Amsterdam holiday 2013 (Day 1).

Monday 12 August

Got up at 4 o’clock in the morning, and Rob drove us to Leeds/Bradford airport, ready for our 7am flight to Amsterdam. We arrived at Schiphol at 9.15 local time, and took a packed train into Central Station. It was standing room only on the train, which was covered in graffiti both inside and out! From the station we hailed a taxi to take us to our hotel, Banks Mansion. This fabulous boutique hotel is situated on the banks of Amsterdam’s finest canal, the Herengracht (Gentlemen’s canal). It was too early to check in, so we left our bags and headed off to Rembrantplein for an al fresco breakfast at L’Opera.

After a welcome breakfast, we walked round to the floating flower markets, alongside the Singel canal. As well as the flower markets, there were lots of shops specialising in Dutch cheeses, with plenty of free samples too! There were also shops here selling all kinds of dope, which of course is legal in Amsterdam.

We decided to take a one hour canal cruise next, to help us find our way around. This was a great idea, although the boat was nearly full and very warm inside. Nevertheless we got to see lots of the sights, several canals, and The IJ, Amsterdam’s busy waterfront. (The IJ, pronounced eye, simply means water in English). Amsterdam has over 100 canals, and over 1,000 bridges, so we only got to see a small percentage, but many more than we would have done on foot!

After the boat trip we fancied a Dutch delicacy, chips with mayonnaise, and found them at The Chipsy King. Dutch service is quite laid back, to say the least, and the fries took an age to be served up, but they were delicious!

It was now time to check in, so we set off back to our hotel, and were told that we had been given a complimentary upgrade to a room with a canal view. We were also informed that everything was included in our stay, including drinks from the bar! After unpacking, we were treated to complimentary refreshments and nibbles. This included a selection of Dutch cheeses, a range of meats, olives, freshly baked breads, along with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Several wines and beers later, we headed out to Café Luxembourg for dinner. This stylish café is one of Amsterdam’s most famous venues, and was named “one of the world’s great cafes” by The New York Times. It lived up to expectations, and I enjoyed a superb Dover Sole, which was absolutely delicious, and came with yet more frites and mayo.

After dinner, we walked around by the Singel canal, and ended up in O’Malley’s Irish bar, listening to old sixties music. We eventually found our hotel again, and enjoyed our complimentary nightcaps, Tia Maria for me.

A perfect end to a wonderful first day in Amsterdam.

Hairspray review.

Hairspray review (Leeds)

I originally booked tickets to see Hairspray in Bradford in December 2011, however even though I travelled there from Scarborough, the cast were stuck in the snow, and the performance was cancelled.

Taking no chances this time, I booked tickets for a matinee in August.

This show has one of the best openings to any show, with Good Morning Baltimore being an all-time favourite of mine. It is a great feel good show tune and sets the scene brilliantly.

Of course, Hairspray is renowned as being the most happy, funny, sunny show in town, and the story of Tracy Turnblad is well known to anyone who has seen the classic movie.

Tracy was played by newcomer Freya Sutton, and was brilliant in the role. I was disappointed though that two of the show’s stars, Mark Benton and Marcus Collins were indisposed, as I feel that audiences in the suburbs are often short changed in this way.

Much of the music is not as good as the opening number, and I felt that some of the songs were rather too loud, and often shouted out, rather than sung.

That said, the last fifteen minutes of Hairspray is excellent, and overall this is a very good show. It is impossible not to leave the theatre with a massive grin on your face, and it is impossible not to fall head over heels in love with Tracy Turnblad.

7/10

Talbot Hotel Malton.

Talbot Hotel: Malton.

 

Visiting a hotel for the first time is rather like going to see a three act play at the theatre. You arrive full of excitement and anticipation, and settle down for the show. The first act often bowls you over with spectacle and sensory overload, the second act often fails to follow this up, and the third act leaves you feeling like you’ve seen it all before.

Modern hotels are all front. They wow you with an enormous foyer, often with a grand staircase and maybe even a chandelier, then when you get to your room, you are disappointed, as it’s all rather bland, and you get that sense of déjà vu, where you feel sure that you’ve stayed in this same hotel room many times before.

The Talbot Hotel in Malton, North Yorkshire is very different to just about any hotel that I’ve ever stayed in. From the outside the hotel looks rather unprepossessing, with its regular Georgian exterior, and they don’t bother with any fancy reception area, it’s tucked away in an alcove under the stairs.

But when you arrive at your room, that is when you see difference. I stayed in the Lambton, one of the hotel’s feature rooms. As soon as you enter you are aware that this hotel simply oozes style. The furniture and soft furnishings look so inviting that you can’t wait to get stretched out on the comfortable sofa. There are four feature rooms at the hotel and each room has been individually designed and is upholstered to its own theme with unique wall paper and colour schemes. All of the feature rooms are appointed with 6ft beds (Rockingham has a four poster bed), garden views, feature artwork, luxury marble bathrooms with shower and bath. Original room features including chandeliers and fireplaces

There are no tea making facilities in the rooms, the Talbot believe that if you want tea or coffee, you want it freshly made, so you simply ring reception and within ten minutes, they will deliver to your room, either a pot of hot tea, with plenty of fresh milk too, and a sugar bowl complete with tongs, or coffee which arrives freshly percolated in a cafetiere. Surprisingly there is no extra cost for this service. If you prefer, you can take your tea in the sumptuous drawing room. This room is an absolute delight with current magazines, and daily papers available to read while you enjoy your drinks. There is also a selection of games here too.

If the foyer is act one, and the rooms act two, then wait for the final act to unfold, which is the incredible James Martin menu. Unlike chain hotels which leave you feeling underwhelmed, the Talbot’s food will have you on your feet applauding wildly, and shouting for more.

I ate in the restaurant on my first night, and yes, James Martin really is the executive chef. Everything on the menu has been prepared by the great man himself. I went for the Gressingham duck for starters, which looked amazing and tasted superb. For main course I tried the halibut with wilted spinach. The fish was cooked superbly, and the taste was incredible. Other meals on the menu included pan fried wreck fish, and Riggwelter beer braised beef cheek. The buttermilk panna cotta with Yorkshire rhubarb was the perfect end to my meal, which, by the way, only costs £39 for three courses, and is available to non-residents too.

There is a small, but well stocked bar in the hotel, which serves Black Sheep ale. I can particularly recommend the 2010 Riesling naked grape, which is a very delightful German wine.

Breakfast at the Talbot is another feather in the cap. Not just fresh fruit but specialties such as earl grey prunes, and sweet spice apricots grace the menu. Everything is locally sourced, Whitby kippers, Kirkbymoorside salmon, and even the honey was from a local beekeeper. A full Talbot was exactly that, and the Talbot bacon buttie contained loads of bacon with homemade spicy chutney in a huge toasted bap. Toast was exactly as it should be, warm, and served with butter at room temperature. A small thing maybe, but one which most hotels get very wrong.

On my second night I ate in the conservatory. This is the more informal option, with a limited menu at everyday prices. The conservatory area is a wonderful space, which is flooded with natural light from the glass roof. It’s cool, airy and spacious, and feels like sitting outside on a pleasant summer’s evening. I went for the fish and chips, served Talbot style on a wooden bread board with minted crushed peas, and rapeseed oil tartare. Wonderful! This was followed by the white chocolate and whisky croissant butter pudding with vanilla ice cream. A culinary delight, and with change from £20.

If you don’t want to stay at the hotel during the day time, the Coastliner bus stops right outside and will take you directly to the cosmopolitan city of Leeds, or to historic York. If the seaside is more your thing, then different buses will take you to either Whitby, Scarborough or Bridlington. If you have your own transport then try Castle Howard, one of the world’s top ten magnificent houses, which is only five miles down the road.

The staff at the Talbot were all excellent, and genuinely seem to care about their customers. If any member of staff sees you carrying luggage, they offer to help, if they see you in the drawing room, they will offer you tea, and if they see you in the bar they will chat with you.

The Talbot deservedly has an excellent reputation, and I can see why, it is a luxury hotel in every sense of the word, and a hotel I can recommend wholeheartedly.

The Mousetrap theatre review; York. (May 2013).

I’ve waited sixty years to find out whodunit in Dame Agatha Christie’s famous play, The Mousetrap, and by the interval I realised that I couldn’t care less!

Maybe in 1953 when this murder mystery was first performed, theatregoers expectation were much lower than they are today. This trivial piece may have worked in the fifties, but it sure doesn’t work anymore. I was bored witless within half an hour, and worked out who the killer was long before the dénouement.

How this very average production has survived for so long, I have no idea, but maybe now that it’s finally been on tour, it will be mercifully put to sleep. It was reminiscent of watching a very ordinary am dram play in a church hall on a cold winter’s evening in the seventies, and I’ve sat through plenty of those over the years!

I can’t recommend anything at all about this rancid play. Give it a miss!

4/10

The Lion King theatre review (Manchester: Jan 2013)

The Lion King review (Manchester: Jan 2013)

I paid £75 for a ticket to see The Lion King, and guess what? It was worth every penny!

This show is a spectacle like no other. The first ten minutes were an assault on the senses like nothing I have ever seen before in Britain. Elephants, lions, zebras, monkeys, hyenas and all manner of animals appear from every corner of the theatre. Of course, these are not real animal, but actors in costume, but the acting, the choreography, the music and the costume make you believe.

I was quickly transported to the Serengeti where the story began to enfold. Simba is born to be king (the lion king) but events change his destiny. His father is killed, his uncle takes over and Simba is cast out. This is where he meets his chums Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and a warthog. There are plenty of comic moments here, but be aware there are some distressing scenes which may upset younger children.

The music in The Lion King is uplifting, but not memorable like Phantom or Les Mis.

The strength of this show is not the music, but the sheer spectacle, a “gasp-inducing spectacle” as Time Magazine so aptly said.

The Lion King is highly recommended and is on at The Palace till April, and ticket prices start at £20, so if you live in the north, then you’ve no excuse not to pop over and see this magnificent show.

I’m giving it ten out of ten, although I did overhear a little girl on the way out of the theatre saying “I’m giving it fifty nine out of ten, Daddy.” She’s probably right.

10/10

Cathedral Quarter Hotel (Derby).

Katy and I travelled down to Derby on the train on a busy Saturday, and upon arrival we made our way to the Cathedral Quarter hotel, a fine designer boutique hotel set in the old police station. The hotel, as its name implies, is in the shadow of Derby’s fabulously impressive Cathedral, and a mere stone’s throw from the city centre.
First impressions were ok, and we headed off to enjoy the delights of Derby. In the evening after a busy day we were hoping for a quiet drink back at the hotel, but as another guest so aptly wrote on Trip Advisor “Saturday night was party night.... I know this because I was made startlingly aware of the music as I turned into the hotel road by the cathedral, about 100m away”.
The tiny resident’s bar was packed, as was the cocktail lounge, and partygoers spilled out into the foyer area. Our trendy boutique hotel turned out to be as busy and noisy as any Bigg Market pub in Newcastle’s city centre, on a typical Saturday night out. Not only that, but when I finally got to the bar, I discovered that they didn’t sell blended whisky, so my hopes of a warming whisky mac were quickly dashed!
The following morning had us very confused as the clocks had gone back, and we couldn’t for the life of us figure out what time it was. Nevertheless, we made it down to the restaurant for breakfast, and had time to look round Derby one last time, before our train was due.

Derby Ghostfest.

My wife and I travelled down to Derby on the train on a busy Saturday, and upon arrival we made our way to the Cathedral Quarter hotel, a fine designer boutique hotel set in the old police station. The hotel, as its name implies, is in the shadow of Derby’s fabulously impressive Cathedral, and a mere stone’s throw from the city centre.

Katy had spotted an outdoor market on our way to the hotel, so we headed there first. Within minutes we had bought Christmas gifts galore, and had to go to Bennett’s department store for a sit down and a spot of afternoon tea. Bennetts is an amazing place, rather like The Paradise transported to the 21^st century. The tea rooms were truly sumptuous, rather like stepping into a rococo painting, and are highly recommended, should you ever find yourself in Derby.

Refreshed, we made our way to the museum and art gallery. This building looks somewhat unprepossessing from the outside, but contains far more treasures than you might imagine. For a start, they have the world’s largest collection of Joseph Wright paintings, which are a treat to behold, and then they have the most incredible museum of artefacts, which could easily keep anyone enthralled for days. I was particularly impressed with the natural history displays.

So far, so good, you might say, but what about the ghost festival?

Well, this was scheduled for the evening in the market place, an outdoor event. As it was an incredibly cold night, we left it till the last minute before taking our seats. Wrapped up in our winter coats, complete with woolly hat, scarf, and gloves we sat back waiting to be entertained.

The event was billed as a night like no other, with readings from Derek Acorah, theories from Richard Felix, séances, table tipping, glass divination, a lone vigil, and a human pendulum. I was expecting something along the lines of the circus of horrors, but it was nothing like that at all.

The night began with Derek Acorah wandering around the audience, picking out some poor soul, and telling them that he had a message from the other side! Now, maybe I’m just cynical, but I could not believe any of this stuff, and after half a dozen of these readings, I was starting to get rather fidgety. Next came the glass divination, where volunteers were plucked from the shivering audience, to stand around a table on the makeshift stage, with one finger on an upturned glass. Suddenly the glass moved towards some helpless individual, which Derek Acorah insisted was yet another message from someone recently passed over. I don’t think I have ever been more bored at any stage show in my life, but then, I am really more of an Oklahoma man, if truth be told!

The readings from Richard Felix would have sent me to sleep had I been in a warm theatre, but as the temperature continued to plummet, I just sat there shivering. Shivering with the cold weather I hasten to add, and not with fright! Needless to say, we did a runner at the interval. I was hoping for a quiet drink back at the hotel, but as another guest so aptly wrote on Trip Advisor “Saturday night was party night.... I know this because I was made startlingly aware of the music as I turned into the hotel road by the cathedral, about 100m away”.

The tiny resident’s bar was packed, as was the cocktail lounge, and partygoers spilled out into the foyer area. Our trendy boutique hotel turned out to be as busy and noisy as any Bigg Market pub in Newcastle’s city centre, on a typical Saturday night out. Not only that, but when I finally got to the bar, I discovered that they didn’t sell blended whisky, so my hopes of a warming whisky mac were quickly dashed!

The following morning had us very confused as the clocks had gone back, and we couldn’t for the life of us figure out what time it was. Nevertheless, we made it down to the restaurant in time for breakfast, and had time to look round Derby one last time, before our train was due.