With everything which has happened over the last two years, one thing which we all could use is a holiday, something special, something which a huge amount of people enjoy, and looks like it could be terrific fun, Cruising. What peaked my interest in this type of holiday was watching Cruising with Jane McDonald, when I came across it on youtube search. Jane McDonald is known as a great singer and presenter, so top set the holiday mood, I found something to listen too, hope you enjoy my choice. The quality of this VHS tape transferred to digital is a bit sketchy however the sound quality is reasonably good. There are many great songs on this recording, but I would urge you to go to 35.00 minutes into it, and listen to Jane sing, 'Do You Know The Way To San Jose', it is pitch perfect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-22COAb4es
When Jane McDonald started her holiday programmes, she really found her second bow string to her string, and an unique niche, when she popped up on our screens and started giving her views and firsthand experience on ideal holidays. You could say, this show was an instant hit, her series had charm interwoven with facts and humour. Unlike some stars who seen as divas, Jane McDonald rolled her sleeves up and pitched in, with the regular cruisers, in effect they became 'episode' stars in their own right. It was tragic when Channel 5 lost one of its biggest stars after Jane revealed that she was stepping away from the long-running travel show. If there was ever someone you would hope to meet on holiday, she was it. Jane's show won Channel 5 its first ever BAFTA award in 2018.
The great thing about cruising is that everything is planned, all you have to do is turn up, sign in, unpack, find your way round the ship, and eat and enjoy. Cruising does cost a bit of money, but it is an experience not to forget. The food is great, and so is the entertainment, and if you want to stop off and visits the sights on the various ports, with guided tours, how can you go wrong. Cruising is an activity that pushes you towards other people, everyone is in the same boat, and it is diversity in action, all types of people and all types of social status can be found, from the people next door to the rather well off. It was originally thought that cruising was an activity for people who have retired, and you would meet plenty of them onboard, but you get your fair share of young people too. And everyone is of course looking for the time of their life, and some people certainly have that in spades. Cruising is a really good option for adults with young families, so if you're a parent and wondering can you go and see the nightly shows, both babysitting and créche services are available on major cruise lines.
In life, you something come a TV show that is a must watch, mainly it can be down to the subject matter, sometimes it is because you are a fan of the presenter, but if you can get the perfect storm of material and presenter together, you get an instant hit. It is a bit like mum's homemade chicken and rice, no matter how many times you have had it, you can always go one more time. Of course Cruising with Jane McDonald was a mega hit, but she also done a spin-off Holidaying with Jane McDonald. Finding good quality footage of that series isn't easy, but to give you two videos worth to watch with this post, please click on this link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHCzdwkJ9VU
The quality of the footage is excellent, and this episode is jam packed with fun and educationally interesting experiences. Normally, I don't write about holidays, mainly because for most of life, I have never had a traditional holiday. When I went away for a jaunt, it was being put up in a friend or a friend's relatives 's home, but when I did go away, and saw the sights, I knew it confirmed something that I thought of a lot that I knew as a kid, I would love to travel. Seeing others like Jane McDonald doing it only further embeds my desire to go explore, and then explore some more. When Jane McDonald packed in doing her holiday shows was a blow to the nation, it was like someone taking a public information series off the air that people couldn't get enough of.
Jane McDonald said when leaving:
“It’s been an incredible four and a half years of travelling, 38 Cruises and over 100 flights. It’s now time for me to spend some time in the UK, concentrate on my music and tours and exciting new projects. I want to offer my most sincere thanks to everyone who has worked on all my shows. Everyone at Channel 5 and Viacom International Studios who have all helped make the most incredible and successful programmes. It’s been a total joy to work with everyone and thank you very much to everyone who has watched and supported the shows. I have had a blast.”
Ben Frow, Director of Programming at Channel 5 said:
“We’ve loved working with Jane and are proud to have had her as part of the family. She helped us to win our first BAFTA and her series have become solid staples of our Friday night schedules. Thank you Jane. We are sorry to see you go but wish you every happiness for the future.”
Finally, as more green shots of leaving lockdown emerges across the globe, I cannot help but think that many previous tourist countries will be keen not to be left behind. There are plenty of videos of how lockdown has hit countries hard. I don't to go with the official versions by State media, I prefer to see independence vloggers give their versions of how Covid hit ordinary people. Because I like travel, another vlogger I came across was an American guy who stays in Pattaya Thailand, his vlog is varied, it comes a huge range, but he did touch on the hardship faced by the people, and unlike some vloggers in Thailand, he doesn't focus on the seedy side. His vlog is like an adventure on the day to day living of an expat. Anyway, if you think you are having it tough, bear in mind that even in paradise, some people struggle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqo2eYPt7E4
I am not sure if many people will get away in 2022, but it is something that people will need to draw their focus towards. Everyone will eventually burn out, the trick is, to know when to just pack a bag, and go see the world. One of the best times in my life was being on holiday in Cologne, Germany, and visiting the Cathedral there beside the train station. One night a dozen of us, when and bought a Chinese to go visit a guy who was the security guard on a building site. Holidays comes in all shapes and sizes, I remember this one because, the weather, the location and the people were all great.
1 comment:
I worked with a guy from Cologne once (they call it Koln). He was a supported of Cologne and when Shalke used to come to town their supporters who were from the mining area of Germany used to wreck the joint out of badness.
This guy and a bunch of his pals waited for them at Cologne Railway Station and when they arrived they attacked them. He was arrested and spent a night in jail. His father was a strict guy and collected him the next day and confined him to the house for months.
The guy wanted to be a chef in his father's restaurant but he was made to study hard and finally became an engineer. It's exactly the type of thing that could happen in Glasgow or Edinburgh or Perth, but it just happened in Germany this time.
I love the country. The grub is fabulous. Goulashzuppe, boiled potatoes with everything, cheek of pork and all the rest of it.
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