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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.

Countries, Ireland

Aery Christmas everyone

21st December 2023 funtime65

Aery Christmas everyone and Ireland’s national airline provider is feeling festively generous.

Because Aer Lingus have checked our list and know that what we really want from Santa is cheaper flights.

And so they’re offering…

4 million seats on sale from tomorrow, December 21^st to 15^th January.

Up to 25% off flights to European and UK destinations.

North American flights starting at €179 each way as part of a return trip.

New routes

And something new to look forward to for the New Year with new routes to Sicily, Crete and Turkey from tomorrow.

So you can add Heraklion in Crete, Catania in Sicily, and Dalaman in Turkey to your list of destinations to visit.

Adding to those Aer Lingus has introduced us to in 2023, Kos in Greece, Olbia in Sardina, and Brindisi in Italy.

Dalaman takes off on 6th April, Catania in Sicily makes its debut from 1st May, and Crete commences on 2^nd May.

Staying on trend

Now who better to share what we all like than the dream providers who take us around the world?

And Aer Lingus reveal that the top 3 European destinations booked last January were Malaga, Faro, and Paris in Europe.

While New York, Boston, and Chicago were the go-to American destinations throughout the entire year.

And where are the crowds at the airports most likely to be flying out to in the summer. for their sun.

Ole, it’s still Spain and Portugal, and who can blame them?

With Malaga, Faro and the Canaries all benefiting from the Irish and Hibernophiles adding a splash of green to their season.

Countries

Paddington is a gift to the world

19th December 202319th December 2023 funtime65

It helps when you’re furry and cute (a bearded Bandanaman perhaps) but also a certain Peruvian bear… yes, Paddington is a gift to the world.

Padders, who oddly but charmingly has a clipped English accent despite being from Darkest Peru, has never been so popular.

Well, it helps when you have the patronage of one of the most famous women in the world, the late Queen Elizabeth.

The duffel-coated one (Padders that is, not the Queen) is also the Poster Bear of Unicef.

And as bearophiles we’re happy to flag up this Christmas how Padders is helping children around the world.

Now, of course, we’ve all been inundated with requests for donations from charities.

And they’re all deserving of our hard-earned cash.

A gift of Unicef

We, though were taken by Padders and the invitation to show an act of furiendship to Unicef.

And give kids everywhere the chance to learn something of the world.

And so for the price of just £8 a month, the price of a good Merlot or Malbec, your little ones (or big ones) you can get Postcards from Paddington.

Now because I’m a man and have left the Christmas shopping to the last minute I’ve missed signing up before the big day.

But can get on for January.

When Padders will keep you updated on how other kids live all around the world.

Paddington’s adventures

Your little darling will receive a welcome pack with a travel journal and world map to log Paddington’s travels.

Each personalised gift is also marmalade-packed with:

fun and educational activities
stickers
postcards from Paddington
children’s stories
fact cards
monthly emails to the child’s parent or guardian

We all know, of course, that Paddington is a gift to the world.

Now it’s our turn to share him with kids all around the world.

Countries, Culture, Europe

The Child of Prague

15th December 202315th December 2023 funtime65

Enter a traditional Catholic home back in the day, like my Mum and Dad’s, and you’d see a holy water fountain, a Sacred Heart of Jesus with his bloody palms open, and the Child of Prague on the mantelpiece.

The ubiquitous image of an infant Jesus, holding what looks like an orb, and considered a blessing on the house.

Now despite a childhood of Jesuit indoctrination at school and church, the Child or Prague never came up.

Other than for us to place it with the other capital cities of Europe on a blind map for geography tests.

Prague, of course, was in Eastern Europe, cut off through the Cold War by history, politics and a lack of communications from the West.

Only as we were to find out when the Iron Curtain fell we realised that Prague was actually in Central Europe.

And with a longer history of Western influence than Russian.

Prague is our focus once again with the release of much-anticipated movie, One Life.

Starring Anthony Hopkins as Sir Nicholas Winton, a diplomat who saved hundreds of children on the cusp of World War II.

And, of course, Czechiaphiles as we are we will be first in the queue when it is released in our cinemas on January 1.

Now while the Czech capital has become a favourite of stag and hen parties.

And it prides itself on having more beer drinkers per head of population than anywhere on the planet, it is also a history buff’s haven.

Not that everybody appreciates that although the proud Prague natives are quick to pull up anybody who fail to respect their institutions.

As we found out the first time up the Astronomical Clock when our guide pulled up an American teen who sniffily put down the capital’s No.1 attraction.

Clock this

Of course, the Astronomical Clock has plenty of competition in that area.

And the non-Jesuit teachers who fostered my love of history and World War history would be proud of me here.

As I tootled around Praha discovering how the citizens stood up to the Nazis and the Communists.

Czech out (sorry, it had to be done) the Cillian Murphy film Anthropoid.

And as you can see as well as being a city replete with stories it is also a favourite for film sets.

Now after our Prague pals had seen off Romans, French and Austrians they turned their attentions to the Nazis.

Butchered

And the Butcher of Prague, a title not bequeathed often, Reinhard Heyrdrich.

You can see how the crack force that took out Heyrdrich had their last stance.

In the crypt beneath St Cyril and Methodius cathedral.

While, of course, Prague bustles above you, its underworld reveals a part of the city

And its inhabitants’ story few see outside of the tours.

Nuked

And so, you’d never know about the nuclear bunkers in your midst unless you’ve got an expert with you.

Or the lengths the citizens went too to prepare for the nuclear war.

All of which their Communist oppressors convinced them that the West was preparing for them.

While you guide will furnish you with how life was for kids back in the Cold War days.

And how gas mark preps were a part of daily school life.

Now while religion was frowned on by the atheist Communists Habsburg churches abound.

The Holy Child

With our favourite little holy statue the Child of Prague is housed in the the Carmelite church of Our Lady of Victory in Prague.

And the history of which you will find there.

But if you want to be prepared check out the Carmelite site and find out.

About how the Child himself lost his arms but beseeched a believer to get them back.

Countries, Deals, Europe, Skiing

To ski or not to ski

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To ski or not to ski that is the question for those of us who like to slide away for a winter break.

Whether it is snowglobler in the mind… sorry we’ve started early on the Christmas sherry.

But with the ski jacket back on for the frozen north of Britain that is Scotland thoughts turn to whether to give it another outing on the piste.

Forgetting, of course, the fallings and throws of outrageous fortune (sorry, I’ll stop now) on the slopes.

EasyJet does it

Rock me Amadeus: With Mozart in Salzburg

Of course there is as always a choice with EasyJet flagging up their budget ski holidays and winter ski breaks.

The important thing, as always, is that we give ourselves a treat and a getaway.

The airline is teasing us with £27.99 one way.

While they’re indulging those who aren’t interested in skiing – or those other skiers would prefer for their own safety weren’t on the slopes.

With city breaks around Europe from £149pp.

Of course on closer inspection it’s even better than that.

We were drawn to the Austrian jewel that is Salzburg within easy train reach to the ski hub that is Soll.

With EasyJet offering a trip out to Mozart’s birth city from London Gatwick for what we’re calling a Magic Flight, for £17.99 one way.

Czech out Prague

Now there is never a bad time to take in one of Europe’s great cultural and fun cities, party-loving Prague.

And EasyJet will put you up in the Hotel Majestic Plaza close to the city centre for £300 for you and your significant other.

With the only slopes you’ll need to negotiate are the climbs up and down to the Castle Area.

And the steps up the Astronomical Clock or down the steps to their nuclear bunkers.

And don’t worry if you see what looks like babies climbing the TV tower… it’s just David Cerny’s arts masterpiece.

You, of course, will be able to take a lift up to the restaurant at the top and look down on them.

Remember now to toast each other or whoever you are with and EasyJet whatever you do.

Whether it’s to ski or not to ski or you take a city break… you deserve a great break.

Countries, Culture, Music, UK

England, a land of pure imagination

13th December 202313th December 2023 funtime65

Calling all chocoholics, don’t be a Wonka, follow us to England, a land of pure imagination.

The most anticipated film this Christmas sees Timothée Chalamet reprise Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka.

And the good news for Anglophiles is that Wonka was shot around England.

And you won’t need a golden ticket to get to follow in Willy’s footsteps to the locations in the movie.

Wonka magic

As if by magic Warner Bros Studios London in Leavesden was transformed from Harry Potter’s world into Wonkaland.

Where you can transport yourself to Scrubitt & Bleacher’s enterprise, the cathedral vault and Wonka’s chocolate shop.

The beauty of Roald Dahl’s world is, of course, that it is universal.

But he was informed by his English surroundings (yes, we know he was Welsh born)!

The Golden Ticket

And Wonka celebrates iconic English destinations.

The action begins in picturesque Lyme Regis in Dorset on the south coast.

Where Willy’s cargo ship docks in the town’s harbour

While Oxford makes a cameo with the Bridge of Sighs as a backdrop.

Or our old stomping ground in neighbouring Royal Berkshire.

And Mapledurham with its scenes of Willy and his mum and the willow tree and Thames canals.

Go west and you’ll hit historic and literary favourite Bath.

Where the Bath Colonnade is prominent.

St Albans in leafy Hertfordshire, north of London.

Where Verulamium Park doubles as the zoo where Willy and his sidekick Noodle visit.

Chocs away

London, of course, is the jewel in any English odyssey.

And St Paul’s is as iconic a building as any in the English capital (you’ll have to watch to see the reference).

All in the green and pleasant land is a perfect filling for Wonka’s world.

Ah yes. England, a land of pure imagination.

Countries, Culture, Europe

Rock me Amadeus in Dresden

12th December 202312th December 2023 funtime65

The great composer would find a lot the same in the Florence of the Elbe today which is the beauty of the Saxon gem… so, rock me Amadeus in Dresden.

Dresden, as we have come to know despite a British school system that tried to airbrush the WWII firebomb, rebuilt its grandeur.

With its palaces, kirches, friezes and Semperoper retouched in every finest Renaissance detail from 1789 when Mozart visited.

Such was Mozart’s renown that culture and opera lovers of the day would travel far and wide from his Austrian home

To Germany and across the continent to listen to the superstar.

Culture vultures

Much as they do today but whereas opera buffs then would rely on rickety stagecoaches.

Today’s culture vultures can just leave it all to the go-to people in opera holidays to the great music cities of Europe, The Institute for Culture Travel.

IFC is floating a four-night tour to buy for Christmas, in Hof & Dresden from Friday, June 14 to Tuesday, June 18.

Hof and running

Let me entertain you: With a Cassidy score

15^th June: Opera in Hof – Patrick Cassidy’s ‘Dante – From Inferno to Paradise’

You’ll start in Hof in this picturesque Bavarian town where you’ll spend two nights.

The highlight will be the world premiere of Patrick Cassidy‘s opera, ‘Dante – From Inferno to Paradise’ and a meet and greet.

Patrick, Ireland’s most renowned living classical composer, is known for his film scores.

And the aria ‘Vide Cor Meum’ from the film Hannibal.

Pure magic

Before you hit the road for Dresden and the master himself and that Magic Flute ‘Die Zauberflöte’ at the repurposed Semper.

Your price will include:

Return flight Dublin-Berlin
Coach transfers as follows:

14 June: Berlin airport – Central Hotel in Hof with lunch stop
16 June: Central Hotel in Hof to Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe in Dresden
18 June: Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe in Dresden To Berlin Airport

Two-nights in the Central Hotel in Hof with breakfast
Two-nights in the Steigenberger Hotel in Dresden with breakfast.
Meals as follows:
14 June: Lunch in Leipzig on route to Hof

14 June: Drinks reception and welcome dinner in the Central Hotel in Dresden with Patrick Cassidy in attendance
15 June: Pre-opera dinner
16 June: pre-opera dinner

Category 1 ticket to Dante – From Inferno to Paradise by Patrick Cassidy in Theatre Hof
Category 1 ticket to Mozart’s enchanting opera Die Zauberflöte at the world-famous Semper Opera House.
Walking tour in Leipzig (duration approx. 1-hour)
Walking tour in Dresden (duration approx. 2-hours)

Price: €1,493pps, Single Supplement: €249

Countries, Ireland

Hell and back for a good Christmas gift

11th December 202311th December 2023 funtime65

It sounds like where you have to go to at this time of the year for the woman in your life… Hell and back for a good Christmas gift.

Of course I have got back over the years since the first Noel when I followed up on the hint she’s been dropping all year.

And bought her a non-stick frying pan, and not just that but also a tray of puddings and a half a dozen eggs.

The following year she got a spa.

A dirty job

Suited and booted: Ireland’s Fittest Family

Buying presents for your loved one at Christmas can be a dirty job but someone has got to do it.

Thankfully we’ve been offered some help from our pals in our old stomping ground, the Garden County of Ireland, County Wicklow.

Now Kilruddery in Bray, setting for many a film and TV series such as The Tudors.

And down the road from our Greystones patch it is a verdant idyll we know and love well.

It’s as familiar with the Irish for the mud it churns up for the popular RTE TV challenge Ireland’s Fittest Family.

If it and other battle with the elements endurance challenges are up your street.

Then you can book Hell & Back events throughout the year.

No loafing about

Hell & Back Winter (Ages 16+) – 8km/16km – Saturday 24^th February 24:

Set against the backdrop of the Little Sugar Loaf Mountain, organisers Alive Outside have a course set to test all your skills and stamina.

There’s the dreaded signature Hell & Back obstacles such as Hell on Earth, Tyre Zone, Heartbreak Ridge and Satan’s Pit. A

And the best bit? You can choose to join them on this muddy escapade or just watch and laugh from the sidelines!

Family misfortunes

Hell & Back Family – 8km– Saturday 8^th June 24:

Now anyone with kids will know that their sprogs like nothing better than seeing their parents in trouble.

And this family favourite will test your mettle as your family transforms into a team of daring hellraisers where you’ll deal with everything from mud pits to high walls.

Expect lots of laughter, hilarious wipeouts and moments of glory that will be talked about around the Christmas dinner table for years to come.

And more from the organisers

Gift vouchers available for Alive Outside Activity Centre, the home of Hell & Back.

Ireland’s Only Outdoor Escape Room, Laser Tag, Easter & Summer Kids Camps and many more activities available to book!

So, don’t be an oul’ stick in the mud…

Remember, you don’t have to go to Hell and back for a good Christmas gift.

Kilruddery is the golden ticket for a Crimbo gift.

Countries, Cruising, UK

On the banks of the Thames

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A lot of water has passed under the bridge since I first washed up on the banks of the Thames.

With liquid lunches and post-work drinks taken in Reading’s leafy neighbourhood of Caversham.

The flow of time has seen us move on since I first took up a pencil in anger.

And she snapped the great and the good and was deservedly garlanded.

But still Old Father Thames rolls on and sometimes I roll on a cruise on the river.

Now you wouldn’t expect me to have to get the tube through London.

Le Boat comes in

And boats of all shades and sizes drift down the river.

With our old friends at Le Boat more than holding their own with those around them.

Meandering down from royal Hampton Court.

Down through our old Reading and Windsor stomping grounds to Oxford’s dreaming spires.

Drive it yourself

And why? Because they are offering savings of 15% off all boating holidays for next year.

When choosing budget and comfort boats for short breaks of three to six nights.

And boating holidays of seven nights or more, when booked before Christmas Day.

A self-drive Le Boat cruise allows holidaymakers to explore the western section of the river.

Here, moorings are easy to find and the distance between locks is greater than at the river’s eastern end, which means more cruising.

A royal cruise

Stop at King Henry VIII’s home at Hampton Court, head to his successor Charles’s Windsor for a tour of the Castle.

Or visit Eton College, where 20 prime ministers were schooled.

A seven-night self-catered cruise on the River Thames, departing on 25 March, starts and finished at Le Boat’s base at Benson.

On board a Caprice sleeping up to six, is priced from £1,539/£256.50pp (£1,819/£303pp,saving 15%).

Transport to and from the base is not included.   

So whether you’re taking a trip down Memory Lane (and a memorable Christmas party cruise) off the Piper’s Island pier.

Or you’re a first-timer get away from it all on the banks of the Thames.