Pick up some tricks on which time of year, weekday and time of day you should book to get the cheapest flight.

I think any advice that helps you get a cheaper seat is worthwhile as prices can vary so much. Do you have any tips to get that flight for as little as possible. I find that the low cost airlines Easyjet and Ryanair have options to search for cheapest fares available either during a specific month or period.  I usually book a few months in advance and travel midweek in low season.  I do appreciate that I am fortunate in having a lot of flxibility about when I travel.  I think that if you have to fly at peak times you could be struggling to find a bargain but it is always work a try.

A new sea plane service will commence from Glasgow to the peninsulas and islands on the west coast of Scotland.  The sea planes will use the River Clyde as a runway.  It sounds a great idea to be able to reach these destinations directly from Glasgow, rather than having to either undertake a  long way drive or get out to one of the ferry port where the crossing may take several hours.  However tickets will cost between £110 and £185 and the service won’t run during Winter. Therefore I would judge that it will be a service for well heeled but pressed for time passengers.

A seal pup can regulary be seen basking in the Winter sun on a sand bank just beneath the old bridge over the River Tweed in Berwick upon Tweed in north east England.

The seal pup is pretty curious and peers up at onlookers who gather on the bridge to admire it.

My Guide to North Northumberland is now online. I moved to Berwick upon Tweed in this region, last Spring. Berwick is surrounded by an Elizabeth defensive wall. It lies on the estuary of the River Tweed. It is a great area in which to spend a few days. You can visit Bamburgh and Alnwick castles, Holy Island and the spectacular coastline.

I have just finished writing my Guide to the Scottish Borders. I really like this area. The countryside and views are fantastic and there are plenty of attractive towns and villages to visit. The area has several beautiful old abbeys.

I was interested to read the Viator Top 25 Things to do in Europe.

I observed that 4 out of the top ten were in Rome. I agree that many of these are worthwhile doing, I have done number 2, visiting the Vatican and Sistine Chapel.  What I did not enjoy about the Vatican was the crowds (and this was in February), you couldn’t move at your own pace through the rooms, you were almost propelled forwards.

However I would say that you could get a lot more of out of trip in Europe if you just spend time wandering around, soaking up the atmosphere, going at your own pace, visiting some less well known destinations instead of rushing around on a organised tour or just sticking to tourist magnets.

What are your top 3 things to do in Europe? I tried to think of mine but it is difficult for me to say specific trips/attractions. For example, I spent 4 days in Rome and enjoyed the whole experience, I wouldn’t rate the Vatican as the number one thing I did, although it added to the overall experience.  We literally walked around for 4 days. Rome really is a living museum, you can walk in an alley and suddenly you are in a beautiful piazza. You go to sit in cafe and watch the world go by.

The Italian village of Vignella can now bask in the Winter sunshine thanks to the installation of a 48 metre square mirror positioned to reflect light into the dark valley. The village mayor received a government grant to set up the mirror and now the village enjoys up to 6 hours of sunshine per day even in deepest Winter. In the past there was no sun in the village for 3 months.

Can you think of any way that your local authority could light up the Winter months were you live?

Why not try a spot of haggis hunting? Fear not, you do not have to venture on to the Scottish mountains and it’s environmentally friendly, no haggis will be injured or killed during the hunt. You can even win a prize.

I was reading a post about the embarrassment of ordering a meal, if you were not sure how to pronounce the name of the dish.  I posted a comment saying that part of the problem is our lack of laguage skills?

Can you speak any European languages well enough to get by?  I studied French at high school for 5 years.  I was pretty good at the grammar and writing in French (as I had time to sit and think before I wrote anything)  I did have some French friends when I was in my late teens and I did become pretty fluent.

I decided that I wanted to learn some Italian as many of my suppliers are in Italy. I thought it would be great if I could speak a little to them in Italian when we met.  Fortunately there was a class running locally which focused on speaking Italian.  However at the end of the ten week block, with two hour session once a week, I have a very limited grasp.  I do have a CD and book so I hope that with the grounding I have I will be able to progress.

I read a post on Wandalust about tips for civilised behaviour between air travel passengers. I think this is a pretty thorny topic, most of the problems being caused by lack of space. I have touched on this topic previously.
I am tall, 5’10″ and quite broad shouldered, so I do have a problem betting comfortable during flights. I tend to prefer short flights, say a couple of hours to fly from the UK to Italy. I usually travel off peak, midweek so I have rarely been on a full plane with the low cost carriers. I am fortunate that I have this flexibility in when I travel.

I think that you do have to think of other passengers during a flight but lack of space is an issue which can not be totally overcome by good manners and consideration.