Great value weekend breaks in Aberdeen

Situated on the north-east coast of Scotland, the city of Aberdeen is unlike any other city in the UK. Not just because it is one of the few UK cities with a stunning beach and coastline, but because it is a fantastic city for budget getaways.

In the footsteps of Jean Cocteau

One of the appeals of Menton on the French Riviera is the largest museum dedicated to the works of Jean Cocteau (1889-1963), a famous French artist who died fifty years ago. Frederic exolores the museum and the three towns forever linked with his work.

Irish Passport Office

From the website:

“The Passport Office, which is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs, issues passports to Irish citizens.

All Irish citizens are entitled to apply for an Irish passport. Services are provided by the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork and by Irish Diplomatic and Consular Missions overseas.”

Where the experts holiday: Matthew Jaskol, co-founder of travel website Trekiz.com

Matthew Jaskol, co-founder of Trekiz.com – a Beijing based website which allows you to create the China travel experience you really want – on why he is mad about the Middle Kingdom

Preserving London’s character

Earlier in the week we posted a story about the imminent closure of Gaby’s Deli– a cheap and cheerful Charing Cross Road café loved by the likes of Michael Gambon and Vanessa Redgrave.

What Do Visitors Want to See in the UK?

Two recent surveys, one by Visit England and the other by the foreign exchange bureaux company, First Rate both claim to be able to reveal what visitors to our shores want to see. Unfortunately the two say different things. the findings from Visit England are based on visitor entry numbers and since places like Trafalgar Square and Tower Bridge are free to walk around (unless you want to go into Tower Bridge), visits aren’t counted.

Our First Cruise – Shall we or Shan’t we?

This year, my husband and I took the plunge (almost literally!) and booked our first ever cruise. We had been talking about it for ages, when a mailing dropped through the door in May, offering a tour round the Arcadia and lunch for £20 a person. About 100 of us were shown all over the ship, during the 4 hours or so between one lot of passengers disembarking and the next lot boarding. We saw all the various grades of cabin, plus the public areas such as the theatre, library, swimming pools and bars, followed by a silver service lunch. The tour lasted about 3½ hours, and answered lots of our questions about the ship, and we were then given a voucher for additional on board spend if we eventually booked a cruise.