Cultured Views

Hotel guests who don’t go anywhere!

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I have wondered from time to time just what motivates some English people to travel abroad. Right now I have a couple staying who have yet to really launch themselves out into the nearby region beyond that of just wandering around the local village.

They have a raft of maps and brochures all telling them about the wonders of the local landscape, the monasteries, the castles, the ancient landmarks, the museums…all within 30 minutes easy drive from us and basically all free to access. But no - for some reason they seem hesitant to go past the next village which is 3 km’s away. And they are complaining that there’s not much to do there…

Also they don’t seem interested in eating at one of the many cafe’s and lovely restaurants locally either. I have seen them sitting in the village square with a grocery bag from the local supermarket drinking coke and eating pre-packed sandwiches. They return here about 4pm and then ‘eat in’. Which brings me to another interesting aspect…

I cook and serve regional cuisine as most tourists expect to try the local food…except certain English folk who just are not adventurous with regards to food when on holiday. With such guests I have found that meals like Cottage Pie and some of my Irish casserole recipes always go down well. In cases like this you just have to smile and wonder why some people bother to travel at all.

Popularity: 12% [?]

With an Infrared sauna there’s no need to get all steamed up

Just recently I was speaking about how much gym’s have changed in recent years. They still have the same objective - to get you fit and healthy - but I reckon you need a science degree to be able to operate some of the equipment.

Gyms usually come with sauna’s as well and how many of us have sat and stifled inside a booth full of steam - breathing other people’s sweat and toxins…? that’s why I never liked them and they also felt so claustrophobic - whenever I have used one in the past I only lasted about five minutes before I left gasping.

Even sauna’s have changed now and these days Infrared Saunas are the thing. The advantage is that you are not sitting in a pressure cooker environment; infrared rays now replace the coals and steam and they carry a whole range of health benefits including anti-cancer qualities. They have also been proven to assist in the healing of rheumatism, eczema, acne, low blood pressure and even helps fight the aging process - no wonder they have become so popular.

Many Americans are now installing their own far infrared sauna in their own homes; they take up very little space and if you never liked that feeling of being ‘closed in’ when using a conventional sauna these types come with clear doors or windows so you can see out. For those people who don’t like getting into a lift that feature alone will appeal.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Gyms go hi-tech these days

One thing I have noticed about gym’s these days is how complicated the darn equipment is to negotiate. I remember when going to the gym was uncomplicated and one did not have to worry about whether one was wearing the appropriate attire. But even gym ‘fashions’ change on a regular basis too…

You used to wear a tracksuit (usually grey/pink/light blue) or a basic leotard - black - and if you were a bit shy about your size (as most of us women are) you wore your husband’s t-shirt over the top. Then leotards went multi-coloured and shiny-metallic; then in came the leggings and bike pants tights - which were great until you saw women wearing them around the shopping centres…

Then came the ‘must have’ footwear. No longer could you get away with normal, everyday ’sandshoes’ - it had to be Nike, Reebok or something similar which cost half a weeks wages.  Then those hideous headbands thanks to the movie Flashdance.

But what really has changed is the gym equipment. In place of treadmills you now have things called ellipticals; the bikes are all computerised and you need a degree in computor programming to work out how to set the bloody things!

I once pedalled laboriously for twenty minutes on a bike which I thought was preset by the last person to the ‘multiple hills’ setting - until the gym assistant came over and told me it would work better if the bike was plugged in…

I gave up at that point - doing sit ups suddenly looked so much more attractive.

Popularity: 13% [?]