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Countries, Skiing

Holiskis and don’ts Climate Change

8th January 2024 funtime65

Sometimes we get serious here but in our inimitable playful, so today we explore Holiskis and don’ts Climate Change.

Or suskiingability if you will.

Our friends at tour operators Ski Vertigo have reacted to global warming projections.

That the Alps could lose 70% of snow coverage by the century.

With a higher risk to those at lower elevations.

Altitude straining

Like an Alpine skier: In the Austrian Tirol

The average altitude for European ski resorts varies.

With most nestled between 1,500 and 2,500 metres with lower-altitude resorts around 1,000 metres common too.

And lower-altitude resorts are more at risk because of:

Warmer Temperatures: This leads to earlier snowmelt, shorter seasons, and increased reliance on snowmaking.
Reduced Snowfall: And less precipitation and more rain instead of snow. This limits natural snow cover.
Glacier Retreat: Many resorts rely on meltwater from glaciers higher up for snowmaking but there’s a rapid retreat of glaciers.
Snowmaking Limitations: Increasingly warm winters make it less effective and environmentally problematic.

On the piste list

And these are the vulnerable European resorts Ski Vertigo are worried about:

1. Chamonix, France:

Home to Mont Blanc and extreme runs, Chamonix (1,040m) embodies Alpine skiing.

Studies predict a 70% snow cover loss by 2100, threatening the future of the Mer de Glace and runs like the Vallée Blanche.

2. Cervinia, Italy:

Nestled beneath the Matterhorn’s watchful eye at 2,000m, Cervinia relies on meltwater from lower glaciers for snowmaking.

As these glaciers retreat, water resources dwindle, jeopardising the future of its slopes and après-ski scene.

3. St. Moritz, Switzerland:

This haven for royalty and ski jet set at 1,856m boasts Olympic legacy.

But warmer winters and erratic snowfall are shortening its season, impacting its appeal as a playground for the elite.

4. Madonna di Campiglio, Italy:

Reduced snowfall and shorter seasons are disrupting this 1,550m resort’s reputation as a lively winter escape.

The “3 Tre” run may soon become a victim of warming temperatures.

5. Megève, France:

This charming village resort at 1,123m is threatened by warmer winters and inconsistent snow cover.

Mont d’Arbois, known for its gentle slopes and views, may become inaccessible, silencing the jingle of sleigh bells and dampening the festive spirit.

And what to do

It’s not all doomhill though with Ski Vertigo offering practical advice for the average skier:

‘With shorter and more unpredictable seasons, being flexible with travel plans can lead to a better experience.

‘Consider last-minute bookings to catch optimal conditions or explore resorts known for their higher altitudes and more reliable snow.

‘Opt for resorts that are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact.

‘Consider your travel impact. Where possible, use public transportation to reach the slopes, carpool, or select direct flights.

‘Explore other activities such as hiking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing and reduce pressure on snow-dependent resources.

Have your say

Of course we have seen best in class from Soll to Val D’Isere and agree with our tour providers when they say:

‘Stay informed about the environmental policies of your favourite resorts and engage in dialogues with them.’

Countries, Europe, Skiing

Getting pickled in Swiss apres-cheese

6th January 20246th January 2024 funtime65

And something to nibble on for the month that’s in it… getting pickled in Swiss apres-cheese.

Because it’s the done thing among the ski set… or ski raclette if you will.

Now it’s been a good couple of years since I’ve been on (or allowed to be on) the slopes… in Val D’Isere.

Where I saw many a thing on and off the slopes.

Super Mario propping Asterix up and Ali G jollying Spongebob Ski Pants, Sully and Bungle along.

Green for go

But no gherkin, that’s the special reserve of Verbier and Val de Bagnez in Switzerland.

Where the sharp green accompaniment is revered.

And is personified now by the Hugo mascot flying down the slopes, all of which you can track on his Instagram.

And if you’ve never seen a green blob coming at you on the snow you’ve never been away with the Irish on the snow.

The joy of six

More on the Verbier-Val de Bagnes-La Tzoumaz destination.

It offers more than 300 km² of pistes to its visitors with its six diverse villages.

Verbier the cosmopolitan, Le Châble the accessible, Haut Val de Bagnes the wild, Bruson the authentic, Vollèges the discreet or La Tzoumaz the family.

Here, skiing in all its forms has found its footing with the 4 Valleys, the largest ski area in Switzerland.

Jolly green giant: And the Irish are coming

And a swathe of mythical slopes and peaks to climb and descend.

And for apres, the best raclette, Verbier wine and crunchy gherkin to wash it down on our table.

Trust me, getting pickled in Swiss apres-cheese est la route aller.

Just watch out for Super Mario, Asterix, Ali G, Sponegebob Ski Pants, Sully and Bungle.

Asia, Caribbean, Countries, Europe

The Yanks are coming over there

4th January 20244th January 2024 funtime65

Send the word, send the word over there, that the Yanks are coming… the Yanks are coming over there.

Bringing us 107 years up to date from George Cohan’s rousing American First World War rallying song.

And two World Wars and two Cold Wars later and the Yanks are still saving our skin.

Which is why I, for one, always stop to say hello and thank them for coming to visit as holidaymakers and ancestral researchers.

That and the fact that for My Dear Old Irish Mammy America was always the Promised Land.

And half my family went on to make their lives and fortunes there.

Welcome to all Americans

It seems that America empties around Edinburgh Festival time, any royal occasion in England and St Paddy’s Day in Ireland.

But while we get an awesomeness of Americans (the official collective word) paying top dollar on our shores.

It is Italy (and whisper that around the French) which is the biggest draw for Americans at this time of year according to wall art creator StoryBoards.

The study zoned in on keywords such as ‘flights’, ‘restaurants’ ‘ski facilities’ and more next to 43 popular destinations.

Italian Americans

And found Italy has 93,000 average searches from September to December.

Of course the food, culture and history is a draw year-round.

But it’s the winter markets and the great skiing facilities and high-altitude luxury in the Italian Alps which brings the Yanks back.

Now Japan is going through its climactic challenges jus now but it’s as popular as ever with Yanks.

With 33,275.49 average searches.

It’s the blend of ancient traditions and modern festivities, serene winter landscapes and vibrant city lights that does the job.

Thailand, a sunny winter destination with 88F average temperatures garners 23,000 average searches.

And it’s not just the beaches Americans flock to with the tropics and the temples high on the agenda too.

All Greek to us

Classical Greece and its islands where culture and the pace of life feels unchanged over millennia is fourth with 12,293.11.

While the Caribbean because of its proximity and its party vibe is understandably also in the top 5.

With Aruba claiming 11,096.67 average searches.

And so because we love a top ten here’s a blisticle listicle of where the Yanks are coming over there.

Blisticle listicle

Border force: The German and Austrian border

Italy: 92,969,

Japan: 33,275

Thailand: 22,933

Greece: 12,293

Aruba: 11,097

Hawaii: 8,868

Germany: 8,094

Jamaica:?7,320

Cuba: 6,885

Mexico: 6,536

Countries, Oceania, UK

Talkin’ the talk on Tolkein Day

3rd January 20244th January 2024 funtime65

And we’ll go full Hobbit and take a second breakfast and elevenses today and get talkin’ the talk on Tolkein Day.

Much like The Son and Heir when we decked him in felt cloak and feet and curly wig to watch The Lord of the Rings when he was but a hobbit.

The Great JRR was born on this day 132 years ago in Bloemfontein, South Africa, but reared in Birmingham before professoring at Oxford.

And ever since 1969, and the foundation of the Tolkein Society, Tolkeinites (or Ringites) have been raising a tankard to JRR.

John Ronald Raoul (and who isn’t intrigued to know what an author’s initials stand for?) moved with his family to Edgbaston when he was 4.

Brummie Bilbo

So that’s where we’ll start.

With the words of Bilbo Baggins… ‘step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.’

And that’s Secret Birmingham who point us to Hall Green, Moseley, plus Edgbaston and Ladywood.

You’ll visit his childhood at 264 Wake Green Road, no hole in the ground this and with many careful owners since, so don’t go in.

And Sarehole Mill which inspired The Old Mill in The Hobbit.

And Moseley Bog where Tom Bombadil lived, nay lives if you’re a Ringite, and the trees talk.

Edgbaston Waterworks tower will be recognisable as Minas Morgul, the home of The Witch King.

And Perrott’s Folly which Ringites will know as Orthanc, home of Saruman.

A tankard of Hobbiter

All thirsty work so you’ll want a Middle-Earth inn.

At the Plough & Harrow where Tolkein stayed a night before going to France to fight in the First World War.

And a blue plaque proudly adorns the outside.

Now, we know that there was a long, long unexpected journey there and back for Bilbo, and Frodo.

And so it is with our odyssey.

Hobbit Haka

It takes us next Down Under to New Zealand, or what we’ll call Peter Jackson’s New Zealand for our purposes.

Makes sense really as New Zealand, outside of the cities, is often compared to Olde England.

Matamata, or Hobbiton as it surely means in Maori, is a two-hour drive north of Auckland on NZ’s South Island.

With the Hobbiton Movie Set 15 miles from Matamata.

Or you can sign up to one of the many coach trips from Auckland or Hamilton or Rotorua or Tauranga.

We’re advised that it can take eight hours to get around Hobbiton.

Around the time it will take you to get through the trilogy.

Hole lotta fun

Of course, every Ringite will want to channel their inner Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry or Pippin.

And be that hobbit in a hole in the ground… and you can with a quarter of an hour in Bagshot Row.

Now knowing that hobbits are by instinct lazy, who like a second breakfast, a pipe smoke and a tankard then you’ll want to too.

And you’ll get the opportunity at a Second Breakfast Tour or Evening Banquet Tour.

While for those of you who like a drink you’ll be glad to know your tour finishes up at the Green Dragon Inn.

Where you can imbibe in a complimentary drunk from the Hobbit Southfarthing range.

It encompasses two traditional ales, or an apple cider or non-alcoholic ginger beer.

Second breakfast of champions

Now reading Tolkein as we all know is hobbit-forming.

And as a mere Bandanaboy I gorged myself on The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and for real nerds, the pre-prequel, The Silmarillion.

And Farmer Giles of Ham and the Adventures of Tom Bombadil.

Which gives me the authority to be talkin’ the talk on Tolkein Day.

And you’re welcome.

MEET YOU IN HOBBITON

Countries, Sustainable Tourism

The Big Reveal… the passports to access

2nd January 20242nd January 2024 funtime65

And as we plan our destinations for the year I’m reminded of my globetrotting Bangladeshi pal Asmery.As we post Big Reveal… the passports to access.

We met, where else, than at a Caribbean night in Barbados.

Where impressed by my Dad dancing (it’s all from the bum I was told in Soca class years earlier) we got talking.

And she told me how she had sold all her jewellery years earlier to begin her global odyssey.

But that possessing a Bangladeshi passport had proved a major obstacle along the way.

Which only made me think of the benefits of our own UK passport although that has been diminished by Brexit.

Meaning an Irish one, something I could apply for through my Dear Old Mum is a New Year Resolution I must finally follow through on.

Particularly as new travel friends have first-footed us with advice on the best passports to have.

Quality street

Global Citizen Solutions, a data-driven immigration advisor has unveiled its Quality of Life Index 2024.

Which they say is a tool guiding those seeking not just a change of scenery, but an elevation in the quality of their lives.

Of course, as with everything, Finland tops the list, and the Nordic countries take the first three places.

The Finns, due to their low-income inequality, social support and infrastructure, freedom to make decisions, and low levels of corruption.

With the Swedes on the same page and the Danes especially noted for their work/life balance.

All of which translates into the hygge which is so attractive to visitors.

Index finger

As for the UK, it holds its own in fourth, followed by Germany, neighbours the Netherlands.

Then Ireland, Austria, Spain and New Zealand.

The Index, as you’d imagine, highlights social well-being, but also sustainability.

In all there are six main weights of indicators:

Sustainable Development Goals, Cost of Living, Level of Freedom, Happiness, Environmental Performance and Migrant Acceptance.

With The World Bank, the World Economic Forum and the Sustainable Development Report weighing in with their knowledge.

From the horse’s mouth

‘We believe that a passport is not merely a document; it is a vessel of potential, a gateway to a life well-lived,’ says Patricia Casaburi, Managing Director for Global Citizen Solutions.

‘The Quality of Life index encourages users to explore the boundless possibilities that a passport can offer if you are looking to relocate.

‘But it is also a fantastic tool if you just want to plan your next travel destination.’

All of which is good to know as we plan our next trip this year. The Big Reveal… the passports to access.

Caribbean, Countries, Food & Wine, Ireland, UK

The ultimate New Year hangover cure

1st January 20241st January 2024 funtime65

It makes sense when you discover its magical contents, and for the day that’s in it we’re recommending the ultimate New Year hangover.

Coconut water, and who knew that the ubiquitous Caribbean drink (other countries are available) will put you back on your feet.

It’s all to do with the potassium, electrolytes, fibre and natural sugars.

All in those coconut shells you see traders carving out by the side of the roads that cost pennies.

Of course it might be that all that dancing you did the night before.

And the fruit from your rum punch and water to rehydrate protected you from the ravages of the hangover.

Or the fact that you’re in Barbados for carnival that makes you blank out the lethargy in your head.

Fry and high

Of course, there are those, ourselves among them, who swear by…

The Ulster/Scottish/English fry of bacon, sausage, eggs, puddings, mushrooms, beans… it’s replacing the lost salt, you know.

And I will forever be indebted to Donna for putting Jevan and myself back together after our all-nighter at Foreday Morning.

And giving us the cold splash of reality that is a hosing down.

To remove the mud and purple paint and wake us up… never a thing for those trudging back from Edinburgh this morning.

Bru knew?

The Scottish hangover cure they say is to just carry on (behave!)

But what is true is that the Jocks do swear by the elements in the bubble-gum tasting Irn-Bru soft drink.

Yes, it’s a rush of sugar but also that iron, although there’s only 0.002 ammonium ferric citrate.

But according to an expert in this field, Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, who spent 10 years drinking in 30 cities across 14 countries it deffo works.

Now if coconut water, big fry-ups or Irn-Bru aren’t your thing (and why not?) then caffeine is a favourite fall-back.

Cup of coffee for the road

One more cup of coffee: With my Dear Old Mum

I developed my taste for coffee from 15/16 and having it thrust into my hand the morning after a school house party.

How you take it is your own beeswax but I’ve been a black only drinker since my days at uni in frozen Aberdeen.

When leaving the flat to go down into the bracing wind to the shop for milk became too much effort.

Particularly after the first al-nighters with Jevan when he introduced me to real Bajan rum, Mount Gay.

Now where is that streetside coconut water seller in Aberdeen when you need one?

Now I am nothing if not a service-provider and of course the ultimate New Year hangover cure is the sunshine you get.

On the road with the Further Adventures of Bandanaman.

Countries, Culture, UK

Happy Hoginane

31st December 202331st December 2023 funtime65

It’ll pass almost every Scot here or around the world by, but what we’ll be celebrating today is a Happy Hoginane.

No, not auto correct gone wrong but the French name of our New Year’s Eve celebration Hogmanay.

Meaning ‘gala day’ in Gaul lingo.

The French having played a key role in Scottish history through their Auld Alliance with us Jocks.

And that nickname Jocks for Scots is a French buy-in too from the Stuart dynasty.

You know, those hairy-arsed Scots who went on to rule Britain.

Mary New Year

It all started with Mary Queen of Scots, who was married to the Dauphin, the heir to the French throne.

And returned widowed to Edinburgh with her French ways, language, courtiers and servants.

And bore the last of the Scottish King Jameses (there were seven in total).

Or Jacques, or Jocks, when the Scots have mangled it to their tongue.

Well, we all know about the showcase Edinburgh Hogmanay Party on Princes Street.

Where this year it will be Pulp’s turn to wow the common people.

Bonne annee

But in the land which spawned Hogmanay they still celebrate Hoginane under the radar of the fireworks over L’Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.

The French celebrate with le Réveillon de
Saint-Sylvestre with a feast including pancakes and champagne.

Another version and one that makes more sense to us is that it derives from ‘homme est ne’ or ‘man is born’.

From Normandy where they exchange hoguignetes, presents given at this time of year.

It’s a gift

Gift giving is an enduring theme of the Hogmanay in Scotland where for 400 years the New Year took precedence over Christmas Day.

With marking 25th December considered by the Protestant ascendancy then as a Catholic construct.

And pupils, my Dear Old Dad among them, attending school that day.

Among the pressies given out around Hogmanay through into the New Year with black bun fruit cake, coal, shortbread and whisky.

And all carried in across your door soon after midnight by a tall, dark stranger.

The thought process being that a fair stranger would be a Viking and bad luck… all that pillaging you’d think.

Now should you be oot and aboot in Scotland enjoy and maybe impress your pals with a Bonne Année, or Happy New Year.

And a Happy Hoginane.

Countries, Deals, Europe

Take it as red with Ferrari on the road

29th December 202329th December 2023 funtime65

It’s the very definition of cool and, of course, it’s a thing, following in the tyremarks of the world’s most famous racing car… take it as red with Ferrari on the road.

Now, there are those of us who travel the world for your benefit, with extra skill sets (and I’m reminded of my old Tobagonian pal Marsha reminding me I have none).

And who combine their love and expertise in travel.

By road testing the best and latest cars on foreign roads.

And, of course, Marsha would have smiled too at my cack-handed attempts at getting the Fiat Cinquecento out of the car park in Cannes.

To take for a spin around the French Riviera.

I’m a danger to myself and others which is why the Fiat’s owner did the driving then.

And why I would leave it to someone else,

Perhaps my own Girl Racer, to accompany me when I take on a Ferrari tour.

Hello Maranello

Enzo Ferrari’s empire was, as you’ll either know or will learn from the eponymous film, was built around Maranello in Emilia-Romagna in the north of Italy.

And, of course, Maranello and Emilia-Romagna is where you’ll find the most passionate tifosi.

The tifosi being the name for the Ferrari faithful who cheer on their every car’s move.

Now while Maranello will forever be associated with scarlet red racing cars, there is a rich cycling heritage around these parts.

Maranello velo

And next year will see Maranello host Le Grand Depart, the coveted start of Le Tour de France 2024.

And it is the first time it will set off from Italy in 101 years.

But that can wait and we will return to it.

After all haven’t we scaled one of the highest climbs on the tour anyway in the French Pyrenees.

Which way to Maranello? On the Pic du Midi

Because our focus is on the four-wheeled masters of the open road with the Adam Driver (had to be him, really) Ferrari film.

Unlike Driver who had to pass on the driving to a stuntsman.

You can enjoy the purring Ferrari on a self-drive trip.

Mulberry wheeeee

For less than £10,000pp Mulberry Travel will give you the keys of a gleaming Ferrari to zip around in… and a Ferrari Tour Director.

With British Airways flights, the best hotels to stay in and food and drink (not too much, now) all from £8,825pp.

Mulberry Travel’s packages, in conjunction with Red Travel (0bvs) range from a 1-day experience.

To an 8-day grand tour and are tailored around you.

You’ll have the opportunity to glide through Tuscany, the Northern Lakes and the Amalfi Coast.

Or if you’ve other faves in Il Bel Paese Mulberry are all over it.

Your director calling

In the hot seat: Driver, again, in Ferrari

Your Tour Director will arrange for your luggage to be transported separately to your next destination hotel.

Any technical assistance and ensuring that each day, your car is at the entrance of the hotel.

Clean, polished, refuelled and ready to go.

And if you’re of the mind, then they will enhance your Ferrari trip.

With a mini-break visiting some of Italy’s beautiful, romantic cities.

Now get this…

End your trip in Venice, though preferably before you hit the wate, and journey back to the UK by train on the Orient Express.

Si, signore and signora, you can take it as red with Ferrari on the road.

Countries, Europe

Christmas Cracker for St Stephen’s Day

26th December 202326th December 2023 funtime65

Spotted in an Edinburgh windae, Fae Leith Navidad… a Christmas Cracker for St Stephen’s Day.

Which only goes to show that there’s a Dad Joke for every day of the year if you only know where to find them.

Now yours have been pulled and disposed of among crumpled gift wrapping for collection which gags will be keeping?

Not ‘why did Santa’s reindeers have sore heads on St Stephen’s Day/Boxing Day?’

‘Because they’d been on the tiles’.

Which had Daddy’s Little Girl’ scratching her green and white Suntie hat.

St Stephen’s Day gag

And on the subject of St Stephen, his one and only gag.

An old standard which I’m surprised she hadn’t heard did raise a smile.

‘What was Good King Wenceslas’s favourite pizza?’

‘Deep pan, crisp and even’

You know the oul’ Christmas carol… ‘Good King Wenceslas first looked out on the Feast of Stephen…

‘Where the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.’

And like me you may have been given a tin of Dancing Dad jokes this year.

Although I reckon I probably wrote them all.

Wenceslas Square

Now back on Good King Wenceslas you can find him, of course, in proud Prague.

Peerless on his stead in Wenceslas Square.

Wenceslas Square is where Czechs assemble at their most perilous moments.

And they, of course, met there for a poignant candle procession for the Charles University shootings.

Just as they have throughout their history.

As with all the best legends there is a myth surrounding it.

And this one surrounds a young adventurer Bruncvik and his quest to return to his true love Neomenia.

And a secret magic sword (aren’t they all) hidden somewhere among the stones of Charles Bridge.

The Sword of Truth

Yes, you guessed it, only one man knows where it is, King Wenceslas.

And he will return to wield it when his people are at their most vulnerable.

The stone of the Statue will burn away and from the ashes will emerge King Wenceslas.

When he will issue his cri de coeur ‘Sleeping Army of Blanik, rise from your slumber!”

Be warned.

Czech out the history

Of course, the Czechs have long endured invaders, from the Hapsburgs through the Nazis to the Communists.

Biding their time before striking back.

As they did in 1945, to chase the Nazis out of Wenceslas Square.

And again in 1968 where they bravely took the fight to the Soviets who met that by rolling their tanks into the Czech capital.

The Czechs did what they had always done, bedded down, and took on the ‘power to the people’ exhortations of John Lennon, at the Lennon wall.

Before they had their salvation with the Velvet Revolution in 1989 which they celebrated you know where.

A Square deal

So, if you’re lucky enough to be in Wenceslas Square then get yourself your selfie with the our hero.

If you’re a local you’ll probably have met at his tail for a date which is tradition.

And you’ll certainly want to buy something from their dinky tabak kiosks.

And note to Son and Heir who finished off my Becherovka and said he would buy another bottle.

You can get them here, and obviously anywhere in the Czech capital but it’s more fun from a kiosk shaped like a Becherovka bottle.

So Prague is where you want to be today, and many other days tbh.

Wenceslas Square where it’s a Christmas Cracker for St Stephen’s Day.

Countries, Europe, Pilgrimage

First Nativity Scene in Greccio

25th December 202325th December 2023 funtime65

There are, alas, rooms aplenty in Bethlehem this Christmastime, so we’re off to Italy, where 800 years ago St Francis gave us the First Nativity Scene in Greccio.

The choice of an Umbrian cave was because the saint felt it resembled closest a Bethlehem cave.

And so Frankie asked that a donkey and an ox, some hay and a manger be brought to the cave on Christmas Eve.

And he invited other friars and people from the village, creating a living Nativity scene.

With locals playing Jesus, Mary & Joseph and their little donkey and ox playing themselves.

Greccio, you say… well, it’s a village on the edge of a wood, 80km north of Rome.

Where 100,000 devotees swell the ranks of Greccio and its surrounds every year.

And where Pope Francis came early this year to mark eight centuries since his namesake started the tradition.

Jesus, Mary & Joseph

I’m Francis too: Pope in Greccio (Vatican Media)

Now not all of us have spare donkeys, oxen and sheep to hand unless we live on a farm.

So we set up our own ones, anything from wee plastic Jesus, Mary & Josephs and the animals.

To more ornate cribs, the best, most elaborate being in Greccio.

Where at this time of year nativity scenes spring up.

From miniature works in the brickworks of walls to larger displays in front of hotels and guesthouses.

Born is the one

But it’s the Sanctuary where you’ll be headed.

Where you’ll enter the Cappella del Presepio, the Chapel of Nativity Scene.

And witness a partially restored ancient mural of a nativity scene that marks where St Francis held the Mass.

They can also see images of our saint painted on walls around the village.

And visit the International Nativity Museum in the Church of Santa Maria.

With its exhibits of nativity scenes made by different orders from around the world.

So while we do of course pray for all children born today and particularly those in a little town of Bethlehem.

We can give homage to the First Nativity Scene in Greccio.