Spain

Bagging Grapes

Each year approximately 10,000 workers across the Hondon Valley tie white paper bags to each fledgling bunch of grapes. The bags are used for the protection of the grape harvest. These protective paper bags prevent pest infestations, feeding birds and shield the grapes from direct pesticide sprays and the fierce sunlight here. It apparently also adds to the flavour, colour and texture of the grape., makes the skin is thinner and easier to eat, plus fortifies the vitamin and nutritional qualities of the fruit.

On Sunday there was an international competition of bagging grapes in the Honton Valley. We decided to go with some of our friends and check it out. The competition is called ” Bases Concurso Embolsado de Uva de Mesa de Novelda”. This was something we never knew existed and wanted to see what it was about.

The competition which is the only one of its kind in the world is held at the Bodega Heretat de Cesilia.  It is based on the skill of bagging grapes which are done for the harvesting of a particular type of grape. It is only short distance outside of Alicante so we headed off early on Sunday to get a good seat to see it.

What was surprising was the size of the event. When we arrived, the parking lot was nearly full and there were crowds of people gathering well in advance of the event.

Filipe, Ray, and Shelley on path to competition

We walked down the path towards the competition and there were beautiful palm trees all along the path.

We found a beautiful gazebo covered in vines providing great shade and an excellent view of the competition. We sat down on a bench and enjoyed a nice shaded area with great views of the rows of grape vines.

Ray, Filipe and Liz under the gazebo at Bodega Heretat de Cesilia.

There was a brass band playing music and a beer garden set up for everyone. They had a booth that was giving out free hats and ball caps. We donned our new hats and settled in to watch the Grape bagging.

Felipe, Mike, Liz, and Ray with new hats and a sample bag used for the grapes

There was an emcee and she drew numbers to determine which row the competitors would compete in. There were 20 competitors that ranged in different ages.

Competitor preparing to start race

The race begins with a gunshot and the competitors run to the end of their row and begin bagging grapes. Each competitor has 150 bags and must tie each one-off in an approved knot. It was very impressive just how fast they could bag the grapes. The video below is in real-time and it is the competitor who won the competition.

After the race was completed, there was music and drinks on the patio. We had an opportunity to meet the winner and have our photo taken with her.

Ray, Mike, Liz, the winner Mari Carmen and Filipe

We went into the Bodega for the official awards and banquet meal.

The first place winner Mari Carmen receiving their trophy and cash prize.

After the official awards were completed we sat at our table and enjoyed our six-course traditional Spanish meal. The meal was very enjoyable and we had a wonderful time.

The banquet hall area of the Bodega

It was a long day but well worth going to see the competition. It was entertaining, educational and lots of fun with friends.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

France

Overnight Ferry to Caen France

We took a ferry called “Mont St. Michel” across the English Channel to Caen France.  The ferry was named after the Normandy town of Mont St Michel. The ferry is quite large and can hold up to 2,200 passengers and has vehicle storage of over 2km long.

We were taking the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen.

Map of the trip across the English Channel

This was our first overnight ferry and didn’t know what to expect. We boarded the ferry around 8 pm and was surprised at the quality of the ship. We walked throughout the ship exploring the different areas. It was more like a cruise ship in some aspects with a games room for children, shops and a disco bar for the adults. There were even two cinema theaters on the ferry.

One of the lounge areas on the ferry
Lobby in front of one of the cinemas on the ferry

We went to the upper decks of the ship and explored the outside areas. We found an outside patio that provided a great view from the upper deck.

Outside patio area on the ferry

We went to the highest deck and admired the view.

Shelley, Anne, Jim and Ray on the top deck of the ferry

We watched the vehicles loading onto the ferry. It was astounding how many vehicles boarded the ferry.

Vehicles loading into the ferry

After exploring the ferry we headed back to our cabin. We were surprised at the cabin and how comfortable the room was.

Cabin accommodations on the ferry

There was an a la carte restaurant, called “Les Romantiques.”

Restaurant on the ferry

We enjoyed breakfast before disembarking in Caen, France.

“Au revoir et passe une bonne journée”

United Kingdom

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

We took a World War One and World War Two Battlefield tour with a company called Trafalgar. The bus tour began in London and would finish in Amsterdam after fourteen days. The tour followed some of the major routes of WW I and WW II. After touring London for two days and seeing some of the sites including the Imperial War Museum we headed to Portsmouth, England.

Trafalgar bus coach tour of WWI & WWII sites

We enjoyed the two-hour drive to Portsmouth watching the scenery along the way.

View on our way to Portsmouth, England
 We arrived at the Portsmouth historic dockyard. There we explored the historic location which was part of the launch of D-Day’s “Operation Overloard” that occurred on June 6, 1944.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard location of part of the D-Day Launch

We went to the ship building school and a dockyard area where ships were being repaired. We walked through the school looking at different aspects of ship building.

Examples of some of the ships under construction by students at the school.

There were displays explaining aspects of ship building.  There was also some interactive activities. One activity was to crank a wheel and race your boat against other people to the finish line.

Boat race display at Museum

There was an area that had a rowing competition activity.

Shelley and Anne in rowing competition at Museum

There was even a station where you could climb the mast of a ship. We decided to skip that activity.

Station set up for people to climb a mast in the Museum

After the Museum we took a short boat cruise around the marina which provided us with some great views of Portsmouth Harbor.

Ray, Shelley, Jim, and Anne waiting for the boat cruise through the Marina

The views of the harbor from the boat cruise were very impressive.

The view from boat cruise in the harbor at Portsmouth

On the cruise, we saw several warships docked in the harbor.

Plastic hull minesweeper  designed to locate mines
British warship docked in Portsmouth Harbor

We came to the 558 feet high Spinnaker Tower located in the harbor.  The tower was built originally as a millennium project, however, ended up costing £36 million pounds,  £12 million pounds over budget. The tower was not completed until 2005 almost six years later than it was scheduled to be completed.

Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth Harbor

Portsmouth was an interesting city and was a very important part of WW II. We enjoyed our time there and saw some very interesting things.

“Ta ta and Cheerio”

United Kingdom

A great day in London

We signed up for a WW I and WW II battlefield tour with a company called Trafalgar tours. The first two days of the tour were in London and it provided us with some time to explore some of the iconic sites.

We walked along the Thames River and enjoyed some of the iconic views.

View of Elizabeth Tower “known as Big Ben” in London

We walked for several kilometers along the path near the Thames River. Along the way, we saw the Westminster Palace, a beautiful building with great architecture.

Elizabeth Tower in London
Westminster Palace in London
Another view of the Westminster Palace in London

All along the road that followed the Thames River, there were some great architectural buildings. Some of the buildings we recognized while other we did not.

View along the Thames River of some of the beautiful buildings

We walked for about an hour along the streets of London.

Wellington Arch in London
The Gates near Hyde Park in London

We went to Trafalgar Square and stopped there to admire the location and take a few pictures.

Trafalgar Square in London
Shelley and Ray in Trafalgar Square in London
Fountain in Trafalgar Square in London

We saw some interesting monuments on our tour through parts of London. There was a unique large bronze horse head statue.

Bronze horse head statue in London
Lion statue at Trafalgar Square

We went the Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards.

A view of Buckingham Palace from the garden area

There was a very large crowd of people gathered there to watch the changing of the guards.

Changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace in London

We walked along the Princess of Wales Memorial Walk and decided to take a picture of the plaque.

Ray and Shelley’s foot with the Princess of Wales Memorial Walk plaque

It was a very enjoyable day exploring parts of London. There were so many interesting things to see.

“Ta ta and Cheerio”

 

United Kingdom

Unique Indian restaurant in London

While we were in London, the four of us decided to look for a good Indian restaurant. We were told by our tour director to try the Masala Zone Covent Garden. We walked to the restaurant which was located not far from the Royal Opera House and the Covent Garden Market.

The front of the restaurant was unassuming and fairly normal looking, however, when you entered the restaurant it was uniquely decorated. Inside the restaurant, they had different types of dolls on display.

Dolls on display inside the Masala Zone Covent Garden Restaurant

Even on the ceiling and some of the walls, there were dolls on display.

Trapeze dolls on the ceiling of the restaurant

We did not have a reservation and the restaurant was fairly busy but we were fortunate that they had a table available.

Inside view of the busy Masala Zone Covent Garden restaurant

We sat at our table and enjoyed looking at the different dolls that were on display throughout the restaurant.

Dolls on display from the ceiling of the restaurant
Ray and Shelley at the Masala Zone Covent Garden Restaurant
Jim and Anne at the Masala Zone Covent Garden Restaurant

We ordered an Indian dish called “thalis” which is a traditional Indian dish you share.  The thalis dish was a mix of different foods and included curry plus little bowls of varied dishes.

Thalis dish from the Masala Zone Covent Garden restaurant

The meal and atmosphere were excellent and we really enjoyed the thalis dish. Afterward, we decided to take a walk around the area before heading back to the hotel.

We went and looked around the Covent Garden Market which is a popular spot in London.

Inside the Covent Garden Market

We explored the market and then went to the central square at the market. We came across a street performer from Canada who was doing a show.

Street Performer at Covent Garden Market in London

We stopped to watch for a while before eventually heading back to the Hotel. Overall it was a very enjoyable evening out with friends.

“Ta ta and cheerio”

Life is too short to wait for adventure!