And then passed it onto his daughter, often at the end of a wind and rain-splattered platform.
Copying down train numbers.
Which is why we keep finding ourselves seeking out all manner of train-related nonsense when we’re away.
A lot of which is pretty good it must be said.
Such as Flam Railway in Norway on our MSC www.msccruises.ie trip up the fjords.Of course dipping our toes in the fjords only left us wanting to submerge ourselves in the whole country.
Travel Department will complete the odyssey with Oslo as well as Bergen which I’ll be only too happy to revisit.
So you’ll cruise (let’s make that we’ll) along the UNESCO World Heritage site of Naeroyfjord.
You’ll see the glaciers and waterfalls of the former Viking stomping ground of Hardangerfjord.
And stand on a mountain top to take in the Eidfjord.
Before you enjoy the Flam Railway, one of the world’s most besutiful and steepest normal-gauge railway lines.
It was foggy when we went (it won’t be when you go) so we couldn’t see those mischievous trolls!
Prices start from €1569pp for seven nights including return flights.
B&B/half-board accommodation, guided excursions, a fjord cruise and a Flam railway journey.
Go solo with Travel Department. They have new 2020 Solo Traveller tours on offer.
These include a Danube River Cruise, a Bavarian Winter Break, a Milan City Break, a 12-night South Africa adventure, including a safari, and a Nile River Cruise.
You never forget your first love which is why I make no apologies in revisiting our unforgettable trip to the Norwegian fjords last year.
Me, The Scary One and MSC.
It was our first dip into cruising as a couple (no, not that and again why has that word been hijacked?)
I swam in the fjords… well, not exactly the deep blue sea but in a swimming pool on board.
As the mists enveloped the mountains and inlets and hid the trolls from view.
Of course there’s plenty to do inside should you want to stay out of the soft drizzle.
And it doesn’t always rain, it was just that we went in September which made it all the more dramatic.
There are a host of spa, gym, food and drink and restaurant options and great bars.
And if you want to unleash your inner karaoke singer you can do that too, although you’d have to be really lucky to be there when Bandanaman is singing Chuck Berry’s Memphis, Tennessee.
The Scary One wasn’t!
Now, of course there are wonderful on-shore excursions in Norway and a day in Copenhagen too. Wonderful!
So, here’s the deal:
7 Night Norwegian Fjords Fly + Cruise on MSC Meraviglia from €899pp, departing May-August 2020.
Hop on-board the 4 star MS Amadeus Silver II and sail through Germany.
Visit Cologne, Dusseldorf, Koblenz, Strasbourg and Mainz along your cruise.
Beat the drum: Dresden and the Elbe
Stop in Speyer where you will have free timBe to explore the former imperial town or attend Christmas Mass before a Christmas party on-board the ship with dinner and entertainment.
Ancient conquerors and empire builders get a bad press – they were really just adventurers who wanted to see your land.
Now if only they had put away the slaughter they’d have been very welcome.
Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte were among the most successful and like most emperors they cut a dash.
Jools and Bony would have sailed into Egypt back in the day in a very different vessel than the one you’ll be going on.
Sphinx I know this. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
But Luxury Gold want you to use your imagination as they flag up walking in the footsteps of the two military geniuses.
On a seven days visit January to March of next year which they are pitching at €2,345pps, down from €2595pps.
You’ll float down the Nile on board the River Tosca and visit the Temple of Luxor, the necropolis of ancient Thebes and the temple of Queen Hatshepsut.
Well, something to look forward to, and you will be full of anticipation too for the Sunway Classic Med Fly Cruise on board Allure of the Seas http://www.sunway.ie.
Departing from Barcelona on September 6 next year you will call at Palma de Mallorca, Marseilles (for Provence), La Spezia (for Florence and Pisa) and Civitavecchia for Rome and Naples. From €1145pp.
Down by the riverside
Passau skyline during sunset, Bavaria, Germany.
Sailing down the river in Germany is one of the great pleasures afforded to our Teuton friends.
So I’d say you’ll enjoy taking in the old town of Passau with its historic 17th century towers and St Stephen’s Cathedral.
Which is just one of the highlights that Travel Department is offering as part of its five-day Discover the Delights of the Danube taster cruise package.
Next you will sail to Vienna, where a guided walk will show you the sights of the city.
Vienna for a whirl. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Following this you will dock in Budapest where you will be escorted on a guided tour of the historic centre.
The next stop is the Slovakian Republic capital of Bratislava.
For your last full day on board you will visit the Austrian city of Milk. Before heading back home you till revisit Germany and join a morning tour of Munich.
Prices from €1099pp including return flights, transfers, five night full-board river cruise, and guided excursions, departing on September 25.
Book before September 20 and receive €25 off per person with the code VP-SEP25. For more information or to book, click HERE or call 01-6371600.
Mariaclaudia kept us on a tight leash which is as it should be and is fiercely proud of her Padova.
Which is why her antennae pinged when I asked to be dropped off at the train station during free time.
Of course she drew out of me that I was going to spend the afternoon in Venice.
And that I would be taking two Venice tyros with me.
Against type I took a clean shirt and tie with me in my rucksack for the official function at the Padova Botanical Gardens, the world’s first, opened in 1545..
For emergencies… and yes, the train was late and so were we.
‘The Dragon’ wasn’t so preemptive and drew withering glances for wearing a t-shirt and boardies.
There are other ways to traverse the Veneto region that you’re more in control of such as on your bike.
Freedom Treks have the field covered and to celebrate the 75th anniversary of UNESCO they are flagging up Bolzano to Venice among others.
You’ll have luggage transportation, travel guide with maps and route notes and GPS tracks available on request.
Get on your bike in the Veneto region
There will be a welcome meeting, local contact number for assistance, four-hour ferry cruise on Lake Garda, entrance to Villa Valmarana ai Nani and ice cream in Vicenza.
Return flights, transfers, bike hire, cycle helmet and local taxes extra. Freedom Treks (01273 224 066, www.freedomtreks.co.uk).
Typical street in Vejer de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain
The effervescent Eva (and you’ll be hearing a lot more about mine hostess) had put our CanariaWays.com http://www.canariaways.com group to bed in Tenerife.
And was already thinking of her next group in Tenerife.
I will come back to Tenerife, both in person and on this blog, but I don’t want to ignore the rest of Spain.
After all there are two million visits from Ireland every year.
Every year in Trinity College our travel circuit are treated to the company of the signors and ignores of Seville.
And some flamenco dancing which has me twirling and clicking and swirling all the way home. Filled with vino naturally.
The traffic lights stop on this street: In Andalusia
Travel Department’s trip to Costa de la Luz in Andalusia also includes Seville, the Moorish town of Niebla, a wine museum at Bodegas Andrade. And a walking tour in the vineyards.
Prices start from €659pp for seven nights including return flights, 4* half-board hotel accommodation, transfers, and excursions with an expert local guide, departing this month and next.
Plaza de Espana – Spanish Square in Seville, Andalusia, Spain
For more information or to book, CLICK HERE or call 01-6371600.
The four-hour flight
Moroccan culture. Photo by Nicolas Postiglioni on Pexels.com
A deal maker for many is flights under four hours and Sunway http://www.sunway.ie has them aplenty and is happy to share.
Morocco felt like the nearest furthest place I’d visited when I went there 15 years ago. And probably still is.
Marakech, the Pink City, is a hustle and bustle of souks and stall-holders, snakes and spices.
More of which another time but let’s flag up the charms of its little brother, Agadir.
Blarney Castle. Photo by Chris Carter on Pexels.com
There are three new countries to the Journeys product line. As well as us here in Ireland there’s Singapore and Greece.
It doesn’t surprise me that Ireland is included. I remember well a story-telling afternoon in an authentic Irish cottage in Killiney, Co. Dublin when I stayed at the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel http://www.fitzpatrickcastlehotel.com.
For those who don’t live in Ireland, why not?
And here’s their package: Iconic Ireland– 9 Days from €2,449.
Uncover Celtic culture and admire medieval architecture across the stunning countryside, and delve into historic Dublin and the rebel city of Cork. Eat, dance, and sing with the locals.
Of course you’ll also kiss the Blarney Stone.
Croatian delights
The Plitvice Lakes in Croatia
Must split… the Scary One is calling.
But before I go (and I’ll sneak back for more updates) let me tempt you with Split and Croatia.
I’ll be stopping off on my way to Medjugorge where I’ll complete the set of Fatima, Lourdes and Medj next month and sharing.
Travel Department has an Undiscovered Croatia package highlighting the medieval town of Zagreb and a wildlife walk through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Plitvice Lakes National Park.
See, my ramblings all come around in the end.
You’ll also be charmed by Opatija, Rijeka and Pula.
Prices start from €859pp for 7 nights including return flights, B&B or half-board 4* hotel accommodation, transfers and guided excursions, departing this month and next.
For more info or to book, click here or call 01-6371600.
And if I’ve still got your attention I’m hearing that you want more Snaps. So I’ll snap to it.
Prices start from €749pp for 7 nights including return flights, 4* B&B hotel accommodation, transfers and excursions with an expert local guide, departing September and October 2019
For more information or to book, call 01-6371600 or click HERE.
Back in the day I used to scoot in and out to work to the centre of Edinburgh from my home in Portobello, the Scottish capital’s town seaside resort.
But since relocating to hilly Co. Wicklow I’ve let it slide. Until….
It took my friends at Travel Department to come up with the brilliant and masochistic idea of getting a bunch of travel professionals to cycle one of those multi-cycle trucks around Dublin.
The ghetto blaster might have been boasting about walking 500 miles but we were out of puff cycling 500 metres. Still the playlist of karaoke classics kept us going… Don’t Stop Pedalling as Journey really meant to sing.
The magic bus: And we’re doing the pedalling
We were rewarded though with refuelling stops at the pizzatastic Pizza Yard in Ranelagh with its almost yard-long wooden board of pizza http://www.pizzayard.ie and Keshk Cafe Restaurant http://www.keshk.ie on Mespil Road with its array of Egyptian, Greek and Turkish fare.
All of which made us think of the types of exciting foreign destinations TD specialises in.
A bicycle made for two… and a few others: With Ruth Marnell, of O’Hea PR
For 2020 TD is offering cycling holidays with group sizes of 6-16. Imagine then whizzing around Italy, Portugal, Spain and Vietnam.
TD takes care of flights, transfers, accommodation, expert cycling guide and bike hire. Prices start from €2,229 pp for the 8-night Portugal Azure Ocean Cycling Holiday.
Taking a detour for a minute (and I did, trying to find my way along the canal back to my DART station), let’s talk about Albania and how I wouldn’t have been allowed in when I was a young buck.
It’s my hairy-facedness that was the problem. Then it was only a moustache but Enzer Hoxha, their mad dictator (is there any other kind?) had a downer on furry top lips.
Albania, of course, has changed and has opened its doors to the West (and that means us). We had hoped to get in when we honeymooned in Corfu, a spit from Albania, but their Troubles put a paid to that.
So we’ ve unfinished business there. And TD active Holidays do business there. Result.
Take a horseback ride in Antigone National Park, a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Berat, with its collection of Ottoman houses, and a hike in Llogora National Park. Tours start from €1,399 pp for 10 nights.
A vineyeard sitting at the base of a mountain in the evening sun.
One of the great joys of travelling is meeting new people and particularly so if you go solo…. as sometimes The Scary one insists I do.
TD knows its solo traveller… It has launched solo twin share options.
You will share a room with a fellow solo traveller (of the same gender) for the duration of the trip. I’m remembering introducing myself to bewildered and befuddled Aussie Harry across the bedroom in the middle of the night recently in Jordan. We became great friends.
This will appeal particularly to value conscious travellers, enabling them to avoid single supplements. The most popular tours for solo travellers booking with TD active Holidays include searching for vampires on the Explore Transylvania trip.
Write your own caption above for this one who has always wanted to go there… in search of her ancestors.
All of which I know a thing or two about… 
My father-in-law taught Casey Jones all he knew.
Of course dipping our toes in the fjords only left us wanting to submerge ourselves in the whole country.
