Romantic Causeways, Film Locations And Hilltop Island Hotels

On Facebook I saw an idyllic, romantic picture of turquoise seas either side of a golden sand causeway where people were walking to an island. The location was in the Philippines. Kalanggaman island.

How do you remember the spellings? The double letters are in the centre, as if ending one word and starting another. I remember Philip pines in the Philippines.

Kalang gaman? No, no space, Kalanggaman. If you prefer, remember, call Kal (KAL, an (AN) interesting, g - g,  (GG) (stammering and can't say gentleman, a man A MAN. The word comes from the word for bird, langgam, in the local Philippine language.

The remote islands have terrific turquoise beaches.

Stoni111121 - Own work in Wikipedia article

Entertainment equipment at Lake Danao

UK flag

It reminded me of two locations in the UK. In the north, near the Scottish border, is Lindisfarne Island, which was used in the roman Polanski film Cul De Sac. The film starts with escaped robbers racing against the tide to reach the island. If you are driving to Scotland from London, England, consider a side trip. You may have to consider tides if you want to get near enough for a photo or prolonged stay.

If you are looking for a weekend away, a holiday, or a side trip, consider including these. After considerable searching, I managed to track down some key words, causeway and home invasion, and made a shortlist of romantic places to visit.


Lindisfarne, England. Pic from Wikipedia.

Causeways
1 Lindisfarne, England
Setting for Polanski's film Cul De Sac
What to eat or drink:
Lindisfarne Mead
Remote.
Causeway safe and high times are listed on signs.
Drive across

2 St Michael's Mount
Cornwall, England

Flag of France

3 Mont St Michel, France
What to eat or drink:
Crepes with grand Marnier (large thin pancakes cooked in front of you, expensive but worth it).
very crowded in season, summer on sunny days. Check for prices and restrictions. Numerous hotels and restaurants.

Film Locations
Lindisfarne (Cul de Sac by Polanski, a film noir)

Flag of USA

Key Largo, Florida.

Also check out
Island Idylls

Hilltop Castles\ and Hotels


Flag of Gibraltar
The Rock Hotel, Gibraltar


Photo by John Cummings under Rock Hotel in Wikipedia.
Hotels Used in Films

Useful Addresses And Websites

Travel

FRANCE
Mont Saint Michel, Manche Basse, Normandy, France.
Tripadvisor has the ten best hotels and ten best restaurants.
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Hotels-g196646-Mont_Saint_Michel_Manche_Basse_Normandie_Normandy-Hotels.html
Air France
British Airways

GIBRALTAR
I did not get on with the confusing official websites. Some supplied statistics and events and others
were random fun photos.
The most orgnaized clear summary of what to do and where to go was wikivoyage which was also on kosher food which I rearely see as everywhere I look in websites for asia I see notes on Halal food and nothing on kosher.
The Rock Hotel, Gibraltar.
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Gibraltar
https://www.rockhotelgibraltar.com/

PHILIPPINES
Kalanggaman, Philippines.
Video of causeway and turquoise sea
https://www.facebook.com/alwaystraveltogether/videos/878896079116645/UzpfSTY5ODQ2MDU5NjoxMDE2MTgyMDgxNjA3NTU5Nw/?t
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/05/one-of-worlds-most-beautiful-beaches.html
Air Asia
Philippine Airlines

UK
Lindisfarne Holy Island, Northumberland, England.
visitbritain.com
visitbritain.org
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visitengland.com
visitlondon.com
https://www.cheapflights.co.uk/
skyscanner.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
(Post being updated today. come back later for more photos and text.)

Jane Austen's Burial Place, Winchester Cathedral and The Bones of Queen Emma

UK flag

Jane Austen was buried at Winchester cathedral.

Jane Austen from Wikipedia article on Jane Austen

Jane Austen remembered in Winchester cathedral.

 It also is known for commenorating St Swithin and assorted other famous and people and those you half know about. For example King Canute. Confusingly Canue is often called King Cnut. King Cnut - never heard of him. King Canute! Why didn't somebody say so?

Winchester cathedral exterior. Photo by Wyrdlight.com (Weird name! Or is it wired? ) creative Commons.  More details on the origins of the photo and the cathedral in Wikipedia.

An exciting new exhibition is planned for the end of this month (May 2019), somewhere to visit if you are in England this summer or later.

It's a detective story. The bones were scattered by Roundhead soldiers, jumbled up and put back later in the coffins in the cathedral.

Now, with modern technology, the bones have been matched up. One set of a woman might be the bones of Queen Emma. I had never heard of her. But she is was related to a line of kings, and ultimately our present Queen Elizabeth.

Emma's two husbands were known as The Unready and The Great. I know what you are thinking. She had two equally famous sons.

The man you are most likely to know of is Canute, who legend says tried to tell the waves of the sea to go back. They did not. This was to demonstrate to his fawning servants that he was not all-powerful. He was, however, head of an earlier united kingdom, of England, Denmark and Norway, a Viking.


Canute ruled England, Denmark, a bridging bit of Sweden between Denmark and Norway and Norway. Looking at the map makes sense of this

.

Here's a Canute coin. A bit primitive, but quite attractive.

If you are in London and want to learn more about Canute and see something associated with him, other coins are in the British Museum in London, England.

Let us move on to another well-known story. The Princes in the tower.

Painting by Millais. Public domain. (From Wikipedia article on the princes.)


Equally exciting is the find of the bones of two boys. Speculation says they could be the two princes in the tower, put there and reputedly murdered by their uncle Richard III (another controversy). Probably not their bones. If in London, go to the Tower Of London.

Or look at the outisde as you pass and wonder whether the boys' bones ended up in Winchester cathedral

Probably not? But interesting to go to Winchester and read about the research. The exhibition will even have a reconstruction of the face of one of the boys, taken from the skeleton, like those done for victims or murdered and unidentified bodies after accidents.  Like a photo from the past, matched to the skeletal remains.

Winchester, a lovely cathedral with associations with other famous people. Alfred the great it seems was here - but his bones were moved on.

However, history is all stories which may or not be true, and you really go to places to hear stories. But if you want to see bones, the exhibiton will show you bones, or at least, pictures of the bones. As we were all told as children, look but don't touch.

You can visit it on a day drive from London. A must visit if you are interested in royalty, history, forensic science, or your name is Emma.

 Or you happen to be a fan of Jane Austen. Jane Austen was not hinking of Emma when she said, or didn't say nor write, to lose one husband is a misfortunate - no, that was Oscar Wilde. Jane Austen did say that somebody in possession of a fortune must be in want of a spouse. When looking at the bones of British history, the words of great British writers spring to mind.

If you are as muddled as I am about long lost British Kings and Queens, perhaps this would be a fine time to plan to go to Winchester. Apparently there is a fee for entering the cathedral. I once went on a press trip to the Cathedral and we were walked around the outside to save the time and money of going inside. But one report says that the cost of a year's admission is the same is a one time admission, so, if that is still the case, you might as well buy the year's admission in case you are so enamoured that you wish to return.

Useful Websites
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-48281733
http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/whats-on/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Cathedral

Travel
visitbritain.com
visitbritain.org
visitbritainshop.com
visitengland.com
visitlondon.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Baby Died In Hot Car - I forget my shopping - what can you do to remember?

We all forget things. I have left an umbrella behind in the car of a friend or a taxi to the airport. I once drove off leaving my teenager behind at school when he was loading up the car. I heard him slam the car door and thought he was in the car. But he had gone back to slam the car boot. Fortunately, I got no reply to my questions, stopped the car, looked back and saw him running after me frantically waving. No harm done.

But other people are not so lucky. I open the news and learn abut a death in a hot car.

An average of nearly forty children a year die inside cars. What can de done to prevent this?

Time to make it an offence to leave a child or pet in a locked car in hte USA. Put up a sign at supermarket entrance.

Suggestions to how to remember to take your child.

1 Warning reminders in car parks.

2 Warning reminders in cars.

3 Put your phone in your bag by the baby. If you think you might need your phone to hand in an emergency, alternatives could include leaving your shoe next to your baby, making your own handwritten or typed note, baby in car. Time for Mothercasre in the UK, to issue signs for the car.

End the news with reminders in hot weather. The temperature is ... do not leave chocolate on the back window, do not leave a baby or pet in the car.

People forget essential things all the time. They lose car keys. You don't want to lose your car keys with the baby inside.

Cars get stolen frequently. You don't want your car to be stolen with the baby inside.

But if you take the sleeping baby into the house in the car seat, that could also be a hazard.

Confession time
I left a bar of chocolate in a car. It melted. I had underestimated the heat and forgotten the chocolate. I don't do that again. With a child or pet you don't get a second chance.

How To Remember
The best and most unusal advice I saw:
1 leave a toy on the front seat to remind you that the baby is in the back.
2 Move the baby seat to the middle, not hidden behind the driver.
3 Buy a car seat alarm.

But you don't have children. How does this affect you?

The technology for alerts already exists. If you get into a car and don't do up your seatbelt, the car alerts you.

Set Alerts
The simplest alart is to set an alarm. If you know your journey taken ten minutes, set an alarm for nine or 15 to remind you to check on your child, or shopping.

Buy Alerts
Some alerts tell you that you have a passenger in the back when you open the driver's door. Others send a warning to your phone when you walk more than a certain number of feet.

One woman sais she bought car seat alarms or seats with alarms for her friends at a baby shower or a gift delivered when visitng a new mother or better still the mother to be. Garndaprents could also be given this gift, or give it to their children or children in law who are expecting a baby.

Some hire car companies supply car seats. Enquire about the seat's safety features and whether you need to buy an alarm.

An attempt was made to pass legislation but the law was not passed. Meanwhile there are sseveral items you can buy.

Some of the alarms have other functions, such as reminding you to remove your shopping or frozen food from the car.

An added incentive to buy one for yourself or others, or simply mention them to friends.

A simple solution is to set an alarm on your phone. Or to send a photo of the child dropped off to a whatsapp group of parents and granny

As they say, prevention is better than cure; forwarned is forearmed. Travel safely.

Useful websites
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7047435/Police-interview-mother-determine-left-baby-die-SUV-parked-AutoZone.html
https://myfox8.com/2019/05/18/baby-dies-after-being-left-inside-hot-car-while-parents-went-inside-store/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/mom-shares-warning-about-car-seat-danger-after-her-toddlers-death/ar-BBPmE98
https://www.ohmyparenting.com/9-safety-warning-signs-and-labels-every-parent-should-not-ignore/2/
https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/7-ways-to-not-forget-your-child-in-the-car/
https://www.fatherly.com/gear/best-car-seat-alarms/

Baby And Car Seat Alarms
https://www.kars4kids.org/safety-app/
http://ridenremind.com/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Dangerous Shrimps? What eats shrimp?

I am still bothered by the cocaine being found in shrimps in five rivers in Suffolk, England. Those shrimps can be sent up to London, or exported all over the world. And what's happening to the shrimps in Suffolk could be happening all over Europe, the USA and other parts of the world.

Cocaine was found in shrimps in British rivers. At last I got around to looking up what else in the water or on land eats shrimps.

The answer I found was:

All kinds of crustaceans. (Crustaceans are creatures with a crust or shell, such as crabs and lobsters.)
Cod
Herring
Sharks
Whales

Useful Websites
UK
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-48117678#
EUROPE AND USA
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/12/flanders-stream-so-polluted-water-could-be-used-as-pesticide
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/world/europe/uk-shrimp-cocaine.html
AUSTRALIA
Fish and cattle, flooding and fires and environment dangers in Australia:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/18/we-all-smell-the-smoke-we-all-feel-the-heat-this-environmental-catastrophe-is-global

TRAVEL - WHILE YOU CAN
visitbritain.com
visitbritain.org
visitbritainshop.com
visitengland.com
visitlondon.com
visitacity.com/flanders
visittheusa.co.uk
australia.com
lonelyplanet.com/australia

INFORMATION ON PRAWNS & SHRIMPS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrimp_and_prawn_as_food

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

What to do when committee members are away travelling - or gone back home

Two members of a club committee in Singapore are going home in the summer. One is going to the USA. the other is going to England. It is hard to do a voice call. They are on different time zones.

Flag of UK

The President of the club is going to England.

Flag of the USA

The VPE is going to the USA.

 The president gives the opening speech. The VPE prepares the printed and / or projected onto a screen and/or on members' phones meeting programme.

I used to be shy about admitting a problem. Now I find the quickest way to solve a problem is to tell the world. Somebody, somewhere will be keen to share their knowledge and share the knowledge to reduce the worry and vaorise the stress.

One solution to not being present is to pre-record a speech, or a standing for office speech. What I have done in the past and what I hope to do.

Absent Committee Members
This is a frequent problem. Vital people disappear. The president who should open the meeting and oversee all the others. The treasurer who should be banking the renewed subscriptions, paying the rental of the room, keeing us all informed. What do do?

President's Ultimatum
I had advice a year ago from forthright president 'Sue' (I am anglicisng the names to make this more readable and so I can publish my blog straigth away without spend time emailing everybody for permission and accuracy in the quotes and waiting a week for replies).

Sue told me:
1 I told them: "I am the president. I am not the VPE or the treasurer or the PR or the membership secretary. I do my job and you do yours. I can't do six people's jobs and I won't. You have to pull your weight or you are out and replaced by somebody who wants the job and is prepared to do it."

2 You don't have to do every job yourself. You just have to see that it gets done. If you are away, find somebody to replace yourself.

One thing I noticed when I came to Singapore. I had a friend who kept phong me to say that she could not attend a meeting as a speaker or evaluator or time or another role. She asked if I would go in her place.

I was very grateful. I found it hard to get a speaking slot or a role at the last minute.

I wanted to know half a day in advance. Then if I had a speaking slot I could take along my props. I did not want to carry heay items around all the time in hopes, nor get caught out wthout the props.

If the speaker finds a replacement, that makes much everything easier for the meeting organizer.

More recently, Lee told my committee how he organizes his club's commitee:

I told him that in some clubs we have members who are away. And now two of our key members will be way at a meeting.

You risk the people who attend resenting the people who are away, thinking they don't care about the club and might never come back. The takeover people might compalining that he left me to do his job, or he gets the credit and does nothing, or he is never here, or where is he and will he ever come back.

Lee told us: "We have a roster. When anybody is away, we move the next person on the list into that peosition. We change the roles every meeting so everybody gets proace at sdoing every role.

If the role holder is around, they can train up the other member, or all the oter members, with what needs to be done.

Less Stress
When we have an 'emergency', it is never an emergency. Somebody already trained can take over the role with no stress to the absent person and no stress to the person suddenly porpelled into that role.

It increases everybody's confidence. It makes for teamwork. Everybody knows exactly what everybody elese is doing and how it should be done.

If somebody falls ill and a member has to do two roles, it is only like doing two half roles because they are condient and quick at doing both roles.

When somebody is away for a meeting they are still involved. They can work from home or overseas to pepare the meeting programme or do a role which does not requrie eing there. The people who are there to give the opening speech do not have to worry about preparing the agenda because the stay at home members is looking after it.

The person who is missing the meeting still feels they are involved and know what is doing on and what happened. The person who is absent is acknowledged on the metting programme of the committee meeting agenda.

The Absent Member Gains
You are not paying a year's membership and getting nothing because you cannot attend. You are still in contact for networking or making friends by phoning and whats apping and emailing. Win-win al round.

Useful Websites


Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Cocaine in Shrimps!

UK flag

Cocaine in shrimps in a river in Suffolk, England, UK.

Who?
Who says so? Are they reliable?

The initial report was in an Environment International magazine. The researchers were from Kings College London and the University of Suffolk.

What to do?
Short-term?
Avoid shellfish?

Luckily for me, I am allergic to shellfish. So I did not eat it in the past and will not do so in the future.

Long-term?
Apart from humans, what else eats shrimps? Is this affecting the food chain? Are other fish in addition to shrimps being affected?

Where?
Where is it happening? I try to distance myself from this problem. I am not in Suffolk. On the day of the report, May 1 2019, I was not in England. Should you care, if, like me, you were not there and are not likely to go there right now?

However, the food in far away areas is sent up to London, where my family and friends, and readers, may be eating. Foods are exported all over the world.

The problem found in one area of one country may be in other areas of the country. It may be the same in other countries which have not yet identified the problem.

Call To Action!
After finding a problem, you can do three things.

One, spread the information, which is what I am doing now.

Once alerted, watch for updates on the situation. The BBC reported on the UK. I did a Google search for the environamnet magazine and immediately came across a New York article featuring the enironment in the USA. Another piece of resarch identified problem on mainland Europe. River water can be used to irrigate, or seep into, vegetables grown in surrounding field.

Two, ask for action, which is what I am doing now.

Three, avoid the existing problem.

Four, prevent it from happening again.

Useful Websites
UK
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-48117678#
EUROPE AND USA
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/12/flanders-stream-so-polluted-water-could-be-used-as-pesticide
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/world/europe/uk-shrimp-cocaine.html
AUSTRALIA
Fish and cattle, flooding and fires and environment dangers in Autralia:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/18/we-all-smell-the-smoke-we-all-feel-the-heat-this-environmental-catastrophe-is-global

TRAVEL - WHILE YOU CAN
visitbritain.com
visitbritain.org
visitbritainshop.com
visitengland.com
visitlondon.com
visitacity.com/flanders
visittheusa.co.uk
australia.com
lonelyplanet.com/australia

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and hotographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Train Travel Tips: Discontinued free crisps in first class on Anglian but buy Welsh snacks on the GWR service to Wales

UK flag, the Union Jack

I read that a train company, Anglian, is discontinuing free nibbles in first class because some customers were taking too much.

That's seems unfair. They just need portion control.

The solution is pretty simple. Obvious to me. You could get a free food voucher with your first class ticket. If you don't eat cancer causing crisps, you put your voucher in a box and those who want two packets can take a spare voucher. Everybody happy.

Alternatively, do the same as the hotels' club class lounges. Every hour bring out a bowl of free food. First come first served. If the member of the public misses out, they can wait around for the next serving.

Why take a train? You could fly to Scotland. Probably cheaper, depaending on whether you get your plane or train fair well in advance. That only works for city to city.

Want to pick up Scottish or Welsh or Irish? Plenty of time to get started on the train journey. Use the app duolingo.com which has about 12 languages for English speakers.

WALES
But I always take the train to Wales.Fishguard is the furthest you can go. Where the ferry still links Wales to Ireland. Remote Wales. To the clifftop Fishguard Bay Hotel. Fishguard and Goodwick - that is the hotel and the ferry link  The furthest you can go. Where the ferry still links Wales to Ireland.

I enjoy a long weekend Spring break at the annual Writers' Holiday, writing and performing poems or writing romantic novels or articles or illustrating books.

Fishguard Bay Hotel, on the clifftop overlooking the sea, Wales

GWR To Wales
The lack of crisps on trains - not my problem. I took GWR from Paddington to Wales in February to Writers' Holiday. On most, but not all, trains, a trolley comes round selling snacks. The stations have kiosks. The service to Wales has some new trains with seats in standard class, some at tables for four where you can sit reading.

At the far end I transferred to a local train. Less comfort. But a chance to chat to local people.

I had my own food on the way out from London.

The moment the train crosses the border into Wales you start to see Welsh signs. Your holiday has started on the train en route.

The first year I went to my Writers' Holiday in Wales, on the way back I found the GWR train's trolley sold Welsh cakes (like small scone shape cold pancakes) from a trolley. On the train back to London, after the hotel's Welsh cakes with butter at my hotel (Fishguard Bay Hotel) the cold ones on the train were not so appetising. But they are a novelty, if you want to buy something different and local.

The following year I was better prepared. On my way home to London from Wales, I had paid for lunch but train times meant I left before lunch. I knew from previous years that the dessert was healthy but disappointing.

My hotel made a packed lunch with just an apple for dessert. Not good enough. I could have bought that in the local Tesco.

If your hotel provides a substitute packed lunch, ask what is in it. At one hotel I asked them to wrap up a piece of the lunch time cake I was missing and had paid for. They protested that it was squishing and already on a plate. So I said, "Give it to me now to eat." They agreed.

On another occasion, I saved my cake from the three-course last night dinner and had it for lunch on the train next day.

Cream Cakes & Travel
If the cake contains cream, not such a good idea to save it more than an hour. You might need to put it into a fridge. Either in your room, or if none, in the hotel's fridge, but remember to collect it and hope nobody throws it away.

No hotel fridge - then where are you keeping pills? Overnight in a cool car, yours or a friend's? Outside a window - but beware of seagulls.

On one occasion I scooped a cake off the plate into my lidded picnic box. On the train, I ate the perishable items first.

Disrupted Sunday Service
I was jolly glad of it. Sunday train service. Change from train to link bus for part of the journey. Different train service on new route. No dining car. No trolley.

What about buying on the station? Running to transfer from train to bus and then bus to train - no time to go to buy food. I was not going to drag luggage up and down stairs. Nor would I risk losing the group and my place in the queue to get a comfortable seat with a view near the front of the bus to take photos.

DIY Picnic
The simple answer is make your own sandwich bag travelling in both directions. Take your own food from Marks & Spencer or Tesco. Not meat nor fish which can go off - unless you have a cooling device in your cool bag. I choose cheese or vegetables.

Carrying food, keeping it away from papers in a bag, and out of you bigger bag with clothes. This means a third bag ftor travel to remember - plus your brolly (British slang for umbrella) - and your phone. Pack light, travel light.

Sit Together On The Train
I also go to Swanwick in Derbyshire to Writers' Summer School. Many writers and would be writers take the train.

Try to get a seat which can be changed. Otherwise your friends will be on a different train an hour earlier or later, or at the other end of the train in a reserved on non reserved seat in a different carriage. Ideally, find out who else is going and car share or meet at the station to get seats together. On the way there you can discuss which courses you plan to take, or your problems with plots in your novels.

Re-Live The Holiday On The Train
On the way back you can indulge in a review of the courses you did not take, which your friend took. I am often amazed as I listen to their praise of world famous others I have managed to miss.

Also, not to be missed, the joy of hearing that the wonderful rival course you bitterly regret not taking was 'a waste of time!'. I sometimes sit open-mouthed, exhausted by days of travelling and writing and note-taking, not daring to interrupt the rants. I am too tired wo write or talk.

Even an ordinary looking, glum person can prove to be exceptionally entertaining. I just listen avidly to the character assassination of people you hardly know, the cutting and witty, hilariously funny remarks which everybody was too tactful to say during the holiday course.

A train journey can make you feel like a modern version of Chaucer.

Useful websites
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7039043/Train-company-axes-free-snacks-class-passengers-eating-much.html
https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/tickets-fares

TRAVEL & TOURISM
visitbritain.com
shopbritain.com

WRITING COURSES
writersholiday.net

LANGUAGES
duolingo.com

TRAINS
For trains London to Derby:
https://www.thetrainline.com/
For trains London to Wales

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.