Notes on a few trips

A recent flight to Nice has highlighted that not many people are flying. In the middle of August, on a Friday night, shops and restaurants were closed at Heathrow. You didn’t have to worry about finding a seat to relax. There were plenty of them, even with the social distancing boards in place. While it was lovely to have so much personal space, on the other hand, you couldn’t help but wonder about the future of travel, particularly when airports in Europe don’t seem to be as burdened by such rules. And when none of this “Covid theatre” prevented the delta variant from entering the UK in the first place. Perhaps people are voting with their feet due to the complex rules and scenarios. Leaving the UK for any trip seems to be determined to confuse the confound the most seasoned traveller.  Despite the pages and pages of guidance on the government website, nothing is straightforward. Perhaps there are so many scenarios they attempt to cover that anything is possible.  There are the green,

"Kastam" is licensed under CC0 1.0 For those sitting out European holidays overseas at the moment as either the places you want to visit have quarantine or you'll have to quarantine on your return, there will be a little surprise in store. Travelling now as a third country, you'll find your British Passport doesn't get you as far (or as quickly) to your destination that it once did. And that's not due to the Covid checks. While passport control will take less than a minute to check your certified Covid test result, what will take longer is the manual entry of your passport details into systems. What used to be a relatively quick check and waive through now takes so much longer.  Arriving at Bari airport last week on a flight barely two-thirds full, we had to wait almost an hour. Covid checks contributed to some of the delays as people haggled over their test results - or lack of them). But the most significant delay was the need to type everyone's passpo

A small bag of hand gel and a wipe can bring much joy in 2020... It seems to be almost socially unacceptable to be flying at the moment. Or at least sharing the experience that you've flown somewhere given many people are either unable to unwilling to do so in this twin economic and health crisis. Countries are closed without quarantine, flights are non-existent, airlines are going under. But if you are flying at the moment or want to know what it was like, here are two experiences. Flying may not be returning to 2019 levels for many years. But the disappearance of crowded airports, long flight delays and ever-changing rules about what could and couldn't get on board is a welcome change this summer.  Before 2020 a trip during the summer meant: Sardine lounges . Penned in crowded airports and terminals with poor ventilation and little room to sit.  There you would stand around gates with the hot, sweaty and slightly flustered hordes travelling with you.  Security theatre . You w

An hour boat trip off Gargano coast in Puglia, Italy are the Isole Tremiti. From the mainland on a clear day, they look like little specks on the horizon. At night there is a glow from them. But it's only by going there do you get what's so special about them. An archipelago in the Adriatic its spectacular waters and unique history make it well worth a visit. You could go anytime, but if you're just going for a day, when the sea is calm is ideal. After all, you don't want to be falling over tourists packed on a boat. Day trips are organised from most towns along the Gargano coast. We took off from the port at Rodi, a modern-looking tourist port. As you watch the beaches and mountains of the Gargano fade away, the outline of the island gradually emerge.  The islands have had a history of being a place of confinement and punishment. But it's an unusual sort of punishment. Sure the Adriatic can be less beautiful than the other waters around Ita

Naples has a reputation amongst many English speaking people as being dirty, seedy and sleazy. While it is dirty in parts - the city is changing thanks to a progressive new mayor who has made the city more pedestrian friendly and given this ancient city a new lease of life. With the airport less than twenty minutes from the city centre, it is an excellent weekend break, although one weekend will make you realise you have barely scratched the surface on what there is to offer... Staying at Decumani Hotel de Charme , it was an excellent location off the Spaccanapoli to explore both the old and new parts of the town. The hotel staff were very helpful in suggesting places to eat. We headed to one of the best pizza places and had a traditional Napoli Pizza and Peroni . What sets a good pizza apart from the others is the base and the ingredients. This one the base was light and the ingredients were fresh. For €7 including beer it seemed awfully good value. After leaving your name at  t

The Gargano area in the Province of Foggia, which is part of the Apulia region in Italy is a mix of contrasts. With a series of seaside towns along the coast line, one of Europe's oldest forests and one of the oldest shrines of worship at Monte Gargano there is a lot to explore and some excellent food that is grown locally. A trip on an open top boat is an excellent way to appreciate the geography and contrasts of this ancient land, in particular the beautiful grottoes that are dotted along the coastline. The tour starts out from the port at Rodi. There is a ticket office in one of the shops and you head to the end of the port to board the boats. The boat sets out from Rodi and and heads south along the coast past the seaside towns of San Menaio, Peschici and Vieste. Along the way you past several trabucchi, which are the old fishing platforms that were used to catch fish. These landmarks are now locally protected. You also will see the old medieval watch towers that were used