Doug’s Travel Blog & Travel Photos

During the Brighton festival in May I went to see the nofit state circus on Hove Lawns. The show was called Tabu and allowed the audience to be in the same area as the actual performances. This provided a unique perspective to witness the amazing acrobatics that involved trampolines, rolling cages and a trapeze to name a few of the aparatus.

After each act the audience was directed to another area of the tent – which itself was remarkable and from the outside looked like a giant upside-down silver UFO!

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Continuing on with from my Windsor castle trip earlier on this year I decided to take a day out in the English countryside to visit Arundel castle in West Sussex.

It was only an hour or so train ride from Brighton to Ford where we had to get a connecting train to Arundel. However it turned out that the train we needed was not for another hour. You can see Arundel clearly from Ford and it didn’t look that far away, so decison was made we were going to walk it. We didn’t get more than 5 minutes down the road when some guy pulled up and offered us a lift. Now I don’t suggest hitch hiking unless you need to but there were two of us and this guy seemed fine. And after a quick lift and some small talk we were in Arundel, outside the castle.

It was the first weekend of the castle being open for this years season and I couldn’t have picked a nicer day with the sun shining bright overhead.

Arundel castle actualy felt more like a medieval castle than Windsor castle. Wandering around it’s grounds you could imagine at times of trouble villagers coming into the outer walls for protection, of course now-a-days it is all gardens. As you head inside the main building and up to the keep the walls are periodically split with narrow slits for archers to shoot down on invaders.

Once you get to the keep you can walk around the top and look out over the countryside and the town of Arundel. The views are definitely some of the best examples of a English countryside.

Arundel is also a great town to wander round, winding streets and lots of little shops to nip into. Buy an ice cream and take a wonder along the canal.

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Last night I was lucky enough to try out the new Jamie Oliver Italian restaurant in Brighton. The company I work for has just moved into some new offices above the restaurant. As part of the dry run week where they were testing out the staff, kitchen, etc they invited local businesses to eat there for half price – so I jumped at the chance and managed to get a 6-8 seating on Saturday evening.

The restaurant is situated along Black Lion street, near the Brighton seafront. You can find out more about the restuarant here:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/brighton

The restaurant’s interior has a very relaxed atmosphere, fit for family meals as well as more intimate ones. It doesn’t try to be too pretentious as some italian restaurants have tried to be before – it’s more rustic, as you would expect when eating at someones home in Italy. Around the sides of the restaurant there are various areas that show the meats being sliced at the deli, the pasta being freshly made and into the kitchen itself. The staff there were very friendly and our waiter was very informative about the food, albiet slightly nervous – probably as it was their first Saturday night.

We ordered the house white that came in various amounts within a decanter. The only downside to this was that the wine wasn’t that chilled and we ended up having to keep getting ice cubes to chill it, otherwise it was lovely wine.

For starters we had stuffed peppers and the meat antipasta – at which point we were told that the blades of the meat cutters turned slower than most machine so as not to burn the meat when sliced and so affect the taste it. Both the antipasta and the stuffed peppers were amazing with the combinations of meat and cheeses melting in your mouth and the chillis and peppers have just the right amount of spice as to give you a kick but not to spoil the rest of the meal.

For main we ordered the flash steak, which was a tenderised steak cooked on a hot stone, with a side of funky chips and the crab spaghetti. Both arrived smelling great and the steak just melted in your mouth. The salsa, chips and steak combination made for one of the best steak meals I have had in a long time. The crab spaghetti had a slight spice to it was also a tasty meal – I think there are plans to have the crab shells next time.

There were a number of deserts on the menu and we wennt for the tiramisu, I was thinking about getting the Italian bakewell tart but will have that next time. The tiramisu literally melted in your mouth, I don’t think I’ve tasted one like it before, a good choice.

I can honestly say that it was one of the best meals I have had out in a long time and would totally recommend Jamie’s Italian as a place to go at your next possible opportunity. I think one thing to point out is that the service was very good and we hardly had to wait too long between meals. The size of theportions were just right.

We were there for nearly two hours, with a great atmosphere and wonderful food.

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Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, is one of the official residences of Her Majesty The Queen. The Castle’s dramatic site encapsulates 900 years of British history. It covers an area of 26 acres and contains, as well as a royal palace, a magnificent chapel and the homes and workplaces of a large number of people.

What there is to see

The magnificent State Apartments are furnished with some of the finest works of art from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Canaletto and Gainsborough.

In 1992 fire destroyed or damaged more than 100 rooms at the Castle. By good fortune the rooms worst affected were empty at the time, and as a result, few of the Castle’s artistic treasures were destroyed. The highly acclaimed restoration work, completed in 1997, is a testament to the extraordinary skills of some of the finest craftsmen in Europe.

From October to March visitors can also enjoy George IV’s private apartments (the Semi-State Rooms), among the most richly decorated interiors in the Castle.

St George’s Chapel is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in England. It is the spiritual home of the Order of the Garter, the senior order of British Chivalry established in 1348 by Edward III. Within the chapel are the tombs of ten sovereigns, including Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour, and Charles I.

Among the highlights of a visit to Windsor is Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, the most famous dolls’ house in the world.

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So I’m planning a trip to Morocco in September this year and have found the trip to Morocco offer from STA Travel. I realise that this is all pre-packaged and I was wanting to see if anyone had been to Morocco before or know anyone who has.

Is it cheaper to go there and arrange a trip similar to this independently?

Has anyone found any other (better) trips than this?

I’ve given myself a decent amount of time to plan this as I want to have two amazing weeks away – needless to say there are other trips being planned as I write this! Let me know your thoughts.

So here is the itinerary for the two weeks:

14 DAYS, CASABLANCA – MARRAKESH

Day 1-3: Casablanca-Rabat-Meknès-Volubilis-Fez

Explore Casablanca and then travel on to Rabat for a guided visit of it’s splendours. Tavel on to Meknès, where you’ll spend the night. The next morning, check out Meknès at leisure, before traveling to Volubilis for a guided visit. Continue to Fez, and explore this amazing city.

Days 4-5: Fez
Enjoy a morning guided historical visit of Fez. The afternoon is yours to explore the maze of alleyways of the medina. On day 5, head through the beautiful Middle Atlas Mountains. Pass through the splendid palm groves before ending up in the sand dunes of the desert.

Day 6-7: Merzouga-Tineghir-Todgha Gorges
Explore the highest sand dunes in North Africa. Depart in the early evening on camel back to a Nomad camp, where you’ll spend the night. On day 7, head off to Tineghir for a visit of the town and a walk in the palm groves, before driving to the Todgha Gorges for the evening.

Day 8: Todgha Gorges-Dades Gorges-Ouarzazate-Aït Benhaddou
Visit the Dadès Gorges and the verdant Dadès Valley. Stop in Ouarzazate, before you head to Aït Benhaddou for a visit to the famous Kasbah.

Day 9-10: Aït Benhaddou-Imlil-Aremd-Essaouira
Head into the High Atlas Mountain landscape, crossing at the Tizi n’ Tichka Pass and into the splendid Toubkal National Park. On day 10, Enjoy a walk from Aremd to Imlil before driving to Essaouira at mid-day.
The afternoon is free to explore Essaouira’s romantic ambience.

Day 11-12: Essaouira / Marrakesh
Sightsee in Essaouira, check out the Sqala, the Portuguese fortifications and the centuries old Medina. On day 12 travel to Marrakesh in the afternoon explore. Absorb the scents and colours of the spice markets and the sounds of the musicians.

Day 13-14: Marrakesh
Take a tour around the historical wonders of Marrakesh. The afternoon is free to explore the Souks and the famous Djemaa el Fna Square. Say your emotional goodbyes on day 14.

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