Before my memories of being in Madeira fade completely in the light of being back to a more regular routine (more on that in another post), I'll write my last set of recollections of my brief slice of island life. Hiking - 25 Fontes: We realised that we couldn't get to this walk by public… Continue reading Island Life – part 5
Tag: Travel
Island life – part 4 – sensory experiences
My time here on Madeira has been built around not just what I have seen, but also what I have experienced with my other four senses. Hearing The bells of the cathedral that start at 8am every morning and chime every quarter hour.The happy "honk honk" of the Porto Santo ferry when it arrives back… Continue reading Island life – part 4 – sensory experiences
Island Life – part 3 – the dreaming
If your holiday is going well, there is always a point where a little voice in your head says, "You could live here, you know." Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I could live here and I would stay in this nicely located, nicely equipped apartment in the city centre, with bars and restaurants… Continue reading Island Life – part 3 – the dreaming
Island life – part 1
One week into our Madeirense holiday and some observations: The Madeiran geography is part cake, part Swiss cheese. Let me explain further. If you imagine a cake where someone has cut random slices around it, that is what the coastline of Madeira is like. Only instead of someone, it's nature in the form of rain,… Continue reading Island life – part 1
Travel in a time of Covid-19
We read all the instructions several times to make sure we'd covered everything. Vaccination proof? CheckMadeirasafe website information completed? Check Airline check-in done? (although with much cursing at the airline's rubbish website on my part) Check (Although the airline website generates a document that declares "This is not a boarding pass. Please check in at… Continue reading Travel in a time of Covid-19
The last week of… something (28.2021)
This was the last week of Covid restrictions in England. Or most restrictions at least. From Monday 19th (referred to by the stupid as "Freedom Day") nightclubs and sports stadia and concert venues can open at full capacity; scanning a barcode for track-and-trace is no longer required; social distancing and one-way systems are no longer… Continue reading The last week of… something (28.2021)
Travel A to Z – L
Luxor, Egypt: In the grand history of my travel, one place stands out as the champion city of hassle, and that is Luxor. From the moment we got off the bus it started. There was a man ready and waiting to tell us out hotel was closed, that we should come to his hotel instead.… Continue reading Travel A to Z – L
Travel A to Z – E
Travel is off the cards for now, so it's a good time to sit back and reflect on places I've visited in the past, and places I want to visit in the future. While physical travel is limited, travel in the mind is still very much possible. Etosha National Park, Namibia: This was Husband-then-Boyfriend and… Continue reading Travel A to Z – E
Travel A to Z – D
We're locked down until at least some time in April. Can't go anywhere. Can't see anyone. The only place to travel is in your mind, down memory lane. This month I'm reflecting on travel stories from places I've been and thinking about that ever-growing list of places I want to go. Dublin, Ireland: It was… Continue reading Travel A to Z – D
Travel A to Z – C
While lockdown continues, while Covid-19 is still spreading, and in this time where we cannot go away anywhere, travel (if you're not an essential worker) means walking those same streets that surround your house; those same streets you've probably already walked many times already. I'm taking some time month to reflect on trips of the… Continue reading Travel A to Z – C
Tales from Tobhamhor 