John Hillman laments the continental view of Albion

————————————

Next time you head over to Rotterdam with P&O you might want to find out why on earth they think that the English are responsible for their bad weather.

Apparently a common enough slang for grey miserable rainy days is Engels Weer, English weather, which, when you consider that we get about half the annual rainfall that Holland does, is ever so slightly galling. We may as well start refereeing to our balmy summer evenings as Irish sunsets if we’re going to play by those rules.

Strange how much of a mistaken view of the English still exists on the continent, notably that we all eat bad food which, having lived in Europe myself, is another deeply irritating falsehood that you get fed up with hearing.

Even the tiniest village in the English countryside has a top quality Anglo-Indian restaurant and our supermarkets have more choice in them than any other I’ve been to from Berlin to Hawaii. The trouble is that we picked up a bad reputation about 100 years ago and can’t seem to shake it off.

There are few places in the world where you can experience as much gastronomic eclecticism as you can in England. For a nation that invented the pie, the steamed pudding and real ale to have such a bad culinary reputation represents a serious miscarriage of justice.

Tags: Belgium, Britain, France, Lifestyle, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by John Hillman
No Comments »

John Hillman looks towards Amsterdam, the perfect setting for a New Year’s Eve Party

———————–

There are few spectacles in life as exhilarating as a stroll through the picturesque streets of Amsterdam on New Year’s Eve.

Not that picturesque is a particularly truthful description of the riot that’ll be going on around you; with an entire city cooking on gas it’s more a case of: if you can stand the heat then get yourself in that kitchen.

As a city famed for its liberal attitudes and tolerance, it’s no surprise that a colossal free street party attracts thousands of revellers from Sydney to Solihull each year. And with the tiny town centre full to the brim with champagne swilling, firework throwing party animals you will be pleased to hear that you won’t find a criminally-overpriced mini cab in sight, or need one for that matter.

If you are happy to throw shapes with the global party people then the central squares of Rembrandtplein, Leidseplein, Dam Square and Nieuwmarkt are packed out with people who have travelled by ship, plane, train and automobile for one purpose only – splendid japes.

The surrounding areas, such as the Jordaan district, are more likely to be full of low key locals trying to avoid the international car-crash in the city centre, but offers up a more laid back local vibe.

Remember that this is a city where New Year’s Eve means lots of fireworks and an attitude to health and safety that mirrors George Bush’s attitude to the correct use of the English language, so be prepared for some hairy moments, but don’t be put off because a New Year’s eve party in Amsterdam is one of life’s little experiences – and it makes the other 364 days of the year seem worthwhile.

Tags: Lifestyle, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by John Hillman
No Comments »

Marie Kemplay remembers back to her childhood and her father’s motivations for carting his family across the channel. Was it all about the beer?

Ah the good old booze cruise, as British as the Queen herself. For decades us bargain hungry (cheap) Brits have been following an instinct so basic none can hope to fight it, to get one over on the tax man.

I have some especially fond memories of my father trying to convince me and my brother that our short jaunt across the channel to buy a boot full of fags and whiskey was somehow a special treat for us kids, funny that I don’t see the comparison between a wino hypermarket and Disneyland.

And then the classic line: “if anybody asks those hundreds of boxes of Benson and Hedges are for my personal use”…ok dad.

Of course P&O ferries would never endorse such unscrupulous behaviour but you might as well know that P&O offer return tickets to Calais for £32 each way. And with a crossing time of 90 minutes and 25 sailings a day, each way, you could easily be there and back within a day, along with your newly acquired selection of fine wines.

But seriously there is actually nothing illegal about stocking up on your favourite tipple en France, in fact the European Union actually regard cross border shopping as one of our fundamental rights as European citizens; a fact which upset our favourite then-chancellor Gordon Brown in 2002 when customs were finally forced to stop their draconian attempts at preventing us from enjoying ourselves. Such as confiscating our alcohol and pouring it away, a cardinal sin in my mind!

The rule is that it has to be for your own personal consumption, and who’s to say I’m incapable of polishing of 90 litres of wine and 3200 cigarettes on my own; I like to call that Saturday night thank you very much. With prices sky high over here who could blame anybody for stocking up over the channel?

For example a typical bottle of champagne in a British supermarket will set you back about £25, in one of Calais’s it can cost as little as £10. Who knew we could all afford to live the champagne lifestyle?

So I think the next time I hear the word recession I think I’ll just sit and sip my knockdown vintage Veuve Clicquot . Recession? Quelle recession?

———————————————————————————–

To find the very latest offers on P&O day-trips to the continent, follow this link

Tags: Belgium, Britain, France, Netherlands, P&O Ferries, Spain by Marie Kemplay
No Comments »

Playing games on a Sunday afternoon

Incarcerated in the pub on a Sunday afternoon, with rain drops colliding against the windows, you can do much worse than initiating a spot of the ‘word-association’ game. It goes like this: I say ‘dog’ and then you say the first thing that comes into your head - ‘cat?’ - Yes- you’ve got it. Then the chain continues until someone says something odd, revealing, ludicrous, disquieting or disturbing. After, this everyone laughs, then shuffles a few inches away along the bench.

Now put the word-association game into practice with the word, ‘cruise’. ‘Hot?’, ‘Suez?’, ‘Mediterranean?’, ‘Fine food?’, ‘Soft music?’ Well, I have gone wrong here for starters. You can only use one word answers, so ‘fine food’ and ‘soft music’ are out immediately. But the point lingers, the word ‘cruise’ is a loaded one. As the psychologists amongst you will have already gathered, I link it with vivid images of slipping through Suez sipping away on a Martini, or anchored alongside a shimmering Italian port observing the driving from a safe distance.

But I’ve got it wrong. Of course all cruises are not like this, just as all Canadians don’t glug maple syrup for breakfast and all Frenchmen don’t cycle off to get a baguette in the morning. It appears that my worldview is a touch one-dimensional.

I discovered this after a little dallying on P&O Ferries’ site learning about their Mini Cruises. They are, and I quote, ‘Just the ticket if you fancy a well-earned break to recharge the batteries – or simply to restock the wine rack.’

In sum, they make quite good sense. Not everyone has the money or the time to conduct vast sweeps of the world’s oceans, stopping off for strolls in each port of note. But that doesn’t mean that people should be excluded from the thrills of a maritime expedition. This is where the P&O Mini Cruises swing, perfectly, into play.

The Straits of Dover are amongst the most evocative stretches of water about. Just think of being waved away by Vera Lynn’s chalky white cliffs, only to be met by the green pastures of the northern continent shortly after they have melted into the horizon. If we are falling into cliché, you can think of the sea air in your hair, the spray jumping out of the waves and all of that. Wonderful.

P&O offer Mini Cruises to suit wallets and timetables alike. From a list of UK ports you can ride the waves to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Bruges, Bilbao and Calais. The entertainment on board is finely evolved to match expectations and there is the opportunity to scoop an hour or two of duty-free shopping which lends itself perfectly to both saving money and stocking up on an inventory of presents.

So, let’s play the word association game again. ‘P&O Mini Cruises’ – ‘Quick?’, ‘Fun?’, ‘Affordable?’, ‘Europe and back in a day or two?’

To find out more about P&O’s list of Mini Cruises visit the P&O special offers page.

Tags: Belgium, Britain, France, Lifestyle, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by Peter Moore
No Comments »

Tea, bulls and bicycles…

I’ve often thought that stereotypes make the world go around. The Frenchman and his bicycle, the sleeping Spaniard dreaming of bullfights and the Englishman carefully brewing his five hundredth cup of tea of the day.

Holland is one of the key destinations served by P&O Ferries, and arriving in that country travellers may bring with them a number of different preconceptions. Booted with clumsy wooden clogs, churning cheese and dressed in orange, you might encounter a Dutchman up to any number of liberal activities, so be prepared!

Of course, upon closer examination many stereotypes don’t quite live up to reality. Unfortunate I know, but none the less true. However, visitors to the Netherlands may well be able to enjoy one of their national emblems on a trip down through the country.

The tulip is one of about 100 different species of bulbous flowering plants that can be found all around the world. Grown from bulbs and spectacular to view in the months between March and April, thousands of visitors flock to the Netherlands each year to see them blooming.

A chap called Charles de L’Ecluse is one who is particularly responsible for the growth in popularity of the tulip in Holland. In the sixteenth century he authored a popular book on the subject and later planted a remarkable garden at his home in Leiden, from which hundreds of bulbs were stolen over the years.

International tulip theft, now that’s a novel concept. Perhaps the tulips of today are all great-great-great grandchildren of L’Ecluse’s, it’d be a fittingly remarkable notion to imagine that they were.

So, in spite of stereotype, for the green-fingered it is clear that Holland is a wise destination. With P&O you could be cruising into the tulip-sunset sometime soon.

Tags: Netherlands by Peter Moore
No Comments »

P&O ‘Mini Cruises’

A mini-cruise is a way to experience all the fun of life on a floating palace, with your own cabin, luxury restaurants, nightclubs and casinos, but without the full-scale commitment that normally comes with it.

You can cruise from Portsmouth to Bilbao, or Hull to Amsterdam, for just 3 nights, giving you the chance to find out if cruising really is for you without spending a month’s salary and half your annual leave entitlement sailing off to the Caribbean.

Once on board you can’t help getting carried away with the excitement, there is just something about stepping out of your cabin and heading up-deck to the bar that harks back to a more glamorous era. On the first night I found myself in the casino drinking champagne and martinis until dawn.

You can also book themed mini-cruises, which are great for parties and events. Live Jazz, Stand-Up, Eurovision, whatever tastes (or lack of) that you have, you can easily find one that suits you.

They all sail on Friday evenings, so they are perfect for a quick weekend break, and contrary to popular belief you won’t be expected to dress for dinner, so no need to dust off that tuxedo unless you really want to.

Tags: Britain, Netherlands, P&O Ferries, Spain by John Hillman
No Comments »