Norm & Felicity’s Travel Diary

 Hi all,  We are just getting ready to depart from our short 5 Day stay in old Corfu Town. A great chance to relax in the perfect Mediterranean weather to get ready for the next stage of our adventure. We had a good look around this small city, full of nooks and crannies, which had its heyday in the Venetian period in the 15th to 18th century.  There were however many reminders of the earlier settlers going back to 600 BC, these example from the Temple of Artemis in the small but important Corfu Archaeological Museum. Lots of time to sample the local seafood and local Corfu dishes of course. Including Moussaka, Sofrita and a much loved (by Norm) potted lamb stew. A few nights ago we took an evening cruise on a local sailing ship, just before and after sunset - well worth the effort. Some of the food intake may well be showing under Norm’s tee shirt 🥘 🍤🍷😂   Our apartment has been wonderful, right on the waterfront on the edge of the old town. We have spent many pl...

 Hello all, Yesterday we said farewell to Belfast and to Holly, who is currently in transit to Hobart via Heathrow, Singapore and Melbourne. We set off from Belfast direct to Corfu with EasyJet - a little late due to an ill passenger, but we arrived safe and well at around 9pm local time. Just in time to find our magnificent apartment on the water and to sample some late night Greek cuisine at the Veranda Restaurant- just down the esplanade. Sardines for Norm, of course and a refreshing Greek salad for Felicity, washed down with a local crisp white wine. This morning, after a quick pic from one of our apartment balconies, we took a stroll along the waterfront to find some breakfast and a supermarket for supplies. Both objectives achieved before we explored our part of Corfu Town a bit more widely. The streets are narrow and meandering, but that suits us fine, we also visited the 14th century fortress which was established by the Venetians and expanded by the British during their “p...

 Hi all, We have packed a lot in since saying farewell to Enniskillen. We took the long road to Belfast via Bushmills Old Distillery. Then a short drive east to the Giants Causeway, and it was clear enough to see Scotland on the horizon. The start of our best weather for the whole trip so far. After a welcome lunch in Bushmills town, we continued south to Belfast to find our apartment right beside the Cathedral. The streets around us were teeming with young people - out for a good time on Saturday night. We opted for drinks at the Thirsty Goat then, for a change of diet we had dinner at the Vietnamese street food restaurant in our square - very good Pho. Next day, we were lucky to get a personal guided tour of Belfast hosted by cousin Neil Robinson. Even with a warts and all story of the ongoing tensions of this still somewhat divided city, we were all impressed by Belfast City, a small, low rise city that has kept its charm and homage to its history. The city even has its own lean...

 Hi all We have had a great stay at Innishmore Hall (the Carriage House) and will be leaving for a trip around the coast to Belfast tomorrow. The countryside around the property is lovely and very quiet, we have enjoyed the local food, including at the lodge beside Lough Erne on our first night. We had a good explore of Enniskillen town on Thursday, including the old Castle and Castle Coole nearby.  Castle Coole Today we took a drive north to Derry, the 2nd largest city in Northern Ireland, and probably the city to have been most impacted by the troubles, including the Sunday Bloody Sunday massacre. After a walk across the Peace Bridge, then back again because Norm got the wrong side of the Foyle River, we entered the lovely old walled city.  We passed the magnificent Guild Hall on the way to the city gate then climbed up on the wall to walk around the town Of course our day wouldn’t be complete without a Cathedral visit! This was followed by a nice lunch at a local cockt...