Budapest

“My house in Budapest
My, my hidden treasure chest”.

Many of us are familiar with the opening lyrics of the George Ezra song “Budapest”. Ironically he had not been to Budapest when he wrote the song, he got drunk and missed his train. However once you start to travel, you should not miss out on this “hidden treasure chest”. Commonly referred to as the “Paris of the East” Budapest is packed with everything that you would expect from a city break and more. Even if you have been before, there is so much more to see and experience that the main attractions of the Buda Castle, the Fistherman’s Bastion and the Heroes Square. The main sites can be viewed in this entertaining video by the popular Hungarian band “Kowalsky meg a Vega”. The title roughly translates as “Still not Eden”. No it might not be Eden but its a great place for a short break from London with flights from BA, Wizz Air and LOT.

Tour Budapest with Kowalsky meg a Vega

One memorial often missed but extremely moving is the “Shoes on the Danube. You can read the story behind it here.

Shoes on the Danube. Copyright https://www.budapestinfo.h
Shoes on the Danube.

There are plenty of hidden gems to discover in Budapest. Amongst our favourites are the Hospital in the Rock, the Café Gerbeaud and the Budapest Pinball Museum. All great attractions if you are taking the children. Finally if you are a “Columbo” fan then don’t forget to seek out the “Peter Falk” statue.

Ready to book your City Break to Budapest then contact Maggie today.

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Guantanamera

Guantanamera is probably the most iconic Cuban song. Based on a poem written by the Cuban poet José Martí the title literally means “a woman from the Guantánamo area”.  It was made famous outside Cuba in 1963 by The Sandpipers.

Guantanmera – Celia Cruz.

If you watched the video above that should be enough to get you on the plane to Havana.

Cuba has to be close to the top of the list of places to visit once we can travel again.  Thanks to US sanctions it is caught in a partial time warp.  Cuba is one of the few places in the world that you still can’t buy a McDonalds, unless you are serving or detained at Guantanamo Bay!

So you need to visit before it all changes. Unlike former Communist Central and East European countries where almost all vestiges of socialist ideologies have disappeared there are plenty of reminders around.

Destino Cuba – Infotur www.cubatravel.cu

Outside of Havana where you must visit UNESCO listed the Old town and its impressive colonial buildings, you can access some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, with crystal clear waters and fine sandy beaches that are not overrun with tourists. 

And if you need any more reasons to visit, did we mention the old cars, the cheap beer and rum and world renowned cigars.

Old Cars Cuba
Old Cars Cuba

Maggie says that she is going in October.  Why don’t you contact her today to book your escape to Cuba?

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On a Little Street in Singapore

Written 100 years ago, many of us will know this song from Glenn Miller, Bob Dylan or Manhattan Transfer. Today, it’s the attraction of those “Little Streets” that draw us to this Island State. Those “Little Streets” are the result of Singapore’s multi-cultural, colonial and wartime past and make it a destination in its own right rather than just a stopover. Being uniquely placed at the tip of the Malay peninsula, at the cross roads of trade routes it has been the meeting point for Asian and European cultures.  British influence is clearly evident as many of us are familiar with the Raffles Hotel named after Sir Thomas Raffles who brought the British to the island and the Anderson Bridge named after the Governor of the Region in 1910. 

Due to its size and history there is so much to see and do, it’s all very easy to access and so much can be packed into such a short space of time.  On the one hand you have traditional Chinatown and on the other the Sands Skypark and shopping in Orchard Street.  Singapore’s nickname is “City in a Garden” and it’s possible to get away from it all at the National Orchid Garden and the Jurong Bird Park which home to 400 species of birds.

Little Streets Copyright Christian Chen on Unsplash.
Little Streets – Tall Buildings

Once you are ready to travel call Maggie to book your ultimate Singapore adventure.

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Leaving on a Jet Plane.

Looking up to the sky earlier this morning and seeing the white vapour trails brought home the fact that whilst we are in lockdown, we are not experiencing the excitement of the journey. For many of us, a key part of our enjoyment of the holiday is the getting there. The eager anticipation of the delights of the airport shopping, a chance on board to start to unwind with inflight entertainment and a bite to eat.

Peter, Paul and Mary turned John Denver’s song into their only No1 Billboard success in the USA and it was used by United in their advertising in the late 60s and early 70s. Don’t we all wish we could be leaving on a jet plane today!

United Airlines – Friendlier Skies

Ready to book your next flight, then contact Maggie today.

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Turning Japanese

Top of the list of places to visit after travel restrictions are lifted has to be Japan. For most of us visting Japan will take us as far out of our comfort zone as we can go in a society and culture that on the face of it looks very much like our own.

Japan National Tourism Office

“Turning Japanese” by the Vapours should really be the theme tune to the excellent Amazon Original Series “James May: Our Man In Japan“. James travels through Japan mixing the modern with the past, the urban with the rural in such a way that you just want to book your ticket here and now. He embraces the Japanese way of life. It’s a must watch series.

With the Olympics now postponed until 2021, now might be a good time to start chatting to Maggie about the many possibilities for itineraries that you could follow on your visit to Japan.

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Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide

Things have changed so much in the past week. Last week we were looking at places you could still escape to for a break. Now there is Nowhere to run to and nowhere to hide as beautifully sung by Martha and the Vandellas.

At some point, this period of self-isolating and social distancing will end and then we will start travelling again to all those wonderful places we have always dreamed of visiting, those placed we visited before and are desparate to return to. For some of us travelling will just be simply to visit our loved ones who are scattered around the world.

View from airplane window. Copyright BA.com

So in the coming weeks we shall be looking at the holidays we are dreaming of going on when the travel bans are lifted. If you want to talk through your dreams and the possibility of turning them into reality then contact Maggie.

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Should I Stay or Should I Go

So sang the Clash. That is the big question at the moment. Should I go on holiday or should I stay at home? If I go, where should I go? Well here is a list of all those countries that have imposed a ban of some kind on UK citizens so you can cross those off your list.

Albania, Australia, Benin, Bhutan, China, Colombia, Comoros, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Gabon, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Latvia, Libya, Malta, Marshall Islands, Morocco, Myanmar, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, The Maldives, Uganda, Ukraine, United States and Vietnam. This information was up to date at the time of writing, for the latest information check the UK Foreign Office Website.

Safari Landscape(c) www.georgelogan.co.uk Courtesy of British Airways
Safari Landscape – Get away from all the madness.

Where can you go? Well at the moment almost anywhere in the world. Of course you could always book yourself a staycation. Why don’t you contact Maggie for the latest information on last minute getaways and for planning ahead.

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So sick and tired of the pouring rain I took a train to Morocco just to kill the pain

Sang the American band Moon Taxi in their song entitled Morocco.  Maybe they were catching the Marrakech Express 45 years after Crosby, Stills and Nash did the same. Despite the time lag between the two songs, Morocco is still a draw for tourists today.

Ouarzazate Copyright https://www.visitmorocco.com
Ouarzazate – The door of the desert

If you fancy getting away from the wet weather of the past few weeks and fancy some sun then it seems that Moon Taxi had the right idea. Temperatures in Morocco are already into the early 20s and will gradually rise to the low 40s in the summer.

Marrakech was named as the 9th best destination in the world by Tripadvisor in 2019.  Known as the red city because of the colour of the walls that enclose the Medina in the old city.  Here you are likely to experience something closer to traditional Moroccan life.  Experience traditional Moroccan cuisine, culture and haggle over a bargain or two.

Traditional Crafts Copyright https://www.visitmorocco.com
Traditional Crafts

Agadir on the coast will provide you with a contrast.  Much of the city was rebuilt after an earthquake in the 1960s.  Near the base of the Atlas Mountains on the Atlantic Ocean, it is has a long wide beach perfect for swimming and watersports.  This makes a great contrast to bustling Marrakech so why not ask Maggie to book you a two centre holiday.

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These boots are made for walking.

So sang Nancy Sinatra.  I imagine that one of the last places that she thought of walking all over was New Zealand.  There are 10 so called Great Walks of New Zealand developed and maintained by the New Zealand Department of Conversation.  The newest and 10th Great Walk, called the Paparoa Track was officially opened along its full length on 1st March 2020. It is unique in that it is a dual walking and mountain biking route. 

Paparoa-Track-CREDIT-Jase-Blair
Paparoa Track – West Coast of the South Island, New Zealand

The Paparoa Track is the first Great Walk to be added in 25 years.  The Great Walks take an average of 4 days to complete with campsites or huts available along the way.  You can compare the Great Walks here.  The Great Walks provide a superb opportunity to take in the wide variety of landscapes in both the North and South Islands.  According to the New Zealand Department of Conservation 80% of all international visitors to the country took part in some kind of walking related activity and over the past five years there has been a 20% increase in the number of international visitors undertaking the Great Walks.

For more information on making the most of your trip to New Zealand contact Maggie today.

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Walk like an Egyptian.

With summer temperatures well up into the high 30s / low 40s you might not want to do much walking in Egypt, however you will want to dive in the Red Sea.

Diving Egypt - Copyright Egypt.travel (Egypt Tourism Board).
Diving in the Red Sea.

With flights now resumed to Sharm El-Sheikh, all of the Red Sea resorts including Hurghada, Marsa Alam, El Gouna and Taba are bookable all year round for diving holidays. There is a dive school and dive destination to suit all standards of diver including beginners. I never fancied diving in a cold quarry in the UK! Red Sea from me every time.

Abu-Rimata - Underwater Copyright egypt.travel (Egypt Tourist Authority)
Abu-Rimata

At your destination you will find high quality 4 and 5 star hotels to suit all tastes and budgets, so you’ll be spoilt for choice. So contact Maggie today and discover the warm waters of the Red Sea.

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