Where it started
Friday, 27 September 2019
Kayaking in crystal waters
The fabulous Luksa lives with his wife, his little daughter and their gorgeous daft dog in a a lovely house on a lake, from which he operates his kayaking tours (ID Adventures) around the nearby lakes. How's this for a view to wake up to?
I left my non-swimming husband very happy with the dog on the waterfront, equipped with a supply of coffee and apfelstrudel, and set off on a magical morning with Luksa and another customer, Rich.
(Caveat: I was very relieved that Luksa offered to share a kayak with me; after a couple of miles it was clear they'd have been towing me back if I'd needed to, as it were, 'paddle my own canoe'!)
We first paused at a rockface where we took time to snorkel - finding sea anemones (Rich shows off his find)...
and then continued through the amazingly clear waters, taking it gently and chatting all the way, taking in the utter tranquillity of our surroundings. We then stopped at a small jetty (which Luksa had constructed to facilitate the stop for his clients), secured the kayaks, and climbed up the small hill to a seat (again a Luksa construction) to enjoy the perfect view. We sat and ate pomegranates (leaving the shells to be enjoyed by the local lizard and goat population) before scrambling back down the hill.
We stopped again for some more shallow-water snorkelling, and my little underwater camera was put to great use!
Returning to the lake by the house, Selwyn took photos as we came in...
Tired but happy, we then enjoyed a sensational smorgasbord (all provided as part of the very reasonable package).
This was a real highlight of our holiday, in an idyllic setting with a delightful man and his family, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Saturday, 4 May 2019
Helicopter flight
My wonderful husband knew that this was one of my 'life list' wishes, so he bought me a voucher for Christmas 2017 to experience it.
I tried to take it up in July 2018, incorporating a visit to our good friends Neville & Sarah in Oxfordshire. Unfortunately the weather on the appointed day which ghastly, with heavy rain and high winds, meaning of course the flight couldn't take place. However, a second attempt made in May 2019 was a great success.
My husband deliberately bought a voucher for one, as this isn't his thing at all! However, he did take photographs from the ground. The 'chopper' is a wonderful and exciting machine, and the views across the glorious spires of Oxford (which, we have to be honest, is more attractive from above than from ground level) were fabulous.