The Dainty Traveller

This is a smaller city airport much like London City Airport. Like LCA I was impressed with ORLY. The airport has two terminals which are not that big. There was a diverse selection of eating options, however they were before security. After security there is only one café serving coffee, tea and sandwiches. So if you want more food, buy before you go through security. If you are very hungry, don’t worry, you can check in, buy your food, sit down and eat it, and then make your way through security. The airport terminals are small so you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of time getting to or finding your gate. The staff at this airport seemed happy and were very professional, I have no complaints.

This is another big airport like Pearson, Hartsfield, or Atlanta. I like this airport. I am not a fan of the red-carpeted floors by the departure gates but that is just a personal thing. The staff at Charles De Gaulle were as pleasant as Parisians can be. Don’t expect huge smiles or anything, but they get the job done, answer your questions and direct you to where you need to go. The airport is big, spacious, high ceilings and modern. The walls are quite bare and there’s not any art or photo exhibitions like at Pearson. There is a PAUL, (a French chain of cafés) in every terminal so don’t worry if you are a PAUL fan. There is a Mc Donalds and some other cafés, and a bunch of sit down bistro style restaurants as well. You shouldn’t go hungry at this airport. The bathrooms are clean and big and there are many located throughout the airport and its terminals.

I was there for a two-hour stop over on my way to Toronto coming from Conakry Guinea. The airport is big, the ceilings are a bit low for my taste but I did not feel claustrophobic. There are many eating options and like typical European airports, lots of shopping. I settled with a mozzarella and tomato sandwich from a Café near my gate. The sandwich was delicious. The staff was very helpful, there are security guards floating around the airport and they too air very good at assisting you with any query.

Conakry airport is interesting. I paused when writing this to think of another word but that is all that came to mind. My first time in Conakry was in July of 2005 and the airport was pretty much one big hanger. The Air France plane landed, we walked off the plane on to the runway and were directed where to line up to go through immigration. It was just that. The airport was not well lit, the staff was nice and our luggage was waiting for us when we got to baggage claim. It wasn’t a bad experience but it wasn’t anything great either. My second time using the Conakry airport was actually during that same trip. My mother and I were traveling to Dakar, Senegal to visit a friend for a weekend. We took Air Senegal which in Africa is known as “Air peut-être” (Air maybe) because sometimes they arrive and sometimes they are seriously delayed. So never bet any money that Air Senegal will arrive on time because you will probably lose all of it. Anyways, Air peut-être was the only airline that h...

The Frankfurt airport reminded me a lot of Amsterdam in terms of the low ceilings were. There are much more eating options though, and just like the Dutch, I found the Germans very friendly, customer service was on point and nice. I enjoyed my 24-hour stop over. We spent the night at the Sheraton hotel, which is right beside the airport. The hotel was very nice, clean, and amazing staff. There is a nice and easy walkway connecting the airport to the hotel. Also the public train comes right into the airport, you don’t even have to go outside!

Very good and not stressful like many airports. The Staff are extremely professional and friendly and for a small airport I was very impressed with the variety of eating options. However, there needs to be more bathrooms and more stalls in the bathrooms. It is much smaller airport than Heathrow or Gatwick, but it is still London and has several flights to many European cities everyday… So it is not that small in terms of their operations.

Is Heathrow ever NOT under construction? Heathrow is big, boring and did I say Big? Anyways, it is a huge airport, so make sure you get there on time, because you are probably going to have to take a shuttle bus or maybe two to your gate, because it is just that big. I found all of the staff at Heathrow from the airline, restaurant, cleaners and security to be very helpful and well mannered. So that is a plus!

I went to the Van Gogh museum in December of 2014 on my weekend in Amsterdam. I loved Amsterdam, it is such a beautiful city with great architecture, diverse food and very friendly people. I hope to go back next summer. My second morning in Amsterdam, my friend and I went to the Van Gogh museum. This was after a failed attempt the morning before. The day before we went thinking we would be able to just buy tickets and see the museum quickly. Boy were we wrong! We got there and met a huge, wrap around the sidewalk line. Buy your tickets ahead of time, and even when you do that, arrive at least 30 minutes ahead of your entry time. There is always a line at that museum. The next morning, with our tickets in our hands we got to the museum a half an hour before it opened and there was a line. It wasn’t too bad because the line up for ticket holders moved quite quickly once the museum opened. Once inside the museum, you pass the gift shop, café and coat check. I kept my coat on and I went t...

I found this airport very confusing. Why? Because the first floor is also the floor for the train station entrance, a shopping mall and just a lot of other things. There are signs for gates and airport information, but with all the shopping mall signs and train signs it can be a bit overwhelming. Anyways, after getting help from the information desk, I went upstairs to the actual “airport” and found my way to check in, through security and at my gate. The eating options are not much and not that varied once you pass through security. On the first floor with the mall and the train station there were several, so buy your food there first! By my gate there was only a boring little coffee shop and nothing more. Also none of the outlets to charge were working. The staff at Schiphol airport were very nice though and the ceilings in the airport are very low. Everyone in Amsterdam is super nice and happy! I love that place and definitely want to go back.

I had a lot of fun here! There is a real nice and chill vibe at this beach and it is a public beach so you don’t have to pay to enter. It was about a 1 and half drive from Port of Spain and the drive was very scenic through the mountains. There are sections on the road where you can stop and take pictures of the scenery, and some places buy snacks to eat when you’re on the beach. We rented beach chairs when we got to the beach, which cost 20TT each (a little over $3 USD). The water is very blue, more dark blue then the turquoise waters of other Caribbean islands. One thing for sure, the waves are huge and rough! You can go  deep into the ocean and your feet will still be touching the sand. It is just hard to get further out because the waves will keep hitting you and pushing you back to the shore. But that’s all part of the fun! You will definitely be tired and have a good night rest after facing those Maracas waves. After you jump the waves, or before it depends on you, you HAVE ...

Ok. I am going to start this one with my arrival in Trinidad on Feb 14 th (my birthday) 2015. I went to Trinidad for carnival and my carnival experience was amazing. I started with the positive because I don’t have much positive things to say about arrivals at Piarco Airport. My flight arrived at 11.15, so did another flight from somewhere in the United States. However, this should not have been a problem because it was carnival season, and they knew that several flights were coming in. They SHOULD have been prepared. When I got out of the plane and walked down to immigration I was shocked. There was a line to the line up. Yes you read that right. There was one long line that wrapped around twice, just to get to the real line, which was the line to immigration. That line, the real line was beyond long. The airport workers were extremely rude, no customer service, there was not even a representative to greet us and tell us what was happening or if we were even standing in the correct ...

Boston Jerk Centre: Yum Yum Yum. This is the most famous jerk centre in Jamaica. There are several jerk grill spots in the Boston jerk strip which is right beside Boston beach. How perfect. The menus of course have classic jerk chicken and there is jerk pork, beef, fish and even tofu! There are sections where you can sit and eat, my mother, aunty and I were satisfied sitting across the street in front of a beverage shop.

Boston Beach: For my surfers! If you’re into surfing this is the place for you. Non-surfers don’t be scared away, this beach is still for everyone. Boston beach is in the town of Boston, in the parish of Portland and right beside the famous Boston Jerk (read next). Turquoise blue waters, and mild tempered waves is how I would describe this beach. It’s a great spot to hang out and have a picnic and I am pretty sure It is a public beach. 

Eroll Flynn Marina and Beach: The Eroll Flynn Marina and beach was named after the famous James Bond creator Eroll Flynn. He spent a lot of his time in Portland and came up with many of the James Bond Stories there. The marina is a cool spot to hang out with friends, have a family day, or even just some alone time with a book. You look on to the sea and the surrounding mountains. The beach is not the biggest but the water is clear, sand is soft and the beach is pretty. We didn’t swim in the beach, for we were just hanging out. Me and my sister got our feet wet and then just chilled on the sand. There is an ice cream shop near by, so we finished our day with a sweet ending.

San San beach: Well I can’t say much about this beach. Our feet only touched the sand and never made it into the water. We thought it was free and when we were approached by two goony looking men that demanded we paid the entrance fee my mother was not pleased. One, the road into the beach was full of potholes, and the beach front wasn’t the cleanest. So not worth paying in my opinion. The water looked gorgeous but I didn’t spend anytime in it.

Winnifred beach: This is the most beautiful beach in Portland and one of the most beautiful beaches in Jamaica. The water is so calm and relaxing. We went in the afternoon and stayed until the sun started to set. There are little shops selling local crafts, and t-shirts and restaurants serving yummy Jamaican food and snacks a long the beach. There is also a cold springs that fresh river water runs into. It is very cold yet refreshing just to take a quick dip in and out. What makes Winifred beach even better is that is is FREE FREE FREE, no entrance fees (read attached article). However, the road to get to the beach is quite bad, no it’s very bad. You can’t even call it a road, it’s a dirt road with several pot holes. But don’t let the drive discourage you, because the beach is sooo worth it. Many argue that the government refuses to fix the road, in order to spite the locals so then the government can sell it and privatize the beach. However, locals are tax payers just like anyon...

French Man’s Cove: This is a private beach like almost all the beaches in Jamaica, which I think is sad. Anyways, you have to pay to get in. If I remember correctly, it was 600 Jamaican dollars per person, which is more or less 6 dollars USD. When you enter French Man’s cove, you feel as if you are in a national park or botanical gardens. You walk through a guided path for about 5-7 minutes and then you are at the beach and the changing stalls and showers are nearby. The day we went, the water was rough so it wasn’t as calm as it usually is. It was hot and sunny. I can’t say French Man’s Cove is my favourite beach, I felt that it was pretty small and not worth of an entry fee really. For the size of the beach I think it should be free. All beaches should be free.