Our final day of skiing today and waking up is a struggle after a late night. Physically I’m feeling okay but my brother says his muscles are hurting. I thought he might say he can’t do today but fair play he actually gets ready for another hard day of skiing ahead. I’m actually feeling more energetic today.
Even though I had eaten a three course dinner last night, I wake up feeling ravenous. I’m definitely losing weight. I can feel my midriff is a lot slimmer and my trousers are much looser. This was only after 2 days, can you imagine if we stayed for a week!
The slopes were really busy on the weekend as locals came skiing as well. Hopefully, today is a bit quieter so the snows stays in better shape by the afternoon.
I really liked yesterday’s runs we did on this other mountain and wanted to do them all again, so that’s what we plan to do.
It’s definitely much quieter today, a Monday. After a couple of hours we make it back to the town where we had lunch yesterday. The food wasn’t great at this place so we found somewhere around the corner and had spaghetti bolognese again. Food here was much better.
My brother says he’s so tired he’ll do one more run then have a break and then head back to the town. I do one more final run with him and direct him to the turning he needs to take to get back down.
Somehow he has ended up missing the turn and carrying on to another ski lift – one that doesn’t take him back to where he wants. Instead he has to do the same run all again before he can make a second attempt at taking the correct turning.
I completed the run again expecting to see him at the ski lift but I called him and he explained what had happened. We agreed to just meet each other back at the town. He said he would meet me in the town at 3.30pm.
As I make my way back it becomes clear he’s going to meet me much later than that time! I’m skiing much quicker than him, as he keeps pausing for breaks. I take numerous lifts and ski straight back without stopping. I reach the town at around 3.30pm. I know there is no way he is going to be waiting for me!
He finally made it back to the town at 5.30pm. The lifts finished at 4pm. It took him 4 hours to get back just before it got dark! He was able to laugh about it fortunately – the person who was tired and wanted to get back early took an extra 2 hours to get back.
I offered him some sunscreen before I left him but he didn’t want any. Big mistake! His face is red except where his goggles covered his eyes. Everyone at work will at least know where he has been for the weekend.
Saint Anton am Arlberg is THE place to book your next skiing holiday for 2020. I hope to be back next year for a lookalikes ski holiday! This place is incredible!!!
We try to wake up 
Our host told us the other mountain is better in the morning so we take him up on his advice. Conditions are perfect again. Blue sky and no wind so even though it’s apparently -1 it feels much warmer than that in the strong sunshine. Sunscreen at the ready again today!
Some of the runs you see from a distance look spectacular, quite precarious. I convince my brother we should try them. We spend our time taking many ski lifts and crossing miles across these mountains – this place is simply vast! It’s simply perfect if you like long runs like me.
Every so often I have to stop to take photos. The scenery is incredible. You have to see it with your own eyes ones day! You really must! We haven’t seen any crashes between skiers or anyone needing medical treatment. Everyone here is a competent skier and therefore I think it’s safer here with these skiers because everyone can get out of the way quickly when needed.
After many more ski lifts and many more miles travelled we arrive at an amazing red run with the steepest and longest slope you can imagine. Today the snow is definitely much better over here. This red run continues all the way down the valley into the next town where we stop for lunch.
After lunch we decide to get the ski lift back up the mountain and begin to make our way back. It is going to still take us a couple of hours just to get back from here! We arrive back in the town 
After a rest at our hotel we get ready for dinner at another traditional Austrian restaurant in town. We both go for a three course dinner here, we are that hungry after a full day of skiing. I had goulash with local tirolean style pasta.
After breakfast we walk down the hill and immediately arrive at the Intersport ski hire shop. It’s 
We make our first trip up the ski lift from the heart of the town. On this lift there is a warning sign not to push on the sides. It is just clear plastic and there are no security bars!! It takes a good 10 minutes to reach the top.
I religiously put on sunscreen every hour to avoid getting a red face for my lookalike work! That would not be a good look!
I had read before coming that this is not the place to come if you are not a competent skier. Apparently you should assume that blue runs here are really a typical red and reds here are a typical black run. We don’t ever see a green run here. My brother had only been skiing 3 times previously but had been skiing in Chamonix with work colleagues last month so hoped he would be okay with the runs.
The weather is beautiful but the snow is not great. It’s a little bit icy and they haven’t had fresh snow recently. Our first run is a red, which remember is really a black. We took on one of the most difficult runs first so everything didn’t seem too bad then.
There are cafes dotted about at a few locations to have a break. Prices for food and drink are quite expensive here – 2 lemonade was almost €10. It’s mostly British and American tourists skiing here. We stopped for lunch and had spaghetti bolognese.
There must be at least 1,000 people skiing and the snow is really getting churned up in places in the afternoon. Very lumpy and bumpy at times and then hitting banks of deeper snow.
The views here are breathtaking! It’s the most amazing place for a skiing holiday. I’m so pleased I chose this place. We’ve spent all day skiing on this one mountain and didn’t manage to do every run. This resort is so vast, it’s incredible. The runs can go for miles!
We are able to leave our some of our ski equipment in lockers at the Intersport shop and take the rest with us back to our hotel in a taxi. After having a rest and getting showered we head back into the town to get some dinner. We are both ridiculously hungry after a long day on the mountain. It’s amazing how many calories you can burn skiing. We get the mixed grill in another restaurant before heading back to the hotel for some much needed sleep before another full day of skiing ahead of us tomorrow – I can’t wait!
When I first won the EasyJet Best Harry and Meghan lookalikes competition, the first destination on my wishlist was a skiing holiday! I have been skiing for just the last 10 years and absolutely love it. To be amongst the pretty snow covered mountain nature and traveling at quite some speed at times is an absolute thrill. I had 2 skiing lessons and that was it. I’m very athletic and sporty plus have great balance so I picked it up straight away.
I have done my skiing always in France and Switzerland but always wanted to head to Austria next. I was looking to go somewhere in Austria that we didn’t have to travel hours by a ski transfer coach from the airport. I wanted somewhere easy and practical to get to from the airport. After some research, I discovered Saint Anton am Arlberg. Not only is this Austria’s largest ski resort but the town has its own train station.
I asked EasyJet to make the next booking to Innsbruck. The approach to the airport is spectacular. Innsbruck is surrounded by the snow covered mountains and it is a very memorable place to land. Get bus route F from the airport to city centre. The bus terminates at the train station. Here you need to buy a ticket to Saint Anton am Arlberg, costing around 16 euros one way. It’s a direct train and it goes all the way to Zürich.
Our train was very busy but it was Friday afternoon, so we had to stand for most of the way. It’s a beautiful journey, incredible scenery. It takes about 1 hour 10 minutes to get to Saint Anton am Arlberg. We get a taxi outside the station. Our hotel is very close by to the station but it’s quite hilly. We are staying at Pension Susanne. The breakfast seating area has great panoramic views. I can highly recommend staying here, the hosts are very friendly and welcoming.
The walk to the town centre is easy enough as it’s all down hill and is less than 10 minutes. We get some food at a Mexican restaurant Bobo’s Bar in the main street. Not so easy to find as its downstairs but the bar is packed with skiers and snowboarders. The food portions are huge! Not just here but everywhere is the same.
It’s our final full day in Madeira and there is so much yet to do. First we take a look at the city’s indoor markets. Avoid the Mercado dos Lavradores. We were really shocked to see these stall holders scamming tourists. A very pushy sale woman insisted we taste the many varieties of passion fruit. If you google this market you’ll find other people giving exactly the same opinions. Apparently, according to other reviews, these passion fruit samples have had sugar added to make them taste extra sweet. We laughed when she wanted 30 euros for 2 fruits! You have been warned!
Taking off the next morning to return home was an experience. The plane taxied right to the very edge of the runway as you can see in the photo below! The pilot made use of every metre of the runway for take-off, that’s for sure!
Sunday morning in Funchal and it’s going to be another hot day. After breakfast we catch a local bus into the centre. Funchal and Madeira are so hilly that walking anywhere isn’t much fun. This is not a place to visit if you find it difficult to walk stairs!
Two cruise ships are in port today. I am hearing British, German, Dutch, French and American accents in Funchal. As it’s Sunday, a lot of attractions are closed unfortunately. We grab some lunch on a rooftop restaurant with nice views of the cable cars coming and going.
I’m looking forward to eating a Portuguese speciality, the custard tart, pastel de nata. I first sampled these last summer working at a party as a Prince Harry lookalike in the former Portuguese colony of Macau, China. The Portuguese version differs from the English custard tart in that they use a very crisp, flaky pastry rather. They are delicious and I’m sure it won’t be the last one I eat on this trip 🙂
We pay for a bus tour up to the sea cliffs of Cabo Girão. The views on this bus tour are spectacular. You get to see the island’s banana plantations that produce the famous Madeira bananas. These are quite a lot smaller than your average supermarket banana but sweeter. They can no longer sell their bananas into the EU because of their size!
The buses in Madeira are all Volvo built that look extremely strong and heavy. They certainly need good engines to be able to climb these mountainous roads. The bus ride itself is an experience as the driver negotiates the windy, steep roads!
There is no entrance fee and you can walk over the glass panels with a huge drop beneath you. A couple of the glass panels have some cracks in even just to make everyone a little more nervous. Truly spectacular views – not to be missed under any circumstances!!!
We get the next bus back to the centre and go back to the hotel to eat dinner there. Tomorrow is going to be a little hectic if we can manage to see everything we want to.
Trip number 9 in February is to the Portuguese island of Madeira with my brother. By coincidence, Harry and Meghan are flying out of London today and heading to a similar part of the world, Morocco. Madeira is situated about 500 miles off the Moroccan coast. Leaving London Gatwick on this beautiful February day and hoping the weather will be just as good when we land in the capital of Madeira, Funchal.
The flying time to Madeira from London is about 3 hours 45 minutes. One of the longer flights I have taken with EasyJet, as I try to fly to the furthest reaches of Europe. Madeira airport is named after the island’s most famous native – Portuguese footballer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo – The Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport.
Flights at Gatwick this morning have been delayed due to fog. When we eventually board our flight the Captain tells us that had our flight departed on time we would have had to divert to Lisbon because of high winds in Madeira, making it impossible to land. Instead, we should now be able to land as planned because the winds were forecast to die down by the time we would land. Strong cross winds at Madeira Airport can frequently cause flights to be diverted to Lisbon or even Tenerife.
There are not a huge number of cyclists or skaters today but lots of people are sitting on the grass bank enjoying 22 degrees and strong sunshine drinking their local beer, CruzCampo. I skate as far as the Alamillo Bridge, a rather striking cantilever bridge built in 1992.
As with the rest of Seville, the architecture of the buildings and gardens has a strong Arabic influence. You should allow at least 3 hours to see everything here. I was amazed how long it took to see everything but you can’t underestimate the scale of this palace. Luckily, it’s perfect weather again today and I make the most of it grabbing as many photos as I can in the beautiful gardens for my social media accounts. I buy some more decorative Seville-style glazed tiles for my commemorative artwork in the future.
The weather forecast for London is for snow tonight! Things couldn’t be more contrasting her at Malaga Airport! South-west Spain is extremely popular with British and other Northern Europeans during the winter. It’s a great place to escape the long winter. I seem to have had great luck with the weather with the timing of my visit. The previous week was not so good and next week won’t be as good either. I definitely have enjoyed my stay here and next month’s EasyJet trip will be somewhere even more exotic!
Its Friday morning and I’m leaving my Airbnb in Malaga with my luggage to spend a long weekend in Seville. I need to head to Malaga-Maria Zambrano train station again for my train. I just missed the high speed train so I have to take a regular train. This journey takes less than 2 hours by the high speed AVANT train but an extra hour roughly by regular RENFE train. The ticket cost of the regular train for a single journey is 25€.
The landscape on this journey is very beautiful rolling countryside with seemingly endless commercial olive tree plantations and a pretty colour of earth. The view is very rural and a typically Spanish look. A memorable sight is when the train goes through some tunnels and there is an amazing view in some kind of canyon with a fast flowing river. Here there are some cliff bridges with people walking on them.
An announcement is made on the train in Spanish only. From what I could understand it seems the train will stop at the next station and we all have to make a change to continue our journey. Sure enough, as we reach Osuna station, the whole train begins to empty. We have to all get onto a coach. I thought we would continue the rest of the journey entirely by coach but we drove around 45 minutes to another station further down the line and got on another train.
Amazingly, our train arrived at Seville’s Santa Justa train station just 5 minutes later than scheduled around 1pm. The weather again today is brilliant – a fantastic blue sky and very mild. Definitely need sunglasses today! My Airbnb for the weekend is in the Triana district. I walk from the station all the way there, about 25 minutes. It’s very easy for me to find and just a 2 minute walk from Seville’s Guadalquivir River.
After checking into my room I want to get some lunch straight away, I’m so hungry! I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast and it’s now about 2pm. I send a message to my friend Inma to say I have arrived in Seville and let me know what time she can see me later. She replies back to come and see her now. She is with friends in the Feria district. I don’t know this area well from last time but luckily she sends me her location in WhatsApp that I can navigate easily on my phone with GPS.
A couple of her friends present will marry next Saturday. Everyone is meeting to celebrate their upcoming wedding. The groom-to-be explains to me he is wearing a traditional hat that signifies to everyone he is getting married next week. We get some more drinks and tapas at a second bar around the corner. The food is always good in Seville, wherever you eat. I taste a nice meat tapas dish which is served in between a flat round bread – it’s very good.
We move a little further to another bar. In Seville, everybody drinks outside the bars in the street. The bars themselves are very small and can only accommodate a small number of people. The climate here means everyone wants to be outside anyway. Inma introduces me to some more friends who are here now. They are French students from Avignon studying in Seville for a number of months. When I tell them I can speak French, the conversation moves completely to French for the next hour or so. One topic of conversation they keen to talk about was Brexit. It was a slightly strange experience to be discussing Brexit, in French, in Spain!!
