The world as frankps sees it!
Posts tagged Holidays
Val Thorens
0For the first time I have traveled to the Alps on a skiing holiday. The last week I have been on a Langley package tour to Val Thorens with friends. Some of us have travelled together before, obviously my sister and me, but also Geir and Sigrid (Biarritz and Bayonne), and Steinar (Budapest and Balaton). But it was the first time that I was to travel with Espen (my sister’s boyfriend), Angelica (Steinar’s girlfriend), Trude and Marius. Geir and Marius were traveling on their own, and arrived later then us (and continued their travel to Chamonix).
This was also the first time that I have traveled on a package tour. I have never even been on such a trip to Canary Islands, as so many Norwegians have. And to be honest, I found it a bit to chaotic! Please bare with me as I get out all my frustration as I think you will enjoy the last part of this summary.
Go and fetch a cup of coffee before you continue to read …
Some beautiful days in Mindszent
0
After the extreme heat we have gotten some beautiful days, with in between 30-35 degrees. I know, I know, normally I would have complained a lot, but after a week with temperatures above 40 degrees, this feels quite nice.
I have more or less spent every afternoon of my holidays on the beautiful, renewed beach in Mindszent. During the worst heat, more then a 1.000 people found their way here, but after the temperature went down again to acceptable, there have been in between 50-100 people.
In the evenings, I enjoyed a limonade or a beer at one of the two pubs down at the beach. I get about ten beers for the price of one in Oslo, so I cannot complain. Not that I drank that many … And of course, I don’t miss Ringnes.
Wanted to stay for one night, stayed for four…
0This Easter I travelled with Ithamar Adema, to Ireland. I, as so often before, travelled with Ryanair. Ithamar flew with Air France through Paris. As we both live and work in the capitals of the countries we live in, we didn’t want to spend to much time in Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath) during Easter, as we expected it to be crowded with tourists. We therefor decided to only stay there the first and last night. If you expected to read about our trip to the Guinness Storehouse, you are terrible mistaken! Don’t get me wrong, I love Guinness, but there are plenty of other good stouts and lagers brewed in Ireland.
The first night we slept at The Harcourt Hotel. An affordable and nice hotel next to the beautiful St. Stephen’s Green in the centre of Dublin. The following morning we walked down to the central bus station in Dublin. We had decided that destiny would decide if we were to go to the south or to the west! We had not been able to decide ourselves … . Well, to make it short, the bus to Cork was to leave in 5 minutes and the first bus to Limerick in 1,5 hours. So the trip went to Cork, and then to Kinsale, where we were to stay the second night in Ireland before moving on.
Cork (Corcaigh)
The bus trip to Cork took 4,5 hours through beautiful landscapes and was quite so affordable, 21 euros for the two of us one way.
We walked down one of the main shopping streets and found the small, excellent restaurant Nash 19, where we ate a great tasting vegetarian tart. I’ve learned that owner Claire Nash had chosen to only use regional products, and that a myriad of local suppliers delivered on a daily basis and that fish, meat and poultry were supplied by the English Market near by. We should have also gone for one of the delicious homemade desserts such as rhubarb and blackberry crumble!
After having eaten, we visited St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral. Willliam Burges was appointed as architect for the cathedral in 1862, after having competed with 62 other. Among the requirements of the competition was that the cost of the building should not exceed £15,000 and Burges was criticised by other architects because the cost of the towers, spires and carving was not included in his estimate. In the end some £100,000 was spent on the building. In 1865 the foundation stone was laid by Bishop John Gregg and on St. Andrew’s Day,1870, the building was consecrated. The towers and spires were not completed until 1879. The cathedral is built of Cork limestone and the interior of Bath stone and the walls are lined with red Cork marble. The cathedral is in a neo-gothic style. Entrance costed 3 euros per person.
After the small roundabout in Cork, we headed back to the central bus station and took bus no. 249 down to Kinsale.
Kinsale (Cionn tSáile)
If you don’t come with a car, then the only way to get to Kinsale is with bus. The bus trip is about 27 kms (17 miles) and costs 6 euros.
Kinsale, County Cork, is a popular tourist destination offering an excellent range of bed and breakfast (B&B), guesthouse and hotel accommodation for the holiday visitors on vacation in Ireland. We chose to stay at the family driven B&B Pier House, located in Pier Road. We paid 40 euros per person for a twin bedroom, including breakfast. Ann Hearty was a great a host, giving us nice tips on what to see, and her B&B was one of the main reasons for us staying in Kinsale for four nights instead of the one we planned. Three of the rooms have a balcony with sea view. The B&B has a hot tub and a sauna, and a garden that I really enjoyed! A few words must also be said about the breakfast that I enjoyed, you could choose between 6-7 breakfasts, that then were freshly made. I guess I can recommend all of them, but only ate the Irish breakfast, Crêpes with fresh fruits and Omlet with Irish bacon.
Kinsale is a pretty seaside town, located on the estuary of the Bandon river. The first evening we had a walk a long this river, where we went through Scilly and ended up out in Summercove, at the Bulman Bar & Restaurant. The bar had a great hospitable atmosphere, and I guess that was the reason why we went back again to listen to some traditional Irish folk music two days later. Bulman also has a restaurant that specialises in seafood, much of it locally caught.
The following morning we rented bikes to see the nearby areas of Kinsale. The first stop was the star-shaped Charles Fort (Dún Chathail). The fortress was built by Charles II in the 1670s and 1680s. It remained in use as British Army barracks until the end of British rule in southern Ireland, and as the British Army retreated in the Irish Civil War in 1922, it was set on fire. The museum guard could tell us that it was burning for three days. Charles II built the fortress to protect England from a backdoor attack by the Dutch fleat. But the only time the fortress was attacked was in 1690, when Williamite forces attacked both Charles Fort and James’s Fort on the other side of Bandon river. Quite special, as it was English soldiers attacking English soliders. Yes, you read correctly. The war has been called the the Williamite War, and is a very important part of the Irish history.
From Charles Fort the trip continued to James’s Fort (Dún Rí Shéamuis). The fortress was built in 1602 (some years before Charles Fort), and named after James I of England and VI of Scotland. The construction started immediately after the Siege of Kinsale, on the ruins of a Spanish fortress, called Castle Ny-Parke.
After having seen both fortresses, we had a quick stop at the pub Dock Bar for a rest in the sun and something to drink, before we continued biking to Ardkilly next to a long narrow fjord. A stunning, beautiful area.
From Ardkilly the trip continued to Old Head of Kinsale. We wanted to see the lighthouse, but had in advance been told that, that could be indeed difficult. When we reached there, we were met by a gorilla firmly denying us access to the premises. The area could only be accessed by golfers and invited guests, others are kept out by high fences and video cameras! I guess that is why I hate golf, a sport that has no purpose other then keeping nature loving people out from beautiful landscape. Appearently we were not the only ones that had been denied access. Others have organised themselves in the Free the Old Head of Kinsale Campaign. Old Head is also known for being where RMS Lusitania got hit by a German submarine with one of it’s torpedos during the First World War, something that might have provoked United States to later enter the war. RMS Lusitania carried 1,256 passengers on her last voyage, heading for the port of Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland. The ship sank in 18 minutes and 1.198 people died.
From Old Head of Kinsale we biked to the beaches of Garrettstown, where we did a longer break. The weather was beautiful and we had a rest in the nice sunshine, before heading back to Kinsale through Ballinspittle. In the evening we got recommended a trip to the Spaniard Inn, where there was live traditional Irish music. The music was nice, but sadly I didn’t like the place. The place was overcrowded with perhaps 30 people, there was no place to sit and the place was rather hot. But perhaps that was only me…
The next day we decided to do another bike trip, and this time to the picturesque rolling countryside along the Bandon river to Innishannon. After a few miles of biking we found a perfect view over the river and the countryside.
Innishannon is a small village, located on the highway between Bandon and Cork (N71). The village is a dormitory village for the city workers. We only had a short stop in front of the church, getting our breaths back. We recommend that you don’t follow the highway further to Bandon, as the speed limit outside Innishannon was 100 km/h and the roads were not wide enough for both bikers and cars.
Just after having crossed the Bandon river we found the old way to Bandon. Quite different from the highway, hardly a car past us and we got to see some nice landscape. We also found two nice pieces of Angus beefs. I was almost drewling…
We didn’t enter Bandon town, but continued biking down those miles in the direction of Kilbrittain. The trip was 6 miles (9.7km) and started with a long climb. The last part was mainly downhill. Sadly we didn’t know of Kilbrittain castle, the oldest habited castle in Ireland. Coolmain Castle is the European Base of Roy Disney (Walt Disneys Nephew). I guess we have to go back to the village and get another couple of pictures. After a short break and a coke, we continued in the direction of the sea and Glanavaud. Perhaps through one of the most beautiful areas we saw during our stay.
From Glanavaud we continued back to the beaches of Garrettstown, where we stayed for more or less an hour enjoying the ice cold water and the sun. It was probably the hottest day during our holiday. The trip back to Kinsale after having laid in the sun was rather painful. It started with perhaps the longest hill that I have ever tried to get up. Of course we have had to step down and walk on a few occations. We were more or less pumped for energy. But the last part down to Ardkilly was downhill and then pretty flat to Kinsale.
Eating out in Kinsale
The last day was dedicated to the town. It is highly recommended. It will only take you 2-3 hours, but you will find several nice, small shops selling Irish crafts, lead cut crystal, linen, foods and other locally produced items. Take some breaks during your walks for a cup a coffee and a cake, and perhaps a lunch? Make sure to also visit the tourist office for information about local activities and interests. Tourism is today it’s largest industry, though a broad range of light manufacturing and agriculture based businesses flourish there.
First a picture of the local brewery, and guess what! I only drank Kinsale Ale during my stay:
One of the reasons why I marked out Kinsale as a place I wanted to visit, was the simple fact that I love food. But also to prove for myself that my traveling books were wrong when it came to dining in Ireland. Both the books I bought in advance, wrote that it was hard to find great tasting Irish food, as most great restaurants had a continental menu. The books continued with that most places sold fastfood-like Irish food, with a high amount of fat. If that is the case, Kinsale is quite different, as it is a well-known gourmet centre – it even has a gourmet festival which is generally held during the first and second week in October and has numerous good restaurants. We ate at three restaurants during our stay, Dino’s Restaurant, Fishy Fishy Cafe and Jim Edwards.
The first night we went to Dino’s Restaurant. A nice family friendly cafe where I had Fish & Chips.
At the Fishy Fishy Cafe, I had three oysters as a starter and mussels as the main dish.
At Jim Edwards we both had Salmon “En Croute”, which is fresh Kinsale Salmon wrapped in Puffy Pastry, served with a fennel butter sauce, steamed vegetables, potatoes and french fries. The restaurant is highly recommendable, and is a must visit if you are in Kinsale.
Dublin
We travelled back to Dublin the last day to get out to the airport the following morning. As we got up to Dublin in the afternoon, we had time to walk around in the centre of the city. We, of course, visited the Temple Bar area, which was over crowded with tourists. A girl, that I used to work with, had recommended that I should visit Elephant and Castle. I can understand why, it had a nice menu, but I chose to eat at O’Neills in Suffolk Street instead, where I chose Roast Rib of Irish Beef and Horseradish Sauce.
My holiday on the Basque coast
1I recently did a one week holiday on the Atlantic coast in Basque, southern France. I visited the two towns Biarritz (Basque: Miarritze) and Bayonne (Basque: Baiona), and went to the wedding of my dear friends Xavier and Severine. My sister and I flew with Ryanair to Biarritz. Ryanair is by the way flying to Biarritz – Anglet – Bayonne airport from Stansted (London), Hahn (Frankfurt), Shannon and Dublin, and cheap tickets are often available. Air France has about 10 flights a day to Biarritz from two airports in Paris. Flights are also available from Rennes, Nice, Geneve and Clermont-Ferrand. Interrailers can get to Biarritz and Bayonne with the TGV trains (the French high-speed train).
The main reason for why I am writing this blog entry, is that I tried to find information about Biarritz and Bayonne in traveling guides in a few bookshops downtown Oslo. I must have looked in about 10 guides, and there were just a few lines about both of these two towns. I also visited three bookshops when I was there, and didn’t find any really good traveling guide in English from that area. It’s a little bit strange, cause there were lots of foreign tourists. And for a good reason, Biarritz is the no. 1 surfing spot in Europe! But perhaps that is also the best … .
The people are real friendly, but their English skills one of the worst ones in Europe. People seem to be mainly speaking French and Spanish, and many also speak Euskara (Basque). Even going out for dinner was mostly a problem, as most of the restaurants only had their menus in French. Luckily, we were five Norwegians staying together in Biarritz and Bayonne before the wedding, and one of us, Sigrid, was fluent in French. Geir, a long time friend of mine, just came down for the wedding. I got three great new friends during this holiday, Sigrid, Torfinn and Trond Vidar. I hope that we can manage to stay in touch.
Biarritz
Let me start with a little bit of history, and perhaps something that connects this area with Norway. Vikings settled in the area in 840. I later learned that Biarritz comes from Bjarnihus (“House of Bjarni”). Back in the 12th century Biarritz was a small farming and fishing village, with hunting on whales. The hunting was important for Biarritz up to mid 17th century, the whalers then had to go all the way to Newfoundland to find the whales. Biarritz became a famous seaside resort in the 19th century, Napoleon III in 1854 established his imperial summer residence there (today: Hotel du Palais). For about 15 years Napoleon took care of the town, building roads, baths and hotels. After the fall of Napoleon and the empire, Biarritz became a place for kings of Würtenberg, Belgium and Portugal, princes from Poland and Rumania, great dukes of Russia, the English gentry, and the French and Spanish aristocracy. Back then Biarritz had about 10,000 holidaymakers a season! The Russian even built an orthodox church. The Casino (opened 1901) is a perfect illustration of the town’s architectural heritage (in the distance you can also see Hotel du Palais):
A few facts about Biarritz are in place. The town is located 18 km from the border of Spain, in the province of French Basque Country. Biarritz has a population of about 30,000 people. All though Biarritz being an expensive town, it’s not only a place for the snobs … . The town has focused on sporting activities, and especially golf and surfing. The golf course opened already in 1888, and is the continent’s oldest. The biggest surfing event is the annual Biarritz Surf Festival, which takes place at the beach La Côte des Basques. Sadly, we didn’t see anyone playing Pelote when we were in Biarritz or Bayonne, neither did I find any shops selling the equipment. Biarritz is also hosting congresses and international festivals. There is in fact several cheap two stars hotels, just like hotel we chose (Hotel Gardénia):
The main beach in Biarritz is called the “Grande Plage”, and it offers one of the best surfing spots in Europe and Biarritz is therefore annually hosting international surfing competitions. Sadly the waves were missing out when we were there, and I was only able to do some bodyboarding. There’s got to be a first time for everything. Well, it went well, and I was capable of riding 30-40m on the small waves that we had. And what a fun …
We, my sister and I, did a few walks in Biarritz. A must see is the famous virgin’s rock (Rocher de la Vierge), a rock with a virgin statue on top of it. The tunnel on the rock was already built by Napoleon III and the iron birdge was done by Eiffel in 1881.
In the same area as the rock, you will also find the Sea Museum (Musée de la Mer) with aquariums with sea fish, seals and small sharks, all species that can be found in the Biscay bay. The best time to visit this museum is either around 10.30 or 17.00, when the seals are being fed in their big tank.The second day of our stay in Biarritz, Torfinn was turning 35, something that was a great excuse for a celebration. The evening started with a visit to one of the restaurants at the Fisherman Warf. A small port which receives fishing boats and pleasure crafts. The port was built in the 1870s with imperial funds after work on the Port du Refuge was abandoned. It’s really one of the most picturesque and colorful places in Biarritz. A few seafood restaurants and fashionable “tapas” bars are located in small fishermen’s houses that in French are called “crampottes”:
After having had a great tasting dinner, we went to the cocktail bar Ventilo Caffe and ended the evening at the Playboy nightclub. The hip Ventilo Caffe is frequented by friendly 30 something’s, a big part of them surfers. The place plays an excellent selection of house music mixed with old favourites.The church behind the “crampottes” on the picture above is Saint Eugénie. The church got it’s name after Eugénie de Montijo, the wife of Napoleon III.As the others were sunbathing on the beach, I took a walk to the lighthouse in Biarritz. The lighthouse was built in 1834, boats 248 steps, stands 73m above sea level and is surrounded with a beautiful park. It offers one of the best views over the Basque coastline. The best view over the Basque country can be seen from the Rhune mountain (905m), located 10kms from Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
Bayonne
On the third day we all left for Bayonne, a quite different town, not only in architecture. It’s located on the riverbanks of Nive and Adour, and not directly on the coastline. It also doesn’t have the same pulsating nightlife found in Biarritz. The Nive divides Bayonne into Grand Bayonne and Petit Bayonne, with five bridges between the two. The river Nive is more like a main street, with the many restaurants, squares and the covered market that can be found on the riverbanks. The houses next to Nive are great examples of typical Basque architecture, with half-timbering and shutters in the national colours of red and green.
Bayonne is a noticeable bigger town then Biarritz, and has a population of approximately 45,000 people. Bayonne is the capital (both administrative, religious, judical and economical) of the region. Viking settlements were also found here, and they called the area for Björhamn, which became “Baionam” and then finally “Baiona”. The town later also took part in the whale hunting.The inhabitants of both towns are hooked on the number 64! I guess I’ve lost you already … . The post numbers of the towns of Biarritz, Anglet and Bayonne all starts with 64 (64200, 64600 and 64100), and the number plates on the cars end with it:
And they are making a fortune out of it! Cloths shops have opened in each of the towns selling cloths with no. 64 on them. Of course, I had to buy a T-shirt! The number represents the area code for Pyrénées-Atlantiques, so I guess there are several more of these shops. I was later told that they guy behind the concept, started a shop in Biarritz, selling clothes with the mark BTZ (BiarriTZ) and later changed it to 64.
In the Basque area of France it’s not about soccer. Hell no, in Basque men are real men and play rugby (American readers: Rugby “is” American football, but without all the fancy protection!), and both Biarritz and Bayonne have teams in the French 1st division, Biarritz Olympique and Aviron Bayonnais Rugby. When we were there, Biarritz was on the fourth place and Bayonne on the very bottom with 0 points. In Bayonne I found a great Rugby clothes shop, called Otago Rugby, and I ended up buying a rugby in the colours of Bayonne.
Another thing that both people from Bayonne and Biarritz are known for, is that they both claim to have the world’s best chocolate! I am not sure that either one of them is right (Freia Mjelkesjokolade is of course the best chocolate you can get), but let us pretend that it is Bayonne.
I visited both the Puyodebat Chocolatier Museum and their shop. Both the shop and the museum had a marvellous smell. In the window of the shop, you can see a fountain of chocolate. I preferred visiting the shop over the museum, as it has a far bigger selection of chocolate. The chocolate is made on a small business scale using the finest kinds of cocoa beans. The art of making chocolate came to area in the 16th century, with Jews fleeing the inquisition in Spain and Portugal. In the time of writing this, there are 11 chocolatier houses left in Bayonne. And what did I buy? Cocoa pods filled with hazelnut cream. Delicious. Make sure to not miss the museum on your way to the cathedral. Also Biarritz has it’s chocolate museum.The British newspaper Guardian wrote an article about the chocolatiers in Bayonne in May 2005 that is worth reading:
Dark secret
Europe’s cacao capital isn’t Brussels or Geneva, reckons Taras Grescoe. It’s the Basque city of Bayonne, where they still serve chocolate the old-fashioned way: bitter, spicy and in a cup
As mentioned, Bayonne is the religious capital of the Basque region. The reason is Gothic Sainte-Marie Cathedral. The cathedral was constructed in the period 1213 to 1544. The south tower was completed in the 16th century but the cathedral was completed in the 19th century with the north tower. The cathedral is noted for its charming cloisters. The cathedral was built the cathedrals in Soissons and Reims as models. Bayonne, with it’s cathedral, is listed as world heritage by UNESCO.
Living next door to the botanic garden in Oslo, I am often walking through on my way home from work. When out traveling, I am often looking for parks or areas where I can run. The first morning in Bayonne I went out running, and more or less instantly came across a beautiful park. Bayonne has a few beautiful botanic gardens, and one of them was located near by the hotel we stayed at. The garden between the Vauban ramparts and the cathedral offers a surprising botanic variety.
The garden covers the complete surface of one of the complete surface of one of the bastions making it resemble a hanging garden, floating over the town whilst separated from it by 7m high ramparts. It is laid out in Japanese style, with a small pond, bridge, footbridge and waterfall.
Some thing that is special for Bayonne is their bullfighting traditions. Sadly the season ended the weekend before we arrived, but I did run up to the stadium in the morning the second day in Bayonne:
I was told that the bullfighting is following the same rituals as in Spain, that the bull fighting season is composed in four “ferias”: The first one takes place in Vic-Fezensac, the second on in Mont-de-Marsan, the third one in Bayonne and last one in Dax. Bayonne has the longest tradition of bullfighting in France. In Bayonne the second “feria” is a major part of the five-day Fêtes de Bayonne, which starts on the first Wednesday of August and attracts people from across the Basque Country and beyond.
The second day of the wedding we had a bigger lunch at the local bullfighters club. A few big bullheads were hanging on the wall in the main room, and in the second room you could enjoy several paintings. In the main room we also found a picture of Xavier’s grandfather, it turns out that he was once a bullfighter.The last day was spent walking in the streets of Petit Bayonne, doing a little bit of shopping. Both my sister and I found Biarritz and Bayonne to be rather expensive, and that come from Norwegians. Having said that, we didn’t find any of the international chain stores in the centres of the towns, making shopping rather an exciting experience. Our walk through the town wasn’t just about that sweater/those shoes being cheaper or more expensive then in Norway. And the fashion is a bit different. The Basque region is known for producing high-quality craftsmanship, examples berets, rope-soled sandals and solid damask linen-cotton cloths in bright striped colours (often the colours of the Basque flag: Red, white and green).
When you are in the Basque region you simply must enter one of the many gastronomy (delicatessen) shops carrying regional specialties, mostly home-prepared preserves. Specialties are red pepper, strong spicy black sausages, uncooked ham, conserve of pork, duck or goose, wood-pigeon and the Basque cake. A few words must also be said about the Bayonne ham. This exceptional ham is cured with the salt of the river Adour salt beds and enjoys a climate that is especially propitious for maturing ham, with it’s alternating Pyrenean mountain and sea air. The maturing process must at least last for 7 months. You know you have found genuine Bayonne ham, when you see that the rind has been branded with the “Lauburu” (Basque cross). We ate lots of great Bayonne ham at the wedding, but I also ate lightly pan-fried Bayonne ham with deep-fried eggs at one of Bayonne’s many lunch restaurants. The Basque region also produces quality red, rosé and white wine.
Sent a letter to Rough Guides
When Steinar and I were visiting Budapest this summer, Steinar bought the best travelling guide I have seen for Budapest so far and I have seen a few! It’s the “THE ROUGH GUIDE to Budapest“.
Rough Guides has managed to build up a community of travellers reading their travel guides and comming with suggestions for improvements and corrections to parts that are outdated. And for a big city as Budapest, there will always be things in travel guides that are outdated. As the authors of the guide have a focus on how you can get to Budapest cheaply, I started the e-mail with some information about the new commercial airport by Balaton, and the two flights Ryanair has from Stansted and Hahn to this new airport.
If you are visiting Budapest, you must visit one of the many coffee houses in the city. New of this year is that New York Palace has opened. More then worth a visit if you ask me.
The third tips I came with, was about Goethe Institute having moved away from the State Opera House. It was a really nice cafe and I was frequently visiting it before going to the Opera. Great coffee and German newspapers. It was also a place where many backpackers met. A true loss for the area.
I will spend parts of the weekend relaxing and reading through the book, and see if there is more that I can contribute with.
One last thing, a few of the travelling guides are available as PodScrolls for your iPod.
Update – September 2nd:
I got a real nice answer from Rough Guides, here is parts of it:
Thank you very much for your email and for your comments and information regarding the Rough Guide to Budapest. I have passed your email on to the authors of the guide who I’m sure will refer to it when preparing the next edition.
Guess I have to buy the next book then, just to check if my name is in it!