Leaving on a Jet Plane #flying #holidays

Well here I am resigned to the fact that Summer is almost over.  The nights are pulling in and the mornings are taking longer to get light. I adore getting up with the sun streaming through the windows.  It makes me feel so much better about the day ahead.

Usually, for the last few summers, this has been my view. Gorgeous isn't it!  This place of pure heaven is in Kalkan, Turkey. Why not take a peek on Trip Advisor. 'Hotel Dionysia'
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/PricefinderPopunder

Turkey has taken quite a hit recently with the troubles and problems reported by the media. Pirate Mick and I were unable to travel to Turkey this year due to moving into our new home in May.  We had a few workmen booked and needed certain jobs sorting out.  Not mentioning trying to sort out the bizarre situation in which a joiner took two of our kitchen cabinet doors and disappeared into thin air!! No matter how many times I rang, text or emailed him!! These strange things always seem to happen to me. We had to go to a kitchen firm and order two new doors!

Anyway I digress, back to Turkey, I would not hesitate in booking a plane ticket tomorrow, jumping on a plane and going to Kalkan.
The people there are lovely and so hard working and rely on tourism. I do not feel the media  portrays how far away the troubles are.  Turkey is huuuugggeee!! Now I do not pretend that I know a lot about what is going on (In Turkey, or anything else for that matter) but I would not be able to go anywhere where I did not feel safe.
I am not a good traveller and think everything is suspicious, which probably, in turn, makes me look suspicious!!
I always try and be prepared when I am flying. Often things do not work out that way.
Once I got yelled at for wearing my sunglasses and was made to put them into the little tray for checking.  Fine, you think, until I explain that they are prescription and this meant  could not see when I was called to walk forward, which in turn meant annoying the security person even more! I get so nervous at the security desks and going through customs. I feel as if I should confess on any misdemeanour.

The first time I ever flew in an aeroplane was on my honeymoon with Pirate Mick.  I do not remember being scared of flying then.  We went to Sorrento in Italy and so a reasonably short flight.  I think I was caught up in the excitement of getting married. Sorrento was lovely and we were upgraded to a suite at the 'Hotel Tramontano'  We had a sitting room and courtyard downstairs and bedroom upstairs.
 http://www.hoteltramontano.com/en/sorrento-hotel-4-star.html
I remember the plumbing in the radiator having an airlock and Pirate Mick going down to the reception in the middle of the night, with less clothes than decency prevails!

The next plane journey was roughly the same time as we went to Lake Garda, Italy.  We walked down one street and was invited to try all the different flavours of ice-creams and then given a bill for testing them! Lake Garda was lovely and we stopped in 'Riva' which was holding a 'Mary Poppins' festival.  Slightly surreal walking down the street being passed by hundreds of children dressed as chimney sweeps.

Jersey was a quick plane journey but not as quick as 'Amsterdam'. By the time we were in the air, it was time to come down. On that journey we were offered cake or nuts. Now I am not a health and safety steward by any stretch of the imagination but maybe nuts are not the best thing to eat , especially if there is unexpected turbulence. "Please fasten your seat belts and try not to die by choking on the nuts". We stayed at a lovely hotel in Amsterdam. "Hotel Nadia" http://www.nadia.nl/index.php As you opened the door to the hotel you are just faced with many, many steps!!  Our room was up even more steps and that was why it was surprising to be woken at 4am by somebody outside our bedroom window.  I tried to convince myself that I must be mad but no, there it was again. People talking and banging. My first thought, which I am sure would had been yours, was that it was Spiderman. Again,Pirate Mick went down to reception and it turned out that it was workmen changing the billboard!! I wasn't expecting that!!
The room was so tiny that the fridge was over the bed!! I was frightened that it would fall on me in the night. However it was a lovely hotel and very close to Anne Franks house.
I swear we were so close to getting mugged in Amsterdam.  We were in the red light district at around 2am. We headed down an alley to cut through and it seemed really busy. All of a sudden we were the only ones in there apart from a man coming towards us. As we moved to one side, so did he and again to the other. He started to move quicker towards us and at that moment a large crowd of loud partygoers  entered the alley and the man swerved quickly away from us and disappeared!! (Disappeared through the crowd of people not disappeared as in a magic act!)Paranoid? Maybe!!
It was here that Pirate Mick was accused of being my pimp!! I was approached by a woman who asked if I needed help and was I in control of my situation.

Pirate Mick and I also went to Switzerland, France and Prague. I had miscalculated Switzerland and thought it would be warm. It was announced on the day we got there that there had not been snow for weeks.  The next day we woke up and it was thick snow.  I had to spend the holiday in the same clothes! The town was slightly bizarre in that we had to say if we wanted to go into town as the owners would have to be rung so they could open their shops.
The chef was chef, not just for our hotel but one down the road. This caused great hilarity whilst we waited for the chef to cook our courses and then in between, cook the other hotels down the road! This happened every night!!

I really enjoyed Madeira. We stayed at 'Porto Bay', here and in Portugal. Both hotels are beautiful. https://www.portobay.com/en/  Amazing swimming pools and lovely views. I even joined in an exercise class!!

Cyprus was the worst plane journey for me. I was feeling so ill on the way home and we hit turbulence as the tail end of a hurricane. We nearly missed the plane on the way home!!When we got the airport it said on the screen that our plane was delayed. As said, I was not feeling well and Pirate Mick left me in an outside area whilst he went to check things out.  A few minutes later he runs in flustered saying our flight had been called and was on final call.  We rushed to the plane and asked at the check in desk they laughed and said "Ah, the clocks changed the other night and we haven't got round to changing them yet on the screen!" Well I suppose it is not an important thing to do.IN AN AIRPORT!!

We have flown to Turkey four times. One year I won a large bottle of Bacardi on the plane! That was a bonus. It is just a long flight to Turkey and I wish they still did the films to watch to pass the time. The year we went to Portugal the film was in English but dubbed in Portuguese.  Even then it helped pass the time. Now you do not get anything.

Writing this I have come to the conclusion that I used to travel better when there was entertainment on the plane. I need my mind to be on other things. I suppose I could take some relaxants but I know somebody who took some prescribed medicine and ended up thinking they were a dog! I am sure that s extreme though.

I have added a few pictures from some of the holidays mentioned above. 



Photos copyright: Lorna Liza

Have you been on holiday this year? Let me know if you have any travel stories to share. I would love to hear them.

"Have I gone mad?. I'm afraid so, you're entirely bonkers, but I'll tell you a secret.  All the best people are" ~ Alice In Wonderland



"If happy little bluebirds fly, beyond the rainbow, why, oh why, can't I?" ~ Harold Arlen