Have You been ?

[Mr Russell]

Only 6 so far (including a childhood memory and kind of visiting one by going around the place ) and unless there is some more to come in Australia/New Zealand or the UK, maybe Canada, I can’t see many more being added but you never know!

But I am loving here all your stories.

So here goes –


London

My visits to London are mostly due to football and watching the England National side, was there in 1989 for when they played Poland and in 1990 for Brasil. Did go for a look around and see the sights in 1990 before the game, it was cold.

When I went back in 2013 my partner who had just joined me for the last 10 days wanted to go to London, we asked how much from Keighley to London by train and got $320 pounds each , I said London’s not worth it so let’s go to York instead!!



Paris

I’m cheating here I’ve been around the Paris Ring Road 10 times , probably more as I know on at least 2 occasions we missed our turn off!!! We were heading off to the South of France for a camping trip.



Edinburgh

I was really young, we stayed with some of my parent’s friends and my first memory was climbing some steps at their house, being dressed in Tartan (thanks Bay City Rollers) and visiting Edinburgh Castle.



Sydney

Just down the road and visited it many times both for soccer or personal reasons. Love doing the Ferry to Manly and visiting the 4 Pines Brewery and the beach to relax. Lots to see with the Bridge, Opera House, Restaurants (lots of nice ones on both sides of the bridge), Taronga Zoo and the Casino (I hate casinos with a passion but they have some nice places to eat in there).

I like visiting the Rocks which has shops, Breweries and nice walks around some old streets.

Usually stay just out of the City in Parramatta when we visit. Lovely to visit but like all cities I would never want to live there.

Personally Melbourne and Brisbane are better.



Auckland

Did a cruise to New Zealand in 2018 for 14 days, loved it and Auckland was one of the places to we stopped at, I wish we could have had a couple of more days there (I’d say that about most of New Zealand). We did the bus tour(s) around the City and visited Devonport Island.

You need 3 days to have a proper look around the place and visit some of the places (like Museums etc) but the best place for me was around the Viaduct Harbour Precinct where all the Breweries (what again), Restaurants and the Harbour was, it was very busy but so relaxing just have a beer and watching all the boats come into the harbour, we were at Dr Rudi’s Rooftop Bar .

Lovely place but so was most of the country.



Dublin

Was staying at a mates place in Tullamore for 4 days and the last day (and catching a flight back to Leeds) we went to Dublin and I remember being on a bus around the City before heading off to the Guinness factory for a tour and a sample, the tour was great and got to taste some real Guinness not the stuff that gets farmed out around the world as it does not travel well and the first 1 or 2 can taste like rusty nails and not the milk that I tasted there.

It was part of the trip back to the UK/Ireland in 2013 and Ireland was the warmest part of my trip (we came in end of April/May).

[NottinghamWhite]

The Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya reminds me of the Fernhills Palace in Ooty, the summer palace of the Maharajah of Mysore. I stayed there back in '91 and a room cost a massive £10 a night. Very Victorian, very Raj. There was an open fire in every room and the lad that showed me my room was somewhat put out that I didn't want the fire lit over night.

We stayed 2 nights in Ooty but despite looking can’t remember the name of the hotel but it was situated on the main drag. As we were checking in there was a sign on reception stating upgrades were available. I said we would like an upgrade & were taken to this room where the seating area held two three piece suites & behind that was a table & 12 chairs. Our room was turned down each night & fresh fruit was topped up constantly. On the morning of departure I went to settle the bill & our upgrade cost for the 2 nights approximately £4. We loved the Western Ghats & if your into tea plantations this is the place to visit. As we travelled to Ooty there was a comfort break & as we parked up for roughly 15 minutes a crowd of over 100 people stood on the roadside just staring at us, at first we felt uncomfortable about this but when we realised we weren’t in any danger we relaxed & just smiled at them. A lovely area of India.
By the way Sniffer your the first person I’ve ‘met’ that’s visited Ooty

[Selby White]

By the way Sniffer your the first person I’ve ‘met’ that’s visited Ooty

I had to look up where it was

Great stuff folks keep the stories coming

[Selby White]

Only 6 so far (including a childhood memory and kind of visiting one by going around the place ) and unless there is some more to come in Australia/New Zealand or the UK, maybe Canada, I can’t see many more being added but you never know!

Doesn't matter if its one place or all 100 its just a great read for those of us that love travel, every members input is really appreciated.

[NottinghamWhite]

I had to look up where it was

Yes it’s in the Western Ghats a gateway to Kerala. We stayed over the Christmas & New Year period. Met a lovely gentleman in the bar ( I know that’s a surprise ) who was an oil consultant & had brought his family to the hotel for NYE. After chatting for a while he invited Sue & I to join him for dinner, which I accepted. His son & daughter were both privately educated in England & both had degrees from Oxford. It was a lovely evening where the alcohol flowed. We met some lovely local people on this trip. I think we were there before Kerala became a tourist destination hence the inquisitive people.

[Sniffer]

The Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya reminds me of the Fernhills Palace in Ooty, the summer palace of the Maharajah of Mysore. I stayed there back in '91 and a room cost a massive £10 a night. Very Victorian, very Raj. There was an open fire in every room and the lad that showed me my room was somewhat put out that I didn't want the fire lit over night.

We stayed 2 nights in Ooty but despite looking can’t remember the name of the hotel but it was situated on the main drag. As we were checking in there was a sign on reception stating upgrades were available. I said we would like an upgrade & were taken to this room where the seating area held two three piece suites & behind that was a table & 12 chairs. Our room was turned down each night & fresh fruit was topped up constantly. On the morning of departure I went to settle the bill & our upgrade cost for the 2 nights approximately £4. We loved the Western Ghats & if your into tea plantations this is the place to visit. As we travelled to Ooty there was a comfort break & as we parked up for roughly 15 minutes a crowd of over 100 people stood on the roadside just staring at us, at first we felt uncomfortable about this but when we realised we weren’t in any danger we relaxed & just smiled at them. A lovely area of India.
By the way Sniffer your the first person I’ve ‘met’ that’s visited Ooty

How did you find driving there? I went to Ooty on a bus and it was a scary ride.
For those who don't know, Ooty (which is a shortened version of its various names) is a hill station - ie a little bit of England on the top of a mountain. Being at altitude it was a cool escape from the summer heat for the officers of the East India Company.
Going up the winding, narrow, switchback roads clinging to the side of the cliff offered fantastic views across the plains below but it also offered the occasional burnt out, crumpled wreck of a lorry or - feel the chill of fear - a bus very similar to the one I was in. It was very much a case of concentrating on the positive: "Oh look there are some monkeys in that tree", "I wonder how many people died in that crash", "Yes, I think they may be Langurs". All very unnerving. On the way back down I got the train. It was an early start but the views of the plantations emerging from the early morning mist was worth it. And it felt a hell of a lot safer.

[NottinghamWhite]

We were on a guided tour but the traffic was something else. Lorries & cars overtaking when it seemed impossible & the constant beeping of horns, a proper white knuckle ride We also visited Cochin which is the only other place of note.

[Sniffer]

Ah yes, Cochin. Nice place but I got bitten to buggery by mozzies there. Visited the coir factory and the church of St Francis where Vasco Da Gama was originally buried. I can't remember if I did the backwater trip from there to Alleppey or if I got the bus to Alleppey and did the boat from there. Whatever, it was a lovely experience reaching the destination just as the sun was setting.

[NottinghamWhite]

I disappeared into a bush for a wazz & when I emerged the leg of my Rowan trousers were red, my first ever encounter with a leach. Took awhile to stop the flow of blood by which time my right leg was covered. The guide who was having a cigarette just casually bent down & put his fag on the leach & it dropped off. Mosquitoes love me too, what is the purpose of them ? The hotel we stayed in on the outskirts of Cochin we had a lot of trouble with monkeys, nasty buggers.

[Selby White]

India although wasn't high on my priority list but is a place Mrs SW really wants to see so at some stage i expect us to be visiting.