Tag Archives: Food and drink

16th December picture(s) of the day…

17 Saturday Dec 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Ossett, Photography, Travel, West Yorkshire

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OK, this is a day late, but what the hell – I was busy!

Yesterday Dawn had to pop over to nearby Ossett, a town I’d never visited before so I tagged along to keep her company and enjoy the chance to explore. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

Nestling on the side of the valley above the old Healy Mills railway marshalling yard, Ossett’s a small market town of 21,000 people. The town’s wealth was built on wool and coal although the former industry is long gone whilst the latter survives in vastly shrunken form. Nowadays the towns prosperity comes from its proximity to Leeds. Also long-gone is the town’s railway which closed in 1964. That’s why I’ve never had a reason to visit, until today!

Whilst Dawn went to her appointment I had a mooch around town. The main square’s been pedestrianised, as has the nearby portion of Station Rd. This has created an attractive area in the shadow of the Town Hall which is where the market’s held on Tuesdays and Fridays. I really enjoyed the market. Unlike many which survive by selling all sorts of plastic tat and cheap clothing, Ossett has some very good stall. There were a couple of fruit and veg stalls with a mix of local and imported produce at extremely good prices. Two vans were on site, one selling cuts of meat and the other fresh fish, whilst there were a number of other stalls selling bakery goods, including humongous bread rolls, fruit teacakes, pies and desserts. Oh, and an excellent cheese stall! I ended up spending quite a bit of money stocking up on various bits from several stalls – and stocked up my Xmas cheeseboard at the same time.

Stalls in the market Square which is surrounded by some lovely old buildings which don’t overpower. The one to the left is a former bank which now houses a pottery and arts cafe on the ground floor.
Quality local produce.
“This much Sir”? Measuring out a cut of cheese at the excellent cheese stall.
A close-up of some of the delicious cheese on offer.

Sadly, the town hall (which would have looked lovely bathed in the winter sunshine that blessed our visit) was swathed in scaffolding as it’s currently being refurbished. I did pop in to have a look as it contains several bric a brac stalls on market day but there was nothing that struck my fancy.

Inside the town hall.

However, behind the Town Hall, in what looks like a 1960s shopping complex I found something that did appeal. The Bier Huis. Their small shop front hides an Aladdin’s cave of UK and foreign bottled beers as well as a counter-bar selling draught real ales plus a couple of tables where you can sit whilst you enjoy them. I couldn’t resist buying some bottles of German and Belgian beers that I’d never tried before, plus an old favourite (Zot, from Brugge). added to the cheese I’d purchased earlier they made a great Xmas present to myself!

Choices, choices…

Like the Beer Huis, Ossett has many local and independent shops which make it stand out from the crowd. One gets fed up of identikit town centres dominated by the same chains and charity shops. Ossett made a refreshing change and, whilst there are some empty shops, there’s not anywhere as many as you find in the likes of Huddersfield, where we drove back to afterwards as Dee had to return to work. I had journey onward to Halifax which wasn’t easy due to the rail strike. Instead of the usual train I headed over to the bus station to wait for what should be a frequent (every 15 mins) service between the two towns. The place was busy – but not with buses. I had to wait 45 mins before a double-decker arrived. My only consolation was that I had a bag full of cheese and beer and wasn’t waiting at some God-forsaken stop in the middle of nowhere! Despite this, I really enjoyed getting out and about again. The day was rounded off by Dawn catching up with me again in our local pub where we net up with friends whilst enjoying a few beers and testing our knowledge using the quiz from the local pub paper. Not a bad day at all…

I’m looking forward to a return to Ossett market in the near future. Only this time I’ll be bringing more cash and a bigger shopping bag as there’s some real bargains to be had on that market.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Birthday ‘over the border’…

05 Monday Dec 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Lancashire, Photography, Travel

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It was my father-in-law’s 88th birthday today, so Dawn drove John and his wife Norah (plus me) over the border into Lancashire for a birthday meal at a pub in Delph, Lancashire that John and Norah knew but that Dawn and I have never visited. A splendid afternoon was had by all. For a start, it’s a lovely drive from where Dee’s parent live, at Crosland Moor in the hills to the West of Huddersfield. You traverse the Colne valley as far as Marsden, then cut up over the moors atop the Standedge canal and rail tunnels before dropping down into Diggle and finally to Delph itself. As we weren’t eating until later we also called into a popular garden centre to browse their Christmas collection whilst allowing me to buy some winter Pansies so that I can provide some colour in the garden over the next few months. Yep, I’m of that age where I enjoy browsing in garden centres!

The pub that John had chosen for lunch was the Old Bell Inn. It’s a listed 18th Century coaching house which contains a pub, restaurant and hotel rooms. It also has a claim to fame. In the bar there’s a 2014 certificate from the Guinness book of records, which records the fact that they had a world-record number of gins in their bar. They currently boast of stocking over 1100 different ones. It’s not just gins either, they also have an impressive collection of other spirits, including a cabinet of select Brandies, one of which will set you back £200 a shot! Real ale drinkers aren’t neglected either as there’s four hand-pulled beers which included Timothy Taylors and Millstone from nearby Mossley.

We ate in the restaurant rather than the bar. They couldn’t fit us in until 13:45 and when we arrived, we could see why, the place was packed with groups enjoying Christmas lunches! The atmosphere was really jolly and whilst the staff were run off their feet they were on top of everything and served with a smile and a joke. We ordered from the special Xmas menu. Whilst John and Norah (who’re gluten-free) had the soup of the day, Dawn plumped for the Chicken Liver Parfait served with fruit chutney and toasted ciabatta whilst I had the Shawarma Kofta served with pickled red cabbage, warm Pitta and Raita. Both were excellent. The taste and texture of the Kofta was excellent and it had a real kick to it too, which I certainly appreciated.

When it came to mains, the three members of the Platt family all plumped for Turkey served with roast and mashed potato, carrots, sprouts, parsnip and a pig in blanket plus lardons and finally, gravy. I went for something more local and traditional which I’d discovered by accident when out photographing in the area when I first moved up here – rag pudding (minced meat and onions in suet pastry cooked in cheesecloth) with chunky chips and mushy peas.

None of us had any cause for complaint about the quality of food or the portion sizes – or the prices. At £14.95 for 2 courses, they rank as very good value for money.

All agreed it was a lovely lunch and now we’ve discovered the place Dawn and I will certainly be back. The area around Delph, Uppermill and Diggle has a lot to offer and knowing there’s yet another good pub and restaurant in the area adds to the attractions. I’d certainly recommend it.

Here’s a few pictures from our visit.

Shawarma Kofta
Chicken liver parfait
A local delicacy – rag pudding.
Seating in the bar area.
The bar. The Gin collection is off to the left…
Just a part of the 1100 plus Gin bottle collection.
Gin, Gin, Gin, Gin…
The brandy cabinet.
The birthday boy and family…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Whitby weekend (pt 1)…

11 Friday Nov 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Photography, Travel, Yorkshire

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13:00.

And things were going so well…

After a leisurely morning packing and sorting out a few chores before loading up the car to head off to Whitby. It being Friday we were pleasantly surprised by the traffic levels on the ‘cobbled motorway’ (aka the M62) and M1. It was only when we came off onto the A64 skirting to the South of York that it went ‘Pete Tong’ due to a crash. Right now we’re trapped in slow moving traffic approaching the hold-up and have been for the past 25 mins.

15:30.

Made it!

21:30.

Time to relax and put our feet up for the evening. We’ve had a great first day here in Whitby. Well, once we managed to get here anyway. To be honest, we were only about half an hour late. Thankfully, the accident on the A64 wasn’t that serious, it was just time consuming. On the bright side (literally) the weather was far better than was forecast. We had a lovely run across the North Yorkshire moors with the sun breaking through the waning clouds so when we crested the final hill before Whitby we were greeted by the sight of the town basking in sunshine. 10 minutes later we were checking into our hotel up on the North promenade overlooking the beach. We were keen to explore so as soon as we’d settled in we went out to explore. My God – it was windy! No wonder the clouds didn’t hang around long! That said, the weather’s also incredibly mild and as soon as we dropped down to the harbour the wind disappeared. The town looked gorgeous in the late afternoon sunlight making it an ideal time to be out with the camera. Neither of us have been back to Whitby since (we reckon) 2014 so it was great to explore the narrow backstreets and discover places neither of us remember visiting before. The town was busy, but not overbearingly so the way it can be at the height of the summer, which made our perambulations that more pleasant. We did take a break to try a couple of the pubs, one of which was the ‘Little Angel’, a friendly little real ale pub with a great selection of beers.

Dawn suggested we eat at the Magpie, which she’s heard was a cut above your average sit-down fish and chip shop. It was a brilliant choice. The food was excellent. Despite not having booked we managed to get a table on the top floor of the building which overlooks the harbour. We opted to share a starter, so I picked the battered Calamari, which was superb. served with a spicy dip it was melt in the mouth gorgeous! For our mains we both chose the same dish – local scampi in a basket (with chips). The portions were huge. The pair of us were defeated by the chips although I managed to consume all my scampi (washed down by a bottle of Farmers Blonde Ale). Dee had a cuppa to compliment her meal. The whole bill came to £42 which seemed pretty good for what we had – fresh, delicious seafood…

Here’s a few more photos to end the day…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Greetings from Greece (part 2).

16 Sunday Oct 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Greece, Photography, Travel

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We’ve been having a lazy few days here in Lardos. Partly because we can (we’re on holiday after all) and partly because these past few days we’ve had a dramatic change in the weather. Yesterday (Saturday) the sunshine was overwhelmed by an amazing thunder and lightning storm accompanied by torrential rain that had been making its way Eastwards across the Mediterranean before arriving in our neck of the woods in the Aegean. We managed a pleasant few hours by the hotel pool, reading and sunbathing before the skies darkened, the temperature dropped and the wind got up. I’m used to tropical storms, having seen plenty of them in South-East Asia. But this is the first time I’ve experienced something similar in this neck of the woods. It was spectacular to say the least. The sky was as black as Hades and the rain was torrential. We sought shelter in the bar downstairs where we could watch the show without getting soaked and enjoy a drink in the process. My only regret was I never managed to catch any of the amazing lightning strikes out at sea on camera – try as I might. Even so, here’s a few pictures from yesterday’s entertainment.

Skies as black as Hades yesterday as the storm swept in from the West.
Pomegranate growing on a tree outside the local supermarket. You don’t get this at Tesco!
If Pomegranates aren’t your thing, there’s always Olives…

The storm stayed with us overnight and into today, although we had a respite this morning that allowed us to catch some sun before walking up into the village for coffee, chance to watch the world go by and stock up on shopping before the skies darkened once again and we found ourselves indulging in a brisk walk home to escape the oncoming storm. At the time of writing (mid afternoon) we’ve escaped the worst of the stormfront although the rain’s keeping most people indoors bar one hardy family who’ve decided this is a good time to have the swimming pool to yourselves. Besides, if you’re in a pool, why would you mind about some rain?

Sitting outside a lovely little Greek coffee shop, looking over at the local supermarket, then spotting the sky and thinking “perhaps it’s time to shop and go walk home, before this sky catches up with us”!

Dee and I have decided it’s time to retreat to our room and enjoy downtime. Well, not *entirely* downtime for me as I’ve a RAIL article that needs to be finished. I can think of worse places to be stuck scribbling!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

21st August picture of the day…

21 Sunday Aug 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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The lull before storm…

All three of us had a lie-in this morning. Well, until ‘Bernie’ (our friends dog) decided it needed to go out for a wee at 07:30 this morning which meant I was woken up by being slobbered over as a way of attracting our attention! I’d agreed to take the short straw so Dee could sleep in. What I hadn’t bargained for was letting Bernie out of the back door – only to find one of our neighbour’s cats sat on the doorstep. I don’t know who was more startled, Bernie, me or poor Popi – who took off like a bat out of hell! Luckily, I’d kept Bernie on her lead so there was no cartoon-like hot pursuit.

The excitement over we returned to a much calmer Sunday. Dawn returned Bernie to her owners (who were still recovering from their night out) whilst I pottered around at home, sorting out the final logistics for my week away before retreating to the kitchen to enjoy my last opportunity to indulge in some cooking for some time. I really enjoy the ritual of preparing the ingredients and laying them out before beginning the process of turning the raw ingredients into a meal. I was cooking Indian today so now the the cottage is filled with the smells of exotic spices. The dish I’ve made includes freshly roasted and powdered Fenugreek seeds along with Cloves, Cinnamon, Star Anise and Cumin powder. The mélange of fragrances is wonderful especially as the final product contains the tang of White Wine Vinegar which hangs in the air and complements the spices.

Now it’s time to kick back and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine and our evening together so I’ll end the blog here. Expect a series of rolling blogs over the next eight days – although they won’t be a complete commentary on my trip as I’m writing for a magazine. If you want to read the full details they’ll be published in a series of three articles in RAIL magazine starting in October. Despite that, I hope to keep you entertained as I take over 80 trains around the UK to explore many familiar destinations plus some I’ve not visited for decades – plus one of the last extremities of the UK rail network I’ve never managed to reach before…

So, today’s picture is cooking therapy. In this case, Chicken Vindail. Here’s the ingredients prepared for cooking.

17th August picture of the day…

17 Wednesday Aug 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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It’s another short blog from me tonight as this is the second evening in a row where we’ve been sociable – and it’s only Wednesday! The day started as normal with the pair of us working from home which was no bad thing after yesterday’s heavy rains. The downpours reduced the daytime temperatures to a comfortable level that was more conducive to working – another bonus. Even so, we’ve had such a rainfall deficit this year our local reservoirs are at paltry levels I’ve never seen in all the 12 years I’ve lived in West Yorkshire. There’s a lot I could say about this situation, but it would involve an awful lot of political spleen-venting and four letter words so I’ll leave it for another blog when I can’t hold the torrent back any longer.

I finished work early today as a couple of old friends who’ve decamped from Yorkshire to Devon have made a temporary return and pitched their caravan up the road in Cragg Vale where we joined them for a few hours this evening. Just up the road is one of our favourite pubs and fantastic community resource – the Robin Hood Inn which is where we booked a table for a meal after a few drinks. They weren’t offering a full menu due to the fact they were still recovering from a big local event (Craggfest). Even so, the food they were serving was excellent and the portions humongous. I ordered the pork with stuffing and Yorkshire puddings and really struggled to finish it as we also had lashings of fresh veg as an accompaniment. So, this picture of the day is food based…

Having bid adieu to our friends the pair of us are now back at home and letting our digestive tracts work their way through such a mid-week feast.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Diverting times…

13 Saturday Aug 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Halifax, Photography, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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We’ve had another hot and sunny day here in the Calder valley which prompted me to venture out with the camera as on Saturdays Trans-Pennine Express trains are diverted from their usual route and traverse the Calder valley. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while but as Dawn had to work this morning this gave me the excuse I needed. I’ll be documenting the diversions at several locations over the coming months but as I only had a few hours today I headed over to Todmorden as I could swap between a couple of locations quickly.

Here’s a few examples.

185126 (rear) and 185138 speed through Todmorden station whilst working 1P71, the 11:02 Manchester Victoria to Darlington.
802206 passes Hall Royd Junction just outside Todmorden whilst working 9M20, the 09:47 Newcastle to Liverpool Lime Street. This is the junction for the line to Blackburn which is off to the left.
802217 approaches Todmorden station working 1P25, the 1154 Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle.

There’s plenty of other pictures to be added to my Zenfolio website later, but these give you a flavour of what the day was like. On another day I would’ve stayed longer but I was keen to tear Dawn away from her computer, so the two of us arranged to meet up in Halifax for a wander and a couple of drinks.

I have to say I was amazed at just how busy Halifax was and what fun people were having. The Piece Hall was as stunning as ever. Right now the courtyard hosts a roller-skating rink which is proving to be very popular. What was equally popular was the nearby Westgate Arcade which hosts a variety of bars, cafes and restaurants. The covered seating area was jam-packed and the crowds were being entertained by a swing band and dancers who were performing nearby. The town’s really come on as a place to go to in recent years and it’s lovely to see. Here’s a few pictures to give a flavour.

The stunning Piece Hall
Life in the Westgate Arcade
Our final stop was in the ‘Meandering Bear’ which always has a great selection of beers on offer at prices that surprise many Southerners.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

30th July picture(s) of the day…

30 Saturday Jul 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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And what a convivial day it’s been! We started off by driving over to Huddersfield to have brunch with Dawn’s parents at the excellent Hinchcliffe’s farm shop in their ‘Rusty Bull’ cafe/restaurant. It’s always a treat to have someone else cooking for us – especially of a weekend. We weren’t disappointed either. The menu’s changed since our last visit. The full English still features and that was my choice as it’s something we’d rarely cook at home. Dawn plumped for one of the new dishes, Shakshouka. This was comprised of Chorizo, Smoked Bacon, Baby Spinach, Sweet Peppers and Poached Eggs, served with Sourdough Toast.

We had a lovely meal and time together which was only slightly spoiled by the fact a lone Wasp managed to sting me on my neck! The little barsteward prompted a detour on the way home so that I could pick up some anti-histamines from a chemist. Years ago I had a bad allergic reaction to a sting from some critter so I wasn’t taking any chances, especially as it stung me so close to my throat. I didn’t fancy a tracheotomy if things went pear-shaped! As it was the tablets worked a treat.

On the way home we called in at another favourite, the Bolster Moor farm shop where we stocked up on various cuts of meat that’ll keep us going for quite some time and allow Dawn to produce some of her amazing dishes – like her fabulous gluten-free lasagne as well as home-made chicken-liver pate. We also bought a couple of different bags from their range of flours for our neighbour as a ‘thank you’. Susan bakes the most delicious bread (purely as a hobby) which she passes on to us. Her delightful range of fresh home-made loaves mean we hardly ever have to buy bread.

Once back at home Dawn rolled up her sleeves and started cooking whilst I sloped off to our nearest pub (The Wainhouse Tavern) for a few games of pool with some friends. I don’t go every week, only when I’m around. Rediscovering old skills (I used to play in a pool team back in my distant youth) is great fun and makes a pleasant change from just propping up a bar.

I stayed for a couple of pints and several games before returning home to muck in cleaning up the kitchen where Dee was cooking up a storm. As well as the gorgeous smell of the Lasagne ragu the kitchen was full of the aroma of our meal for tonight – Nasi Goreng, the signature dish of Indonesia, which we’ll be eating soon after I’ve finished scribbling this!

Tomorrow will be less relaxing. I’ve been tasked with getting the cover picture of a magazine which means a trip to Leeds/Bradford in the hope I can get a suitable picture, so expect a rolling blog from my trip. In the meantime, here’s a selection of pictures from today’s outings.

Hincliffe’s full English with added black pudding…
A selection of local bitters in the Wainhouse Tavern.
Winning! Or not….
A snack before supper. Sat at my desk with one of Bolster Moor’s award-winning pork pies.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

24th June picture of the day….

24 Friday Jun 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Halifax, Music, Picture of the day, The Piece Hall, West Yorkshire

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I have to admit, the day’s started well. I woke up to the news that the Tories had been roundly thrashed in both of yesterday’s bye-elections. The result in Wakefield was expected, but the Lib-Dems trouncing Tries in one of their safest seats wasn’t. As expected, it’s set a few cats amongst pigeons. Admittedly, I doubt it will lead to Johnson’s resignation. After all, he’s a man with neither scruples nor honour. He’ll hand on to No10 by his fingernails until he’s dragged from there kicking and screaming. He’ll have to be ejected by his own party or the electorate. I must admit I find the idea that his own constituents might finish his political career rather appealing if it wasn’t for the damage the man and the incompetent pets he keeps as a Cabinet could do in the meantime. I doubt Johnson will stay in politics after he’s ejected (one way or another). His only interest in politics was to massage his ego and get the top job. He’ll never stay on as a backbencher. Why would he? He’ll be off, being looked after one of the people he’s enriched who’ll give him a well-paid sinecure somewhere (preferably where he can’t do any more damage).

Apart from that been a busy morning/afternoon here in Bigland Towers. I’ve been kept occupied editing all the pictures I’ve been taking these past few days and getting them on my other website. You can find the results here. That done, it was time to finish type-swiping my latest article for RAIL magazine in order to be able to take some time off this afternoon as the pair of us are joining up with friends to go to the Piece Hall in Halifax this evening see too Nile Rogers and Chic in concert.

There’s only one tiny problem…

It’s an open-air gig and we’ve already had one absolutely torrential downpour with the weather forecast predicting thunderstorms to follow ! Now the sun’s out, making for a very muggy day with the temperature at 19 degrees. This could be interesting.

This means this is going to be a two-part blog, with the actual picture of the day added later. When I decide what it’s going to be…

OK. Here’s the picture of the day. The Nial Rodgers concert at the Piece Hall was an absolute stonker. It’s easy to forget just how many great tunes the man has written for other artists. Tonight he reminded us.

Rolling blogs. Berlin day 1…

07 Saturday May 2022

Posted by in Berlin, Food and drink, Germany, Photography, Rolling blogs, Travel

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09:30.

We’ve had an easy start to the day due to arriving so late last night. We’d not made any plans for our first day anyway but whilst we were en-route I was in contact with a German friend and colleague who lives here in Berlin. Ellen has arranged to meet us for lunch. I’d suggested the group might like to try somewhere traditionally German, so we’re off to Sophieneck in Hackescher Markt.

The weather here in Berlin is gorgeous and such a contrast to rainy, gloomy Manchester. It’s warm and sunny and ideal for a walking tour of the city. I’ve been coming to Berlin regularly for many years now but Dawn (who used to live in Germany many years ago) hasn’t been for 20 years and the rest of the gang are city virgins. It should make for an interesting day…

23:30.

Well, that was a pretty crap rolling blog, wasn’t it? We’ve had such a fun time and seen so much that blogging was the last thing on my mind. Instead, I’ll flesh this out in the morning as I’ve a bit of time before we meet to head out and explore on day 2. Instead, I’ll leave you with a picture of the day – from today).

To me decent, energy efficient and user- friendly public transport is the epitome of a good city. Here’s one of Berlin’s modern low-floor trams which are exactly that.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank You!