The weather can only be described as awful as we go into the Bank Holiday weekend – so much for a BBQ summer!
With this in mind, we thought we would brighten your day with talk of snorkelling in Malta, Cancun and Dizzee Rascal. Introducing, proud new dad, Niki McGowan….
Name: Niki McGowan
Role: IT Manager
Sum yourself up in ten words or less: quiet, helpful, relaxed, outgoing, determined, sporty and lately tired.
What one thing couldn’t you live without?
My newborn baby, Thomas, and my girlfriend.
Favourite desert island disk?
Dizzee Rascal would keep my spirits high, also Kasabian and Mumford & Sons.
Favourite holiday destination?
I loved Cancun when I was working over there for a week and definitely want to go back some day for a holiday, but for now it’s Crete.
Best holiday memory?
Snorkelling in the blue lagoon in Comino, Malta.
Holiday nightmare?
Being interrogated by Indian customs over a damaged passport and nearly having to stay there an additional week, on my own and with no money. That was pretty scary.
Favourite type of holiday?
A never ending holiday, ha ha….. No it would have to be a mix between adventure and beach.
I don’t know about you but when I go to a football match I have to get a cuppa and a pie at halftime.
A study at thirty of the major sports venues in the United States has shown that more than half the food stands and restaurants committed at least one “critical” or “major” health violation.
The study showed that at busy stadiums food is mass produced and corners are cut, which can mean that prepared snacks are not properly cooked or held at safe temperatures, allowing for the growth of dangerous bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus. In extreme cases, there was also evidence of rodent infestations.
As the football season kicked off this weekend in the UK, I’m sure there were plenty of fans flocking to the pie and pasty stands. This season, if you get the urge for a quick snack at half time, please make sure it’s thoroughly cooked and hot all the way through when served. If you don’t, the sweet taste of your team’s victory could easily be soured with a week of being ill.
If you have ever been stung by a jellyfish, you will appreciate the fear that an invasion of the creatures in Spain is instilling in holidaymakers and locals alike.
The jellyfish have attacked three areas of the Costa Blanca and have reportedly stung over 700 people. Please find the news story below:
Many people will be familiar with the episode of Friends, where Monica gets stung and Chandler “steps in” to ease her pain. Unfortunately, like the show demonstrates, ammonia, aka wee, is the best way to treat a jellyfish sting. But, if you don’t fancy that approach, here are a couple of other tips:
- If you’re stung, get out of the water immediately and try not to thrash around – easier said than done when your leg feels like it is on fire, I know.
- Don’t rub the sting area, this will make it worse.
- Vinegar, if applied liberally, can help treat the sting. If vinegar is not available, rinse the area in salt water.
- Put a bag of ice wrapped in a cloth on the affected area to relieve pain.
- If you have any difficulty breathing, dizziness, or an allergic reaction, call for medical help immediately.
I recommend anyone going on holiday to the Costa Blanca in the next few weeks to stick to the resort swimming pool or pack a bottle of Sarsons.
As we have spent so much time globetrotting with Steve on his cycle challenge over the past couple of weeks, we have decided to come back across the pond and introduce you to another member of the Check Safety First team in Blighty:
Name: Lee Jones
Role: Web developer
Sum yourself up in ten words or less: I am helpful, confident, a team player and hard working
Going to Cancun with my wife before we had children and befriending a couple from London. We had the best fortnight of our lives, and I will remember it for the rest of my life.
Holiday nightmare?
On our way to and from Brittany on the ferry, we had six hours of waves and rain. I would rather have died, than sit on the boat a second longer.
Favourite type of holiday?
It depends. If we get the rare opportunity to leave the kids at home, then it would have to be a relaxing beach holiday. However, if we were going on a family break then it is activity all the way – anyone with kids will know that you have to constantly keep them entertained.
I was doing my regular trawl of interesting travel blogs, when I stumbled across an entry on Travel-Rants which I had to recommend.
The piece advises people on how to keep safe on holiday and avoid being a victim of theft. All the tips are common sense but, as we have pointed out several times on this blog, it is the obvious things that are often forgotten about by people who are caught up in the buzz of being somewhere new.
Anyone about to head of on their travels, read this piece before you go.
That’s me done – my challenge is complete. I am now back at Geneva airport, safe and sound and waiting to board my flight home to sunny Spain. Although I did not complete my intended 1,000 miles, I was somewhat inhibited by the rain on days ten and eleven, but I have done 800 miles exactly. I did the last few miles around Geneva this morning.
Thank you to everyone who has followed my adventure. Although it has been very tiring, it has also been very rewarding. I feel great, mentally as well as physically, and am ready to get back to work – which actually starts tomorrow with a two day trip to Mallorca (seemed like a good idea when I arranged it).
I am already thinking of what I can do next year, so watch this space!
I am on the home straight – what a fantastic feeling. I am also pleased to report that the scales in my hotel are telling me that I now weigh 90kg. That’s 6.5 kg less than when I set off (14lbs). This is a diet which I would recommend.
Today I rode 125 km from Neuchatel to Coppet on Lake Geneva (photo), leaving me a very short distance for the morning.
I have a little more cycling to do before I get to the airport tomorrow, but I am back in Geneva where I started. So, I am afraid that means there is just one more blog left in the series.
I am now starting to head back towards Geneva. Today I passed through the Swiss capital of Berne (photo) and to apparently the “flattest” part of the country, a place called Neuchatel. Nothing is flat in Switzerland!
I did 111km today and I am looking forward to getting to the finishing line on Wednesday morning.
I have really enjoyed this adventure, but next time I will definitely do more training for the mountains.
Happy Birthday to my daughter Izzy for Monday – 10 years old!
Today I had a great ride out to Grindlewald with a spectacular view of the north face of the Eiger. This vertical rock face is almost 1.5 miles high (see photo). Easy quiz: Which Clint Eastwood film was set in Grindlewald?
I purposely did 83km today, as that makes exactly 1,000km since I set off on the 24th.
Rain, rain and more rain! This is becoming silly. Last week the temperature did not drop below 30 degrees, and now it’s wet and 17 degrees at best.
I did some walking this morning. The boat you can see in the picture is part of a fleet that sail up and down the lakes as a form of transport for local people and they all have fabulous restaurants onboard. Now this is a sector Check Safety First should look at!
I did actually get out on the bike this afternoon and went to Thun (William Tell country). I only managed 57km today, but the total is creeping a little higher.
