Lockdown Armchair Travel – Peru – Lima, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Puno – September 2011

Posted on December 3, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

Still stuck in our tier systems (and likely to be for some time) let’s have another lockdown armchair travel trip, and P is for a number of places, but first, Peru. We spent a week there in September 2011 at the start of our South American tour. So, what do you think of, when you think of Peru? Quite possibly this place:

But more of that shortly. Our week started off in the capital Lima, a thriving and attractive place, full of striking architecture.

You see that yellow and black combination all round the Plaza Mayor and the city centre. The ornate enclosed balconies can be breathtakingly beautiful.

And the Plaza Mayor is definitely the centre of attention.

But there’s also a bustling market

In the Miraflores district, you can meet dinosaurs at Kennedy Park

We also visited the charming Casa de Aliaga, the city’s oldest colonial mansion

Went here

For two of these

The Pisco Sour. It tastes much nicer than it sounds. We kept out of the way of this lot:

And also had a very enjoyable stroll around Miraflores, which is upmarket and delightful – and a great coastline. You don’t tend to think of the sea when it comes to Peru, but it’s not to be missed.

From Lima we flew to Cuzco, and, in order to acclimatise to the altitude, immediately headed for the Sacred Valley, which is at a much lower level – then you slowly begin to climb during the next few days. The Sacred Valley is quite touristy, so you see plenty of these:

And these

This gentleman shows us the traditional art of spinning. So much more refined when you do it without an exercise bike. In Pisac, we visited another market

But the highlight of the Sacred Valley is Ollantaytambo, famous for its Inca ruins, as it was once the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti.

The next day we started to make our way towards Machu Picchu. To do this we took the train to Aguas Calientes.

A picturesque journey – we reckoned these people were doing the Inca Trail.

Until it finally reaches Aguas Calientes.

And once you’re there, you can’t wait to get to Machu Picchu!

We got up early the next morning to see dawn rise over the site

A misty experience!

From there we walked up Waynu Picchu, which is the mountain opposite Machu Picchu, to get the great view. Wow, what an experience!

It’s high. It’s tiring. But so worth it! And what comes up, must go down….

And it’s quite a challenge! Reaching Machu Picchu again gave us a chance for another walk around.

From there, it was back on the train and heading for Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire, and, despite our best efforts, the place where altitude sickness finally got us. Nevertheless we still enjoyed it.

The Plaza de Armas is the focus of the city centre, an expansive and beautiful town square.

and, surprise, surprise….

The police get about on segways – makes it much easier for them!

This is the beautiful Santo Domingo Convent

And a local school

The next day we took a tour to Pikillacta and Sacsayhuaman. At Pikillacta, you see an archaelogical site of the Wari people

But it was Sacsayhuaman that I was really interested to see.

The construction is amazing, as there is no mortar between those stones

From the top you get a great view of Cusco

We also visited the amazing holy site of Qenko.

And I spent the next day in bed with Altitude Sickness! After Cusco, it was time to get on another train

The Andean Explorer, which would take us to the border city of Puno, travelling through beautiful but totally empty scenery.

Puno is a city with many thousands of students, and they were having an evening parade. We were warned not to go into Puno at night, because it wasn’t safe. But we couldn’t resist.

Felt perfectly safe to us! So I’ll leave you with a few typically Peruvian scenes and vibes.

Thanks for reading! Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Norway – North Cape, Honningsvag, Tromso and Bergen – June 2008

Posted on November 13, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

Time for another lockdown armchair travel post, and N is also for Norway, and an MSC cruise we did back in June 2008, up that country’s rugged coast to reach the North Cape on Midsummer Day, also taking in the towns of Trondheim (no photos, not sure why), Tromso and Bergen. So, what do you think of, when you think of Norway? Maybe this:

Local Lapps, or maybe this:

The Midnight Sun. That’s certainly my strongest memory of Norway – we went for 96 hours without a hint of night-time. It plays havoc with your sleep patterns but you feel energised and excited by constantly being in the light. Bizarrely, perhaps, by contrast, Norwegian towns are mostly, erm… drab. Sorry if you’re Norwegian. That’s probably why I have no photos of Trondheim – maybe there was nothing much to photograph. Honningsvag is a little town a few miles from the North Cape. You wouldn’t expect it to be a hive of activity; and you’d be right.

We walked down that street, and the most extraordinary thing about it was that one house had one of those Football Souvenir Street Signs in its front window, bearing allegiance to Liverpool FC and Anfield.

The area relies on two things: tourism and fishing. When you reach the North Cape, first impressions are a little disappointing.

It’s almost as though someone else had got there first. However, there are better monuments to be found:

But it’s the views that you really come for.

Tromso is the most northerly city, but we found it pretty dull, I’m afraid. It does have a rather striking cathedral though.

The most attractive place we visited – by far – was Bergen.

It’s an expensive place, of course, so you buy very little in the way of presents! But the shopping is fun.

Again, it has a rather attractive cathedral

And is probably best known for this chap, Edvard Grieg. His house is out of town, and we didn’t manage to get there, but it’s always important to have a reason to go back.

The birds obviously don’t think much of his music! If you’ve seen The Song of Norway, you’ll recognise Freddy and his Fiddle, at it in the square…

OK, so it’s really Ole Bull, a big 19th century violin virtuoso and celebrity. Of course, Bergen is another city that relies heavily on the fish and tourist industries, and its harbourside position is very attractive.

And that’s very much what you remember when you leave

Maybe just one last sunset….

Thanks for joining me in this little travel souvenir of Norway! Plenty of letters in the alphabet still to come!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – The Netherlands – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden, and The Hague

Posted on October 26, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

More lockdown armchair travel and today, N is for The Netherlands, and some memories of a few visits to that delightful little country over the years. So, what do you think of, when you think of The Netherlands? Probably here:

Amsterdam, Amsterdam, de stad waar alles kan. So sang Maggie MacNeil in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest. But The Netherlands is more than just Amsterdam. Leiden, for example, is a beautiful city – home to (amongst other things) the Windmill Museum.

You can see the workings of a windmill really close up – and it’s a fascinating experience.

When we were in the Netherlands in 2009, we also visited Rotterdam, famous for its cube houses. They’re an extraordinary feat of architecture!

We also visited The Hague, seat of government and a pretty grand place all round.

But with humour

and superheroes!

But most people just want to see Amsterdam, and it is a pretty special place. Lots of bikes…

Churches

Cheese

Partygoers

Did I mention the bikes?

Possibly the best way to see Amsterdam is from the canals, and on our last morning we took a canal boat ride. The things you notice…

You expect Van der Valk to walk around any corner. I’ll leave you with a look at our canal boat

Some old Delft tiles

and a pleasant drink on a street corner.

I know there’s much more to Amsterdam and the Netherlands than I’ve been able to share with you today but hopefully this gave you a little insight into what some of it is like!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Malta – August 2012

Posted on October 1, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

It’s been a while since I’ve done a lockdown armchair travel post – and, for most of us, we’re still not going anywhere exciting in a hurry. So M is for Malta, and a lovely sunny week in the summer of 2012 (plus a couple of old snaps from our stay in March 1993). We stayed in the resort that I think is probably the best place to be based in Malta –

St Julian’s Bay. It’s chic, elegant, close to Valletta but also a good springboard to other parts of the island. And considerably more attractive than Bugibba, which is where we stayed in 1993. You can spend hours here just drinking in the scenery.

It’s also an easy walk to Sliema, with its beautiful views overlooking Valletta.

They love a good parade in Malta. When we were there in 1993 it was carnival time, and we watched the arrival of King Carnival (to a very repetitive but upbeat pre-recorded soundtrack).

Meanwhile, in 2012, we were in St Julian’s at the same time when an effigy of the saint is paraded around the town.

To a live band accompaniment, of course.

One of my favourite places in Malta is Mosta, with its incredible Dome Church.

It’s notable for having survived a bomb attack during the Second World War when a bomb fell through the hole at the top of the Dome – but didn’t explode.

That was a lucky break. (Or God was on their side, whichever you prefer).

From Mosta it’s easy to carry on to the beautiful and blustery old capital of Mdina.

The wind really whistles around your wotsits when you’re perched up there, even in full summer.

Lion statues guard against you – or welcome you, depending on how you see yourself – as you wander round this quaint and very narrow old town.

But the views are stunning.

Of course you have to pay a visit to the modern capital, Valletta, with its steep streets.

St John’s Co-Cathedral is a must-see.

The Hospital of St John perches near an attractive outcrop

A harbour cruise is also worthwhile

This is a picture of the so-called Three Cities taken from a harbour cruise in 1993 – very moody

I’d also recommend a trip to Gozo. Full of charming sights.

Here’s stunning Ramla Bay

And lovely Xlendi

We did a boat trip to the Azure Window

It was a stunning sight

Sadly no longer there

The islands are also littered with ancient temples. Here you can see Altar Niches at the Ġgantija Temples

Here’s an interesting thing: Maltese horse races are the “trot” variety!

I could bore you with many more pictures, but that wouldn’t be fair. Here’s just a few quirky parting shots.

Mussels in Smells?

No construction worker would be seen dead without his parasol

So pleased to see Michael Gove has got a proper job

Synchronised drinking?

Who’s captain of this ship?

I’ll leave you with an image of me nicking some chocolate almost thirty years ago.

Let’s hope we can go on holidays safely again soon!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Latvia – A December Weekend in Riga, 2006

Posted on August 24, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

L is for Latvia and a weekend in Riga in December 2006 to celebrate Mrs Chrisparkle’s birthday. My overriding memory of Riga in December is that it was TOTALLY UTTERLY COMPLETELY FREEZING COLD – in fact, I’ve never felt that level of cold before or afterwards. Apart from that it was a fascinating mix of the Western and the Soviet, set in a beautiful old town that is small and delightfully compact, to walk around easily. I don’t have that many photos from that weekend but I hope this gives you a flavour of what it was like.

So what do you think of, when you think of Riga? I’ll always think of this….

Snow everywhere! It’s a beautiful, stately city. Perhaps its most impressive sight is the House of the Blackheads, which isn’t anything to do with poor facial hygiene, but a 14th century guildhall for unmarried merchants, shipowners, and foreigners in Riga.

More modern buildings include the Freedom Monument, constructed to honour the soldiers who died in the Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920)

and the Rainis Monument, commemorating the Latvian poet – and yes he does look like Lenin,

Riga has plenty of attractive bridges over the river Daugava

Plus generous open spaces

like this area beside the one of the many ornate churches. There are also stunning views from the top of St Peter’s Church

In many directions!

As it was near Christmas, they had a lovely Christmas market too!

Thanks for joining me on this little travelogue. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Laos – March 2013

Posted on August 7, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

Whilst we’re not all (currently) still in proper lockdown, travel is still a risky business, so let’s continue with L – which is for Laos, one of the three countries we visited in 2013 as part of our Indochina tour. A gentle, spiritual, welcoming country with some fascinating secrets.

So what do you think of, when you think of Laos? Do you actually think of anything?! Maybe this:

Young novice monks, seen everywhere – but more of them later. We started our five days in Laos in the capital – Vientiane.

Of all the world’s capitals, this must have the least traffic. The statue of Chao Anouvong, the King of Vientiane from 1805 – 1828, welcomes you from his plinth alongside the Mekong.

This is where the President, Bounnhang Vorachith, lives. Laos is a one-party, Communist state, but you wouldn’t really know it from day-to-day life. Not as a tourist, at least.

In the centre of a roundabout is a stupa, which many believe is inhabited by a seven-headed nāga (a snake deity) who tried to protect them from an invasion by the Siamese army in 1827. If it gets in your way you can refer to That Dam Stupa – which is exactly what it’s called.

Our tour took us first to Buddha Park, 25 km out of town, which is a somewhat bizarre place. Opened in 1958, and with so many proper temples around, one wonders why they felt the need to create a kind of Disneyland to Buddha. None of the buildings is sacred.

Weird. But they do sell great barbecued bananas.

Back in to Vientiane, and time to see some temples. Pha That Luang is a reconstruction of a temple that was destroyed in the Franco-Thai War and was rebuilt after the Second World War.

Nearby is the Lao Tripitaka Research Centre, another temple/library where the monks learn and study.

and the temple at Wat Sisaket – built in the early 1800s.

In the centre of the city is the Patouxi Gate, built in the 1960s to commemorate the country’s struggle for independence from France. Amazing view from the top!

Then we had a trip around the food market. At times you needed a strong stomach…

Our final sight in Vientiane was the fascinating – and sad – COPE centre. This is a museum/visitor centre relating to the prevalence of the use of prosthetic limbs in Laos due to the amount of unexploded land mines. It makes for a sobering visit.

The next day we flew to the beautiful city of Luang Prabang for three fantastic days. We stayed at the wonderful Xienthong Palace hotel, which was perfectly located by the banks of the Mekong – and why not, it was the last residence of the Lao Royal Family!

The centre of Luang Prabang is very small and everywhere you want to go is easily visited on foot. Our first port of call was to visit Wat Ho Pha Bang, a Royal Temple completed in 2006 to house the Phra Bang Buddha image.

It’s stunningly beautiful.

With ornamental nagas

exquisite architecture

ornate decorations

moody windows

majestic columns

and picturesque views.

Next we went out of town to visit a silkworm factory – here are the little blighters

and this is where they make clothes and material out of the silkworms’ hard work!

Back in town, we visited the Wat Xieng Thong, a very striking Buddhist temple that’s now over 450 years old.

I particularly like the ornamentation on this pink wall!

One of the fun aspects of Luang Prabang is that there’s a good variety of bars and restaurants for an enjoyable night out!

and I can definitely recommend:

The next day was mainly devoted to a delightful Mekong River Trip. I could bore you with hundreds of photos of the Mekong. Here are just a few.

During the trip we visited the Pak Ou Caves, and had lunch nearby. The caves are full of miniature Buddhist sculptures, and make quite an extraordinary sight in that particular location.

At sunset, we did what all tourists to Luang Prabang do, and that’s to ascend Mount Phou Si and watch the sun go down over the city.

After the sun has descended, so do the tourists, into the waiting arms of the stallholders of the Night Market.

and our favourite watering hole, the Opera Bar. (This, however, is the Xieng Muan Garden Restaurant, also very nice!)

On our final day we got up early to offer alms to the monks. You do this by giving them lumps of sticky rice. Sounds neither appetising nor healthy, but it’s a tradition that goes back a long way. The rice is cooked like this

Then dried like this

And then the monks all file out of the temple

and collect the rice, that has been given to them by the people, in their shoulder bags

It is then taken back to the temple kitchens for the monk chefs to prepare it into something pallatable for breakfast.

This particular temple houses an Emerald Buddha.

It’s actually made of glass but I don’t suppose that matters.

I caught this boy looking wistfully out of the window. I often wonder what he was thinking. I’m not sure he was happy with his lot. I wonder what has happened to him.

There’s a school nearby, which looks surprisingly modern in comparison with the simple lifestyle of the monks.

Later we took a trip out to the Kuangsi Waterfall Park

which also houses the To Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre

and those bears have a great, safe time!

The waterfalls are beautiful and are a great place for people to relax.

Coming for a swim?

At the end of the day we headed to the airport to get our flight to Hanoi, more of which in a few weeks time! On the way we stopped at a rather sad little craft village where desperate villagers made all sorts of desperate attempts to sell you their rather desperately underwhelming products. Wasn’t a great experience, to be honest.

Mind you, it was worse for the rats

And there you have it – Laos in a nutshell. I remember its beauty, its tranquillity, and its sense of humour, which you could see everywhere!

This is where you go for remedial treatment for venerteal disease – nasty!

I didn’t fancy the testes of tea

Two more things – incredible spiders!!

and the usual quirky sights – novice monks everywhere

hard-working fishermen

vintage cars outside restaurants as a promotion feature

egg delivery by moped

beware of the bridge!

Thanks for accompanying me on this lookback of a few days in Laos. Next regular blog will (probably) be back to the theatre programmes and some shows I saw from November 1982 to March 1983. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Jordan – Amman, Mount Nebo, Karak, Petra, Wadi Rum and Jerash – November 2008

Posted on July 24, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

Having shared the delights of Japan and Jersey with you, now it’s time for Jordan. We went there on a tour in 2008 that continued on into Syria – but more of that some other time. Jordan’s a beautiful, friendly place, full of amazing sights.

What do you think of, when you think of Jordan? Petra, right? Naturally. But I’m going to take you through these holiday snaps in order, so we start off in the capital, Amman.

Our first visit was to Mount Nebo, where Moses got to see the Promised Land but got no further.

There it is – the Promised Land (in the distance)

Amazing mosaics in the church in Madaba

Then we negotiated the windy road up towards Karak

with the extraordinary Jordanian landscape

until we got our first sight of the castle at Karak

Which is great fun to explore!

But you were right the first time – it’s all about Petra.

To get to the exciting part of Petra, you have to walk down a narrow path called the Siq.

And after a while you’ll get your first glimpse of The Treasury

And then your second glimpse

and your third

getting nearer

almost there

and finally, you see the Treasury in all its glory!

It’s as though you’ve opened layers and layers of gift wrapping until finally getting to the big present!

See how massive the building is in comparison with the heights of the visitors!

Petra enchants you with its other-worldness

The mosaics are remarkable

And I was so grateful for this kind gentleman to wander into my shot to make it complete

Straight out of Lawrence of Arabia. Talking of which:

That’s the famous Seven Pillars of Wisdom. We’re now on the road to Wadi Rum.

A desolate, desert landscape en route, but when you get to your destination…

There’s always a bedouin to make you some tea.

Ever wondered what it might be like on the surface of Mars?

More dramatic landscapes

that conceal an abundance of ancient art

After overnighting in a tent, we were on our way to Jerash, the Pompeii of the East.

That’s the ancient Hippodrome.

But there are numerous amazing sights in the ruins of this Greco-Roman city.

Including some musicians who played Amazing Grace for us on their bagpipes. They needn’t have bothered. I was only grateful they didn’t go on to perform Scotch on the Rocks.

It’s nice just to get lost amongst the ruins

After Jerash we followed the road north into Syria – but those photos are for another blog post. In the meantime, here’s our driver and our poppet pocket rocket space cadet tourism policeman, who accompanied us everywhere we went, looking concerned.

Yes he does look about 17. And, as always, all destinations give opportunities for quirky photos.

So we say farewell to Jordan

Thanks for accompanying me on this little jaunt around Jordan. Next blog may, or may not, be another return to some old theatre productions in the summer of 1982. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Jersey, 1995

Posted on July 17, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

Still with J, and almost – but not quite – abroad, it’s Jersey. I’ve been there twice, the most recent time was in 1995 for two weeks of summer sunshine – and it really was glorious. Most interesting, however, was that our visit coincided with VE Day – which in Jersey meant the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the island. As you can imagine, they celebrated big style!

So what do you think of, when you think of Jersey? Probably things that I didn’t photograph! But try this for size:

The Jersey flower industry is an important part of the island’s economy. And they make the island look beautiful!

I was surprised to discover the island has a really chic little racecourse

And somebody made a lot of money that day!

It’s an island of lovely beaches

Castles… (this is Gorey)

and coastlines

But watch out for those waves.

That craggy coast can look austere at times

Here’s St Brelade’s Bay, where I went on hols in 1982

But St Helier is where it’s at. And, as I said earlier, we were there for the 50th anniversary celebrations!

The place was packed and very excited

We were there when the Prince of Wales arrived

And the marching bands played

The Red Arrows had a field day

Parties went on into the night, and fortunately no photographic evidence remains! Suffice to say we went to a 70s disco with DJ Bri-Nylon. It was brilliant!

There’s lots of amazing sights in Jersey and I’m sorry not to be able to show them here, I’ve lost a number of photos it appears. Still we know that the coast is rugged

And so are the men

And who knew this was the resting place of this popular old policy?

Thanks for accompanying me on this little trek around Jersey. Next blog will be back to the old theatre shows, and some memories from October 1981 to July 1982. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Japan – Tokyo, August 2014

Posted on July 15, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

After lots of I’s we’re finally on to the J’s – and today J is for Japan, and a fascinating cruise that Mrs C and I took in the summer of 2014 around the northern island of Hokkaido (also visiting the little town of Korsakov in Sakhalin, Russia). But the holiday started with three full days visiting Tokyo – which we couldn’t have done without our personal guide because the lack of English translations – or indeed any translations – makes it very difficult to navigate.

So, what do you think of, when you think of Tokyo? Maybe this:

Sushi was one of the things we were both fearing the most about Japan as neither of us is a fan. However, it wasn’t horrible, so we took that as a bonus! Whilst we’re on the subject of food and drink:

We did the traditional tea ceremony; not like any other tea we’ve tasted. It comes with its full set of rules and instructions

But it was all in the beautiful setting of the Hamarikyu Gardens:

where urban sprawl and rural tranquillity rub shoulders

Talking of urban sprawl, some of those skyscrapers are surprisingly decorative:

Modern architecture on the indoors can be fascinating too

Perhaps it’s at its most interesting where it stands side by side with lowrise buildings

Views from the top are of course breathtaking

This was from our hotel bedroom:

And at night:

However, did you know that Tokyo could also look like this?

This is old Tokyo.

There’s not much of it left, sadly.

The fishmarket is a big attraction

To be honest we found it rather gruesome!

Time to move on, I think. By the way, could you work your way through this tube network?

Plus… who’s driving this train?

Who knew that a Tokyo train would take you here?

Not even Disneyland! This is an area called Daina, with lots of shops and restaurants… and the Statue of Liberty!

Temples. There are a few but perhaps not as many as you might expect. This is the Meiji Shrine

The Tokyo National Museum is also a tremendous place, filled with excellent artworks like this Imari Jar

and this noble general

and these cute Imari rabbits.

Sadly, this didn’t age well

but primarily, Tokyo is full of surprises. Like square watermelons

Unmentionable puppets

and golden sperm

A place of constant wonder!

Thanks for joining me on this little trip around Tokyo! Next blog will be another look at some old theatre shows from July to October 1981. Stay safe!

Lockdown Armchair Travel – Egypt – Cairo in 2010

Posted on June 11, 2020 by therealchrisparkle

D is for Denmark, but I haven’t any photos of our day in Copenhagen back in 2003, so we move on to E for Egypt. We had a fantastic Nile cruise in September 2010 that started with three days in Cairo, and we stayed at the magnificent Mena House Hotel in Giza, which is now a Marriott hotel although at the time it was part of the Oberoi group.

So what do you think of, when you think of Cairo? I bet it’s this: