Lanzarote 2015 - Day 2 - Windy & Hot

Title nothing to do with the various food and drinks consumed yesterday from Gatwick via BA and onto the very varied menu at the hotel. So here we go, first full day and a quick look at our view and one of our balconies. Ooh get me but yes we have two! It was a little dark yesterday by the time we had unpacked and had dinner so this is the first chance of any pics.

Because we had been given a very generous baggage allowance by BA, Mrs CT insisted on packing both of our gym kits because "we are going to start on a fitness regime this holiday". Oh yeah, well that will never happen. Oh $hit yes it will. Being dragged out of bed early on our first day came as a shock! My bad knee conveniently gave way after 10 minutes so all I could is sit and watch, agonisingly dreaming of breakfast.

Then to breakfast, at last, which again was very good. Eggs, omelettes and bacon all cooked to order. On the walk back to our room we discovered a whole world of frenetic building activity. Room doors wide open, plasterers, plumbers, decorators all hard at work on the two floors below us. It was clear that they had deadlines to hit today or tomorrow. This explained the "your room is not ready" being informed to new residents. Literally your room has not yet been built! Talk about last minute dot com.

Sun beds comfy and plentiful. The onshore breeze in the Canaries has upsides and downsides. Upside, keeps you cool and refreshed in the blazing sun. Downside, lets you get burnt without realising in the blazing sun. Ouch is all I can say after the first day around the pool.

On first inspection of the local area it would appear that we are right in the middle of a small area that I can only describe as Lanzarote's answer to Benidorm. The Red Lion, Mulligans Bar and all the other derivatives happily advertised full English breakfasts for €3.00, the cheapest beer in town and evening entertainment straight out of Butlins and worse. In addition I have never seen so many Chinese and Indian restaurants in one place. Do the Spanish really think that is what the British diet consists of? Anyway we settled on a traditional Bodega for a light lunch. Well it would have been light if Mrs CT's enthusiasm for several different Tapas plates had been curtailed. Wonderful meal of garlic prawns, chirozo, mountain ham and padron peppers. This last dish being the inspiration for Walkers new Roulette Nachos ie every 10th is eye wateringly hot and you cannot tell which one it will be.

All I wanted was a picture of me slicing the mountain ham but the owner insisted I dressed up like an idiot!

After lunch and several beers, Mrs CT decided that the rest of the late afternoon would be spent back in our room watching a Scotsman and a Swiss banging the hell out of some small yellow balls in South London. Not me! Time had come to test out our roof top bubbly bath provided by Duravit (Blue Moon) with Dornbracht brassware. These last bits of info are for my bathroom industry chums. 20 minutes to fill and the water was a very peculiar colour due to all the brick dust in the air that had settled in said bath and the fact that I was its first user. So here I am surrounded by bubbles, listening to the Ashes on internet radio and soaking up more rays. Yes those are my red trunks on the side, the flesh on show is my knee. Bubbles keeping everything else from view. Don't worry I haven't seen it in years either!

Laters!

 

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New York 2014 - Day 3

I think I have lost track of the days already! Today is the start of the dreaded shopping. Naturally before embarking on this arduous task any man must start the day correctly and when in NYC that means only one thing - a morning visit to the 24 hour diner.

All of 50m across the street is the Cosmic Diner with all the usual fare. I chose corned beef hash with 2 eggs over easy. All breakfast came with fried potatoes and toast. The other thing they do very well over here is the bottomless cups of corfee (no, not a spelling mistake). $20 later we were set for the task ahead.

First stop, Macys, allegedly the largest department store in the world. I am not going to disagree with them. It is set in 2 inter-connecting buildings over 9 floors. Interestingly the first department you meet through the doors is not the usual women's perfume and make-up but refreshingly the mens fashion and accessories. First target achieved within 2 minutes. 2 pairs of Levi 501's in black and denim. Cost £60 for both compared to £80 for 1 pair in the UK. Bargain!! This was immediately followed by target 2, a man-bag from Tumi (yes my friends you can all laugh at me when I get back!)

The downside to all this man activity is the knowlege that the next 2-3 hours is going to be spent going through every single women's fashion concession available. I offered the "I will only slow you down. Let's meet back here at 2pm"......and it worked wooo hooo.

So off to the cooking department to see what latest gadget I could buy.........and then the angels were smiling down on me, Sharing the basement with the kitchen section was Macy's Bar & Grill otherwise known as the men's creche. Cold beer, 3 large sports screens, one of then showing Premiership Football, I knew I would not be seeing much more of the shop.

The frenzied shopping session had even taken it's toll on Mrs CT a usual stalwart of the Saturday activity. The suggestion was to make our way back to the hotel to deposit numerous bags and then nip around the corner to an Irish Bar I had spotted earlier in the day for a spot of lunch. No more shopping, more cold beer and food, what more could a man want!

Approaching the Irish bar, Mrs CT exclaimed that they had misspelled Michael's as the name of the bar. 'Look she said it says MCHALES" I pointed out that being Celtic, it probably said McHales! Oh she is lovely but sometimes the hair colour really does let her down.

Anyway, Mac & Cheese and a plate of Calamaries all washed down with Heineken completed the daytime agenda.

For the evening I had pre booked a table at Maze by Gordon Ramsey situated in The London Hotel. All I can say is "Gordon take your name off it". Average food, above average prices, below average service. Nice surroundings but nowhere near your usual standard.

Amusement of the night was watching the waiter try and find the Pinot Grigio in the red wine section, Needless to say we were not going to point him in the right direction - not a good start!

There are better places to spend your money in NYC. Onwards to tomorrow when a long walk in Central Park is planned for first thing. Weather - no rain but -6c. Oh good! Laters.