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.
Wednesday 1st July was my last day in Dalyan for a while, as I had some fantastic summer plans – mostly spending time with Captain Caveman in the UK and to celebrate his birthday month with a couple of trips away. But first, I was making the most of my last Dalyan day, doing what I enjoyed the most – a boat trip. I was up and about 3 hours prior to the boat trip to fanny about with banking with it being a new month. I decided that a limit of £30 per day as a budget for July would be the most I could afford and I was extremely hopeful to set it at that – not completely believing I could do it.
It was weigh day but I didn’t get weighed or do my measurements, and I was missing Fat Club today.
Our boat trip was quite a full one with it being a private trip organised by friends and we had quite a few of the usual faces. It was a choppy ride out to sea and we went out quite far, way beyond Ekincik. I’d taken extra strong seasickness tablets so I was fine until someone mentioned fried eggs (I don’t like eggs) and I had to really concentrate on not being sick.
We had our first swim stop in a turquoise bay which proved a little tricky to get back on to the boat due to the swell. Luckily, Shaun was able to help Nanny Kay and I get on safely, as I didn’t have my glasses on. It isn’t usually that bad but there were lots of big tourist boats causing bigger waves. We had a lovely couple more swim stops, we even had a photo on a rock. Cath, who is a non-swimmer even enjoyed it and we had a couple of minor scrapes from messing about on the rocks. Both Keith and I had to have a plaster on! Captain Fuat always does plenty of choice on the food, and we ate fantastic BBQ food and, as it was my last boat trip in Dalyan for a bit, we had a few wines. I was so busy enjoying being on the boat and chatting to friends that I didn’t take many photos, luckily the keen photographers onboard did. Paul got some excellent photos of the group who swam on to the rocks plus a laughing donkey who posed for him. We had a really lovely trip and I was almost sad to leave, I spent £40 on the boat trip and I forget my bar bill – definitely less than £20 on wine. I got home, did the laundry, packed my bag and did a bit of a tidy round, before getting in bed. Tomorrow, my taxi to the airport wasn’t coming until 3.30pm but I still had a few plans in the morning.
Gratitude List
1. Getting the opportunity to go back to the UK again
2. A fantastic boat trip
3. Being ready to enjoy July with Captain Caveman.
Photo Credit – photos by friends on the boat, including Paul C.
It was a rather busy day on Monday 29th June and I had to take some time away from my office desk to do some important things. My first job of the day was to meet a friend for a little walk before it got too hot. We walked along the river and then went to Kaunos tea gardens for brunch. We each had a bottle of water, a large Turkish tea and a cheese and onion toastie, with chips and olives for a total of 390 lira (£6.30).
I’d not checked my budget for this month as I expected I was way over and decided to do it all in a couple of days at month end. I had definitely underestimated how much money I would need for July, August and September being out of Turkey. After a couple of customer calls, some admin and a chat with a friend it was time to venture on a hot and sweaty bus to Ortaca. I wanted to get my hair done before my next UK and Europe trip and today was the only day Emrah could fit me in at short notice. I arrived early, and glad of the air con as Emrah and the girls worked their magic. I had to get the bus back and was meeting a friend for a farewell drink at 4pm so I asked for an updo. I paid 2,000 lira (£32.26) for the colour, cut and blow dry which I thought was very reasonable and is always so professional. I got the bus back and it was pretty packed and hot.
When I got back to Dalyan I made my way over to Ren Garden where I had arranged to meet my friend. Her and her husband were moving back to the UK and I wanted to wish them well and have a catch up before we both set off. We sat in the back room for a bit of privacy and decided to have a wine (or 2) to mark the occasion. As is the Dalyan way, we did get interrupted when some of the Dalyan Dwellers, who’d been on the yellow boat, came back from their Monday Köyceğiz market trip. Two of them came in first, a bit tiddly, asking if I had seen my parents. I replied that I hadn’t and they were the ones who had gone on a boat trip with them. Apparently, they were all meeting back at Ren Garden after getting off the boat. My parents arrived a few minutes later, also merry, and asked if I’d seen their friends who were now sat in the front bar. This went on a while as more people turned up all looking for each other within a small vicinity. My friend’s husband had joined us and all privacy had gone out of the window so we said our goodbyes and I went to join my parents and the group of boat trippers. I had another couple of wines with them and we chatted to a nice bloke, Ricky, who was staying at Grandma’s Garden, the hotel at Ren Garden. I paid a total of 1,030 lira (£16.61) for 6 wines, 2 soda waters, and 1 water, a very reasonable amount! My next stop was to join my parents for dinner where we had pizza at Heybe and it was very tasty.
Gratitude List 1. Having my hair done 2. A farewell drink with a friend 3. An impromptu catch up with my parents.
Tuesday 30th June was the end of the month and I was astonished at how quickly the first half of this year had gone. It had been both a tough year so far, in many ways, but it had also been pretty good in lots of other ways. In June alone I’d split my time across quite a few different countries. Out of the 30 days this month, this is where I actually spent my time:
Dalyan 7 days Sheffield 7 days Cruising (Budapest, Bratislava, Tulln and Vienna) 5 days Spain 4 days Sevenoaks 3 days Mallorca 2 days Vienna 1.5 days Istanbul (airport) 0.5 days
So I was on holiday for at least half of the month, despite still working most of the time. It was also time to face the music with the monthly finances too, which had certainly taken a hit! I had given myself a budget of £25 per day, so a total of £750 for June. My total spend ended up being £802 so I was £52 over! Captain Caveman had needed to help me out to ensure I got my required amount in to the Turkish bank too and I was about to start July in a deficit of £115 after paying off my credit card. I do that every month and it only has a very low limit. For July I hadn’t set a budget as I knew I was likely to spend more than I had this month and would be relying on Captain Caveman a lot too. All I did today was work as it was the last day of the month and I wanted to maximise any earnings. There was so much fun coming up from July onwards, all of which I was going to continue to do with a frugal mindset and while doing more holiday research for my potential customers.
Gratitude List 1. Being very lucky to be able to work from almost anywhere in the world 2. Having a busy day and tying up lots of loose ends 3. Looking forward to a great summer.
I was busy catching up with chores and writing content on Saturday 27th June. I was meant to go to the market to get fruit but I didn’t end up going as I got busy with dealing with some customer related stuff. The last weekend of every month tends to be the busiest for people getting ready to go away, as well as booking, due to it being pay day for a lot of people. I did manage to force myself out of the house around lunch time, just for a walk so that I actually got some exercise. Other than that I slowly tackled my never ending to do list and tried to spend as little money as possible before the end of the month, and before my trip back to the UK, where I had loads planned with Captain Caveman.
Gratitude List 1. Being busy 2. Managing to spend nothing and have no alcohol in the hope of losing weight 3. Having a short walk around town.
I’d been invited to visit friends, Janet & Ian, on Sunday 28th June and decided I would walk over, despite the heat. I put on plenty of factor 50 suncream, a dress with short sleeves and my sun hat from Vietnam. The walk was only 20 minutes but it was definitely hot in Dalyan now. Having survived the heat of Vienna, Dalyan felt a little more breezy. At Janet & Ian’s we had a lovely time, chatting and lounging round the pool and even a lovely swim. Of course I was ‘persuaded’ in to having a drink at the poolside bar so that Janet wasn’t drinking blood orange gin alone – I’m good like that! Janet and Ian have their property on the market and if I won the lottery, I’d buy it! It’s a gorgeous villa on the edge of town with a deep pool and a massive garden. They are in their 70s now so are looking to downsize. I could’ve stopped longer but it was Sunday and I had 2 more engagements planned. Ian gave me a lift in to town and I went to see Richard and Michelle off at Waterfall bar. We said bye and I was invited to see them in the UK during my summer visit, which was nice of them. We were also going to be arranging a trip to Vietnam in 2027 which would be amazing. Back home, I snaffled down the rest of the leftover curry and then went round to my parents for a drink. I’d last seen them 4 weeks ago when we went to Duble for a meal. While I’d been in the UK and Europe having a lovely time, they had also been having a great time in Dalyan. I had less than 5 days left before I went back to the UK and they had another week after I left. They were going to be joined by my niece and her boyfriend so were looking forward to some time with them. We had some wine and nibbles and arranged to meet for breakfast on my last day, so I could say bye.
Gratitude List 1. Spending time with lovely friends, Janet & Ian 2. Having a last drink with more lovely friends, Richard & Michelle 3. A great evening to round off my Sunday with my parents.
I met a friend for a walk and talk at 7.30am on Friday 26th June. We talked about how my trip to England and Europe had gone. She’d also been busy so it was a good catch up and we had to wait at Kaunos tea gardens for it to open. We just had 1 large tea and 2 waters for 65 lira (£1.05) then both went back home to get on with our days. Upon my return, I snipped as much of the unruly bushes that I could then messaged the gardening company to ask them to do the rest – it had obviously not been touched for 3 weeks at our side of the complex, but Block A looked very tidy. I finished work at 4pm, despite having a lot to do still, as I needed to get prepared for my guests. I’d invited Richard and Michelle over for a curry at mine but I needed to get some ingredients in as I’d not done a proper shop yet. Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;
Star Gurme 1 tin baked beans & 1 jar curry sauce Total spent 300 lira (£4.84)
Yaman Büfe 2 1 bottle of Angora red wine 525 3 Dido chocolate bars 105 Total spent 630 lira (£10.16)
I didn’t need the beans or curry sauce but had walked all the way to buy curry paste and they didn’t have the one I wanted. I couldn’t remember if I had an alternative at home so I bought the jar in case I needed it to make a quick version of my chicken curry. The naan bread is just a pide type of bread but does the trick.
I threw everything in to the slow cooker and had a paste at home I could use, plus it didn’t need to be ready until 9pm so I had time; 4 hours on high. I met my friends in Retro bar for a pre dinner drink (or 2) and they brought me some gifts which was really lovely and much appreciated. I paid the bar bill this time at 950 lira (£15.32) and then we went over to mine for curry. We had another drink while I popped the rice in the rice cooker and we had a good old chat, mainly about holidays and future plans. The curry went down well and the Dido chocolate bars worked as a dessert. It wasn’t a late one as I had work in the morning and my guests were off on a boat trip.
Gratitude List 1. Walk by the river with a friend 2. Retro bar for drinks with friends 3. Hosting a curry night at mine.
On Saturday 20th June, Day 4 of our Riverside Luxury Cruise, we arrived in Tulln, Austria. Something concerning had happened to me, though! I’d woken up very early feeling a little unwell and my tongue had swollen up. It was just like the time I had found out I was allergic to kiwi fruit. I took antihistamines and drank all the water I had, hoping it would subside, as I needed to be on an excursion at 9am. My continental breakfast today was chosen to be eaten in my cabin while catching up on some Resort Experts emails, knowing that today was our last full day and night on this fantastic luxury cruise. I still hadn’t booked my flight back to Dalaman so I also needed to do that, as well as finalising arrangements with a friend in Austria who I planned on meeting up with tomorrow. I’d selected the continental breakfast option thinking it may be less filling than the cooked breakfast – it wasn’t and there was loads of it. The butler had sent it in just before 7am as they were busy today. I found it hard to eat as my face was puffy and the swollen tongue wasn’t helping. I decided to message Victoria to see if she wanted to take my place on today’s excursion but she wasn’t able to. I wasn’t too sick to go, I just didn’t want my potential allergic reaction to get any worse. My first reaction of being on a 9am wine tasting excursion was that it might be a tad early in the day for me! However, I was wrong and the excursion was absolutely fantastic. We had a short coach ride to Schloss Gobelsburg, one of the oldest wineries which dated back to 1711. The owners met us with 2 overexcited dogs, who were soon taken back indoors.
We had a wonderful tour round the cellars and learned about the history as well as the specific wine making processes a while before we got to sample any of the products. By this time the antihistamines had taken more of an affect and my eyes had stopped watering. The trip also had another surprise in store if we made it through the cold cellars (I took a hoodie), to the wine tasting room. I loved Schloss Gobelsburg, where we got to sample Grüner Veltliner and Riesling white wines. What made it all the more special was a surprise rendition of some popular songs from an impressive quintet. The memory of sipping one of the white wine classics, Messwein, while listening to a Boney M classic will stay with me for a very long time!
On the last evening of our Riverside Luxury Cruise on Riverside Mozart, we enjoyed even more Taittinger champagne and the sunset before dinner. We set sail through the beautiful Wachau Valley and I didn’t want the cruise to end. It had been a remarkable journey which Travelpack and Riverside Luxury Cruises had organised for us and I felt so lucky to have had the experience. I also knew I wanted to do more river cruises and I was certainly sold on this luxury one. All of us said we fancied a winter trip next, and I was already imagining Christmas markets, Christmas or New Year would be a great time to do a trip like this.
The dinner in Waterfront was excellent and I even managed a dessert after my beef main, this time. We had a last drink in the bar to round off the night but I didn’t want a late one as I had an extra day planned in Vienna tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. Recovering well enough to enjoy the wine tasting excursion 2. Sailing through the Wachau Valley 3. A wonderful last meal to round off the perfect cruise trip.
Photo Credit – some photos by other Fam Trip Attendees
I was missing 2 important events in Dalyan on Friday 19th June; my friend’s 60th birthday boat trip and the arrival of Sausage Dick and his wife. Both knew I would no longer be there for them today and were very supportive and pleased that I would instead be enjoying Day 3 of a luxury river cruise Fam trip. We’d spoken and rescheduled our meet ups so I was free to get on with my jam-packed day along the Danube. I woke up to an unfamiliar sound and found myself in a first-time situation; we were in a lock! It was fascinating watching from my picture window, in a robe as I drank orange juice, tea and buttered my toast. Daniel, my butler, had already arranged for my rather large breakfast to be delivered to my cabin this morning. This was an absolute feast which set me up for the day! I loved being able to choose between getting dressed to eat breakfast in the ship’s dining room, or to lounge on the sofa in my cabin, wearing my robe. We had a free morning to relax and I had intended to visit the spa before lunch. Unfortunately, I had selected a detox shot on my breakfast menu, not knowing what it was. I necked it, only to find it was an excruciatingly strong vinegar of some sort. I felt like my teeth would melt and that my throat and my insides were being burned. I tried to rectify the matter by having all the suitable liquids I could gather; water, orange & cranberry juices and tea – nothing soothed me. What a rookie error and the uncomfortable feeling lasted all morning! The rest of the breakfast was delicious but the uncontrollable burping was a bit of a pain.
I worked a little bit and caught up on some blogging before it was time to meet the others for lunch. Victoria had arranged for us to eat at Blue Deli, another of the restaurants to try. Being on a luxury river cruise doesn’t mean that you have to eat posh nosh and fine dining for every meal. Our evening waiter, David, had recommended we try the well loved Smash Burger for lunch today so that was the plan. Only 4 of us ate at Blue, all of us ordering our own specific burger requirements and we washed it down with a refreshing lavender lemonade. If I’m honest, that wasn’t my favourite drink but the others enjoyed it. I also had to leave some of my bread as I was so full from breakfast and still had a heartburn-like feeling going on, from the detox shot. We were then ready for an afternoon of excursions and activities. This relaxing cruise was certainly not boring and there was so much to do for any active people.
On our walking excursion of Bratislava we were given quite a treat from our expert guide; history and music were the main feature – finished off with a glass of fizz and a nice piece of cake. The guide was very aware of the heat and did her best to stop in the shade, she also was able to split the group for those who felt less capable of walking on the cobbles and steps up to the castle. I thought it was good that guests can pre-book to add the excursions on as a package and the ones we went on were very well done. It was a very hot day so I was particularly pleased that we hadn’t selected the bicycle ride along the Danube (again). The passengers who did that trip looked very hot but said that the excursion was great too.
The evenings onboard Riverside Mozart were perfect for me. Before dinner we were given an early evening show from Vienna’s Opera Ballet Soloists followed by a chance to learn a few steps of the Viennese Waltz. I got partnered up with a lovely man, whose wife was particularly thankful that she didn’t have to join in. He and I both had chubby tummies so the positioning of our legs with touching thighs had to resort to barely touching shins. It was a really good laugh, where the embarrassment of volunteering soon dissipated once we realised we were actually learning how to dance.
For our evening meal Norbert Toth, the Food & Beverage Manager, had invited us all to the Atelier Restaurant where we had a food tasting extravaganza. It was a proper snazzy dining experience, where we tasted everything on the menu aside from anything with nuts or molluscs in (due to allergies). There was so much to eat and it was such a good representation of the countries we were visiting – the wine pairing was just spot on. We had a delightful evening which included watching the sunset as we sailed to Tulln, Austria. In the bar, later we listened to the piano player and a saxophonist then it got a little livelier with some of us getting on the dancefloor and partaking in a Baby Guiness nightcap. If I hadn’t been sold on river cruisers previously, I was fast becoming a propenent of them now!
Gratitude List
1. A luxurious start to Day 3 of the cruise 2. Seeing a little of Bratislava 3. A fantastic dining experience at Atelier, onboard Riverside Mozart.
Photo Credit – some photos taken by the Fam Trip Attendees
Thursday 18th June was Day 2 of the Travelpack and Riverside Luxury Cruises Fam Trip and it was an absolute delight. I didn’t make it to the breakfast in the dining room on account of me still having half of my cheese plate from last night to eat – as I don’t like to waste things I had that with water and then realised my cabin didn’t have a kettle, only a coffee machine. I asked Daniel, the butler, if he could oblige with a pot of tea and he brought a proper pot of tea in with a smile! For our daily excursion we did the Panoramic Budapest tour, which was excellent. We visited the State Opera House which, as a former musician, blew my mind. The whole tour was done with an ear piece in so we could listen to our tour guides throughout. After an extensive tour round the opera house we had a glass of champagne and a bit of a surprise. As the performers were rehearsing we were treated to our own private showing in an intimate gathering on the stairs – just wonderful. I was shocked to find out that to get tickets to the royal box wasn’t even that expensive so it was definitely on my list to do with 9 other people (the royal box seats up to 10), ideally in a winter month.
We had a good walk around in the sunshine and visited Heroes Square before returning to Riverside Mozart for a delicious BBQ lunch on the sun deck. Other guests returned from other tours and I was very glad to have not been on the ebike tour as the sun was pretty intense and they all looked sweaty. Captain Caveman would’ve preferred that tour when we get to do a river cruise.
The lunch was lovely, I chose steak and prawns mainly, with another glass of Taittinger – obviously. After not too much champagne we had a guided tour of the ship and giggled at how familiar I was with the laundry room already. Someone had left a pair of red undies in there so I was fortunate it was after my visit so that none of my whites were turned pink. There was a beauty and hair salon for any titivating, a wonderful spa to relax or swim in and a very well equipped gym. I noticed some weighing scales and was almost tempted to get on them, having missed Fat Club yesterday – we all agreed it would be unwise. We used the private dining room for our office in the afternoon and actually did some work as well as having presentations on what Riverside and Travelpack could offer our customers. I now needed to up my game to find clients and friends who wanted to book, or come with me, on more of these types of luxury holidays – I already had a few people in mind!
Back in my cabin, I checked my emails and noticed I had won another prize from one of the other suppliers I have booked holidays with. It was a travel towel and suncream set – it looked great and I sent them my address in Sheffield so I could get it when I finally got back to the UK in July. Back once again on the sun deck for cocktails we set sail for Slovakia, it was a good feeling knowing that we would wake up tomorrow in another new country. In my harmony suite the water level of the Danube was just below the picture window and it was calming to look out at. Dinner was once again an absolute pleasure and the wine and fizz went down quite well too. This time I decided to have the steak with a pepper sauce and it was very tasty. I wasn’t keen on the first taste of the red wine offered so I was given a Primitivo instead, without any fuss. My butler, Daniel, had left more treats in my cabin and sorted out my room for the evening. I was starting to really enjoy being a river cruiser!
Gratitude List 1. The Budapest State Opera House and our private show 2. The Riverside Mozart ship and all it’s luxury 3. Being a river cruiser.
Photo Credit – some photos taken by the other Fam Trip Attendees
I was a giddy little kipper on Wednesday 17th June as the day of my 5 day Riverside Luxury Cruises and Travelpack Fam trip was here, at last! In the afternoon I would be boarding the Riverside Mozart ship and sailing down the Danube from Budapest to Vienna. When my alarm went off at stupid o’clock that morning, I was feeling sad to be leaving Mallorca and really had enjoyed an amazing 1.5 days cramming in stuff with the Mallorca Resort Expert. My flight was at 6.50am so the taxi was booked for 4.30am and was costing 50 Euros. We said our farewells, both knowing we had forged a great friendship and would definitely see each other again. The taxi was good, the driver spoke English and there was no traffic. My flight was with easyJet back to Gatwick, it was practically empty and I had nodded off before takeoff. Pauline, my petite pink under seat case kept her wheels on and there were no issues. I landed in a very rainy and cold London at 8.30am and had to get a bit of a spurt on. My next flight, which had been booked for me by Travelpack, departed at 11.05am and I had a small dilemma. They had booked me a Wizzair flight from Gatwick to Budapest with 20kg hold luggage and an underseat case. It would be my first time flying with this airline. Unfortunately, Pauline my petite pink case was 5cm too tall without the detachable wheels and couldn’t go as hand luggage. Wizzair staff at the bag drop told me that they would be strict at the gate so it would be better for me to pop Pauline in the hold and definitely not to chance taking her as an underseat bag. I wasn’t keen on this, with her being so small, and I had to take out my laptop, chargers, diary and other work related stuff, which I put in a shoulder bag. There was barely anything left in Pauline – mainly just dirty laundry, toiletries, a pair of sandals and a new sandy travel towel. Wizzair weighed my checked luggage and, although allowed 20kg, it was only 7kg and I got a receipt. Of course, I had the obligatory wait in the airport near a screen until an hour before the departure time, when the gate would be made public. It was too early for me for an airport pint so I ended up spending almost a tenner in Boots and doing some work. Oddly there was a member of staff there complaining to me about the heat and apologising that the AC wasn’t working. I had my hoodie on as it was comparatively cold to Spain and Mallorca. Here’s what I bought, prices in pounds;
Boots 1 paper bag 0.18 1 chocolate bar 1.00 1 smoothie 3.00 1 Hoisin Duck wrap 3.75 Meal Deal discount -2.75 1 mini cocoa butter 2.20 1 mini mouthwash 1.80 1 mini toothpaste 1.65 3 for 2 minis discount -1.65 Total spent £9.68
I’d had to buy the toothpaste when I realised I had left the rest of my toothytabs in Mallorca. I also didn’t really need the paper bag from Boots but it was another travel hack. If you buy a bag from any of the airport shops you can count this as an extra hand luggage at no extra cost. I used it to put my lunch plus diary, headphones, water bottle and other bits and bobs in. At the gate, I witnessed every passenger have their hand luggage measured and weighed with many having to pay a £70 fine – even some passengers who argued they had been told they could take carry on. The Wizzair gate staff were having none of it, they definitely charged a lot of people extra and boarding took ages. The Wizzair plane was not particularly clean and I got sat on an aisle seat near the back of the plane. A stag do of 10 lads had decided they weren’t that bothered about paying to select seats together so they were spread out, one in the window seat of my row and one behind us. We had a chat and it was a nice lad who offered me one of his jelly bears. I didn’t partake incase they were laced with drugs but the stag lads turned out to be a lovely bunch. They let me wear one of their masks, I shared a few travel tips with them and we had photos and drinks to pass the time on. When I told them about the neck pillow filled with clothes travel hack, they loved it – especially as one of them had paid an extra £70 and wasn’t happy about that as it was more than the cost of the flight. We landed in Budapest at 2.40pm and it was probably the longest I’ve been in a passport control queue in a while. Luckily, I got chatting to a man who often holidays in Budapest and he gave me a few ideas and tips based on his several visits. He even saved my space in the queue when I needed the toilet.
After about 90 minutes, I was through to pick up my luggage – needless to say little Pauline was on the baggage carousel belt on her own. I picked her up and walked out to arrivals where I was met by Suzie, an employee sent to accompany me on the private transfer to the ship. She looked shocked and apologised that my hold luggage, which she presumed had got lost, would be retrieved and brought to the ship as soon as they could. I explained that I travelled light, there was no more luggage, and she was even more shocked. The minibus driver asked where my luggage was, I explained and he and Suzie had a good old laugh together about that. While Suzie gave me some tips on how to say the basics in Hungarian, we drove along the Danube, where I would board the ship. Even the view from the minibus was fantastic and I was very excited for my first ever river cruise.
As I boarded the Riverside Mozart docked on the river Danube in Budapest, the porter, the receptionist and then a waiter were equally baffled over my lack of luggage and that I hadn’t lost any. I was given a welcome glass of champagne, a lady in the bar shouted hello but I wasn’t sure who she was until later and then I was shown to my cabin, number 153. My only comparison was a ferry so I was extremely impressed with my sleeping quarters for the next 4 nights. My cabin was a Harmony Suite with a picture window and was around 20 square metres. It was the ‘basic’ level cabin and I was certainly impressed with it – it was much better than any hotel room I’d been in this year. This was my first ever cruise and I had never had myself down as a cruiser – that was about to be challenged! It was also my first time visiting Hungary, Slovakia and Austria so I saw it as a great introduction to 3 countries I may want to see more of in the future. The Riverside Mozart wasn’t a massive ship but it can fit 162 guests and 82 crew – so far I had seen far more crew than guests and, at 23m wide, this boat felt pretty roomy. I had a welcome bottle of fizz and some rather lovely chocolates in my cabin and a note to welcome me. The bathroom was an absolute delight with one of those Japanese style toilets which can wash and dry your nether regions while having a heated seat! The shower was marvellous and had opulent toiletries so I needn’t get out my travel ones. I learned that Riverside Luxury Cruises do not charge a single supplement for any of their cruises! This was good to know as I often get requests from solo travellers who obviously don’t want to have to pay up to double the price. I also learned that I was on the Premium All Inclusive package with included excursions and that was an absolute bonus – I am partial to the odd tipple and the diet was certainly on hold from now on.
I felt so lucky to have won this trip and I almost skipped to the bar to find the other travel agents. On the way, I found the free DIY launderette and popped in my dirty laundry so I could start with a full complement of clothes. The bar was fantastic, the kind of place they hand out Taittinger like it’s water and the nibbles need a Google to work out what they are. Our first task was to listen to the safety briefing from a very dishy Captain, who’s priority was only the safety of his passengers. My fellow sailors on this Fam trip were; • Victoria – the Business Development Manager at Riverside Luxury Cruises • Joely – the Business Development Manager at Travelpack • Amy • Grant • Paul • Cath • Sam So, there were 8 of us in total; 5 other Travel Agents, me and the people in charge of putting on the trip. They seemed a nice bunch as we went through to the Waterfront dining room.
We sat over 2 tables and had a waiter, a server and a sommelier at our table, making sure we were waited on very well. There was a menu which changed daily, as well as a menu that was available throughout our stay. Amy & I chose the Asian spring roll to start, it was pretty and delicious. Grant and Cath had what looked like parma ham wrapped round bread sticks on a bowl of salad – they liked it. The next course for me was a soup, also very nice, I was on my second lot of bread and double parked with wine and champagne. Cath had a pasta dish which also looked good but rather filling as an interim course. For main, we all had the beef and it was absolutely delicious – fancy, but not over the top! Of course, it was served with fabulous wine which was probably too expensive for me to even appreciate, given I’d had 3 champagne, 1 white wine, and now an ample pour of Merlot. The desserts on the menu looked good but I had laundry to attend to, much to the amusement of my fellow Fam Trip winners. I excused myself to tackle the rather enthusiastic tumble drier, hoping to reconvene for a cheese plate and more Merlot. I got chatting to a guest in the laundry room, she was younger than I’d imagined the average cruiser would be and this was not her first rodeo with Riverside. She could not praise them enough and she told me that I was going to love the excursion tomorrow. We chatted a little before me taking my laundry back to my cabin to find someone had been in there. It turned out that I had a butler, who had brought me a treat and turned down the luxurious bedding, on the off chance I was too lazy to know how to get in bed unaided. Daniel, the butler, had popped on some mood lighting and closed my picture window curtains. The bottle of champagne was chilling and my ice bucket was full. So, this was what luxury cruising was about! There was a note on the desk to say to call Daniel or WhatsApp him if I needed anything at all – including room service! I messaged to say hi, ordered a glass of red wine and a ‘bit of cheese’. I made sure I was drinking water as there was plenty in the fridge and I read the itinerary for the next day.
I popped back up to the top deck bar, where my fellow Fam trippers were, and had a drink with them while we sailed down the beautiful Danube. My photos really didn’t do it justice and it didn’t help that I was somewhat merry. I said goodnight, leaving my new friends having a night cap, and returned to my cabin around 10.45pm where a substantial cheese plate with a glass of red sat waiting for me – this was the life! When I finally got in to the huge bed, it was so comfy that I fell asleep instantly!
Gratitude List 1. A fun journey from Mallorca to Budapest, via Gatwick 2. Being part of the Fam Trip with Riverside Luxury Cruises and Travelpack 3. Being wined and dined like royalty on Riverside Mozart.
Photo Credit – some photos taken by the rest of the Fam Trip Attendees
There were so many things that we could have done on Tuesday 16th June but I was aware that with only one day and another night, the best thing to do was live like a local in Santa Ponsa. My host, the Mallorca Resort Expert, had asked if I’d wanted to do a boat trip, go to the pirate show or see any of the sights while I was there – I preferred to spend time with her. I did have some work to do but we kept it to a minimum as well as working on content ideas for our social media work pages. My friend had took the liberty of guessing what I might like for breakfast and had served it up on the balcony, overlooking the beach and sea. Our meal was a feast of yoghurt with fruit, cheese and ham on bread with garlic dip, olives, tomatoes, more bread and a hot drink. It was so good and we ate while people watching the goings on at the beach below. We decided that’s where we would spend some time today, on the beach! We donned our swimmers, put on the suncream, grabbed our beach towels (my new one was super light) and a parasol before tackling those steps down to the beach. The sand was soft and hot but there was a lovely breeze as we sat down with a small bag of picnic type items. We had to keep an eye on the cheeky gulls who were well practiced in stealing any treats they fancied from people’s bags while they were in the sea. It was my first time this year, just lazing on the beach. Despite being so near to it in Dalyan, I rarely have a day off for beach going and thought perhaps I should do more of it.
Around 4pm we decided to head back ‘home’, after a walk along the seafront path and calling at the shop. I noticed my face was pretty pink and decided it might be a good idea to treat us to a face mask to prevent my skin looking like a typical Brit abroad, later! Here’s what we bought, with prices in Euros;
Santa Ponsa Supermarket 1.5l bottled water 0.31 Apple juice 1.00 500ml Fanta Lemon 2.00 1 can Mixed fruit cider 2.35 2 Aloe Vera face masks 3.00 Total spent €8.66 (£7.36)
I did a bit of work then we popped on the face masks and had a 10 minute lay down which turned into a cheeky cat nap but my face felt and looked loads better after it. Back on that fantastic sea view balcony, we ate a really lovely meal of mozzarella, tomato, avocado and basil served with fresh bread, olives, rice crackers and a peach. I chatted on about how Fanta lemon in Spain is different to that in the UK. We also managed to have a croissant which we hadn’t eaten earlier. I was stuffed and feeling relaxed and happy, but not looking forward to leaving at 4am tomorrow morning. The visit had gone too quickly but I was still glad to have had some time in Santa Ponsa, which was so beautiful.
The evening plan was to simply watch the sunset at Il Chiringo, in Costa De La Calma. It was a place the Mallorca Resort Expert had been to many times before and she wanted me to see it for myself. After dinner we walked to the venue, bumping into a man with his dog on the way, who invited us to go to his house. We didn’t go but it struck me that the locals were friendly, and his dog was cute. When we arrived we had timed it perfectly and were sat amongst the other locals who were all coming in from a swim to have a sunset drink or bite to eat. It was beautiful and I felt so lucky to get to see it, I perhaps wouldn’t have found out about this hidden gem if I wasn’t staying with my friend. I wasn’t sure what to order to drink so I tried my first shandy made with lemon Fanta (commonly called Clara) for €4 (£3.40) and my fellow sunset watcher had an alcohol free beer which was slightly more at €4.50 (£3.83). I thought this was very reasonable given the location – the Fanta shandy was an absolute game changer. We walked back, taking those steps for the last time where a cat watched us. He was nicknamed The Manager as he was in charge of the place. I packed my stuff in to Pauline, my petite pink under seat case, I had a full neck pillow too but this time I was flying with easyJet so there was no need for booking the exit row seat. We both set alarms on both phones so that we could make sure I didn’t miss my flight.
Gratitude List 1. Spending time, both for work and personally, with the Mallorca Resort Expert 2. An afternoon at the beach 3. Sunset at Il Chiringo
It was all go on Monday 1st June, my last full day in Dalyan for 3 weeks. I was up early with Norman but made him wait until 7am for breakfast, by which time he was chomping at the bit! I gave him his usual, but with egg, and did a video to send to Little Daddy, aka Jamie. Next, I completed as much banking as I could for today and then went to meet a friend for a walk from 8am. As I walked to Kaunos tea gardens the sun was shining and it was definitely summer now.
By 11am I was back with Norman, cleaning and getting ready for Drew’s return, later tonight. At noon I went to meet Janet & Ian in Ren Garden, for a cup of tea and to arrange to catch up again when I got back from my holiday.
I worked for the rest of the day, while Norman mainly snoozed away. By 6.30pm, I was going back to Ren Garden to meet my parents. We had arranged to go for a last meal before I left and had chosen Duble, another firm favourite of ours. Drew had got delayed but I had kept hold of the key in case I needed to pop back to check on Norman. I paid for the drinks at Ren Garden which only came to 620 lira (£10.33) for all 3 of us. At Duble the food was excellent and I was so pleased that I had decided to have the soup to start, then 2 more hot starters as a main; prawns and liver. We all had the chicken soup, one of the best in town, with extra bread. Ma ordered lamb chops which looked fab and Pa had a chicken casserole which came with rice and chips – one of the best meals out, for definite. We also had water and wine to go with our food and, when the bill came, Mom insisted on paying. Once we had eaten, all 3 of us went to Jamie & Drew’s to check on Norman as Drew’s flight was delayed quite a bit and I had been gone for over 3 hours. Little Norman was pleased to see us all but seemed confused that there was no sign of Step Daddy Drew or any wine as he’d expected. We left and went back to my parents for a nightcap and arranged to say goodbye tomorrow morning.
Gratitude List 1. Norman 2. Seeing friends and my parents 3. An excellent meal at Duble.
There must have been something in the water this week because, on the morning of Wednesday 27th May, a friend popped round and was out of sorts too. She’d had some family drama which had upset her so she came over for a cup of tea and a vent. I felt very sorry for her and could empathise but I didn’t have much time because I was due to pick up my sourdough at 11am. I just bought 1 caraway seed loaf at 300 lira (£5) from Mesude because I would be leaving Dalyan in 6 days. Luckily, I had already got weighed to find I had lost 0.7kg this week (1.5lb) – there’s nothing like a family fall out to get rid of a bit of weight! I rushed back for a co-working Zoom call at noon, did some training on Hunta, the new walking trail website and let Norman out. Before Fat Club I walked round to Mary’s, who had the new scales for Carol but was under the weather. I collected the scales and we presented them to Carol who was very pleased. Both Carol and I decided we would have wine today and most of the group had an alcoholic beverage too. After 2 wines at 300 lira (£5) I had to rush back to a webinar on European cruises. After a walk with Norman, I made egg fried rice with extra veg and had it with chickpea and spinach curry. I needed to get back to being focused on my healthy meals and had loads in the freezer to try to eat before I left Dalyan.
Gratitude List 1. Norman 2. New scales for Carol at Fat Club 3. Sourdough
I had a 7.30am walk and talk meeting with a friend on Thursday 28th May. We decided to eat at Kaunos tea gardens where a large tea was 25 lira (42p) and a cheese and onion toastie with chips and olives was 150 lira (£2.50), a bargain breakfast. Back home I did more training on Hunta and set up my profile. I did another co-working Zoom to ‘get shit done’. I used the time to set up a new account on Substack and wrote my first article. The Resort Experts team meeting was at 1pm and the rest of the day was dealing with admin and writing more. I also designed some notebooks with quirky titles as another way to make passive income. I didn’t drink alcohol and I spent very little so my weekly spend for this week was under budget at £65.57. I still had 3 days left of the month and I wanted to remain under £30 if I could. Luckily I had no plans to go anywhere before I left for the UK.
Gratitude List 1. Getting a morning walk with a friend 2. Breakfast for less than £3 3. Doing more side projects in an attempt to earn more money and help more people.
There was excitement in store for the afternoon of Thursday 21st May as I was booked on the Captain Boris cheese and wine boat trip with my parents and Gayle from 3pm. Neil was still away but was returning later tonight. I got up early and worked so that I could finish at 2.30pm. Having consumed 4 cocktails and about half a bottle of red wine plus one for the road, last night, I was definitely feeling it this morning. My stomach was in turmoil and I needed to run some errands. I waited until 10am to call at the bank and then to Captainnet. I paid 750 lira (£12.50) for a month’s worth of home internet. At noon I had a call booked in and then the Resort Experts team meeting. Once finished, I was off to meet the family on the boat to enjoy 4 hours of indulgence for £60 (all the food and wine included in that price).
Once on the boat, I decided to pay my £60 upfront so that it was done and we could relax, the others did the same and I noticed Ma & Pa were not as eager to get on the wine as perhaps they usually might be. I took one for the team and started us off with a nice rosé. By 3.10pm all 4 of us had a wine, my dodgy stomach had been treated with imodium and we were tucking in to crisps and dips already. It was a full boat and we had certainly been spoiled by doing private trips previously as I had forgotten the inconvenience of having smokers onboard. Just 40 minutes in to the trip, we were anchored up and most people were in the sea, including Mom. I hadn’t even brought my swimmers on account of paying £60 to include the wine and wanted to get my money’s worth!! I also wanted to catch up with Becky and enjoy the boat. I got a call from our friend Martha who had happened to bump in to Captain Caveman back in the UK and they were having a catch up somewhere near Kendal. I did a quick video for them and sent a couple of photos from the boat.
By 5pm we were presented with Boris’s superb spread of cheese, meats, fruits, olives, nuts, bread, crackers – all presented so well. I made friends with Monique, a Dutch lady and spoke about my friendship of over 40 years with Ingrid, also from Holland. She was surprised she had not yet come to visit me. Gayle made some new friends at the front of the boat and I recognised the accent as they turned out to be from Rotherham. We had a lovely time and it’s another one of my favourite trips. I’d love to do a private cheese trip later in the year.
It was 7.20pm by the time we got back and a suggestion to head to Boris’s new bar, Dalyan Lounge was made. Several people agreed so Gayle and I said we would see them in there. My parents were not up for staying out and went home on the pretence they were going to come back out but Ma had already tipped me the wink that it probably wouldn’t happen. At Dalyan Lounge only Monique came from the boat, everyone else had peaked too early and gone home. Gayle and I had drinks of water, realising we took should probably have taken the example set by my parents but we don’t get together often and thought sod it. We’d been getting on really well and there was even talk of what it would be like to enter Race Across the World together. Of course it wouldn’t be much use either of us entering with our propensity to need a toilet, get lost and be far from fast on our feet. I’d not watched the last 3 series so I needed to catch up but it was a nice sentiment that we’d gone from hardly seeing each other to thinking we could spend 40 days together. I paid the bill for our waters, rosé wine for me and Bacardi and coke for Gayle which came to just 800 lira (£13.33) in total. As we were leaving, Boris gave us a bottle of rosé wine as a gift which was really good of him. The intention was to go home so that Gayle could meet Neil once he got back from Scotland but she’d done a quick change in the loos and was out out! We saw that Bistro Blue had some outdoor tables and plonked ourselves down. I tried to be sensible and ordered us a large bottle of water but Gayle was a bad influence and had already ordered a Pina Colada. I had a wine to be sociable and Neil arrived just as Gayle had started on the next cocktail made from Sorrel. To me it tasted like privet but she seemed to like it and Neil had a beer. When Neil was on his 2nd beer but about to order a 3rd, Gayle decided the Sorrel cocktail might be a bit strong and was recommended a Moscow Mule by the waitress. That was better but I still think the Pina Colada was the best, I stuck to the wine and ordered a second one with more water. Neil was hungry so we tried to order pizza from Pizza 48 but it was closed as it was gone 10.30pm. Our waiter at Bistro Blue made him pizza and chips and I just had to indulge as it was really good. When we got the bill, Neil tried to pay it all but I insisted on paying 1,000 lira (£16.67) for my 2 wines and some towards the pizza and chips I shared. The rest came to another 3,000 lira (£50) and it was another midnight finish. This week’s budget had well and truly been blown but I’d had an amazing time with the family. This week I had allowed myself a budget of £270, including the cash I had put by for the boat trips. I had spent £102.49 today alone, making it a total of £314.15 for the week, which included 2 boat trips, 2 meals out, all with alcohol but still 3 zero alcohol and zero spend days. I was already looking forward to June’s pay day!
Gratitude List
1. An amazing cheese and wine trip with Captain Boris and Rebecca
2. More time spent with Gayle, having a laugh at Dalyan Lounge
3. Getting in at midnight after Neil joined us for more drinks at Bistro Blue.
I worked all day on Sunday 17th May and found some great deals for cruises, including a similar route to the trip I would be going on in June. I had some warmed up pizza for lunch, which I cooked from frozen and then got excited when Travelpack put a Facebook post out to announce my Fam trip onboard Riverside Luxury Cruises. I worked late because I had taken tomorrow off so that I was on standby to join my sister, if I was invited to Köyceğiz on the yellow boat. It turned out though, that they had decided not to go so I messaged a friend to see if she fancied going to the beach instead and we made a loose plan to either go to Iztuzu or Dalaman in the morning.
Gratitude List 1. Being lucky enough to be going on the Riverside Luxury Cruises Fam trip next month 2. Pizza for lunch 3. Having the flexibility to take some time off.
My plans changed a bit on Monday 18th May; Jamie had asked me to let Norman out at lunch time as he was off to Fethiye for the day. My friend and I met for a cup of tea and a walk at 8am and postponed our outing to the beach. I got more annoyed than I should have that escaped balloons from boat trips were floating down the river! My parents, Gayle and Neil had said they were off to the beach but also changed their minds and went to Köyceğiz on the yellow boat.
I worked on some existing customer admin and checked on a customer abroad. I visited Norman, who was snoozing and needed to be tempted out with a peanut paw. He’d had a haircut and was looking very trim and pleased to see me. I had a late lunch of chicken casserole with green beans and carried on with promoting holidays for later in the year. For dinner I made a concoction of bacon and asparagus risotto, Slimming World style – so no wine or butter in it. Today I was pleased to have a zero spend and a zero alcohol day.
Gratitude List 1. An early morning walk 2. Seeing Norman, the dog 3. Nice home cooked food.
It was another quiet day on Tuesday 19th May. I did some book writing in the morning, a short course on how to write a landing page and form with Holly Frances and then completed another free course with Lisa Johnson on Selling with Integrity and Scaling. I was doing ok with Resort Experts but I could definitely take on more customers for this year and 2027 so I was working on doing just that. I had warmed up leftover risotto for lunch, which wasn’t the best as it was using broken rice. I worked more in the afternoon and then made a Slimming World Tarka Dal for dinner. It was very tasty and felt healthy which was good as I had weigh day tomorrow and I wasn’t hopeful for a loss this week. I stayed at home in the evening and had another zero spend and zero alcohol day.
Gratitude List 1. Free and helpful courses 2. Home cooked meals 3. A quiet but productive day.
My sister and her husband had booked a private boat trip on Princess of Ekincik on Saturday 16th May for just the 5 of us and I was really pleased to be joining. I nipped to the bank and walked through Mosque Square for a 10am departure, noticing there were lots of stalls set up for today’s fayre. I didn’t mind in the least that I would miss that, and the Saturday market, as Gayle had organised for us to do a whole day and evening on the boat. Ivona was joining Captain Ismail and his second mate so there were just 3 crew and 5 passengers on the super comfy boat – it’s a firm favourite of ours and a real treat. It’s got one of the best toilets and has great steps for getting in and out of the water. It has also been suitable to take a wheelchair when our friends came last year. I find Ivona and Ismail a good team who work well together and do everything they can to make the trip one of the best. After a warm welcome and hellos it was time to enjoy our day out.
We set sail with a hot beverage and either a gluten free coconut biscuit or a normal Turkish one. As it was a bit choppy at Devil’s Bay we went to the Ekincik side but this time with a few different coves thrown in for good measure. Gayle and Neil were the bravest to get in the sea first, shortly followed by Dad – it was still a bit too cold for Mom and I, though. I went on the top deck for a bit to relax and get some sun. It was great to have my phone on silent and to be able to relax.
Our BBQ lunch was incredible with 8 mezes, salad, chips, meatballs, chicken and prawns – all cooked by our Captain or made by his Mom! All of our food allergies and intolerances were catered for without any issues at all. I chose rosé wine to go with the meal, Gayle joined me while the others stuck to Efes Malt beers. It was perhaps one of the best boat lunches I’ve had so far (and I’ve had a few)!
Following the food, we all chilled out as we sailed to more stops and then to Little Dalyan for a wander on the beach. In the afternoon we had cake with fruit, always a lovely treat as Ivona makes a great cake. The weather was a little overcast as we set sail once again, back to Dalyan to drop off Ivona. We hardly noticed the clouds as more drinks flowed and we decided to go to the mudbaths at Sultaniye. It costs 100 lira (£1.67) each to use the facilities there and you can stay for as long as you like. It’s always a good idea to wear old swimwear as the sulphur makes it smell, you also need to take off any silver jewellery to save it going black. We didn’t bother with the mud pool as we have all done it before but Gayle and I went in the hot pools. It was so relaxing, we really enjoyed it and had a good chat and a very cold rinse off shower. Back on the boat, we dried off and I put my wintery clothes on to keep warm and ordered another wine.
To celebrate Neil’s upcoming 50th I’d organised to have a surprise bottle of Prosecco for a toast before dinner, as my parents and I wouldn’t be in the UK for his actual birthday. Dinner was another fantastic meal; Gayle, Neil and Ma all had a fish for their main, Dad and I had steak skewers. There were 6 mezes, a salad, chips, flat bread and more prawns too – we all felt very well looked after and extremely full. Before we arrived back to Dalyan, I bought some homemade olive oil and honey and paid my drinks bill. The total I paid for all my drinks and extras plus my share of the boat came to £128 and was a real treat of a day and night – I felt very lucky to have been able to do it.
Gratitude List 1. An excellent private boat trip with the family on Princess of Ekincik 2. Some of the best food I’d eaten in Dalyan 3. A visit to the hot pools of Sultaniye with my sister.
joloyolo 