Leaving Southampton

No Man's Land Fort was a fort built in the Solent as part of the Palmerston Forts. It is 2.2 kilometres off the coast of the Isle of Wight between the years 1867 and 1880 to protect Portsmouth. It was built for a cost of £462,500, a considerable sum if adjusted for inflation.
No Man's Land Fort is almost identical to Horse Sand Fort. It is now a luxury home/hospitality centre for high-paying guests – due to the privacy it offers – with an indoor swimming pool and two helipads. In July 2004, Legionella bacteria found in the hotel's water system forced its closure. The Fort was put up for sale in 2005 and again in 2007, but the company collapsed. In March 2008, Harmesh Pooni, claiming to still be the owner, barricaded himself inside the fort in protest against the administrators KPMG.
On 21st April 2008 in the High Court, Mr Pooni and his Company were declared the true owners of No Mans Land Fort. Mr Pooni agreed to an order for sale, however the Administrators KPMG have failed to sell the property, owing to uncertainty over the title. The Judge was critical of KPMG and their statements about title to the property.

Portugal & Spain

When we were in Lisbon on our cruise earlier in the year I saw this cat jumping out of a door. You can tell by the scratch marks on the paint work that this moggy had used this method of escape more than once. Even though this was at the end of May the locals still had their Christmas decorations up, or maybe they were just a bit early for this year.

As a result of industrial action by the French we had to make alternative arrangments for one of the days, and as a result we went to the Spanish city of Bilboa. There we found the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Gehry. The curves on the building have been designed to appear random. The architect has been quoted as saying that "the randomness of the curves are designed to catch the light".Sited as it is in a port town, it is intended to resemble a ship. Its brilliantly reflective titanium panels resemble fish scales.