Switzerland is so beautiful. When you head to the Alps and stand in the mountains, it’s like being in a postcard.

In the end, we got some wonderful weather and were just in awe of the view.

So what is the Hay Festival? It’s a nerdy festival for bookish people who want to think about and discuss the the issues of the day while listening to interesting thought leaders who have books to flog. It’s all about books and it attracts some top names to the small town of Hay-on-Wye in Wales.

This year Eric Schmidt from google appeared and was grilled on the company’s tax (I missed this lecture because the bus took too long). There was also Carl Bernstein (remember Watergate?) and another big name was Jack Straw (UK Foreign Secretary during the Iraq Invasion). Tickets for each lecture range from £6-£10. It can add up fast if you want to attend all the big names.

I travelled by train to Hereford (3 hours) and then took a bus to Hay (50 minutes).  There were a lot of women and few of us were travelling alone. I remember seeing two women in the same boat as me and they both looked a bit frightened and unsure about what lay ahead.

I chatted to a pensioner, Judith, as we travelled to Hay and she explained that she’s been going for eight years as it’s a firm part of her social events calendar. She said that it’s just getting bigger and bigger every year. It’s attracted some big sponsors including google who had their own tent, Barclays and Sky TV.

As this is a small town, accommodation was limited. I struggled to get a room and ended up in Tangerine fields with a small 2 man tent. You rent it for the night and it comes with an air mattress. You have to bring your own bedding or buy from them. I bought a sleeping bag from them and also brought my new wool blanket that I purchased in Scotland.

That first night was memorable. Never ever in my life have I been so cold that I couldn’t fall asleep. That’s exactly what happened. I tried and tried to get warm but I was constantly cold. It set in and wouldn’t go away. I finally fell asleep at around 4 am and throughout the next day I was constantly yawning through all the lectures. Luckily though, the second night was better as I got the organisers to throw in an extra sleeping bag for me. It’s sort of put me off camping for a while.

What they don’t tell you

Two things really stood out to me. 1. This festival is very pensioner friendly. In fact, from what I saw, half the audience were retired. Be prepared for slow moving people and several wheel chairs. 2. There are more books to buy in the town of Hay than at the festival. There was an Oxfam book stand, which my bus friend praised highly, but it really wasn’t that impressive. And then there was the festival book stand which sold all the books that were presented. It too wasn’t that big. I honestly thought that all the major publishing houses would be present with rows upon rows of books to choose from. But that’s not how it is at all. But Hay is a book town and there are plenty of book shops to get lost in. Also, if you don’t want to book shop, the Hay Festival has other vendors as well to entice you to part with some cash.

Would I go again to Hay? Yes. And I’d love to explore the country side as well. It was so serene and green. Would I travel alone again? No. It’s not that great. The pros are, you can come and go as you please and you never have to compromise. But then, you don’t have anyone to bandy ideas with and have a natter about the days events.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – One of my favourite sights in Scotland was the Royal Yacht Britannia. It’s vintage and classy and used to sail the royal family around the world. But the Queen’s no longer allowed to use it as it’s too expensive to keep up (also the Labour government decided not to replace the yacht when they came to power in 1997) so now it’s berthed at a dock in Edinburgh where tourists such as I get to peek inside and get a glimpse of her former life for £12 (headset included).

Boy is this queen spoiled. The yacht was used for 40 years and travelled over 1 million miles to faraway places including the South Pacific.

Surprisingly, the Queen and her husband didn’t even share a bedroom! She slept on a single. I guess she just needed some space.

The one thing that stood out to me was the class structure that was so visible on this ship. The upper class on the upper deck and the working class below. Apart from that, it was the special telephone that was used to call the Queen and Duke that had me smiling as well as the Phantom Rolls Royce they had aboard. I wish I could remember the statistics more, but the crew on board was large and there was even a mini hospital too. But even larger than that was the laundry room. Also, all the clocks were stopped at 3:02…not sure if it was AM or PM or even what the significance is behind this. But it was an interesting detail.

Apparently the Queen cried at the decommissioning ceremony attended by senior royals. Did she shed any tears for Di? Anyway, what’s your favourite royal attraction?

LONDON – With summer here, berries are now in season and taste fantastic. I love the different varieties. There’s so much that you can make with berries. Jam is on my to do list.  But first I decided to make a British classic – Eton mess. It’s so simple and so good. My guests didn’t waste any time in eating this dessert.

Eton Mess

1. Crush meringues into small pieces and place in a dessert bowl.
2. Whip some cream and small amount of sugar and spoon a few dobs on top
3. Sprinkle liberally with berries.

According to google, Eton mess is traditionally served at Eton College’s annual cricket game against Harrow School.

Note: A true Eton mess is served with strawberries. But it’s just as good with any type of berry really.

LONDON – I’ve never been one to enjoy biting into an apple. It always makes the hair on my neck stand up. But I do enjoy the occasional golden delicious variety. However, when it comes to baking with apples, I’m a big fan.

One of my favourite recipes is apple crumble. It smells so great when it’s being prepared in the kitchen and it tastes so good. Here’s a recipe I’ve used since my varsity days. So simple.

Apple crumble

2 cans of apples (I prefer the tinned kind because they’re soaked in their juices and bake nicely)

pinch of salt

2 tbl butter, melted

1-2 tsp cinnamon

some cloves, whole

1 cup and 2 tbl sugar (I like to use a brown sugar)

1 cup oats

1 cup flour

1 cup butter

• First, grease a baking tin. I typically use a lasagne dish. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
• Pour the apples into a bowl and mix with cinnamon, cloves, salt, 2 tbl sugar and 2 tbl melted butter
• Pour the apples into the lasagne dish
• Mix the flour, oats, remaining sugar and butter till it resembles chunky crumbs.
• Spoon this over the apples
• Bake for up to 1 hour or until the top is golden and crisp.
• Best served with vanilla ice cream or double thick cream

What else are apples good for?