Travel Stuff
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Heading East
Ahh, East Midlands Airport; how I’ve missed you. I say “missed” in a way akin to missing a case of the squits. You never quite know when they’re going to come back, but boy do you know about it when they do. In fairness we should remember that barely two years ago flying anywhere from…
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Destination Poland
In recent years my travels have taken me to what many still see as the “new” countries of Eastern Europe. New in the sense that true democracy has only come about in our lifetime. People of my age can clearly recall the events that saw the former Soviet republics fall one by one. But for…
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It’ll all end in piers
Harbours are often the business end of town, a place where a paint job is more likely to be given to the underside of a boat than to a few railings to make the place look prettier. Southwold is no different, and although it looks underdeveloped and slightly down at heel, this is a working…
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Meet the family
As previously mentioned, the whole of the pub scene in Southwold is tied up by one name. You can’t escape Adnams while you’re here, so I thought I should investigate some more – strictly in the name of research, of course. My original plan was to go on an official brewery tour, which these days…
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Surreal Southwold
After a decade of travel blogging, today feels strange in all kinds of ways. Yes, during the Covid pandemic I’ve been lucky enough to at least get some travel in – notably to Pisa and Tuscany last September. But since then it’s all been about lockdown, or the gradual lifting of lockdown. International travel seems,…
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Pisa’s perfect piazzas
It’s our final day in Pisa, and although we’ve seen it from the outside, it’s time to take a trip up the tower itself. Social distancing means visitors are restricted to groups of 25 people at a time, which suits me rather well. I’ve been up towers around the world and one of the worst…
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A foray to Florence
Italy was one of the mainstays of The Grand Tour – a traditional trip through Europe for the well to do in the 17th and 18th Centuries. And within that, Florence was considered to be one of the real cultural highlights. It’s not hard to see why. Just five minutes walk from the main railway…
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Life’s a beach – and then you eat
The temperatures have dropped today to a chilly 28 celsius, so it’s time to head out if Pisa and to the coast. Once again, the train is our friend and in just 20 minutes takes us to the seaside resort of Viareggio. It’s famous for its annual carnival – and while the Pandemic has put…
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A city for explorers
Pisa is ideally situated to as a base to explore the region of Tuscany and beyond. And Italy’s state run railway means there are good connections to the rest of the country. There are no advanced fares or special deals, which makes booking tickets on the TrenItalia website a hassle free experience. One thing to…
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A tower, two churches and a cemetery.
During these socially distanced times, welcoming thousands of visitors each day to a series of major tourist attractions is a balancing act. And in Pisa it seems to have been achieved rather well. Yes, there are queues for the tower, and you may have to book a specific time slot to visit some of the…
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