Plovdiv – 19th July

It was another great day in Plovdiv on Sunday 19th July and it was the last day of the Phillgood Festival. We ate breakfast at the hotel, which was nice. For lunch we decided to go to La Casa, a pizza place not far from our hotel. The pizza was huge and very tasty which I couldn’t finish all of mine. We also had a carafe of white wine to go with it and the obligatory litre of water too. Our bill came to €33.10 (£28.44) which wasn’t bad considering I had leftovers for the hotel room fridge.

For dinner we went to a local Bulgarian cafe where Captain Caveman tried the cucumber soup then pork and chips, I just had chicken skewers and corn. All the dishes actually tasted better than they looked and we also had more wine. The bill came to €49.40 (£42.45) which I thought was a little expensive but not extortionate. On our way to the last day of the music festival we bought 2 bottles of water at €1.60 (£1.37) to take in with us as there was no running tap water. Generally in Bulgaria though the tap water is safe to drink and is really good.

We got to the last day of Phillgood a little later than previous days, as I really wanted to see Suede at 9pm. Captain Caveman was more up for Moby who wasn’t on until 10.45pm and the rest of the bands we hadn’t heard of. I’d always been a fan of Suede but they were absolutely incredible. It was hot and sweaty but it did not stop Brett throwing himself around the stage and in to the crowd like he’d not aged a bit! I was so impressed.
By the time Moby came on, I was so tired and Captain Caveman needed a sit down too, so we ended up watching from the back, having a sit on an uncomfortable wall like a couple of old codgers. I’ve never been a fan of Moby’s music but I like what he tries to do. Captain Caveman enjoyed that set more than I did but it was still a good experience to share. My top 3 favourite acts of the whole 3 days had been Suede, The Cure and Kneecap – all incredibly impressive and very different to each other. We walked back to the hotel for the last time and I was so shattered, I was desperately in need of a lay in tomorrow. We polished off the leftover pizza before falling asleep.

Gratitude List
1. More lovely food out in Plovdiv
2. Seeing more amazing live music
3. Spending even more time with Captain Caveman.

Plovdiv – 18th July

We were celebrating Captain Caveman’s birthday on Saturday 18th July and it started with the hotel’s buffet breakfast. After eating, we took a walk up the cobbled hills to the ancient amphitheatre and got some photos. It was hot but not quite Madrid heat so we were coping fine.
We called at the pharmacy for talc and insect repellent at a cost of €9.91 (£8.50) then walked back to the cafe we went to yesterday, this time for birthday ice-cream. Captain Caveman wanted to try their pistachio flavour, I don’t like ice-cream that much so I had a pomegranate frozen yogurt and a raspberry sorbet. It cost €7 (£6) for both of us but, unfortunately, I got belly ache right after eating mine.
We did some more walking around Plovdiv which is a lovely place and decided on an early birthday dinner before day 2 of the Phillgood festival.

Captain Caveman had already researched a place near to our hotel and we had to queue at Shevitsa as it was full. We ordered pints of Hoegaarden and some food. I chose a cheese salad for the starter, Captain Caveman ordered chicken liver. For main I had chicken and sweetcorn while Captain Caveman chose meatballs with potatoes and gherkins. The food was lovely and Captain Caveman ordered a 2nd beer, which again didn’t end up on the bill. Our meal came to a total of €54 (£46.27).

At the Phillgood festival we watched all 4 mainstage acts, starting with Los Bitchos who were better than I expected. Sleaford Mods were not to my taste on account of him being pretty crude and his act seemed somewhat dated but I could see why the Bulgarian men thought he was good. They were definitely not for the easily offended, that’s for sure. We were also more prepared for the mosquitos as we had very strong repellent which we had to put on lots of times – they were rife!
The highlight for me on day 2 was Kneecap who were absolutely fantastic. Gorillaz finished the night off but I was a bit disappointed with them. The crowd was massive though but I did take myself off for a toilet break and a sangria for €7 (£6) half way through.
The walk back to our hotel was long and tiring after being stood up for so long and I was very happy to get in bed at the end of the night. It had definitely been a good way to spend Captain Caveman’s birthday.

Gratitude List
1. Spending Captain Caveman’s birthday with him
2. Day 2 of the Phillgood Festival
3. Great food.

Sofia to Plovdiv – 17th July

It was a long and exciting day on Friday 17th July. I also made 2 errors with friends where I wished one a happy birthday 2 days early and the other I was meant to have a call at 8.30am UK time but I was travelling by train from Sofia to Plovdiv and had no WiFi. I’m usually on the ball with that sort of thing so I felt a bit disorganised – trying to work, do holidays and keep up with friends was taking its toll a bit.
The early morning train was good, on time and no issues. We arrived in Plovdiv and went straight for breakfast as we were starving. I ordered cheese and ham pancakes and a tea while Captain Caveman had quesadillas and a fried egg with coffee. We paid €18.50 (£15.87) which probably wasn’t the cheapest place in town but it was good.

We walked it to the hotel with our backpacks and mine was heavier than Captain Caveman’s because I had all my work stuff with me. It was getting warm and it was quite a walk. When we got to the area near to where we were staying, the roads were all cobbles and quite steep. I found it a struggle but Captain Caveman marched on ahead, as usual. Eventually, he waited at a particularly tricky bit when he realised I wasn’t behind him, then he took my bag. I’d booked the Old Legends hotel because it was a bit quirky and had a roll top bath. It was very old fashioned but amazing and we had one of the best rooms in this 5 star Bulgarian treasure of a place.

At 4pm we got ready to make our way to the Phillgood festival venue and called in to a local cafe for some food. We both ordered the potatoes with cheese and bacon with a soft drink for €11.60 (£9.95). It was so tasty but very filling – probably too stodgy to have just before a gig!

We got the bus but it didn’t go right to the venue and we had to get off and walk. The start time was 5pm but we ended up missing the start of Just Mustard. We had a couple of drinks for €12 (£10.30) where the barman knocked a whole bottle of gin off the bar and I caught it. The Subways did a great set and really worked the crowd, the lead singer tried a bit of crowd surfing but it looked like the Bulgarian audience weren’t that familiar with that. We nipped over to one of the other stages to see Bulgarian Cartrader who was quite good and did a bit of rapping and singing – I liked him. Wolf Alice was on the main stage next and I still wasn’t a massive fan but the Bulgarians were going mad for her. Our favourite act of the night by far, though, was The Cure – Robert Smith was phenomenal. At the end of the gig we walked it back to the hotel and it was a fair distance. I’d been a bit disappointed that water wasn’t free at the venue and the toilets were not as good as in Madrid but the venue was pretty good to say it was built over a canal full of mosquitos. We were both bit quite badly and had to take antihistamines before bed – so rock and roll!

Gratitude List
1. Making it from Sofia to Plovdiv, despite an early start
2. Staying at Old Legends hotel
3. Day 1 of the Phillgood Festival and getting to experience live music again.

Sofia – 16th July

After a great night’s sleep and breakfast at Hotel Niky on Thursday 16th July, we were off to explore Sofia. The train from the airport had been just 80 cents (70p) and the local tram just 50 cents (43p) so it was probably the cheapest transport in a capital city that I’d encountered. We did have to pay cash at each ticket machine, though.
Our morning had us walking a lot in sunny Sofia, admiring the buildings and some of the ruins. I loved the town as I tried to keep up the pace with Captain Caveman!
Around 1pm we went for lunch at a place we had researched to try some local Bulgarian food.

Hadjidraganov’s Cellars was a traditional and authentic Bulgarian restaurant where we splashed out on a mixed grill sharing plate, with bread that we didn’t need, and 2 half litre beers for €47.33 (£40.52). It was quite pricey for a lunch stop but it was incredible and massive!
We paid the bill and wandered the city some more until one of us needed the loo and we had a tea and a coffee in a cafe for €3.60 (£3.08).

We walked to the train station by which time my blisters were coming back and we attempted to buy train tickets from Sofia to Plovdiv, in advance of our trip to the Phillgood festival. Unfortunately, neither of us had accounted for the fact that all the trains were sold out already. We tried the automated ticket machine and asked a lady at the counter but got nowhere. We marched off to the nearby bus station but the kiosk we needed was unmanned. We soon found out why when a worker started shouting in English that there were no more buses available to Plovdiv as they were all full. Crikey! What were we going to do?
Captain Caveman loves to solve problems so he strode off back to the train station, determined to find an alternative way. Meanwhile I looked at prices of taxis from Sofia to Plovdiv, £200+ was not going to happen and I really didn’t fancy hitchhiking! We couldn’t miss it as we were going for Captain Caveman’s birthday, so I was getting a bit upset and stressed!

Having been particularly disappointed at not being able to get any transport from Sofia to Plovdiv, Captain Caveman had come up with a cunning plan. We were due to checkout of Hotel Niky at noon tomorrow and get to Plovdiv any time we could in readiness for the Phillgood festival. What we hadn’t considered until now was checking what trains went any time between now and before the first sold out train tomorrow. The idea being, we sacrifice our last night in Sofia and just get to Plovdiv on any train we could. Back to the train station automated ticket machine we trotted and started looking at other options. Low and behold the plan worked and we got 2 seats on a train at 5.30am from Sofia to Plovdiv. We celebrated with more walking but this time to a craft beer bar. We had crisps and 2 beers, then 2 more beers and chatted to the lovely owner who gave Captain Caveman his map, who then took a photo of it and gave it back to give to the next person. We loved it in there and got chatting to a tourist and a guide before heading off to another bar.

The 5 Corners pub was like a tardis and completely surprising from how the outside looked. We had pints of Stout and Hoegaarden beer, chips & cheese and a sausage plate which was fantastic. The price was cheap too, at only €24.40 (£21) but Captain Caveman noticed the bar man had not added his extra beer on so he rounded it up when the guy said it didn’t matter.
We went back to Hotel Niky to pack and let them know we wouldn’t be at breakfast and were checking out before 5am. It was a 24 hour reception so they were fine with that and we got some much needed sleep and set all the alarms – we were still off to Plovdiv!

Gratitude List

1. Lunch at Hadjidraganov’s Cellars

2. Booking 2 train tickets to Plovdiv

3. Having an amazing day in Sofia with Captain Caveman.

London to Bulgaria – 15th July

I’d been away from Dalyan’s Fat Club for so long now that the weigh day on Wednesday 15th July almost felt pointless. Luckily, we Fat Club ladies have a group chat and they are 2 hours ahead in Türkiye so there were already messages – mainly encouraging and humourous. It’s great because it keeps me conscious of trying to maintain some semblance of sensible eating and I do miss the group a lot when I’m not there. So, I got on the scales in Barnes and took my measurements (I always carry my tape measure). I was shocked to find I had lost 1.5kg (3.3lb), lost 2cm from my bust, no change to my hips but had put 2cm on my waist. I was pleased with that but I now still needed to lose quite a bit more to get back to my target weight.
What I didn’t realise is that Captain Caveman had done his work for the week, was now on holiday and was sat playing Bridge on his phone when I came back from the bakery. I’d been to get croissants from Gail’s but there was a massive queue. A cute dog alerted me to a counter at another bakery a few doors down, he was waiting to be served and there were dog biscuits on the counter. I paid £6.20 for a croissant and a pain au chocolat, the dog biscuits were free so my new pal got given one for helping me. There was no sign of an owner but the dog was obviously a local.
After me cramming in some work, we left Barnes at midday. We said farewell to Captain Caveman’s Ma but I only shouted up ‘bye’ to Pa, who I hope had his hearing aid switched on. Captain Caveman’s parents are always so welcoming and accommodating so I was actually sad to be leaving.
We got the bus back to Heathrow airport (again) ready for our 3.25pm BA flight to Sofia. We were off to Bulgaria for the Phillgood festival in Plovdiv and were really looking forward to seeing more bands.
On our way through a precinct in Hammersmith we nipped in Tesco to stock up on meal deals for dinner as we didn’t want to be spending money unnecessarily in the airport or on the plane. We paid £12 for 2 meal deals which included a chicken katsu bento box for me and a sandwich for Captain Caveman. We both had a snack and a smoothie too.

The flight to Sofia went as planned and we landed in to Sofia where we were staying for 2 nights. The navigation of the train/metro from the airport to our hotel was easy and it wasn’t busy at 9pm. We arrived at Hotel Niky which I had booked with Resort Expert’s for an excellent price and it was very comfy and in a great location. Captain Caveman decided we would pop to an ale house for beer and sausages but it was closed. Instead we ended up at a lovely pizza restaurant on the main street. At La Piazzetta we ordered a beer and a red wine and 2 pizzas. The wine serving was massive and so were the pizzas. Captain Caveman had a spicy one and I had a BBQ chicken. They tasted great and it wasn’t expensive – Captain Caveman paid.
Back at the hotel, it was late so we were looking forward to a good sleep and exploring Sofia tomorrow – neither of us had been before.

Gratitude List
1. Losing weight this week
2. Being able to stay in Barnes again
3. Another trip away to somewhere new, with Captain Caveman.

London – 13th & 14th July

I had a busy day at my laptop on Monday 13th July but I wasn’t complaining. I love the old bureau with pull out loper arms and desk flap which is in the spare room at Captain Caveman’s parents. It was sunny but a pleasant cooler change from the heat of Madrid.
I worked on invoices, a couple of private trip enquiries, a last minute hotel enquiry and some PDFs I’d been producing on Canva that might help holiday makers have better holidays.
After a few phonecalls to complain to TFL about my overcharging a couple of weeks ago, they were no use and said I had to write in. They then gave me an incorrect email address which bounced back my email. I scheduled the rest of my July daily posts, knowing that Captain Caveman and I were off for another trip later this week.
After he finished work, Captain Caveman said he was taking me to Richmond as I’d only seen it from the bus last night. We said we would be back for dinner which was going to be a mix and match style dinner that wouldn’t spoil if we were late. We took the bus and had a good walk round what was once Captain Caveman’s home town as a child. I was fascinated and took quite a few photos of the lovely buildings. There was a Holland & Barrett so I called in for some sea sickness ginger sweets. I normally pay about £8 per box but they were on offer at only £3.89. I spotted a car in the shape of a boat, driving down the high street so I went to get a photo. The driver and passenger gave me a smile as they drove past.

Captain Caveman had a genius idea that we should walk to a place that was the perfect picture but I was too busy wondering where there may be a loo and we had to call in to the Princes Head. We sat outside for a drink and I had a pee before the ascent of Richmond Hill. If I’d been glad of the cooler temperatures in the UK, now was the time to fully appreciate it. I was a bit of a hot mess by the time we got to be standing at the point where both JMW Turner and John Constable, among other artists, had painted their famous masterpieces of Richmond Hill and the Thames. It was totally unexpected and very stunning. In need of a little sit down and a beverage, Captain Caveman took me to the Roebuck pub where I had one of the nicest rosé wines I’ve had in a while. We also splashed out on rather expensive peanuts! The pub was beautiful and the staff had a good laugh with us. We called in to the Waitrose on the way home, where we picked up a bottle of rosé wine, some laundry detergent sheets (ideal for travels) and some sausage rolls for £18.65.
Back home the parents had eaten their dinner so we grabbed ours and had a drop of wine while discussing our plans for the rest of the summer.

Gratitude List
1. Getting through a busy day in the office after being away in Madrid
2. Having a wander round Richmond, seeing the sights
3. Being back in Barnes with Captain Caveman and his parents, for a couple of days.

Tuesday 14th July was spent doing all the last minute preparations and repacking for our 6 day trip tomorrow. We were off to another music festival in Europe and had tagged an extra days on to our holiday.
I spent most of the day in the working from home office while Captain Caveman sorted getting the washing dry and then cooking bacon right after the cleaner had been and cleaned the kitchen! Work admin took longer than I thought but I got most of it finished.
We were taking 3 of our favourite travel products with us; the Scrubba to wash clothes, the deodorant crystal and the toothpaste tabs, both non-liquid. I also spent some time researching the venue of the music festival and found a map of the stage layout.
In the evening Captain Caveman’s parents invited us into the garden for wine and nibbles and we had a pre birthday toast which was lovely. They were also off on holiday the day after us and we would all be away for both Captain Caveman’s and his Dad’s birthdays.

Gratitude List
1. Being lucky enough to be going away again
2. Preparations for the next holiday
3. Having birthday toasts in the garden with Captain Caveman and his parents.

Madrid to London – 12th July

Our British Airways flight from Madrid to Heathrow on Sunday 12th July was at 7pm so we had plenty of time to recover from the fabulous 4 day Mad Cool festival. My job was to clean the apartment and Captain Caveman’s job was to make sure the bin was out and the property was secure and the AC off. I thought I’d done a good job of cleaning the apartment, including the bathroom so I was a bit cheesed off that Captain Caveman decided to use it afterwards – I cleaned it again. At 1.30pm we went for lunch at a lovely tapas restaurant which Captain Caveman’s brother had recommended to us. El Guichi was small with excellent service and the staff spoke English. We took wine recommendations from the owner and had a few dishes to share. We had pork, croquettes, tortilla, a toast with meat on and 2 glasses of wine each for a total of €39.50 (£33.86). It was very tasty and quite filling, if we hadn’t had to get off to the airport I could easily have stayed longer.
Our flight ended up delayed so we had a beverage and a sandwich in the airport. Our seats on the plane were the back ones, near the toilet which is always good for me!
We arrived back in to Heathrow and had to get a replacement bus which was absolutely rammed. It also took a long time and we ended up back in Barnes very late, so we went straight to bed, knowing the working day tomorrow would be a long tiring one!

Gratitude List
1. A lovely tapas lunch with Captain Caveman in Madrid
2. Being able to stay in a wonderful apartment in Madrid
3. Having sandwiches and drinks for dinner in Madrid airport.

Madrid – 11th July

The Black Crows, The Reytons, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Kasabian, David Byrne and Pulp were all playing at the last day (4) of the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid on Saturday 11th July.
As much as we had enjoyed the last 3 days of music festival going, I was looking forward to this line up the most. Due to the overlap and the red hot sun we needed to make important decisions. We’d already had a lay in, we’d doubled down on the rehydration tablets so much that I was now peeing like a racehorse with a bladder infection, and the blister plasters on my toes had been replaced! We set off on our last train to the venue, armed with water bottles, sweets, a sun hat and a good bra (just for me, not Captain Caveman). The heat was relentless and we had to stop off for a beer and a Clara at a roadside bar along the way. The bar owner was the only one serving and spoke no English, in fact if you spoke English he ignored you. I don’t speak Spanish (unless you count knowing the entire Spanish lyrics to a Gloria Estefan song!) so I gave it my best shot; “Una cerveza y una cerveza con Fanta de limón, por favor”.
A Spanish couple next to me, congratulated me on my desperate Spanish speaking attempt, just to get served, and I had drinks, with lots of ice in. I took the drinks to a table outside where the stools were hot to sit on! I chucked an ice cube under my sun hat and one in my sturdy bra and started to feel less overheated. We got chatting to the only English bellends for miles and then, after another round of drinks (ordered in Spanish) and with ice, we made an exit!
At the venue we were just too hot to be able to stand in the sun to listen to the Black Crows. It was 44°C at 7.50pm so we went in to the only shady spot we could find, sat on the grass and ate our packed lunch before it melted!

We missed the Reytons in favour of the main stagers, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. From the minute they came on to the end of their set, Captain Caveman and I were in awe of Nick Cave! He gave one of the best performances that I’ve ever seen at a gig, impressively walking on hands and shoulders of the crowd, whilst singing! I could now see what Kylie saw in this geezer! He did a fantastic jam-packed 2 hour set which ended at midnight and then we rushed over to the 2nd stage to watch David Byrne.

I am totally biased as I absolutely love David Byrne and it was one of the reasons for me being there as I think he is amazing live. I was a little dubious with him being on the 2nd stage and it being so close to the main stage, where Pulp were due on soon. We’d also missed Kasabian on stage 2 as Nick Cave had held us captive.
There was a bit of faffing about with sound and David, understandably, was making sure the sound was right. The crowds were massive and I was apprehensive of getting too near, Captain Caveman was now getting annoyed at me not liking to be crowded in so he went over to Stage 1 to watch Pulp. He’d not seen them before, but me being from the same city had, so I made the decision to stick with David.
I’m glad I did, he was amazing and did all the favourite songs. He did an hour and finished with Burning Down the House, ironically he had no idea at the time that Spain would be having some horrendous fires.

I ran over to rejoin Captain Caveman at Pulp (we always set up an easy to find meeting point) and he was really enjoying the last act of the night and the 4 day event. Jarvis was great and I particularly enjoyed Babies and Disco 2000 which took us up to 2am!!!
It was sad that it had finished but the last 4 days had really worn me out! My top 3 favourites had been the Foo Fighters, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and David Byrne.
We got the last train back and the walk up back to the apartment for the last time was slow. Tomorrow we were back off to London after one of the most amazing times which I would remember for a very long time! Captain Caveman and I both agreed it had been one of the best music events we had ever been to (so far)!

Gratitude List
1. Surviving Day 4 of Mad Cool and the whole festival in very hot temperatures
2. Being so desperate for a cold drink that I managed to conjure up a bit of Spanish lingo
3. Seeing musical legends such as Nick Cave and David Byrne.

Babies

Disco 2000 – contains flashing lights

Madrid – 10th July

Before we even contemplated leaving the apartment in Madrid on Friday 10th July, I read that fans of Twenty One Pilots had been queuing since stupid o’clock this morning ready for tonight’s performance at the Mad Cool festival. People were suffering from heat stroke and there had been incidents of medical attention being needed. I had a morning of work and then we popped to Lidl to replenish the food stocks. Here’s what we bought with prices in Euros;

Lidl Supermarket
2 bread rolls 0.58
Onion 0.84
2 apples 0.88
Crisps 0.92
Coffee 0.95
Bread 0.99
Gazpacho 1.05
Salami 1.79
Fruit Mentos 1.99
Cheese 2.75
Total spent €12.74 (£10.90)

Captain Caveman was still feeling a bit dehydrated so he had a coffee drink and a cold Gazpacho drink to sort him out a bit. My blisters were pretty bad so we called in the pharmacy where I bought Blister plasters for €5 (£4.28) and some effervescent rehydration tablets for €9.80 (£8.38). There was a fire engine near the apartment and we thought it was a fire or a cat rescue, it turned out to be a falling branch.

It was insanely hot now in Madrid and we were struggling to get motivated for day 3 of the Mad Cool festival. We got there in time to see The Pixies who were excellent and definitely another highlight for us. I was particularly hopeful for Kings of Leon who followed on the big stage but they didn’t wow me as much as I thought they would. The crowd seemed to love them and maybe it was just because we were too hot. We made a sensible decision to miss the last band and leave Twenty One Pilots to the youngsters. It was still just after midnight when we got back home but the over 40°C temperatures were certainly taking their toll on us. Tomorrow was the last day and we had the horrible dilemma of at least 3 acts who were overlapping and we wanted to see them all.

Gratitude List
1. Surviving Day 3 of the Mad Cool festival
2. Seeing The Pixies
3. Blister plasters and rehydration tablets.

Madrid – 9th July

After more work and part 4 of the free challenge with Lisa Johnson on Thursday 9th July, it was time for us to go to the 2nd day of the Mad Cool festival. I had wanted to see Charlie Puth but Captain Caveman didn’t so we got there in time for Lorde. My main reason for going today was to see Teddy Swims while Captain Caveman was more interested to see Florence and the Machine. The venue was great but did not have much shade so the intense heat and the walk from the nearest station was a struggle. This time we brought our own water bottles in and put the tops in our pockets and I had some sweets to see me through the crowded metro. We ate food before we went so that we didn’t have to spend money unnecessarily on festival food. The drinks were quite pricey but it was so hot that we mainly stuck to drinking water to keep hydrated. Teddy Swims was very good but, as he was not on the main stage, I did feel the sound wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. We’d been spoiled by just how good the Foo Fighters had been yesterday too. Florence and the Machine were on the main stage and excellent but Captain Caveman had overdone it. The last song finished at 2am as Captain Caveman roused from a little snooze, leaning up against a barrier. We got the bus back to near Atocha station and walked back from there, desperately needing the loo and suffering from blisters on my feet!

Gratitude List
1. Surviving Day 2 of Mad Cool in very hot sun
2. Seeing Lorde, Teddy Swims and Florence & the Machine
3. Getting home at just after 3am completely exhausted.

Photo Credit – some photos from the Mad Cool Facebook page

Madrid – 8th July

It was late when we arrived in Atocha, Madrid, so we went straight to bed. We were awake quite early on Wednesday 8th July and had slept well in Captain Caveman’s niece’s room while the family were on holiday. The apartment was stylish and lovely, we were very grateful we were able to stay there. In the morning, I attended the 3rd session of the Offline Challenge with Lisa Johnson and did a little bit of work before Captain Caveman decided we were off for breakfast and the supermarket. We found a nearby cute cafe called Armonia which we both ordered the open style sandwiches at. Captain Caveman ordered an avocado and turkey while I got brave and tried a bacon, cheese, rocket, caramelised onion and pistachio. It was probably one of the nicest sandwiches I’d had and it wasn’t that expensive, Captain Caveman paid. I had my meal with tea, Captain Caveman with a double espresso and we both had water.
Our next stop was to Lidl where we bought the following, prices in Euros;

Lidl Supermarket
1 bag 0.15
Crisps 0.92
Beese spread 1.35
Salami 1.79
Cherry tomatoes 1.95
Cheese 2.29
Avocados 2.49
Grapes 2.49
Bread 2.69
Cherries 2.99
Total spent €19.11 (£16.37)

This shopping would form the ingredients for most of our meals while we were there.

In the afternoon I had arranged to meet Emma, the Lanzarote Resort Expert, and her husband Huse. By complete coincidence they were also going to the Mad Cool Festival but just for day 1 so we arranged to meet in town and grab some food before the gig. Despite doing the same job in different places, Emma and I had never met in person so we were both looking forward to it. We arrived a little late because we had an issue with the barrier at the metro station but we soon got acquainted and started walking down the street. We ended up going to a cafe which had an eclectic mix of dishes. Captain Caveman and I had tapas, I had a Clara and he had wine.
The Metro to the venue was absolutely rammed and I had another mini meltdown because I was too hot and it was crowded. Captain Caveman would not let me get off at an earlier stop as he said it would be miles to walk so I had to stay on. A Spanish lady lent me her fan but I was very claustrophobic and panicky so Captain Caveman had to fan me until the lady who’s fan it was got off.
When we got to the venue, it was a long walk in very hot sun and then we got in the wrong queue for our wrist bands and had to start again. Once inside we had a wander round, took some photos to send to the Resort Experts group chat and got a drink at the bar. At the bar, we had a delay as it was not only cashless, you couldn’t pay on card either and had to top up your wristband with a QR code using your bank card before going to the bar. Luckily, a guy in the know told us what we needed to do as it wasn’t very clear. The cups were reusable and you had to give a deposit of €2 per cup. I’m not down with the kids so Captain Caveman topped his band up with €50 and we would see how far that got us. There was a limited choice of drinks so I took a chance on Tinto de Verano (red wine with lemonade) which was better for me than the Mahou lager.

Wolf Alice was on the main stage and seemed to be drawing the crowds. I’d not heard of her before and as the 2nd stage had on The War on Drugs half way through, we got to hear a bit of both. There were no seated areas near the main 2 stages so we found somewhere to perch near the bar and VIP area but trying to avoid the sun was hard. We didn’t really see much of Emma and Huse after that as they were there specifically for the Foo Fighters and went right to the front. They had to leave as soon as it finished as they had a flight back to Lanzarote first thing tomorrow. I’d not been a fan of the Foo Fighters particularly but they played a 3 hour non-stop & rivetting set. They were probably one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen and I was so impressed.
The portaloos and the free drinking water at Mad Cool also made the festival much more pleasant. They didn’t allow any drinks in or for you to take a water bottle in with a top on (just the bottle) so we ended up buying a bottle in there then topping it up at the free water stations. The venue was pretty well organised and when we came to leave, it was crowded but not horrendous. We got back to our temporary home at about 2am, absolutely shattered. We went to bed thinking we needed to improve on a few things for tomorrow if we were to survive another 3 days of the Mad Cool festival in the intense Madrid heat.

Gratitude List
1. Being lucky enough to stay in Captain Caveman’s brother’s home
2. Getting to meet Emma, the Lanzarote Resort Expert, and her hubby in Madrid
3. The phenomenal performance of the Foo Fighters at the Mad Cool Festival.

London – 6th & 7th July

I spent Monday 6th July drastically trying to finish all the priory items on my to do list and failing. I did manage to squeeze in a Lisa Johnson Offline Challenge at 10am which was insightful and I learned a few things. I had toast for lunch as I was so busy and worked until 6.30pm. Captain Caveman and I had a walk to the shop where my card got declined at Sainsbury’s due to me not realising my balance was so low. Captain Caveman had to buy the water and travel sweets in Sainsbury’s as tomorrow evening we were off to a 4 day music festival in Madrid. Back home, we sat in the garden with Captain Caveman’s parents and had a glass of wine. For dinner we had chicken and salad which was lovely as the temperature was definitely on the increase now.

Gratitude List
1. The Lisa Johnson Offline Challenge
2. Getting stuff done before we left London
3. Looking forward to my first visit to Madrid.

Captain Caveman had booked tickets for the Mad Cool music festival and arranged for us to stay at his brother’s family apartment in Madrid. Our flight from Heathrow wasn’t until 8pm on Tuesday 7th July so we still had a busy day, for a Tuesday. We both worked at our separate working from home desks, I attended the 2nd session of Lisa Johnson’s Offline Challenge. At noon I packed up my stuff as there was an important event arranged. Captain Caveman’s parents had invited us to the Red Lion in Barnes for lunch and to say bye before we all jetted off on our holidays. The Red Lion is one of my favourites and the food there was excellent. We sat in a shady spot outside and it was definitely summery weather now. I ordered roasted veg on toasted sour dough for starter while Captain Caveman chose to spice up his hummus order with a bit of lamb! We had a bit of a laugh over the menu wording of the bread which made it sound like it had it’s own home on a farm, and had to order it. All became clear once the waiter explained the difference and it wasn’t just ordinary bread. Captain Caveman had a chicken dinner which got snaffled with enthusiasm, Ma ordered a burrata with salad, Pa opted for a schnitzel and I decided on the butternut squash pasta. Captain Caveman’s parents treated us to the meal which was very kind given that they were letting us stay with them and I’d tried to tell Captain Caveman we should pick up the bill. We really enjoyed ourselves and could have quite happily sat there for longer but Captain Caveman had to get back for a 2pm meeting.
We finished work at 4pm, got our bags, said our farewells and we were off to Madrid. We were at the airport 2 hours before as we had been notified we had to go to check-in for our hand luggage to be checked. All was fine and we went straight through to the bar for a quick pint. On the flight I spent €12 (£10.28) on a couple of beverages and then fell asleep. We landed at 11.30pm and had a bit of a faff finding the right tram/metro to Atocha, where we were going to be staying for 5 nights.

Gratitude List
1. Free challenges with Lisa Johnson
2. A fantastic family lunch at the Red Lion
3. A good flight from Heathrow to Madrid.

London – 4th & 5th July

There wasn’t much happening on Saturday 4th July so I caught up on some of my blogging and writing content for my business page. At one point Captain Caveman and I got to get the diaries out and he caught me up on what plans he had scheduled in for the rest of July. We were about to have some interesting times.
At lunch time we had a walk round Barnes Pond and I ate some red cabbage and beetroot salad from Marks and Spencer for lunch.
I showed Captain Caveman’s mom some of the photos and videos from last night’s Metallica gig and she thought it was good.
For dinner we were treated to one of my favourites, a home cooked roast pork dinner – with fabulous crunchy crackling. We also had a glass or 2 of rosé wine which was rather nice. It was great being back in the UK and it was fairly warm but not quite heatwave weather (yet)!

Gratitude List
1. A relaxing day in Barnes
2. Syncing diaries with Captain Caveman
3. A lovely family dinner.

Sunday 5th July was another amazing day with some new experiences. After my mini meltdown on a hot, busy tube on Friday, Captain Caveman had been thinking of how he could avoid a repeat performance and get back for part 2 of the Metallica gig without incident. His mom had offered sage advice when I’d told her that I was definitely finding I had got worse with the feeling of being trapped; ‘get used to it and get on with it’. Captain Caveman wasn’t sure I was able to do that and had come up with an elaborate master plan within his Sunday day out.
At 9am prompt, and without any breakfast, we set off on a short walk to the bus stop, then a bus to Putney where we waited for an Uber boat at Putney Pier. Captain Caveman had popped to the bakery and got us a couple of croissants which we ate at Putney Pier and I got the flakey bits in my hair. The ticket of £22.70 each to go all the way to Barking Riverside was steep but I’d never been on this journey before. It was an absolute genius move from Captain Caveman as it was an amazing 2.5 hours of sightseeing. I’ve not spent too much time in London and I had never been this far along the river Thames before. It was a very comfortable boat with toilets and a cafe on board, I even did a bit of work while we sailed along. We saw so many famous buildings and statues, we had to get off to change boats and I even spotted a blimp which had returned to the skies after 4 years and was one of only 20-25 still remaining. When we got off we walked across some wasteland and to a train station where we got the train to Blackhorse for another surprise treat from Captain Caveman.

A table was booked at Black Cactus for 1.30pm and we arrived 15 minutes early. It was a pop up BBQ restaurant in a brandy distillery called Burnt Faith and it smelled amazing as we walked in. I walked back from the toilets to where Captain Caveman had been seated at the end of the bar and he looked to be drinking a brandy! I climbed on to my high stool to find you get given one for free so I also had a brandy. Captain Caveman also had an Espresso Martini while we perused the menu. Captain Caveman took the liberty of ordering the BBQ tray which had on the following; beef, Turkey, pork sausage, focaccia, cabbage, patatas bravas, pickles, and dips. It was pretty big but we had seen the dining couple near us order something for a starter that we quite fancied. We decided we would have that at the end of we managed the shared tray. Captain Caveman had a couple of beers with his meal and I had a couple of glasses of red wine. The food was amazing and of course we managed to finish the whole tray. This meant we could order the PBJ burnt ends and they were so good – I’ve never tasted anything like them but they were my favourite from the menu. Captain Caveman picked up the bill for the meal and it wasn’t cheap but it had been excellent and I would definitely recommend it. The staff were great too and we had a shot with the manager before we left to get the bus as it was time to go to the London Stadium.

The doors for the second part of the Metallica gig opened at 3.30pm. We had arranged to meet some friends outside for a pint before going in to the gig. Vinnie was waiting for us with a pint in hand, on some fake grass. I’d last seen him when he was visiting his brother-in-law and partner in Dalyan, his wife and I had sipped prosecco together in the pool. Captain Caveman and Vinnie had met last year at an ACDC concert. Joining us were Captain Caveman’s cycling mate, Phil, and his friend from America. We had a drink together before walking to the venue. Phil and Captain Caveman know each other through their involvement with the Saigon Children’s Charity and the cycling events that they organise and participate in, in Vietnam. Phil also had VIP tickets and was going to another gig next weekend which Vinnie was attending. They were introduced and swapped numbers and we all got to the gig in time to watch Pantera. Everyone was going mad for this support band but, if I’m honest, they weren’t for me. Metallica were absolutely fantastic again, and of course the novelty of a plane flying over the crowd while the rock songs blared out, had not got tiring to me. The finale was amazing and the gig had been a real treat for me, gearing us up for more live music this summer!
A couple of pints cost me £17.70 and the transport back to Barnes cost me £11.45 so I’d done well today on the budget because Captain Caveman had treated me to such a memorable day out.

Gratitude List
1. The Uber boat from Putney to Barking with Captain Caveman
2. Lunch and drinks at Black Cactus
3. The Metallica gig part 2 with Captain Caveman and our friends.

London – 3rd July

One of the reasons for my travel to London was for Captain Caveman and I to attend the Metallica gig at London Stadium on Friday 3rd July. The communication between Captain Caveman and I about the plans for the weekend had been limited at best so I went in to the upstairs bedroom and used the desk there to crack on with my day. Ordinarily, if Captain Caveman has already done his hours for the week by 4pm on a Friday, he sometimes finishes then, but I had no idea that he had planned to finish at lunch time as the gig had doors opening at 3pm. Much to Captain Caveman’s frustration that I couldn’t read his mind about what time we both needed to finish work, we didn’t get to outside the venue until 5.30pm. It didn’t help when I had a mild meltdown on the overcrowded tube when it stopped in the underground and I had to get off. This meant we had to walk and Captain Caveman thought he’d solve the issue by getting us on an overground train – which was driverless. It freaked me out that I was in the front seat where the driver should’ve been – I was not a fan. I’m not good with big crowds and directions so our first job before the No Repeat Weekend of Metallica, was to suss out our meet up points at the venue. I took photos of them as we decided on the two outside the venue and more inside the venue.
We missed the first band, Knocked Loose, who I was unfamiliar with, but we did get to see Gojira for the first time. I thought they were great and it was good that we had standing tickets in the round. We grabbed drinks which were obviously pricey so there was no danger of us getting drunk. Since working in travel, I’m always on the look out for how accessible a venue is, I was very impressed with the London Stadium which had lots of wheelchair user spaces and it was very easy to get around.
When Metallica came on, the crowds got excited, we were about halfway back as I don’t like being too close that I get squished. There were also a lot of very tall men about – living in Vietnam and Turkey, you see far fewer tall people in general. The band played 16 songs without a break except for when Kirk and Rob did a couple of covers while James went for a quick freshen up. We had hoped to meet a friend there but it was so busy and he was probably in the mosh pit giving it what for! I got on Captain’s nerves by getting excited when a plane flew overhead as we watched Metallica – apparently they fly over very often, but it was a first time experience for me.
At the end of the gig, we were a bit peckish so decided to get a pizza from a van. I got talking to a man from Leeds and his mate who lives in Norway. We had a good laugh and the pizza was ok despite it being a bit on the expensive side. I spent a total of £51.33 on food, drinks and transport but Captain Caveman bought the tickets and bought a couple of rounds of drinks too. I was pleasantly surprised that the tap water was free but, disappointingly, the cups at the bar were all single use plastic. Back home after a bit of a walk from the stadium, it was quite late and we went straight to bed.

Gratitude List
1. First time watching Gojira
2. Metallica, who were fantastic
3. Being able to watch good live music again.

Dalyan to London – 2nd July

My flight on Thursday 2nd July was not until 6.30pm but I was ready for the off. The time had come to go back to the UK and spend a month with Captain Caveman. I spent the morning doing some work then put my out of office on, until it was time to say some farewells. My first one was to pop over to see Jamie and little Norman to say bye. Norman, the dog, was still doing his best to live a long and happy life but we never knew how much longer he would live – he’s 15 now. I gave him a cuddle and a peanut paw, he was happier with the treat than the affection, then had a glass of water on the patio with Jamie. I hadn’t booked my flight back yet as they were still a bit out of my budget during summer holidays. After a quick run down of where I was going to be and a bit of a chat with Jamie, I said my goodbyes and walked over to my parents’ place for the next farewell. This one was also accompanied with us going out for breakfast at Ela’s Kitchen, ironically, for bacon sandwiches. Ma and I ordered bacon and mushroom sandwiches, which were huge and came with chips and salad, Pa ordered menemen which had a few chips and some bread. We had water and coffee for Ma & Pa, Yorkshire tea for me. I was pushing the boat out as I had loads of Yorkshire teabags at home, which Richard and Michelle and very kindly brought me over on their recent visit.
It was hot in Dalyan now and we sat outside in the shade trying to tackle the huge portions. I ended up taking half of mine away for the airport and Dad ended up finishing Mom’s sandwich.
Here’s what we had and what we paid in lira for our breakfast;

Ela’s Kitchen

1 large water 140
1 Cherry juice 150
1 Yorkshire tea 160
1 Cappuccino 190
1 Caramel latte 210
1 Menemen 410
2 Bacon & mushroom sandwiches 1,000
Total spent 2,260 lira (£35.87)

I paid on card and tried to treat my parents but Mom insisted on thrusting some cash at me for their share. I said bye and left my parents to pick up a mirror from the shop and I walked up to the Dalyan Turkish Delight shop to get a few gifts. It was hot and I spent 2,093.20 lira (£33.23) on boxes of rose and pistachio Turkish Delight. It seemed a little extravagant but I wanted to get the freshest and best I could – it’s my favourite place to buy it but isn’t usually open in the winter. The man in the shop gave me a free chocolate helva and said that was for me! I also managed to sample a few, even after my breakfast.
I walked back home along the river, bumping in to friends so I got to say bye to them too. I had time for a shower and a bit of a sit down before Sonuç came to pick me up. Captain Caveman had booked me an underseat bag and cabin luggage with an aisle seat so I was happy with that.

At Dalaman airport I investigated the new CIP lounge; it’s upstairs and costs £29 if booked in advance on Wise/Revolute. If paying as a walk in customer it’s €60 and, when I asked, it was unlimited drinks and snacks for up to 3 hours. I didn’t stay as I was just doing research and I wasn’t about to waste the money when I could get 3 cocktail tins from the fridge in duty free for less. I bought 2 Margaritas and 1 Pina Colada for €11.50 (£9.83) and had my leftover bacon sandwich with a cocktail tinny for lunch, while waiting at a random gate. I took a selfie but then blocked out the brand on my can because the advertising of alcohol in Turkey is banned. It has been for a while but as from 1st July there seemed to be a surge in fining anyone who posted it on social media.
The flight was fine and full, and I arrived in to Gatwick just a little later than planned. I got the train to Barnes, changing at Clapham Junction and arrived a little earlier than Captain Caveman. He was on his way to his parents’ at the same time but I got there about 10 minutes earlier. I had an issue with my Turkish bank card only letting me tap on at Gatwick but not tap off at Barnes so it was probably going to overcharge me. My journey door to door was 7 hours and I still had some of my frozen water left. At Captain Caveman’s parents’ home, I got a warm welcome and a nice cup of tea before bed.

Gratitude List

1. Farewell breakfast at Ela’s Kitchen with Ma & Pa
2. A smooth journey from Dalyan to Barnes in 7 hours
3. A nice welcome back to Barnes from Captain Caveman and his parents.