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Living In Side Turkey
As we approach the end of our sixth week in Turkey we also begin our second week in Side, with a few things moving on. October 29th is Republic Day here, Turkey’s biggest public holiday, commemorating the day in 1923 when Ataturk united this huge nation by declaring the existence of the Republic, although in reality the republic was effectively almost 3 years old by that date. In normal times, Republic Day is a nationwide festival with much celebration, but the Government has this year implemented COVID restrictions so the festivities are mostly restricted to draping of the Turkish flag over buildings and buses. Speaking of COVID, matters have changed…
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Croatia: Leaving The Mainland
Day 14 of this trip is significant, as we say goodbye to both the hire car and the mainland, and head off to indulge in a bit of island hopping for the next few weeks. So it’s our first early start in quite a while, completing the 90-minute drive back to Split before breakfast. Once again we follow the E8 road, hugging the coast alongside pretty coastal towns, sumptuous bays and alluring marinas, but there’s no time to stop and stare this morning, we have a target. Consequently it’s only a little after 9am when we pull in to Split harbour, hand back the keys to the Clio, and take…
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Two Sides Of The Coin
As England takes strides to relax the COVID restrictions, we find ourselves experiencing the consequences of the changes from both sides. We are lucky enough to own a small cottage in the beautifully picturesque harbour town of Padstow in Cornwall – you can view it HERE – which is for the most part a holiday let. We have used the lockdown period to have some works carried out at the property, leaving us with some making good to do in the form of decorating and new flooring, figuring that there would be an amount of time to get this done before we could reopen for guests. That wasn’t how it…
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Koh Lanta: The First 7 Days
Klong Nin village We have now spent a few days on Koh Lanta and the village of Klong Nin has become our paradise. The aquamarine Andaman sea gently laps the long pale soft sand beach. A selection of accommodation in the form of beach huts inconspicuously line the beach, nestled amongst palm trees with attractive tropical gardens and a backdrop of wooded hills. Beach bars/ restaurants are rustic and low key, decked in driftwood and shells, cool seating areas with mats and cushions on the floor, there is a real chilled out vibe here. Music from the bars is kept at an acceptably low level and the overall feel is relaxed…
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From the City to the Islands: The Next Stage
We’ve now moved on from what was essentially a city break and on to the island holiday part of our trip, the idea always having been that after the Bangkok experience we chill out for a couple of weeks before we start the more adventurous parts of this journey. So we’re into a certain mode now, we know this is holiday island and not the “real” Thailand, but it’s chill time before we hit the real country. And so we now find ourselves in the village of Klong Nin on the island of Koh Lanta in the southern part of Thailand, billeted right on the beach with the sea lapping…
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Kini: Time To Unwind
The village of Kini, on Syros, is indisputably holiday atmosphere, with three beaches and a cool vibe; beach bars, sunshine and clear sea. And so our first day here is a chill day, the only interruption to beach time being our favourite Greek lunch, small fish and retsina. It’s time for a break. For those of you obsessed with Fitbit stats, Michaela’s Fitbit tells us… Saturday 30,338 steps, 11.83 miles Sunday 18,631 steps, 7.25 miles Monday 18,579 steps, 7.25 miles Tuesday 17,877 steps, 6.99 miles Wednesday 26,049 steps, 10.16 miles. Alternatively, Phil’s Fatbit tells us of beer every day, a litre of wine between us each night, more bread each…