bonio's VirtualTourist Home Page

Hello,

Thanks for visiting, I hope you find something interesting.

Most pages here are just memory joggers for us, as the title suggests, but have appeared to be of use to other people too, you'll not find anything copied from guide books here!

I live in a small town in Northamptonshire, called Rothwellor Rowell if you believe VT - not it's name just a local nickname and I'm a little unsure how this mistake happened!. It's about 70 miles from London and 60 to Birmingham, the nearest large town is Northampton, living here is ok but every chance I get, I'm gone!!

cheers!
Alan.

Plans for 2009.
Jan. Pisa and Lucca, Italy.
Feb. Isle of Wight with a group from my "local"
March. Saarbrücken and a visit to Völklingen.
April. Easter weekend in Derby with 4 friends.
May. First visits to, Belgrade, Nis, Skopje and Sofia
June. A short visit to Belfast then Neil Young in Nottingham
July. 2 days in Munich then a visit to Passau, looking forward to that!
Aug. Bremen, Germany.
Sept. Karlsruhe Bierbörse for a weekend.
Oct. Helsinki for a long weekend.
Nov. Hammamet, Tunisia for a little winter sunshine we hope.
Dec. Memmingen and Munich, then a few days in Salzburg, 25 years since I was last there!

As you see my job allows me 10 days off each month - hard work up to the holiday though, have to work 21 of 25 days....

Happy travels :-)

Nov, a week in Hammamet, Tunisia, hopefully a little winter sunshine

Regular readers of my pages, if there are any, will notice that I always include at least one drinking establishment on my pages. I'm a long term member of CAMRA, the campaign for real ale. Hopefully I'll never find the perfect pint but many have come pretty close recently.
Current favourites -
Pride of Pendle brewed by Moorhouse in Burnley UK
Edelstoff from the Augustiner brauerei Munich,
and a recent discovery - Gouden Carolus Ambrio from the Anker brewery in Mechelen, Belgium
Orval has become a favourite when we visit Belgium but, last weekend "Busines as usual" from the Derby brewing co was pretty special.
Also I like to search out brewpubs or microbreweries wherever we are, the variation in beer styles is amazing, local beer is usually best don't you think?

take a look at this photo - that was my first beer of the day, honest, I look totally s**t faced don't I?

I've just about read all of Murakami's works published in the UK. Still looking out for "Pinball" anyone got a copy to lend or sell to me?.
Haruki Murakami website be warned, the music on here is very addictive.

Just re-read the book I had to study for my "O" level exam - Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, it's an excellent story, I'm sure I was too young to appreciate it in 1975, it was a double book, The end of the affair came with it, ..........stunning!
Currently half way through "The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald.

Jan. 4 days on Sardinia
Feb. 3 days in Girona, Spain then a special treat - a trip to Vienna to a Neil Young concert.
March. Palma de Mallorca for a long weekend
April, Altenburg, Jena, Dresden and Meissen, Germany.
May / June. Altinkum, Turkey for a week, then Lou Reed performing "Berlin" in Nottingham, UK
July, The Viersen Bierbörse and then to Venlo, Netherlands.
Aug. The Pickering ( North Yorkshire) folk festival, The Waterboys are playing acoustic, a real treat for us, can't wait (Cancelled - it was raining!). Then a night in Cleethorpes, Lincs, Grimsby v Rochdale.
Sept. A week in Belgium visiting Oostende, Blankenberge, Kortrijk and Brussels - even time for an Anderlecht footie game - excellent. Ha, a fire in the Channel tunnel put paid to some of this - no footie and no visit to Brussels either, an unexpected visit to Ramsgate, UK and a good ferry crossing to report on soon.
Oct. An overnight in Preston followed by a first visit to the Isle of Man. Then Wembley to see the NFL game
Nov. Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt for a week in the sun - Cancelled, XL airlines are no more - bu**er! - OK, that's not to be, now planning a week in northern Spain, with visits to santander, Llanes and Bilbao.
Dec. 5 days in Munich.