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My Sporting Weekend – Marathons

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What can you get done in under two hours? I’m struggling to even clean the house never mind run a marathon.

Eliud Kipchogi is top of the world today after becoming the first man to run the marathon in under two hours.

I do hope that the Kenyan has a big plate of apple strudel in front of him and a creamy hot chocolate… he deserves it.

It is clearly a victory for Eliud and his compatriots but it is also a victory for athletics after the Project Oregon and Alberto Salazar scandal.

That’s all music to my ears as athletics was my sport of choice and endeavour as a kid.

Great days with Ovett and Coe’s rivalry and when I Scottish Schools cross-country champion and Scottish Road Relay gold medalist.

The Scottish rebel Ovett.

The home of Marathon

I never got up to Marathon level… I’m sure Eliud is quaking in his trainers.

But I have visited the home of the Marathon,.

Or at least the finish point of those first Modern Olympics in 1896 when I visited Athens.

I thought about taking a detour from my organised trip to follow any of the signposts to the ancient town.

Not that the Greek soldier Pheidippides had any such help.

But he did know the terrain when he ran the 26 miles 385 yards to Athens to report the victory of the Battle of Marathon.

It took him about three hours we are told although he may have stopped for a kebab.

Marathon city breaks are increasingly popular with social runners.

Combining their 26 miles and 385kms around the world’s great cities with a couple of days to enjoy their success.

Athens, of course, is the jewel.

Yes, we hear of the London, New York and Chicago Marathons.

But the Athens Classic Marathon https://www.athensauthenticmarathon.gr/site/index.php/en/ is closest to the original.

It will be held on November 10.

So check out direct routes with major airline carriers.

Rather than the circuitous one I took last month through Munich.

But hey, ho, it gave me a story… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/09/24/holidos-and-donts-my-airport-manifesto/

And Athens gave me many more… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/09/21/sporting-weekend-fun-olympic-games/.

A little local knowledge

And when you’re there you might think about staying at the central InterContinental Athenaeum Athens, Syngrou Avenue.

I found rates of €123.84 for a superior room for the night for early November. http://www.intercontiental.com

Now these are the websites to follow… http://www.aia.gr, http://www.athensattica.com/things-to-see/museum/acropolis-museum,

And http://www.athensattica.com/things-to-see/sightseeing/acropolis, http://www.athensattica.com/things-to-see/sightseeing/lycabettus.

For some Athens Riviera action and you will want to wine and dine after the Marathon… http://www.discovergreece.com/en/mainland/attica/athens/athens-riviera.

There’s also a bit of a Greek tale around that stay in the InterContinental which all worked out well in the end and showed me how hospitable Greek people are.

But that can wait, I’m off to train for a marathon.

MEET YOU ON THE ROAD

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Rock and Soll

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Alex Thomas belts out a mean tune in the Whiskymuhle in Soll, Austria…

As après ski punters throw shorts of Jagermeister down his throat to lubricate him.

He claims ‘You to me are everything’ as the greatest song of all time, accuses Paolo Nutini of cribbing ‘Losing My Religion’ for ‘Candy’ and refuses to sing Neil Diamond.

B know what ut nhe’s a diamond himself.

And you can give him a cheer on the slopes the next day… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/soll-mates/

I don’t know what rock groups Bressie’s The Blizzards and The Academic, who supported the Rolling Stones at Croke Park, are like and the first of those bands certainly have the name for it.

These two Irish favourites will headline the Soll Ski and Rock festival from January 15-18.

Braveheart spirit

Gordon and the Bravehearts (Scottish perhaps?) will play on the Wednesday, The Academic on the Thursday and The Blizzards on the Friday.

The festival will be run in conjunction with Ireland’s 2FM station http://www.rte.2fm.ie.

We all love a gig but of course you won’t be able to resist the lure of the skiing…

Soll will have a Ski Safari on the Wednesday, back to ski classes on the Thursday and a Hexen Challenge on the Friday.

Now I know Hexen from our Soll adventure but also from a previous drinking expedition, an adjunct to my much storied Oktoberfests in Munich in the Eighties…

Burning it up

It means witch and Hexengeist is something like witch ghost which sounds better in German.

You burn off the top of the schnapps and then drink it, a bit like Sambucca. It has some kick on it.

And I’m rather more adept at that than flying down the slopes, although in both cases I end up on my arse.

Fly to Munich, Salzburg or Innsbruck, all with easy access to Soll.

Book with http://www.wilderkaiser.info and http://wwwskiandrock.tirol.

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Whose cruise? Francis gets on board

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Francis Brennan knows a thing or two about plush surroundings, and here’s a manor with a difference….

Ireland’s favourite hotelier has hit the high seas for a three-part series on a Baltic cruise with Princess Cruises http://www.princess.com.

Francis will board Regal Princess.

Where we will get an insight into what life is like for the ship’s 1400 crew members.

Francis will step into the shoes of three of the most senior onboard roles:

Entertainment Director, Hotel General Manager and Maitre’ D.

Seems like a lot of hard work to me and I’ve seen first hand on ship visits just how much these guys have to do…

All we have to worry about is keeping hold of our OceanMedallion key… I clip mine onto my beardie.

The staff (or new friends as I call them) ensure we get to relax by the pool..

Look out in the morning onto beautiful views from exotic balcony suites, and enjoy the entertainment on these hotels on the sea.

Francis gives us a teaser as to what’s in store for the series, the first episode of which airs on Sunday, October 20 at 9.30pm on RTE One.

”Of course I had a few obstacles to overcome and at one point, for the first time in my life, I was actually speechless.”

Francis will host a number of guided shore excursions.

Exploring all that the Baltics have to offer.

The ship will sail from Copenhagen… and here’s a glimpse of that wonderful city and Scandinavia. https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/the-call-of-the-fjords/

Guests will take in Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Berlin and Oslo.

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Flyday Friday – Berlin

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Christmas 1989 was a special festive season as Berliners celebrated the Fall of the Wall.

And relatives, east and west got together at last to celebrate something the rest of us take for granted.

Turkey and all the trimmings and to pull a cracker.

Of course Germany is the home of the Christmas Market and many of our Festive traditions come from Germany.

Such as Christmas Trees which we have Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert to thank for.

All across Germany there will be Christmas markets which put our own to shame.

Which is why many of us go out there to drink their hot wine, eat their apple strudel and munch on their Christmas sweet treats and cakes.

Aer Lingus, of course, is making life easier for us with special offers.

As part of their Christmas Markets promotion.

They are offering up to 30% off their wide range of cities.

Including the German capital from €45.99. Also see http://www.visitberlin.de.

Travel October 22-December 18. Book by October 14. www.aerlingus.com.

And if you’re as big a fan of Germany as I am then check out my thoughts on these cities (€35.99) Hamburgers and ships… and Dresden’s renaissance (fly to Berlin with BA) and arrange transport from there.

And some recent thoughts on Munich which is €39.99… Hungry and Thursday: The Munich Beerfest.

Played in Japan

Photo by Satoshi Hirayama on Pexels.com

The Rugby World Cup that is… at least when they’ve not angered the Gods and they send typhoons.

All of which is bad news for Scotland who are set to be kicked out of the tournament because their group decider against Japan is set to be cancelled because of the weather.

And that means the match is deemed a 0-0 draw and they will go out with Ireland and the hosts progressing.

My not so bonnie wee Scotland could have done with such an eventuality in Russia in the football.

But back to Japan. I can’t for the life of me see why they held the tourney there in Typhoon season.

It is though a country and culture well worth visiting.

And KLM are the carrier to take you. Try next month or December at €601 return http://www.klm.com. And here are some other things made in Japan https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/07/24/turning-japanese-2/

Must fly… but there will be another air deal taking off soon.

MEET YOU IN THE SKIES

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Hungry and Thursday – Biscuits

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They are one of life’s little treats – the moreish morsel that’s not just for Elevenses… the humble biscuit.

Or, maybe not so humble.

Take the Garibaldi which has a heroic place in history.

It’s no exaggeration to say that without the currant baked sandwich there would be no Modern Italian state.

The great Italian Nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi marched his revolutionaries south to Rome on the stomachs of his men.

In the Risorgimento in the 19th century.

Garibaldi’s soldiers were poor peasants and refuelled on sandwiches with currants.

The legend travelled with Garibaldi when he visited the north-east of England.

Walk this way

It’s a different package holiday, I grant you, but gorgeous landscape. And there they marketed the biscuit and it took off.

I was energised with Garibaldi biscuits on my heroic march into Rome on my Via Francigena, my 100km pilgrimage from Viterbo… Small roads lead to Rome.

Of course I didn’t know the country as well as Garibaldi.

And while I had planned to mark my entry into Rome with a paper cup of Chianti and a couple of Garibaldi buscuits atop one of the Seven Hills…

It didn’t go to plan as I hit a small wood and by the time I clambered my way out I was in the old Olympic Stadium.

But I did get to sit on the plinth of a Roman God… well, it’s the kind of company I deserve to keep.

FrancigenaWays http://www.francigenaways.com offers six nights’ 112km self-guided trip April to October, from €570.

Biscuits are my cup of tea, or coffee, but mostly tea. Or best of all una ciocolatta di calda densa, a thick hot chocolate.

I’ve shared with you this week the tale of the Stramberk Ears from Moravia in the Czech Republic… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/10/09/the-czech-republic-wish-you-were-ear/

And how the Moravians took to baking their honey-flavoured biscuits.

After finding bagfuls of Christian ears at the bottom of invading Mongolians’ stash. Visit http://www.czechtourism.com.

And now that I’ve let the biscuit out of the tin… I’ll dig out other timeless biscuit tales, of Anzac biscuits, Scottish shortbread, jammie dodgers….

Off to do some digging. And dunking.

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Get your skis on – on the slopes

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It’s all downhill from here… and tobogganing and snowboarding and ski-jumping.

The snows were gathering on the peaks in Ehrwald in the Austrian Tirol on the last day of my Topflight www.topflight.ie walking trip last week.

Heralding the changeover when we start planning for the winter.

At the same time Topflight were dropping their winter brochure on my doormat.

Now while the holiday providers obviously go across the board with group ski and family ski as well I’m going to focus for now on first-time skiers.

I’ll zero in on the others in the coming weeks, it’s just that despite first strapping on the skis more than 30 years ago I must confess…

I haven’t come very far from being a first-time skier.

Now the best bit about Topflight is that they’re there to help and cut your costs.

And they don’t want you throwing money at a whole wardrobe of clothes and ski equipment.

Instead they advise you borrow clothes at the start until you know that you’ve got the bug.

I’m with them on that and also on the need for layers, good ski gloves and sunglasses and sunscreen.

Topflight offers a range of resorts for beginners including my old fave Soll where myself and the Scary One fell for each other…

Or was that fell out with each other?

You can read all about it here… Soll Mates.

Knowing that Andorra remains many people’s first ski experience let me look at Arinsal & Pal.

It has 63kms of piste and you’ll be wanting to get a Vallnord_Pal Arinsal pass.

This resort has built a strong reputation for getting newbies on their feet into their bindings and down the slopes.

I’ve picked out the Hotel Sant Gothard with half-board, massage facilities and a lively apres-ski bar and live music.

It’s just 800m from the resort with all its food, drink and entertainment options and 800m from the nearest lift.

The guide price is €729-€1329, based on two sharing and flying from Dublin.

The all-inclusive ski bundles are a good way to go with the first-time skier bundle from €339 for an adult and €160 for a child.

The bundles include six-days standard ski/board and boot hire, five days tuition (three hours a day) and a six-day lift pass.

So get your Topflight Ski & Snowboard brochure.

Try it, you’ll have bundles of fun.

MEET YOU ON THE SLOPES

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It’s The Czech Republic… wish you were ear

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Most people bring back a mug, a bottle opener or a fridge magnet from their travels… the Mongolians, well they had a penchant for ears.

Yes, you read that right. And, no, they were not ornamental ears, if such a thing even exists, but actual ears.

And they were pretty precise about which ears too… they liked Christian ones.

Which went down like earache to the God-fearing Moravians in what is today the eastern Czech Republic.

And so, a tip to what to do when confronted with a Mongolian tourist.

Dig a pond and flood him out… well it worked for the Moravians at Kotouc Hill in 1241.

And when the waters abated the Moravians found that beside the Mongols were bags of Christian ears which they had been stashing like scalps.

To mark that victory the Moravians have been baking Stramberk honey-flavoured ears ever since.

Stramberk, or Little Bethlehem, has continued to keep God on side since with the Feast of the Ascension the highpoint of the biccy-making…

I nibbled on an ear or two when my Czech friends came a-calling to the Royal Hibernian Club on St Stephen’s Green this week… http://www.czechtourism.com.

They’re tasty… and even tastier with Czech beer, Moravian wine or Becherovka, the Czech tipple which was first dispensed by the chemist.

The Czechs have many myths, mores and customs which I discovered ahead of my trip to Prague and the Spa Triangle a couple of years back… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/06/24/czech-it-out-2/

The Triangle consists of the wonderful, wacky and life-affirming towns of Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne, below, Frantiskovy Lazne and Jachymov.

Where visitors and locals fill their sippy cup beakers with lukewarm and salty spring water which i turn cures a whole range of ailments.

The story goes that King Charles IV, the then Holy Roman Emperor had a hunting accident in Karlovy Vary.

But found a spring which magically cured his wounds.

I’d have diagnosed Czech beer myself which I swear could cure anything.

I find out something new every time I catch up with my Czech pals.

And it helps me set a new challenge for the next time I visit.

Such as bathing in beer while drinking more beer through a hose.

Now how many cans will I need. I’m off to draw a bath.

Nostravia!

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The cream of England

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Cream on jam or jam on cream?

On such choices wars have been waged in England’s West Country.

The West Country is particularly close to my heart as that’s where the Scary One is from.

And she is particularly close to my heart.

So to Devon and Cornwall and their cream wars…

Now who better to find out how Devonians eat theirs than the Lady of the Manor at Sandhouse in Dorchester?

Carolyn Huyshe, who you can call M’Lady but I bet would prefer to be called Carolyn, will give you a quintessential Devon experience.

Over tea, sandwiches and scones.

As part of Insight Vacations’ http://www.insightvacations.com Country Roads ou’ll sef Wales, Devon & Cornwall.

Which is in its 2020 Europe and Britain collection which includes 100+ journeys and five new trips.

You’ll see Brecon Beacons mountain range in south Wales and also have a farm-to-fork lunch.

There will be two nights at a Bovey Castle in Dartmouth National Park and then that high tea with Caroline.

And that’s not all…. you’ll also get two nights at the 5* Red Carnation boutique hotel, Summer Lodge Country House in the village of Evershot.

So that’ll be the Wales, above, Devon and Cornwall http://Country Roads of Wales, Devon & Cornwall, below, (11 days from €2623pps).

Glorious Switzerland (8 days from €2363pps).

French Heritage (22 days from 5756pps).

European Rhapsody (10 days from €2385pps).

And back to Romantic Britain and Ireland (18 days from €3803pps).

Photo by Dominika Roseclay on Pexels.com

Insight Vacations is throwing in a 10% discount with the Early Payment Discount for clients who book and pay in full by February 27.

And past guests and Club Bon Voyage members can save up to 5% if they book by December 6.

And the difference between Devon and Cornwall cream. Devonians put the cream on top if the jam.

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Cruiseday Tuesday – It’s a Boston Sea Party

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Boston Harbor (without the u) was my backyard for a summer.

And I’d look longingly out to sea as I cleaned out the ice cream vats in Quincy Market in the humid heat.

I’d be daydreaming of those revolutionaries chucking tea into the water and blaming the Red Indians.

Back then I took one day off in 40 days and headed to Manchester, New Hampshire.

Instead of Cape Cod… I’d put it on the long finger and, like all things on that digit, I never got round to it.

So let me flag up American Holidays www.americanholidays.com to get you there.

And I reckon that if Cape Cod was good enough for the Kennedys!

AH’s Boston Cape Cod Stay and Bermuda Cruise is from €2,085pps.

You’ll spend three nights at the Midtown Hotel, Boston, with a seven-night cruise on Norwegian Gem.

Three nights Cape Codder Resort & Spa Hyannis with three days car hire.

Travelling April 2020.

Like Cape Cod I was on my way to the Bahamas but we didn’t get there… you will though.

Still it did give me more time on board Celebrity Cruises’ Edge, above… I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out To Here. www.celebritycruises.ie.

My little Princess

It’s an occasion, the naming of a new ship.

And you have my permission to name the latest Leviathan Bandanaman after my ashes are one day scattered on the Seven Seas.

Princess has named its new ship Discovery which being of the Scottish variety gets the thumbs-up from me.

Discovery was the ship Captain Scott took to the Antarctic and can now be found in Dundee which titles itself City of Discovery.

Princess Discovery’s inaugural voyage is a seven-day Mediterranean and Aegean cruise from Rome to Athens next November 3.

It can be combined with the subsequent seven-day Athens to Barcelona voyage to form a 14-day Adriatic & Aegean Medley sailing.

Of course Rome, Athens and Barcelona are among the world’s great cities.

Here are some thoughts… Small roads lead to Rome, https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/09/10/cruiseday-tuesday-11/.

And https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/08/23/surfing-the-seas-in-barcelona/.

And here’s a video on the naming of Discovery…. https://we.tl/t-iwpoCxuCYU. Also visit http://www.princess.com.

MEET YOU ON THE SEAS

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Hastings’ luxury Ulster hotels will cure your snoring

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It’s the most important part of any hotel stay, the bed, closely followed by the bathroom.

And from those geniuses at Hastings Hotels that brought you the rubber duck range…

That includes Rory Quackilroy. And The Duck and Duckess of Cornwall (OK, that’s mine, are you listening, Julie?).

Van vino: Van Morrison at the Europa

Comes this survey on what ticks us off in bed.

Me, I like a three-roll bed and always test them by seeing how many rolls I can get before falling off.

For nearly half of us according to their survey of 8,500 people (43%) snoring is the thing that annoys us off most.

The next worst is stealing the duvet at 13%.

I’m comforted that my two bad bedtime habits, coming to bed late and looking at my phone only rank at 7.5 and 4.6%.

Hat’s Van the Man

All a bit of fun, right?

Now Marketing Director Julie Hastings has compiled a whole laundry of sleep statistics if that’s the collection noun.

Among them how we get to sleep, none of which include my sure-fire method.

Play A-Z games, music bands, football clubs, world cities.

Even I bore myself to sleep.

You won’t have a problem getting to sleep in any one of Hastings Hotels’ luxury hotels in Northern Ireland.

So what’s Hastings’s secret?

 “Our Cloud Beds, which are now famous in their own right, are made bespoke for us by King Koil in Kildare and feature a deep pillow layer, hand filled with blends of soft cushioning for that ‘floating on clouds’ experience.”

The Queen of Dragons

 Hastings Hotels were voted Ireland’s top luxury hotel group in the Travel Media Awards and have earned a host of accolades at the Luxury Lifestyle Magazine Awards.

The Grand Central Hotel in Belfast was named at the Best City Hotel and the Slieve Donard was voted the Best Spa Wellness Resort in the UK.

The Hastings Collection has seven hotels, including the five-star Culloden Estate and Spa, the Europa Hotel, the four-star Stormont Hotel and Northern Ireland’s largest new hotel, The Grand Central Hotel – all situated in Belfast. 

Now I know a thing or two about the Grand Central, its seahorse symbol which is your locator… Belfast Chilled.

And its spectacular views from its rooftop bar.

And also the Europa Hotel from an intimate jazz cabaret dinner with Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco.

And Belfast city itself with its most famous resident, the Son and Heir.

Outside Belfast, the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa is adjacent to the Royal County Down Golf course in Newcastle Co Down. 

The Group also owns the four-star Everglades Hotel in Derry,.

And the historic Ballygally Castle set on the Antrim coast at the gateway to the nine Glens of Antrim.

The Son and Heir and his handsome Dad

That’s just a short drive from the Giant’s Causeway and the Game of Thrones Tour.

Which glories in the right grisly ends for many of the characters.

They’d have appreciated a good night’s sleep in the Grand Central before they met their demise, I bet.