Tag: www.stenaline.co.uk

Countries, Europe, Ireland, UK

Rainy days and songdays

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Music places us in a time, in a place, with friends…. and nobody knows that better than musicians which is why I give you Michael Rafferty.

Of Northern Irish powerhouses The Minnows and his covers band The Handsome Princes.

All while he is one half of a top duo, PR stalwarts Duffy Rafferty, with fellow Travel expert Lawrence Rafferty.

Stena style

They boast StenaLine www.stenaline.co.uk as one of their clients and they have literally continued to negotiate the stormy waters.

Still sailing

Continuing to sail from Ireland to Scotland and even delivering The Son and Heir, who had become an adopted Belfast Boy Belfast Chilled, back to us in Edinburgh.

Back to the story and Michael is putting a smile on all our faces with his daily songs and transporting us to dreamlands… and is also taking requests.

Homeward bound

Homeward bound: On Stena on the way back from Northern Ireland to Scotland

And you can check out The Minnows on their Facebook page… https://m.facebook.com/theminnows/.

A Rising Star

As for me and my singing prowess I was done up like a kipper at the karaoke concert hall in Rising Star in CityWalk Universal Orlando https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/

When my hosts Fiona and Natalie put me up to sing Lady Marmalade, although I did not learn my lesson and reprised it with Mr Brightside.

No, I haven’t a Scooby either: At Universal Studios Hollywood

No, I don’t have a Scooby either. At Universal Studios Hollywood

You can read all about my Orlando adventures in Aaawlando… Orlando, the rollercoaster capital, Why I love The Donald,

And more Universal in Hollywood Studios https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/web/en/us/ and My Weekend With Marilyn.

But back to video of Bandanaman singing.

Now where better than the Bosphorus on our visit to Istanbul https://visit.istanbul with Turkish Airlines https://www.turkishairlines.com.

And Wham bam, thank you Hamam.

And showcasing my pal Ian Bloomfield of Irish Travel Trade News… www.ittn.ie

Move aside Bjorn and Benny, we’re taking your places opposite the girls. Bagsy me Agnetha.

And I’ll bring you more songs that transport me back to fave destinations in the coming days.

Tell me too your songs from your holidays.

Countries, Ireland, UK

Scotland-Ireland – Other bridges of highs

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Blowhardery from Boris Johnson or another feat of Scottish engineering to match the Forth Road and Rail Bridges?

The proposed £40billion bridge between Portpatrick in Scotland and Larne, all 20 miles of it.

Above Beaufort’s Dyke which was a munitions dump from the Second World War.

Is this all being blown out of all proportions… let me know.

In the meantime, here are five bridges which connect countries.

Svinesund Bridge

Sweden to Norway: The Svinsund is more straightforward, connecting Norway with Sweden.

Opened in 2005, its total length is 2310ft.

Sweden felt tantalisingly within reach when we cruised from Kiel in Germany to Copenhagen and up the Norwegian fjords The call of the fjords.

See www.visitsweden.com and www.visitnorway.com.

The Oresund Bridge

Sweden to Denmark: These Scandinavians really do love their bridges.

Opened in the Millennium year 2000 the Oresund is a bridge that turns into a tunnel.

The idea is that it runs nearly five miles to the artificial island Peberholm in the middle of the strait.

Before it transfers to the two-and-a-half-mile Drogden Tunnel to the Danish island of Amager.

Also see www.visitdenmark.com.

Guadiana International Bridge

Spain to Portugal: Or more precisely from Ayamonte to Castro Marim.

Opened in 1991, there’s more of it on the Portuguese than Spanish side. All in it’s 2185ft.

And, of course it’s the oldest continuous border in continental Europe.,. Secret Portugal.

And see www.visitportugal.com and https://www.spain.info/en_GB/.

Libertador General San Martín Bridge

Argentina to Uruguay: And this one runs between Puerto Unzué snd Fray Bentos.

Opened in 1972, it spans 3.7 miles and means you get your Fray Bentos meat pie all the quicker.

See https://www.argentina.travel/#!/global/home?lang=en and https://turismo.gub.uy/index.php/en/.

Tancredo Neves Bridge

Brazil to Argentina: Another that bridges two South American rivals… and is better known as the Fraternity Bridge.

Crossing the Iguassu River it stretched 1604ft and was opened in 1985.

And was inspired by the construction of the Friendship Bridge between Brazil https://www.visitbrasil.com and Paraguay in 1965.

And back to an Ireland-Scotland bridge, don’t tell Stena https://www.stenaline.co.uk, a Swedish firm remember, who are my bridge between my two countries.

America, Countries, Cruising, Europe, Food, Food & Wine, Ireland, UK

Hungry and Thursday – funny food

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Food should be fun and taken out of the hands of foodies… and chefs.

I’m writing this while eating my Swedish ‘vacuum cleaners’ or dammsugare for fika. These are named after the tube-shaped vacuum cleaners of the Fifties.

I had been given them in my godispase, or goody bag.

Clean sweep

Let’s break bread

The godispase had come courtesy of the Stena Estrid, Swedish ferry cruise company‘s http://www.stenaline.ie.

And www.stenaline.co.uk maiden journey between Holyhead and Dublin.

It is, in truth, the closest I will get to a vacuum cleaner but it shows the Swedes’ sense of fun.

Star in Stripe

To name this sweet after a common household gadget.

And it’s good to see that the world has been watching because it’s not for nothing that Jim Henson looked to Scandinavia for his madcap Swedish Chef.

The dammsugare got me thinking about other funny food you can pick up around the world.

Every city with a well-known red light district obvs like Amsterdam Pictures of Amsterdam and George Clooney and Amal’s Amsterdam hotel.

Where they also have Middle Eastern food skewered on an actual scimitar in Bazaar.

It’s a remodelled old mosque in fashionable De Pijp http://www.hotelbazar.nl/en/restaurant-bazar-amsterdam/ And www.iamsterdam.com.

Get a grip

But also unexpectedly in Portugal Centro Secret Portugal and www.visitportugal.com where I found a shop selling chocolate penises.

While this mug gives a new spin on your hot chocolate.

Get a handle on this

What else is out there I hear you ask.

And where are the sweetie cigarette, cigars and pipes we used to have as children?

Probably replaced with chocolate joints.

And, of course, any excuse to plug this fun for food fixture from my trip on Celebrity Edge around the Bahamas… www.celebritycruises.ie.

With I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out To Here.

The Germans are funny… full stop. Which gives a lie to the myth that they have no sense of humour.

That’ll all fir in

And there is no elegant way to eat a hamburger… ich bin ein Hamburger Hamburgers and ships and www.hamburg-tourism.de.

While the Norwegians have a playful relationship with their trolls… The call of the fjords and www.visitnorway.com.

With my very own Scary One… and MSC Cruises www.msccruises.ie.

While I love the taste of the sea too and few do it better than my own wee country Scotland and my adopted one Ireland, north and south…

That’s www.visitscotland.com, www.discovernorthernireland.com and www.tourismireland.com.

With a tasting menu of the best of Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

With Catherine Fulvio at Ballyknocken

America http://www.visitusa.ie and http://visitflorida.com and is the country who put fun and funk into dysfunction and my safari food out with Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge http://www.disneyworld.disney.go.com in Florida brought me this nature feast below… it’s all natural.

And seeing we’re talking food then let’s finish on the country that leads the way on food… Italy.

Italia!

And pasta making

With Italy specialists Top Flight www.topflight.ie and Catherine Fulvio at her cookery school in Ballyknocken, Co. Wicklow www.ballyknocken.ie

And some amateur cuoco…

OK, OK… mes amis in France http://www.atoutfrance.fr will disagree. And I don’t know what I was eating here but I was smokin’…

Send in your Fun With Food, what’s amusing to eat and where.

MEET YOU AROUND THE TABLE