Rome

Rome was one of the destinations I visited on a cruise of the Mediterranean on board P&O Arcadia.  The ship docked at the Port of Civitavecchia, located around 80km from the city itself.  If you intend to visit the city from Civitaveccia, make sure you plan how you are going to get there.  I travelled on an excursion organised by P&O, however if you are on a budget you may want to try the train which is much cheaper.

I took P&O's Introduction to Rome tour and I'm so happy I did.  Unless your a historian, Rome is a place best seen with a guide.  There is so much history here and it's great to have everything explained to you, although groups the groups are very big, so make sure you listen up! 

After the long coach trip into the Rome, the tour started at The Roman Forum.  This was the religious and political focus of the city in Republican and Imperial times.  Here you will see the ancient ruins which reflect 12 centuries of history, which created the Roman civilisation.

The Roman Forum

The Colosseum

Next up was the Colosseum, Rome’s finest amphitheatre, commissioned by Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD.  You can imagine how amazing it would have been in it's heyday, full to the brim with 55,000 people.  Colosseum Marketing, if your listening, I would love to see the inside of the structure brought to life on a visit with some lions and live actors!  The Colosseum is a must see.

The Colosseum

We then got back on our coach and were whisked away to the centre of the Roman Catholic faith, St Peter's Basilica - one, if not the, most famous cathedral in the world.  If you want to go inside make sure your dressed appropriately.   The building is immense and the interior has to be seen to be believed, it is truly impressive.  The crypts beneath the Cathedral interesting are too.
The afternoon gave us plenty of free time to explore Rome on our own.  We split the group at St Peter’s Square and had lunch, did some shopping visited the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps

Exhausting Day!

Split, Omis and Brac, Croatia

I had travelled to Croatia once before, to the city of Dubrovnik and absolutely loved it.  So,  I thought I'd see where in Croatia we could get a flight to, from Newcastle Airport.  The destination of Split was the only place there were flights to and although the name didn't sound appealing, the photos and the reviews I read were excellent.


Podstrana

We stayed at The Residence right next to the prestigious Le Meridian Lav, just a 15 minutes bus ride out of Split.  For a surcharge you can use the pool and spa facilities of the Meridian and watch the sun set in their infinity pool.  We had a few great meals at their rooftop restaurant and visited nearly every night for their fantastic cocktails.

If your a millionaire with a sunseeker, there is a marina at the Meridien for you to dock and there are some nice bars and restaurants here too.

Split

Split is the second largest city in Croatia and was once the home to Roman Emporor Diocletian who built his palace here in 300AD.  The palace has to be the no.1 sight to see in Split as it is now a UNESCO World Heritage sight.  The area is beautifully lit at night so make sure you visit both night and day.  There are some great restaurants and the street atmosphere is very friendly and relaxed. 

There are many museums and art galleries to keep you entertained including that of Ivan Mestrovic, Croatia's most renowned modern sculptor.  One of his creations, the statue of Grgur Ninski is located just outside the city walls - rubbing the toe of this 10th century towering bishop is said to bring good luck!

Omis

One of the days we decided to take the bus in the opposite direction to Split and ended up in the town of Omis, a town on the mouth of the Cetina River, surrounded by massive gorges.

One of the things you won't miss here are adverts for Rafting on the Cetina River.  We booked ourselves on a trip for the following day and for those who love active holidays this really must not be missed, we had a fantastic time and it was certainly one of the highlights of our trip. 

This really is a beautiful town with lots of history, including a Pirate one!  I'd recommend a trek up the steps of the fortress for the impressive views you will find at the top. 

Island of Brac, Croatia

We took the ferry from the port of Split over to Supertar on Brac in search of the herb fed lamb we were told about by the waiter the night before.  Brac doesn't have much grass so the sheep there feed on sage and rosemary.  We hired a little car from the port on arrival and off we went exploring.  The island is very small so you can easily tour the whole area in a day.

Another interesting fact we learnt about Brac is that it's famous for its white stone.  I was surprised to hear the stone that built The White House was sourced from here and so was the stone for Diocletian palace in Split and the Arc de Triomphe in France.

One of our stops was Zlatni Rat beach, which has to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe.  For Kite and Windsurf fans this beach has a perfect landscape, we sat captivated by the kitesurfers for a few hours

Our search the the herb fed lamb took us to the village of Dol.  The road to the village comes to a dead end and there we found a lovely, very rustic old family owned restaurant.  The lamb was fantastic but unfortunately it wasn't just us who had an appetite for lamb... we were attacked by wasps who decided to create a flight path to our table.  We tried everything to divert them from electric fans, giving them their own "scrap plate", to murder but still they came, flying off with chunks twice their size!  So needless to say that kind of spoilt our experience but I suppose highlights how good the lamb was.  To top off our evening a reasonably large snake passed our table and scared my fella to death.

We had a great time on Brac, when we return to Croatia i am definitely going to plan island hopping into the itinerary.

an interesting little boat in Supertar's port

Supertar by night

El Medano, Tenerife

We loved El Medano, Tenerife.  We went the second week of December 2010 and found it a refreshing break from the UK's Christmas rush - there were no Christmas tree's in sight and there was a lovely mild temperature.

I booked a last minute deal from Thomson holidays and stayed at the Arenas Del Mar on an All Inclusive basis.  The hotel had a lovely modern design on the inside, although it did look a bit like a prison from the outside and was just 10 minutes walk from the centre of the town. 

if your feeling active take a walk or run up the mountain you see in these photos - the top of Mount Roja has some excellent views.

if your interested in kite surfing this is a great place to be as it is a well known High Wind Area.  If you have never watched kitesurfing before, grab yourself a mojito and watch it from one of the beach bars - you will be captivated.  I wouldn't recommend learning in El Medano, we had a few lessons but they were very expensive compared to other places we visited.

If your into scuba diving get in touch with El Medano Dive Centre before you go.  We did a reef dive and saw lots of marine life.  It is also possible to see turtles and ray's in Tenerife

My Favourite Road

I travel approximately 30,000 miles per year for work, mainly in the North of England.  The favourite road on my travels has to be the one between Ponteland just to the West of Newcastle Upon Tyne and Jedburgh.  I travel this road approximately 6 times a year and every time I do I am in awe of the beautiful countryside Northumberland and the Scottish Borders has to offer.  In November, the spectrum of shades of the foliage is brilliant - yellows, oranges, reds, browns and greens.  There is a beautiful reservoir and the mist over the lake and trees, adds to the atmosphere of the landscape.  As you drive into Jedburgh you will be greeted with the view of the impressive Jedburgh Abbey, which was founded in 1138. 

If you are travelling between Newcastle and Edinburgh, this route is a much better alternative to the A1 if you fancy a more relaxing drive.