And the first Black Friday had nothing to do with shopping and everything to do with sheeping.
The Scottish Highlanders were only 128 miles from London on Friday, December 6, 1745, when they decided to turn their army around and head back to their sheep.
It was an ill-fated retreat and their English pursuers caught up with them at Culloden, near Inverness, on April 16, and smote them, a thing they did then and very sore.
These days the only injuries you’ll pick up are sore shins in the shopping rush, although this year it’ll be ‘digital finger’.
Your favourite Travel blogger is always happy to take one for the team so here’s my round-up.
Flyday Friday
And it’s not just off-the-rail fashion or white goods that are Black Friday regulars… we all love our airline giveaways too.
Ireland’s national airline Aer Lingus carrier have a headline offer of €100 off for a family of four bringing two checked bags to Gran Canaria in May.
While also flagging up plenty of other sun spots from which to choose.
Ryanair pride themselves on giving more away more often and are championing ‘Every Friday is Black Friday.’
Friday cruiseday
And our floating hotel firms are all about the sails.
Princess Cruises are offering deals with peak season sailings from €769pp through November 30.
They have 14 UK-based voyages from seven to 14 nights, departing between May and October.
Eleven of those voyages will travel round-trip from Southampton to destinations across northern Europe (maybe taking in here), the Med (and this) and the Canary Islands (us too).
The 3,560 guest Regal Princess will be based in the UK from April to October 30.
Fares start at €769pp for a seven-night cruise during peak season and €1209pp for a 14-night cruise.
And they are recommending booking a cruise this weekend and get up to $400 onboard credit and save up to $150 instantly.
And why wait? Because this is what you get and here too.
Friday skiday
Slope off to the mountains, where there’s plenty of social distancing, with Crystal Ski and get €150 off any booking up to April 2022.
All 2020/2021 holidays come with Covid Cover and free amends up to 28 days before departure.
And because Andorra is a favourite of Irish skiers. Depart January 10, stay self-catering in 3* Sant Roma Apartments, Arinsal from €292pps (four people sharing).
While Italy is mine. And why not spend yours in Sainte D’ouix, at the 3* Hotel Martin, half-board, from €544pps.
Offer runs through to Monday. Includes flights from Dublin.
And I’m not stopping there… more Black Friday deals coming up.
What’s Italian for phew’ I’ve been walked off my piedi today in Bergamo Citt’alta e Citta Bassa (City High and City Low).
And phew too… Johnson, Schnapps and Co. are too late to quarantine me on my return. I was always flying back tomorrow evening anyway, so Sunday is troppo tardi, idioti!
David and Goliath: The Basilica
That’s if I don’t decide to quarantine myself anyway with the Bergamoschi (the people that is, not the local sheepdogs who share their name. Although…!)
La Prima Citta
Bergamo, as we all know by now, is where Covid-19 entered Europe.
To the greater glory of God
But they have taken the worst it can offer and are coming out the other side, and will prevail.
Or as they say here ‘Molamia’ (stay strong).
Chin-Chin
The Bergamoschi have done just that since Covid visited in March and shut the town off from the rest of Lombardy, Italy, and the world for four months.
To the greater glory of beer: With Matteo
But not from each other… or not in the ways that matter.
Matteo, my tour guide volunteered to help out the old and infirm.
Restaurateur Niccolo the same with his original ice cream and food.
Stay strong: The Bergamo credo
And model citizen Emmanuele, who lives in a palazzo on the hill too, as a volunteer.
All are heroes… and all Bergamoschi are an example to us all
La Storia
Perhaps it is in the blood. It is certainly in their history.
I am standing in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Ciitt’alta.
The Bergamo bear: With Matteo and Atalanta Bear
Where the Bergamoschi built a new church after they were delivered from the plague in the 12th century.
And filled it with frescoes, magnificent paintings and special picture boards of other scenes where humanity prevailed over adversity.
Noah anyone?
Pasta Basta
Ma mi scusi. I have just eaten my own weight in food and drunk today, a small lago di vino and must now repair to my bed in the Hotel Excelsior San Marco.
I scream for ice cream: With Niccolo
A Domani.
And if you want to slip on the Italian Boot to follow in my footsteps, here’s my Via Francigena, into Rome
While as the Veneto region is just over the horizon to the east, here’s the City of Frescoes Padova.
Ryanair has always retained its Irish quirkinesses on its way to conquering the world as the major low-fares airline.
Its harp, its name after founder Tony Ryan and its home passengers saying rosaries. playing the lottery and clapping on arrival.
Some unpronounceable name below
And they never forget where they came from and want us to visit, offering seven days in Cork, £17.23pp return, Monday, September 28-Monday, October 5.
Five days to Shannon, Sunday, October 11-Friday, October 16. down from £24.23 and five days in Dublin, Sunday, October 11-Friday, October 16. See terms, conditions.
Another great aspect of Ryanlife is introducing you to places you’d never heard of to keep the costs down.
Ergo the sale which offered among others, Lublin 106 miles south-east of Warsaw then I’ll let you know of the next i e.
They were offering €9.99 one-way in your Ryanair September sale. It ended midnight last night, Tuesday, September 15.
More Aer time
This is your captain speaking
And Ireland’s national airline carrier Aer Lingus want to fly us away too… for the price of a night out.
With prices from €29.99 they’ll whisk you away to Athens, Alghero and Alicante.
Now that’s the As I’ll give you a ‘V’ as in Verona and let you run through the other letters.
The offers end variously between September 29 and 30.
Lost in France
Everything you need
I may paint a picture of a Dickensian upbringing but, in truth, my Dear Old Mum did spoil me as the baby of the family.
And I’ll forever be grateful for everything she, and my Dad, did for me, including giving me my wings.
And allowing me to go off on a post-school camping trip to France, at the sane time my aunt stopped my cousin going.
Chic: On the French Riviera
All of which pricked a lifelong interest for Cannes and the French Riviera.
It all feels just now like being a schoolboy all over again as we wait for permission to travel abroad.
I’m still smarting that my Normandy and Monet trip has been deferred but it has merely whetted my appetite for France.
And here’s one resort too look forward to that is pure heaven.
My room (or floor)
Evian Resort in Evian-les-Bains, has the mineral H2O, of course, and the wellness centre with all those lovely spells.
But it also has family fun, sporting activities and camps, and even opera.
Families booking into the 5* Evian Resort (with free stay for under-13s) can also avail of their Le Fabuleux Jardin rooms.
And there is also a flexible 24-hour cancellation policy.
And the view is all mine too
Evian also have a Freedom offer, promising 20% discounts on accommodation from €264 per night to £238 per night for Hotel Royal.
And from €152|£141 at Hotel Ermitage.
And here’s an Ibiza beezer
It’s always sunny
My Dear Old Mum has always been a sun worshiper which is why one year she left my Dad and brothers at home while we went off to Ibiza.
7 Pines Kempinski has new 2021 early booking offers, a new Villa experience and a Pershing Yacht Experience package.
The table is set
There is 20% off their 2021 daily rate (starting from €300 per night) as well as a Long Stay Offer with 25% off for stays of eight nights or more.
Oh Mexico
As James Taylor sang to us in the RDS in Dublin ‘it sounds so simple I just got to go, the sun’s so hot I forgot to go home, I guess I’ll have to go now.’
Any Port in a storm… and the UK’s newscasters are all aflutter now Portugal has earned a place on the exempt list.
Although my old pals in Tobago are now off limits as are the Croatians (flagged here) while the Greeks thankfully have had a stay of execution.
Quite what the Swiss have done to annoy the Scots who have unilaterally shut the country down is anybody’s guess…
As welcome as getting Portugal back (and not a moment too soon) it begs the question why not the others too?
Testing times
The answer is here
And this is where airport testing would open up our borders again.
Our Travel Agents association here in Scotland, the SPAA (Scottish Passenger Agents Association) which is the oldest in the world, are pushing for its introduction.
But they, and airports, seem to be pushing against a closed door
Our airlines thankfully are continuing to keep routes open and are leaving the decision up to us adults.
Not so splendid isolation
And you’ll have a whole coastline to yourself
Whether we want to self-isolate when we get back.
Although for many who can’t remote work then that will mean a loss of earnings.
Spare a thought too for holidaymakers stuck out in one of the newly banned countries.
Who are having to pay inflated air prices to get home in time before the quarantine kicks in.
One traveller told of his experience in trying to get back to the UK from Croatia.
They won’t be stopped
Ryanair cut to the chase
Which would have involved him making his way across to Italy first and shelling out £450.
In the middle of all this madness Ryanair are still offering cut-price single deals.
Including Pula in Croatia and at a bunch of destinations across Spain from €9.99.
Aer Lingus go green (naturally)
And my friends, the Aer Lingus crew
Ireland’s national airline Aer Lingus carrier knows what sacrifices the public are making.
Which is why they’re making green list countries Greece and Italy even more attractive… if that’s possible.
And so they offer Athens, Rome, Venice and a host of other Italian delights and Greek gifts from €39.99 from Dublin.
Quarantine used to be something reserved for pets…
And don’t you just feel like you’re being treated like a dog by our UK Government?
So it’s good to see Ryanair, British Airways www.britishairways.com and EasyJet https://www.easyjet.com/en taking it to bungling Boris Johnson and the preposterous Priti Patel and threatening legal action.
Change is good at Ryanair
We’ve all been there when life gets in the way.
Or you just muck up your booking by not reading the times properly. OK, that’s just me.
And yes I’ve heard the horror stories of how you can never get through to a real person in customer support.
And when you do you’re more likely to get blood out of a stone.
Just the ticket
But when it came to it and I needed to transfer my booking to Tenerife, and it was entirely my fault, Ryanair www.ryanair.com came good.
The low-fare airline has a summer sale on with 100,000 seats from €19.99.
But it does have a deadline of tonight, June 19.
And there are no flight change fees for July and August.
Our friends at the national airline carrier www.aerlingus.com have even thrown in some free recipe ideas.
To get us in the mood, from French ratatouille to Italian pizza to Spanish tray-bake.
Bonjour, s’il vous plais attendez
Brevement, if you’re a true European, or live in one of those idiosyncratic countries like the Vatican State, Liechtenstein, Andorra and San Marino among others, you’re welcome in France.
If you’re say Spanish then you’ll have to wait until Sunday.
Then you’ll get back over the border without being put into a 14-day quarantine.
Bordering on excellence
The French-Spanish border is one of Europe’s oldest continuous dividers.
Although not as old as the Andorra frontier with France and Spain which dates from 1278.
Of course there being Basques on both sides of the north-west corner of Spain and south-west of France there’s only one thing for it.
It was a baking hot day and we’d have loved to have cooled down in the cove only the waves were misbehaving.
A couple of the more determined members of our CanariaWays https://canariaways.com party braved it in an eddying pool.
And they got their second wind for the rocky, body-sapping climb up to Afur amd a Franco-based pub… but that’s another story.
By hook or by crook
This story is about the reviving qualities of water and specifically ready-made water slides which you can find too in Tenerife.
And which big, and small, kids love.
Tenerife has one of the best, Siam Park has a rubber boat water slide, Mekong Rapids, or try the Dragon, a vertical zero gravity funnel for up to four.
One-day tickets begin at €25 for a child and from €37 for adults. See www.siamparks.net.
Sunny all year round
And, of course, the answer to a sizzling day in Tenerife is a November day, and here is one Canaria Ways prepared earlier.
It’s the footwork, dahling… turn your toes in. And keep the hands open, and dahling, trust your partner.
I half expect to see Craig Revel Horwood sitting opposite, giving out and holding up a 2.
Thankfully I’m not being judged on my dancing but my tennis by my mixed doubles partner Judy Murray.
Yes, that Judy Murray, tennis supercoach, mum-of-two Wimbledon champions, and just as importantly in our house a Strictly Come Dancing legend.
Europe’s new four ball: John and Jim
Judy has had half an eye on Ashley, Faye, Lauren, Stacey, Joe, Charles, et al this series.
A message from you, Judy
Only half an eye though as her main focus has been making tennis players out of the flotsam collection of wannabe racquet tyros I’m assembled here with.
In the new Campus sporting development in Quinta Do Lago in the Algarve.
Judy is running a series of tennis coaching lessons for young and old, good and bad, studious and messers, which, er, would be me.
That cow’s still got his name on it
In my defence her starter hooter was too inviting not to play keepie-uppie with.
Judy, though, as well as being very good at sport is a very good sport and even allowed me to waltz her around at the end.
Tennis and squash’s child
Another very good sport and one that you won’t have heard so much about is padel which is more popular in the Iberian Peninsula than tennis.
Former rugby international Max Evans who with soccer great John Terry took to the game on a trip to the Algarve, describes it as the baby that tennis and squash would beget.
And wash it down with some Portuguese vino
Played to the same scoring system as tennis, the big difference is in the non-string bats, the underhand serve, the fact that you can play off the side glass walls.
And, dare I say it, that it might just be better fun than tennis.
Judy’s work done, she gets a deserved breather. Me, I’m off to bother the gold pros.
Team of all talents
For four days I will have a team of experts tasked with trying to make an athlete of me, just as they can for you too.
With a Paralympian legend: Me and Brian Rohan
The professional at the Paul McGinley Golf Academy shows off the latest golf technology, tracking machines, sensory guides et al.
It can turn the most ordinary club member into a Rory or a Tiger, or at least on the odd shot.
If you concentrate that is.
But there’s always one messer who gets distracted.
Water trap: Have a chip with your dinner
In this case drawn to Paul McGinley’s buggy from when he captained Europe to Ryder Cup success at Gleneagles.
Ryder Cup glory
There’s a good reason why the big boys and girls in our party get to play The South Course, one of three Championship courses here at Quinta do Lago, while yours truly is kept to the driving range.
I do get to drive me a buggy, though not Paul’s Ryder Cup cart, which sensibly is kept where it is.
And I get to see the course, safely for me and the golfers, or at least that’s the plan before the boy racer in me kicks in.
My boat comes in
And I cut up the buggy in front and almost drive into the lake that skirts one of the greens.
I dare say I would have come up with my pockets bursting with stray golf balls.
Maybe I’ll fare better on two wheels.
Ride on
Quinta do Lago means Farm by the Lake and Quinta is at great pains to keep human athletic exertions and the natural world in perfect harmony.
Or a dip after your lunch
The Ria Formosa reserve which runs parallel to the course, is more geared to Shiny Ibises and Spoonbill birdies.
And yes, get off your bike, get your binos out and you really will see these fascinating birds scoop up their prey with spoonlike beaks.
I’d like to say I planned my disembarkation but the truth is I took one sandy corner too many and too sharply in my obsession to lead the party.
Hungry work
Eyebrows may have been raised as to my suitability to go back with the sensible ones on the roads, but hunger called.
The new mixed doubles
That hunger was sated as it invariably is in these parts by the harvest of the seas.
The world literally is your piscine pleasure in Portugal and no fish is safe, so I felt not a pang of guilt in devouring Dory’s pals, the lobster, prawns, clams, seabass both here at the island restaurant Casa do Lago at the Campus.
And more of that later.
For golfers, there is a green in the water for diners to shoot at but it was wisely out of bounds for us on the day.
If the Scotland manager is watching
The appeal of The Campus is its infrastructure and expertise.
Why else would it attract Premier League side Burnley, Champions League winners Olympique Marseille and Rio Ferdinand who runs a soccer camp.
Paralympic champion
While Irish Paralympian, road race great Brian Rohan runs The Bike Shed, which is so much more than just that.
Ask him kindly and he might even let you hold one of his Olympic gold medals.
And I’ve got my goal celebration sorted
Of course when it comes to sport we’re all of us experts, and so my last night was spent at a sports bar where I watched THREE soccer games simultaneously on the big screens (and who said men couldn’t multi-task?).
I’d like to say all the games were thrillers but I was in my element all the same.
Dancing Dad
I was tackling (cleanly) a chicken casserole for two, to soak up the beer you understand, while exchanging sporting trivia with my Portuguese hosts.
I was less good at the Halloween pub quiz I have to admit but always back myself against any Dancing Dad when the house band appears.
Get the yoga in
There’s always a price to pay of course for revelry and that is invariably a sore head the next morning.
Magnolia drive
Yes, the art deco style Magnolia where we are staying specialises in fixing that too…
The Mag burger, beef, bacon, cheese and lettuce burger and fries, with a special peppery sauce.
The secret of which the Chef, naturally wasn’t sharing, and a pineapple, OJ, coconut and SPINACH smoothie.
Are you watching Craig Revel Horwood?
I felt invincible again and was ready to show off to my new No. 1 fan with my moves, a dive into the pool (yes, strictly against the hotel rules).
But nobody was watching apart from Judy Murray that is.
I only mention them over the other equally fabulous and welcoming destinations who hosted me because they were at the extremities of my Travel footprint.
Do I feel guilty, or should you? Well, yes. How could we not the way Greta goes on?
Of course there’s a multitude of evidence out there on the world wide web to back up Greta.
And like everything on the net you can find anything to support your view.
And their contention that air travel was better for the environment than car travel.
They estimate that the world’s drivers go through 1 billion gallons of fuel a day against 750 million gallons for air passengers.
Of course the fact that one form of transport is less harmful than another is not a strong enough argument.
Against that I would propose the positive effects of air travel… in expanding our minds, our frontiers and our appreciation of other peoples.
While fielding the accusations of the Flygskam brigade that the world is only in lockdown because of selfish air travellers who carried it across the globe…
In big monstrous metal birds.
Just imagine though a world in which our possibilities were restricted by a lack of air travel, or if you will, the past.
A world where we only learned about other peoples through the books and information we are given.
Now I’m not suggesting Boris Johnson or Donald Trump are feeding such a narrative but here is a cautionary tale of what could happen when we close ourselves off from others…
Legend has it that the people of Hartlepool in the north-east of England hanged a monkey who they mistook for a French spy during the Napoleonic Wars.
I have always believed that we are at our best as humans when we are being progressive rather than regressive.
While obviously being respectful of the world around us and those with whom we share it.
And being aware of our limitations with many a salutary tale out there from time immemorial of when to pull back.
Such as the tale of Icarus who flew too close to the sun only for the wax on his wings to melt.
This, and many more moral fables of how we should live with the natural environment around us, are all around you in Greece.., https://athensattica.com and My Greek odyssey.
But like Odysseus I have gone off on a tangent.
I will deal with the other forms of transport in the next parts of my ‘In Defence of’ series which will include cars,.
And no car hater me… how could I be? I should by rights be driving through the Florida Keys right now.
But to leave you on an up… the South Africans have discovered a balancing solution to carbon emissions under their feet.,, This plant can save the world.
And our shared history has shown too that our medicinal cures too can be found in the natural world.
So here’s to when we can all travel again.
And a shoutout to all our friends in the aviation industry who are our dreamcatchers… #DontPanicPostpone.#loveairtravel.
This is your captain speaking
Chic: On the French Riviera
Reflections on Madrid
