So here I was. For the first time in more than 10 years I was getting ready to go on holiday and for the first time it wasn't with family it was with friends. I still couldn't quite believe what had started out as a bit of a drunken joke in a pub a couple of days after Christmas was actually happening.

After a short delay (1 hour) we were off and only 95 minutes later the plane landed in Prague. A quick exit from the plane and straight through immigration to arrive at the baggage belts just in time to see our luggage coming up (barely 10 mins from the plane touching the runway). Straight through customs and into a waiting taxi through the outskirts or Prague (at somewhere approaching 80 mph!) to the hotel. In less than 45 minutes I had got from the air to the hotel!.

It was already 11pm so we decided on a quiet evening and went to the bar at the end of the street where we drunk ourselves silly (The Czech's operate a brilliant system where they keep a tab on your table of how many beers you have had and charge at the end). After about 4 pints each we asked for the bill that came to about £4 (you couldn't get one round of drinks for that in even the cheapest student bar in the UK) and promptly tipped the bar man about £6 as we still weren't used to the currency, though it would explain why we got such good service the next time we went in...

First day in a new city and the temptation was just to do everything at once.

Firstly we had a look at the guide books and then we walked into town.

First stop was the old town square and with it the world famous astronomical clock.

Next stop was the powder tower just slightly back from the old town square. This was the first of many spiral staircases to the top of towers. From here you can get commanding views of the centre or Prague and out to the outskirts of the city.

After a spot of lunch in a cafe near the old town square we continued to wander around the city before heading back to the hotel for a rest.

That evening we wandered back into town for a quick bite to eat before heading back to the hotel

We decided to visit the castle today and this required one of the most picturesque crossing of a river in Europe.

The Charles Bridge quite rightly features in almost all holiday brochures, guide books and literature about Prague. From it you climb the castle hill to reach the complex on the top with its breathtaking views of the city and its spectacular architecture, The cathedral, Palaces and towers.

Once again another spiral staircase challenges us but we defeated it. The tower of the cathedral has the longest set of stairs in the city over 400 with tourists in large numbers going up and down all the time it's the scariest of the climbs but the view from the top is worth it!.

After the cathedral and the tower we looked at some of the other sites in the castle complex but there was no way that we were going to get them all done in one day so it is good that the tickets are valid for 3!.

By the time we had left the castle it was early evening so we wandered back into town over a different bridge so that we could see the Charles bridge from the side.

Back to the castle for a second day.

This time to see the Royal Palaces and to stroll in the grounds.

The size of the castle is such that you can not hope to do it in less that 2 days really.

After the castle we wandered back into town for a bite to eat before heading back to the hotel.

First stop for the day was the funicular railway up to the Hunger Wall.

At the top not only stunning views but also the mirror maze and a scaled down version of the Eiffel Tower. From here a walk leads down through the park land to the bottom of the hill.

Next stop was the Zizka Monument on the top of Zizkov hill. At one time used as the tomb for communist leaders now left empty but a spectacular structure. Again spectacular views of the city can be seen.

Then it was a walk back across the city to the hill that the Metronome now stands on. This was previously where a bust of Stalin had sat staring down at the people of Prague but since the collapse of communism has been replaced with something more tasteful. Again spectacular views of the city make the climb up the side of the hill worth it!

One of the more peculiar attractions of Prague is the television tower.

Originally planed to block the corrupting influences of capitalist television from West Germany reaching the country its building was only completed after the fall of communism.

It does though offer some of the best views of the city from the highest vantage point with the advantage that it's lifts rather than stairs that take you to the top.

After the TV Tower it was time to wander back into town and a wander round the Jewish quarter of the city

For those of you who are of a morbid fascination then the trip to Kutna Hora and more importantly the small town of Sedlec that lies just outside the city are a must.

In the town a small church was such a popular place to be interred when you died that after a while the number of bodies started to get out of hand. In the end 40,000 sets of remains were filling up the chapel and it was decided that something should be done.

This something turned out to be making decorations out of the bones. From piles of skulls to a coat of alms and even a chandelier made out of at least one of every bone in the human body!

After that we had a quick look around the city of Kutna Hora before heading back to the train station and the train back to Prague

After nearly a week in Prague it was sad to be leaving and as I watched the houses and shops whizz past from the taxi I though how nice it would be to come back again.....

...After getting back from Prague I met up with some friends from University (my ex-flatmates) in Brighton and chatted about my trip. I showed them my photos and watched as they started to drool. (Especially over the price of beer). We popped into Pizza Hut for a bite to eat and talked about it a bit more. At this point we remembered that there was an STA travel shop at the bottom of the road and so within a couple of hours I again was on my way back....

As I landed in Dublin for my first ever tip by myself I found that it was going to be a "soft" day (i.e. pissing it down).

After catching the airport bus into town I visited the tourist information centre and booked myself onto a musical pub crawl for the evening. I then set about heading out of town to my hotel.

In the process I was passed by about 20 buses that I only later discovered stopped right outside the hotel and would have saved me an absolute soaking!

That evening I caught the bus back into town and went the the Temple Bar area to join the pub crawl.

A really fun evening involving several pints of Guinness 3 pubs and lots of music.

By the time I came out of the last pub the rain had stopped a warm breeze was blowing and the weather looked fare for the rest of the trip.

When you only have 2 days in which to cram the whole of Dublin into your itinerary there is no time for lying in and waiting around. First task of the morning go on one of the open top bus tours. These are useful for a number of reasons

1. They give you an idea where places are in the city and if they are hop on hop off let you get round the city easily

2. They always give you an easy to read map with all the key tourist points marked out

3. They always have money off vouchers for the attractions you want to visit!

First stop of the morning Trinity College and the Dublin Experience a 45 minute Audio/Visual presentation of the history of the island of Ireland. Following this a quick walk across the quad to the long library and the Book of Kells.

After this it's back onto the bus and off to a lunchtime visit to the Old Jameson's distillery. An interesting tour of how Irish whisky is produced topped off with a tasting session.

quick walk back across the Liffy and up the hill to the Guinness factory for a look round their museum and a free pint of Guinness. All in all a very alcoholic afternoon.

Back to the hotel to quickly recover (and drop off the souvenirs) before setting out again for the Dublin Ghost bus tour. An interesting and informative bus tour of the most haunted spots in Dublin

1 Day down and just a couple of hours left until the flight back home required yet more rush sightseeing.

A look round the Dublinia Exhibition followed by a look around St Patrick's Cathedral. After that just time for a quick look round the museum of Irish music and the wax works and then back onto the airport bus for the flight home and a well deserved rest (and admitting to my boss who had only just come of holiday that I had handed my notice in 2 weeks earlier!!)

And here we go again.

I am proud to have officially opened the summer season in Prague and here I was back for the very last week before the clocks went back and the winter season officially started.

This time even the flight wasn't as delayed and once again I found myself in the bar at the end of the road the hotel was in with the same barman on duty!

The only difference this time was different traveling companions

With the problem of not knowing your way round a foreign city already disposed of back in April it's off to a brisk start with as many towers as possible in the first day to get a good a view as possible of the city and also to have a look in some of the more spectacular churches that I hadn't managed to on the first occasion.

After having completed most of the towers in the centre of town (including the tall one in the cathedral in the castle we headed for the TV tower. This time with the weather a bit clearer the views were even more spectacular than before.

Then in the evening off on a ghost tour of Prague

More sightseeing and coffee! From the hill in Zizkov near the hotel the views were even more spectacular with some foliage on the trees.

Off for another bit of Morbid fascination looking at the bones (all I did was show some pictures and then everybody is an instant gore monster!). After that we went in and had a better look at Kutna Hora and St Barbara's Cathedral.

Up another tower, this time at the end of the Charles bridge and then a wander through the lanes running away from the bridge towards the old town square.

Visit to Vysehrad that I hadn't managed to do on the first trip.

The small town on the top of a hill just outside the city centre has the Cemetery for all the famous artists and musicians who have lived and died in the city.

Then back to the centre for the final tower the one housing the astronomical clock. Though some of the fun of climbing hundreds of steps has been removed because they stuck a lift in!. Spectacular views over the old town square though!.

Down then into the cellars of the town hall which are cavernous in the extreme before finally emerging back into the old town square for another coffee.

This time as the taxi pulled away I felt that I had finally done justice to the city. I had finally seen all there was to see. I would still like to come back but not for a few years.

From the moment that I left the terminal building at Edinburgh I was aware that I had probably not packed enough warm clothing. It was rather cold. The sky was so clear and so blue that the only two things it could be were a baking day in the Mediterranean or a freezing day in the Arctic

I caught the airport bus into town and arrived just gone midday with more that an hour before I could check in I caught one of the open toped buses to see the city and foolishly decided to sit upstairs (in fact all the times I used open top buses I sit upstairs no matter what the weather - I think I need help!)

Stunning views of the centre of Edinburgh, the castle, the royal mile and the palace of Hollyrood. By the time the tour was complete I could check in at the hotel.

I then wandered around the city looking at some of the sights and then visited the Scottish Whisky Heritage centre. An interesting tour of how Scotch whisky is distilled (as opposed to Irish whisky - see Dublin you're probably thinking I have an alcohol problem by now) which starts with a small tasting session and finished with a slightly larger tasting session and the discovery of what is my Water of Life - Highland Park whisky.

Back to the hotel to freshen up and then back to the castle to go on the Adam Lyle (Deceased) Ghost tour (with Jumpaoooters). A fun and irreverent tour of the old town with a few grisly ghost stories checked in for good measure.

First on the list of things to do in Edinburgh must really be the castle. So at 10 o'clock sharp I was almost at the head of the queue for tickets (just behind an American couple and ahead of a small Japanese tour party).

The castle itself is quite breathtaking and amazingly still partly in use.

After spending a couple of hours wandering around the castle I left and started to walk down the royal mile about 50 yards to the Camera Obscurer for a more novel tour or Edinburgh and a museum of optical illusion.

Then a little further down to the main church in Edinburgh for a quick look around.

After that back to the hotel to drop off the souvenirs and then back out.

After a quick climb up the Sir Walter Scott Monument for a breathtaking view of Edinburgh and a quick go on the Ferris wheel that had been erected next to it in time for Christmas it was time to wander back up to the castle to go on the Mercat tour of the ghosts of Edinburgh which ended up in the vaults beneath the south bridge of Edinburgh.

The vaults are creepy and when you have had someone telling you ghost stories for the previous hour it doesn't take much to make you feel freaked out!

Final half day in Edinburgh and I couldn't leave without seeing one of the most spectacular pieces of engineering in the UK the Forth rail bridge.

A quick train ride to North Queensferry takes you over the bridge and then a quick wander down from the station to the sealife centre and you can see the bridge up close.

After that train back into Edinburgh and time to visit the Edinburgh dungeon a wax work chamber of horrors part of a chain that also have museums in London and York.

Then up towards the royal mile and to the dynamic earth exhibition an interesting and well presented tour of the creation and shaping of the planet.

After that there was just time to pick up my luggage before heading back to the airport and the plane home.

I'm not going to go into the horror story of the start of my trip to Bath here. To view that go to the Hall of Horrors. Suffice to say that thanks to the booking agents at nearly 9pm on a wet Friday I was left stranded in the middle of a city I had never been to before with no hotel and a train ticket that wasn't valid until Sunday evening! Thankfully the Francis hotel had spaces (at double the cost I was originally expecting to pay!)

There are two major important sights in Bath. The baths and the Abbey.

The baths themselves are impressive and the Abbey is a very light and impressive building

However there is a problem to Bath. There is a lot to see that it outside and when it is raining permanently for the weekend it does reduce what there is to do.

In an attempt to hide from the showers I looked around as many of the museums as possible.

Then in a break in the showers I took my chances to look at the royal circus and royal crescent two spectacular Georgian terraces.

Just after I had finished photographing the crescent the skies decided to open again and this time did not stop

The only option is to try some of the bus tours of Bath. They all have slightly different routes, different commentaries at least a covered downstairs and last about an hour each so you can fill up quite a lot of time going round the city in the dry!

I am sure that Bath itself is a lovely city but as I had had such a bad start to the holiday combined with the weather I didn't enjoy my trip as much as I could have.

The day had started so well that it was almost inevitable that something would go wrong. At least it was something spectacular. Got to the airport early, had a nice lunch in Garfunkles overlooking the check in point and then deposited the baggage with BA. Strolled down to arrivals and had a nice cup of coffee and then wandered up through passport control and security into the duty free shop.

5 minutes before boarding was supposed to start wandered to the gate waited a few minutes and then boarded. So far so good. It was about this time in an office a few miles away that the backup air traffic control computer decided it would be a good time to crash!!

After an hour sitting on the tarmac we finally started to roll to then sit in a plane jam and take another 45 minutes before we finally rolled down the runway. On the positive side though, BA kept apologizing for the delay and had an extra round of drinks!.

The plane finally arrived in Budapest about 75 minutes late but it was quick through immigration and shortly afterwards we were in an airport minibus on the way to the hotel.

Budapest is not as an attractive city as Prague is. Thanks to it's history large swathes of it have been leveled every 40 years through war or revolution so there are not so many historic buildings.

However it's physical geography makes it a spectacular city. Running through the middle is the Danube to one side the flat levels of Pest to the other side the Buda hills rising dramatically up.

So of course when your in a new city on a hot day what better to do then climb up to the top of the hill with the castle on it and then when you have finished descend that hill and climb the other hill with the liberty monument on the top of it!

It's amazing how much of a city you can see without actually paying to go into anything. By the time we had finished a late dinner the last bus and metro had gone so it was a 4 mile walk back to the hotel.

Thankfully the hotel was in Pest so at least the walk was on the flat

One of the most useful inventions is the Budapest Card.

The card (approx. £15) gives 3 days of unlimited travel on the buses, metro, trams trolley buses and cog wheel railway (see Monday), free entry to some 60 museums plus discounts to others.

In this way on one day we made the card pay for itself by visiting as many museums in the castle area as possible including the museum of modern art and the national museum.

This was then followed in the evening by one of the more bizarre meal. We had come all the way from the UK to Budapest to have.... An Indian! to be precise a meal at Govinda a Hare Krishna vegetarian restaurant. No menu you all get the same meal but the price is amazing

Back to the castle for a second day (now where have I done that before?) to look at the cathedral (A cathedral in a castle complex on the top of a hill overlooking a major river surely there can be no other place like it in the world!!), the Fisherman's Bastion and the caves.

Easter Sunday so do as all the residents of Budapest are doing and head to the main park with the Zoo.

Fronted by hero's square (now the Hungarian skateboarding capital) the park is a large open space with several museums and metro stations in it.

The zoo itself is interesting if only in seeing what zoo's in the UK were like 30 odd years ago. If your concerned about animal rights then perhaps this is not the best place to go!

Budapest has an eclectic collection of transportation.

One of the strangest is the Cog Wheel railway which runs up the side of the Buda Hills. At the top you can either admire the views or travel on the Children's railway.

The railway was built by the communist equivalent of the scouts and was and still is run almost exclusively by children (only the train drivers are adults).

The journey through the Buda hills takes about an hour and you can see some of the spectacular Hungarian countryside.

When the communist regime fell in Hungary the remnant of it were quickly ripped down. This included all the statues that had littered the city.

Instead of melting them down or sending them for scrap instead they decided to place them in a park just on the outskirts of the city.

The park itself is most bizarre almost in the middle of nowhere is this large patch of land with over 30 monuments sitting there.

On a misty or overcast evening it would probably creep most people out but as a pure kitsch tourist site it is well worth a visit.

After that we went back into town and went to the top of St Stephen's Basilica for stunning views of Pest.

As we waited for the airport minibus to go back to the airport it was nice to note that the glorious weather that we had enjoyed since day one was just changing. Budapest may not be as beautiful a city as Prague but it has it's own charms that still makes it one of the best cities in the world

Considering what had happened the last time I went away on Holiday in the UK (Bath) things had gone so wrong I was a little apprehensive about this trip.

In the end I need not have been as everything went perfectly. It started well and got better. Midland main line, the rail operator between London and Nottingham, have invented a new type of ticket a First Class Apex. It was about £5 more expensive than a standard class ticket but upgraded me to first class luxury.

As soon as I had boarded and before the train had even left I had already been served one cup of complementary tea (in china cups!) this was followed by several top-ups, free snack and a glass of a particularly pleasant white wine (all free!).

In addition to all that the first class seats are particularly comfortable so that by the time I arrived in Nottingham it was a strain to pull myself away from the seat (I would happily have had another couple of glasses of wine and spent the night asleep in the seat).

the hotel was about 45 meters from the station!

Nottingham is dominated by the castle that stands on the hill.

Castle is probably not the best word to use to describe it as it is more a mansion house, the original castle having been leveled after the civil war.

With a large museum, grounds that give a spectacular view of the city and surrounding area (on a good day you can see 4 counties) an expansive art gallery (at the time showing an Andy Warhol Exhibition) and tours of the caves passages under the castle it can happily fill up several hours.

After I had finished the castle I decided to go and visit the impressive building of Southwall Minster in the small town of Southwall about 12 miles from Nottingham but linked with a regular and reliable bus service.

The Minster is quite frankly spectacular. After having a wander round the Minster and the town it was back on the bus to Nottingham.

After a quick wander round the canal area near the hotel I decided to visit a couple of the museums in Nottingham.

The first was the galleries of justice. This interesting and enjoyable museum is arranged into 2 areas. The first part of the exhibition in the old police station looks at crime, detection and arrest. The second part of the exhibition based in the old magistrates court looks at trial, justice and punishment.

Acting out the scenes with participation from the visitors you get a real feel of what it is like to be arrested, tried and jailed in various time periods. Well worth a visit.

After that I looked around the nearby parish church for Nottingham. A large traditional looking church with large windows and a peaceful relaxing feel.

In the late afternoon I strolled over to the Robin Hood experience a dark ride/exhibition on Nottingham's most famous son. I'm sure that it must be good for young children but I found it boring and not engaging.

In the late afternoon I strolled over to the Robin Hood experience a dark ride/exhibition on Nottingham's most famous son. I'm sure that it must be good for young children but I found it boring and not engaging.

Nottingham has a lot to offer in terms of museums, attractions and things to do and you really need more than 2 and a half days.

In the end there were several things I didn't get to see as I ran out of time. However the Windmill just outside the city is interesting in so much as being able to view the insides of a working windmill whilst it is in action.

The Angel Row gallery has a collection of modern art that may not be to everybody's taste but is worth a visit and finally I visited the caves of Nottingham.

Nottingham is built on sandstone and as such has had caves dug out underneath it from almost the first day humans occupied the area. More bizarrely the caves are entered from inside the shopping centre!

After a long journey down the motorway from London stopping for a traffic jam virtually every other junction we arrived at the hotel after 5 hours, thankfully just in time for dinner.

Off to Hay, the home of the second hand book.

There is a lot to see in Hay in the way of bookshops but if you're not into books then it's perhaps not the best place in the world.

However there are lots of other sights in the surrounding areas including lots of castles and forts.

Back into the car for the drive home but via Worcester and a glorious meal at a pub on the outskirts of Bromsgrove next to the canal.

After dropping my stuff off at the hotel I decided wander up into town and I do mean up. Lincoln is on a hill and all the sites are at the top. There is only one suburban location with steeper hills and that's San Francisco!!.

Still the sites are worth it from the top the stunning cathedral that has been on the site since the 11th century and the castle.

After having a wander around I wandered back to the hotel (mercifully down hill) and then realized that the ghost walk I was going on left from the top!!!

Aim of today to cram in as much as possible into a short a space of time as possible as the weather was not good.

First site of the day was looking at Lincoln from the Guide Friday bus, views of the city, get your bearings and discount vouchers to a number of sites.

After returning to the cathedral I went on one of the daily tours of the roof of the cathedral.

Not for the faint hearted clambering up the spiral staircases into the original oak beamed roof cavities of the cathedral before stepping out onto the roof (thankfully just after a hefty shower rather than during) for views of the surrounding area that are unrivaled by any other.

Then a wander across the square to the castle to look around the remains of the castle, the towers and the Magna Carta exhibition.

just in time back onto the Guide Friday bus as one of the heaviest thunder storms decides to deposit itself on the city.

After another whip round the city there is enough time (and some sun) to look round the remains of the Medieval Bishops Palace before retiring for food and bed

New day and no showers means that there is more time to look around more of the museums and sites of the city.

In addition to that I discovered the bus service that drives you up the side of the hill rather than having to walk up!!.

At the top of the hill behind the castle is the lawns visitors centre, the former mental hospital of the city, is now a collection of museums, a glasshouse to the memory of one of the cities most famous sons Sir Joseph Banks. He sailed with Captain Cook to Australia as a botanist and discovered and named many of the plants he found there.

When he came back to the UK he help in the founding of Kew Gardens and Kew themselves donated many of the species for the glasshouse.

After the Lawns visitor centre onto the museum of Lincolnshire life. Set in an old army barracks this museum looks at life in Lincolnshire in the 19th century and then has a museum dedicated to the army regiment who were based there before they were merged with another regiment and left. The final part of the museum is dedicated to transport of all types including a small display to one of Lincoln's most important transport inventions the Tank. On certain Sundays (including the day I visited) many of the steam machines are put through their paces.

After the museum of Lincolnshire life I moved onto the Usher gallery a very odd museum that is mostly made up of the items bequested to the city by James Usher on his death. An ecliptic collection of china, coins, watches and grandfather clocks but still interesting.

Just time before my train back home to have a look around the inside of the Cathedral from the ground rather than the rafters. Regular tours of the cathedral are conducted and give an interesting insight into parts of the cathedral and stories that you would otherwise not have found out about.

If you get a clear day the flight over to Ireland is spectacular and sitting on the left hand side I got an unparalleled view of where I had been only a couple of months earlier. Being able to trace the route from London to mid-Wales accurately as we flew to the north of the M4, the Severn bridges and over Abergavenny.

Cork airport itself, when you arrive is very small and the planes do what can only be described as parallel parking to fit into the spaces available for them. Having said that getting through the airport is very quick it's about 300 yards from plane to taxi or bus!

As I had just missed the hourly bus (there are two buses an hour into town within 5 minutes of each other!) I caught a taxi to the hotel.

The taxi driver was very friendly and welcoming and apologies for the traffic which is quite bad, not helped by a fiendish one way system that requires you to swap sides of the river at times!

I checked into the hotel and then popped out for a bite to eat before returning for a quick drink in the bar before bed

Tuesday was my day for doing Cork.

The city itself is not full of tourist attractions. It has a large number of churches that would keep a churchaholic happy for a couple of weeks but there are only two worth visiting if you have limited time. In addition to that there are not many museums and in the end only spending one day in Cork there was only two attractions that I did not see, the Crawford Art Gallery and the Cork city museum. In addition a tour of the Beamish Crawford brewery would have been interesting but the site was closed for repairs at the time.

First on the itinerary for the day was the Guide Friday tour of the city. This takes you round the whole of the city centre and out to the city Gaol which was my first stop.

The Gaol, which closed to prisoners in 1923 has an interesting audio guided exhibition on the prisons use and the conditions it's inmates were kept in. After it was a prison it had another life as the headquarters of RTE (the state broadcaster) in Cork and from it's walls the first radio broadcasts in the city were transmitted. There is a museum to RTE radio and the role the Gaol played in it in addition to the Gaol museum.

Next stop, about 3/4 of a mile back down the hill is St. Ann's Shandon and it's bells. This imposing church is made of the two types of stone found in Cork and two sides of the building are in the Red of the Sandstone and the other two sides in the grey of the Limestone. In addition to being a striking building you can also climb the tower (red rag to a bull for me) and part way up ring the famous Shandon bells.

Next stop about 50 yards away is the butter museum but before I popped in there I had a wonderful lunch in the little cafe at the front of the Shandon Craft Centre.

The butter museum is in the site of the former butter market. Cork was the centre of a highly lucrative and important butter industry. The small museum ends with a video presentation on the importance and quality of Irish butter and is in no way a marketing campaign by Kerrygold the Irish state dairy products company!.

After that I wandered over to look at St. Fin Barrs Cathedral which is an interesting (if not slightly brutal looking) cathedral.

From there I went to the Cork vision centre. Set in a old disused church this exhibition centre includes a scale model of the whole of the Lee valley from before it reaches Cork, through the city and out to the sea to Cobh. The centre also has a video presentation on the history and development of Cork.

That evening I went on a very interesting literary tour of Cork that walks round the centre of the city pointing out it's literary connections and ends with a pint of Beamish in a pub opposite the brewery.

Up bright and early to do two places today. Blarney and Midleton.

Blarney castle is most well known for it's famous stone that if you kiss you will supposedly get the "gift of the gab". The castle itself is slightly disappointing after all the hype there is very limited signage and it is expensive.

If you do want to go it is best to go early. I got the 08:45 bus from Cork that got me to Blarney just before 09:15, just 15 minutes after the castle had opened and managed to just walk up to the stone and kiss it. By the time I left at 10:30 the queue was already over an Hour!.

After getting back into Cork I set back out again the other side of the city to Midleton.

Midleton is the home to almost all the Irish Whiskeys (Bushmills -distilled in Antrim, Ulster - is the only whiskey not distilled in Midleton). In 1987 a new distillery was opened next to the originally distillery and in 1992 the old distillery was opened as a visitors centre.

The tour lasts about 60 minutes and is very interesting looking at the whole production and looking at where it was actually done. At the end of the tour 4 volunteers are asked for. If you like whiskey I would advise you to be standing at the front with your hand in the air on the "I" of "I would like 4 volunteers".

You get to taste all 4 of the main Irish distillers brands (Jamesons, Paddys, Powers and Bushmills) a Scotch and a Bourbon to compare. The rest of the tour party get a glass of Jamesons.

Thursday and it must be Kinsale.

This pretty harbour town about 45 minutes from Cork is well worth a visit. One of the most strategic ports until it started silting up.

As tour guides of the town will tell you Kinsale has a large part to play in why English and not Spanish is not the language of such a large number of people. The best way to get an idea of the town is to go on the walking tour that takes you round the old medieval centre of the town and gives you a full history of the site.

After the walking tour I had a look around the small museum that is in the town showing artifacts from the history of the town. Then in the afternoon I went on the Roadrunners bus tour of the town and surrounding area.

The tour is very interesting taking you out to the Atlantic coast at Garretstown and the Old head of Kinsale, back past the Charles fort the defended the harbour entrance for spectacular views of the town before finally returning to the town.

Before leaving I had a look around the Desmond Castle and Wine museum. The castle itself was used as a prison and the display depicts life in the castle when it was a prison. The wine museum charts Kinsale's relationship with the wine industry.

Friday and It's Cobh (pronounced Cove).

This is now the main port on this side of the Island of Ireland. During the 19th and early 20th century over 2,000,000 people left Cobh and Ireland seeking a better life in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. Nearly 1/2 of all the people who emigrated for Ireland left through Cobh.

Cobh has also played a key part in two of the biggest maritime disasters of the 20th century. Cobh was the last point at which the Titanic put anchor before setting off to its destiny in the North Atlantic. The last passengers to join the ill fated voyage did so at Cobh and the pilot man who guided the ship out of the harbour was the last person to leave the ship whilst it was still seaworthy.

Cobh was also heavily involved with the rescue and brining ashore of bodies from the sinking of the Lucitania less than 20 miles off the coast. The large ship was sunk by a German torpedo during the First World War.

The Titanic trail walking tour takes you round the town and shows you the main locations that are connected with both the incidents. This well presented and interesting tour is well worth it, not only for the content but also for the views of the town and harbour that you get. There is a complementary 1/2 of Guinness at the top of the hill and the tour ends in the Titanic bar with a complementary Tea/Coffee. The bar in one of it's many incarnations was the offices of the White Star Line and it was from that building that over 100 people left to travel on the Titanic.

After that I visited the Queenstown story (one of the other names that the town has had) which details the emigration from the port and also looks at the Titanic and Lucitania disasters.

After that I went on a boat tour of the harbour which gives you excellent views of the town.

After two days of sunshine (and for the second year on the trot getting sunburned in Ireland) the weather broke and I got the bus out to the airport in a prolonged drizzle.

Cloud cover meant that I saw virtually nothing until about Oxford but I did get a very good view of Heathrow airport and my work place from 28,000ft.

Travelling straight from work to Heathrow and then onto the plane meant that I was looking forward to getting food (that's why I had paid a few pounds less to travel from a convenient airport with a flag carrier!!).

As soon as the plane had leveled off the cabin crew were down with dinner. This was followed by drinks. Once people had finished they came down and cleared up at the same time as the pilot announced that we were about to start our decent into Glasgow!!.

From the airport I got the air bus into the city centre and from there a taxi to the hotel.

With a dubious weather forecast for the day and a bad forecast for Friday I though that it might be sensible to see as much as possible out doors today.

I went straight to George square to get the sightseeing bus. After going round the East and West routes I went back to the Cathedral and had a look around what is an odd cathedral in so much as it has a lower floor that starts halfway along the cathedral.

After the cathedral I visited the St Mungo's museum of religion which is quite interesting considering the scope for boredom and preaching that such a museum could present.

After that I wandered over to the Necropolis on the hill behind the cathedral. The city of the dead gives stunning views over the east of the city.

After that it was back into the city and onto the riverside tour to see what there was to offer down on the Clyde.

The Tall ships exhibition details the history of navigation and ship building on the Clyde and after that you can explore the only remaining Clyde tall ship in the UK. From there it was back into the city centre and onto the museum of modern art.

This interesting museum has a range of exhibits (paintings, photos, sculpture and "installation's"). Most disturbing of all was the exhibition of photographs from Henri Cartier-Bresson. Exactly the same one I had seen in Budapest, I was convinced I was being followed.

After that back out to the riverside to the Glasgow Science Centre. This comprises the Science mall museum, Imax cinema and Glasgow Tower. Sadly the Glasgow tower which rises 300 feet over the city giving spectacular views was out of service (and has been since one side sunk by 1/4 inch back in March).

The science mall museum is a very interesting and totally interactive exhibition presenting science in an easy to understand and fun way. After visiting the museum I took in two films in the Imax cinema before walking back to the train station to get the train back into the centre and then a taxi back to the hotel.

With a gentle drizzle in the sky I set out for the second day with the knowledge this morning that the sightseeing buses actually stop outside the hotel and I don't need to go into town to pick it up.

Went through to the other side of the city to visit the Kelvinhall museum and art gallery.

This is a large collection on a range of subjects, Archaeology, Natural History and art that has been granted to the city. The building itself is impressive and only slightly dwarfed by the structure of the university that faces it across the river.

Across the road from the museum is the Glasgow museum of transport that charts the changes in transport across Glasgow through the 20th century including a small display to the Locherby disaster.

After that back onto the tour bus and over to the other side of the city to the Providends Lordship, the oldest building in the city. The display inside gives some insight into the history of the city and the relationship of the building to the neighboring cathedral.

Less than 11 months later and possibly 10 degrees warmer the flight from Gatwick landed early to empty us onto the wet (correction very wet) tarmac of Edinburgh airport at 9pm on a Friday evening at the end of the wettest and windiest week for several years.

Surprised more than anything that we had made it thanks to the almost complete shut down of the rail network at the beginning of the week and it still being crippled at times I thought I would still have been sitting in a train wondering how I was going to catch a flight I had missed.

After negotiating the airport in about 3 minutes we found ourselves on the airport bus heading into the centre of the city with a gentle drizzle slowing starting to stop.

No matter what weather you approach Edinburgh in you cannot help but to be totally breath taken by the scene that greets you as you turn into princes street and see the castle towering over you. However at almost 10pm after having come straight from work all that was on my mind was bed!

Depending on which forecast on which day you had listened to the weekend was either going to be cold and wet, warm and wet, sunny with showers or heavy rain. In the end it turned out to be gray and overcast (not predicted) until the early evening when the heavy rain arrived to be replaced on Sunday with sunshine and no showers (also not predicted).

Visiting Edinburgh the obvious place to start is either by hiring a taxi or get some climbing equipment to scale the hill up to the old town. Failing that it makes for an energetic morning stroll up to the castle.

Seeing as the castle is so old and the repair work that goes on inside it only matched by the nearby Forth bridge every time you visit there will be another new bit to see and a bit you saw before that you cant access this time.

After the views that you can get from the top of the castle the next best viewing point is 247 steps up the inside of the Scott monument. So this appeared to be the next best move for us. After a short climb (about 10 mins if you are unfit and have to stand panting on each landing for a couple of mins) up to the top you get a wonderful view over the whole of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth.

Last time I came by the time I had got to the top it was already dusk and all you could see was the castle floodlight this time there was much more to see.(through the gloom and murk of an overcast day).

After climbing back down (and spending about 5 minutes to get your balance back after the spiral staircases) it was lunchtime and after that a quick trip to the Edinburgh dungeon.

From there back up the hill to the Camera Obscura and then the Whisky heritage centre.

Finally (in the heavy rain now) back to the hotel to deposit off souvenirs before dinner in a Thai restaurant and drinks in the hotel bar.

When it was finally decommissioned in 1997 the former Royal Yacht Britannia had many suggestions made as to its future. One was to scuttle it (this came from the royal family - probably to stop the peasant's from seeing it!)

Thankfully the decision was made to turn it into an exhibition and so it returned to the port where it was made and is now a permanent exhibition in Leath harbour just on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

The exhibition is easily reached with buses, even on a Sunday, every 10 minutes. After a short exhibition on the history of the yacht you leave the quay side building and take an audio guided tour round the yacht.

It's an interesting experience and an insight into royal life (and how the other 0.0002% live). To do the ship justice you need a couple of hours to look round the whole of the exhibition and the yacht (though if you don't want to part with large sums of money skip through the gift shop quickly).

After Britannia there was just enough time for a quick coffee and some souvenir hunting before it was time to leave the city again. I have the strange feeling though that I might well be back again very soon....

After a very hearty breakfast (with full silver service!!) it was time to hit the island (in a light drizzle).

First on the itinerary for the day (because it was the closest) was The occupation museum near the centre of town.

The museum itself is slightly disappointing given that its main elements appear to be a 40 minute rather elderly video on the occupation and a display of German uniforms.

the Occupation museum I had quick wander up to the top of the cliffs to have a look down on the town and over the the Elizabeth castle (Sadly closed for the winter) and then wandered back into the town centre to go to the Jersey Museum.

The museum starts with a 12 minute presentation on the history of the island that gives a good background to start exploring the rest of the collection of the museum. The museum itself mostly focuses on the older history (pre-WWII) and the geography/geology of the island.

After the museum it was time to hop on a bus and visit Gorey on the East Coast of the island and one of the best preserved Castles

Mont Orgueil castle is still pretty well intact in many places and offers some stunning views over the small harbour town of Gorey.

After Gorey there was just enough time to zip back into St Hellier and visit the Occupation Tapestry - Put together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the island at the end of WWII - and the Maritime museum.

Both are almost new and very well presented museums that use a range of different mediums to put their message across with the Maritime Museum being very Hand-on.

After that I had a quick wander (in the dwindling light) round the harbour to get a better view of the Elizabeth castle which in situated on a piece of headland that is only connected to the mainland during low tide. After that I quickly popped back to Gorey to get some shots of the castle floodlight and to have dinner in a nice fish restaurant I had spotted before returning back to St Hellier.

Sundays in December without a car are not a good idea on Jersey.

I looked at the map and found lots of places I would like to visit, then I consulted the bus timetable and found that you couldn't get to any of them.

The only place that I could get to was Jersey Zoo so I went out there and was very impressed.

The last time I had visited a Zoo was in Budapest and there the animals were in tiny cages and showing serious signs of mental health problems.

In Jersey the two zoo's couldn't have been more different. Large enclosures gave the animals lots of space to move around in and there were no animals rooted to the spot rocking backwards and forwards that there had been in Budapest.

The zoo has a recommended walking route that allows you to see all the animals and consequently doesn't make it feel as busy as some other zoos do.

Jersey zoo is possibly the only zoo in the world that has Dodo's... If only on top of the pillars into the car park.

After the Zoo it was time to return back into St Hellier, Check out of the hotel and get a cab back to the airport and home.

There are some distinct advantages to working in SW London. One is having Heathrow on your doorstep and the other is having trains that run direct to Waterloo for the Eurostar.

Trip to Paris was a birthday treat arranged by my Girlfriend, so I had no idea what to expect when we got to the hotel (later than if I had followed her idea of asking in the station where the hotel was rather than just going out of the station and trying to find it from there).

The hotel was beautiful. Not very obvious from the street and only a small but very comfortable room, but the part that made it special was the view. From the balcony you could look out over the rooftops to the dome of Sacré Cœur floodlight in glory, looking over the city

Early start to the day leaving the hotel and walking to the Metro station to get the Metro to the Eiffel Tower. Being out in Paris that early on a Saturday morning you feel as though you have the city to yourself. There are no tourists, virtually no locals and almost no traffic on the roads, a light mist made the Eiffel Tower stand out even more.

After spending nearly 40 minutes admiring it from afar we walked over and waited for the lifts to open to go up it. The views from the top are spectacular taking the whole of the city you can see all the world famous monuments that Paris has to offer including the Arc de Triomphe and Notre-Dame. After spending a couple of hours up the tower we descended and boarded one of the tourist boats to view Paris from the Seine passing the Louvre, Notre Dame and Musee d'Orsay.

The boat returned us to the base of the Eiffel Tower so we caught the RER to Notre-Dame and then sat in a little street cafe to have lunch. Afterwards we walked round the cathedral and then back across the Seine towards the centre of the city. We quickly looked round the outside of the Pompidou Centre before catching the metro back over the river to the Luxembourg Gardens.

After spending some time relaxing in the gardens we walked back towards the Patheon and then, with the sun starting to set went back to the hotel. After a quick refresh, and allowing the sun to set, we walked up to the base of the hill that the Sacré Cœur is on and after taking some photos found a small restaurant off to one side.

Sunday was going to be a rush day as the train left that evening to take us back. In an attempt to see as much as possible we boarded one of the open top tour buses that go round the city.

The bus took in the Opera house, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Patheon, Musee d'Orday, Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower (from a number of angels). After a quick pit stop for lunch in a cafe behind the Madeleine we went back to Sacré Cœur to see it in daylight and have a look round the area, including looking at all the painters working away. We took a touristy land train on a tour round the area and down the hill to look at the Moulin Rouge. When returned to the top of the hill we found an exhibition of Dali's work was on display in a little gallery so we spent some time looking around that before finally wandering back down the hill towards the Gare du Nord and home.

A day of firsts today... First time I have flown from Terminal 4, first time I have flown on a 747, first time I have left Europe.

By 11:00pm we had crossed the Mediterranean and were over the continent. Partly because of the size of the seat (that's economy class for you) and partly the excitement that each second I was travelling further south, further from home than I had ever been before, I couldn't sleep.

But that was OK as I managed to re-watch the Lord of the rings - The two towers which BA was playing as one of the in-flight movies!

2am saw a slightly more interesting experience, the plane suddenly, over the middle of the Sahara, hitting turbulence, or something similar, and then rapidly moving several hundred feet down in a very short amount of time!, 5:00 and as we fly over Swakopmund (only another 12 hours till I reach it!) breakfast/plastic is served.

Shortly before 6:30 (7:30 local time) and nearly 30 mins early we touch down in Cape Town and I take my first steps on African soil. After an hours wait to get through immigration (I was at the back of a plane and that was the 3rd 747 to come down in 10 mins so there were a lot of people) I emerged into the airport and went to see if I could check in for my connecting flight to Walvis Bay. With an infuriatingly long amount of time to wait until my next flight, but not long enough to risk leaving the airport and seeing the sights of Cape Town, I took a seat and proceeded to have a considerably more pleasant breakfast in the airport.

By 2pm my flight to Walvis was ready to board and for the second time that day I had to change my watch to remove the hour that I had added arriving in Cape Town. During the summer in the UK (winter in Namibia) the two countries are both on the same time zone (GMT+1) then when the clocks in the UK go back an hour at the end of summer, the clocks in Namibia go forward and hour as they start summer so for 6 months of the year the two countries are 2 hours apart. Confused yet? not as bad as when you have to keep changing your clock in the same day, by the time the plane left Cape Town (26 hours after leaving home) I was thoroughly confused on not only the time but the day as well!

The flight from Cape Town runs up the coast line all the way to Walvis. On one side of the plane is the desert on the other, the Atlantic it makes for a beautiful, if not slightly eerie landscape. The whole way we were battling against headwinds and approached Walvis 25 minutes late. We descended towards the airfield and then re-circled as the plane was buffeted by winds, we came back round, descended, got within a couple of hundred feet of the ground before sharply pulling back up again and recirlcling before another attempt. The pilot decided this time to come in high and then descended steeply just before the runway. To say that it was scary was an understatement and by the time we had stopped you could see the dents in every arm rest down the length of the plane where people had been gripping them!

My Sister and Brother-in-law met me at the airport and drove me back through the desert, through Walvis Bay (The second city of Namibia), back into the desert and on into Swakopmund. That evening, as was to be the case on most evenings, I was treated to a spectacular sunset over the Atlantic.

This is the life, just sitting out on a balcony overlooking the South Atlantic with a slight breeze making the warm sun all that more pleasant.

After sitting out for a few hours my Sister took me Quad biking out in the desert.

After riding over the dunes for 45 minutes you ride up the side of a dune, come to the top and shimmering in the late afternoon sun is the Atlantic, so peaceful, so empty.

Time today to just look round the town myself, I looked in the museums that the town has to offer, the Aquarium with its collection of local marine wildlife and models of the coastline of Namibia showing that within a couple of hundred meters of the coast the see plunges to tremendous depths.

Then a short walk back along the beach having a quick paddle to the centre of town and a quick look in on the Krystal Gallery which shows you some of the rocks, minerals and semiprecious stones that Namibia has in abundance, including the largest single piece of Quartz ever extracted (something over 14 Tons!!).

Then after a quick lunch break the Swakopmund museum which gives a potted history of the region, The older parts of the museum mostly ignore anything that happened prior to the Germans arriving but in the newer exhibitions is starting to address this with very good displays including audiovisual presentations on the history, culture and developments of the tribes who lived in the area prior to white settlers. The museum then looks at the period when it was a South African protectorate (after 1918 - 1990). Another exhibition extolls the virtues of Uranium and nuclear power.. The only problem is the exhibition is paid for and has been put up by the nearby Uranium mine.... not that I am saying there is a clash of interests...

Very early start today as we have to be in Walvis bay by 7:45 to go Kayaking with dolphins and seals. After an hours drive round the coast, past the salt pans and over the desert we reach the spit of land that forms the outer part of the natural harbour at Walvis Bay.

The land is 10 Km from the main land but the drive is over 40Km.

After offloading the kayaks and a very quick guide to how to use them we set off into the water and row out into the bay. The dolphins and seals swim up close to the kayaks with the seals themselves leaping over them (and splashing the occupants!) The seals obviously enjoy the chance to play and rush out from the coast to swim alongside the Kayaks.

After about 2 hours we pull up onto a sand bank for a quick tea break before going back into the sea for another hour before setting back off home.

This evening we watched from the balcony as a massive electrical storm raged at sea, with lightning streaking across the sky.

Last nights storm took a slightly different turn during the night and the winds came across from the desert, subsequently the whole of the town has a slight surplus of sand that has blown in!

Today was the start of a 6 day, 5 night safari. The safari itself started the previous day in Windhoek but all they had done was to drive down to Swakopmund and then do Quad Biking or Parachuting. After a roadside lunch stop and a chance to meet the other people on the safari we set off to head up the coast to Cape Cross.

Cape Cross has a seal colony on it.... Approximately 250,000 seals... That's 250,000 large, slightly slimy fish eating aquatic mammals... all living together in a very small space. To say that the smell is strong would be an understatement. Despite the smell it is still a spectacular sight to see that number of seals up close.

After Cape Cross we drive towards Spitzkoff, a mountain in the middle of the desert where we set up camp for the night. It is the only point on the trip where we will really camp in the wild as the other campsites will have running water and other amenities, tonight the only light is from the fire. The stars are so clear and then with the moon rose. By pure chance it was a full moon and a completely clear sky. It was amazing how bright it was. The light that the moon gave off was enough to be able to easily see everything without needing a torch!

Setting off from Spitskoff we drive round to the side of the mountain to go to the Bushmans pass, a clamber up the side of the mountain (at least they provide you with a chain to hang onto) to see spectacular views over the desert and to view what remains of some 2000 year old paintings, which have sadly been vandalized and stolen over the years.

After descending from Bushmans paradise we get back on the road and start the journey north. Unfortunately on the way we hit a very bad patch of road and the bolt holding the toe-bar onto the back of the van sheers off, so its a quick running repair before we set back off. We drift down into Uis on the last gasps of the tank and stop for a short pit stop before setting back off.

After about 50 mins we stop for lunch and then set off again, but stop again as funny sounds start coming from the van. After an inconclusive diagnosis (it could possibly be a slow puncture) we continue on to our camp site for the night, set up camp and then get back into the van to go to Twyfelfontein to see the 2000 year old paintings and 5000 year old carvings on the rocks. After Twyfelfontein we drive to the burnt mountain to view a bizarre black/brown mountain in the middle of a yellowy, red desert area.

The plan for the morning is to visit the petrified forest, which we do. Trees that were washed onto the plain many thousands of years ago then covered by the desert and perfectly preserved as rocks before being uncovered again when the sands moved away. After the petrified forest we drive to the town of Khorixas for a quick stop before setting off to Outjo.

Then 30 Km from Khorixas disaster strikes and smoke starts pouring from the wheel that has been making funny sounds. The original plan was that a maintenance person from the safari company would meet us at 11 in Outjo. By 11 we were all sitting at the edge of the road 110Km away. After about 3 hours wait the replacement minibus with maintenance man arrives to see what they can do.

The decision is to transfer us to a minibus for the rest of the day and see if the van can be fixed and so at just before 4pm, over 3 hours late we arrived in Outjo to restock on supplies and have a (very) late lunch!

After Outjo we drove to Etosha National Park where we were to spend the next day and a half. We drove from the gate to the camp site and saw a few giraffe in the distance, a wildebeest and lots of springbok!!

A full day in Etosha with a game drive before breakfast, a drive across the park to the middle camp for lunch and then a drive across the remainder of the park to the evening campsite.

Unfortunately, for us but not for everybody else, there had recently been heavy rains so all the really big animals, the Cats, elephants, Rhinos etc. had all vanished into the parts of the park that you cannot get to.

Instead we were left with some of the smaller, but still spectacular animals. The Giraffe, Zebra, Springbok, Onyx, Eland, Warthog, Kudu and many more.

Another game drive before breakfast. This time in the van which had been repaired and delivered late last night to the camp.

After breakfast we drive through the park to the exit and then drive on towards Lake Guines a spectacular freshwater lake at the bottom of a deep chasm.

The lake was brilliantly blue. The other interesting thing is that nobody has ever been able to find the bottom of the lake!!

After a quick afternoon stop in Otjiwarongo we moved on to our final campsite at Waterbergplateau.

A very, very early start to climb to the top of Waterbergplateau so that we could watch sunrise over the hills. It was a spectacular sight watching the colour slowly appear across the sky and then across the landscape.

After clambering back down and breakfast we packed up camp for the final time before setting off to the town of Okahandja and the craft market to pick up a couple of souvenirs before finally setting off on the short drive back to Windhoek.

We had a quick drink in the safaris headquarters and then I was transferred to the Hotel I had booked for the evening. I didn't know it at the time but the Windhoek Country Club is THE hotel in Namibia. I realized this when I found that I wasn't able to dine in the restaurant because I didn't have a shirt or tie!

After a very, very comfortable sleep on a mattress, for the first time in 6 days I left the hotel and got the courtesy minibus to Eros airport and then my flight back to Walvis Bay.

The flight was delayed by 30 minutes as we waited for the president to leave the airport.

The flight was in a very small 16 seater plane (8 seats down each side) in which the only staff were the pilot and copilot. You were handed lunch at the gate and you could hear all the noises from the cockpit, including as we approached Walvis Bay "WARNING BELOW 300, WARNING", not for the faint-hearted!

Final full day in Namibia and my Sister took me out to the Camel farm in the desert to go camel riding.

I have never ridden any animal before and after experiencing a camel trotting across the desert I don't think I ever want to again (I also think that for a short while after I could have easily passed as a soprano and was probably infertile for several days)

It defiantly did something to my bladder as I kept needing to go to the toilet every couple of hours for the next 36 hours (which considering most of that was on a long haul flight was OK because it meant I kept moving around to avoid getting DVT).

After the Camel farm we visited the Snake park next to my sisters office to view some of the creature, including dangerous ones, that I could have come across whilst I was out in the desert. I was so glad I saw all the snakes, and scorpions after I had come back!

And so my time in Africa was coming to an end. I was picked up from my Sisters flat and driven to the airport to catch the (uneventful) flight back to Cape Town where I had a 5 hour wait before my flight to the UK.

Was going down to Weymouth to see a mate and then, as he had never seen his town as a tourist, do all the sights.

Train was on time throughout its long journey. It's less than 150 miles from London to Weymouth but it takes nearly three hours to do the journey.

Needless to say after such a long journey the only obvious thing to do after I had dropped my stuff off was to go to the pub and as the train hadn't got in until nearly 5pm stay there until closing time!

Saturday dawned gloriously. Almost perfectly clear blue skies and the sea looking tourist brochure blue!

First location of the morning was Portland Island. The island is actually connected to the main land by a spit of land but impassible in bad weather.

We got the open top bus all the way to the very end of the island to Portland Bill where the lighthouse and the furthest part of Dorset are

From the Bill you can look across the sea deep into Devon. On a gloriously sunny day the area was peaceful, tranquil and serene. On a wet or gloomy day I gather the best you would be able to come up with is suicide inducing.

We did want to look in the lighthouse museum, but being Saturday it was closed (and that about sums up all there is to know about the state of the Island!!). After visiting the Bill we hopped back on the bus to the Portland Heights hotel.

The hotel is on one of the highest points of the island facing back to the main land and affords spectacular views over the sea, Portland and Weymouth harbours and the thin strip of land that separates them Chesil Beach. After taking in the views we walked down the side of the hill into the main town Fontswell and through to Portland Castle on the other side.

The castle, originally built for Henry VIII, is in amazingly good condition and served as one of the principle forts on the south coast. It was used right up to the end of W.W.II and many of the USA D-day landing craft left from in front of it. An interesting and informative audio tour takes you round the site.

After a spot of lunch it was back on the bus into, and out of the town centre to the country park, about a mile north of the centre up the coast. Inside the park we had a quick look round Model World that has scale models depicting various areas of Dorset.

After that we had a quick round of pitch and put (or not so quick if you take 20 shots a hole and keep loosing the balls!). Then it was onto the land train and back into the centre of town, and a well deserved pint!

Sunday dawned, if anything, even brighter than Saturday.

First stop of the morning was the Northe Fort. High on a hill overlooking the port and the town this imposing and very large fort makes for an excellent visitors attraction.

With tons of exhibits in virtually all the rooms in the fort which spans three levels from the basements to the battlements. After spending a couple of hours exploring it we moved back down the hill to the Brewers Quay complex.

A former brewery, it has now been turned into a shopping arcade and home to two museums.

The Timewalk takes you through the history of Weymouth in the company of a talking cat. My initial reaction was that it might be quite kiddyish and to some extent it is but the information and presentation style are such that you forget very quickly that it's coming from a talking cat. The tour ends with a short exhibition on how beer was brewed on the site followed, for adults only, by a tasting of some of the original brews.

After the timewalk there was just enough time to visit the Weymouth Museum. This small museum shows through artifacts (and no talking cats) the history and development of Weymouth and the surrounding areas.

After that there was just time to grab my stuff and get back on the train for another long journey back!

This trip started with me completing the full set of London airports. The flight from London City airport is strange as you take off from land recovered from the docks, the runway surrounded on both sides and at the end by water and then take off over the sky scrapers and tower blocks of Docklands and SE London. It does however prepare you for the landing at Isle of Man international airport (the only airport on the island) where the runway virtually starts in the sea, you are certainly very, very low before you see the end of the runway appear.

This trip started with me completing the full set of London airports. The flight from London City airport is strange as you take off from land recovered from the docks, the runway surrounded on both sides and at the end by water and then take off over the sky scrapers and tower blocks of Docklands and SE London. It does however prepare you for the landing at Isle of Man international airport (the only airport on the island) where the runway virtually starts in the sea, you are certainly very, very low before you see the end of the runway appear.

The ride by horse tram is slow and sedate, a comment of the speed of life and most definitely aimed at tourists. The electric tram, although looking like it is aimed at tourists, is one of the main transport links on the island. On a nice warm summers afternoon sitting in an open sided carriage as it winds its way up the cliffs leading out of Douglas it is very pleasant, but I couldn't imagine commuting in it. The less than 10 mile journey to Ramsey takes 75 minutes, not good if you're in a hurry, but it is worth it as the scenery is spectacular and as you travel up towards Ramsey, tracks clinging to the sides of the cliffs you can clearly make out the coast of the mainland. From one spot you can make out the very south of Scotland, the north west coast of England and the north coast of Wales.

Ramsey is a very pretty little harbour town in the north of the island and well worth looking around, though as I arrived in the early evening there was not much open to look at. After spending a couple of hours in the town (including dinner) I wandered back to the station and caught the last tram back into Douglas.

For an island that is at the forefront of banking and finance (UK Tax haven!!) it is amazing how much of the island is set in a different age, not only do horses still pull the trams on the seafront, and the carriages on the electric railway to Ramsey date from the latter half of the 19th century, but the main southern railway is still run by steam trains!. On the first departure of the day heading south, unfortunately I had chosen the weekend that had been designated "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends" weekend so there were lots and lots of people!. The ride through the countryside to the southern town of Castletown is well worth it thought.

Castletown is the former capital of the island and it shows in the number of historic and important buildings. The most imposing and obvious being the thing that gives the town its name, the castle. Castle Rushen is still in very good condition and it is very easy to imagine how people live in it. The signage is clear and you get a good idea of the different uses that the castle has been put to through its life. From the top of the castle you get spectacular views over the local area, the port and other buildings.

After looking round the castle I had a quick look round the town before getting on the bus to Peel. One of the major problems with the transport on the Isle of Man (and in many other places, Jersey & Guernsey to name two more) is that everything operates out of the capital and very little goes across. There are just three buses a day that link Castletown in the south east with Peel in the North west. The journey takes little over 30 mins with a direct bus but nearly 2 hours if you have to go into Douglas and back out again. So I decided to split my day by going to Peel in the middle part of the day, and getting the mid afternoon bus back to Castletown.

The main attraction in Peel is its castle. In contrast to Castle Rushen Peel castle is most definitely a ruin. Large fragments of building still exist and it is easy to imagine what the place looked like in its heyday. The castle's importance is brought home when you stand on the western side overlooking the sea and can clearly make out the mountains of Eastern Ireland directly across from you and in the distance to the north the coast of Scotland. Once I had looked round the castle it was time to get the bus back into Castletown.

Arriving back in castletown I had enough time to look around the nautical museum that details the link between the island and the sea. The museum is very interesting and made even more so by the enthusiastic staff. Members of staff will happily show people round and give you so much more information about each exhibit than the signs could possibly hope to.

After visiting the nautical museum there was just enough time to pop into the old grammar school that now houses a small exhibition giving the background to the town and its role in the history and development of the island. After the museum it was back to the train station and on the return to Douglas. The railway itself, was when I visited, undergoing major repair work with all the trains ending at Castletown and buses replacing them through to the normal terminus of Port Erin down in the south west corner of the island. Consequently they had by the afternoon brought out more of the carriages that they were not using to make the train longer so it was a much more comfortable journey back to Douglas.

After a brief stop in Douglas it was onto the bus and back out to Peel to look round the town and harbour and for evening meal. It was well worth the revisit. With Peel being on the west coast the sun setting behind the ruins of the castle whilst sitting on the beach makes for an excellent end to the evening (especially if you have a very pleasant Chinese dinner in your stomach!)

Sunday, to work off the previous evenings Chinese involved going up the 2036 feet to the top of the islands only mountain Snaefell.

Unfortunately I am a lazy git so I got the mountain railway that climbs to the top from the town of Laxey where it connects with the electric railway.

The ride up makes for spectacular views over large parts of the island and when you get to the top the views are supposedly so good that you can see England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland as well as Man. Unfortunately on the day I went up there was a sea mist a cloud cover so I didn't see that much (including the bird mess that was on the stone pillar I am photographed next to!!)

The main feature of Laxey, at the base of Snaefell is the water wheel. Built to help pump the mines clear of water it is visible over a large area and from the top viewing platforms provides very good views over the surrounding area. 3 mines trails of varying length's and difficulties take you round the site, showing you the ruins of buildings that were involved in the mining process and how the site worked.

After Laxey it was back onto the bus into Douglas and then back out the other side to the South western town of Port Erin. This is where the southern railway is supposed to finish when it is working properly. I hopped on the shuttle service up to Port St Mary the next town along the coast and had a look around, as there was not much to see I went back to Port Erin and had a look round. The town is quite pretty but it's most distinguishable feature is its beach and bay that look exactly how a small bay should look with a wide sandy beach leading into a clear blue sea.

No time to do anything on the Island before catching the plane other than cow spotting. Like so many other places, the Isle of Man was having its own Cow Parade and across the whole of the island a large herd of concrete cows have been released. My favourite was one in the airport, but unfortunately in the security area so you weren't allowed to photograph it. The one shown was on the seafront in Douglas

Coming back to island in the summer seamed a good idea to compare what was available then and what is available during summer season. The most noticeable part was the fact that it is possible to get round the airport by public transport! After checking in at the hotel I had a wander round the area that the Hotel is in and then went into town to purchase a multiday bus ticket and to have a quick wander

First full day and after breakfast the first stop was La Houge Bie. This is the largest Neolithic passage grave in the Channel Islands and one of the largest in Western Europe. The grave itself is about 40 Yards long and you have to duck down to walk along the entrance corridor to reach the main tomb. Above the massive mound built to cover the grave is a 12th Century church which was erected in an attempt to turn a pagan site into a Christian site. The site also boasts an interesting Geological and Archaeological museum detailing the history and geology of the islands (which are only about 8,000 years old!) and the site itself. The site also has the scars of the islands occupation during the Second World War with trenched all around the site that the Germans had built. Some of them have been reopened and carry an exhibition on the building of the German fortifications on the islands. They also have a room of Photographs and a guide which tells you what happened to the people featured, needless to say virtually none of them made it to 1945.

A quick trip back into St Hellier and then back out again (one of the major problems with the buses on the island is that you almost never go from one part of the island to the other without changing in St Hellier) to the North East part of the island to Groznes. The castle at Groznes is in ruins, in fact all that remains are the entrance archway and some low walls. However, you can still imagine the importance of the site located on the North East tip of the island with clear views over to Alderny, Herm, Sark and Guernsey. Walking along the coastal path you keep coming across a reminder of a more recent period when the site was of strategic importance, all along the cost the remains of German Watchtowers, gun emplacements and bunkers, some with swastikas still carved into them, remind you that not so long ago Jersey was the front line. From the top of the coastal path you can look down the whole sweep of the single bay that forms the east coast to the south east corner of Jersey and Corbiere lighthouse.

After another trip back into St Hellier it was back out again this time to the afore mentioned Corbiere. The views from the South Easter tip are just as spectacular as those from the North Eastern. If not made all the more notable by the fact I could look directly back at the point I had been standing on less than 2 hours previously.

Corbiere lighthouse is built on a causeway that takes a good 10 minutes to cross. Thankfully as the tide had only just cleared going out it meant that I had a long time to wander over and have a look. You are not allowed into the lighthouse as it is still in use but you can get spectacular views back over the jagged rocks to the cliffs on the mainland.

After Corbiere it was a short hop on the bus to St Brelards Bay which is one of the most attractive bays on the whole of the island. Finally it was time to get back on the bus and back into St Hellier

Saturday morning and another Early start, this time so that I could walk along the northern cliff path from Rozel, in the very North West corner of the island to Bon Nuite Bay, almost in the centre of the north coast. The walk itself is only about 6 miles but as it goes up and down the cliffs all the way along is quite strenuous and takes just over 3 hours. After 1 hour (and the easy part) you reach Bouley Bay which is an attractive bay, more importantly it has a nice cafe that stocks lots of cold drinks!! After leaving Bouley you climb again back onto the cliff walk and continue on for 4 more miles before finally descending into Bon Nuite Bay (another welcome cafe stop) from there busses take you back into St Hellier.

Finally getting back into St Hellier I just had enough time to take the last land train tour of the day round the parish of St Hellier. This takes in the whole of the town including the centre, the harbour and the beaches.

After that I caught a bus along the coast to St Aubins to take in the town. It is far prettier than St Hellier. Again it has a off shore defense, this time a fort (not open to the public) and picturesque beaches.

Sunday is not a good day to try and visit remote parts of the island as even during summer the busses are less regular. In the morning I decided to visit the Elizabeth castle. This was the main defense for St Hellier, but is actually situated 1 mile off the coast. During low tide a causeway links you to the mainland but a high tide you have to get a DWUK (Part boat part 4x4) over to the castle slipway.

The castle itself is well preserved having served the town from the early days right up until it was finally vacated by the Germans at the end of WWII. The site is well signed with lots of information and three museums located in various parts of the barracks.

After the castle I came back into town and caught the land train along the coast to St Aubins. The train runs along the original route of the Islands main railway that closed in the early 1930s. The driver gives an interesting and informative commentary on the history of the area, the coast and Jersey in general.

After returning to St Hellier I caught the bus out to the Jersey War Tunnels. These were built originally to be a hospital for German soldiers during the war but served very little role as they were completed close to the end of the war. Having said that they did come at the cost of many hundreds if not thousands of lives of those, usually slave laborer's, forced to construct it. The tunnels now tell the story of the islands occupation from the build up to War in the early days of the 1930s through war and occupation to the eventual liberation of the islands in 1945. Outside the tunnels the site also includes a garden of reflection in which bare facts of the human cost of war are outlined.

The only advantage of getting an early flight out is that you do get a large part of the day to do exploring. With the 9:40 flight touching down on-time and getting to the hotel a little after 11am, I had a full afternoon to start exploring Guernsey. First stop is the bus station to buy a multi-ride ticket, 50 journeys for £10 (20p each). Then it was off on the bus to the Little Chapel. This is a very kitsch attraction, built during the 1920's & 30's entirely out of broken pottery and china. A short walk from the chapel is something considerably less kitsch but from a similar era... The German underground hospital.

The fact that there is almost nothing here only adds to the sense of foreboding and menace that exists in the tunnels. Built, like its counterpart in Jersey, using slave labor many of whom died in its construction. Unlike Jersey's this has not been restored more than necessary. Water drips from the ceilings, beds and other metalwork rusts and the old tracks used to haul the carts loaded with debris from the construction are still visible. Also visible are several tunnels only partly excavated before the end of the war. The final thing that adds to the sense of menace is the temperature. No matter what the weather is like outside, its always 15°C inside.

After 45 minutes in there it is almost refreshing to step out into what is fast becoming the hottest day on the island ever (only to be beaten the following day and then again on the Saturday!) Next stop is the German Occupation museum located near the airport. Unfortunately this requires you to travel all the way into St Peter Port and then back out again!.

The museum is located down a little side street. The museum gives a well presented oversight to the war and how it affected the residents of Guernsey. The museum has lots of information but suffers slightly from the look that it hasn't been updated since the early 80's with some of the information signs needing a bit of repair.

After the museum it was time to hop back on the bus. Guernsey busses have been designed to criss cross the island, centering on St Peter Port. However one route (Route 7/7A) goes round the outside of the island (7 - Clockwise, 7A Anti-clockwise) giving invaluable links to most parts of the island. From the museum its about 35 minutes by bus to the North west coast of the island and the Rousse martello tower.

One of the many martello towers built around the island this has been turned into a small display of what life would have been like when it was in use at the time of the Napolionic wars. Wax works within the tower show how cramped life would have been like and the nearby magazine store has information boards giving a background to the Rousse tower and the martello towers in general. After a quick wander round the site and the nearby beach it's time to hop back on the bus, complete the clockwise loop and head back into St Peter Port

First stop for the morning is Cobo bay, purely as this is where I need to change buses from the one that runs past the hotel to the 7A on the west coast. The bay itself is very pleasant with a wide sandy beach and beautiful scenery.

Fort Grey down almost at the bottom of the west coast resembles a cup and saucer and is home to the islands maritime museum. The museum details the maritime history of the island. It also focuses quite heavily on the accidents and shipwrecks that have occurred off the adjacent treacherously rocky western coast.

After Fort Grey its off round to the North East cost to Pembrook bay where the remains of several passage graves are, along with stunning views back over this very flat end of the island. Then it was back into town and on to Sausmarez Manor. This is a Manor house set in several acres of land just outside St Peter Port. The house itself is closed to the public most of the time, but you can wander round the grounds, visit the lakes or take in the tropical garden and sculpture trail. Then it was back onto the bus and out to Grand Rocquez on the west coast.

The fort here has been heavily reinforced during the German occupation and is interesting to look at to see the differences in style between the 18th century brick and stone work and the 20th century concrete!

Back down the coast to the southern most town of Pleinmont and another spectacular bay. This time you can look up almost half the length of the island seeing all the headlands come in and out along with also being able to see the island of Lihou.

It's a Saturday so it must be another chance to stupidly expend vast amounts of energy. Had I known that today was going to be the hottest day on the islands ever, and that there would be no wind, not even a sea breeze, I might have reconsidered the idea of cycling round Sark.

However I didn't know and so at 7:45 I was standing on the Quay side at St Peter Port ready to board the milk boat to Sark. The first sailing of the day is at 8:30, but as it is very popular they have two boats do it. The first one leaves once its full so we set off by 8:10.

After arriving on the island you have the interesting prospect of climbing up the hill to the village that is located at the top, its about 500 feet but the climb takes less than 1/2 mile so you can imagine how steep it is.

After collecting and paying for the hire bike I set off to the south of the island and then proceeded to visit all other parts of the island, rapidly coming to the conclusion that there is not that much to see on Sark. There are no really beautiful bays or interesting beaches, just lots of ferns and gravel paths!

Still I managed to keep cycling up until it was time to drop the bike off and get the ferry back to St Peter Port.

First stop of the morning was Castle Cornet. The site is quite large and has 4 museums housed in various parts that look at different aspects of the military. At 11am one of the guides runs a tour round the whole of the site that ends up back at the noon day gun shortly before it is fired.

After Castle Cornet I wandered down the coast road to the La Vallette underground museum. This is housed in yet more tunnels dug for the Germans by prisoners, this time for housing fuel storage tanks for refueling U-boats, this is an eclectic collection of posters, signs, memorabilia, paraphernalia, vehicles, uniforms and medals from both sides. There is little in the way of signange to tell you what the things are, but most speak for themselves.

After that it was a short walk further on and up the side of the cliff to Fort George. Originally it was built to supersede Castle Cornet but has in time come to be the less important of the two. Most of the buildings are still there but are currently sealed awaiting the site to be properly developed into a tourist attraction, but for good views out over the bay and St Peter Port it is a good site.

Then it was back into town and up to the Museum and Art gallery to look around. The museum gives an in-depth guide to the history of the islands, from their geological creation 8000 years ago (prior to that they had just been large hills on the landscape of France prior to the bay of San Marlo forming), through their development at the hands of humans, their changes of ownership between France and England, their occupation and liberation during WWII up to the modern day. The gallery also contains some of the art works that the state owns.

Then it was back down the hill to the town and pick up the bus to the second town of the island, St Sampson. Located just outside the town in Vale castle. From the road Vale castle, looks as though it is spectacular, unfortunately once you go inside you realize that the outside walls is virtually all that exists of the site. You can still make out where dividing walls once went, but apart from the odd small slab of stonework it is only the outside walls that have remained.

Monday was a much more sedate day. Getting the 10:30 sailing from St Peter Port to Herm. The crossing takes about 20 minutes and once there Herm is a beautiful island.

Unlike Sark, Herm has been very strict with the motor transport. 1 tractor and a couple of quad bikes to empty the plentiful bins around the island. Even the kids have to give up their bikes by the time they get to 16! The island is very small (less than a mile long by 3/4 mile wide) but as most people head for the beaches on the East coast you can very quickly find yourself in absolute peace a quite overlooking the white sand dune beaches of the north coast or looking back onto the main bays from the South cliffs path. To walk the whole way round the island takes little over 2 hours if you walk fast, but it is well worth gently strolling to get a better view of the island.

After getting a late afternoon sailing back to St Peter Port, and a quick shower, it was time to visit the German Naval Headquarters, that open on Monday evenings from 7-9.

Built during the war to house the Naval intelligence for the German forces, this site is unique in not only giving you an idea of how the average German soldier spent their time at work, but because most of the details and information came from interviews with the officer who oversaw the construction and running of the site throughout the war. There is a short video presentation that includes part of those interviews and he (sadly now deceased) walks you round the site reminiscing on where things were and how the headquarters operated, especially once the islands had become isolated after D-day.

Finishing off the day I decided to get the bus from near the German Naval Headquarters back to Grand Rocquez on the west coast to watch the sunset. Unfortunately for me, the sea mists had different ideas and by the time I got there the sun couldn't be seen and all there was, was a light grey mist!

Leaving from my friends in Worthing at 7:00 on a Saturday morning for a sailing from Dover just 60 miles away at 10:30 would seam to be perfectly doable. If it wasn't for the actions of the highways agency it would have been a very quick trip but in the end we went on a 35 mile diversion round a closed 3 mile stretch of road! We finally got to Dover with just minutes to spare but thankfully made it onto the ferry. The crossing was very smooth with a clear blue sky and almost millpond still water. The highlight of the journey possibly being the race that our Captain and the Captain of the rival Sea France ferry were having, we won! Once in Calais it takes about 10 minutes before you actually get out of the ferry terminal and onto the main roads. Plenty of time for my friend who was driving to adapt to the fact that she had never driven on the right before!

After wandering around some back roads for a while we eventually came across the hypermarket and proceeded to spend the next 2 hours overfilling a large trolley.

Once the greed over cheap booze had abated we drove back into Calais itself and went for a meal on the sea front, during which the wind started to rise from bracing to gale!

After the meal we wandered back into the main part of the town itself and had a quick look around before it was time to return to the car and take the ferry back, this time with a considerable swell that caused a little bit of rolling and a 20 minute delay to the crossing. The journey back from Dover, going all the way back up to the M25 on the motorway and then back down again, took considerably less time than going in a straight line had in the morning!

After leaving London at the end of the rush hour we made good time up to Norwich, reaching the hotel a little after 11pm. Though this was too late as the room had been double booked some time before so we had to set off again to the hotel room that we had been given by the hotel, at their expense, at the Wensum Valley Golf course.

After going back into Norwich and checking back into the hotel it was time to explore the city.

First stop was the cathedral and its grounds and then onto the castle.

From the top of the hill that the castle is on you get a clear view over the whole of the city and the multitude of spires and towers that dot the city.

After a brief lunch in the Adam and Eve pub round the back of the cathedral it was into the car and off through the Norfolk countryside heading, originally to the Neolithic Grimes Graves.

Unfortunately we were beaten by the early sunset and missed the last tour so we carried on the short distance into Kings Lynn and had a look around the town.

After that it was back into the car and back across the fens towards Norwich.

A Day spent exploring the broads.

After setting off from Norwich we headed across towards the North East corner of the county.

First stop was near Ludham where we caught the Electric Eel boat into the Dykes and side canals of the broads. The channels are so thin that the boat was constantly being filled by reads as we brushed past them.

After that it was back into the car and onto West Somerton where we stopped to take in the broads and some of the windmills.

After lunch just north of Horsey we headed up to the coast at Sea Palling and had a look at the coast and dunes there, then it was back down to Horsey to look at one of the large open expanses of water on the broads.

Finally back into the car and heading back home via Lowerstoft and Cambridge.

After an trouble free journey up (I expecting the worst using the trains the Saturday before Christmas) I arrived in York about 5pm and quickly checked into the hotel. After that I wandered out into the city to have a look around at one of the UK's oldest cities in the dark. First stop was the Minster and after that I wandered round the lanes and alleyways for a short while before joining onto one of the countless ghost walks that cross the city.

As you walk round the city you can quickly loose count of all the various boards advertising ghost walks. In the height of summer there must be hundreds of people wandering round the city after dark on a ghost walk. In the depths of winter there were still at least 3 an evening!

For the Saturday evening I joined the Ghost Hunt from the top of the Shambles (the most photographed street in York). After the walk was over I quickly had a bite to eat and then went back to the hotel to prepare for a long day ahead!

Sunday dawned bright, clear and cold over the city so the obvious thing to do was to warm up with a quick walk. The biggest site (in terms of scale) in the city are the old medieval city walls. Despite the best efforts of the English Civil War, The Georgians, The Victorians and the 20th Century massive sections of the walls still remain intact. There are three major sections that you can walk round totaling almost 2 miles in circumference.

So with the sun barely up in the sky (It was the shortest day of the year) I started on Section 1 of the wall. The main reason to begin with was to visit the museum located in one of the former gate house (or Bars as they are called in York) - Micklegate Bar. Unfortunately, despite York tourism web site insisting that it was open, it was closed so I carried on walking round the walls until they met the river Ouse at the site of the old castle.

After a quick stop for coffee it was time to step back a couple of centuries more from the Medieval walls to the Viking history that has made York (or Jorvik as the Vikings knew it) world famous.

The Jorvik Viking centre is a combination of a museum and a dark ride that tries to explain something about how the Vikings lived when they settled in York and to show off some of the finds that they have made over the city.

After the Jorvik centre, as it was freezing cold, I decided to pop into the York Dungeon. The Dungeon is laid out in a similar way to the Edinburgh dungeon and still reflects the grizzly and murky world of the past, but from a Yorkshire view!

After a quick stop for lunch I rejoined the walls to walk round section 3 stopping part way along to visit the Richard III museum in Monks Bar. The museum is a strange mix of information. Part of it is about the Bar and the walls (including the fact that it still has a working portcullis.) The remainder of the museum is set out like a trial explaining the murky history over Richard III and the allegation that he had his two nephews (the actual king and prince of Wales) imprisoned and killed in the Tower of London so that he could assume the throne. After listening to the arguments for and against you can vote yourself as to whether you think the original "Tricky Dicky" is guilty or innocent.

I finished walking round the walls to Bootham Bar including spectacular views of the back of the Minster. After that I had a quick wander round the grounds of the Yorkshire museum and gardens to view the remains of St. Mary's Abbey which was destroyed after the Reformation.

Then it was back to the walls to complete section 2 of the walls from the site of the Old Castle round to the back of town.

Next stop was the Art Gallery, I'm not into art massively and this collection is not massively spectacular but it is housed in a warm building out of the, by now, bitingly cold wind!

After a quick stop at the hotel to rest my feet and to have a quick bite to eat it was time to set off for another ghost walk. This time starting from the Jorvik Viking Centre.

After an exceptionally comfortable night with the heating on full blast it was almost inevitable that I would wake to the sight of snow covering the ground. Overnight winter had made it's way to Yorkshire and had left a good inch of snow on most things. Still it makes for good photos.

Taking a slower than usual pace as the roads were like and ice rink I walked over to the Minster to look round. The Minster is the largest medieval building this side of the Alps and has more Medieval stained glass in its windows then the rest of the UK combined. There is a lot to see at the Minster but not if you are on a limited budget. To see everything that the Minster has to offer you have to pay £8.50 which is a lot for a big church!!

In addition to the Minster itself you can also view the undercroft and crypts which house not only the treasury of the Minster but also the remains of the original Roman base that was situated on the same space where the Minster now stands. The display also explains about the other two cathedrals that have existed on the site over the last 2000 years. The current Minster was started in 1245 but before that there had been a Norman Cathedral and another before that. Just outside the Minster you can see one of the columns from the Roman site that the archaeologists found lying on its side (unfortunately, as any local will tell you they got it wrong and it is upside down with the top concreted into the pavement!)

The final thing you can pay to do is to climb all 275 steps to the roof and get the spectacular view over the city.

After the Minster, and a well earned hot chocolate to warm up, I wandered over to Clifford's Tower. This is all that remains of the original castle and is now just a shell, apart from two spiral staircases that allow you to access the top of the tower to walk round. The tower itself is set on top of a high bailey so the views from the top, not being quite as good as those from the Minster are still spectacular.

After Clifford's tower I walked over to the castle museum. Set in the old Women's and Debtor's prisons the museum was started in the 1930's by a local doctor who noted that the rural way of life was disappearing but wasn't being noted down. To stop it from being lost he started collecting everyday artifacts to preserve the history of the way of life. The museum itself has grown so large that it has two mock up of streets inside which put the artifacts in the surroundings they would have fitted in.

The museum also has the cells of the old prison in it and you can visit the cell that the famous highway man Dick Turpin stayed in prior to his execution!

After the museum it was time for some refreshment and this came in the form of the York Brewery. Set up in 1996 this is a "Micro-brewery" set in a small building within the city walls. The brewery only produces a small amount of beer that mostly goes to the local area (although one of the large supermarket chains had just brought up their entire production of one type of beer!). The tour of the brewery includes a tasting of two of the beers that they brew.

Now happily insulated against the cold I walked back over to the other side of the city to visit the Yorkshire Museum. This is another bizarrely mixed museum pulling together artifacts from the cities and counties past but in no particular order, so that you get the whole of the Roman and Viking history and then leap back into prehistory and the dinosaurs!

Just enough time to grab some food before another Ghost Walk. This time leaving from outside the Minster.

Thankfully overnight the temperature had risen again and by dawn all the snow was gone. On my way to the station to drop off my luggage I had a further wander round the ruins of the Abbey of St. Mary's.

After leaving my luggage at the left luggage office I wandered round the side of the station to the York Model Railway. Set in a former tea room this massive layout can quite happily while away the time waiting for your train.

After visiting the model railway it was time to visit the real thing at the National Railway Museum. As York was formerly one of the principle towns building trains in the country it was only fitting that the museum to British Rail should open in one of their former workshops (they don't explain how many people were made redundant when the workshop closed!) The museum charts the history of the train in the UK with full size examples of trains and carriages. It also includes a couple of examples of foreign trains such as the Japanese bullet train.

After visiting the Railway Museum it was time to go back to the station and get the train home, thankfully not a museum piece!

After an exceptionally sweet breakfast (honey coated croissants with jam!) and solid tar for coffee we set out on our first day in Barcelona. First stop was just across the Ramblas to have a look at the Palau Güell one of the many buildings that Gaudí built. Just from the outside it is obvious that Gaudí had an entirely different approach to architecture.

Next stop was a wander through the old town to the Cathedral. Inside the main tower of the cathedral a lift has been installed so that you can reach the roof easily and it is worth it. There are some stunning views available over the whole of the city.

After the Cathedral and a quick pause for coffee we followed on of the walks in the Time Out guidebook that took us round the main Modanistas buildings. After the walk we had a late lunch and then went out to the Sagrada Familia.

The Sagrada Familia was started over 100 years ago and its still not built! Nowadays the main columns and the towers are up and things are progressing fast enough that it may even be finished by 2017! The views from the towers are spectacular, but not for the faint hearted!

Finally for the day we headed over to one of the most famous Gaudí buildings the Casa Milà. From the bizarre and peculiar roof we watched the sunset.

After a long night dealing with an upset stomach it was time for a quiet day. First stop was the Block of Discorde. Three Modanista buildings in the same block that are so different to each other that they clash against each other.

After that it was the tube and bus out to Parc Güell another one of Gaudí's masterpieces for a pleasent afternoon in the sun, before finally heading back into town and out to the airport.

After a very short journey from the airport, navigated totally in German (to my own amazement) I arrived at hotel more by chance than plan in so much as I looked out of the window just before the bus stop and spotted it sliding into view!

After unpacking and getting settled in I set out for an evening in the German capital. First stop was the Brandenburg gate, probably the most famous site in the whole of the city if not one of the most recognisable sights in Europe.

The gate itself is mammoth. Until you see it in person it is very difficult to get a full idea of quite how large it actually is. It puts most other structures to shame and certainly eclipses both Marble Arch in London and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The gate is made all the more impressive by its recent restoration and looks as though it could have been installed only a few weeks ago not a couple of hundred years!

After the gate I walked the short distance to the Reichstag. Left destroyed after someone burnt it to the ground in 1933 which allowed the Nazis to seize power in German (let your own ideas in here as to who was responsible but I know where my money lies) the former seat of German power was repaired after the war but didn't serve as the parliament of Germany until a couple of years ago after Berlin was once again declared capital and the Reichstag was completely refurbished and rebuilt. The original dome has been replaced with a new glass structure that allows you to see over large parts of the city as well as down into the debating chamber.

After the Reichstag I decided to call it an evening and went for dinner. One thing that is noticeable in major international cities is how difficult it is to find local restaurants. It is very difficult to eat Spanish in Barcelona, it is hard to find Hungarian in Budapest and its almost impossible to find German in Berlin. After much hunting I had to have an Itallian-German cross of a Three Wurst Pizza!

After a gorgeous breakfast in the hotels breakfast room, which is on the top floor of the building overlooking the local area, it was time to head out for a full day. With a clear blue sky and freezing temperatures I stated by visiting the Jewish museum.

Located in a specially built building that is designed to look like a twisted and damaged Star of David this museum attempts to tell the history of Jews in Germany. Their history, culture, fight for equality and the attempt by the Nazi's to wipe them out. The museum pulls no punches and does not make pleasant reading for anyone when you see the numbers of people persecuted, not just during WWII. It is a very sobering museum, not least of all because of the images and stories of people who died purely because of their religion and one groups hatred of it.

After visiting the museum I went back into the centre of the city and visited the Gendarmenmark. Here are the Opera House and the German and French Cathedrals that latter two exactly matching each other. The French Cathedral itself is being repaired but I could still go inside and climb the tower to get views over the whole of the area.

After that I walked the short distance over the river and onto museum island where a large number of the cities main museums are as well as the Berlin Cathedral. The building looks like a smaller version of St Pauls in London, only with slightly more adornments. Inside it is actually quite small, compared to other Cathedrals. The entry to the Cathedral also includes the ability to climb to the base of the dome and go out onto the roof, and as you might have guessed from reading past entries I did! After being gently flash freezed by the wind I came back down into the base of the Cathedral into the crypt where the bodies of the Prussian and German royal families are kept dating back several hundred years. All their coffins laid out in rows along the floor of the crypt is a little creepy.

After the Cathedral I came back towards the western side of the city and visited the Memorial Church. Almost totally destroyed in bombing towards the end of WWII all that remains are the base of the tower and a half broken spire. It is a sudden reminder of exactly what happened not that long ago.

After that I went over to the Potsdamer Platz. Up until the fall of the Wall this was one of the places where it was at its widest and an empty wasteland. Since the fall the area has been completely rebuilt and now looks like a mini Manhattan rather than the former site of such suffering. One of the new buildings in the headquarters of Daimler Chrysler and you can take "The fastest lift in Europe" to the top of their building to get views out over the area.

Then I went slightly further along the course of the wall to one of the other famous sights of the Cold War, Checkpoint Charlie. The original was removed shortly after the fall of the wall but in the best interests of international tourism a replica along with the original sign telling you that you are "Leaving the American sector" have been put back in.

After dinner I came back to Checkpoint Charlie to visit the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. A museum dedicated to all the attempts to try and escape East Berlin and make it to the west.

After another gorgeous breakfast it was off into another clear and cold day. First stop was the Tiergarten and the statue in the centre.

After a short climb up (nearly 300 steps!) I could look out over the whole of the Tiergarten and down to the Reichstag and Brandenburg gate.

Next stop was Alexanderplatz to go up another tower (lift this time) - the TV tower, however as the queue was already out of the door I decided to leave that to later and instead headed over to the other side of the city and a related item the Radio tower to go up that instead (If you haven't already guessed I did spend most of the holiday at least 100m up in the sky!) Located in the International Conference Centre in the Western suburbs the views from the top of the tower are spectacular if only for seeing the complexity of Berlin's motorways which all seem to intersect just below the tower. The only real problem with the Radio tower is that it is built to withstand extremes of weather and in such a way does gently sway with the wind. When it is very windy this swaying becomes slightly disturbing.

Once down on the ground it was time to go back across the city to the East Side Gallery. These are the Murals on the only major remaining section of the Berlin Wall. About 1KM of wall has been retained running along the course of the river and decorated with some of the most famous murals that were originally done on the West side of the wall!

After that I crossed the city again (by this point I realised that I had not planned today particularly well) and out to the Olympic Stadium. Built for the 1936 Olympic Games the building is a fine example of how to impress by sheer brute force. The whole site is large and brutal looking almost the same as the major Soviet buildings. The view from the top (surprise, surprise) of the clocktower however is breathtaking looking over all the woodland areas south towards Charlottenburg and the state capital of Potsdam.

Back over then to Alexanderplatz where the queue for the TV Tower still had not shortened but I did have time to look round the square that was once the international show piece of the DDR (Deutscher Democratik Republic - East Germany)

The it was back towards the hotel to visit the Story of Berlin. This multimedia exhibition tells the story of the history of the city from a small hamlet first mentioned in the 13th Century through its rise to prominence in the Prussian empire, its creation as a German capital, its role in the events that lead up to the First and Second world wars, its separation and eventual reunification.

Then, finally it was back to Alexanderplatz to the TV tower and the fortunate site of no queue so I could go up the TV Tower and see Berlin at night!

After what should have been a very pleasant holiday I made my way back to the airport where I found no record of my flight. After several minutes of running round and getting worried that I had made a major mistake I eventually found out that my flight had been canceled several weeks earlier but nobody had bothered to contact me to tell me this!

So instead of flying out of Berlin at midday I instead took advantage of the situation to visit the state capital of Potsdam, about 25Km outside of Berlin.

The city itself was almost totally destroyed during WWII but some parts still remain and the palaces out in the main park escaped totally unscathed.

As I only had a couple of hours to get out, back and visit I could only walk around and not actually go into anything but it certainly left the impression that this was a city that I would want to go back to.

After Potsdam I came back into the city and back, for the second time that day, out to the airport almost able to recite the names of the bus stops for heart!

Eventually 6 hours after I was supposed to be leaving Berlin my flight pushed back from the stand and made its way to the runway. A very very pleasant holiday but tinged with an element of anger at the airline.

Time for another new experience, this time the sleeper train. It felt vaguely strange to know that in this instance falling asleep on a late night train is what I wanted to achieve rather than avoid. After a pleasant two hours sitting in the lounge car I went to my cabin and settled down for the night.

The beds are not the worlds widest and the motion of the train is a little odd, you feel yourself rolling each time it accelerates and breaks and when it goes round bends fast a leans a little you feel like you are being pulled down the bed! I did manage to get to sleep and must have been asleep by the time it got to Preston because I don't remember it stopping to pick people up.

Slight rude awakening at 3 in the morning as the train in split into 3 separate trains (mine for Inverness plus one for Fort William and one for Aberdeen) and the jolting of the trains being split and then joined to their engine woke me up, but I soon fell back to sleep.

When I finally woke up properly it was about 6:30 and in the middle of the wilds of the Scottish Highlands. The train was running about 30 minutes late after getting stuck behind a slow moving train during the night but that was OK as I wasn't in a rush and it was very pleasant to lie on a bed looking out of the cabin window over the Highlands.

The train finally pulled into Inverness at about 8:30 so I had plenty of time to drop off my bag at left luggage and then had the whole day to explore. Originally I was going to go to Culloden first off, but as I emerged from the station I noticed the bus to Fort George was parked waiting to go so I decided to visit there first.

Fort George is one of the largest and most spectacular fort built on the UK mainland. The perimeter of the walls is over 1KM and the site still has all its original buildings. There are lots of museums to explore and several small exhibitions on the use of the fort over its life. However as the fort is still used as barracks for the army there are some areas that are off limits.

After leaving the fort I managed to get a bus straight away (fortunate as they are only every 90 minutes) and went back into Inverness.

From there I picked up another bus out to Culloden and the battlefield. Culloden is he place where the Jacobite revolts of the 18th century finally died, and the site of the last battle to be fought on British Soil (though the Channel Islanders may have something to say about that and World War II) On this site almost all of the 5000 strong Jacobite army died along with about 500 Government troops. I decided to pay the small charge and look round the visitors centre before going onto the battle field itself.

The whole exhibition has a distinct bias trying to portray the incident as Scots being massacred by the English. If you look deep enough at the exhibition it does admit that there were more Scots on the Government side than on the Jacobite side and that a large number of the Jacobites were French, Irish and even English!

The battlefield itself is very bleak, just a wind-blown moor overlooked by snow-capped mountains and boggy underfoot. Every few yards there are stones with the names of the different clans from who people died in the 45 minute long battle.

After Culloden it was back on the bus and into the city centre a time for a quick wander round the outside of the Castle (it is the sheriff's court so you are not allowed inside) and then a walk along the banks of the river Ness taking in the small and slightly dingy cathedral. I walked down for north bank for about a mile and then walked across the small bridges onto the Ness Islands that sit in the middle of the river and then back onto the South bank and went back into town.

After a quick dinner in town I joined the Inverness Terror Tour for a ghost walk round the city. The tour is well presented but, unfortunately, not very many grizzly and gruesome things have happened in Inverness, so many stories that are familiar from Edinburgh were told with the omission of where they actually took place.

I had already pre-booked myself onto an all-day tour of Loch Ness and the surrounding areas so Sunday was pretty well mapped out for me. After a leisurely breakfast and checking out from the hotel, I wandered down to the Tourist Information Centre to pick up the tour bus.

The tour itself is really well presented in a funny yet informative fashion. The tour only covers about a 20 mile route so there is lots of time to talk about the area and lots of photo stops, the first being by the Ness Islands where I had been the previous evening! Next stop was at the last Lock on the Caledonian canal before it enters the River Ness and then into Loch Ness then it was on to the road that runs by the side of the Loch and a photo stop just after the start/end of the Loch.

After that there was a brief stop to buy tasteful and imaginative quality souvenirs (i.e. a stuffed Nessie and chocolate highlands cows!) and then a quick video (in the bus - it was all very high-tech!) background to some of the sightings of the elusive beastie and some of the hoaxes that they myth has sported.

Then it was onto the Loch Ness 2000 exhibition. Through several rooms of audio visual exhibitions it tries to tell the story of Loch Ness from how it was formed to the mysteries of Nessie. Of all the explanation's for it's sighting my money is on too much Whiskey!!

From there it was onto an ancient burial chamber out in the wilds before coming back to Urqhart castle and the point at which the bus part of the tour ended. After spending 90 minutes looking round the castle it was time to get a boat back along Loch Ness, up the River Ness and onto the Caledonian Canal back into Inverness.

There was just enough time, by the time I got back to Inverness for a quick dinner and then it was time to re-board the sleeper for its long journey back south.

At one point I thought we might be taxing all the way to Germany as the plane wandered round Heathrow for nearly 30 minutes before finally taking off.

Despite that I arrived at Köln-Bonn airport on time and quickly caught the bus into the city centre.

After popping into the tourist information centre to pick up a Welcome Card I took the tram out to the hotel and quickly checked in before heading back out into the city.

First stop was one of the bridges over the Rhine to the south of the centre of the city for the views of the Cathedral across the river. Then it was back over for a closer look at the Cathedral.

After a wander round the cathedral square it was time to find dinner and then head back to the hotel.

An early start to the day and off to the cathedral. As there was a service in progress I took the opportunity to climb to the top of the tower, all 507 steps, including going past the main bells of the cathedral. After taking in the views from the top I came back down halfway to where the bells are just to be met with the 11am bell which was deafening and slightly disturbing as to how much the tower shook, but its been standing for 200 years, so there is no reason for it to collapse... I hoped as I scampered back down the remaining 250 stairs to the ground.

After a short stop for Coffee and Post cards I went on the City tour aboard a luxury coach. The tour takes you round all the main parts of the city and had the added bonus of helping to improve my German listening as I managed to understand parts of the German Commentary (although partly helped by the tour guide repeating herself in perfect English!) The tour included a short stop for photos on the opposite bank to the Cathedral and a quick introduction to the city museum.

After a pause for a traditional German snack - Currywurst and Mustard - on the station concourse I was refreshed and went back to have a look inside the cathedral (as there were no services going on at the time.)

After spending some time in the Cathedral (it is larger than it looks and time seamed to slip past very fast) I came out and went for a wander round the old town including the Hay market and Fish market before settling on a nice looking restaurant on the Fish market by the banks of the Rhine for dinner.

After dinner and a wander round the old town at night (to wear off the excessive food and exceptional pleasant Kölsch) I got the tram back to the hotel.

Monday was an early start to get to the Station so I could catch an early train to Aarchen, on the border with Belgium and Netherlands, once the most important city in the known world during the reign of Charlemagne (Circa 794AD).

It was Monday and Aarchen was closed... except for the Cathedral and the Cathedral's Treasury and I arrived in the city shortly after a service had started so I couldn't go into the cathedral!! Instead I had a wander round the city center which was very attractive and a look in the Cathedrals Treasury which is reckoned to be one of the most impressive in the world and includes part of the remains of Charlemagne. By then the service in the Cathedral had finished so I was able to look round the inside of the Cathedral which, despite being quite dark inside, is very impressive.

After that there was very little else to do in Aarchen so I got the train back into Cologne and caught the tram down to Bonn.

It was Monday and Bonn... You get the idea except the Cathedral is a large church without a treasury but there was one museum open.

After a quick look round the Münster I wandered over to the Beethoven house museum. The building is where the composer and musician was born and raised in and now houses the worlds largest collection on Beethoven artefacts.

After looking round the center of Bonn I decided to catch the tram to the end of line in Bad Godesberg, a spa town - hence the Bad - about 7Km south of Bonn. The town was very pretty but it was Monday and.... You get the picture.

I caught the tram back to Cologne, this time going along the course of the Rhine rather than down through Brüel as I had done coming.

After popping back to the hotel briefly to drop off guide books I wandered back into the centre of town for dinner in another restaurant in the Fish market before heading back for bed.

After checking out of the hotel and depositing my luggage in the scarily high-tech left luggage lockers at the Hauptbahnhof, I got the tram out to the Zoo to pick up the Rhine Cable Car.

The Cable Car crosses the Rhine and from my little car I got spectacular views across the city and the Rhine including back to the Cathedral in its full glory.

After the Cable Car I popped down to the south of the city and visited the Rautenstrauch-Joset Museum which has an interesting collection of Far and Near East artefacts, all displayed in German though so it really stretched my ability (to find the right words in the dictionary!)

From there I came back into the centre of the city and visited the Römisch-Germanisches Museum which has a massive collection of remains and artefacts that have been recovered shedding light on Cologne as a Roman city in the 1st Century.

After that I had a quick lunch and then headed over to the Kölnisches Stadtmusuem - the city museum - that the bus tour on Saturday had briefly stopped at.

The museum has an interesting collection of artefacts that tell the history and culture of Cologne including its famous February Carnival. The most moving display was the aerial photograph - that was taken of the city shortly after the end of the war showing a scene of total devastation with every building, except the Cathedral, a ruin and the bridges lying shattered in the Rhine - and fragments of some of the bombs that fell on the city.

By then the time had come to head back to the airport to get my flight back to the UK.

With the alarm going off at an ungodly time and the first part of the journey to the airport conducted on a night bus in the rain this wasn't the most glamorous of starts to a holiday.

Despite another plane having "technical difficulties" and closing Gatwick's runway for 30 minutes the flight landed in Geneva on time less than 5 hours after boarding the night bus, but into the same rain! After a quick exit through the airport and a spot of late breakfast/early lunch we headed into the city on the trolley bus to drop luggage off at the Central Station (as the hotel wouldn't check us in until 3pm)

With the weather deciding to tone down to just a mild drizzle/mist we had a wander round the lake side and the old town taking in the Floral clock and Jet d'Eau - a fountain that shoots a single jet of water some 140m into the sky before it falls back into the lake (or onto unsuspecting tourists) - the town hall, with the building where the Geneva Convention was signed, and the wall of the reformation before stopping for a late lunch (yes I know with the breakfast at Gatwick, snacks on the plane, the Brunch at Geneva airport and toast before we had even left for the night bus that brings the running total to about 5 meals before 3pm but there was a lot of walking and we had been up since 4!)

After lunch we popped back to the Central station to pick up luggage and then checked into the hotel before setting back out again to visit the Cathedral.

We caught the tram back into the old town and then walked up the hill past the Russian church and the museum (diving under the cover of trees as a particularly spectacular cloud burst decided to soak Geneva) before reaching the Cathedral.

The area underneath the cathedral has been excavated and how houses an archaeological museum which gives an in-depth audio guide to the developments of the site over the last 1600 years. After visiting the archaeological museum we went into the cathedral which is a strange mixture of architectural styles with no one part matching any other part. Inside it is quite small and dark but with some very bright stained glass and the option to climb one of the towers.

After the cathedral we headed back into town to find a restaurant (I know that makes meal 6!) and the local speciality fondue. Then it was back to the hotel to rest our aching feet (and distended stomachs.)

Sunday dawned...grey and miserable with the cloud possibly looking heavier than it had the previous day.

We decided to try and spend the day doing things where we wouldn't get wet and the most obvious was to visit the fairy-tale castle of Chillon at the other end of the lake. We got the train from the main station to Montreux, which took just under the hour, and then had a quick wander round the town and down to the lake including past the statue of one of Montreux's most famous residents - Freddie Mercury, who died in the town - before stopping for an early lunch.

After lunch we got the trolley bus along the edge of the lake to Chillon and visited the castle.

The castle, although being quite compact, has lots to explore including large areas underneath the main buildings and all the original walkways. In the end we spent almost two hours wandering round the site in the dry (with the occasional dash through open courtyards avoiding the rain)

By the time we left the rain had stopped and looking down the lake towards Geneva there were just the faint signs of sunlight on the water.

We got the trolley bus back into Montreux and decided to get the cogwheel railway up to Glion, a town directly above Montreux in the mountains. The railway climbs through twisting tunnels and winding tracks up the side of the mountain reaching Glion in about 10 minutes. From there we got spectacular views over the lake and the Rhone valley.

The even quicker way down from Glion is the funicular railway which took us to the bottom of the hill in about 2 minutes and from there we caught the Trolley bus back into the centre of Montreux and the train home.

After dropping some souvenirs and guide books back at the hotel we caught the tram out to Carouge, one of Geneva's suburbs to eat in a recommended restaurant.

Monday dawned a completely different day with sun and not a cloud in the sky.

After checking out of the hotel and dumping the luggage at the station we headed down to the lake and decided to take one of the ferries across to the other bank of the lake before catching another one over to the international area of the city, where the Red Cross and United Nations are based.

After having a wander round the parks near the UN we caught the tram back to the centre and got some bits for lunch before catching the bus out to a park to sit in the sun and enjoy lunch.

After lunch and with the sky still clear, just some fluffy clouds collecting around the middle of the mountains opposite, we decided to go a view Geneva from 3000 feet.

Geneva is less than 5 miles from the Franco/Swiss border and regular buses take you to the boarder post. From there it is a short walk to the base of Mont Salève and the cable car station (you didn't think we were going to climb to the top did you!)

The views from the top are spectacular with the lake and the city laid out beneath you. You can look down the lake and on the day we were there make out the city of Lausanne about halfway along the lake. Looking across Geneva we could also make out the airport and the planes taking off and landing

We walked around to the other side of the Summit and looked across to the Savoy Alps and the peak of Mont Blanc.

We walked back to the cable car station at which point we realised we only had 2 hours 50 minutes until the flight... ... 2 hours 35 by the time the cable car set off... ... 2 hours 30 by the time we realised we had just missed the bus... ... 2 hours by the time we caught the bus... ... 1 hour 30 minutes by the time we reached the station with the information that there was a train in 4 minutes and then a 25 minute gap... ... 1 hour 28 minutes by the time we grabbed the luggage and ran for the platform... ... 1 hour 26 minutes as the train pulled out with us sitting on it panting. Thankfully we arrived at the airport 5 minutes later and checked in with plenty of time to spare!

Leaving London in glorious sunshine (well it was dry and only slightly grey) it was a little depressing to arrive in Brussels in what appeared to be a monsoon.

Still, it was only 10 yards from the station to the hotel so I only got soaked rather than drowned.

My original plan had been to pop into the centre of town briefly after checking in but instead popped to the bar to warm up and to sample what Belgium is famous for... Beer.

First stop of the day the main tourist office to get a Brussels card and then onto the most famous attraction in Brussels, a small statue of a young boy having a leak (well it is Belgium!)

After Le Manneken-Pis I got the open top (thankfully closed top as it decided at that point to have another small monsoon) bus for a tour of the city centre and EU district.

After that I wandered up past the Royal palace to the Palace of Justice and the views over the city. Then a short stop for lunch in the Parc du Cinquantenaire looking over the Belgium Arc de Triomphe.

After lunch it was a short trip on the Metro and Tram out into the western suburbs and the Basilique du Sacré Coeur. Modelled on it's name sake in Paris it has the dubious reputation of possibly being one of the ugliest buildings in the city (and this includes some of the monstrosities that the EU call home!)

However, it is still a very very impressive building and the views that you can get from the roof (lift, no spiral staircases) are spectacular.

After dodging another shower whilst I was inside the Basilique I went back into the city centre and to the Comic book museum.

After beer and chocolate this is probably what Belgium is most famous for. It's certainly one of it's more obvious exports with the prime example being Tintin.

The museum itself charts the history of Comic strips as well as looking at the process of writing a comic strip and transferring it to the screen as animation.

With the sky's clearing I followed the suggestion of the guide book and took one of the more scenic trips in Brussels. Down the length of the number 44 tram line to the suburb of Tervuren. The tram runs along side, and at times through the edge of one of the last bits of ancient forest in Europe.

The town itself is best described as "quaint" and most obviously home to many an EU bureaucrat, however running behind the centre of the town is a spectacular park which in the late evening sun was very pleasant.

Sunday and up early to get the train out of the city to the medieval city of Brugge (Bruges)

The city itself does look as though it has never quite left the middle ages (except for the traffic) and is an almost perfect example of a medieval city.

The best way to get a view of the city is from the top of the bell tower, and guess what - I climbed it!

After the tower the next best way to see the city is from the canals. The city is ringed by approximately 8Km of canals and along the length of them are landing stages for the tourist cruises that ply their way up and down the canals, all following exactly the same route! Though it is a pleasant way to spend 30 minutes

After the Canals and a light lunch I decided to take the guided bus tour of the city that takes you round some of the medieval back streets of the city, which would have been great if they hadn't also been trying to run a road race on the same day, so the bus kept getting diverted!

Next stop was one of the many churches in the city the church of the Holy Blood which is split into two parts an upper, very ostentatious part and the lower more refined chapel.

Next stop is Our Lady's Church which contains an original Michelangelo statue (the Madonna with child) and then on to the Cathedral to have a look round before finally going back to the station and getting the train back to Brussels.

Only part of a day in Brussels as I my train back to London was booked for that evening. After dropping my luggage off at the station I caught the tram out to Heysel.

Heysel - Sadly, most famous for the disaster at the football stadium - is the site of a former World Fair, of which the only lasting exhibits are the American theatre and the Atomium, the giant structure of an atom that is one of the most famous symbols of the city.

First stop before the Atomium was the next door MiniEurope which has scale replicas of some of the most famous buildings from each of the members of the EU (or most as, of the 10 who had joined a few weeks earlier only Poland had an exhibit).

After wandering round MiniEurope and experiencing being able to stand next to the Brandenburg gate in Berlin and look across to the Sacré Cœur in Paris, the Bell Tower in Bruges and Dover Castle at the same time I walked back to the Atomium.

The Atomium, when it opened was a marvel of design with lifts and escalators disorienting you as you moved around the 8 or so spheres, each with 2 floors.

Unfortunately, today only 4 spheres are open, the displays are tired and most the escalators don't work, though the views from the top sphere are spectacular (if slightly grey from the dirt on the outside of the windows)

After the Atomium I went back into the city centre and following another suggestion in the guide book took one of the trams that rolls past all the Royal palaces for a glimpse of the most exclusive parts of the city.

Then it was back to the Cathedral for a look around. Despite looking large and imposing the inside of the cathedral is very light, with lots of it being made up of glass. Sadly, as it was a Monday and this is continental Europe, most of the exhibits inside the cathedral were closed, including the crypt which supposedly includes some original Roman remains.

After a quick pit stop at the central station I made my way back following some of the cartoons and murals painted on the buildings in the city centre back to the Gare du Midi and the Eurostar home.

German efficiency as ever got me to the hotel far quicker that it took me to get from Work to Gatwick, even if it was a similar distance. After checking in and unpacking I wandered in towards the centre of the town, with the intention of visiting the Main Tower which has a viewing platform from where you can get views over the whole of the city. Unfortunately, as I arrived they were in the process of closing as the top of the tower was about to disappear into a very, very dark clouds.

As I walked back to the tramstop a massive electric storm raged overhead. Within seconds of getting to the stop and under some shelter the skies opened with one of the most spectacular downpours I have ever seen. Think of one of those spectacular cloud bursts that last only about a minute before calming down, except this kept it up for almost 30 minutes!

After avoiding a drenching I left the tramstop (I wasn't intending on catching a tram, but I had seen on my way out that it had a large shelter!) and walked to the Römer, the rebuilt medieval market square (flattened by the Americans - Unlike Cologne which the Brits flattened!) and a look around the Roman remains and the outside of the Cathedral.

As I got back to the hotel the clouds decided again that they we feeling full!

After the cloudbursts of last night it was almost fitting that Saturday should dawn with barely a cloud in the sky. First stop of the morning after Breakfast was back to the Römer and to look at one of the oldest surviving churches in the city the Alte Nikolaikirche.

From there it is a short walk past the Archaeological Gardens, some of the remains of an Roman encampment, to the cathedral. The cathedral itself is quite plain, not helped by the fact that most of it is covered in scaffolding. Despite my guidebook, written in 2002 claiming that the repairs were almost complete and that the tower would reopen (as would being able to climb to the top) later that summer!

After looking around the Cathedral I decided to chance the Main Tower again, this time it was open and, unlike the Cathedral which would have been over 300 steps, took the lift to the roof. The views over the whole of the city are stunning, and the contrasts between the modern high rise and the ancient city are clear. Despite all the damage that was inflicted on the city during the war, and subsequently as the financial capital of mainland Europe, there are still a large number of older buildings and original streets still around, along with a few small smatterings of the old city walls.

Leaving Main Tower I wandered back through the Römer and down to what gives Frankfurt am Main part of its name, the Main. The river runs right behind the historic old square and Cathedral. Regular boats tour up and down the river, so I took advantage of one to get a better view of the city and to take the weight of my feet.

From the river you can see why the towers that make up Frankfurt have given it the nickname Mainhatten. Thankfully, most of them are quite elegant so it's not too harsh on the landscape. The boat cruise lasted just over the hour after which I decided to quickly stop for a bite to eat before heading on.

The next stop was the Museum Judengasse. Located on the ground floor of the council offices this museum is built over the remains of Frankfurt's Jewish Ghetto, destroyed during W.W.II. This really interesting museum tells the history of the Jews in Frankfurt, their persecution (not just in the recent past but going back over hundreds of years), their culture and in the ruins details on daily life in the Ghetto. In addition a small exhibition at the end explains how the community has attempted to rebuild itself since 1945.

Behind the museum is the old Jewish Cemetery and on the wall surrounding it 10,000 blocks. Each block has a name on it, a date of birth, and the date an location where they died. They represent the Jewish population of Frankfurt that died between 1939 and 1945 and can't help but move you.

Final day in Frankfurt and after depositing my luggage at the station I caught the S-Bahn out to Höchst in the Western suburbs of Frankfurt.

The town was originally completely separate from the city that has now grown to envelope it, but it still remains a very picturesque and beautiful town with many old buildings and a pleasant riverside walk.

Leaving Höchst by tram I came back into the centre of Frankfurt and then out to the Palm garden (Palmgarten), which is Frankfurt's main lung, a large green space almost in the middle of the city.

After several hours walking around the gardens and glasshouses and relaxing in the sun it was time to get back to the station and pick up my luggage, and then off to the Airport.

After a delayed flight into Cork, I landed into the fine rain of a typical Irish summer. Waited 20 minutes for the bus into town and then made my way from the bus station to the hotel. After checking in and grabbing a bite to eat I had a quick wander around the city before heading back to the hotel and bed.

Wednesday was the first of two coach tours that I had booked myself onto, both run by Bus Éireann the state bus company.

Wednesday's itinerary was the Ring of Kerry, a 100+mile circle round the county taking in some of the most stunning scenery in the country. The tour itself is very well presented with the driver supplying an frequent commentary to the ride.

The first stop was Killarney. The town itself is not massively pretty and there is not a lot there, apart from the retail park which is located at the end of the bus station. However, just outside of Killarney the road rises towards the mountains and from a view point you can look down over the picturesque lakes of Killarney.

The next stop was the Kerry bog village, an open-air museum giving you an idea about how people involved in the peat industry lived in the past.

The coach then ran along side the coast on the opposite side of the Dingle bay from the Dingle Peninsular before pulling into the town of Waterville. The town's main claim to fame is that Charlie Chaplin regularly visited.

After reaching the highest point above Sneem the tour turns back inland and headed towards the town of Kenmare where we stopped for dinner. The town itself is very pretty and has quite a lot of history, just out the back of the town is an ancient stone circle.

After a stop in Kenmare we headed back towards Cork on the coach, finally arriving just before 10pm.

Second coach tour, this time to the Cliffs of Moher. First stop though was Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, located just outside Ennis (The capital of County Clare). The Folk Park is based around the well preserved castle and have a collection of "Typical Irish" houses from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. The park is quite interesting, but in an attempt to make it as realistic as possible all the small cottages are burning peat and at times the smell and smoke can be overpowering.

The castle does not have that much on display inside, and what there is is obscured by the sheer number of people looking round making it feel very cramped, and on the narrow spiral staircases quite dangerous. From the top of the castle there are views over the surrounding areas.

After the castle we moved on across the Burran, a bizarre almost non-Earth like plane with strange rocks and very few living things growing across it. The Burran is littered with burial sites and the tour took a short stop at the Poulnabrone Dolmen.

After the Burran we headed over to the coast and the impressive Cliffs of Moher. These dark and precipitous cliffs mark the end of Europe, beyond lies the Atlantic and then America. Just as the left the Cliffs the sky decided to open, so the dinner stop in Lahinch was just that, dinner. There was no way anyone could have seen more!

From there the coach headed back towards Cork stopping briefly in Limerick and finally arriving back in Cork at just before 10.

For the fist time I had planned a holiday that was in more than one location so Friday was spent travelling. It shouldn't have taken all day, but in the end, thanks to a massive traffic jam on the motorway outside Dublin the coach ended up taking over 6 hours rather than 4 to get up from Cork.

With my plans for the afternoon now abandoned I at least didn't have to worry about being to early to check in, so I walked from Busáras (the bus station) to the hotel. In hindsight I should have caught the bus because it was about 45 minutes walk, and almost the whole way up hill!!

After checking into the hotel and dropping my stuff off, I caught the bus back into town and caught the DART out to Howth. Howth forms a peninsula just above Dublin and from the summit of the peninsula there are spectacular views over the city and down the East coast of Ireland. After wandering around Howth for a while I caught the bus back into Dublin and grabbed a bite to eat before retreating to a not particularly comfortable but welcome bed!

Saturday morning and I caught the open top bus out to Kilmainham Jail. The Jail is only viewable by going on one of the guided tours, but are well worth waiting for as it gives a very moving insight into the state of conditions that prisoners where held in right up until the countries independence in the 1920's.

After the Jail I got the bus back into town and the DART out to Dalkey. Located almost due south of the Howth Peninsular the town is most famous for the number of castles it had. Until the building of Dún Laoghaire harbour slightly closer into Dublin the town was the main port for Dublin and so had to have protection for goods being off loaded and the main street at one point boasted 7 castles. Today only two remain, and only one of those is open to look around.

Goat castle contains an exhibition on the rise, and subsequent decline of Dalkey from a powerful port town to a quiet suburb of Dublin. The castle also offers good views from it's roof over the town and harbour.

From Dalkey I got the DART back into Dublin and caught the bus up through Phoenix Park to the Jameson's distillery, just to check that the tour was still as good as it had been when I visited in 2001, and it was!!

After a walk along the side of the Liffey I wandered through Temple Bar and had dinner before taking advantage of the late opening at the Guinness Storehouse to reassess it against my 2001 visit. It's still as good as it was and the Guinness in the Gravity bar at the top is still good. As it was so late I was able to watch sunset (if there hadn't been so much cloud it might even have been impressive!)

After finishing my free pint I wandered back into the city centre and got the bus back to the hotel.

The original plan for Sunday was to check out of the hotel, drop my bags at Busáras, and wander around Dublin until mid afternoon before getting the bus to Kilkenny. Unfortunately the Irish weather conspired against me and by 11am I was starting to get quite wet and decided to catch the midday bus.

By the time I arrived in Kilkenny at half two the summer had decided to put another appearance in so, after checking in at the hotel, I wandered around town for a bit before catching the open top bus tour of the city.

The tour itself was interesting, but very short at less than 30 minutes which for €7 was slightly expensive!

After the bus tour I popped into an Internet cafe to check my e-mail (as I was trying to plan my visit with friends to Munich at the same time!) and have a cup of coffee.

After a short time surfing I went for a wander down the river bank along side the side of the castle and its grounds before coming back through the castles grounds and back to the hotel.

After a pleasant curry for dinner I had a wander round the city in the dusk before going back to the hotel and one of the most comfortable beds, and probably one of the best nights sleep I have ever encountered.

First stop on Monday was going to be St Mary's Cathedral, but it was closed for a service so I took the opportunity to wander down to the castle and booked myself onto a tour for the late afternoon.

After a stop of coffee I joined the city walking tour. The well presented tour had lots of background information, not just on Kilkenny but on the whole of Irish history.

After a short pause for lunch I visited St Canices Cathedral and tower. The cathedral itself its quite interesting, but just outside is one of the original round towers of Ireland which you can climb to get good views of the city from. The climb however is up increasingly steep ladders that, by the top, even I wasn't liking and I make a habit of going up towers needlessly (See any other trip for confirmation!!)

Next to the Cathedral is the very plane and simple St Canices Chapel which is a good place to recover your composure and make solemn promises never to climb towers that use ladders ever again!!

Next stop was the Rothe House, one of the oldest buildings in the city. The house is an original Tudor town house that was built for and by the Rothe family. A 20 minute video presentation on the house and the key exhibitions gives about as much information as the displays themselves and after the video the rest of the house is a little disappointing.

The Butler Gallery of Contemporary art is a free exhibition located in one wing of the castle. It displays contemporary art. It's worth depends on your view of contemporary art - I found it a pointless waste of space and money, but I dislike contemporary art - others may disagree.

After that it was time for my tour of the castle (or - as I am a Butler myself, but probably not related to the original owner - the families country residence as I called it) which was very well presented and took you over most of the property.

After packing my bags, again!, I wandered up to the station and caught the Intercity Express (1 hour to go 30 miles - the Irish view of express differs to most other peoples!) to Waterford. After dropping my bags off at the station I wandered over the main bridge into the city.

First stop, just behind the tourist information centre, and in the same building, was the Waterford Treasures exhibition. This very well presented exhibition tells the history of Waterford and it's role in Irish history. With the amount of information on display and the further information available by using the free audio guide you could easily spend a whole day here.

After the exhibition I joined the walking tour of Waterford. The exceptionally well presented and very funny tour gives a further insight into the history of the city and takes you around the main sights.

The tour finishes at Reginalds Tower so I took the opportunity to visit it. The exhibition inside gives background to the tower and the role it played within the city walls. The top of the tower is currently inaccessible so you can't get, what would be good views of the city.

After a further wander around the city it was time to get the coach back into Cork.

So for the final time this holiday I checked out of the hotel and wandered over to the bus station. Caught the bus out to the airport and got the plane home, which - like the start of the holiday - was delayed for no apparent reason!

After the shortest and possibly one of the most bizarre flights (The ground crew have to seat you as access to some of the seats is by pushing the set in front of you forwards and the flight only has a pilot, no other crew!) I landed at the portacabin that is Alderney International airport.

Alderney is a very small island, with very little in the way of transport, so the only way to get from the airport to the hotel is either by taxi or by foot. Seeing that the total walking time from the airport to the hotel was 8 minutes I decided to walk.

After checking in I wandered down into St Anne's - the Island capital and the only town on the island. From there it's a five minute walk down the hill to Bray, the harbour.

After spending a little time sitting relaxing on the beach I wandered back to the hotel and then out onto the cliff path for an hour or so before heading back into town for dinner, just as the sun was setting.

After an early start I wandered back out to the cliff path and walked to the Wildlife bunker. Utilising an old German fortification the Alderney Wildlife Society has put together an exhibition on the unique flora and fauna of the island (including the unique blonde hedgehog!)

I then spent a couple of hours just gently meandering around the cliff path round the outside of the airfield which occupies a large part of the western end of the island.

At 2pm I caught the guided bus tour which went round to some of the most impressive parts of the island. The tour is conducted by the driver who gives an informative and well presented history and guide to the island (even if he is Jerseyman!)

After the bus tour I hired a bike for the rest of the afternoon and revisited many of the sights that were pointed out on the bus tour.

By about 8pm the light was fading and I was knackered so I parked the bike back at the guesthouse and went for dinner.

After an early morning wander down the hill into Bray, and the lazily catching the bus - the one and only bus on the island - back up the hill, I visited the Alderney museum.

The museum has a small and eclectic collection of artefacts related to the island, from flints and stones used by the very first settlers to the island up to the modern day, with - unsurprisingly, a large collection of items relating to the war.

The museum tells the history of the island including the murky period during WWII when it was evacuated of all the inhabitants and turned into the only concentration camp in the British Isles. Records show that definitely 1000 and maybe as many as 3000+ people died on the island during the war either as slave workers or from the conditions they were forced to live in.

After the museum I wandered back out onto the cliffs, in a very eerie mist, to the site of the Sylt concentration camp.

After wandering back into town I went down to Bray and caught the only train that runs in the whole of the Channel Islands. The former goods line from the quarry to the harbour has been reopened by a group of railway enthusiasts who run a service backwards and forwards using an old London Underground train.

It's not very quick and there are only 3 trains a day at the weekend in July and August, but it's more than any of the other islands can muster!

At the end of the line at Mannez Quarry is one of the lighthouses of the island and when the railway is running tours of the lighthouse take place. The tours show you the inside of the lighthouse and give a background to the history and workings of not only the Alderney lighthouse by lighthouses in general.

After looking around the Lighthouse and the surrounding area I got the last train of the day back to Bray.

With a flight at a little after 10:30 the only task of the morning was to eat breakfast, pay the bill and then walk back to the airport. At the end of 3 days I felt that Alderney was a place that I really wanted to come back to...

Another early arrival in Guernsey, with almost 5 hours to kill before my onward flight to Alderney. After dropping my bag off with left luggage I caught the bus out along the coast to Pleinmont and then walked along the beach to L'Eree bay and the Neolithic tomb. The area also looks out over Lithou island, and this time the causeway was open, but I decided not to risk the crossing, just in case it got covered and I missed my flight!

I caught the bus back into St Peter Port and was astounded to see both Herm and Sark. Last year they were not visible, this year you could almost make out people walking on Herm!

Then it was time to go back to the airport and catch my flight out to Alderney.

After landing and catching a bus quickly into town I realised I was having a race with the weather which was closing in very quickly. In the end, after hiking up the side of a big hill I got to the hotel just a few seconds before an absolutely spectacular cloud burst.

After checking in, and waiting a couple of hours for the rain to stop, I ventured back out and caught the bus down to Jerbourg and walked down the cliffs and out to St Martins Point, the most South Easterly part of the island. I then followed the cliff path back along the East coast of the island taking a detour up to Doyles monument and stopping for a short break at Fermain Bay before arriving back in St Peter Port about 3 hours after leaving.

Plan for Tuesday: Sandals, Beach Towel, Suntan Cream, Book, Ferry ticket to Herm, Relax

Actual Plan on Tuesday: Sandals, Beach Towel, Forget Suntan Cream and get burnt, before getting soaked in a massive downpour whilst waiting for the late ferry back, spend evening drying book out!

First stop for the morning was Fort Richmond, which looks quite similar to many of the forts on Alderney. Like most of the forts in Alderney it is not open to the public and in a state of decay! Nearby is more evidence of the length of time that humans have lived on the islands with a small collection of Mehnirs standing by the side of the road.

After coming back into town and having a spot of lunch I headed off to Pleinmont and the Pleinmont observation tower. It is one of the few German observation towers that are open to the public (Wednesday only!) There is lots of information inside on the construction and use of the towers and the views from the roof are well worth the dodgy final climb up a short ladder and a large step back over the open cover you have just emerged from!

After leaving the tower I walked down the cliff path to Pezeries Point and the aptly named Fort Pezeries. All that remains of the fort is a small amount of retaining wall and one of the magazine stores.

After walking back to the bus stop at Pleinmont I decided to get the bus the long way back into town, via the North of the Island. In the end I was very glad I did as we went through one of the most spectacular storms I have ever seen. One minute the sky was clear, then full of very dark clouds and then from nowhere the wind whipped up and massive hail stones started falling. It was barely 5 seconds from the storm starting to the bus reaching the bus stop, but in that time the person waiting was absolutely soaked!

Thankfully, by the time I got back to St Peter Port the rain had stopped.

I had a couple of hours to kill before my flight so I left my bags at the hotel and wandered into town and out onto the pier before catching the bus up to the top of the hill that St Peter Ports is at the bottom of. The views from the top are spectacular with the whole of the North of the island laid out in front of you.

Then it was time to collect my luggage and head home.

The main purpose of this weekend was for me and a friend to go down and celebrate another friends, belated, birthday.

After a 4 hour drive along the south coast from the Eastern end of West Sussex to the Western end of Dorset, and Hampshire in between, we finally arrived in Weymouth and checked into the hotel.

We then went round our friends house and spent the rest of the evening eating, drinking and watching videos!

Weather forecast from the BBC - Warm, Sunny and Dry; Actual weather - Wet.

After a trip into Dorchester which resulted in spending quite a lot in a bookshop and getting wet on a couple of occasions we gave up, went back to our friends house and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening drinking, eating and watching videos!

Finally some good weather and after checking out from the hotel and picking up the rest of the party we headed off to the Dorset coast and the Isle of Purbeck.

First stop was Corfe and its castle. Once a grand and mighty castle which had withstood attack for centuries, the castle was reduced to ruin on the orders of Oliver Cromwell during the Civil War. Since then the remains have been left unchanged. They now offer a spectacular view over the Isle of Purbeck and the quite town of Corfe.

After Corfe we headed on to the coast and the picturesque and other world like resort of Swanage. A town that appears to be stuck firmly in the past, and all the better for it!

After a couple of hours in Swanage it was time to head back to Weymouth and then back home.

After an early flight and an early arrival in Munich we dropped off our bags at the hotel and headed into town to meet up with other friends who had arrived the previous evening.

As it was Munich the first stop was a Brauhaus about ¼ mile from the centre of town. After a quick refreshment break there we headed back to the centre of town and the Frauenkirche. The vast onion domed towers of the church are one of the most visible symbols of the city and after looking inside the church we took the opportunity of taking the lift to the top of the tower to get views out over the whole of the city and beyond (not that we could see that far as the weather wasn't particularly great)

From there it was a short walk to the most famous of all the beer kellers in Munich the Hofbrauhaus where we spent the rest of the evening!!

Saturday morning and it was an early start to get to the Oktoberfest early so that we could get a table. Unfortunately my stomach got the best of me, and after a couple of hours at the Oktoberfest drinking only water I decided to head back to the hotel. After about an hour at the hotel (and some more water) I felt better, but decided to give any more beer a miss, so whilst my friends stayed on at the Oktoberfest I went on the short trip out of town on the S-Bahn to Dachau

Dachau itself is a pretty and small town. It should have remained just that, a pretty suburb of Munich, except for the Concentration camp which was built on it's outskirts.

Today the site of the camp has been reopened as a visitors centre. The site is free to look around, though the audio guides that help you to interpret the site cost about €3.

Despite the number of visitors to the site an eerie silence still hangs over a place where over 30,000 people died and many tens of thousands more were held before being sent to their deaths in other camps.

At the back of the site is one of the most distressing places in the whole camp the Crematorium which also includes the gas chamber marked as "Shower"

The site also includes a large museum (KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau) charting the history of the concentration camp system and the crimes that were committed within their walls.

After visiting the museum I caught the bus back into town and had a look around the pretty town centre which is in such a contrast to the bleak foreboding of the camp just 3 miles outside that you can barely believe they both exist in reality.

I then headed back to the station and back into Munich for a spot to eat before heading to bed.

Sunday dawned clear and sunny and it was time for a trip away from Munich.

About 60 miles South West of Munich lies Füssen. The town lies at the end of the railway line, hemmed in by the Alps and just a few short miles from the Austrian border. Füssen itself is a very pretty town, but the main reason people come here is to catch the bus the 3 kilometers to the even more picturesque village of Hohenschwangau.

Hohenschwangau lies at the foot of the Alps, against a large Alpine lake and this would itself be able to draw in quite a large crowd. The fact the (Mad) King Ludwig decided to build his most spectacular castle Schloß Neuschwanstein on the side of the hill has secured the villages spot on the tourist trail.

The castle is the epitome of the "Fairy Tale" castle. In fact it is the Fairy Tale castle as Disney modeled their castle on Neuschwanstein.

If that wasn't enough there is another equally impressive castle just the other side of the village Schloß Hohenschwangau - Ludwig's childhood home.

The whole of the village exists these days to serve the massive crowds of tourists that even on a Sunday at the beginning of October are feet deep in places!

First stop is the ticket booth where you purchase your guided tours of the castles. You can choose to do just one of the castles, or like we did opt to do both which means you have a 35 minute tour of Schloß Hohenschwangau and then 2 hours after the tour at Schloß Hohenschwangau your tour at Schloß Neuschwanstein starts.

Both castles are very impressive and well worth looking around. Though the walk from the village to Schloß Neuschwanstein is lung busting and leg aching. It feels like you are climbing half way up the side of an Alp, and to some extent you are!

After visiting the two castles we headed back to the bus stop to get the bus back to the train station. Unfortunately so had about 100 other people, and as the buses were not that big we ended up walking the 3KM back to Füssen which meant that we actually saw some spectacular views which we wouldn't otherwise have got!

After waiting a short while for the train and changing once we finally got back to Munich, had a bite to eat and all fell into bed, exhausted.

After checking out of the hotel and dumping our bags in the lockers at Munich station we headed into the centre of town and to the Marienplatz, the main central square. Just off to one side is the Church of St Peters, an odd looking church with a completely rectangular tower that takes up the whole width of the church.

As it was tower you can climb it meant that of course, I had to climb it. From the top the views of the centre of Munich are as good as those from the top of the Frauenkirche, except from here you can see down into the Marienplatz.

After descending from the tower and watching the 11 O'clock performance of the clock on the front of the Town Hall (Nothing on the Astronomical clock in Prague!) we headed over to one of the largest buildings in the city - The Residence - The former home of the Royal family of Bavaria.

The site is enormous and would take several days to visit the whole of. Instead we just visited the exhibition on the treasures and other valuables of the collection including lots of gold and jewels.

From there we just had time to pop out to the Olympic park and climb up (or rather ascend in a speedy lift) another tower, this time the main tower at the Olympic stadium from where you can get stunning views of the Olympic Park, the City, the Alps and the next door BMW works!

After that it was time to go back to the main station, collect our luggage and head back to the airport for the plane home.

To get an impression of the city I started by following the walking route around the city stopping off at the Kestner Museum. This has an eclectic collection of artefacts ranging from ancient Greece & Egypt to modern art & contemporary design. The building itself is interesting because the original building, which was badly damaged in the war has been kept but is now encased within a 1950's outer shell.

Next stop on the walking tour is the Historisches Museum, again an interesting building, because it is built around the remains of the old city walls. This is another eclectic collection with lots of royal items, as well as more modern items.

From there it was a short walk around the remainder of the walking route before heading back to the hotel.

After a leisurely breakfast the first stop of the day was the town internationally famous for it's rat problem, Hameln (Hamelin).

It's a 45 minute train ride down the S-Bhan from Hanover. The town itself is very pretty, but apart from the architecture, one museum, & a couple of churches, which were closed, there is not much else to the town (at least not on a cloudy Saturday morning in November!!) the architecture is best seen following the marked trail (which is, of course, marked out with rats painted on to the pavement.

The walk itself takes about 2 hours, and after that I was pretty well done with Hameln. I walked back to the station & caught the train back into Hanover.

After a quick stop for a spot of lunch in the Hauptbahnhof, I went on to the second town of the day Celle. The town is about 50k north of Hanover and is again famed or it's architecture.

The town is arranged around the imposing castle (Schloß Celle) which I was sadly got to just to late to go on the guided tour (the only way you are allowed to see the inside of the castle!

Instead I made do with the town itself, which again has a lot of architecture, but not much else. There is a museum in the town, and you can get joint entry to this and the castle, but again I was running out of time before the museum shut, so I didn't go in.

After looking round the town for a while I walked back to the station and caught the train back to Hanover & dinner.

Sunday in the end proved to be a bit of a disappointing day.

The plan was to go out to Braunschweig (Brunswick) about 60k from Hanover. I got there no problem, however at this point the normally reliable & dependable German transport system let me down.

The local transport in Braunschweig makes the UK's systems look the model of reliability, dependability & integration. The tram that goes to the centre of town leaves exactly 5 minutes before the train from Hanover arrives!!!

After negotiating the public transport to the city centre I got there only to find out that most of it is shut on a Sunday in autumn!! The only things that weren't shut were the churches, and they all had services on!

After spending about 90 minutes wandering round what on the face of it is an architecturally beautiful city (until you remember that it has all been completely rebuilt since it was destroyed in WWII) I waited another age for a tram back to the Hauptbahnhof & on to plan B.

Plan B involved going to Hildesheim, so I got the InterCity train which, thankfully, runs between Braunschweig & Hildesheim.

I got to Hildesheim and walked the 700m or so into the heart of the old town. Unfortunately (and I am sure you can already guess what happened) most of the city was closed because it was a Sunday!

Thankfully the Dom (cathedral) was open, along with the cloister which houses a climbing rose which is over 1000 years old!

After having all my plans for Hildesheim ruined as well I walked back to the Hauptbahnhof & caught the train back to Hanover.

As there was still a little time left before sunset, I decided to go out to the Herrenhaüser Garten a set of large formal gardens about 3Km from the city centre and spent a relaxing 45 minutes in there before they closed then I headed back to the hotel.

After checking out of the hotel & leaving my bags at the left-luggage lockers I headed out to do some final sight-seeing before the flight home.

First stop was the small park behind the Rathaus. The views of the town hall from the back with a picturesque lake in front are excellent & on a clear & crisp November morning with barely a cloud in the sky they made for some beautiful photos.

From there it's a short tram ride out past the zoo to another of the city's fabulous parks the "Stadtpark" or City Park. Within a few metres into this park you can completely forget you are still in the city centre. The area is very heavily wooded, and even in late autumn, when there is barely a leaf on the trees, they still act as a buffer to the noise.

After strolling through the park for a while I headed back to the Herrenhaüser Garten and spent a couple of hours walking in them. The approach to the park is attractive itself, a 2.5K walk down a dead straight avenue lined on each side by trees.

Then it was time to head back into town, catch the train to the airport & the flight home.

After arriving from the airport & checking in to the hotel I went for a walk around the city centre. I ended up by taking a long walk around the Akershus Fortress complex taking in the beautiful sunset over the Fjord before heading back to the hotel and dinner.

After a very comfortable night's sleep and a very large and filling breakfast I headed out. As the morning was so sunny (not a cloud in the sky, not a breath of a breeze & only -2°C!!) I decided to head up into the hills (mountains) above Oslo and to the TV tower for the views.

After a beautiful ride up the side, on what must be one of the steepest and most beautiful metro rides in the world, I reached Voksenkollen and walked the remaining 15 minutes up to the tower. The climb, despite being very up hill, is well worth it, if only because it fills your lungs with lots of clean mountain air!

From the top of the tower you have spectacular views over the whole of the Oslo Fjord & surrounding area right over to the Swedish border. The only downside in the middle of winter is that the sun never rises high enough not to obscure the view of Oslo itself!

After walking back down to the metro station, I caught the train on the one last stop to the end (and top) of the line, at over 550m above the level of the fjord. The views from here are not as all round as those from the top of the TV Tower, but of the fjord are less obstructed (as there is no glass in the way!)

I caught the train back almost into the city centre & then caught the tram round to the Akershus fortress. It is in daylight as impressive as it is during the night.

After spending a little time wandering around the grounds, and by pure chance catching the changing of the guards, I went to the Norwegian Resistance Museum.

The museum is, soberingly, located in the same building that the Gestapo used to torture people in during the occupation. In the area in front is the memorial to those who were executed on that very spot. The museum tells the story of the occupation & resistance movement within Norway during WWII.

After spending a little longer in the fortress, and wandering around the grounds I headed out of the city centre to one of the major parks in Oslo, Vigeland Park. Despite the darkness the park (which is open 24 hours a day) is very tranquil & beautiful.

I had intended, after leaving the park to catch the tram back to the hotel, drop my stuff off & then go for dinner, unfortunately on arrival at the hotel I found it had been evacuated because of a fire alarm, so instead I walked down the main street to the Royal Palace & had dinner at that end of town before heading back to a now re-occupied hotel & my bed.

Virtually the whole day was spent out in Bygdøy. First stop was the Norsk Folk museum, a collection of over 200 traditional buildings that have been rebuilt on the site. One of the most impressive is the Stave church, one of the few left.

Next-door to the Folk museum is the Viking ship museum. This houses the remains of 3 Viking ships which were used as burial ships and have subsequently been uncovered in archaeological digs. Two are in very good condition with the third just being the very bottom.

A short walk from the Viking ship museum are 3 further museums dedicated to ships & the sea.

The Fram museum tells the history of its key exhibit, the ship Fram, the ship that has travelled the furthest North & South on expeditions to both the North & South poles.

The Kon-Tiki Museum tells the story of Thor Heyerdahl's famous journeys. The original Kon-Tiki & Ra II ships are the key exhibits.

The Maritime museum tells the story of sea-faring and the people of Norway from the Vikings to the modern super tankers & cruise ships.

After spending almost the whole day on the Island it suddenly dawned (or more correctly dusked) on me that Tomorrow was the shortest day of the year, and that I had witnessed both the sunrise and set of the day from Bygdøy. With that thought and the chill of an early night I headed back into the city through the evening rush hour and towards a warm dinner!

Dawn and I'm already up and about and on a day when there is snow in the air, going up the side of a mountain!! A couple off stops down the hill from Voksenkollen is Holmenkollen, home to the first purpose built ski-jump in Norway & also home to the ski museum.

The museum tells the history of skiing in all its forms (cross-country, downhill, jump) and concludes with a lift and 100 step climb to the top of the ski jump for views over the fjord and to see what a ski jumper would see before they took off. Just below the museum is the opportunity to experience what it actually feels like on the ski-simulator.

After slipping and sliding my way back down the hill to the metro stop I caught the train back towards town and then the tram back out to Vigeland Park, this time in the daylight! The statues look almost as bizarre in daylight as they do in darkness!

As I had done Vigeland Park in the daylight I also decided that I would have another look at the Royal Palace as well.

After a quick comfort break and a diversion to the tourist information centre to pick up a 24hour Oslo pass I got the metro out to the Botanical gardens. As it was so close to Christmas most of the site was shut with the exception of the zoological museum.

This is an interesting museum that mostly focuses on the natural fauna of Norway, but also has a small amount on the rest of the world.

From there I wandered over to the Reptile museum which is housed on the 4th floor of an office block almost in the centre of town. As with all reptile displays all the creatures were asleep and hiding.

Just before heading back to the hotel I took a short stop at the Cathedral. Although it is much smaller than it's counterparts in the rest of Europe, what it doesn't have in size it makes up for in decoration. The inside of the cathedral is warm and inviting (useful in a city where the winters can be very long and cold!) The ceiling is completely painted in various colours and religious images and the compact interior helps make it look very light, despite the Dark wood finish to everything.

After a brief stop in the hotel I headed back out again to the edge of Vigeland Park and to the Oslo City Museum (Oslo Bymuseet)

The museum is well laid out and has some of the information translated into English. It deals with the history of Oslo/Christiania (as it was called from 1624 until 1925!) from the earliest settlements in around 1000 up to modern day Oslo.

Just enough time to quickly pop down to Aker Brygge to take a couple of photos of the fortress and town hall.

From there it was a short tram ride round to the historical museum for a look around.

The museum specialises in Norwegian history (naturally) and also has a collection of exhibits on Africa & South-East Asia.

Then it was back to the station to pick up my baggage & off to the airport.

After an uneventful flight we arrived in Riga ahead of time and went to look for a cab into town. A very helpful lady from the cab firm told us she could get a large cab for all 6 of us if we were willing to wait about 25 mins. As she also offered to come and find us when it arrived we took her up on the offer and went for a beer.

Even in the costly bar at the airport a half liter cost only £1.20!! In the end we only had to wait about 15 minutes for the cab so we did end up rushing the beer slightly.

The hotel was in the middle of the old town, just opposite the opera house and across a nice park from the Freedom Monument and the Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

After getting all our luggage sorted and the rooms occupied (including discovering the interesting toilet arrangements!) we wandered into the rest of the old town.

We had a walk though some of the old squares and past St Andrew's Church, past the 'House of the Blackheads' to the Townhall and the riverside. By this time we were all feeling slightly hungry so we decided to go for dinner in a Latvian Pizza Chain!

After a very filling and full (and cheap) meal we all headed back to the hotel for a short drink in the bar and then bed.

After a filling breakfast we headed out of the hotel into a biting wind and nasty gritty snow. Our destination for the morning was Darzini. First to the station to get tickets. At the equivalent of £3.60 I thought it was good value for a return, until I was told that was for all 6 of us and not each!

Darzini halt is identifiable by being the first one completely in the woods since leaving Riga. On this basis they feel that it's not important to offer such luxuries as station signs so with some trepidation in case we were alighting at the wrong stop we got off the train.

Located in the woods, about 1 mile from Darzini is a memorial. The memorial is located on the site of Salaspils concentration camp. Here, during the Nazi occupation over 10,000 people died and 10,000's more were kept until they could be dispatched to the death camps to the south in Poland. Today all that remains is an empty clearing and monuments and a strange feeling loss. When I visited Dachau it was on a warm autumn afternoon with lots of other people around. At Salaspils it was snowing heavily with biting winds and the only people around were the 6 of us. I think I came closer to starting to understanding the suffering that people went through, and that was with the benefit of a thick coat, and warm hat, gloves and scarf.

The site is well worth visiting, especially during the winter, to realise what people were put through, and not that long ago. Getting to the site should be easy, but the "good signage" that the guide book boasted has corroded and rotted in the weather and only empty frames now stand giving no information.

After visiting the site and coming back into Riga we stopped for a long lunch to warm up, before heading off into a clear late afternoon for a wander around the centre of Riga and down to the completely frozen river.

We walked alongside the river until we reached the castle, by which point most of the light was gone. We then walked back towards the hotel going past the Cathedral.

The morning was spent wandering around the city taking in the sights.

One of the must see sights of the city, according to the guide book, is St Peters Church where you can get the lift up to the top of the tower for stunning views. Unfortunately the lift is currently out of order (and at the time of visiting had been for nearly a year!)

The church itself is quite interesting with displays of artwork also dotted around the aisles.

The next stop, after a lot of wandering around looking at the outsides of lots of interesting buildings, was the Cathedral.

This is an impressive building with a massive space inside, which given the lack of light in February in Northern Europe and the dark stone used is still very light and airy.

After the Cathedral we finished off our walking tour with a spot of lunch before moving onto the Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

The building is spectacular both on the outside and the inside with almost every wall covered with icons and decorations and massive candle stands dotted liberally around the place.

The final stop for the afternoon was the TV tower. Located on an island in the middle of the river it dominated the landscape (in it's full red and yellow colouring!) You can get the express lift that goes up the curved legs to the viewing platforms at the top of the tower for stunning views over the whole of the city and off towards the Baltic. Made even more spectacular by the fact that a river, wider than the Thames, Main, Danube, Rhine or any other that I have see on my trips to Europe was totally frozen solid, just a few miles from the sea!

From the TV tower we walked back into town and to a well deserved big meal and drink.

The final day in Latvia and only one stop on the agenda. The Ethonographical museum, located just outside of Riga houses a collection of typical Latvian buildings - houses, churches, halls, etc that have been moved there from all around the country. It is very similar to the Folk museum in Oslo but covers a bigger area.

After spending several hours in the park we caught the bus back into Riga for a late lunch and a drink before collecting our bags and heading for the airport.

Due to the delay leaving Paddington & speed restrictions along the line we eventually arrived in Cardiff 7 minutes late.

I walked the short distance from the station to my hotel & checked-in, just in time to avoid the spectacular downpour that started as I stepped inside the hotel!

Once the rain had stopped (or so I thought) I left the hotel to have a wander around the city centre.

I wandered up to the castle, only to find that it's not floodlit at night. I carried on wandering and eventually found myself walking down to Cardiff bay just as the rain returned (accompanied by a strong, biting & rain lashing wind)

By the time I actually got to Cardiff Bay station I was soaked and decided to get the train back, unfortunately the next train wasn't for another 50 minutes, so I got the bus back to the city centre and then went back to the hotel to dry off.

After the rain of yesterday it was a relief to wake up to find Saturday was dry & bright. I walked from the hotel to Cardiff Queen Street station and an early train out to Caerphilly. About 10 minutes walk from the station is Caerphilly Castle. The castle is a little disappointing as it looks massive from the outside, but there is not much to see other than ruins once inside.

Despite that the site does have 2 exhibitions inside different towers. One tells the history of the site and the other the history of the inhabitation of Wales.

After leaving the castle I walked back to the station & caught the train back to Cardiff where I changed and caught another train out to Taffs Well.

From Taffs Well it's a 30 minute, uphill, walk to Castle Coch.

The castle was originally built by the Norman's but was abandoned in the 14th Century and remained ruins until it was restored & rebuilt. The outside is fairy-tale Norman castle, but inside it's all Victorian fantasy!

After spending some time looking around the castle I walked back to Taffs Well station to catch the train back to Cardiff. At Queen Street station I caught the train down to Cardiff Bay and the went for a wander around the newly rejuvenated dock areas that have been transformed from the once prosperous, the run-down & deprived docks into one of the most desirable areas to live in in the whole of Wales.

With a sudden & tremendous downpour striking I went into the Cardiff Bay visitors centre. The centre gives a background to the rejuvenation of the area along with a scale model of the whole area.

After the end of the rain I walked over to one of the old Victorian dock company buildings which now houses the Welsh Assembly education centre. The centre is well presented & gives a background to how devolved power operates in Wales.

From there I walked down to the waterside just in time to get on a boat tour of the bay including going alongside the barrage that helps to make the harbor. With the sun starting to set I caught the train back into the city centre & then back out to Caerphilly. I had a long wander around the outside of the castle which is as spectacular floodlit at night as it is during the day.

Then it was time to get the train back to Cardiff and dinner!