48
laws defendants are accusedof breaking.Here are a handful of themadcap rulings:
!It is illegal to enter theHouses of Parliament
in a suit of armour (1313).
$It is illegal for any person tofly a kite or slide on ice or
snow while in the street (1839).
%Any dead whale or sturgeonfound on the British coast
automatically becomes theproperty of the Monarch (1322).
&It is an offence for a publandlord to allow drunkenness
in their pub – in other words it isillegal to be drunk in a pub! (1872)
(No person shall import intoEngland potatoes which he
knows or has reasonable cause tosuspect to be Polish (2004).
)It is against the law to carry aplank along a pavement (1839).
SunSNAPS!
WIN£150
WE always say get closer to nature but we didn’tmean this close!
It’s hard to say what’s more alarming here, theblowfish’s surprised look or the fact his captorseems to have gone fishing in his pants.
Either way, Bill Stenzel, from Marlow in Bucks,gets the £150 hotels.com voucher this week forhis impressive angling shot.
He was in the Dominican Republic andpromises us he put the fish back.
Be in the running for a voucher by sending yourtop holiday shot to [email protected].
You don’t have to badger any animals but don’tforget to tell uswhere you were.
IT is 25C insunnyCYPRUS:Sevennights’ self-catering at
the 3HKefalonitis Apartments isfrom £232, departingManchester May 6. Seethomascook.com or call0844 412 5970.
hotspot
48 .............................. Saturday, May 2, 2015 1GM
4 pages of travel
THE London Dungeon ismarking the 800thanniversary of the signing ofthe Magna Carta with ashow about Britain’s silliestlaws, all through June.
Judge Lord WendyFarquhar’s London DungeonCourt will put some visitors on trialin a show where guests will be leftwondering whether the judge’s zealis more disturbing than the loony
TURKEY IS21C: Escapeto the sunfrom £311.That’sall-inclusive
at the 5H GreenNature Resort in Marmaris,departing Gatwick onMay 14. See onthebeach.co.uk or call 0871 474 3000for details.
hotspot
JUDGEOURDAFTESTLAWSATDUNGEONnews
The Grand Hotel,Eastbourne
WHAT’S IT LIKE?: Lives upto its name. This 5H hotel,nicknamed “The WhitePalace”, is situated onEastbourne’s seafront but ascreen of tall trees gives thefeeling of a country house.
Inside, gilded columnsand chandeliers createan atmosphere ofclassic style withfaultless service.
Famous guestshave includedWinston Churchill,Charlie Chaplin, theemperor of Ethiopiaand the queen of Thailand.ROOMS ANY GOOD?: The152 large and airy rooms,range from deluxebedrooms to penthousesuites. They fuse Victorianelegance with all mod-consincluding TVs, free wifiand luxury Molton Browntoiletries. Many have seaviews and balconies.EAT HERE ORGRAB APIZZA?: The Grand has two
restaurants. The Mirabelle’sfine dining scored eight outof ten from The Good FoodGuide, a rating only equalledor bettered by 14 restaurantsnationwide. Booking isessential.
The Garden Restaurant isa grand setting to enjoytraditional English cuisinewith a modern interpretation.WHAT ELSE?: There’s a
heated outside pool,indoor pool, gym, spaand even an Ofsted-approved kids’playroom. There are
also stunning periodrooms for weddings and
special events.SO YOU’D GO BACK?: It’snot cheap but you get whatyou pay for: Qualityaccommodation, thoughtfuland attentive service andold-fashioned style.WHAT’S THE DAMAGE?: Adeluxe room is £230, £265with sea view, rising to £600for the top suites (01323 412345, elitehotels.co.uk).
BILL TODD
checkincheckit out
SIGHTS ANDTOP FOOD INHALKIDIKI
BEAUTIFUL
Grecianyearn
SPLASHING TIME . . .the spectacular
coastline which alsooffers mountain views,below. Inset, top right,a local church andtempting cuisine
49
lMONARCH hasintroduced a new
in-flight “British ComfortFood” menu.
Dishes include a fullEnglish breakfast and aslow-braised Kentish alebeef casserole with parsleydumplings and roastedcarrots. All the meals withinthe new menucome with afree PGTips teaor Kencocoffee,whichnormallycosts £2.50.l RYANAIR has changedits prices for checking insports equipment.
There used to be a £50flat rate, but now there arefive categories: bike (£60);large sport includingsurfboards, canoes andkayaks (£60), skis (£40),golf bag (£30); and smallsport including fishing rod,bowling ball, racquet andhockey stick (£30).l FLYBE has launched aroute from Cardiff toDusseldorf. It will start as aweekly sevice on Saturdaysand then fly four timesweekly from August 31.
Fares start at £44.99each way. See flybe.com.
airnews
1GM Saturday, May 2, 2015 .............................. 49
CUNARD’S 175thcelebrations start inearnest tomorrowwhen Queen Mary 2,Queen Elizabeth andQueen Victoria form asailaway procession.
The ships will sail into homeport Southampton togetherand depart in formation.
At 4.30pm, Queen Mary 2will lead out Queen Elizabeth
and Queen Victoria.After the three-shipmeeting, QueenVictoria will depart onher seven-night
“LusitaniaRemembered” voyage.
Queen Mary 2 is bound forNew York, while QueenElizabeth will embark on aneight-night cruise calling atHamburg and Amsterdam.
FORMANORDERLYCUcruisenews
REMEMBER unspoiltGreece, the freshfood, clear seas andfriendly locals?
A trip to the Mount Athoscoast is a delicious trip backin time.
This is Greece pre all-inclusive, and beyond.
Aristotle wandered andwondered here — and Alexanderthe Great rampaged through. It’seasy to see why.
Naturally, it’s stunning. Thepine-caked mountains withroaring waterfalls and clearstreams roll into emeraldgreen seas.
Wild tortoises, no doubt as oldas the hills, walk the mountainpaths where great philosopherspondered. Bees drone throughthe land making the finesthoney, while locals still batteroctopuses on the sea rocks likethe forefathers before them.
Eat the food and it’s easy tosee why Greeks are so proud.Whether it’s traditional grilledsardines or octopus cooked inhoney-glazed figs, nut-cakedpastries or lamb with trufflepotatoes, it’s sublime.
Shhh. A few well-off powerfulpeople are keen to keep thisarea their own little secret.
Russian president VladmirPutin visits a nearby spot whereonly men are allowed,where monks make hisvery own Kremlinwine. Our ownPrince Philiphas a softspot forHalkidiki too.
Explore fromthe picturesquefishing village ofOlympiada. Thereare no giant hotelshere scarring thecoastline, just friendlytavernas and family-run hotels.
Hotel Germany has balconiesoverlooking the beach. All foodis hand-made with localproduce by smiling Loulou andserved on wooden decking onoverlooking the coastline.
All balconies look out to seaand the small pretty island ofCapri — it’s where Alexanderthe Great banished his wife forbeing adulterous.
Whether you’re in this hotelor its sister one Liotopi,Loulou’s charm and food willbowl you over.
And for those wanting tolearn the secrets of her crispybaclava, she runs cookeryclasses throughout the summer.
Owner Dimitri Sarris poursthe tasty local wine andexplains how proud they are tokeep Olympiada free from theravages of all-inclusive.
He gives free tours of thelocal monuments — includingthe birthplace of Aristotle.
How’s this for the best break-fast ever? Spooning thick Greek
yoghurt and honey into a fixed-grin gob, watching the sea washup to the restaurant steps, whilehearing the swallows busythemselves above. Then comethe pastries . . .
We took a fishing boat to theisland to help fisherman Marioscast his nets, before exploring alocal mussel farm.
Halkidiki mussels are famousfor being as fat as plums and astasty as the plankton green seasthey feast on.
They tasted so much bettersteamed in their own seawaterand drizzled with lemon —washed down with healthy slugsof the firewater tsipouro.
And no trip on a boat wouldbe complete without launching
off the back into thecrisp (read springtime
freezing) Aegeanfor a swim underthe sun.
It’s the simplethings that makeGreece sospecial. Clearskies and
driving sun ripenthe juiciesttomatoes and
seem to attract the tastiest fish.With bargain airlines flying
into Thessaloniki this area isopening up to visitors.
The pretty mountain village ofArnea makes a scenic stopoveron the way to the coast.
Fresh spring water poursthrough a hole in a tree in thecentral square — rumour has it,that if you drink it you’ll marrya local and stay for ever.
The honey shop is run by aman who’s allergic to bees. Hegives great tasting sessions.
You must try the excellentpies, cakes and jams from theVarvaro village.
Keeping traditional food andtechniques alive, whileproducing knockout treats totake home or scoff during apicnic while exploring the localwaterfalls.
You don’t need a brain thesize of Aristotle’s to know this iscracking place.
This food, this untouched cor-ner of Greece, is too good toignore any longer.
WILLIAM SPENCER
people are keen to keep thisarea their own little secret.
Russian president VladmirPutin visits a nearby spot whereonly men are allowed,where monks make hisvery own Kremlinwine. Our ownPrince Philiphas a softspot forHalkidiki too.
Explore fromthe picturesquefishing village ofOlympiada. Thereare no giant hotelshere scarring thecoastline, just friendlytavernas and family-run hotels.
Hotel Germany has balconies
washed down with healthy slugsof the firewater tsipouro.
And no trip on a boat wouldbe complete without launching
off the back into thecrisp (read springtime
freezing) Aegeanfor a swim underthe sun.
It’s the simplethings that makeGreece sospecial. Clearskies and
driving sun ripenthe juiciesttomatoes and
seem to attract the tastiest fish.With bargain airlines flying
into Thessaloniki this area isopening up to visitors.
GETTING THERE: A seven-nightwalking holiday in Eastern Halkidikiwith Ramblers Worldwide Holidaysis from £899, with flights leavingGatwick on October 17.
Includes airport transfers andaccommodation at the Hotel Liotopihotel-liotopi.gr/en. Plus a guidedwalking along the routes – ramblersholidays.co.uk/page/olympiada.
Rooms at Hotel Germany startfrom £57 hotel-germany.gr.
For more on Eastern Halkidikiand the Mount Athos area, seemountathosarea.org.
GO:ATHOS
SAYHI TODUBAI LIKECORRIE’SMICHELLE
CORONATION Street starMichelle Keegan, pictured,held her hen party in Dubaithis week.
She was celebrating herlast days of freedom beforemarrying ex-Towie star andTV presenter Mark Wright.
Michelle invited 30friends and family alongfor the trip – but youdon’t need to takethat many peoplewhen you go withVirgin Holidays.
11 Grigor Dimitrov, a semi-finalist at last year’sWimbledon Championship.
The BNP Paribas event isa great place to spot the starplayers of tomorrow.
The action is from June23-26 and tickets cost from£195. See bnpparibas
tennisclassic.com orcall 020 8233 5854.lOR if rugby is moreyour thing, the RibRoom restaurant
staywith thestarsVirgin Holidays.
It offers threenights’ half-board in aluxury sea-view room at the5H Sofitel The Palm Dubaifrom £625. LeavesHeathrow on June 20.
Call 0844 557 3859or go to virginholidays.co.uk.l IS he Canadian orBritish? Get yourselftickets to the TennisClassic next monthand you can ask himyourself.
Greg Rusedski isamong the stars atthe HurlinghamClub – along withcurrent world number
in London iscelebrating the World
Cup coming to Englandin September by hosting an
evening with LewisMoody MBE
“Mad Dog” Moodywill entertain dinerson September 3 witha few anecdotesthat are sure tocover how the name
came to stick. The four-course din-
ner with half a bottle ofwine and other treats
costs £100 a head.See theribroom.
co.uk or call 0207858 7250 forfurther details.
stars
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