Gulets, Delays and Markets in Turkey.

I was contemplating a few days in Turkey going solo. I did some research and watched a few videos and was feeling a little anxious. I think it was purely because I haven't been abroad since covid and Turkey was an unexplored country for me.

Completely out of the blue a friend of mine said he was going on a gullet for three weeks and there was a free cabin. I couldn't afford three weeks but decided a week was feasible. I sent my deposit and booked some flights. Luckily for me I decided to book a few extra days in Fethiye as I wanted to go to the famous Tuesday bazaar.

The day arrived a doomed 28th August. At the check in desk for some unknown reason I decided to upgrade to Club Europe on my BA flight. It was my treat for working non stop all year. I breezed through security and passport control. I breezed into the Club Lounge where I was advised the flight was 20 minutes delayed. "No matter" I thought to myself as I helped myself to some pink fizz and buffet salad. I started to worry when my flight was showing gate information for the next morning.

The ladies sitting next to me were supposed to be going to Palma and their flight was cancelled. They were busy phoning easy jet to rebook while knocking back a bottle of free bubbly. Eventually, the notice said "go to gate 13" which meant that my flight was cancelled and I had to retrieve my luggage. I thought to myself I might as well have tea and scones before I leave as it would be chaos in the terminal.

The queue was horrendous. There were hundreds of people lining up to speak to about 2 BA staff. We all received the same email to say flights were cancelled an BA were rebooking. I wasn't sure what to do. I sat on the floor and by some miracle I got through to BA on the phone and they rebooked me for 2 days later!

I went home. I felt like an imposter in my own home as everything had been switched off. The fridge was empty. I sat in disbelief.  For some unknown reason I launched myself into cleaning mode, found some tinned soup and lamented the loss of my days on the boat.

On the 30th August I had everything crossed and arrived at Dalaman airport. I was whisked off by a taxi driver and another guy got in the back of the car. I was a little anxious. "I am being dropped off at my car, how many times have you been to Turkey?" He said. "First time for me" I replied. We dropped him off at his car then it was me and the driver who was driving like a nutter. He then explained that he was trying to get the last ferry across a river that was a big short cut. We made it! We were the last of 4 cars squashed on the ferry which then proceeded to turn full circle in the middle of the river and then we reversed off the ferry. It was midnight and pitch dark. The taxi driver was all over the road and I realised he was trying not to fall asleep! I thought I was going to die as he almost knocked over a lady crossing the road."She is walking too slowly" he said casually.

I arrived and was ushered into my cabin while being handed a bottle of water by the crew.

I woke up to this! The beautiful turquoise sea my favourite colour! It was hot and boat was bigger than I imagined. With 6 Turks and 9 Brits everyone seemed friendly enough. 

The boating life was great. There is a whole structure of trading going on. The first little boat to arrive at our gullet was a lady selling bags, towels and beachwear. I was just getting my bearings and working out the money. I decided not to impulse buy as I am bad at frittering money sometimes. The lady in the small boat was clutching on to our huge boat as the waves lapped around her. Eventually, realising that she wasn't going to make a sale because everyone was too busy swimming or snorkelling she sped off looking very fed up.

The next visitor had better luck! The ice cream boat. I guess Walls sponsor the boats as they have their sign on the side of the little dingy. I eagerly bought an ice cream along with other passengers.

The ice cream was a welcome relief from the Turkish heat. A few days later we spotted the supermarket boats in the bay. A boat from Carrefour and one from Migros. We brits really wanted to go to the boat supermarket but it seemed like the Turks had all the luck as they whizzed off in t he dingy only to return with a huge watermelon which they shared with us during dinner.

We had fun at dinner with the Turkish sometimes amusing  us with  song and dance and then we followed with  songs from the shows. We blasted out Oklahoma and songs from les Miserables.

Every day we moored in a bay and swam, snorkelled or paddled around in the kayaks. One day we were lucky enough to spot a Turtle which  was exciting.

My cabin was nicer than I thought as I had a twin room there was a bit more space than the cramped singles one sometimes gets when travelling solo. The bathroom was good as well. My friend pointed out that the toilet double up as a bidet but I didn't venture to use it! At night the cabin was boiling. A lot of people slept on deck and so after a few nights of "hot sweats" I grabbed my pillow and ventured forth. The Captain  said to sleep under the canopy to avoid the dew.

The food was great and plenty of it. If you want drinks then there was an extra cost. I opted for the soft drinks option as I didn't feel I would drink enough alcohol to warrant the high prices. Especially as I missed  2 days with the cancelled flight. 

The four days went all too quickly and we arrived in Fethiye where I had to disembark. We stayed the night there and I managed to get off and look around the streets and the shops and grab an iced coffee.

All in all it was a good experience. Perhaps I would just say September might be a better option than August as it was so hot. Unless you like the heat of course!

MIRADOR TELEVISION ARE IN THE STABLES THEATRE HASTINGS. DISCUSSING MACBE...

Jayne Watkins in St Mary in the Castle for the rehearsal of Bloom Britan...

Benidorm

I completely understand why the Brits search for Winter Sun.. especially as I am sitting writing this in a freezing cold room in January. This year the Autumn didn't bring an Indian Summer more of an Indian Monsoon. It rained and rained through September and October so by November I was ready for a short break and some Winter Sun.

I saw an advert for cheap flights to Alicante with Norweigan Air..Within minutes my seats were booked with hand luggage only. As the departure date loomed closer I thought to myself.."hand luggage will not be sufficient space for a trip to Benidorm". I went online and booked an extra suitcase. Already, my cheap three night break was not looking so cheap!. Of course, to friends and family I was taking baby clothes for my niece who had recently had a baby..In reality of course I was planning to head straight to the market and the shops in Benidorm Old Town.

I picked the perfect Hotel just round the corner from the market and also in a good spot for the bus to the Old Town and the Tram Station. I remember years ago travelling on the lovely Limon Express which chugged from Alicante to Denia and Altea. Not so now the train has been replaced by the tram..All very modern and when I think back to the terrifying times that the train would break down and we would be stuck on it for hours while help arrived it is probably a relief!.

I had a great hotel room with a balcony and view of the Town. As a solo traveller I enjoyed the great big bedroom with ensuite bathroom and not the normal pokey single room that solo travellers often have to endure. I would recommend the Melia Alicante with its Old Spanish charm, pools, spa and the helpful staff.

I went to bed early as I wanted to get up for breakfast and head to the market. I was woken at around 2am. by some drunk Brits trying to get into a room. They were shouting to "John" to let them in. This went on for some time and eventually I opened the door as asked them to go to reception for help as I was trying to sleep. For a while there was silence and then the door banging started again. I looked at my clock and it was 2.30am. I called reception who said they would send up security staff. Eventually, there was silence but I didn't get quite the calm night I was expecting.

Anyway, the next day I had my breakfast ... all 6 courses and walked to the market. The temperature was about 20 degrees and the sun was shining. Immediately, I felt great. I walked down every aisle in the market, stopped twice for a cafe con leche and a final ensaladilla and then walked home laden with bags full of shoes, nuts, chocolate and even a mantilla!

I love the way the menu caters for the Brits as well as Spanish and French. However, I was a little surprised that it wasn't in Dutch as there are quite a few cycling around Benidorm.

In Benidorm the British are all you imagine them to be. All walking around in flip flops, wearing shorts and T shirts even in November. The Winter sun still attracts them. One evening I strolled back from the Old Town along the sea front. I had to smile to myself as I observed the Spanish walking on the paseo in their winter coats and scarves and many sitting at a cafe eating churros with hot chocolate. The British on the other hand were still dressed in shorts and T shirts drinking pints of ale etc. There were several groups of Stags and Hens celebrating. It was as though the Spanish and English were travelling down parallel railway lines never actually meeting or having anything much to do with each other.

Benidorm is full of bars and I found myself wandering into one as they were advertising an hypnotic show. I was sceptical but ended up being pretty surprised when the Presenter asked me to lock my hands together. I honestly could not get them apart nor could the lady sitting next to me! We had to wait for a tap on the head to be released!.

I also had a salsa lesson which was amazing, energetic and exhausting!

During my time there the locals were preparing for Fiestas. The Spanish certainly know how to put on a show as you can see from the photo of the complicated structures.

Benidorm certainly  is the concrete jungle which grew up in the 1960's with the launch of the first charter flights from Companies such as Courtline and Cosmos.

However, I did notice from my hotel Balcony a gaggle of small houses and wondered if they are the start of an emerging new Benidorm.

There certainly is something for everyone. I took the tram into Alicante City. A city well worth a visit with the beach, the shops and the Central Market still open selling all kinds of fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. Outside the Market are beautiful flower stalls which is a feast to the eyes. In fact the Tram travels along the coast to Denia and Altea Hills..

Although some people regard Benidorm as the place to drive through without stopping. I would suggest that you do stop for some Winter Sun and sit in a beach front bar and watch the sunset. Certainly, in November the Town is fairly quiet and easy to get around as the buses run frequently. Also, there are cheap transfers from companies such as Benibus for about 5 euros each way.

I will certainly be visiting again.

Hasta la pronto..

The Travelling English Teacher - A week in Italy

Having spent 4 weeks teaching English in Scotland this year I decided to have a go at working somewhere other than blighty. I got a job for 1 week in Italy in September. How surprised was I to discover that although all the other 9 Teachers were English (and one Canadian) I was the only Brit who travelled for a week's job from the UK. Three Teachers lived in Barcelona, one in Istanbul, two in Poland, one in Cyprus and one from Canada and heading to Kasakhstan. I felt that they all had glamorous lives working here and working there.

The first thing the DOS said to me was "have you got some chalk there are only blackboards in this school.?" I muttered under my breath "chalk..blackboards!" Actually, I quite enjoyed the old fashioned way apart from getting covered in chalk dust every day and forgetting the speed at which a stick of chalk reduces to dust. Not to mention the other teachers rushing in my class evey few hours saying "chalk chalk I have run out!". I was clever though and kept a little box in my bag and so was the "organised" Teacher.

I had to stay with a host family and at the grand old age of 60 seemed like a daunting task. I was picked up at Bassano and the family asked if I liked Pizza..Of course everyone likes pizza. When we arrived at the house the husband whizzed off somewhere and returned with 2 enormous boxes and we tucked in.

The arrangements with the Company are that the Teachers stay with a family who have a student studying on the English Course. In my house the son was quite nervous when I arrived about the prospect of speaking English . However, at 15 he did very well and for the whole week became chief translator along with my basic Italian, google translate and worksheets from my Italian class we muddled through. We had a music night one night as the son loved to sing (and so do I ) so we blasted out some Bocelli, Adele, Allelullia and some Eros Ramazotti at the top of our voices while the mother videoed us! I hope we don't appear on You Tube.
I wasn't expecting to be living a bus journey and walk away from the centre of Bassano, the School and the Town. At 7a.m the host mother took me and her son to the bus stop and we travelled to Town. At 60 I have have to say it seemed rather strange going to school with a 15 year old..I felt like I was back at school myself. Anyway, the son was very polite and escorted me thorough the winding streets to school.
One of the other downsides about living out of Town was that it was difficult to socialise with the other Teachers. Most of them were picked up by their hosts at 5pm. Some lived even further out than I did. As a result there was no time for a night out to enjoy some Italian cuisine. Having said that, for me the return journey was a little arduous. I had to walk 2 kms on a main road in the heat with a bag of books. Although, there were lost of pretty houses and flowers to see along the way. Thank goodness for Google maps!. On the first day our neighbour came out to look for me and I was so happy to see him.!

I decided to go home with the son on Wednesday at 2pm so that I could get a lift back to the house. It was baking hot and I decided to go to the local swimming lido. I went with the 2 kids from my host family and we had a good time on the water slides and eating ice cream. How sad am I but the thing that interested me the most (so I had to take a photo) was the fact that in the ladies changing room the dryers were at different levels to accommodate people at all heights! How cool is that ..in my local pool there is one hairdryer that the button has to be held down all the time otherwise it cuts off (safety reasons I guess) or, it doesn't work at all!

Our neighbours in San Zenone had emigrated to Australia in the 1960's and although they have a successful business in Australia there was such a feeling of sadness with them because they loved where they lived at the foothills of the Dolomiti. The wife showed me a black and white photo of her with friends with huge bunches of daffodils that they used to pick from the forest. I felt compelled to take this photo of the statue in San Zenone of the couple travelling as it is symbolic of their time but also of the lives of many today.

Bassano del Grappa is situated an hour North of Venice at the foothills of the Dolimites a pretty little Town and well worth a visit. Famous for its Bridge and of course Grappa.

I loved the old fashioned shops selling all kinds of tea or cakes and bread.

Bassano itself had several squares where you can drink a coffee, relax and watch the world go by.

There is also a weekly market on Thursday and Saturday. As with most of Italy there are plenty of churches and religious statues.

Every day in the Staff room the Teachers discussed what they had done the night before. There were many mixed stories.... one lived in a house with a pool so managed to swim. Another lived in a house with an amazing vegetable garden and ate local produce. One had very little food which we were surprised at considering we were in Italy. As for me, I had a good week apart from arriving home with several mosquito bites my host family were fun and accommodating. I had loads of food, learnt a little Italian and laughed a lot!

Well worth the experience and I look forward to going again in 2020..


Ciao

British People Picking British Grapes in East Sussex

I found myself with a few free days and decided to get a job grape-picking. I don't think I was so surprised when I turned up at the Vineyard to find a bunch of British people ready to work. There was not a "foreigner" in sight. The furthest anyone had travelled to work was Bournemouth! I had seen on the news that many people from Poland, Romania and Bulgaria are now choosing to stay in their own country to work. In fact on the news one lady in Romania said "let the British pick their own fruit". So, in true British fashion the British have risen to to the challenge and armed with secateurs, wellies and gloves are ready to pick.

I have spent some time in East Sussex and the weather has been glorious. There have been a few wet days but all in all it has been sunny and warm with temperatures often up in the 20's (degrees). I spent  a few weeks with a mix of people from Uni students, Gap students, Retired people, some who have been made redundant and some like myself in between jobs.

Usually, you are provided with secateurs but make sure you wear gloves as it is easy to snip the odd finger. This happens a lot and hopefully there are some plasters around.. Take some anyway. 

I must say there have been some edge-y moments with the pickers as arguements seem to flare up over what appears to be nothing. Many people are sacked or some simply do not return as they feel the job is not for them. This can lead to a sense of nervousness. The next moment there is complete harmony and the picking continues. I have now resorted to taking headphone and listen to music and completely zone out from the vibes around me.

Payment can be varied as some vineyards pay with wine only, some with cash and wine if you complete a full week and some simply with BACS payments.

In two weeks we picked 40 tonnes of grapes and the owners said it has been the best harvest for years.

I have a mixed opinion about British wine. I know with my friends some years back we used to make jokes about it. Often about drinking a good old fashioned English perry or wine!. In fact, now the vineyards in Sussex are producing very good Sparkling wines especially rose. Although, some are priced at £20 + a bottle so make sure you enjoy it! You can visit most of the Estates and try some for yourself as most vineyards offer Tours, wine tasting and lunch.

There is a great feeling on Friday as it is pay day and the day to pick up the wine samples which I must say are usually drunk over the weekend! The weekend doesn't seem long enough as the wellies and clothes have to be washed ready for Monday for the 8.a.m start..

Anyway, it is a great way to spend some time outside in the Autumn! Happy Harvesting..

Thanks to David for filming and the use of his hands for photography!

St. Andrews, Scotland

It appears that St Andrews, Scotland can be split into three parts.....Golf, University and the Locals.

My previous blog talked about being a Travel Representative in order to travel to places that I wouldn't normally go. I carried on this theme and got a job at the Pro/Celebrity Golf in St Andrews during October 2017.

The Pro/Celebrity Tournament is the last of the year. I was advised by the Agency (wrongly) that I would work on one of the courses in a hut where the golfers stop and get bacon sarnies, curry, coffee or tea. I was excited because finally there would be a chance to meet the likes of Ronan Keating or Peter Jones. I might get a selfie or two.

I booked my flight, arranged to stay with a friend in Edinburgh, packed my case and off I went. I didn't quite realise that the journey from Edinburgh to St Andews was two hours each way! Anyway, with four of us in the car and one partially sighted driver it was bound to be an Adventure! There were plenty of wrong turnings, sharp brakings and whiplash as the driver constantly applied pressure to the brakes for no apparent reason.

In St Andrews we were told that we not going to be on one of the three golf courses but working in the Media Tent. We all groaned. However, in a way it was for the better as the Scottish weather started to take hold. It rained, it was windy, it was sunny. We were glad to be in the cozy marquee serving lunch.

In fact we met some interesting people and managed to get an autograph from Sam Torrance.

Scores on the Board @ Pro/Celeb Golf

The hightlight for me was not who won the Golf but the Fireworks.. they were amazing! The fireworks were placed across the Golf course and were mostly gold. They shot into the sky accompanied by Scottish music....lovely...

I spoke to one of the locals who said his job was to promote the golf and the Fireworks to the students as they do not come and watch but prefer to stay in studying..

And, oh yes the students...St Andrews is also famous for its University. The place where Prince William met Kate Middleton...

Photo of Cafe..to prove it..

I hooked up with a Uni student for the last night of the Golf Tournament and he kindly gave me a tour of St Andrews. He showed me the Philosophy school with the Symmetrical building intentionally built to represent the two sides of the philosophy debate.

The students don their gowns on Sundays and walk to the harbour arm to remember the man who saved a person in distress at sea..

The students comically say that the locals live in the "badlands"..I suppose it is somewhere the students never venture to as they are too busy socialising or studying in their own academic bubble...

Well, I got pretty fed up with the bumpy ride to and fro Edinburgh. I decided to stay the night in St Andrews so I could see my friend and enjoy the fireworks. I was given the contact details for a Farm nearby and hopped into a taxi. Anne was a very accommodating Bnb'r...she told me she had a Pony out in the field along with a donkey. I had a donkey when I was a child and I reverted to the 7 year old in me and said "can I feed your donkey before I leave?" Anne dutifully handed me some pony nuts and I fed said donkey....

I arranged to meet the car driver at the end of the lane as I did not think he would find the farm. Anne very kindly drove me to the end of the lane. Needless to say he had driven past the spot and was parked some way off. Luckily for me Anne said she would drive me to the car otherwise I would be late for work!

We could not be at a Golf tournament without a Golf Ball Challenge (from me of course!)..I was joking really because we did not go near the golf courses. However, on the last day we placed ourselves at the 18th hole to see the winning putt. There was a charity mini golf and I asked the man if we could have a golf ball in exchange for a donation..."yes" he said...So yay! we came home with a golf ball each without even stepping onto the courses.

The Winning putt...

And, to cap it all...a few autographs were collected...Happy Days....