Home in Time for Tea

      Road Trips in Europe (For my   actual road trips across various parts of Europe, and photos, see the road trips and links at the end of this page) There’s just something about waking up in a totally different place every morning, and heading where the wind takes you... Road trips and car hire are a fantastic way to get about in Europe and see a variety of diverse places in a modest amount of time. Whether you’re hoping to experience a taster of different countries, see different sights, or eat different foods, planning a road trip is the best way to enjoy a range of experiences. It is the best way to do what you want, when you want. The general main points which are important to remember when planning or going on a road trip are as follows: -           Cities are fun to visit but save the proper city break for just that – a city break. The traffic can be stressful and it can ...

Winter Wonderland Road Trip! Icehotel  Starry Skies  Deep Powdery Snow   Subtle and Ever-Changing Hues of the Polar Night   Stunning Mountains Frozen Fjords  Huskies Snowmobiles   Northern Lights New Year Icebar Celebrations   Moose   Glowing Decorations in Every Window  Gentle Ski Slopes   All Day Sunsets Reindeer Sledging frozen lakes snow covered forests... Northern Norway and Sweden. From the stunning Norwegian fjords to the original and biggest Icehotel near Swedish mining town Kiruna, Arctic pleasures await, on a road trip spanning 400 miles of frozen beautiful wilderness... Over a period of just 7 days, our 'itinerary' included all of the above and more. After the set of photos is a brief idea of where we flew from/to, where we stayed, and what you can do in each fantastic winter destination.  Snowmobiling Trip Coffee Around a Campfire Feeding the Feisty Reindeer! Skiing at Malsel...

Icehotel For New Year! Feel The Winter Magic... It was a quarter to midnight when we arrived in the tiny village of Jukkasjarvi after a small journey by car from the arctic town of Kiruna - one of Sweden's northernmost towns. The air was piercingly freezing, and we were wrapped up against the bite of the freshest of fresh air. The four of us walked over the road towards the fantastic Icehotel just in time to bring in the new year in a few minutes' time. Large outdoor candles lined the snowy ground and flickered in the frozen air, leading the way down to the glowing blue igloo-shaped arches of the Icehotel's magnificent entrance. We made our way by candlelight to the back of this unbelievable building, to the  expanse of the all-important Torne River and the huge lake which they cut the ice from, for next year's hotel.  After a quirky little performance involving a tractor/digger a...

A Big Stunning Country Cottage in Herefordshire, A Christmas Roast, and a Group of Friends! This weekend a group of us all kicked back and relaxed at 'The Granary' - an eight-sleeper cottage in the tiny village of Yarpole, in Herefordshire. I guess 'rural' aptly describes the setting - there is no mobile phone signal for starters (except on certain networks in certain random spots outside). This adds a refreshing simplicity to the the 'weekend getaway,' and in a group of 8, if you can't enjoy  each others' company then you're screwed anyway! The cottage had an 8-berth hot-tub, a huge games room with a pool table and a wood-burner (shared with the other cottage if occupied), and a wonderfully large kitchen and living area. On the Saturday we all cooked a Christmas roast and sat around the huge table to eat and play silly games! The owner of the cottage supplies fresh, quality produce, and The Bell Inn pub in the village has excellent home...

      Going to a Concert at the O2? Why not make a day of it and add some sightseeing, shopping and possibly a 4/5 star  hotel... After a day shopping at the enormous new Westfield shopping centre in Stratford City (East London), and a trip on the cable car across the Thames to the Greenwich peninsula where the O2 is located, I was inspired by the possibility of combining these activities with a concert at the O2. (At this point I'm angling for a trip to see Maroon 5 but it depends how much money I can not spend this month)... It seems like the perfect day out in the City. Especially if you add in a night's stay at the beautiful and modern 4/5 star Grange City Hotel (beside Tower Gateway DLR station). Shopping in East London - Westfield at Stratford The Stratford Westfield is simply enormous, I can't explain it any simpler than that! The M&S is amazing, the biggest one I've seen. There was so much...

  Winter Holidays - Escape Winter or Embrace it? So you want to get away for the winter - or do you want to get away from the winter??? Although winter can be a dark, depressing time when all you want to do is hibernate, or pack your bags and get away from it, have you ever considered celebrating it? No - I mean a real winter. Not the rain, and certainly not the damp... Winter Holidays in Scandinavia, Scotland, and The Alps Stare up in awe at the Northern Lights, ski in fresh powder, experience the Polar Night and Northern Lights, see the skies littered with the brightest of stars, slide through the Nordic forest on a wooden dogsled, swim in the blue lagoon with thick snowflakes cascading all around you, visit or stay in an exquisite hotel made entirely of ice... (For Northern Lights info, visit my page on How to find the Northern Lights ) Winter Holidays in Northern Sweden and Norway In Northern Sweden and Norway the atmo...