Tuesday, September 08, 2026

Southbound 2026 - Milan

Milan, Italy. Sunday/Tuesday 06/07-September-2026.

All posts

Introduction.

The next stop was Milan to visit my nephew Lorenzo and his family.

Sunday 06-September-2026.

Up early for a long trip to Milan via Munich and Zurich. The original route was via Stuttgart luckily Mary re-checked on the Saturday, discovered that our train was not running and we were able to replan at leisure rather than a last minute panic at the station.  

It was a hot and sweaty 25 minute schlepp from Milan station to our apartment but we deemed it better than fighting our way on and off the Metro with our bags amongst the rush hour commuters. 

It was a long day's travel - a total of 8:25 hours train time, just over 11 hours door-to-door. 

The apartment fell into the "small but perfectly formed" catagory but sufficient for our needs. It maybe not the smartest part of town but it was close to Lorenzo's apartment and the area is in the process of being gentrified.

Key first step was to get a wash load on. Once that was hung up we went out for supper at nearby La Locanda Macario which turned out to be excellent.

Monday 07-September-2026.

As it was not our first visit to Milan and we had visited most of the usual tourist haunts we decided on something different: the Museum of the Senses. Although more aimed at children an adult can have fun there as well. The pinwall allows you to press yourself against thousand of pins and create a 3D impression. Mary asked, "Does my bum look big in this?".

It also had the advantage of being air conditioned giving us some relief form the muggy 34 degree Milan heat.

Early evening we went to visit my nephew Lorenzo, wife Julie and their son Aurelio, my great nephew. Apparently Aurelio is obsessed with fire extinguishers! This turned out not to be an exaggeration as when we arrived at their flat young Aurelio was able to tell us about the different types of extinguishers, what their respective purposes were and when quizzed about which you should choose on a certain type of fire was able to identify the appropriate extinguisher.

After a bit of a chat we went for a meal with Lorenzo at his local pizza restaurant.

Tuesday 08-September-2026.

The tram was our chosen urban transport for this trip. The Number 1 tram had a stop just four minutes walk from the apartment which took us into the centre and onwards to Castle Sforza.

We toured the castle twice! The first circuit we bought tickets for inside which is basically three museums in one: the sculptures, the art gallery and the exhibitions of musical instruments.

I loved this private room which was originally installed in a church - literally a private box - where the nobility could attend a service without being seen by lesser mortals!

The second tour was an audio guide around the outside of the walls and through the courtyards By the end we were knackered and had to have an aperol spritz from a stall holder to recover.

That evening we went back to La Locanda Macario as we had enjoyed it so much on Monday night.

Next stop: Castelnuovo Berardegna.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Sunday, September 06, 2026

Southbound 2026 - Nuremberg

Nuremberg, Germany. Thursday/Saturday 03/05-September-2026.

All posts

Introduction.

Nuremberg was the real destination for our first city, both to explore and to do a parkrun on the Saturday. 

Thursday 03-September-2026.

The arrangement was to get to our Nuremberg HomeExchange about five o'clock so our hosts could hand over the keys before heading off to the airport for their holiday. It was their first house swap so seemed keen for it to go well. Their apartment is bright and airy and spacious - I'm sure it will be in demand. 

Our first act was to put on the first of several wash loads. One advantage of home exchange is that you staying in real homes so they always have a washing machine which means you can pack light and do regular laundry.

A relax until the laundry was ready to be hung up then out into the town. Wandering around the centre we found the traditional Franconian Lorenzer Wirtshaus and after a short wait got a balcony table with a view of the church and the square. As often our evening meal started with a weiss and red beer combo!

They served flammkuchen which I first met in Alsace and hadn’t had for a while so for me was an easy menu choice. Mary went for bratwurst and salad.

Friday 04-September-2026.

We booked a morning tour of the tunnels and secret passages in the castle walls. 


To quote Mary’s review: 

“Fascinating trip with Monica. She was so enthusiastic and well-informed about the castle and the underground defences that you could not help but be enamoured. She provided lots of interesting information about the historical context, how the castle defences were constructed and the impact of each of the design features. She was very careful to warn us of the hazards - uneven floors and stairs, damp conditions, steep slopes, etc - showing real concern for our welfare. We would definitely recommend this trip”.

The tunnels ran round the inside of the walls providing multiple ports for firing at would-be attackers. It was a hot day but down in the tunnel it was distinctly cool.

After the tour we dined at The Golden Posthorn, the oldest wine tavern in Germany. Mary had a delicious warm chanterelle salad whilst I just had a beer as I wasn't hungry.

The afternoon was spent wandering about the town. In Nuremberg Cathedral they have a cross made of nails from the bombed out Coventry Cathedral. My father submitted an unsuccessful entry into the competition held in 1950 to find an design for the new Coventry Cathedral, one of over 200 submitted [Wikipedia].

There is a river that runs through the centre of the old town with an island in the middle of the river.

Inside St Sebald's church, a local hermit made saint. His sepulchre is supported by 12 snails all pointing in different directions - very cute.

Frauenkirchen in the main square, one of many ornate churches in the city.

On the opposite side of the square was this very ornate and gilded fountain - a  restored replica of a 14th-century original, built to resemble a Gothic spire.

This house looks like it’s smiling!

That evening we went to an organ recital in St Lorenz cathedral.

Roberto Marini - Organ 

  • Julius Reubke (1834-1858) Sonate über den 94. Psalm 
  • Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Ciaccona d-Moll aus der Partita für Violine Nr. 2 BWV 1004 (Orgelbearbeitung: U. Matthey) 
  • Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Funérailles aus Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (Orgelbearbeitung: Roberto Marini) 
  • Max Reger (1873-1916) Fantasie und Fuge über den Namen B-A-C-H op. 46

The evening meal was a walk-in at Takumi Chinese restaurant we stumbled across for a delicious light supper. 

Saturday 05-September/2026.

As always Saturday morning is parkrun.

Wöhrder See 05/09/2026 31:12 [97/154].

The obligatory flag photo.

Mary went round with a woman with Nordic poles going exactly at the pace Mary wanted, so unwittingly became her pacer. She did really well - Mary was aiming for 50 minutes and actually came in at 49:56.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the town. We bought a self-guided tour from VoiceMap which led us around the town and where we learned that if we saw a timber-framed building it was a survivor as the stone buildings were demolished by the bombs.

More lovely survivors…

…and yet more.

The evening meal was a exquisite four course set menu with matching wines at Würzhaus: two starters, main course and desert plus a substantial amuse-bouche and a petit four. Thankfully the portions were modest so we were full but not stuffed.

Next stop: Milan.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Thursday, September 03, 2026

Southbound 2026 - Frankfurt

Frankfurt, Germany. Wednesday/Thursday 02/03-September-2026.

All posts

Introduction.

After the hectic bank holiday weekend in London we headed off on the Eurostar with a change in Brussels to get us as far as Frankfurt. Our target was Nuremberg but the German railway system has a reputation for unreliability so, rather than risk a very late arrival or failure to make it all the way, we decided on an overnight stop in Frankfurt. That would give us a short, two hour journey the next day which we paid for rather than use an interrail pass day. You save the pass travel days for long segments to get best value.

Wednesday 02-September-2026.

The Meeting Place at the international departure platforms is a 9-metre-high, 20-tonne bronze sculpture that is intended to evoke the romance of travel through the depiction of a couple locked in an amorous embrace.

Arriving at Frankfurt the area around the station wasn’t as bad as some people had reported, possibly because the building works had displaced the homeless and drug addicts a street or two back. Our hotel was only a few minutes from the station but we walked straight passed it thanks to invisible signage!

Supper was at Klosterhof near the hotel serving traditional German food and beer. I had a local speciality which comprised excellent roast potatoes and hard boiled eggs on a green sauce - apparently a seven herbs concoction developed by monks. Mary had her first bratwurst of the year.

And, of course beer to wash them down. Mary prefers the weisse but the German red beer is more to my taste. 

Thursday 03-September-2026. 

We had the morning to explore before our train after lunch. Wandering the streets of Frankfurt you would never guess how badly it was bombed in the the Second World War.

We visited the relatively austere cathedral. As shown above it somehow escaped the bombing with only damage to one wing. Most of the windows are now very plain and and the few colourful windows that remain are presumeably the original, surviving stained glass. We spotted high up on one wall a collection of heraldic shields with curious toppers.

In the immediate aftermath of the war many buildings were reconstructed to original their design, intermingled with modernist shops and offices. Looking around the town it is impossible to tell which are original and which restorations but we read that around 80% of the buildings in the centre were destroyed.

We saw a surprising number of churches, all very pretty. This is Dreikönigskirche on the south side of the river.

A view from the top of the Main Tower a recommended tourist attraction: two kilometres up to the 54th floor for panoramic views over the city.


From there we could see size of the Frankfurt main station. It was Frankfurt’s role as a transportation hub that made it a target for the Allied bombing raids.

We were not due to leave for Nuremberg until 2 o'clock so had a noodle lunch at Jaho Kitchen on the way to the station. It was very tasty and so filling that it partly spoiled my appetite for the evening meal.

Next stop: Nuremberg.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, September 01, 2026

Southbound 2026 - London

London, England. Thursday/Tuesday 27-August/01-September-2026.

All posts

Introduction.

About a year ago we booked ourselves on a week long yoga and pilates retreat in Tuscany for mid-September 2026. Having got into the swing of this interrailing malarkey we decided to make a proper train trip of it. The outline plan was to spend the bank holiday weekend in London catching up with old friends, a couple of days in Milan to meet up with my nephew Lorenzo and his family then onto the retreat and onwards to Cisternino with various stops along the way, unsurprisingly, taking in parkruns en route.

In London we organised a HomeExchange in Bermondsey for the weekend very close to the Jubilee line station which made it really handy to get into central London and back out again..

Thursday 27-August-2026.

Thursday’s meet up was with ex-colleagues from CSC where I worked from 1983 to 1999 when I took voluntary redundancy and went freelance. Several times a year we meet up for a curry in the Royal Masala in Woking, travel plans permitting

We got the train down from Penrith into Euston, across to Bermondsey to drop our bags for a quick turnaround, back to Waterloo for a fast train to Woking. Great to catch up, eat some curry, drink several Kingfisher and Cobra and then wend our way swiftly back home.

Friday 28-August-2026.

Friday’s meet up was with another ex-colleague from CSC, an American now living in the UK in Cambridge. While Mary was having lunch with her girlfriends from one of her previous employments, I caught the train up to Cambridge. We went for a very tasty Jordanian lunch at Little Petra for a good old natter and my first taste of a Jordanian wine followed coffee, ice cream and a bit of a wander around Cambridge admiring the architecture.

Mary’s gathering was catch up and lunch at Gaucho at Tower Bridge with all five of the UBK "girls" - ex-colleagues from way back. 

Early evening Mary and I rendezvoused in Cork and Bottle followed by a play: Arcadia by Tom Stoppard at The Duke of York’s theatre. With Stoppard you have to pay attention as the plots flip-flops between past and present. We last saw the play in 2015 at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking and neither of use can remember any thing of that production. We first saw the play back in 1994 when it first opened in the West End as a National Theatre production from year before with new cast.

Saturday 29-August-2026.

Peckham Rye 29-08-26 32:22 [207/327]

Nearest parkrun and a P contributing towards our third alphabet.

Back to the apartment for a shower. Mary relaxed at the apartment whilst I went out for my next meet-up. 

Lunch was with friends, Catherine and John, that I met at the age of five on the first day of infant school 68 years ago! I had kept in touch with Catherine during my college years but kind of lost contact with John. Through the miracle of social media we reconnected and managed to meet up this time last year. This time we met in the Civil Service Club, an oasis of calm just off Whitehall and the throngs of tourists for a lovely chat.

The evening’s entertainment was the Buena Vista Social Club Live Revue at Toulouse Lautrec a jazz bar in Kennington. To quote the advertising they are "a dazzling celebration of Cuba’s most iconic musical heritage. This unforgettable tribute brings the timeless sounds of son, bolero, danzón, and cha-cha-cha to life, performed by some of the UK’s finest Cuban musicians." To quote the band leader and drummer "we play Cuban music with heavy metal attitude" With: 

  • Adriana Lord – lead vocals 
  • Nestor Rojas – lead vocals 
  • Luis Alberto Musiquito – trumpet 
  • Doranze Lorza – bass 
  • Alejandro Tellez – tres, guitar 
  • Vanchito Compay – musical director/band leader, drums.

Followed by supper in the restaurant downstairs.

Sunday 30-August-2026.

Sunday’s gathering near Tumbridge Wells with a group of friends I call "The Birmingham Crowd". These were a bunch of friends many of whom first met at Birmingham University and I fell in with around 1980 when we were all late-20-somethings living in London. Starting during Covid we hold fortnightly Zoom calls which continue to this day. We try to meet up in person once or twice a year. This was a fantastic gathering and lunch hosted by Marilyn and Jeremy.

As we were returning to London we were treated to a wonderful double rainbow over Tunbridge Wells station.

Back to London for a quiet evening, we were heading for a Thameside pub when we passed Glue wine bar. It was supposed to be closing at 8pm but had decided to stay open later because of the Bank Holiday. We did a swerve into a couple of comfy chairs and two glasses of wine. We had a very pleasant chat with the owners, Belinda and James, and two more glasses of wine including a Welsh rosé.

Monday 31-August-2026.

In the morning we first went to Hamleys toy shop in Regent Street to by a present for my great nephew. The went south of the river to have a nose round the Battersea Power Station development. 

The afternoon’s entertainment was an open air concert in Battersea Park with Annie, an ex-colleague of Mary’s, her partner Simon and a couple of their friends.

The headline act was Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra with preceded by the Amy Winehouse band.

Full writeup of the event at Battersea Park in Concert 2026.

Tuesday 01-September-2026.

We met with David and Mary Fee at The Archduke at Waterloo for lunch. I met David back circa 1968 whilst working on an archaeological dig, the Lunt Roam fort. We subsequently went to the 1970 Isle of Wight festival together. In discussion it turned out that David’s Mary had worked at the dig at the same time so I must have met her then as well! Talk about nostalgia.

That evening we had a booked a Portuguese wine bar in Bermondsey. but a change of location meant a switch to Bar Roija, very close to King’s Cross, offering tastings with tapas. We went for the mid-priced range.

Our host Denise was everything you could want from a host: fun, friendly, knowledgeable and generous.

Full write up of the tasting at: Rioja Tasting at Bar Rioja.

Next stop: Frankfurt.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Rioja Tasting at Bar Rioja

London, England. Tuesday 01-September-2026.

That evening we had a booked a Portuguese wine bar in Bermondsey but a change of accommodation meant a switch to Bar Roija, very close to King’s Cross, offering three different tastings with tapas. We went for the mid-priced option.

The whites (including a bonus sparkling and a second orange wine to compare and contrast):

The red wines and a couple of extras as digestives:

WINE [Zone | Grape varieties] Description; Rating.

FINCA MANZANOS BLANCO [ORIENTAL | VIURA, CHARDONNAY]
Fleshy ripe apricots, rounded and long

GÓMEZ CRUZADO BLANCO 2 AÑO 2023/2024 [ALTA | VIURA, TEMPRANILLO BLANCO]
Poised and beautifully concentrated honeysuckle, stone fruit and gentle toasty oak. Textured, almost exotic yet very approachable (OV: 40-70 years); 92/100 The Wine Advocate

MUGA ROSADO [ALTA | GARNACHA, VIURA]
Intense and complex on the nose - pomegranate with redcurrants on the dry lip-smacking palate; 91/100 James Suckling

PHINCA HAPA BLANCO 2022 (vg |o|b) [ALAVESA | VIURA, GARNACHA BLANCA, MALVASIA]
Characterful aromas of quince, peach and honey. A textural palate with lime, burnt orange and dried pineapple with a smack of sea salt and citrus acidity to round things off nicely (OV: 50-60 years); 93/100 Decanter | 93/100 Tim Atkin MW

CHULATO, BODEGAS ABEICA (o) [ALTA | TEMPRANILLO, GARNACHA, VIURA]
Aromas of blackberries, wild currants and raspberries. Gutsy and intense fresh red fruit character helped by carbonic maceration

LUIS CANAS, SELECCIÓN DE LA FAMILIA 2019 (vg | o) [ALAVESA | TEMPRANILLO, FIELD BLEND]
Complex aromas which combine to give an intense, sophisticated wine. Ripe berry fruits, smoke, raisins and liquor. Full and rounded and satisfying on the longlasting finish (OV: 35+ years); 92/100 Tim Atkin MW.

Each wine came with a little tapas chosen to go with the wine which added up to a sufficient light supper for us.  

No tasting notes or ratings from us as we were to busy tasting, eating and chatting but we generally enjoyed them all. Our host Denise was everything you could want from a host: fun, friendly, knowledgeable and generous.

We were the only customers because the restaurant opposite, which provided the nibbles, was full with a private 21st birthday party. That worked to our advantage as we had plenty of time to chat with Denise and discuss the wines and winemaking in depth. The Viura is a new grape to me, “It is widely grown in the Rioja region of northeastern Spain, the Cava producing areas south of Barcelona, and the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.” (Wikipedia).

A fantastic tasting!

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Monday, August 31, 2026

Battersea Park in Concert 2026

Battersea Park, London. Monday 31-August-2026.

As part of our Bank Holiday sojourn in London we went to an open air concert in Battersea Park with Annie, an ex-colleague of Mary’s, her partner Simon and a couple of their friends.

We all brought a picnic and some wine; Annie very kindly rustled up an extra set of picnic chairs for us. 

The headline act was Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra preceded by the Amy Winehouse band.

Timetable:

  • Gates Open - 1.30pm
  • Jazz Dynamos - 1:45pm
  • Inzeza - 3:00pm
  • Toby Lee - 4:20pm
  • The Amy Winehouse Band - 5:45pm
  • Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra - 7:20pm
  • Last entry - 8.00pm
  • Expected show finish - 9.00pm

We entered just as the second act, Inzeza, was finishing up and got settled in for Toby Lee, previously Young Blues Musician of the Year. He played some impressive rocking blues.

The next act was the Amy Winehouse Band (her original backing band).

The singer did a good job of standing in for Amy.

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra played an a mixture of big band and jazz standards with a good sized horn section to belt out the tunes.

This guitarist added a splash of colour.

They had three different guest singers, unfortunately I didn't capture their names, but the best was the last.

Then we went home via the new Northern Line spur line tube station at Battersea Power Station - a public transport first for us.


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)