For The Love of Travel

May 25, 2026
by Lids
Comments Off on 21/5 – 24/5/2026 Bristol

21/5 – 24/5/2026 Bristol

My time in Bristol is blighted, with a respiratory infection. Not doing much. I can’t tell you how wonderful Moxy hotel staff were in helping me access an NHS GP service. Soo good!

Iconic British psychedelic pop legend, Colin Blunstone and the Zombies are staying at my hotel – most defining hits were ‘Say You Don’t Mind’, and ‘I Don’t Believe in Miracles’. With his group, the Zombies ‘She’s not There’, and ‘Time of the Season’; and in his lead vocals with the Alan Parsons Project…’Old and Wise” A five-decade career. Wowee! (Colin is second from the right).

I had booked to see ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ with friends Terry and John, but didn’t feel up to going on the night.

Apparently a bold, high-energy journey through Wonderland, re-imagining the classic story of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ with a spectacular circus twist, with elegant aerial, daring acrobatics, dynamic tumbling, handstands and juggling. Pity I missed it.

Met Terry and John @ Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 exhibition, which was held in the dry dock SS Great Britain – comprising 115 photos, a collection which features winning and finalist entries from all corners of the globe, including grand title winner Yury Ivanov, based in Indonesia.

His striking photograph of two amphipods – commonly referred to as “nudibranch or molluscs”, and measuring just 3mm in length, resting on a coral – captured the attention of the panel due to the vivid colour and symmetry on display, and in recognition of the patience and skill required to capture such an image.

Launched in 1843, the vessel was the world’s first great luxury ocean liner and a revolutionary feat of engineering, combining an iron hull with a screw propeller. Designed by the famous Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the SS Great Britain redefined maritime travel. Initially carrying wealthy passengers between Britain and New York, it revolutionized global transit. Later, as an immigrant transporter, it completed 32 voyages to Australia, bringing thousands of people to the other side of the world.

We walked to have lunch at M Shed – delicious tapas; watched a little train choof along the harbourside and boats plying up and down the water – perfect sunny day for the crowds to be out – oh and on a bank holiday weekend too. We caught the ferry to the city. Loved the view of the steep Cliftonwood rainbow-coloured Victorian and Georgian terraced houses.

Met up again that night with Terry and John at the ‘Simon & Garfunkel: ‘Through the Years’ tribute show. Stunning vocal harmonies from world-class musicians, Dan Haynes and Pete Richards – this spectacular concert transports you on a journey through the epic songs and history of the much-loved Simon and Garfunkel.

May 23, 2026
by Lids
Comments Off on 19/5 – 21/5/2026 Chichester

19/5 – 21/5/2026 Chichester

Travelled on Southern Railway from Victoria station, via Gatwick to Chichester (the capital of Sussex), to see friends Helen and Lorraine. A lovely one and half hour journey. Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet and Paul McCartney to name a few celebrities, have chosen areas in Sussex as their home. Known for contrasting landscapes—from the chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters to rolling hills and sandy beaches—it blends vibrant coastal culture, such as the cosmopolitan energy of Brighton and Hove, with ancient history like the 1066 Hastings battlefield, leading to the Norman conquest.

Chichester is a city with a delightful village feel. Originally a Roman settlement (founded in the 1st century AD), it is famous for its largely intact Roman city walls, which are the most complete circuit in Southern England. At the heart of the city sits the 12th-century Chichester Cathedral and the iconic 16th-century Market Cross.

I was staying @ 4 Canon Lane in a very comfortable and well located AirB&B…just at the back of the Cathedral and its cloisters (via St Richard’s walk), a hop step and a jump away from the Bishop’s Palace Garden…..and city centre.

Great views from the Bishop’s Palace garden back to the Cathedral and volunteers were doing a fine job tending to the plants and weeds…some peony roses on ‘steroids’ 🙂

It was incredibly delightful to catch up with Helen and Lorraine…we hadn’t seen each other for about 20 years, talked for hours and over a delicious dinner Helen prepared – it felt like we were picking up exactly where we left off, as if no time has passed at all. An effortless flow that is the hallmark of a rare, enduring connection. And the other members of the family – Sid and Fiji, were very well behaved into the night. Unfortunately have caught another bug, so an early night for me.

The next day, caught up with Lynne’s sister, Kathryn, who travelled to Chichester from Southampton for lunch with me. We previously holidayed together when she was visiting Lynne in Australia. A yummy lunch at Bumbles Cafe, lots of news to share, rang Lynne so she could ‘join us’ over lunch for a while and we later walked into town. Such a nice afternoon. But forgot to take a pic with her ‘cos of “flu brain”.

Just as I had spied an ‘Ivy Brasserie’ in Belfast, discovered Chichester has one too…the Martin Brudnizki Design Studio is the renowned design firm responsible for the iconic Art Deco aesthetic of The Ivy brasseries – combining dark wood panelling, colorful velvet seating, and antique mirrors. Bespoke wallpaper designs and curated local artwork for the brasseries are produced by the Adam Ellis Studio. Love their work! And the Keats Room in the Chichester ‘Ivy’, is a real treat.

Helen took me to see the pictureseque coastal village of Bosham Quay, famous for its sailing history, tidal roads and ancient heritage. It used to be one of the Roman Empire’s most significant holdings. It was a key centre in England’s ancient and mediaeval politics, rendering the village vulnerable to pirate attacks and shrouding it in countless myths. Bosham legend has it that King Cnut commanded his throne to be placed on the seashore as the tide was rushing in. He ordered the waves not to wet his feet or garments, but when the water naturally rose, Cnut used it as a lesson for his courtiers, that secular power is vain and empty.

We were there at high tide – and made sure we kept an eye on the car and road water levels…

Very cute cottages with raised entrances because of the risk from flooding…….

How do you get into the building, let alone bring furniture in??

Delicious ‘last supper’ at the Crown and Anchor @ Dell Quay with mine gorgeous hosts…..

On my last morning, Helen took me to ‘The Goodwood Estate’. As part of the estate, in 1787, the 3rd Duke of Richmond asked James Wyatt to design the most luxurious dog house in the world. The elegant Regency-style building featured central living quarters for the huntsman and his staff, with wings dedicated to the hounds, with central heating.

Today, discerning dog members are greeted with their own personalised bowl and plenty of treats are on hand.

The current Duke of Richmond is a doggie lover, Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond. Born in 1955, he also holds the subsidiary titles of Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny, and Duke of Gordon. Helen tells me one can have a delightful afternoon tea at his home, ‘Goodwood House’, if one books early. Next time!

Because of its unique dog-centric history, the estate hosts “Goodwoof,” a major annual weekend event dedicated to dogs. It features everything from wellness therapies to the “Barkitecture” competition, where top designers create miniature architectural palaces for dogs.

Loved the artwork around the Club house…

May 18, 2026
by Lids
Comments Off on 16/5/2026 Paris

16/5/2026 Paris

Our first stop for the day…Musee Montmartre, founded in 1960. It is housed in some of the oldest buildings on the hill, preserving the bohemian, artistic, and historical legacy of the district. Famous residents included Pierre-Auguste Renoir (who lived there between 1875 and 1877), Émile Bernard, Raoul Dufy, and later the trio of Suzanne Valadon, Maurice Utrillo, and André Utter. The heart of the museum sits in the Maison du Bel Air, a magnificent building constructed in the 17th century. My photo below, followed by Suzanne Valadon’s bold painting of same.

The museum is surrounded by the three ‘Jardins Renoir’. These gardens directly overlook the ‘Clos Montmartre’, Paris’s last surviving, working vineyard.

Many wonderous plants in the garden, including a delightful HUGE yellow tree peony; and a bit of an art surprise in one of the garden’s lower sections – a 1875 caricature by André Gill, of a wabbit jumping out of a pot. It adorned the ‘Cabaret du Lapin Agile’, the last operating artistic cabaret and a fave spot of poets and artists such as Apollinaire, Renoir, Utrillo, Braque, Modigliani and Picasso.

The museum features a rich collection of paintings, posters, drawings, and photographs. Working through 3 floors, we viewed iconic works that defined Montmartre’s nightlife and cabaret culture. I was fascinated by the Chat Noir’s pioneering shadow theatre, featuring historical zinc shadow puppets and intricately painted sets designed by the artist Henri Rivière. The museum has curated this history really well.

We were fascinated to walk into the preserved, recreated atelier-apartment of the celebrated self-taught painter Suzanne Valadon and her son, Maurice Utrillo – incredible!

And, there was a temporary exhibition displaying an overview of the life of ‘Adya & Otto van Rees – at the Heart of the Avant-Garde’. Originally from the Netherlands where they met, Otto van Rees (1884-1957) and Adya van Rees-Dutilh (1876-1959) settled in Montmartre, at the Bateau-Lavoir, from 1904. They were in contact with Georges Braque, Kees van Dongen, Piet Mondrian and Pablo Picasso. They made a joint contribution to the birth of the Dada movement in Zurich, and the founding of the Cercle et Carré group in Paris.

Loved Adya’s painting and tapestry work in particular:

We walked up a hill to the heart of Montmartre – great view down the hill ….but the plaza where artists have traditionally displayed their best art on easels….well, it’s not a pleasant experience anymore to view works (as I did a couple of decades ago) – now you have to cope with the crowd surge!! Yuckk! We escaped off the street to have some lunch.

Caught the number 40 bus down the hill – well, we didn’t get far very fast…people and disability vehicle blocking the road…those bus drivers have the patience of Job!

Finally got to our next destination, Ladybird Montmartre , Rue des Abbesses – a wildly creative and fun speciality shop for jewellery, scarves, socks – all manner of accessories. Got tempted by this unusually striking ring and succumbed…

The next specialty shop we headed for was De Hillerin. It has over 200 years of history specializing in the supply and sale of kitchen equipment, the company’s motto being “to modestly help promote French cuisine”. (Eugène de Hillerin was a visionary in the 1800’s with a strong character, and laid the first foundations of the current kitchen supply the business in the Les Halles district. His clientele included restaurateurs who came to the Les Halles market to buy fresh produce). On that Saturday, the shop was CHAOS, but a lot of fun. I found some great non-stick Exopan tartlet moulds to bring back with me, as a reminder of the amazing food culture and food cooking techniques in French gastronomy.

We decided we’d done a lot and it was time to return to the hotel. I couldn’t work out why people were queuing just off the the street we were trying to flag down a taxi…I had to investigate of course. Men and women approaching a ‘hole in the wall’, talking with a person behind a curtain that was gesturing (black gloves emerging from behind a black curtain)…I asked a young woman nearby, and discovered it was a sextoy promotion. Have a google people, ‘Womanizer’…amazing what current ‘pleasure air technology’ is offering! 🙂

Les Baux de Paris, just down from our hotel was offering tapas with a Greek influence, so we had to try. Enjoyed a lovely meal, and felt very satisfied. But a drama was developing ‘up’ the street…firemen, police and fire engines arriving….black smoke billlowing…suspiciously close – well, opposite our hotel. We had finished our meal and wandered up the street, hoping that there was NO IMPACT for us. We discovered from others that the ‘blast’, was in a building close by, but hadn’t affected our hotel, thank goodness. But there was a safety cordon that prevented us from proceeding…arrh! One of the hotel staff saw us on the other side of the cordon, and after interceding with the police, we were given the go-ahead to go to our hotel. Yay! Talk about drama on our last night.

A great night’s sleep, a joyous early farewell to Sue and Keith, who are on their way to have more fun in Austria (especially attending a Lang Lang concert)….I hung around finishing this blog and then made my way to Garde du Nord to catch the Eurostar to London. My Chichester adventure with Helen and Lorraine starts tomorrow.