Olivia reporting from Galicia, The Coupe des Mousquetaires is Spanish, the Motorola press conference, a reunion in Orléans and home again.

Monday June 18th 2012

Olivia reporting from Galicia, The Coupe des Mousquetaires is Spanish, the Motorola press conference, a reunion in Orléans and home again.

Me enjoying our visit to the Cheverny chataeu in the Loire Valley near Orléans this weekend.

Hello everyone

Sorry I didn’t write yesterday, Sunday, but it was the day we got back from our trip to Orléans and I was too tired to write so have left it until today.

Last week was a great week in many ways.  On Sunday Olivia left for Galicia where she would be reporting live most of the week.  

Oli worked from TVE Galicia this week

I actually only saw her on Monday which found her in the province of Lugo reporting on a derelict convent which was endangering the buildings around it.  You can see the report here at minute 12.12h

Olivia reporting live from Lugo on Monday

Monday was when Spain took the Coupe des Mousquetaires, the men’s trophy of the French Open, commonly known as Roland Garros.  On Monday the best Spanish tennis player of all times, the 26 year old Rafa Nadal, garnered his 7^th win in Paris, after the match was delayed by rain twice on Sunday.  His rival was the number one seed, the icy Novak Djokovic and for the records the Spaniard beat him 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. on the famous Court Philippe Chatrier.

This seventh win made tennis history as he beat Bjorn Borg’s record of 6 wins.  Djokovic was hoping to win his first French Open, in order to have the record of winning all four grand slams, but it was not to be.  He will now have to wait until next year. Rafa Nadal’s win was a great antidote on Monday to the news of Spain’s bail out.

Rafa Nadal and his 7th Coupe des Mousquetaires

Monday ended happily too when Phoebe, our cat made an appearance after several week’s absence.  She is, of course, put off, just like Joe, our other cat, by Elsa and Norah.  Joe, unfortunately has been missing for even longer.

It was lovely to see Phoebe again

Needless to say we fed her as we have done now for several days.  She was thin but not scrawny and we suspect she has another home where is probably fed too.

Tuesday was a special day for me.  I was to attend my first Motorola press conference since I left the company as their PR Manager in 1999.  It was to be a joint press lunch with Yoigo on the launch of their latest smartphone, the Motorola Razr Maxx, which boasts the longest battery life of any smartphone on the market and will only be available with Yoigo, for the moment at least.  Some of the press, who were the same as when I worked for Motorola, were there too and the occasion was rather historic.  Lunch was held at a nice little place in town called El Qüenco de Pepa.

With my journalist friend Ana at the Motorola press conference on Tuesday

Wednesday was a quiet day. I worked from home most of the day, only stopping to read by the pool with Eladio in the early evening and going for a walk after dinner, which seems to be our routine this month.  You may be wondering what I was reading and here I hesitate to tell you.  Recently I read an article about the English woman write E.L. James and her very popular trilogy called Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.  I was astonished to learn that millions of women around the world were enjoying or rather devouring this new genre, which in short is erotic literature but with a wonderful romantic story as the backdrop. I must say   I devoured the first book in less than two days and am now on the last book riveted with the story of ex student Anastasia Steele and the man who fascinates her, CEO Christian Grey with his mysterious and disturbing past.  It’s not my usual genre, but I must say I am smitten with the story.  When my friend Sandra told me she was reading it and asked whether our friend Adele in France would like it, my answer was “any woman would”.  So if you are a woman and my friend, I highly recommend it.  Please men steer away as it’s not your scene.

Women all over the world are reading the Fifty Shades trilogy and I wasn't to be left out. It's steam stuff.

Finally Thursday 14^th came, the day we had been looking forward to for months, the day we were going to France for another reunion with Sandra and Adele and their partners Jeffer and Bernard.  The last time we had all been together was in June 2011 when we stayed with Sandie in Brussels.  This time we were going to Orléans, the home town of Joan of Arc, some 1.5h south west of Paris, to stay with Adele and Bernard.  We flew to Paris Orly where Adele met us and where Sandie was arriving by train from Brussles via Paris.  We were all together at about midday and excited to see each other again.  Adele and Sandra, as you may remember, were my great friends from Nottingham University and I lived with them both before we left in 1980. 

With my two great friends Adele (left) and Sandie (right) in Orléans this weekend

The great thing about our renewed friendship is that our husbands and partners get along just as well.  So there you have English Adele who is now very French, Italian and Hungarian but Indian born and English bred Sandra (a real mixture), myself, with my Russian and English blood and Spanish habits and our husbands, each from a different corner of the world.  Eladio my husband is a Spanish philosopher, Bernard, Adele’s husband is a French psychiatrist and Jeffer, Sandra’s partner, is an American marketer, amongst many other things.

Our three men, the Spaniard, the American and the Frenchman

Adele drove us to her delightful home in the centre of Orléans, an old town house with three floors, wooden stairs and beams and lots of nooks and crannies.  The house is full of all sorts of objets d’art, some modern, some old and oozes character. 

Adele and Bernard's house in Orléans

The nicest part of the whole house is the little patio they call “le jardin”, full of flowers and plants.

Adele and Bernard's delightful little garden

We commented the house looked like something out of a house and garden glossy magazine and I’m sure you will agree from the picture below.

The front room of Adele and Bernard's house

As soon as we had settled in, Adele took us out on a walking tour of the pretty town on the Loire and here we were to see lots of medieval tudor style houses, cobbled streets, and pretty squares, as well as take a walk by the majestic river Loire of chateau fame. 

By the statue of Joan of Arc in Orléans

We must have walked for over two hours and were rewarded at the end of the afternoon with a nice glass of local white wine at a typical French bar in the centre of the town.

At a lovely little bar in Orléans

On our way home, we bumped into Bernard who was returning from work.  I might add that the lucky man’s consultancy is 1.5 minutes walk from his home.  So we were now only missing Jeffer who was not joining us until Friday evening when he would drive from a project he was doing in Luxembourg to join us.  Once home, we sat down to a lovely meal prepared by Adele at their beautiful dining room table.  

Adele is a great cook and always has been.  I well remember her preparing dinner parties when we were students at Nottingham.  In those days her most famous meals mainly consisted of homemade pizza and cheese cake. 

Adele cooking in her little kitchen

The whole weekend was to be about food, laughter and some culture and shopping.  Thus Friday morning started off with a great breakfast before we set off for a day in the Loire Valley.  It was to be just the three “girls”· and Eladio again as Bernard had to work in the morning and wouldn’t be free until the late afternoon.  Adele was to take us to two lovely chateaux in the Loire Valley, on a drive through the impeccable and pretty French countryside.

Our first stop was the magnificent Chambord Chateau, a feast for our eyes.  I’m sure Adele has seen it many times but we were bowled over.

The four of us at Chambord Chateau

Here apart from strolling round the chateau and enjoying the parkland, we stopped for a wonderful café au lait and of course for a bit of tourist shopping of local biscuits and other fare.

Café au lait with Adele at Chambord

From Chambord we drove to nearby Cheverny, another beautiful castle and apparently the most beautifully furnished of all the Loire castles as we were to find out when we visited it.  The photo illustrating this week’s blog is of me outside the Cheverny Castle.

The Chateau at Cheverny

It is apparently famous for being the castle that inspired the Tintin story, Le Moulinsart, but I was much more interested in the huge pack of fox hounds kept there for hunting purposes.  Feeding time was quite disgusting though as was the smell.  But I forgave these beautiful animals as they are the just like big beagles, like Norah at home.

The fox hounds at Cheverny

I also loved the kitchen garden where vegetables like Jerusalem artichokes grew next to the finest roses which were used to decorate the chateau.

The kitchen garden at Cheverny

Lunch at the beautiful Orangery was a disappointment but the surroundings made up for that, as did the visit to the chateau afterwards.

The nursery at the Chateau de Cheverny

After so much beauty, we were quite tired out and ready to go home and we were looking forward to being joined by Bernard and Jeffer so that our sixsome would be complete.  That night we were happy too to see both France and England win their respective matches of the opening rounds of the Euro Cup. I should add that Spain beat Ireland 4-0 the previous night and we are now all waiting to see the outcome of the final match which will be against Croatia tonight. If they do well, then Spain may well meet England in the Quarter finals. 

Dinner, once again prepared by Adele, was cooked to perfection. The piece de resistance was her Delia Smith pavlova, which I know I will try and make at the next opportunity I get. 

Adele's amazing pavlova

Saturday was the most important day of our visit and the one when we would be all together.  The day started off with this splendid breakfast.  Just feast your eyes on these delicious French croissants.

A true French breakfast

On Saturday it rained most of the day, but it didn’t dampen our spirits.  In any case we stayed at home, as there was to be a family party for lunch. We were to be joined by Bernard’s 86 year old mother, Michelle, by his 25 year old daughter Diane and her friend Sara, as well as by Adele’s second son Ben who lives in Orléans and her third son Nicholas and his beautiful policewoman girlfriend Carole who live in Paris.  That day was Adele’s granddaughter Emma’s first birthday and we all joined in on the skype session with her Father Johathan, Adele’s oldest son and his Moroccan wife to be Salma.  I think the whole session lasted more than an hour.  Here is a group photo all everyone around the computer wishing Emma a happy birthday.

Skyping with the family

We had a great buffet lunch together where three languages were spoken in the loud and delightful party.  Both Eladio and I had to “take our French out of the cupboard” so to speak and I was quite happy to see how my French was coming back, talking to Madame Louette and Bernard’s daughter.

The buffet lunch on Saturday

The party didn’t end until past five, after which the six of us hit the town for a bit of shopping and sightseeing.

Shopping in Orléans

Exhausted from so much excitement we went back home for a quick cup of tea before going out again. We were to have dinner out but first visit Ben’s lovely flat near the cathedral.  Dinner was at Orléans’ finest restaurant, La Parenthese. The meal was delicious, specially the crab meat salad.

La Parenthese restaurant in Orléans

Afterwards we walked down to the river to digest the dinner a bit, as we were all so full from so many wonderful meals.  And then we went home and it was time to pack and say goodbye, at least to Sandra and Jeffer.  They were staying on another day but we had to be up at the crack of dawn to take the shuttle taxi which was coming for us at 07.45.  It got us to Paris Orly at about 10 and our plane wasn’t leaving until midday.  So we twiddled our thumbs for a while and I continued to enjoy Fifty Shades Darker.

We landed just after 13.30 and were home at about 15h, when everyone had had lunch.  We unpacked and Eladio had a well deserved siesta, whilst I read by the pool, devouring my book.  Later we went out for dinner to De Brasa y Puchero and were joined by Olivia.  It was my last food foray before returning to the Dukan diet today Monday.  Suzy was on her way back from Montrondo and was too late to join us for the dinner unfortunately.  She had gone for the Corpus Christi fiestas and had a great time with the family and of course with her childhood friends from the village, such as JM.

Suzy with her friends and cousins in Montrondo this weekend.

And today is Monday and it’s back to work and back to the Dukan diet and back to routine and everyday life at home.  The reunion trip to Orléans was great and I look forward to our next meeting.  We are not sure yet whether it will be in Brittany in the north of France or it may even be here in Madrid when it will be my turn to host the reunion with my dear long lost friends.  

And now it is Monday night and nearly time to watch Spain play Croatia.  So fingers crossed my friends.

All the best till next week

Masha

PS You can see the full set of photos of our trip to Orléans here.

A special present and a party, wonderful Copenhagen, home again, a family weekend and a sporting Sunday.

10th June 2012

A special present and a party, wonderful Copenhagen, home again, a family weekend and a sporting Sunday.

Me in the Tivoli Gardens on Thursday this week.

 Hi again everyone, this sunny morning in June.

It is quiet.  I am writing from the kitchen whilst the men read the papers, the dogs are lying in the garden and Olivia is asleep upstairs, as is my niece Alicia who came to stay this weekend.  As to the whereabouts of Susana I can only imagine she is asleep at her new flat.  The house will come alive at midday when I expect everyone for lunch.  Meanwhile I can use this quiet time to write my blog.

The week has been good, with lots to tell, especially my trip to Wonderful Copenhagen.  So let me start from the beginning as always.

Monday saw me at a small village in the mountains of Madrid, to site inspect the main square “plaza mayor” of Hoyo de Manzanares as the location for our splendid summer party to take place at the end of this month.  I commented to Bea and Cris from my events agency, QuintaEsencia, over a cup of coffee across the road from the Plaza afterwards that it was the perfect place.  We are planning to hold a typical Spanish fiesta there for our employees, that promises to be different and a lot of fun.

The Plaza Mayor in Hoyo de Manzanares

On Tuesday I went into the office for the weekly management team meeting but first went past reception to pick up a parcel that had arrived from Motorola.  I was curious to know what they had sent me, Motorola being the company I worked for first in the telecoms sector, from 1990 to 1999 when mobile phones were just taking off.  Lo and behold it was their latest smartphone, sent to me personally by their new General Manager.  In a way I was tickled pink and very pleased to receive this unexpected present, it being the first Motorola phone I had in my hands for many years.  But it came too late.  If they had sent me one just after I left or even later I maybe would have used it.  But I’ve gone past both my Motorola phone phase as I have my Nokia phone phase. Right now my favourite brand is Samsung which probably doesn’t surprise you.  Even so, I felt very appreciative of the gesture. 

The present from Motorola, a lovely gesture

Later I was to receive an invitation to a joint Motorola Yoigo press lunch to be held next week on the announcement of this new terminal which will be part of our portfolio.  That will be one funny occasion for me, having been Motorola’s communications manager and now the communications manager for Yoigo.  I can only imagine it will be curious too for the press, many of whom have known me in both roles and of course in the same role at Nokia.  But, more about that next week.

That same night, Yoigo held a party to celebrate our new tariffs.  The event was my responsibility and thanks to my great agency, everything went really well, the best thing being the atmosphere we created. 

The atmosphere we created at the Yoigo party on Tuesday was electric to say the least

It was held on the roof terrace of a fashionable market, Mercado de San Antónright in the centre of town.  We had invited press and bloggers as well as staff and partners.  The latter included the mobile manufacturers and thus Tuesday night for me felt like a reunion of my Motorola colleagues and my ex Nokia colleagues, especially the latter.  It was great being together for the first time since we left; César from Samsung, Isidro from Sony Mobile, Eduardo from Blackberry and Mikel still at Nokia.  Here is a picture of that happy moment.

Tuesday was a true reunion with my ex Nokia colleagues, Mikel, Isidro, César and Edu

It was also nice to have the girls work with me that night, as they have been doing in many of my events over the years, since they were about 16.  We didn’t get home until very late, nearly 3 in the morning and despite sticking to the Dukan diet and having absolutely no alcohol, I had a splitting headache.  I think they can sometimes be provoked by stress.  A colleague of mine observed that I was not my normal self at the party and I think he is probably right.  It all boils down to being tense and worried that everything is going ok, so I never really enjoy my own parties.  However, this was one was very special.

My beautiful girls at the party on Tuesday night

You can see the photos of the event here on Flickr.  The Photographer, by the way was new and very good.

On Wednesday I was up bright and early as I had to catch the flight to Copenhagen.  I was going for a team meeting on Thursday but had the late afternoon and evening free to meet our dear friends Pernille and Thomas and their delightful daughters Julia and Alberte aged 10 and 7.

I had coverage problems in Denmark throughout my stay as well as visa issues, as taxis only use swipe cards and mine is a chip card.  Also I was only able to use one of my cards at a cash point.  The disadvantage of Denmark of course is that it doesn’t have the euro.  However the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.  I have been to Denmark many times, my first visit there being in 1974 on my famous inter rail trip which you will have read about in my last post and the last one being 7 years ago, just before I left Nokia.  The Danes are considered the “Latins” of Scandinavia and are definitely more outgoing than their Nordic neighbours.  The city is a walking fairy tale city with beautiful buildings although this time the city seemed to be undergoing a very big upheaval, with lots of renovation going on.  

My hotel, the Clarion Collection Mayfair, well praised on Trip Advisor, was very central; a stone’s throw from the train station and the world famous Tivoli Gardens.

My hotel in Copenhagen was not in the best area of the town

 It is however in the wrong district, Vesterbro which turned out to be the red light district with a sex show club bang opposite the old hotel.  Frankly that was rather off putting and next time I will be more careful in the choice of my hotel.  On the plus side it was clean and comfortable and the staff was very accommodating. 

This was the club across the road from my hotel!

Thomas picked me up just past 5.30 and drove me to their lovely home some 40km away by the sea near a delightful village called Hellebaekvej.  And there was my Danish princess Pernille now aged 40 but still looking 20, the age she was when she came to Spain to be our au pair, with her arms wide open to embrace me.  Behind her, waiting patiently with smiles on their little faces were her own little princesses Julia and Alberte and I swept them up in my arms and they felt like family.

Pernille, Julia and little Alberte

These wonderful people live in a fairy tale like big wooden house in huge grounds filled with colour because of the blooming rhododendrons.  The house I knew would be wonderful inside because of Pernille and Thomas’ great taste.  The whole ground floor is one big open space including the spotless kitchen and dining room.  After I had given my presents of wine and ham and smarties in a sleeping beauty container and green linen scarf to Pernille, they showed me their home and garden and I took endless pictures.

Thomas and Pernille's lovely house outside Copenhagen

Then we sat down to a simple but delicious Danish dinner made of cooked salmon, salad and boiled potatoes.  Dessert was local strawberries which couldn’t have tasted better.  Julia is learning English so I practiced a bit with her whilst little Alberte looked on, the only word she knew being “yes” and which she used a lot. Then these perfect little girls went upstairs to bed with no trouble whatsoever and we continued round the table catching up on our news. 

Julia and Alberte sitting down to dinner

Soon it was time to go as I had to get back to my hotel and Thomas had to work and of course they had to go to bed early as they start their morning at 6am, every day.  

Thomas stayed behind to catch up with his work, whilst Pernille drove me home.  We said our goodbyes on the terrace of their lawn where we had a quick photo session before leaving.  I just wonder when I will see them again.  I hope it is soon.

With my darling Pernille

On Thursday I was up early again and this time off to the Telia headquarters in Copenhagen for our team meeting.  My colleagues from the other Scandinavian and Baltic countries were all there before me, having arrived that morning as Copenhagen is much nearer their homes than mine.  We had a good day together going over all the PR projects we are working on, only stopping for lunch at the nearby Bizarro café.  We finished at around 5 and all made our ways by taxi to our hotels in the centre.  We were to meet again outside the main gates of the Tivoli Gardens just a while later.  I got there earlier, after walking down the famous Stroget pedestrian thoroughfare, the main tourist street in Copenhagen. 

Stroget in Copenhagen

I was eager to take a picture of myseslf outside the Tivoli gates to compare with the one I have of myself there aged 17 in 1974 on my Inter rail trip.  I actually think I look better today, nearly 40 years on.  Don’t you?

Outside the Tivoli Gardens June7th 2012

Outside the Tivoli Gardens in 1974, what a difference from above.

We had a meal at a typical Danish restaurant called Groeften.  My first course was wonderful fresh Danish shrimps.  Just take a look as they are mouth watering.

The wonderful fresh and pealed Danish shrimps which I had for dinner on Thursday night

After dinner we wandered outside to explore the beautiful gardens which were teeming with people on this cool summer night.  First we stopped to take a group photo outside perhaps one of the Tivoli’s most famous buildings, a sort of splendid white Moorish palace.

With my colleagues in the Tivoli Gardens

I snapped my camera everywhere I looked as there was always something interesting to catch my eye.  I have maybe been to the Tivoli Gardens some 5 or 6 times but each time I go it feels like the first and I enjoy the thrill of the place as if I were a kid.  The picture illustrating this week’s post is of me by one of the lakes against the backdrop of one of the countless numbers of pogoda style buildings.  I would have loved to go on one of the attractions but none of my companions were willing so we parted and went to bed early, always a good idea when travelling.  That night again I had a terrible headache and it could well have been for the two glasses of red Italian wine.  Oh well.

The next day, Friday, my plane wasn’t leaving until 15.45 so I had plenty of time to further explore the city and maybe do some shopping.  But first I had a meeting at 08.30 at my hotel with Maria from the Swedish Thule Group, based in nearby Malmo, a company that makes sports gear and transport equipment.  I had been asked by a colleague of hers, Claes,  to meet her to give her a sort of pep talk on how the company should embark on social media.  I think they thought I was some sort of expert, but really I see social media as just another channel for communication, albeit a new one and one that opens up a dialogue with your target market.  

Afterwards I was to meet my sweet Lithuanian colleague, Indre, who would be joining me for a walk around Copenhagen.  We walked up Stroget towards Nyhavn, that lovely street with pretty colourful houses by a canal that makes you feel you are in Amsterdam. 

With my Lithuanian colleague Indre in Nyhavn

The sheer number of bicycles gives you that same feeling too.  We stopped in some of the shops but didn’t buy anything and when we reached Nyhavn it began to pour with rain.  I had a rain hood but poor Indre had nothing.  We had no option but to walk back in the rain.  We parted at one of the department stores for Indre to escape the rain and I made my way back. I did stop at a little shop to make my only purchase in Stroget, a typical Danish striped long sleeved t-shirt in pink and black and I love it.

I arrived early at the airport, in order to have time for a nice lunch at the seafood bar (crab meat salad yummy) and to buy some Danish food at the Fine Food store to take home.  Here I indulged in Danish bacon, biscuits and jam for my Father, honey for Eladio and the finest smoked salmon I have ever tasted as well as some smoked mackerel and more shrimps which made a lovely dinner when I got home.

I was home just past 21h and happy to join Eladio and my Father for dinner and give them my impressions of the trip.  It was great also to come back to good weather and a warm temperature after the rain in Copenhagen and made me appreciate even more the climate of the country I live in.  I wasn’t to see the girls until the next day as Olivia and Alicia stayed overnight at Suzy’s flat.

On Saturday I was up early to go the hairdressers and then food shopping with Ivanka. Lunch on Saturday was our first barbecue of the year.  Here you can see Eladio in his bbq outfit grilling the steak, lamb chops and sausages.   Both girls, Alicia and the girls’ friend Juli joined us, so it turned out to be a wonderful lunch together.

Eladio preparing the first bbq of the season yesterday

The afternoon was spent lazily by the pool.  Here is a great photo of Alicia sunbathing with Elsa lying adoringly next to her. 

Alicia and Elsa by the pool yesterday

Later both my daughters had parties to attend, so Alicia stayed with us.  Eladio and I went on our evening walk with the dogs and were joined by Alicia afterwards where we sat relaxing again by the pool, enjoying Nora and Elsa’s company.

And today is Sunday, so I am back where I started.  We woke up to the news that Spain has requested a bailout for its banks with a loan of up to 100 bn euros from the Euro Zone funds.  Apparently this move, which will help the struggling banks has won broad support the world around.  I’m not so sure myself.  From what I read in the papers today, depending on their political stance, this seems to be a face saving option.  But I suppose the outcome remains to be seen.

The news has come on a day when sports will be in the minds of most people. Sporting victories are so often seen as an antidote for the crisis.  Thus there are big hopes for Nadal who will playing Djokovic in the final of the French Open today at 15h.  If he wins it will be his 7^th win, a major feat.  If the Serb wins, he will be one of the first tennis players to win all the grand slams. 

There's a lot at stake in today's final of the French Tennis Open

Spaniards will be hoping too that Fernando Alonso will bring them joy at the Canadian Grand Prix.  He is leading the championship and today is in the 3^rd  pole position, so hopes are high.  However, it is football which is in most people’s minds today as Spain with its “Roja” tema will be making its debut in the Euro Cup in Poland playing against the very challenging Italians.  The other countries in their group are the Republic of Ireland and Croatia, Italy being, by far the more difficult of Spain’s opponents.  And tomorrow England will play France, an equally exciting and challenging match.  Spain is the favourite as it won the last Euro Cup and of course the World Cup in South Africa last year, but of course that doesn’t mean to say they will win.  In fact no team has ever won the Euro Cup two times in a row. Germany, who beat Portugal yesterday are also keen favourites.  By next Sunday most of the countries will be in their places and we will know their chances better for the final.  Meanwhile we have three full weeks of football ahead which my Father and Eladio will be the ones who enjoy most in this house.

Before I leave you, a a special mention goes here to Sandra too, whose birthday it is today.  I very much look forward to a belated celebration when we meet next weekend in France.  Of course this week too would have been my own Mother's birthday, on 7th June while I was in Copenhagen. 

My Mother and I in the 70's, one of the very few if only photos of me with her and my eyes are closed.  However I think I look very happy and comfortable to be with her.

No doubt my Father would have been remembering her too as we do always, everyday of our lives.  How could we ever forget?

Meanwhile, I wish you all a very happy Sunday and a great week ahead. 

Cheers till next time

Masha

 PS You can see the full collection of my photos of the trip to Copenhagen here.

Olivia reporting from Valencia, 40 years of Inter rail and my journey across Europe in 1973, good news for Suzy, missing the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and other stories.

Olivia reporting from Valencia, 40 years of Inter rail and my journey across Europe in 1973, good news for Suzy, missing the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and other stories.

Being interviewed by TVE1 on Monday at home about my Inter Rail journey in the 70's

Hello again my friends,

The week has been packed with activity and there are lots of things to tell you.  I haven’t been away anywhere, it has been a fairly quiet week but all in all a good week for all.

Last Sunday, Olivia went off to Valencia where she would be reporting every day of the week on local events.  She was part of a team she had great fun with and at one point posted on Facebook that she wouldn’t mind living in that part of the world. 

Olivia and her team having a bit of fun in Valencia.

As most mothers, I am at my happiest when my girls are happy and this week was a good week for both of them, especially for Suzy as you will hear later.

Olivia looking spectacular with the team in Valencia this week

Unfortunately I missed nearly all of Oli’s live reporting because I was either way at the office or in meetings in town.  Determined to see at least one appearance, I saw her on Friday in a place called Paterna where she reported on a unique story of a group of unemployed people who had started from scratch, using old fashioned techniques to make and sell constructions out of rope and clay, originally used to make “barracas”.  That brought me right back to my University classes at Nottingham in the 70’s where Dr. Cardwell would lecture on the Valencian author Blasco Ibañez who wrote the famous novels “La Barraca” and “Cañas y Barro”. 

A typical Valencian "barraca"

On Monday I was taken back again to my past, but this time for another reason.  A friend of Olivia’s and ex colleague, María, was preparing a report for the TVE1 news programme about the 40^thanniversary of Inter Rail scheduled to be broadcast on 6^th June. María was looking for people who had been on Inter Rail in its early years to share their experiences in the special report.  When Oli asked me if I knew anyone who had done Inter Rail at the beginning I said that of course I had.  And that was how I suddenly found myself being interviewed at home by the TVE1 crew that very afternoon. 

I remember that trip very vividly although I still can’t remember whether it happened in 1973 or 1974.  My Father, who has the most amazing memory, swears it was 1974 so it probably was.  My brother George, went in the inaugural year in 1972 when a month’s trip to visit 21 countries in Europe cost just 25 pounds.  When I went it cost 33 pounds and was the cheapest way to discover Europe, although in those days you couldn’t visit any of the Iron Curtain countries, something I would have loved to have done. There were very few low cost airlines in those days, so most young people travelled by train.  Inter Rail was a real revolution for “back packers”, the ticket being actually cheaper than a return ticket from London to any European destination.  So in the following years when I travelled to Spain in the “Callosa Days”, I would often just buy an inter rail ticket and use it only to travel to Alicante and back to Yorkshire.  Later we would travel by bus to Alicante or in my Aunt’s battered old cars but, that’s another story.

The trip I took in 1973 or 1974 is ingrained in my memory forever as the most adventurous journey I had taken until then.  It was difficult at just 16 to find other friends to come with me.  Most of their parents wouldn’t let them hop around Europe but my parents who were true globe trotters and from whom I had inherited my travel bug, were much more permissive.  I finally found someone to come with me, Tim M, a pupil of my Father’s at Bradford Grammar School.  He was then a first year student of German and Scandinavian languages at Surrey University, so was very keen to travel to Scandinavia which is what we did.  He was not my ideal travel companion, as it later transpired he was rather keen on me and I wasn’t one bit interested.  That would become a problem when we had to share rooms in Lapland, to save money. 

We started off in London at Victoria station, that wonderful old vibrant station which is the gateway to Europe.  From there we made our way to Dover from where we took the ferry to Calais, a journey I made countless times in my youth.  From Calais of course we travelled to Paris on one of the old green SNCF trains past Amiens.  We would arrive at Gare du Nord, the gateway from France to England.  Paris stations were always teeming with North African immigrants and I found myself surrounded by them as if I was a jar of jam and they were flies.  I suppose being blonde and young was the reason.  But I could never get rid of them and yet didn’t realize the danger, although I had heard, of course, of the “white slave trade”.  At Gare du Nord I always remember enjoying a wonderful French breakfast of café au lait with the best croissants in the world, or so I thought.  From Gare du Nord, in order to take a train to the north of Europe, we would take the metro to Gare Austerlitz, in memory, of course of the famous Napoleonic battle.  Just being there brought back memories of my history lessons with my adored Miss. Scorer at St. Joseph’s college.  Here we would board the train to Hamburg, the famous German port where sailors would get off, get drunk and visit the red light district, the Reeperbahn which is exactly what we did when we got there, that is visit the district but not get drunk.  What we did do of course was try out the hamburgers which I suppose originally came from this German town.

To economise, we did not spend much money on accommodation and most nights actually slept on the trains.  I remember getting on the French and later the Spanish trains at the beginning of the journey and often not finding a seat and having to settle for the corridor, something which is probably unthinkable today.  The worst spot was next to the toilets, which was ok at the beginning of the journey but a nightmare at the end, because of the smell.  Needless to say the German and Scandinavian trains were much more civilized.  Today, Spanish trains are probably the best in Europe but at the time were probably the worst and the slowest.  As I told Maria in my interview with TVE, I remember the train journey from Barcelona to Alicante taking most of the night and feeling longer than the journey throughout Scandinavia.  There were no high speed trains at the time in Spain but I do remember trying to board an attractive looking Talgo train at the Barcelona Sants station, only to be pushed off it not very gently as the “better trains” were not included in the Inter Rail pass.  That was a bit of a hard lesson.

France was dirtier in those days than England, although perhaps today, it is the other way round.  However Spain was much dirtier and I vividly remember the difference of the stations at the border.  On the French side the stations were quite pretty with flowers on the platform.  However as soon as you entered the Spanish station on the other side of the border, there would be hundreds of flies and rather nasty smells.  Today both countries are much cleaner. 

I remember taking about 100 pounds with me for the whole trip, money I think I had earned working at a factory in Bradford for a month after school broke up.   There was little money for accommodation which is why we mostly slept on the trains and not much for food either.  Of course we didn’t go to restaurants in those days, the alternative being to eat street food.  So for most of the journey our meals were made up of hamburgers or hot dogs bought at kiosks which were cheap and very tasty.

From Hamburg we made our way to wonderful Copenhagen where we woke up at a very clean station and where I was able to have a shower for an awful amount of kroners for me at the time.  I showed María the photos of the trip which are in a very old album of mine and there is only one single photo of me, the rest being of my companion, scenery, trains and the Scandinavian capitals.  It is of me outside the Tivoli Gardens.  And here it is, taken 39 years ago.

Outside the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen during my Inter Rail trip in the 70's

I loved Scandinavia, as I always have and funnily enough in my professional life I have been very attached to both Finland when I worked for Nokia as I am today to Stockholm because of my job with Yoigo.  Scandinavia, I should mention, holds an even bigger attraction for my Father who actually studied Scandinavian languages at Cambridge University.  Maybe I inherited the love of this area of Europe from him. But actually I think it is more to do with the merit of these countries themselves, so clean, so green, so civilized, so organized and so ahead of the times.  I well remember in my inter rail trip tasting my first McDonalds meal in Stockholm.  Having never been to one, I remember being surprised at the system of ordering and also thought the meal was rather expensive.  I also remember vividly being surprised by finding “sex shops” there which I had never seen in prude England.

We travelled even further north and from Copenhagen made our way to Sweden where we actually travelled right to the north to Lapland.  Here I remember being eaten alive by mosquitos, including both eyes.  So bad were my eyes I had to visit a hospital in Stockholm and the image of that immaculately clean and white hospital where doctors and nurses moved around on skates, has remained in my memory forever.  It was like being in another world.  From Sweden we travelled to Norway and visited the fjords and I think made our way to Bergen.  We were joined by a young American traveler whose name I cannot remember.  Throughout our journey we made new friends and met people from all over the world, but funnily enough no Spaniards. When Maria asked me if I had met Spaniards, I answered truthfully that I hadn’t.  Thinking back, this is probably because young Spaniards in those days had fewer opportunities than their counterparts from the better off countries in Western Europe.  Not to forget either, that under Franco’s regime it was not very easy to travel.  So no, there were no Spaniards at the time, but plenty of Germans, Scandinavians, Brits and Americans of course.

Had it been today, I would not only know the American boy’s name, but we would be in contact forever afterwards on Facebook and whatsapp.  Also we would probably have been updating our statuses on both throughout the journey.  But in 1973 affairs were very different.  There were no mobile phones, no internet and of course no social media, so when you met someone, you would maybe exchange addresses and write for a while but afterwards would lose contact.  In those days we would send letters and post cards and call our parents very occasionally on the phone.  Of course a long distance call would usually be, in my case, by “reversed charges”, not always easy to manage when making a long distance call.  To think we complain today that making phone calls is expensive, when it was much more so in the 70’s. 

From Norway, my only ever visit to that lovely country, we decided to go south and travel all the way to Spain, to Callosa, the village where my parents bought a house in 1973.  That was one long trip, especially from the French boarder all the way to Alicante.  You can read more about our experiences of the beginnings of our Spanish adventure if you look up “Callosa Days” in my blog.  

The experience of being interviewed on Monday is one I will remember for a long time as I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Funnily enough when the report, including my interview, is broadcast on 6th June I will find myself in Copenhagen for an international meeting.  Luckily I will be able to watch it via streaming as these days most TV news is available online, something I would never ever have dreamed of when I first took that inter rail trip back in the 70’s.

On Tuesday, over lunch with my dear friends Julio and Fátima, to celebrate Julio’s birthday, I told them about my TV experience.  Later my friend Sandra commented on my post about the interview on FB that I was slowly getting on the air, to which I replied, it was part of my personal branding.  In a way I suppose it was.

My friends Fátima and Julio at lunch on Tuesday

Friday was this week’s highlight by far.  That was the day Yoigo launched its new revolutionary tariffs in the shops and they have been buzzing ever since.  Friday, was also very important for Suzy.  It was the day her contract with Aramark was extended for another 18 months.  But even more important is that she has been promoted and has become a “front line manager”.  Her boss told her she had worked hard to deserve the promotion.  Well done Suzy, I am very proud of you.  That day, I suppose, to celebrate Suzy went off to spend the weekend at our flat in Santa Pola.  She was joined by Elena and her newfound Russian friends.  I haven’t heard much so far, but imagine they will be spending most of the time at the beach as the weather is marvelous.

On Friday night, Olivia returned, happy from her week’s reporting in Valencia.  I spent most of Saturday with her and we went shopping to nearby shopping centres where I swear, this time, I didn’t buy anything.  Lunch was a family affair and we were joined by Juli.  The afternoon was spent in a relaxed way by the pool, where we tend to spend most afternoons, reading, or in my case working with my computer.

Because it is so hot, our walks now take place after dinner.  I love the evening walks in June when the days are so long.  In fact I took a photo of the view from our room one night last week to show just how light it is at 10 o’clock at night.  When we come back, we sit by the pool where most nights I have taken a bathe to cool off after what we call our “power walk”.  The dogs lie at our feet, generally flat out after the exertion too.

The view from our room one night last week at 10pm at night, amazingly light.

Today, Sunday, will be quiet also.  Today is one of those days I would love to be in England.  You are probably wondering why.  Well, I am missing the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee festivities.  If I lived in England, I would be watching the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant where a flotilla of more than 1000 boats will sail seven miles from Albert Bridge to the majestic Tower Bridge. I would also probably be taking part in one of the many street parties, something I have never ever experienced.  You may be wondering why.  Well I was brought up on the Royalty and whatever my political bending, sometimes left, sometimes in the middle, sometimes to the right, Royal pageantry is something that touches me emotionally and makes me feel more British than I really am.  I can’t help but admiring the Queen.  She has been part of my life ever since I was born.  She came to the throne in 1952 and is a part of a world that is constant although the world has changed so much.  I wouldn’t like to imagine the world without her.

Missing the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in England this weekend

Her first televised Christmas broadcast was in 1957, the year I was born.  You can watch it here.  Her voice is so familiar, I can’t help but love it.  It is also a reminder of my childhood and life in Britain, after so many years.

The Queen's first televised Christmas broadcast was in 1957, the year I was born.

This week with all the fuss of the Jubilee, her son Prince Charles, unveiled many private photos and film, many taken by the Queen herself, as part of a tribute to her in a special programme on the BBC.  I watched it here on You Tube and my favourite photo is one of Prince Charles and his sister, also in 1957, with his sister and one of their corgi dogs, on a beach in Norfolk.  This photo and the others in the programme suddenly made the Queen much more human.  I read later that there is a huge PR effort to restore the image of the monarchy.  Apparently the new Communications Director, who previously ran the PR for Manchester United, is doing a great job with his team.  So maybe, this documentary was thanks to him. 

A great pic of Prince Charles and Princess Anne in 1957

The Queen today, 60 years later, as seen yesterday at the Epsom Derby, was as poised as then but probably much more relaxed.  

The smiling Queen yesterday at the Epsom Derby

These four days of “jubilee” and pomp and celebration, as only the British can do in their special way, are one of the things I miss most about the country I was brought up in. 

One of the most spectacular photos I have seen of the Diamond Jubilee . Buckingham Palace floodlit with the Union Jack, what a sight!

It is no consolation for me to know that today it is raining as it was on her Coronation Day, but also no surprise to find the British online press are using the pun ”Long to rain over us” in their coverage of the event today!  

With these thoughts and some nostalgia, it is time to leave you and prepare lunch as today is Ivanka’s day off.

A happy Diamond Jubilee to all my English friends, at home and abroad and all the best to all of you until next time.

Masha