Author: Brian Ogle

MENORCA: DESTINATION REPORT BY NATASHA WARCHOLAK

CAN you imagine the lush greenery of Ireland in blazing sunshine? A balmy Mediterranean island still immune to cut-throat tourism?

NEWS LINES…….. NEWS LINES……… NEWS LINES……… NEWS LINES…….. NEWS LINES

MP for Lagan Valley at Westminster Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been fighting the battle for Northern Ireland travel agents, particularly hard hit by the Covid pandemic in the past year and a half.

DALATA Hotel Group Plc, the largest hotel group in Ireland, with a growing presence in the United Kingdom, yesterday officially opened the Group’s first hotel in Scotland, creating 80 jobs locally.

CAME across an absolute gem of a bistro the other day… a chocolatier and coffee shop run by Laura-Lee and Stuart Elliott in the centre of Ballymena, right opposite The Tower Centre.

Apparently inspired by the pair’s love of, you’ve guessed it, Chocolate and Coffee, ‘Chocoa’ teams up with the “best Chocolatiers, Coffee Roasters and Master Tea Blenders”, local bakers and the freshest locally sourced produce to produce fare which not only looks stunning but tastes just as good as it appears in the display unit.

The food is cooked fresh in house and the result is an unbelievable array of luxury desserts. – the ‘sweets’ are definitely something else – seasonal savouries, and of course, attractive handcrafted chocolates… A bonus is that the staff are some of the most polite and friendliest you will ever encounter.

And If you’re a tea, rather than a coffee aficionado like me, Chocoa’s Breakfast Tea is as near perfect as it could be, served in glass cups with a see-through pot warming over a hot tea candle.

Every so often you come across somewhere that’s a bit special and stands out from the rest, Chocoa is special….. try it for yourself!

LUXURY Edinburgh venue, Dundas Castle is launching a new offering for the staycation market, with the launch of three countryside retreats on the Estate.

AFTER EHIC CARD EXPIRES NEW GLOBAL HEALTH INSURANCE WILL BE LAUNCHED

UK passport holders will continue to benefit from free emergency medical treatment when travelling within the EU from January 1.

BRIAN OGLE recalls a pint and a steak in a pub called Belfast now in Russian occupied Crimea……

BELIEVE it or not, there are no fewer than 14 towns or cities with the name Belfast in the United States, two in South Africa, one in a suburb of Christ Church, New Zealand and one in the St Thomas region of Jamaica in the Caribbean, some 25 miles east of the capital Kingston.

… ESPECIALLY POIGNANT AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR

IT’S almost 30 years ago now that I first visited the battlefields of Flanders and the historic, iconic town of Ypres in particular.

PRODUCTS WHICH MAKE PROV

NORTHERN Ireland’s fantastic food and drink products have played a central role in elevating the Province Ireland to become a ‘bucket-list’ destination for international food enthusiasts.

THE CROWDS WILL BE MISSING THIS YEAR, BUT THE PEOPLE OF YPRES AND BELGIUM WILL NOT FORGET……

AS Armistice Day nears, the Corona Virus pandemic has resulted in the general public being asked to stay away from the unique daily act of remembrance in the town of Ypres, in Flanders, on what in the First World War was the Western Front.