Grand Cayman Island – Caribbean – BEEN THERE GOT THE T-SHIRT.

Published on by 2jsworldofadventure1 Comment

The Cayman Islands, are British Overseas Territory covering  264-square-kilometre (102-square-mile). They comprise of 3 islands in the western Caribbean Sea. The island we have visited on a couple of occasions is Grand Cayman. It is the largest island and well known for its beach resorts and varied scuba diving and snorkelling sites.  The 2nd largest Cayman Island is Cayman Brac which is a popular place for deep-sea fishing excursions. Little Cayman, the smallest island, has interesting diverse wildlife, including endangered iguanas to seabirds such as red-footed boobies. The capital is George Town, on Grand Cayman.

Grand Cayman, the largest and most populous island, is about 22 miles (35 km) long and 8 miles (13 km) across at its widest, with a total area of 76 square miles (197 square km). 

We arrived by Princess cruise ship and tendered in to shore and embarked on our ships tour of the island. 

Our tour included a sightseeing trip around George Town.

We then visited the Turtle farm at Boatswain’s Beach. At this eco-sensitive attraction, there are 100 round pools containing turtles at different developmental stages. There are small baby turtles, a 600-pound giant turtle, and everything in between. All the turtles have been raised at the farm with the hope of increasing the population and preventing them from being hunted to extinction…….the sign at the Centre says …’ The Cayman Turtle Centre maintains a small population of Kemp’s Ridley’s, the most endangered sea turtle. In 1980, in response to fears that this critically endangered species could disappear completely from the wild and to ensure genetic preservation, yearlings were brought from Mexico to here to start a breeding colony. In 1984 the Cayman Turtle Centre became the first place in the world to successfully breed captive reared Kemp’s Ridley’s. In April 1999, 110 Kemp’s were sent back to Mexico to continue the cooperative research project which started in 1979’.

We had such fun learning about the turtles and we were taught how to hold them and how they really like their neck stroked…it was a very special couple of hours.

There were also some very photogenic lizards basking in the heat of the sun.

Our tour continued along Seven Mile Beach. The beautiful Seven Mile Beach lies along the Caribbean Sea and has white, soft sand and gentle waves. There are plenty of places to hire a sun-lounger and parasols and indulge in a nice cool drink. 

Our next stop was Hell. Hell is at the top of most visitors’ itineraries. Hell is where you can see the beautiful volcanic like spike rock formations.  This is what Hell says about the rock formations …..”The sharp grey coloured pinnacled surface of the Caymen formation dolostone referred to as phytokarst, ………..This erosion has left an eerie and desolate looking landscape that earned this location its highly appropriate name. “

There is also the famous post office from where you can mail a letter back home post marked from Hell…….which of course we did…however only 3 of the 5 we posted arrived in England and we had been home 4 weeks before they turned up !!!!!!

John spoilt me here and bought me a gold pendant with a circular ball of the dolostone in the middle. 

One of the islands delicacies is the famed rum cake, we stopped at the Tortuga Rum Cake Company for a tasty morsel.

What a wonderful visit to an interesting Island we had, had…

Our next trip to the Caymen Islands we decided to revisit the Turtle Centre and this time we went across the road to the Dolphin Sanctuary. All the dolphins have been  rescued and due to their medical needs they are very used to human interaction.  To fund their keep and further rescues they run Dolphin Experiences…. We were given life jackets and had been told to wear swimming costumes and swim shoes. We stood up to our chests  on a ledge in a very large area of water. There was a mother and calf and the mother came and greeted us all by shaking our hands, rising out of the water to a raised hand, kissing us and rubbing our cheeks. After our individual experience the mother returned to the other end of the area and proceeded to teach her calf how to leap and twist and turn out of the water…it was an amazing sight.

Another wonderful experience on Grand Cayman Island….we were sad to leave but it was only ‘au revoir’…until the next time. 

Prague – Czech Repubic – BEEN THERE GOT THE T-SHIRT

Published on by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

We Flew from Luton airport into Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. Prague is the country’s capital city . The metropolitan area of Prague covers 192 square miles (496 square kilometres). It has a population of 1,328,000. Prague is bisected by the Vltava River. Nicknamed “the City of a Hundred Spires,” it’s known for its Old Town Square at the heart of its historic core, with colorful baroque buildings, Gothic churches and the medieval Astronomical Clock, which gives an animated hourly show. Completed in 1402 the famous pedestrian Charles Bridge is lined with statues of Catholic saints.

We had asked the hotel to pick us up from the airport which they did. The Hotel Rott is situated in The Little Square, which is the parallel square to the main old town square, just around the corner to the Famous Astronomical Clock, next to The Hard Rock Cafe. The buildings of Hotel Rott and the entire Little Square are located in the oldest inhabited part of Prague.  In 1232, the Old Town of Prague was granted municipal privileges. Virtually all the houses on the square have underground spaces, these were originally the ground floors of the early medieval houses. In The Hotel Rott this is where the breakfast is served, the main restaurant is on the ground floor. The hotel Rott has many quirky features. On entering the hotel our eyes were drawn to the old fashioned black metal cage lift, which transported us up onto the floor of our room. Our room was a pleasant double with an en-suite bathroom. Since our visit I believe the hotel has been refurbished ( the plumbing definitely needed it!!!) and a roof top bar has been added. It’s a reasonably priced hotel at about £135.00 per night for a double including breakfast (2024 prices).

We climbed wearily into bed, we had, had a late night flight and wanted to be fresh for sightseeing the next morning. After a continental breakfast which was generous in both quantity, quality and taste we set out to explore. Less than a 100 m away on the corner is the astronomical clock, a popular tourist sight.

Rounding the corner into the main old square we saw the hop-on-hop-off bus stop and we decided as we so often do to hop-on and use it to get our bearing’s as well as see the sights.

We visited the enchanting, hillside district of Malá Strana, with its hidden courtyards and gardens and breathtaking views of the Old Town back across the Vltava. It’s was probably worth hopping off at Malostranske Square and wandering through the district’s warren of winding cobbled streets. However it was far too cold and wet to wander about so we stayed on and discovered the world’s largest ancient castle complex: Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral! You can also see the 12th-century Strahov Monastery, with its incredibly beautiful Baroque library….but once again we stepped off took a few photos and stepped back on to continue our viewing of the Jewish Quarter, before returning to the Old Town Square. This time we were fortunate enough to hear and watch the Astronomical Clock strike on the hour.

During the next 3 days we had a mixed bag of weather. We meandered the cobbled streets in the evening…eating in some lovely traditional cellar restaurants. We stopped off in some of the unusual quirky shops, bought personalised embroidered adult bibs, hand blown glass ornaments and some other nik naks.

Day 2 saw us walking to Wenceslas Square …..slightly disappointed as it is situated surrounded by a busy road, McDonalds, Marks & Spencer’s and other very modern shops….when one’s preconceived expectation is that it would be like the Old Town Main Square.

We managed to get a bit lost on our way back, nothing new there then!!!

…eventually we wound our way down to the famous, 1402, pedestrian Charles Bridge which is lined with statues of Catholic saints. It was absolutely heaving with people, artists and street hawkers selling their goods…..we walked across and back because we felt we ought to not least of all because it was pictured on Johns T shirt which we had already purchased in Old Town.

Feeling a little jaded……..

……….we stopped for a light bite before strolling back to the Old Town Square where we took a horse and cart tour. This is my favourite form of transport and I must say that I was quite disappointed to hear that they were stopping this practice on 1st January 2023. There has been much controversy over this and I am uncertain as to whether permission for horse drawn carts has been reinstated or not…….however we had an hours ride around the Old Town at a very sedate pace, wrapped in a waterproof blanket.

After our Horse and carriage ride we returned to the hotel. I put my feet up and had a siesta, while John went to the main train station and enjoyed a few hours of his favourite hobby.

The following day we took the Tourist Train, around the roads of Prague, from the Old Square. It did much the same as the HOHO bus had….only this time the weather was slightly better and we did get off and on, particularly in district of Malá Strana and the castle and cathedral.

In the afternoon we took a short river cruise to see the sights from the water. Then later in the evening we wandered around enjoying the floodlight aesthetics of the area.

The following day the hotel transferred us back to the Airport……. Our 3 days and 4 nights were great….The right amount of time for seeing the cities sights…we went in October, it was both cold and wet but I don’t think this deterred us from doing and seeing what we wanted to.

Martinique – French Caribbean Island – BEEN THERE GOT THE T-SHIRT

Published on by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

Martinique is an island in the Lesser Antilles which is part of the French West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Its nearest neighbours are the island republics of Dominica 22 miles (35 km) to the northwest, and Saint Lucia 16 miles (26 km) to the south. Guadeloupe another part of overseas France, lies about 75 miles (120 km) to the north 

As an overseas region of France, its culture reflects a distinctive blend of French and West Indian influences. Its largest town, Fort-de-France, features steep hills, narrow streets and La Savane, a garden bordered by shops and cafes. In the garden is a statue of island native Joséphine de Beauharnais, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Martinique is in effect a dependant region of France and therefore enjoys the same European Union benefits as the French Mainland. Unlike a lot of Caribbean islands It has the same modern day infrastructure, education, health and welfare system as France. 

It’s a delightful island to visit. We have been fortunate enough to cruise into port here on several occasions. On one occasion we decided to explore the heart of the island in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle to the interior rainforest and backcountry.  Our tour took us passed banana and sugar cane plantations, fording streams and encountering all variety of vegetation en route to a river deep in the rainforest. Upon arrival, we experienced the peace and tranquility of a remote, hidden spot deep in the inner forest. 

We listened to the sounds of the jungle and observed nature’s beauty all around us.

We sat and relaxed in the inner forest area known as Coeur Bouliki. The rich volcanic soil nourishes banana plantations and pineapple fields as well as mangoes, papayas, lemons, limes, and West Indian cherries and we sat enjoying a fruit drink and eating fresh fruit off banana leaf platters. 

The only thing which impeded the peace and tranquility was a cat having an altercation with a cockerel ….Surprisingly the cockerel came off the best and the cat legged it …

Exploring the area by having a short walk to the river we saw some superb plants and magnificent flowers. We also saw land frogs and lizards

Your return drive took us on another route which took us through banana plantations.

We stopped at a Rum Distillery  and tasted some of the islands rums. They are known as some of the best rums in the world on the island of Martinique. Many have been bestowed with the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) award.

We continued our sightseeing on the way back to the Cruise Ship.

Tallinn, Estonia – BEEN THERE GOT THE T-SHIRT

Published on by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

Estonia is a country situated  in Northern Europe it has borders on the west with the Baltic Sea, on the north with the Gulf of Finland, on the south with Latvia and on the east with Lake Peipsi and Russia. It was formally part of The Soviet Union. Soviet authorities recognised Estonian independence on 6 September 1991, and on 17 September 1991 Estonia was admitted into the United Nations. 

Estonia consists of the mainland and a lot of islands……if you ask one Estonia they’ll tell you 1500 and if you ask another you’ll be told 2300 Islands….so I’ll just say a lot!!! The largest islands are Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. Estonia covers a total of 17,504 square miles(45,335sqkm).  It has a very diverse terrain which includes rocky beaches, old forests and many lakes. It’s attractiveness is not just one of scenery but it also in its very aesthetically beautiful castles, churches and hilltop fortresses. 

We visited Estonia as part of a Northern Europe, Capital city, cruise with Princess Cruises. We had had it booked before the arrival of the pandemic and it had been moved twice….so we were delighted to finally go  even though the itinerary was much changed from our original booking. This had been pre-invasion of Russia into Ukrainian and had included both St Petersburg and Helsinki, both of which were removed from the itinerary, the former because it was a country at war and the later because it was too close to Russia. 

Our trip to Estonia included a day trip to Tallinn, it’s capital city. Tallinn has a population of about 461,000. Tallinn is renowned for its preserved Old Town and museums. Our coach picked us up at the port and took us to the monument complex which commemorates the victims of communism. 

Our next stop was the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds it is valued architecturally and is the first post-war building in Tallinn which was completed in 1960. When not being used for The Song Festival the park is open for walking, sports activities and having a picnic. There is a beautiful statue of Gustav Ernesaks  who was an Estonia composer who died in 1993. The statue of him sitting overlooking the festival ground was erected in 2004. 

The coach parked up outside the old city walls and we followed our guide to Toompea Hill. Toompea or “Upper Town” is the home of some of Tallinn’s oldest architectural wonders and home to Palace Square. Our first stop was Alexander Nevsky Cathedral . This is a historic Russian Orthodox Cathedral. St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral serves as the dominating landmark in Palace Square, the cathedral’s cupolas and golden crosses rise high above the rooftops.

Turn your back on the Cathedral and you come face to face with Toompea Castle. The castle with its late Baroque façade was built between 1767 and 1773 and sits on the site of the foundations of a 13th century fortress. It’s outside wall is pink which was an attractive contrast to the wet dark cobbles of the area on this particular grey rainy day. The castle is now home to the Parliamentary buildings.

We then slipped and slid our way around the streets, if it hadn’t been for the heavy rain we would have been more enthusiastic about the history and beauty of the quaint streets. Instead of concentrating on what our guide was saying we were more concerned with staying upright and keeping warm. We made our way to Piiskopi Viewing point. It was worth it …the views were terrific. We looked down on Lowe Old Town. Our guide pointed out many buildings but we were ready to scurry into a tourist souvenir shop and get into the warm and out of the rain for a few minutes.

We made our way back to the coach which returned us to the port terminal. The weather really impacted on our tour and we were a bit disappointed that we couldn’t appreciate this obviously beautiful historical capital city….maybe sometime we will get to visit again.