chrisparkercommunications: Travel PR October 2015 | Page 4

TRAVEL

Page 38

Late deals

■ Flying from Edinburgh on
May 26, three nights in Prague
staying at the three-star
Prague Centre Superior on
bed and breakfast, from £195
per person.
■ Flying from Edinburgh on
May 25, six nights in Albir,
Costa Blanca, staying at the
three-star Albir Garden
Complex on self catering, from
£329 per person. This deal
includes a 22kg baggage
allowance and transfers.
■ Flying from Edinburgh on
May 25, seven nights in
Magaluf, Majorca, staying at
the three-star TRH
Palmanova on self catering,
from £349 per person. This
deal includes a 22kg baggage
allowance and transfers.
■ For these and other deals
see www.jet2holidays.com –
freephone 0800 408 5594,
or visit your travel agent.

more at DailyRecord.CO.UK

with

MELANIE HARVEY

Chris Parker gets a head for
heights as he goes in search of
some late spring skiing in one of
the world’s loftiest resorts

Luggage fables
PACKING your suitcase is tricky these days, with
every airline having different rules.
But a study by UK-based luggage delivery
company – sendmybag.com – discovered that
some people pack bizarre items.
The top 10 most unusual items were:
■ Framed pictures of dead cats – a woman in her
40s took the photos of “her family” everywhere.
■ A wall clock - a pensioner liked to fall asleep to
the sound of her ticking clock.
■ A set of dumbbells – a man with a “passion for
fitness” wouldn’t go anywhere without them.
■ Husband’s ashes in an urn – a widow from
Lanarkshire kept her late husband close by.
■ A 24-pack of Worcester sauce crisps – a
snack fan had an “obsession” with the flavour.
■ A plastic carrier bag full of sheared sheep’s
wool – a knitting fanatic or farmer.
■ Bondage gear – self explanatory.
■ A fire extinguisher – a man with pyrophobia
always packed one.
■ A stuffed hamster – one woman took her
former pet with her wherever she went.
■ About 15 ‘lucky rabbit’s feet’ – a man with a
fear of flying’s good luck charms.

Daily Record Saturday, May 3, 2014

AFTER clinging on to a T-bar
for the best part of a mile, I
can at last glide to the
­mountain’s edge and get an
awe-inspiring view of the Alps
from more than 12,000 feet.

Peak after snowy peak as far
as the eye can see in every
direction is lit up by the dazzling
spring sunshine. As far as viewing
points go, this has to take some
beating.
I’ve come to Cervinia, in the
Aosta Valley, tucked away in the
north-west corner of Italy.
Before me lies one of the world’s
highest ski areas.
At the top, I’m 6km and 1400
vertical metres from the village.
This should mean it’s possible to
find great powder conditions,
even into early May at the end of
the season.
During the long descent back to
the hotel, I pass in the shadow of
one of the Alps’ most famous
mountains. The
pyramid-shaped
4478m Matterhorn
DARING
– famously known
Somersaulting
skier in the
as the logo on a
Snowpark
certain Swiss
­chocolate bar –
dominates the
area. This
notorious rock, the
ice. With the sun beating down,
scene of many early
the conditions are perfect. The
climbing tragedies,
modern, quick lifts, are quiet, too.
looms large in
En route to lunch, I stop by the
Cervinia’s history,
Indianpark – considered one of
and in the town
the best snowparks in the Alps,
itself, with its
replete with half-pipe,
sculptures,
rails and jumps – and
­monuments and
chat with some
the souvenirs that fill
LIGHT FANTASTIC
uber-cool English
The Alpine village
the village’s gift shops.
of Cervinia
snowboarders, not that
Back in the centre, it’s pleasant
I can understand much
enough. Cervinia has made an
of their lingo.
effort in recent years to soften its
I decide against
image. Many of the hotels, bars and
having a go myself. Not
restaurants built in the 60s, have
wanting to get caught
been reclad in wood, giving a more
up in a “huckfest,”
traditional Alpine feel.
(when riders compete
My hotel is the Petit Palais, a
trying to catch bigger
10-minute stroll away.
and bigger air), and so
It’s basic but comfortable, and
feeling a bit “lame”,
the all-inclusive option is ideal for
(uncool), I decide it’s
families trying to keep costs down.
time to refuel. There
The food is good quality, with
is a lot of choice, with
antipasti and a first and second
placed, sitting right next to the
course cooked to order.
main cable car. Within minutes, I’m up to a dozen or so restaurants
dotted about the mountain. I head
There’s a decent choice of
at the lift station of Plan Maison at
to the self-service restaurant Chalet
­alcoholic drinks, too.
the heart of the resort.
Etoile, situated next to the
If you are looking for a little more
A deep gorge splits the main ski
Plan Maison lift.
varied nightlife, the Crystal reps
area into two sectors. I begin with
My pasta and coffee costs 12
host a bar crawl once a week. A
the bigger, left-hand section and
euros
– pretty reasonable and
10-euro ticket buys you five drinks
gradually move across. The slopes
certainly much cheaper than in
in the town’s best spots. For more
just below the Matterhorn are
pricey Zermatt. Eventually, a
family-friendly activities, there is
nearly deserted.
seat becomes available on the
also ice skating and bowling.
This is heaven for intermediates
panoramic terrace, packed with
I hit the slopes early, keen to
like me, with wide, cruisey reds.
sun worshippers. Hilariously, there
explore the whopping 300km of
There is still powder, especially at
are even Italian men holding tin foil
pistes. The Petit Palais is ideally
the top of the runs, with next to no