What a wonderful time we had despite breaking news of the Corona Virus. We really didn't know whether to go or not but when we got there is was sooooooooooooo lovely to be besides the sea. And as we now know, probably our last break away for a long time.
The Bed and Breakfast accommodation we stayed in I can't recommend highly enough. We were the only guests and had a large ground floor room (Rm 1) in Mory House, 31 Grand Avenue, Bournemouth - see my review on Trip Advisor.
The attention to detail at this B&B was superb - a little fridge in our room filled with treats, a jar of liquorice allsorts and plenty of beverages; in the bathroom the sink plug chain was curled on top of the plug - such lovely touches to make us feel special guests. Outside our room there was an array of home-made cakes and cookies as well as a bowl of fruit to help ourselves to.
Grand Avenue, Southbourne is five minutes walk from the High Street where there are a plethora of eateries, a lovely library to pick up information leaflets from, lots of bus stops and well knowns shops as well as querky but classy gift shops. It is also a walkable distance along the coast to Bournemouth and interesting walk to Christchurch. If you are not a walker and don't want to drive, the buses are extremely plentiful and frequent.
In the High Street of Southbourne we visited Brewhouse and Kitchen where we sampled real ales and good food; the Larder House and Makla Bistro restaurants and Urban Reef Café on the front at Bournemouth.
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| Brewhouse & Kitchen 1 |
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| B & K 2 |
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| B & K 3 |
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| Makla Bistro (Morrocan Food) |
Looking over the sea, or walking on or next to a beach, no matter what the weather is soul-joy for me. If there are beach huts to feast my eyes on, so much the better.
The highlight and main purpose of our visit was that I had won tickets to the Russian Ballet performance of Sleeping Beauty at the Bournemouth Pavilion courtesy of Yours Magazine. Again it was decision time whether to go or not, but in the end we had a taxi there and back, waited outside until it was about to start and were pleased to find the seats either side and immediately in front of us were empty. We enjoyed the show but there was definitely an atmosphere of tension in the theatre. We left promptly and that began our journey into the current situation where all places of social gatherings have closed. Staying home, self isolating, social distancing, toilet rolls and panic buying became every day words along with Corona Virus.
Outside Spring was blooming regardless of the spreading of COVID19, streets and roads began to become deserted and today we are in lockdown - paramount to curbing the spread, saving lives, helping the NHS.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and seeing the photos. Do Tweet me on @tweetsue13, your comments are appreciated.
