My Padders Sandals' Soles melted in the heat

 My shoe soles melted in the heat. Black sticky mess on the floor. June in London 2026 HAS A HEATWAVE.

This is not unique to Padders good value shoes but general. I have had the same from Marks & Spencer shoes. 

Once, when my shoes disintegrated, and I tried to return them, or at least register a complain about the composition of the sole, the staff asked me how long ago I had bought the footwear. 

Buying New Shoes

I also had a pair of shoes disintegrate although I had never worn them. I didn't wear them because they were a size too small, my feed are different sixes so one shoe was too small, and my weight and ankles had increased. I kept them lovingly because they were very pretty, bought on impulse in an end of season sale.

If your shoes disintegrate you might need to provide a receipt. The shoe or shoe box may have a number telling the manufacturer the date the shoe was made, as well as the date of your purchase.

From now on I shall be keeping my shoes in the shoe box with the receipt attached, and keeping a photographic record of the footwear alongside the receipt. 

I have now stopped saving shoes for a special occasion.  I am well past fifty and my dancing days are limited.  

Second Hand & Sale Shoes

Shoes which have been hanging around in the shop, or worn by a previous owner, might be nearing the end of their useful life. Another reason to wear them soon, whilst you can, and get your money's worth.

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Welcome aboard Ryanair planes - without my laptop case

We had an upset on checking into Ryanair at Tenerife's southern airport (Sur means southern, in Spanish although it means on in French, but at least you recognize the word. You just need to attach a different English translation.)

My husband had already paid extra money for priority boarding plus one overhead mini suitcase for each of us, two extra checked full size suitcases, and extra money for one extra suitcase for him bought at the destination to bring back souvenir wine because he is a wine educator, and extra legroom. About five, six or seven extra items.

The upset was that I thought that you could take a laptop separately and in addition to your wheel on bag. Apparently not. The airline wanted to charge fifty pounds for an extra bag. 

My husband declined to pay for a third extra charge. He packed my laptop in his rucksack and threw away my lovely padded burgundy laptop case which had outer and three inner zips. and a shoulder strap with a padded shoulder oval. 

If I had had time and a pair of scissors I would have cut off the shoulder strap, the zips and the large wide inside elastic band. I have been thinking about this day and night for two days, whilst looking for a replacement bag, in burgundy at prices varying from about e0 pounds to 300 pounds (Euros similar). But could I have carried a pair of scissors. Apparently,  

Laptop Case

I loved my laptop case and a replacement would cost the best part of fifty pounds. I checked the abandoned case and found the zip pockets still contained my power brick and mouse, which I rescued. I then took a second look and rescued a pink tag.  

We then had to rush, having lost the advantage for priority boarding, for which we had paid extra. We had also booked front seats with extra leg room.

I was under the impression that the airport staff were paid a bonus for enforcing the the luggage rules. Whilst the aircraft crew were in charge of the sales of duty free goods and sales of raffle tickets, so much more helpful with seating (we had been allocated a different plane} and helping me with my walking sticks up the steep stairs and stowing stuff in the overhead lockers to speed boarding.

The crew were all smiling and helpful, a happy bunch. 

I asked one of the young lads, 'Does Ryanair recruit happy people or do the train you to smile and look happy?'

He replied, 'We are happy because we are going home.' 

But there is also visual encouragement to be positive. One sign says that Ryanair is known for punctuality. In addition a display showed the words for welcome.

Wasted Breakfast Food

We had left our hotel before breakfast and been given instead a picnic breakfast which was packed in large card containers in a bag, one for each of us. I ate half a banana. I saved half a cheese sandwich. I had to throw away the containers and all the apples and oranges, bread, and drinks.

 Welcome words on a Ryanair plane.

Plane cupboard door with the words for welcome in several languages. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Angela Lansbury with friendly staff on the Ryan Air plane. 

The words for welcome, alphabetically

Bien venue - French

Welkommen - Danish

Wilkommen - German

By Country Alphabetically

French  bien venue (literally good arrival)

Danish  Velkommen (Starts with a v. Vowel like the German but with an e at the start.)

Dutch Welkom A short word. No couble letters. Starts with W like the English cut changed the w c to a k._

German Wilkommen

You may wish to create your own lists, in your travel diary, or a piece of paper attached to your diary.

Useful Websites

Translate google

Onmiglot

https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/welcome.htm

Overweight and large bags bonus for staff

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c99mdv3y431o

I have several posts on languages in this blog, travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com  (Type in dots, or full stops, Americans say periods, no obliques. Please share links to posts.)

Family Winery at Mount Etna in Italy

 At the Island Wines Summit in Tenerife, the Canary Islands, I saw several dormant and active volcanoes.

I met a young man from, Italy, second generation of a vineyard family. He had the word ETNA tattooed on his wrist.

I asked him, 'is it an active volcano?'

''Yes.'

I gasped, 'Aren't you afraid of an active volcano?'

He shook his head and smiled. 'No, I am not afraid of an active volcano. I'm more afraid of people.'

His family winery is in my husband's book about island wines, Isle Drink, by Trevor Sharot. Which you can buy online from Amazon.

His name is Andrea Foti, and the winery is I Vigneri.

Website 

www.ivigneri.it

He is one of the up and coming new generation of winemakers. He was a panellist who spoke at the conference.

He gave me a tee-shirt in lovely blue.

The message is minus arrogante, Italian for arrogance, meaning less arrogance. 

And plus, carricante, more of the local grape called carricante. You can see a picture of the white carricante bunches of grapes on their website, and their black grapes.

Their website is in Italian or English. You can learn from the website about their soil, philosophy (no plastic), and where to buy the wines in Italy and how to book a tour to taste five or seven wines and tour the vineyard and old and new cellars, with containers of three types.

Websites 

The Winery near Etna

www.ivigneri.it

Tracking volcanoes

https://volcanoes-earthquakes.appwesome.com/

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Sunsets In Tenerife and Singapore and Su

 

Sunset from the balcony of a junior suite in the Gran Taoro Hotel, Tenerife, Canary Islands. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Sunset in Tenerife. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Sunset in Tenerife. Photo by zAngela Lansbury.

Trevor Sharot, author of Isle Drink, in Tenerife.

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Angela Lansbury, author of books on travel, wedding etiquette, wedding speeches and toasts, quotations, poetry and writing poetry

Enjoying Spanish Cava and sunset in Tenerife. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Sunset seen in the opposite direction. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Sunset at 9.27 pm in Tenerife. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Sunset at 9.44 pm in Tenerife. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

TENERIFE Sunset at 9.48.

Sunset down by the swimmimg pools of hotel Gran Taoro.

Tenerife, Canary Islands

Singapore Sunset

I remember in Singapore where I was a Permanent Resident for 30 years, sunseet was 7 pm all year. Many of my online Toastmasters International speakers' clubs met at 7 pm, or went online at 7 pm for a start at 7.30 prompt. When the light faded outside the windows and balconies I knew it was time to switch on my computer. Like in the days before watches. In the tropical country I could tell the time of day and night accurately by the sun.

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Packing Precautions - Spare Pills

 

Spare pills packed. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

1 always travel with an extra week's supply of pills. I used to take one extra day, so that I had a spare pill the morning after a midnight flight, even if I thought I would be home before mid-day. 

Now, aftter several experiences of changed plans, I am even more cautious about having a plenntiful supply of prescription only pills.

Why? I might be unlucky and have a cancelled flight. 

I might be lucky and get inited to a weekend party, or wedding and stay on longer. 

On my last trip, my husband was invited to a conference. We briefly considered whether he should stay on and I should go home. But our car was at the airport. Besides, I was happy to extend the holiday.

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Hotels helping the handicapped - in Tenerife, Gran Hotel Taoro and El Mirador

In Tenerife, the largest of the Spanish Canary islands in the Atlantic on your map west of the North west African coast  I stayed at the Gran Hotel Taoro, named after the local area.

Gran Hotel Taori, Tenerife, poolside restaurant menu.

The five star hotel has a slope into the swimming pool. What is it for?

A guest told me, "Most people in wheelchairs have difficulty standing. But once in water in a swimming pool they are supported by water, even better by sea water, or can swim or float with their arms, or a buoyancy aid.'

Slopes lead down to the pool area.

I had previously stayed at another hotel on Tenerife which had good slopes. It was was the El Mirador. 

El Mirador

The only niggle was a small change in level in the bedroom, and into the bedroom shower, and the bedroom toilet area. 

Wheelchair Access

You could use the ground floor wheelchair accessible toilet beside the main buffet breakfast restaurant.

The bedroom toilet of the junior suite had a bidet. 

The public ground floor toilet instead had the usual arrangement of the toilet and washbasin in one area. 

The wrapped combs and toothbrushes were handy for making you look and feel good.

I had had an accident falling downstairs at a previous hotel, a parador on another Canary Island, La Palma. So the first day at El Mirador, on Tenerife, I was in the acute phase of pain. I struggled with the heavy door of the El Mirador downstairs public toilet. However, a day or two later as I got better, the door was no problem.

In addition to the slopes, at the Mirador the staff were helpful with valet parking, luggage trolleys providing a wheelchair with footrests, and wheeling the wheelchair.

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More Museums of Illusions

 I went to Absurfia in Tenerife. In the Canary Islands. In the Atlantic.

Illusion of a door at Absurdia in Tenerife. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright.

 The owner has another similar entertainment in the Czech Republic.

 If you are an addict looking for more, or want to try your first nearer your destination, you will find others in London, Belgium and elsewhere.

London 

Twist Museum

Brussels, Belgium.

Useful Websites

https://illusionbrussels.be/en