Away for the holidays - Lake Louise, Canada - A winter wonderland

I was not sure what I was expecting to see when we first arrived at the Fairmont Hotel at Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada.

I'd seen endless photographs both in Winter and in Summer, and the problem with photos is that they never quite prepare you for reality.

That's not to say that our first impression was of incredible scenery, it was of the front door if it could be called that, where we pulled up in the car, and then, if the sub-zero temperatures, a mad rush to get the baggage out, and get into the warmth of the foyer,which was almost the size of several football fields, and then some.

Check in was quick and easy, and then to our room on the first floor.  I had hoped to be higher up but, being a corner room, when we got there, the views could not be more majestic.

The lake had frozen over, and a closer look showed there was a skating rink an ice castle, and a hockey rink as well.  People were skating, and walking over the frozen surface of the lake.

No skating, or walking, on thin ice here.

Venturing outside into the cold, you have to be rugged up, and definitely, have both a hat and gloves.  It was minus six degrees.

Tomorrow we will venture further out onto the lake.

Tonight, it's dinner in the main restaurant.

The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong

The sight of the Peninsula Hotel is very familiar to all who visit Hong Kong, if not to stay but certainly if you want to see the last vestiges of British influence in what was once a far eastern colony.

That is, we're talking about the front building, not the new tower at the back.  In the older days there would have been a great view of the harbor from the Veranda (that area with the blue striped canopy) where today, breakfast is taken.

We had breakfast, lunch, and the famous afternoon tea in the ground floor cafe.

These days you would mostly see taxis, buses, and Teslas, if not a flurry of Mercedes and green Rolls Royces in the small car park below.  There is no clear view of the harbor anymore.

From our room, one facing the harbor we could see the space museum, and on the day we arrived, rain, at times, blotting out the harbor and Hong Kong Island barely discernable in the distance.

As for the room itself, it was excellent, a junior suite, I think, because it had two distinctive areas.  Everything was run from a tablet computer, blinds, lights, television, and most important, air conditioning.  This was the first hotel I've stayed in where it was neither too hot or too cold, but just rights.

The bed was very large and extremely comfortable, as were the pillows.  Pillows, I'm afraid, are a bugbear with me, as no hotel seems to be able to get it right.  They're either too soft or too hard, too tall, or too shallow.  Here, they managed to get it right.

The windows were just the right size not to affect the air conditioning, ie. let too much heat in.

I'm not sure I could say the lounge chair was comfortable, but there was only one, which makes it difficult if there are two of you.  I wasn't going to fight for it.

The desk had a surprise in the bottom drawer, a printer!

And the bathroom, though slightly smaller than expected, had some hint of what it may have been like in the early days.  It had both a shower and a bath.

Harbour Grand Hotel, Kowloon, Hong Kong

The Harbour Grand Hotel, Kowloon, Hong Kong, is a modern, but luxurious hotel, one that our travel agent found for us.

I was initially worried that it might be too far away from central Hong Kong, but a free shuttle bus that runs at convenient times took us to and from the hotel to the Star Ferry terminal.

The luxuriousness of the hotel starts the moment you walk in the front entrance with a magnificent staircase that I assumed led up to the convention center (or perhaps where weddings are catered for) and a staircase where one could make a grand entrance or exit.  Oh, and there's a chandelier too.

We booked into a Harbourview suite, and it was not only spacious but had that air of luxury about it that made it an experience every time you walked into it.

But the view of Hong Kong Harbour, that was the 'piece de resistance'

I spent a lot of time staring out that window, and it was more interesting than watching the television, which we didn't do much of.   Most of the time, when we travel, TV is limited to International English speaking news channels.

This time we had several movies included with the room, but I still preferred to watch the endless water traffic on the harbor.

The lounge area had several comfortable chairs, an area for the bar fridge and tea or coffee making facilities and on the opposite side the usual table and chairs for those who came to conduct business

The bedroom was separate to the entrance and lounge.  Notable was the fact the room had two bathrooms, one in the bedroom, and one out in the lounge, perhaps for the guests who were having friends in.

We dined in one of the restaurants, Hoi Yat Heen, where we experienced Guandong cuisine.  I tried the roasted goose for the first time, and it was interesting to say the least.

There's no doubt where we will be staying the next time we go to Hong Kong.

We all deserve a break, but just how are you going to take it?

Leave, Vacation, or Holiday - don't you deserve a break?

Some people we know have come up for a holiday in what could be described as a very touristy location.

But is it for a 'holiday'?

They have come from one state and are staying in what could be called an apartment, not a hotel.

They are here for a week.

So, they have a kitchen of sorts and can cook their own meals, unlike staying in a hotel room and having to eat out or in the hotel restaurant, and the apartment has a mini laundry.

How much different is this to being at home?

Perhaps we need to have a definition of the word 'holiday' and its variations.  A lot of people's use the term 'vacation'.  Others use the term 'leave'.  Leave's a difficult term because it can cover a number of types such as annual, sick, and maternity.

But whatever we want to call it, is it when you're taking some time away from work.

Is it when you go 'away', that is to say anywhere but home?

You say, 'I'm going on vacation."

We say, "Oh, where are you going?"

Some say camping.  Is that any different than staying in an apartment, or even a holiday house?  Still all the same chores, cooking, cleaning, washing.

Is this why so many people are now going on cruises and hotels are so full these days.

There will always those who will go camping and stay is self-serve places like apartments, but for me, a holiday is staying in a five-star hotel where the only worry is where the nearest dry cleaner is.

Another visit to Windsor Castle, London, England

A fine day, on this trip a rarity, we decided to take the train to Windsor and see the castle.

This is a real castle, and still in one piece, unlike a lot of castles.

Were we hoping to see the Queen, no, it was highly unlikely.

But there were a lot of planes flying overhead into Heathrow.  The wind must have been blowing the wrong day, and I'm sure, with one passing over every few minutes, it must annoy the Queen if she was looking for peace and quiet.

Good thing then, when it was built, it was an ideal spot, and not under the landing path.  I guess it was hard to predict what would happen 500 years in the future!



I'm not sure if this was the front gate or back gate, but I was wary of any stray arrows coming out of those slits either side of the entrance.

You just never know!



An excellent lawn for croquet.  This, I think, is the doorway, on the left, where dignitaries arrive by car.  The private apartments are across the back.



The visitor's apartments.  Not sure who that is on the horse.



St George's Chapel.  It's a magnificent church for a private castle.  It's been very busy the last few months with Royal weddings.



The Round Tower, or the Keep.  It is the castle's centerpiece.  Below it is the gardens.



Those stairs are not for the faint-hearted, nor the Queen I suspect.  But I think quite a few royal children and their friends have been up and down them a few times.



And well worth the effort to reach the bottom.



Any faces peering out through the windows?

Hong Kong, The hotel, the car park, the front entrance, cafes, arcades, and a tailor

I've seen in many times when we visited Hong Kong, but never quite made it to stay at the Peninsula Hotel, not until I decided to put it on my bucket list, and, having just turned 65, we decided to spend my birthday there.

 Of course, arriving in a green Rolls Royce helps to enhance the experience. and is, if you are going to stay at the Penisula, a mandatory extra.

It is rather difficult to imagine what the hotel would have been like in 1928 when it was built.  Without the central tower behind the old hotel building, the tall buildings around it, and all the buildings between the hotel and the waterfront, it would be easy to say it had a prime position.

It’s not far from the Star Ferry terminal, the main transport from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island.  Since then, there is the MTR and the underground tunnel for vehicles, but back then it was the ferry or nothing.

Outside, the centerpiece to the driveway is a fountain.  Around the edges are the cars, the Tesla’s, the Mercedes, the Audi’s and a Rolls Royce or two.  There was even a Lamborghini.  I could see myself doing a tour of the island by Lamborghini.

Or not.  The traffic would be very unkind to such a machine.

Inside the front door, the main part of the ground floor foyer stretches from one side of the building to the other, save for arcades of shops at the ends.  High priced goods can be bought here by the rich and famous.

What is interesting is that they have a very smartly dressed porter at the front door to open it for you.  It seemed very appropriate for a hotel steeped in old world charm.

Either side of the entrance walkway that leads to reception and the concierge desk, and two magnificent staircases.  It is all marble floor, marble columns with sculptures at the top and ornate ceilings. 

And the endless cacophony of sounds you would expect in such a large space.  Either side of the central walkway is the cafe, elegantly set tables, each with its own flower.

People coming and going, people meeting other people, people arriving, people departing.  Hotel staff bustling from place to place and serving staff moving among the guests dining in the Foyer cafe.

The staircase leads to the mezzanine floor where there are more shops, and then up to the first floor where the veranda cafe and the Spring Moon restaurant is located.  The Spring Moon is where we will be having dinner tonight.



So much for the quick hotel orientation.

I had decided that if there was time, and we could find a tailor, I’d get some trousers made that would fit me.  Previously this had been done at Fletcher Jones, a place where clothes were tailor-made for individuals, but it has now gone.

A search on the internet for tailors near the hotel leads to one which is not very far away.  We will go and see what is possible.

To get to the tailor we have to go up Nathan road to Carnarvon road, on paper, several blocks.  One thing I’d forgotten about the last time we were in Hong Kong was the touts on every corner, and in between, offering tailoring or copy watches and handbags.  They are persistent and in your face every twenty yards.  They are not even Chinese, nor do they have a very good command of English.
I’m not sure where we’d finish up if we ever took up one of their offers.

At the street where the tailor is located, there are more tailor shops and we have to endure more touts before getting to the arcade.  Then, as we headed towards the door to the tailor, another tailor tried to guide us into his shop next door.  You have to have your wits about you.

Once inside our chose tailor, we could almost breathe a sigh of relief.  The question now is whether we had chosen well.  Those in the shop, two men, and a woman are not Chinese, but Indian I think.  There was a brief discussion about the material, with two bolts of material retrieved.  Italian.  They were two of about a thousand that lined the side and back wall.  Whether that would be the material I eventually ended up with was debatable, and would have to be taken on trust.

The owner spent his time sitting at the back while I was measured, and a quote made up.  These two pairs of trousers were not going to be cheap, in fact, there are very expensive.  But, they were made to measure, the first trousers I have bought since my last pairs from Fletcher Jones, a company that no longer exists.

When could I have a fitting?  I only had three days in Hong Kong.

Come back at five.

I paid the money, and left, fully expecting to find the shop gone along with all trace of my money when I returned.

Or I might just get lucky.  We shall see.

Auckland, New Zealand, a rare day for the port

We were staying at the Hilton and advised there would be a large cruise liner berthing next to the hotel.  There was the Arcadia.



This is the view from the other side of the hotel.  Where our room was, we could almost walk onto the aft end of the ship.

We were also told this was a rather extraordinary day because there were two cruise ships in the port. particularly because it was near the end of the cruising season.

The other ship was two berths along, the Sun Princess.



Not as big as the Arcadia, up close it was still very impressive.

Chateau Tongariro, New Zealand

This chateau was built in 1929 and was originally intended as a hostel for hikers.

It is now near the  Whakapapa skifield on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu and within  the boundary of the Tongariro National Park



We had afternoon tea in the lounge several times, and it is very pleasant in winter with the log fires burning.



The interior is still as ornate as it had been in the 1930's.  The chairs are very comfortable, and the atmosphere pleasant.

Mount Ngauruhoe can be seen through the window of the lounge.  This was used in filming Lord of the Rings.

Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, and resorts Wyndham style

We have stayed in two different types of accommodation in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, as a timeshare owner who can trade their week for a week anywhere in the world.

Both are resorts, but different sorts of resorts.  The first was a typical RCI resort, where everything is laid back and relaxing, with all the amenities one can expect from a resort.

The other, this one, the Wyndham in Coffs Harbour, is very different, and you notice it when you walk in the front door.  You are virtually assaulted by hard-nosed timeshare sales staff who really don't take no for an answer, and then when you finally escape, ring you every day to make an appointment.

I left the phone off the hook.

Aside from that, the place is excellent, the accommodation very good, and the situation one of the best with what could be called a private beach.  There are also a number of bushwalks that cater to old people like me.

As you can see, lakes and greenery, and even a putting green.



And in places, they try very hard to hide the ugly multi-story buildings in amongst the trees



It is only a short walk to the 'private beach' and it is sufficiently long enough for a morning walk before breakfast.  You could even try to catch some fish for breakfast, though I'm not sure if anyone actually caught anything



Or you can just stare out to sea



And, back in the room, this is the view we had from our verandah

Tongariro National Park, and, of course, Chateau Tongariro

Chateau Tongariro is an elegant place to stay at any time of the year, but for us people who live in a more temperate climate, the idea of staying on a chalet in winter has a certain appeal to it
The day we visited it was 6 degrees Celsius outside, but lot higher inside.

Passing through the front door you are greeted by the sounds of Shirley Bassey pounding out Goldfinger, a James Bond theme, in a way kind of fitting for the scenery, the snow, and the implied idea that action will be happening.

A car chase, sleds being pulled by Huskies across the snow-covered tundra, gunshots, and not the least of which, glamour.

Pity today is not that day.



It's not snowing, it's raining.

There's no snow on the tundra, and the Chateau is surrounded by low lying cloud making it impossible to see the snow covered mountains, that certain look and appeal of being in Russia, you know, those snow-peaked mountains that the Beatles sang about in 'Back to the USSR'.

We came earlier in the week when the skies were blue, there were no clouds, and the snow covered mountains were clear to see.

For a building built in 1928, it is both showing its age and holding it's old world charm.



Right down to the 1920's style big band music that had replaced the more risque James Bond themes, in amongst a few other 1940's movie musical themes such as 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow', by Judy Garland.

But, like our previous visits, we are here for the High Tea.

For the British in that period between the world wars, high tea was an occasion, especially in the colonies like Singapore and Hong Kong.

Of course, originally High Tea was a treat for the upper class, used as a mini meal between lunch and dinner which was, for them, quite often at 8pm.  So, traditionally, it was set between 3:30 and 5:00 pm.  Moving out of the 1800's it became a treat also for the middle classes, but post WW2, it came into its own where everyone was able to partake in it.

Depending on where you go, each establishment has its own variety of teas, and their own variation on cakes, pastries, scones, and sandwiches.

Me, I'm kind of boring, and prefer the Earl Grey, though I've been known to try something more exotic from time to time.  Today, it is Earl Grey.

I love the cucumber and smoked salmon sandwiches.  Good thing no one else does.

Scones come with jam and cream.  In England, they come with clotted cream.  Sometimes I just eat the cream with a small spoon.

As for the cakes or pastries, maybe not today.

From the Presidential Suite to almost walking the plank, Auckland, New Zealand

This is something you don't see every day of the week, or once in a lifetime, perhaps.

We arrived at the Hilton Auckland hotel somewhere between one and two in the morning after arriving from Australia by plane around midnight.

Sometimes there is a benefit in arriving late, and, of course, being a very high tier HHonors guest, where the room you book is upgraded.

This stay we got one hell of a surprise.

We got to spend the night in the Presidential Suite.

The lounge and extra bathroom.

Looking towards the private bathroom.

A bathroom fit for a King and a Queen

And the royal bed

There was a note to say that we should keep the blinds closed for privacy and that a ship would be arriving in the port, but I did not expect it to be literally fifty feet from our balcony.