Kinky Boots and Cardiff Tours

What a fantastic time we had in Cardiff. I'm a huge fan of Strictly and Johannes Radebe, if you haven't read his book it's a must, so when I spotted he was taking on the role of Lola the tickets were eagerly awaited. The dates didn't fit for theatres near us but Cardiff Bay was perfect .... I was so excited from the minute our tickets were purchased.

Kinky Boots is a great musical, and film, questioning the conceptions we have about others in many ways. Johannes, Dan Partridge and all the cast were great with serious moments, comic antics and fabulous songs. Johannes has a great singing voice, he looked amazing in all the outfits especially the 'boots' .... red is the colour of sex!

Our seats were the penultimate row in the upper circle. Five flights of stairs up and very very high, the Millennium Centre is a great venue with rails along every row. Although high up we could see all the show and the sound was superb.

As our daughter and hubby live in Cardiff Bay we have visited many times and have admired the Millennium Centre and its striking frontage. Thanks to the National Lottery Open Week  we purchased two for one backstage tour tickets for the following morning, we already had BBC Wales tour tickets booked for the afternoon so a very busy day, more about that tour later.

The Millennium Centre was opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2004 and is home to the Donald Gordon theatre seating just under 2000 people depending on the stage and seating settings. Donald Gordon was a wealthy South African business man who was very supportive of opera, he helped finance the Millennium Centre to house the Welsh National Opera who are still based here.

The building is very striking with its metal and slate frontage depicting the back of a ship sailing away between two cliffs - as if sailing out of the Bay. On the front of the building overlooking the Roald Dahl Plas cut out of the metal are two inscriptions, one in Welsh, the other in English, but they are not translations of each other.

CREU GWIR FEL GWYDR O FFWRNAIS AWEN 

create truth like glass from inspiration's furnace

IN THESE STONES HORIZONS SING 

yn y cerrig hyn mae gorwelion yn canu

The building's design is art in itself, the slate on the outside is varying in colour due to where in Wales it was sourced from. It really shows how much the slate changes due to its geological location across the country from north to south.

Inside the building is just as stunning with sweeping wooden stairways linking to the movement of the sea, the pillars are like ship masts and even have lantern tops. The whole building has been beautifully designed and has quite a calm feeling, I did notice at the end of Kinky Boots the audience seemed to flow out, there were no bottlenecks or hold ups as in other theatres.

Our tour guides, Dafydd and Tony, explained so much especially the complex staging, seating and production facilities in the theatre. As this space houses many different shows and concerts it has to be adaptable in many ways. The stage can be enlarged by lifting the floor of the first seating rows, or these rows can be removed to make the orchestra pit larger. The walls at the side of the stage can move back to widen the stage. 

Sound is the priority in this theatre and the architecture really supports that. There are no flat surfaces so when opera is performed the sounds can bounce around. For shows like Kinky

Boots where the performers use microphones large curtains are dropped to cover some of the textured surfaces, this prevents reverb and too much sound bouncing around. It was so interesting how the theatre space can change your suit every style of performance.

As well as the Donald Gordon theatre the Millennium Centre has three stage size studio rooms and full height corridors and doors enabling scenery to be stored and moved upright so rehearsals are as the real shows. It was amazing to see behind the scenes, we even went up to where the backdrop scenery is controlled from, it was a long way down. I now know why whistling is not allowed in a theatre, ex-sailors were employed to work the scenery ropes and used whistling as a way to communicate to each other. Someone whistling could be mistaken for a signal and scenery dropped in error. 

We had a super morning learning so much about a building we walk past so many times. I didn't know it was so big inside, how clever it's construction was or how much is happening, thank you Millennium Centre we will definitely be visiting again. 

And so onto our BBC Wales tour of their new building in the centre of Cardiff. We have visited BBC at Portland Place in London but this studio is new and very modern with so much technology.

After going through airport security and id checks we waited in the huge atrium for our tour to begin. Looking up all floors were open plan and open to the atrium space but it was very quiet, not much noise at all.

Our first visit was to the main studio for a variety of programmes, they were packing the equipment away as earlier it had been used to broadcast Crimewatch live. It was quite a small studio but very changeable as Holly our guide explained how the screening moved and the layout for various programmes. It was surprising to learn what was filmed there with many of the programmes being broadcast live.

Our tour then moved upstairs to the Dylan Thomas studio which is a sound studio. As with earlier at the Millennium Centre it was amazing to learn all about how sound is different depending on surroundings. The walls of the studio were covered in fabric as for recordings the sound does not need to bounce around. There were different floorings in the studio; carpet, laminate, tiles and paving. As our guide stood on the different areas her voice did change, very subtly but on a radio show such as The Archers these changes are important and noticed by the listeners.

The studio room also had an outdoor door with knocker and internal door, there's a very different sound opening and closing each. There was also a staircase and small bedroom upstairs as voices sound different when lying down too. It was incredible how much there was to learn as well as all the technology and equipment in the studio and producers sound room.

After our sound studio tour we moved on to the news are, passing the main gallery with so many screens and the producers/controllers working on live links.

BBC Wales news studio was very exciting to be in, again smaller than I thought with one wall being a glass window to the newsroom with everyone working at their computers keeping up with events around the world.

In the studio the three other walls were large screens with two showing the news and the other the weather map. The cameras hang from the ceiling with the autocue and can move to cover any part of the studio. There were also floor standing cameras.

The large backdrop screen that presenters often stand by does not actually exist, it is overlaid on to the screen. It was a bit weird to look at tv monitor showing the camera's view and see myself standing by a screen when in reality there was nothing next to me. The photo is of the camera monitor, you can see the newsroom behind the glass.

I do like the weather and years ago when at the BBC London I had a go at reading the weather. I was intent of a green screen then and had to look at the camera monitor to see where I was pointing, very difficult snd added to my appreciation of weather presenters especially as they have no autocue. 

At the BBC Wales studio the weather was on a big screen on one wall. I didn't have a go at presenting but stood for a photo pointing at Cardiff.... I'll not get a weather job as my pointing was a bit west!

Our final tour was the BBC Wales radio studio where many programmes are broadcast from, most known to me is Owain Wyn Evans who does the early morning Radio 2 show. I have listened on catch up on BBC Sounds as he's on very early.

Again the studio had many features to assist the sound but more so with radio to keep the sound clear. The desks were fabric covered to mask the sound of objects such as keys or pens being put down. It was so interesting especially learning about other recordings such as podcasts.

I had a superb time in Cardiff, every minute was fab from Kinky Boots to bring backstage and then in the very modern studios. Thank you to everyone, I would certainly recommend both the tours and grab tickets to see Johannes as Kinky Boots tours the UK.

The Wine Society Tasting

At the end of February The Wine Society hosted a wine evening to discover more about their wines. The event was in Leicester so just a short train ride away and the opportunity for dinner before heading to The City Rooms, a beautiful location for sipping wine. 

Beginning with sparkling wine I was very taken with Pierre Jourdan Cap Classique Blanc de Blanc Franschhoek 2018 in their Society staff desert island picks. made with 100% Chardonnay with 40% being barrel fermented this glass of bubbles had plenty of yeasty notes with flavours of apple and lime, a good start to the evening. 

Moving along and up in the world of bubbles my glass was next filled with Champagne Alfred Gratien Brut 2015. This wine was voted a 2024 Wine Champion and it is easy to taste why with such toasty flavours, hints of minerality and long lasting fruitiness.

Not always favouring oaked wines I was pleasantly surprised by three of the wines from the Knock on Wood selection.  beginning in California 50% of Bogle Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 has been aged in American oak with the remainder in steel giving it a lovely complexity of freshness and vanilla. A top choice which will be available this month, it was a delight to have tasted this wine. 

It's two neighbours on the tasting table were Gigondas Petite Gardette, Moulin de la Gardette 2022 and Gigondas Le Souiras, Clos des Cazaux 2019. Both superb wines from the names Cotes du Rhone village reminding me of holidays spend in the warm French countryside. Age and aging being the difference in these wines they were both full of fruit with hints of spice, the first having a fre3sh edge whilst the latter gave more complexity.

Moving west to the Bordeaux region of France Chateau Laroze, Saint-Emillion 2015 was as expected a deep wine having spent nearly ten years maturing. Plenty of dark fruit, cigars and wood aromas filled this glass, all of which were followed through in flavour. A wine to sip, sigh, sip again and let yourself sink into a leather sofa with glass in hand. 

Staying in South Western France The Society's Reserve Claret Cotes de Bordeaux 2021 had a great weight to it body with an abundance of dark fruit followed by light tannins and peppery spice, one of the Society's best reds.

Two of the Society's white wines that caught my tastes were The Society's Alvarinho Vinho Verde 2023 and The Society's White Burgundy 2023. Although from different locations both wines were fresh and full of flavour, the Alvarinho had plenty of stone fruit flavours whereas the Burgundy was plentiful in its appleness.

Travelling much further afield The society's Exhibition Clare Valley Riesling 2024 was full of zest with flavours of lemon and lime. A very crisp wine that was less oily that other Rieslings which helped bring its minerality forward. 

As well as wine this tasting also included a selection of beers: all under The Society's brand ranging from English Lager,  IPA, Pale Ale to Smooth Bitter. As not everyone drinks wine it is always good to have alternatives, a similar though towards the non-alcoholic drinks also presented; The Society's Alcohol Free Lager, Lysegron Sparkling Tea, Gratien & Meyer Festillant Sparkling Sans Alcool and Botivo bittersweet non-alcoholic aperitif. 

Ending the evening with three full strength spirits is always preferred. The Society's Gin High Strength was just that but so smooth, full of botanicals and was most delicious, this would be very much enjoyed over ice. 

The Society's Exhibition Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 12 Years Old had lovely aromas of vanilla and butterscotch with a smooth length to its finish. The Society's Exhibition Grande Champagne Cognac XO also had a smooth finish leaving flavours of soft fruits and nuts. 

Another evening of discovery, trying wines and spirits new to my palate. There was also a blind tasting which had me wondering until I stopped trying too hard and realised all three wines were the same grape, German Spatburgunder, New Zealand Pinot Noir and Chilean Pinot Noir.

The Wine Society do have a vast range of wines and their tastings do give the opportunity to taste some of their range. Whilst the provided booklet has details of each wine I do find I miss not having the wines served by wine people. At this event the servers were very good waiter and waitresses but had no wine or spirit knowledge making it difficult to engage in conversation and does not give an opportunity to ask more, maybe this will change. 

Torres Wine Tasting

Fine Wines Direct UK are based in Cardiff, our recent visit coincided with their Torres Wine Tasting Evening and as we have been trying to attend one of their tastings for quite a while it was a perfect opportunity. Their range of wine is superb with a well stocked shop and a very inviting tasting area with seating around glass topped barrels. 

On arrival we were welcomed by a glass of bubbles; Vardon Kennet 2014 full of brioche, honey and nutty flavours. Made from 60% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay and 6% Xarel-lo in the traditional method this wine has a minimum of 36 months in the bottle. 

Familia Torres dating back to 1870, is a fifth generation Spanish wine family producing a variety of wines focusing on wine origins, traditions, natural production and sustainability. Daniel Vardon Kennett was the original owner of an old farmhouse in Mediona and after being a sea farer in the early 19th century he settled on the land an began producing wine. Familia Torres upon purchasing the vineyard honoured the name of it's first producer with this superb bottle of sparkling wine including the seashell design of the bottle giving a nod to Daniel's past. 

Our host for the evening was Alex who had so much knowledge of Familia Torres, the locations, climates and each wine. Learning about the background of a wine is as important as it's aroma and flavour, I feel it adds more to the wine and my appreciation. I made so many notes on each wine and Alex's details really gave insight to each bottle. 

Our first white wine was Pazo das Bruxas Albarino, Rias Baixas 2023. This wine's name means farmhouse of the witches used to represent the folklore of Galicia when witches danced around making spells and conjuring spirits. Familia Torres are as passionate in their winemaking as the witches in their dancing and decided on this name to reflex this.

An aroma of pear drops was my first impression of this wine followed by flavours of apples with an edge of minerality. It was quite a complex wine with a slight trace of bubbles in its medium finish. These grapes are grown on high trellises to allow more Atlantic breeze through the vines thus helping to prevent mildew. 

Our second white highlighted Famillia Torres endeavours to bring lost grape varieties back into production. Miguel Torres, 4th Generation, and his son are working in Penedés to produce great wine from these ancient varieties, in Clos Ancestral Blanco 2023  Forcada is one such grape blended with Xarel-lo.

I haven't focused on Spanish wine previously so this wine was very new to me with its floral aromas and crisp acidic taste. Although |I enjoyed my glass of this ancestral wine \I would have like a little more length and body as it was quite a light drinker. 

Lightness is certainly not a description of our final white, made from 100% Forcado this wine was fresh, crisp, buttery, very smooth with a delicious long finish. A very fine wine which was reflected in its price of £49.99. 

Forcado grape was only discovered 40 years ago and is now an approved Penedés appellation. These vines are grown at between 500m and 700m above sea levels taking advantage of the warm sun and Mediterranean breeze. This wine, a 2021 vintage,  was superb, a real treat to taste this unique grape and its complex flavours.

To accompany our Spanish wines Fine Wines Direct offered a delicious light buffet of regional cheeses, meats and nutty bread, all perfect pairing to the wines in particular the Manchengo matured cheese with Forcada wine.

Our three red wines were a new experience to me, as I mentioned before I have not tasted many Spanish wines mainly because I struggle with the Tempranillo which was one of the grapes in our first red, Clos Ancestral Tinto 2022. An equal blend with Grenacha this wine is aged in oak for 10 months using second fill barrels giving a lighter oak notes and less vanilla.  It had light tannins with full fruit flavours, a fresh red that did surprise me. 

There are times when Purgatori can be good, and this was one of those moments. Alex intrigued us with the story of this wine; based on the Benedictine monks and the Abbey of Monserrat building L'Aranyo in a barren area where disobedient monks worked the land. These monks found that although barren land it was perfect for growing vines and making wine. During the winemaking times it was said some barrels disappeared, explained away by saying it was the angels' share.

Purgatori, Costers del Segre 2021 has been in new oak barrels for 12 months developing the wines spicy edge and richness. Made from Carinena and Grenacha grown in harsh conditions with extreme heat and cold this wine has a delicious depth to its flavours and was my favourite of the evening. 

Our final wine of what was a super evening was Salmos, Priorat 2020. A wine from Catalonia grown on very steep terraces in again a harsh terroir. Carinena and Grancha grapes are used in this wine of which 70% is matured for 14 months in French oak barrels, of which 20% are new oak. 

Priorat was, to me, quite similar to Rioja and not a wine for me, however my fellow tasters really enjoyed this wine which was full of dark fruit, spice and delivered a smoky edge.  

It was an absolutely superb evening, finally visiting a Fine Wines Direct tasting and learning about Familia Torres and Spanish wine. Thank you to everyone involved especially to Alex. 

Canary Island highlights

It seems ages ago that we were on our Canary Island cruise on Marella Explorer. I won't lie I have seen some great last minute prices and would go again in the blink of an eye but we have other things to enjoy ... I do keep looking though.

We have cruised the Canary Islands before and it was a Sunday last time we were in Fuerteventura so we knew there would not be much open in port. That said we didn't go ashore but spent our first day leisurely unpacking, enjoying time on our balcony, wandering the ship just to remind ourselves of where to find the bars, and sitting on the Med Bar terrace enjoying a beer in the sun. 

Our second day was in Lanzerote, you can see one island from the other and although an overnight sailing in truth we floated for most of the night just off shore. Arrecife is a lovely port, so many smaller boats and yachts in the marina. It isn't very far from the ship into the town and it's a lovely walk especially on a sunny day.

There are some great shops in the town centre, I bought some Narciso Rodriguez perfume at a fraction of the UK price and some nut confectionery similar to peanut brittle but made with a wide variety of nuts.

A little further along than the main shopping area we paused for refreshments at a bar we visited previously. La Rustica serves a superb cheese pizza (non tomato), great beer and good local wine; we had a delicious leisurely lunch.

After a sea day which was a perfect way to relax and enjoy Explorer our next port was Funchal in Maderia. This was our third visit to this beautiful island and time for me to brave the cable car. I'm not a fan of speed or being up high dangling on a wire but the day was calm and sunny so our 20 minute ride ascending 560m was very smooth. The views were amazing and so long as I looked across not down (or up to see the cable) I was fine and really enjoyed it especially at our ship in the port.

From the top there is an option to go back down in a wicker toboggan with two Gondolas steering ... everyone seemed to be enjoying the thrilling ride but wasn't for me so we strolled along the gardens. There was an impressive plaque to these skilled toboggan drivers on the wall and so many beautiful flowers, even in January.

Our tour which was a cruise excursion organised by Tui then took us to a few high vantage points. The views across Funchal and Maderia were amazing, it's quite a steep volcanic island, the roads have many hairpin bends.

The tour bus dropped us back in Funchal centre and as we had plenty of time before our ship sailed we revisited Blandy's. They produce amazing Maderia wine, we had a super tour on our first visit to Funchal. This visit we shared a tasting flight and cheese pairing to each wine. All our wines were 10 year old but of different grapes, Maderia wine is aged in barrels similar to spirits so is known by it's age not necessarily by its vintage year although there are Maderia wines with year labels. We bought a three year old selection to have another wine flight tasting at home, probably on a wet cold day so we can think about sunny Maderia.

Due to choppy seas we did not go to the island of La Palma but docked in Tenerife for an extra day and overnight. This was a bonus for us as we had the chance to explore La Lungana details of which are in my previous post.

Our second day in Tenerife we spent the time just ambling around enjoying a bit of window and actual shopping. Hot chocolate and churns were a must, these were enjoyed in a garden cafe listening to nearby buskers, just lovely.

We thoroughly enjoyed our second cruise around the Canary Islands, seeing beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Marella Explorer is great, fabulous crew across the ship making it a very enjoyable cruise. Next year is Marella's 30th birthday year and we've booked their birthday cruise ... on Explorer in May cruising around Italy, Sardinia and Corsica ... we are both looking forward to it even though it's in 2026.

Thank you Tui, Marella, all the crew on Explorer and our fellow cruisers ... you all made it a superb holiday!