Author Archives: Frances Murray

Walking with Dinosaurs

18th July, 2014 | Article By Frances Murray

AttractionsFunGood ValueMuseums

A must see when visiting London.  I have been here countless times and always get a real buzz out of the vast array of natural history that is on display and all for free.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year, runs from October to March, there is an admission fee, but I thoroughly enjoy this exhibition.

You can definitely lose yourself for hours in this museum, reading the encyclopaedic information accompanying the exhibits will leave you far more knowledgeable than whence you arrived, I usually come away feeling a whole lot smarter than before I entered this fascinating world.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex (love this bit) is the giant among Dinosaurs and the Natural History Museum is a giant among museums, in my opinion, the biggest and best in the world!

Holguin or Havana. You can’t do both or can you?

| Article By Frances Murray

ActivitiesEntertainmentHolidaysHotelsResorts

Wow Cuba!  This was certainly a memorable vacation.  Let’s see, taking a speed boat through the everglades, stopping to eat fresh fruit and then racing the tour guide – one exhilarating excursion!  A taxi ride to the local village and browsing through the market, unveiled two face masks carved from the wood of Mahagua – an erect forest tree native to Cuba and Jamaica – couldn’t resist those, which I fondly glance at on my wall back at home.

The Hotel Playa Pesquero provided great evening entertainment, plenty of dancing – only to be expected in the home of Cuban Son; good food (nice fish restaurant on the beach); 24/7 ice cream parlour.  A water shortage crisis did cause a few problems, although I think we were in the best spot, as holidaymakers from neighbouring resorts had to be accommodated, but I was glad we went with Thomas Cooke because they were quick to respond and compensate us for the inconvenience and disruption upon our return.

A great time in Holguin, didn’t realise how big Cuba was though, we were hoping to take in Havana and see the famous old cars, but we ended up at the opposite end of this large island with a two hour plane journey between us and the capital.  I didn’t think the main resort of Varadero would be our cup of tea, as it is one of the biggest resort areas in the Caribbean and looked too busy for us.  Sometimes you just can’t do everything in one visit, what a good excuse to plan the next one, Havana here we come!

Puy-de-Dôme. Tourist Hot Spot? It was down right freezing!

| Article By Frances Murray

CampingHolidaysLandmarksSceneryWeather

That is to say, in the department Puy-de-Dôme, as opposed to camping in the famous dormant volcano, the Puy de Dôme.

Who would have thought that the heavens would open and torrential rain would plague our camping trip to this region in the centre of France – in August!  But then we often look back on our camping disasters with such misguided fondness don’t we, as they remain the most prominent in our rose-tinted memories.

We are not the most seasoned of campers and I totally blame my husband for the hours that it took for us to put up our tent, when all around simply “popped” theirs up, without any fuss.  He had to get the bargain, reduced by 70% or something too good to pass up, and guess why, because it was the most enormous, frustratingly complicated, annoying load of tatty old canvas that you could possibly have to deal with.

Our ordeal of erecting our home for the night, lasted well into the night, with everyone else having a good laugh at our expense.  To make matters worse the campsite flooded and all our efforts were wasted in a vain attempt to keep our belongings dry.  I did eventually forgive him, when he finally admitted that it wasn’t his best buy.

The weather did improve long enough for us to visit the volcano, which was the main reason for us deciding to cut across the central belt from Lake Annecy to the Charente.  We took the little rack railway, rather than make the climb on foot and it was a fascinating experience, not too many opportunities out there to get right inside the bowl of a volcano.  Only wished that for such a Tourist Hot Spot it hadn’t been so damned cold!

Where’s My Lemon?

| Article By Frances Murray

Food and DrinkRestaurants

I had a lighthearted debate with the ‘man in charge’ at Browns in Cambridge the other day, when I was presented with a smoked salmon starter and NO LEMON to accompany it.  I was even more surprised when I enquired as to why there was no lemon, by the reply from the jovial maitre d, “The Chef doesn’t believe in serving lemon with fish, that’s his policy”.  He agreed with me and the two others in my party who also ordered the salmon, of course you should have lemon with fish, especially smoked salmon.

The situation was quickly rectified when a waiter was summoned and promptly delivered a dish of lemon wedges.  I’m sure the Chef was none to pleased but after all, the customer is always right.

Happily you managed to redeem yourself Browns, as I do like your Burger and the presentation of the condiments – gherkins, mayo, mustard – very appealing and delicious.

Some things go hand in hand: Strawberries and Cream, Bacon and Eggs, Steak and Chips and LEMON WITH FISH… and it’s positively outrageous to suggest otherwise!

 

Wild at Woburn

| Article By Frances Murray

AnimalsAttractionsFamily DaysHistoric BldgsParks-Gardens


What a fabulous family outing.  Combine the antics of the animals in the Safari Park with a visit to the aristocratic and imposing Woburn Abbey and Gardens and you get a perfect mix of fun for the family and cultural exuberance for the grown ups.

This was one of our better impromptu days out and we probably could have made more of it, if we had arrived a little earlier.  That said, the giraffes were jumping for joy when we arrived and merrily cantered alongside our vehicle, escorting us along the route – we thought we were in a scene from Jurassic Park – an enchanting moment!  The monkeys also lived up to our expectations, cheeky little chappies, who liked to chase each other across the procession of vehicle rooftops and all for our entertainment, of course.

The buzz of the wild was exhilarating yet exhausting, so we retired to the Abbey for a delicious cup of tea, it really was a quality cuppa, and thoroughly appreciated along with the lemon drizzle cake.

The ‘House’ was surprisingly homely inside compared to its palatial exterior. There were lots of personal items on display, I was most interested in the horse racing and flying connections that prominently featured throughout the rooms because these are interests that I share with the Earls and Dukes of Bedford – although I sadly don’t share the title of being one of England’s most powerful families since 1620.

And the entertainment goes on… even though the grounds are not the most elaborate that I have visited over the years, there are some lovely specimens trees, novel garden sculptures and a very serene deer park providing a perfect setting to this beautiful Country Estate.

Last but not least, an unexpected antiques extravaganza was waiting for us in the courtyard buildings to the rear of the house, where a traditional London street had been created for the sale of antiquities (I think this may have closed and no longer is part of the Woburn experience).

Only a handful of these very special and noteworthy Estates remain and I feel quite privileged to have visited a place of such importance.  This day will live long in my memory and one to be treasured.

Zoo La La!

| Article By Frances Murray

AnimalsAttractionsHistoric BldgsParks-Gardens

We had a lovely time at Château de la Barben, reputed to be the most beautiful castle in Provence.  It is perched on rocks, all turrets and towers, a proper castle, surrounded by greenery and cool waters.

There was an event going on when we visited, that went over our heads slightly, not being familiar with french customs, however, they did go to a lot of effort with games and displays and everyone seemed to get involved.

Close by even more to discover.  A 33 hectare park enclosing the Parc Zoologique  (the largest zoo in south-east France).  We took our time to walk round (about 4 hours) we weren’t in a hurry as it was hot in the Provence sun and we stopped in the shady picnic areas distributed around the Parc quite a few times.

The animals appeared to live in semi-freedom and looked contented.  You may not see anything particularly rare and there aren’t lots of glass-fronted enclosures for you to peer through at sad-faced gorillas and circling sharks, more like a petting zoo where the giraffes nonchalantly bowed their heads over the low fencing, munching hay.  The surroundings were befitting of the many exotic species, bearing a resemblance to the plains of Africa.

You couldn’t pack more into a day – well worth a detour.

The Best Two Things

3rd July, 2014 | Article By Frances Murray

Food and DrinkGood ValueHotelsRelaxingViews

The best two things about the Imperial Hotel, Torquay were the scrumptious sausages and the panoramic view from the Dining Room.  I stayed here on a 5 day, all inclusive package in August and thought that it really was good value for money.  I was quite impressed with the food, well presented and all rather tasty, especially the sausages which I would like to think were locally produced, although I didn’t ask, because they really were yummy!

A slightly old-fashioned four-star hotel, but still retaining a regal elegance from the Victorian era, it had a fantastic cliff-top location and the view across the bay was outstanding.  I couldn’t wait for the evening meal, it was so beautiful and a lovely atmosphere to dine in.

Just a short walk into town and right in the middle of the English Riviera, it couldn’t have been better situated for exploring the Devon coastline and perhaps a little too comfortably lovely, as I couldn’t wait to get back and soak up the ambiance after a long day sightseeing.