Kevin Goulding

We thoroughly enjoyed a short, five-day city break to Lisbon. An early start on our first full day, and following a leisurely breakfast, we walked from our hotel located at Marquês de Pombal, downhill along

Having enjoyed a previous cruise with Fred. Olsen aboard the smaller ship ‘Balmoral’, we thought it a good idea to take a boat from Liverpool.A late booking on Fred. Olsen’s flagship, the ‘Bolette’, was to

Following a recent operation (appendicitis- at my age!), we chose to travel by train to the northeast of Scotland to see a long-time folk singer with whom we had enjoyed a holiday on a remote

With a planned visit to friends in Zurich, we looked at our transport options: car, flights, and rail. We opted for buying an InterRail Pass. Our itinerary took us on the Eurostar to Lille, then

Some short memories from our recent holiday to ‘Olhos de Água’, situated midway between Albufeira and Vilamoura on the Algarve. The name refers to the freshwater springs on the beach, visible when the sea is

A last-minute booking on a Fred. Oslen cruise ship, the ‘Balmoral’ departing from Rosyth took us to the Lofoten Islands and Tromsø, land of the midnight sun. June 21 is the longest day in the

After our return from the southern climes just before Christmas 2024, the low temperatures of Blightly and the dismal skies encouraged us to seek some sunny warmth. Frances checked out the weather in the northern

Colin and Priscilla, good friends from a previous cruise and visit to their home, met us at the ship terminal. It was so good to see them again after our last visit to Auckland in

We chose to dine ‘al fresco’ to watch a stunning sunset. We were now approaching New Zealand for the Bay of Islands, our penultimate stop en route to our final destination, Auckland. The ‘Regatta’ dropped

We were extremely excited to visit the big city down under. The adrenaline was palpable throughout the ship, with many guests on the top deck as we sailed beneath the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. It

Townsville is just 150 nautical miles south of Cairns. Like Cairns, it relies on sugar cane as its prime agricultural income source. We chose to do the Rainforest Discovery Walk in the Paluma Range National

A fabulous train journey to the MacAlister Range in Northern Australia, offering spectacular views of the Barron River from the rail line to Kuranda, situated 330 metres above sea level – the Village in the

Alotau is the capital of Milne Bay Province, on the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea. Hundreds of skulls are said to belong to locals who have been consumed! However, Tawali Skull Cave, situated near Bilubilu

We had no expectations for Papua New Guinea. The mini-bus we travelled in was driven rather quickly to our coastal village destination, accompanied by a security escort. In hindsight, knowing that within the previous 12

After two days at sea from Bali, we arrived in Darwin, the capital of the Australian Northern Territory. Salt Water Crocodile invested waters in the port and the many other rivers and billabongs in this

We arrived in Jakarta at the start of the monsoon season. The traffic was a nightmare, and disheartening was the sight of rubbish floating in the sea. I was not surprised to learn that Jakarta