Travel Stuff
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What the puck?
i know nothing about hockey, or ice hockey as only the English call it. But I know that the guy winning the interval competition shouldn’t really be scoring more goals than the home team. In fairness, I should have warned the Vancouver Canucks that I was coming. Whenever I casually book a ticket for any…
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Off my trolley
I dislike being labelled a tourist. I’ve always preferred the term “traveller” or – if I’m feeling especially smug – “explorer”. I enjoy drifting off the main guide book pages and wandering down a backstreet to finding out where the locals go. So it’s somewhat disturbing to find myself buying a ticket for the Vancouver…
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A touch of class
I’d been hoping that, for some bizarre reason, nobody would want to travel between London and Vancouver on Easter Monday, and I’d be offered a cheap, if not free, upgrade from Air Canada. Business class had been available – but at more than £800 I didn’t think I could justify the cost versus the amount…
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Taking the biscuit
There was a time when a First Class ticket meant absolute luxury, personal service, gourmet dining and immense comfort. Unfortunately that time is not at weekends or Bank Holidays on East Midlands Trains. Take the 0805 from Nottingham to London on a regular weekday and your ticket buys you a cooked breakfast, at seat service…
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Tourist Misinformation
It’s Good Friday, and thousands are in the centre of Nottingham soaking up the Spring sunshine, making the most of the holiday atmosphere in our wonderful shops, bars and restuarants. What’s not to like? Well, for the two couples I spotted outside the city’s Tourist Information Centre, it’s more a case of what is to like,…
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Time travelling through the woods
A trip that begins with the directions “make your way through the partly abandoned wireworks and turn right” really ought to be confined to an episode of Scooby Doo. But my walk today involves no ghosts, disgruntled fairground managers or enormous sandwiches in the basement. This is where I first fell in love with the…
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I want conversation, not compensation
If someone had told you ten years ago that you’d be having a virtual conversation with a big company whenever you wanted to complain, you’d have laughed. Social media has transformed the way we, the cutsomer, has a rant when things go wrong. Yet immediacy doesn’t always equate to a swift resolution of the issue,…
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Castles and Tattoos
I’m quickly learning the double meaning of certain Scottish phrases, “session” being the dual terminology for watching live music while simultaneously consuming lots of drinks. Fortunately it’s a breezy morning which makes then climb up the Royal Mile all the more bearable, fulled by pancakes from the City Cafe (“diner by day, drinks by night”)…
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Judge and Jury’s
“Ahh know you frem somewhere,” says Ken. It’s not exactly the kind of welcome I was expecting in Edinburgh. But Ken is convinced we’ve met before. It’s unlikely as we live in completely different cities and work in different trades. Yet somehow he recognises me in the cosy bar of the Jolly Judge, a hidden…
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Da Business
Once in a while it’s nice to treat yourself. And coming back to the UK from the States is almost always a disappointment in one way or another. So, when checking in at New Orleans and faced with a tick box to upgrade my flight to Heathrow, the temptation was just too much. From speaking…
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