Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Trade: TravelManagers - Irena Bryant

Shortly we are off on a Mediterranean Cruise. It started at a North Epping school fete. There was Irena with a table and cruise booklets.
Irena has kids in our grandkids classes. Irena operates from her home and comes to you......... Very helpful and has arranged our whole trip.
The flight with Emirates. Stopover and tours in Dubai. Then hotel and tours in Roma. And the train to Rome port. And of course the cruise itself.

Our friends agree about the help and recommended Irena to other folk and they were pleased also.......

So if you are around our part of Sydney and want to travel.............

Check out TravelManagers - Irena Bryant

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Has Noah’s Vineyard Been Discovered? | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament

We have often discussed at Bible Studies the story of Noah starting wine making and getting drunk and what happens with his sons.....
Now could it be the storage area has been found..... Very close to Mount Ararat.... hmmmmmm
check what my good friend Claude has to say ............
Has Noah’s Vineyard Been Discovered? | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament

A very good blogger - check other stuff on his pages example Who Killed Goliath? | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament

Claude was recently on a vacation cruise and visited places I will be at next month
No Dollars Accepted Here | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
including the excursion to Ancient Corinth and the podium as used by St Paul

And today Claude posted
The Wall Paintings at Catalhoyuk | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament
Probably the earliest Town in the world - do visit and follow the link - I've posted my thoughts

Friday, September 16, 2011

BALVENIE Distillery - Google Maps

Fife Arms in Dufftown - Google Maps

I stayed there for a week in 1960 as a trainer Officer of Customs and Excise. Dufftown was then the most concentrated distillery town in the world. Six active and another used as a giant warehouse.

The distillery we were visiting to find out how the Excise controlled them was The BALVENIE.

We came by railway from Aberdeen and the station was just up the road from Balvenie and the road had been cleared of snow into the town. A nice brisk jaunt.

I remember the local officer's wife cooked some potato scone things just right for the freezing cold......

And the Malt whisky was great

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Travel: Turkey Istanbul Hotel Neorion

A very high recommendation for an Istanbul Hotel from a friend who had a coach tour of Turkey in August 2011.
Let me tell you they had severe food poisoning elsewhere from  help your self buffet. So must have been outstanding service that caused Jill  to be so pleased with this hotel.

The Boutique hotel in the heart of Istanbul was the Neorion, Orhaniye Caddessi No. 14 Sirkeci Istanbul/Turkiye phone +90 212 527 90 90  www.neorionhotel.com 

 
The Turkish are an amazing race of people and in Istanbul they did speak enough English for us to get by very, very well.   

Also, I mentioned the wonderful 'birthday treat' the people at the Neorion gave me. Which included large cake and even a lovely gift .....
I'm not sure of the restaurant we went to on the rooftop of hotel just around another corner and which had a connection to our hotel, I have asked our friends to forward the name, if they cannot remember I'll email the Neorion as also want to thank them for the birthday treat.
We had a drink at a cafe/bar just around the corner, it was called 'Home Made', the address is complicated as has those little curly things, would be best for people to look up the web site www.homemadeistanbul.com
the people at the bar were amazing, we sat in a huge open window 1 metre from the tram line and trams full of commuters whizzing by, what an experience.   Our friends whom we were meeting that night for dinner were walking by on the other side of the road, we called out to them and they came and chatted through the huge open window.   The proprietor called them in and said, please sit with your friends and have complimentary apple tea, which is very much served everywhere, like warm apple juice.   Then after we finished our drink and our friends had gone they gave us complimentary apple tea.