Recently, I spent a day with some work colleagues doing some voluntary work at Chester Zoo. Despite living fairly close to the zoo, I’d not been there for a good few years. I’ve taken my daughter when she was younger, but haven’t been since.
After a hot day in the fields cutting down and then stripping willow branches for them to be used as food for the animals, there was some free time at the end of the day to have a look round the zoo itself. The sun was burning down that day, but I decided to have a quick look round to see as many of my favourite animals as I could – a “Greatest Hits” tour, if you will.
So I raced around and saw some rhinos – always one of my favourites since I was a little kid. Magnificent, huge animals, they were busy sunbathing or chomping away on food (provided by some other voluntary group?). Giraffes were next: if you didn’t know these creatures were real, you’d swear they were the invention of a crazy mind.
Elephants are always a joy to see, and the Asian specimens at Chester Zoo always remind me of Disney’s The Jungle Book (which I love).
Then it was off to find the lions. I was unlucky here though, sadly – they were all hiding in the shade. Fair enough, really. I was much more fortunate with the jaguars. One of these beautiful big cats was contentedly wandering around their indoor pen and came up really close, providing a fantastic close up.
After quickly checking out the penguins and a Komodo dragon, it was time to split. There was time on the clock, but I really needed to get home for a shower after such a hot day!
As a result, I missed out on some of my other most admired animals, such as the tigers, chimpanzees and the amazing bats in their night zone. But having had such a good time, I decided it won’t be long till my next visit to see what I missed.
Thanks to Chester Zoo for a fun and educational day.
August 2024 saw our family venture on a different kind of summer holiday – for us, at least – with a trip to Disneyland Paris. Both Mrs Platinum Al and Daughtertron are huge fans of all things Disney and theme parks as well. Myself, I like a bit of Disney – Jungle Book and a few others are great – though I can never forgive the Mouse for the vile dollop of vomit that were the Star Wars sequels.
Also, theme parks are not my thing. I find them boring. Roller-coasters may be fun when you’re riding them for a minute, but that enjoyment is hugely counteracted by waiting in a queue for three quarters of an hour. I just don’t get it. Alton Towers is my idea of hell. I’d much sooner go to Rhyl – there’s shops in Rhyl and you can buy vinyl, action figures, comic books – all manner of treasures.
And if I want to ride something really dangerous that can scare the life out of me, I’ll stick to my skateboard.
While my preferred break would have been chilling by the pool in Greece with a good book and a beer, I was prepared to rise to the challenge and try my best to enjoy this new experience.
And truth be told, it was a lot of fun. There was a lot of walking between rides and waiting to go on rides, but being in Disney is still exciting. The landscape is full of amazing delights and it’s very easy to get caught up in the childlike wonder of it all. Seeing that huge pink castle in real life is quite astounding. Disneyland is full of sights that make your eyes pop, as you recognise elements from your entire childhood realised in glorious, reach-out-and-touch-it-to-see-if-it’s-really-there, 3D realness.
For example: we witnessed the parade, where huge floats with Disney characters roll on by. The first float was the main Disney characters, Mickey and Minnie, Donald Duck, all those guys. Fun to see. But even I lost my cool and shouted aloud “It’s Woody and Buzz!” when the Toy Story display came by.
Some of the rides were good entertainment (despite the queueing). Big Thunder Mountain and the Indiana Jones roller coasters were thrilling, and I also liked the Phantom Manor for spooky haunted house chills. It’s a Small World is unmissable cheese, though very dated and surely on the cancel list. I liked it, even though Wales doesn’t exist according to Disney.
The Ratatouille ride wasn’t that great and not worth the wait. And there was some toy soldier parachute thing where you get flung into the air that was a bit boring. Nice view though.
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My absolute favourite thing to do though was the Star Wars ride, Star Tours. I’ve wanted to go on that ever since the American parks launched them in the late 80s. The ride is actually just a viewscreen showing a filmed adventure in the Star Wars galaxy, in a pretend space craft that rattles and shakes so it feels like you’re flying. Not the most sophisticated ride, but utterly engrossing and immersive for me. I could’ve stayed on it all day.
Plus: the Star Tours shops sold Droid Factory action figures! You could build your own R2 unit from different coloured parts to create a unique astro droid. I made two! I was ecstatic, this was a dream come true. Finally I was able to enjoy one of my favourite activities, buying action figures!
We stayed in Hotel Cheyenne, a Wild West themed area that was updated with a Woody from Toy Story vibe. It was a pretty cool looking environment, and our room was simple but clean and comfortable. I’ll also shout out that the staff at the hotel (and the whole resort) were exceptional. And the food (we booked a deal to cover us for breakfast and evening meal), whilst not super high quality, offered a buffet with a wide variety that was very welcome and enjoyable.
My only real complaints were the lack of costumed characters that I expected to see milling about. We only saw Captain Hook and Peter Pan hanging around for photos with guests. Plenty of Disney Princesses but they didn’t seem to stop and engage with anyone. I wanted to meet Chewbacca, damn it!
Oh, and there was a distinct lack of Jungle Book characters or action of any kind. I think King Louie was bunged on the Lion King float in the parade with Simba and those other losers. Not good enough.
On the whole though, the three of us had a memorable time. We did loads (no space here to list everything), had fun and it was a good adventure. There was a lot of walking though. And standing in queues. I did over 25,000 steps one day, my feet were killing me. So be warned.
Visiting Disneyland Paris was indeed a magical experience. But it’s a once in a lifetime experience for me. Next time, I’m going to Greece.
Whitby is a beautiful seaside town in North Yorkshire, England. Facing the North Sea, the port is surrounded by streets of old buildings and framed by the church of St. Mary and the ancient, ruined abbey, over looking all that sits below. It’s a lively and welcoming town that offers a wealth of history and a vibrant atmosphere.
One of several claims to fame that Whitby can boast is it’s enduring connection to the story of Dracula. The book’s writer, Bram Stoker, visited Whitby and was inspired by the local scenery and folklore in creating his novel and the infamous character. With the Count now deeply entrenched in popular culture, it’s often a surprise that his original site of landing in England was this Yorkshire fishing port.
Whitby Harbour
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Of course, the Whitby Goth Weekends – which take place twice a year – celebrate the connection to the Lord of Vampires, but our trip wasn’t timed to coincide with those events. It was Mrs Platinum Al’s birthday trip to a place she’d wanted to visit for years, with or without Goths.
I’d been once before on a school trip in the early 1980s. Back then, the Dracula association wasn’t clear to me, though the memorial to explorer Captain James Cook was. Stoker’s Dracula is my favourite book, so that was the primary inspiration for both of us on this trip.
The town is full of old pubs, new yet stylish bars, cafes and bistros. We ate very well on our trip, particularly the fish & chips. The tantalising smell of fish & chips whilst exploring the streets was incredible – highly recommended to enjoy some on your visit. We ate in The Magpie, right on the harbour front, and the food was excellent.
There didn’t seem to be many big brand, typical high street shops. Instead, we found many small independent establishments, with lots of antique and curiosity shops that provided plenty of wonder. There were a handful of the usual seaside souvenir shops, plus several shops selling alternative/goth/rock gear of every imaginable variety. The Child was very impressed and spent a small fortune.
199 StepsGraveyard
The highlight of our Whitby trip was appreciating some of the local features that famously appear in Dracula. We walked up the 199 steps to the graveyard – not easy, but less exhausting than it sounds. Naturally (for any Dracula fan, at least) we had a look round the graveyard, and St. Mary’s church as well.
Although in ruins, the Abbey at the very top of the headland is an ominous sight: it’s easy to imagine Stoker being inspired by the view. It was dark and foreboding on the day we visited – which was entirely appropriate – but fascinating never the less. We were also able to pick up some brilliant merch in the giftshop!
One final attraction I’ll mention was the Dracula Experience, which has a kind of Haunted House/Ghost Train at the funfair feel. It was there I saw a cape once worn by the legendary Christopher Lee when he played the Vampire Count. Other than that, we practically ran through the entire attraction, driven by the fear of whatever lurked in the dark and may jump out at us. Great fun!
Our Whitby roadtrip was pretty much perfect, with something for everyone. From the quaint and historic views, to the great food and warm welcome, we all thoroughly enjoyed our visit and will definitely return. Goth weekend next, maybe?
In early November I went to London on a work trip. I stayed in a hotel very close to the Tower of London, just on the opposite side of Tower Bridge. At least, I think that’s what this bridge is called. It’s the famous one that everyone thinks is called London Bridge, much to the shame of the people of Seattle.
Anyway, while I was there, the poppies to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. I had a spare ten minutes after I checked in to take a few photos before the light went. Here they are.
Continuing the American theme from my last post, this time I’d like to tell you about a very special place. It’s my favourite bar – possibly of all time. Though it’s been a long time since I last paid a visit, I have some very happy memories.
Back in 2000, I went on “vacation” to Maryland, USA – and again the following year. Some relatives of mine were living in the area, and I was lucky enough to be invited over to visit. So my family and I made the trip from Wales to America. We had a fantastic time catching up with our family and being amazed by the country itself. An unforgettable part of the trip was when we were introduced to the BWB.
BWB stands for Buffalo Wings and Beer – which is, quite simply, what the establishment offers. It’s a bar, and a local of sorts to my relatives, and we were to visit there quite a few times!
Recreating BWB at home recently with wings and Sam Adams beer. Note BWB shirt and cap!
Quite different to the pubs we’re used to at home, the BWB is a sports bar also offering food. So unlike our boozers back home, you can have a few (or several) beers and you don’t need to leave to get food. When you get hungry, you can order food right there! Now we have restaurant pubs in the UK, but at the BWB you can order food at later times not just during the restaurant opening hours. No need to run off to the kebab shop here.
Great food too – I became a big fan of the chicken wings in particular. But not too hot! This was also where I grew to love Samuel Adams Boston lager too. Not to mention the buckets of beer – literally of bucket with ice and several bottles of booze! Fine ale and good food – it couldn’t get better.
Except it could. BWB also housed the coolest jukebox ever, pool tables, pinball, dart boards, arcade games – awesome stuff. As a sports bar, the TV Screens showed sports, but as this was the US the entertainment was not what I was used to. I even saw a vert skateboarding competition being shown there once.
It must be said that the people in the BWB were great also – welcoming, polite, fun – both customers and staff. They were pleasant and genuinely interested in us as visitors to the country.
If you’re ever in the area, make sure you visit. There are a few BWBs in the chain, the one I visited was in Cloverly. Awesome place. I hope I get to go back there someday.
With thanks to Lesley, Simon and Ben Stagg, who introduced us to the world of BWB!
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 