I could get an omelette. However, in the words of that truly wonderful British catering phrase, "Omelette is off!" Oh! Well! I'll have the baked potato. But then I realised this was the same chain where I'd had a totally inedible one in Ipswich which may have glutened me! So I passed and had a packet of Kettle Crisps, which were stale, but still inside their sell-by date and a tasteless banana. The only compensation was that Celia's panini used cardboard instead of bread and was inedible, so she got less than me.

Still if we don't complain, then we'll get this rubbish. At least if you go to some of the slightly more upmarket chains, they at least know what gluten is and tell you where it's in the food. There was no chance in Giardino, as when I asked I got a totally blank look. I don't think the chef spoke English past the menu.

To make matters worse, we had to leave early as one of our basset hounds was unwell and didn't eat before we left. Would you believe that between Winchester and Newmarket, there is only one Service Area, Fleet, which is one from the Dark Ages without a decent coffee shop or an M&S Simply Food. The latter is always good for a salad with cutlery. They do have a large selection of amusement machines, so I can see they have got their priorities right.

It was good to get home!

It is unlikely we will be going to Southampton and the shops again. Bluewater, Bicester and Meadowhall are so much better.

Greece and Especially Crete

 

I've been to Greece several times both before and since diagnosis. I've not really had a problem as although the average waiter isn't as knowledgeable as say they are in Egypt, the food is pretty safe. I've always liked things like souvlaki, which are fine as basically they are meat, onions and peppers on a skewer. Crete also has quite a bit of fish.

Don't forget the celiactravel cards as they usually work. But most restaurants speak pretty good English.

Whatever you do in Creete, go to the folk museum in Heraklion. You'll understand why Cretans are so different to the Greeks and why they aren't that keen on the Germans.

Where to Stay in East Anglia

 

I live at Newmarket and East Anglia isn't bad at all.

If anybody is going to Cambridge, then I'd recommend the Crown and Punchbowl at Horningsea. They have home made gluten-free sausages amongst an almost totally gluten-free menu and if you say when you book, they'll even make you a roll. They have several reasonably priced rooms. Cambridge itself doesn't have any gluten-free restaurants, but everybody knows about it. The Pheonix at Histon and the White Pheasant at Fordham both know what they're doing. The former is Chinese, where they will serve duck in lettuce leaves rather than pancakes.

If you go to the Norfolk coast, then most places seem to be able to do a good gluten-free meal. We go regularly to the Victoria at Holkham, which is by a very big beach, that is ideal for dogs. They also have Aspall Cyder on draught, which is a reason for going itself.

In Norwich, there is a cafe called Expresso, which always has a good gluten-free meal. Or they have when I've been there.

Don't know about others, but on the whole there is a high awareness of gluten allergies in East Anglia. Perhaps, the incidence is higher, due to all the cereals.

Egypt

 

Just returned.

No ill affects at all. Food was excellent, although I was very careful, but restaurants could all read the celiactravel Arabic documents. One even added a footnote for other chefs.

Travel Insurance

 

There is a thread going on the Australian coeliac list about the difficulty and extra charges coeliacs get with travel insurance.

I’ve never had a problem, but then I get it free with my credit card.

If we’re frank, an undiagnosed coeliac would be a greater liability.

Virgin Trains

 

Took the train from Euston to Coventry yesterday and found that in the shop on the train, they are offering a gluten-free chocolate brownie. I didn’t buy one, as they are not to my taste, but the lady in the shop knew all about them.

Place to Stay

 

My wife stayed in the Hotel du Vin in Winchester. She’s not coeliac, but the service was very good and nothing was too much trouble.

Holidaying in Morocco

 

We had a lovely holiday in Morocco a couple of years ago. I didn’t have any problems. The food was generally very good. Lots of fruit and salads, if I remember correctly.

They are very friendly people and a lot of English is spoken. We were staying in a good hotel in Marrakesh and one evening we went about a kilometre to a very good restaurant. We asked the concierge what was the best way to get back and he said everybody walks as it’s so safe. We did.

Olympic Airlines

 

Now don’t get me wrong, but I love Greece!

You can’t say though that my wife and I have any affection for their national airline!

We recently flew to Thessaloniki for a weeks holiday at a place called Sani, which is about 45 minutes south of the airport. The hotel was excellent and I had only one reaction in the whole holiday, when I inadvertently ate a small cake, which my wife thought was rice-based. It wasn’t. One memorable meal was a superb fish grilled in a little olive oil with a couple of tomatoes. The fish cost about six Euros, which isn’t much at all!

So if you’re a coeliac and are thinking of going to Greece then if you’re careful it isn’t too difficult to stick to a gluten-free diet, especially as a lot of chefs will show you the kitchen.

But the airline!

I requested a gluten-free meal directly with them and their people in London said this would not be a problem. On the flight out, the stewardess said that they hadn’t been told and that I couldn’t have ordered one. So she served me nothing! Not even coffee or a drink! I was a troublemaker! Coming back, I thought I’d chance it as I suspected there would be a limp salad and perhaps some orange juice. Guess what! The starter was pasta and so was the main course!

So Olympic go down as one of my airlines of last resort!

Greece

 

Off to Greece in the morning! I’ve even asked for the gluten-free meal on Olympic, but I’ll probably have a steak at Chez Gerard before boarding!

Italy

 

We were down near Bari last weekend and there wasn’t much pasta at all. Lots of good fresh meats, risottos, melons and ham etc!

On the other hand in Bologna with all the pasta, we found a lot of restaurants knew about the problem. There are a lot more coeliacs in Italy than here.

Travel

 

I went to London to see clients!

Took Henry's Mini back to him after his holidays and then came home via Bury St. Edmunds to pick up my MG.

People moan about transport in the UK, but it took me only a few minutes longer in the rush hour to get to his house in Walthamstow and I was only about five minutes late back into Cambridge despite the fact that Kings Cross is still short of two platforms due to the derailment a couple of weeks ago!

Returning Home

 

A quick dash up the motorway and we caught the flight back to Stansted with ease. The only problem was the age they seemed to take to get our baggage.

I got the appointment letter in the post when I returned. It is for October 3. Didn't read it though!

Florence

 

As we would have had problems convincing the housekeeper to get up early enough to check us out before going to Bologna, we decided to spend today in Florence at the Villa Belvedere.

It is a pleasant hotel which is convenient for the autostrada and only about two km. from the city centre. It has a swimming pool (Celia did!) and tennis counts too! And a St. Bernard of a friendly disposition. Very quiet which is important to us as we live in the country.

But if you are spending a weekend in Florence, you may find that it is too far from the city centre.

We know Florence fairly well, so we didn't do too many of the tourist sites except for Santa Croce and the Science Museum. The latter has a wonderful collection of scientific instruments. Including Galileo's!

We marked the end of the holiday with a meal in Paoli, a restaurant with frescos in the centre. The guide said the atmosphere is brilliant. It was! But it also said the food was suspect. It wasn't! I had some of the best liver I'd had in years!

Assissi

 

Assissi is a town where everybody should go at least once! This was our second visit.

The sun shone too! But it wasn't that warm!

I'm not a religious person, but I doubt that no-one is not moved by the beauty of the frescos in the church of San Francesco.

We skipped lunch as we'd been eating too well this holiday and had a very good dinner at Il Bersaglio in Citta di Castello. Again, I shared a plate of antipasti.

Sienna

 

We've always liked Sienna and one day I'll go there for the Palio on my birthday.

If you can't go in August, then go in September or early October and the cathedral has all of the most spectacular marble floor uncovered. We must have spent an hour there!

We had lunch in the main square and watched the oddest street performer we'd ever seen. Difficult to describe he had everybody in fits, just playing pranks on passers-by! Most saw the joke as they were sprayed from a water pistol or tickled with brushes or a feather duster.

It was back to the L'Osteria in the evening and more antipasti.

Perugia

 

Perugia is a slightly unusual town in that they have installed a large number of escalators to move people from the parking to the town centre. A very interesting idea, which makes for a very pleasant town centre.

It also rained heavily and we didn't have an umbrella!

That evening we decided to eat in!

Gubbio

 

Gubbio is a town we'd not really heard of, but it followed the pattern of many Italian cities. Historic walled centre with a duomo and a lot of nice shops.

Saw a launderette with the name of Eurospin! Unfortunately, I was driving at the time and couldn't get the camera out!

That night we shared antipasti at a restaurant called L'Osteria in Citta di Castello. I would have liked to have had Celia's pizza though!

Interestingly, the owner decanted the wine. Fairly unusual these days especially in a very basic but reasonably good restaurant!

Cortona

 

We spent a pleasant day in the sun at Cortona, a town which once used to be a rival to Sienna and Arezzo. Lunch was on the terrace of a very popular and good restaurant.

This was our 35th wedding anniversary and Henry bought us a fabulous meal at a restaurant called Il Postale in Citta di Castello. They knew all about gluten-free foods as Italy is one of the places where the disease is commonest.

But again it was a bit limiting for me. I had rabbit terrine and lamb.

Off to Italy

 

We flew out with EasyJet from Stansted to Bologna, which is a sensible uncrowded airport. Our son, Henry, and his friend, Emma, came with us.

No snacks on the way out! Just a few crisps and a Crunchie.

We all met for lunch at a small town called Sansepolcro. Problem! It was either pasta or ham and melon!

But it was only a small restaurant with a limited lunch menu!

The villa turned out to be a nice comfortable house, but it was at the end of a rough track that was nearly a kilometre long. We were also only given one set of keys, so we had to come and go carefully. Luckily Henry and Emma were very reliable and turned up when they said they would!

That evening we went into Citta di Castello, bought some shopping and had a meal at a rather poor restaurant. I think they were spending more time watching Italy beat Wales!

No sign of any gluten-free pasta in the supermarket!

North Norfolk Coast

 

We went to the North Norfolk coast with the dogs and then had dinner at the Hoste Arms in Burnham Market.

I played safe with a salad followed by a steak and chips.

But I did do a strange thing in that I tried some of Celia's crab! Did I avoid things like this as I knew some things upset my body and I didn't want to give them a chance?

The Christening and Marwell Zoo

 

Imogene, our grand-daughter, is being christened tomorrow, so we drive with the dogs, Rosein and Mary, down to Chichester. As ever the journey is a nightmare, the major holdup being a crash on the M3. The weather was atrocious!

That evening we stayed at Marwell Zoo!

Sounds daft but the hotel was very good value. The evening meal too was much better than could have been expected and not the usual processed pap you get in most hotels of that type.