Travels

I love being near beach, there is so much beauty underwater that we hardly ever see, but it doesn't have to be like that, get somescuba diving lessons under your belt and be able to get much closer to the fish and corals than you ever imagined possible.

Snorkeling keeps you right up on the surface, so learning to scuba dive is a great skill to have for your next holiday, and scuba diving isn't just something you can do near the beach, for example one of the better schools in the US is in the middle of the desert, yup, scuba diving lessons Arizona is an accredited school in the heart of the desert.

Nearby lakes are a popular destination for local divers, but Ultimate Dive and Travel also organize some amazing dive trips all around the world, such as Fiji, Truk, Honduras, and a bit closer to home, the Californian Channel Islands or the Bahamas.

In fact Ultimate Dive and Travel also provide equipment sales and repair, and not just scuba diving lessons Scottsdale, their instructors are PADI and SSI qualified and the the center has been open since 1997 so they know how to look after you and your equipment.

Divers living close to Scottsdale or Phoenix should also be sure to join the crew and other dive club members for their monthly meeting and social night.

If you've never been to Bilbao and seen the Guggenheim Museum, let me tell you a little about it. To begin with, the museum is right on the edge of the river that runs through the center of Bilbao. All around the museum is parkland that has been reclaimed from old industrial buildings, and also includes one of the Bilbo Tram stops.

Walking around the museum you are struck by how imposing the building is, not just the physical size, but also how it captures the eye from every direction and completely dominates this corner of town. About 800m upriver is the old city (Casco Viejo) of bilbao, and another 800m away from the river is the new part of the city with it's exclusive shops and universities.

Inside the museum the first exhibit you see will literally have you in awe that these pieces were even made, far less moved into position. And I'm not going to tell you what they are but they're huge, there are a few of them, they're made of metal and you can walk in and around them.

The rest of the museum is devoted to really interesting displays that don't overwhelm you, well except for the Basque section that is more of a political statement with pictures of Spanish and Basque nationalist funerals.

When I was there an exhibition of American artists was running with works like Andy Warhol's Marilyn prints, Jasper Johns, and John Singer Sargent amongst others. If you find yourself driving between France and Spain, make sure you take a day to stop in Bilbao.

Are you looking for a stroller or pram for a baby? If you are you really need to take a look at the catalogue of Baby Prams over at Babythings4U, they've got a huge selection of brands, from Jeep to X-Adventure and everything in between.

One of the things I love about Internet shopping is the choice available. Go into any high street shop and you might have a choice of a dozen Baby Pushchairs but at Babythings4U almost the complete range of wheeled baby movers is right there, all you have do is click a link to see the features and a larger image.

I've got family in Scotland who struggled to find the right kind of travel cot for their newborns, I wish I'd known about their Baby Travel Cots at the time.

I don't have children of my own, but I do have lots of nieces and nephews, so I know how difficult it can be to find the time to go shopping for anything to do with babies. They need their mum and dad all the time, so isn't it a great idea to be able to do some shopping while they're sleeping without having to disturb them, and Babythings4U deliver anywhere in the UK.

Recently we've been talking about selling our car and buying a couple of bicycles to get around, and then just hiring a car for times when we particularly need to do something that requires a car.

In addition we've got family in Germany and friends we've made online who are sorta kinda vaguely maybe threatening to visit. Well public transport here is OK, but it isn't fantastic so organising car hire in Spain would be the way to go.

For people coming to visit you can easily hire a a car at out nearest airports, and from here they are Jerez or Malaga. Prices aren't that bad really and of course our petrol or diesel prices are still lower than most other parts of Europe.

Getting around Andalucia in a hire car is relatively easy, for example Jerez to Sevilla is a 90 minute drive on good quality motorways. Of course the country roads vary quite a bit in the quality of paving, some can be quite rough although you're generally expect that whereever you are.

Taking a leisurely drive through Spain's many small villages and stopping for Tapas and a cold drink is expected, in fact you haven't really lived until you've done this, and if you make it this part of Andalucia then no stay would be complete without a day at Grazalema and walking around the Natural Park. See you soon.