This painting of Saint Nicholas was completed by Mihajlo Živković (1776-1825) in 1813 and is now displayed at the National Museum of Serbia. Nicholas was a fourth-century bishop whose reputation for protecting travellers and sailors made him one of the most widely revered saints in the Orthodox Christian world. Encountering him during my own journey across the Balkans therefore seemed reassuring, although I would have preferred to establish precisely when his protection had commenced and whether it applied retrospectively.
Živković depicts Nicholas in episcopal robes, holding a book in one hand and raising the other in blessing. Behind him are ships, water and a coastal settlement beneath gathering clouds, directly connecting the saint with the maritime dangers from which people hoped he would protect them. The halo and formal pose belong to traditional religious imagery, but the landscape gives the painting a more immediate sense of events unfolding while Nicholas remains impressively calm in the foreground. Calmness is a virtue, but when you’re a saint I suppose this comes more naturally.
Saint Nicholas was essentially providing an early form of travel insurance, although the full terms and conditions appear not to have survived. His protection traditionally covered shipwrecks, storms and other serious dangers, but there was no indication of whether delayed buses, airport security queues, extreme heat or a warm glass of coke was included. Nonetheless, with several countries still ahead of me and a long train journey approaching, I was pleased to discover that someone apparently had responsibility for the portfolio. It’s good to have a responsible adult.
This 1784 oil painting on wood, entitled The Mother of God with Christ and the Saints, is the work of Jovan Četirević Grabovan (1716-1790). Born in Grabova, in what is now Albania, Grabovan became an itinerant Orthodox painter whose career took him across a substantial part of eastern and southeastern Europe. He appears to have regarded national borders as an administrative inconvenience, although there were fortunately fewer passport queues in the eighteenth century and he didn’t have to traipse through airport security lines. Although, to be fair to him, this was a troublesome period with countries at war, so he had his own challenges.
Grabovan received artistic training in the Russian Empire, probably including time in Kyiv, before working in places now belonging to Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia. He painted for Orthodox communities across different political and cultural territories, adapting the traditional religious imagery they expected while absorbing ideas from the places through which he travelled. His work consequently combined established Byzantine forms with Russian, Ukrainian and Western Baroque influences. This was the element I particularly liked. Grabovan travelled widely, absorbed different influences and brought them together in his own work. It was difficult not to admire a man who used his journeys to combine entire artistic traditions, especially when my principal international achievement that week had been complaining about a warm glass.
The Virgin and Child dominate the central panel, surrounded by individual saints occupying their own smaller compartments. Jesus is not depicted as an ordinary, vulnerable infant, but as a remarkably composed little figure with a solemn expression, elaborate robes and his hand raised in blessing. Although it was created for Orthodox worship and devotion rather than simply as something attractive for future museum visitors to photograph, it also records the unusually mobile life of its creator. Grabovan crossed the region collecting artistic traditions, while I was collecting photographs and minor grievances about soft drinks. I liked it.
Although I didn’t ask for this, thank you to Travelodge for offering me a free breakfast at a location of my choice (well, at a Travelodge hotel obviously and that’s not an unreasonable limitation) after I excited and delighted them about my experiences at Luton Travelodge. I am now disproportionately pleased by the prospect of a complimentary budget hotel breakfast, which is perhaps the clearest evidence yet that I need to get out more.
The morning after the night before. I accept that, for a series of posts labelled “The Balkans”, a detailed account of one night at the Travelodge in Luton might not immediately excite and delight. However, two loyal blog readers want regular progress and perhaps an occasional third reader has finally tired of bar billiards, so some variety is required. And for me to start complaining about things…
I arrived shortly before midnight and found nobody at reception, despite pressing the call bell twice. I’ve stayed here numerous times and had a fairly good idea which team member was working. He is always friendly, although I have developed an entirely unsupported theory that he relaxes in the staff room watching Jet Lag: The Game, the finest YouTube series currently available, and occasionally needs a moment to return to the reality of a Travelodge reception. He eventually appeared and was as welcoming as ever. I rather like things remaining the same, so even the short wait had a reassuring familiarity to it.
There’s no bloody KitKat. I’ve emailed Travelodge to complain. The upgraded room was supposed to include one, so its absence represented an early setback for Travelodge’s move into luxury hospitality. I had intended to eat it as dessert following the McDonald’s melon balls, although I accept that this was not an evening meal demanding a carefully considered final course.
I have genuinely emailed Travelodge to complain, although not specifically about the KitKat. Travelodge has upgraded a number of rooms by adding a coffee machine, a chocolate bar and a few decorative touches (I stress the word ‘few’ here and suspect they cost less than a fiver) before charging a little more for them. In fairness, this was the only room type available and it was still very reasonably priced. I therefore had no objection to paying for it, but once a company starts promising decadence, even budget decadence, it needs to keep a firm grip on chocolate provision. My friend Richard, who thrives on decadence, would have been displeased as well.
The more legitimate problem was that the soap dispenser contained only water, while the other dispenser was empty. There were also a few minor cleanliness issues. None of this constituted a hospitality emergency, but functioning soap feels like a reasonable expectation even before the hotel begins exploring the outer reaches of capsule coffee.
And, there’s perhaps a serious point here which is that Travelodge really have piled pressure on team members and given them more do so, whilst investing heavily in things that will annoy customers, like charging them to pick their room and forcing them to upgrade to luxury rooms without KitKats. They’ve perhaps forgotten issues such as security, cleanliness and basic functions. If a customer books with Travelodge now they get four emails, which is evidently in my mind as they’ve thought of new ways to get customers to pay more, whether it’s breakfast, evening meals, wifi, late checkout, room placement and so on. Individually, these are perfectly reasonable. Collectively, they create the impression that a considerable amount of corporate energy has been devoted to discovering further things that can be sold.
I’m an advocate of Wizz Air, which also charges separately for almost everything it can identify. The difference, in my experience, is that it generally gets the basic operation right. The aircraft arrives, the flight takes place and I am deposited somewhere that broadly corresponds with the destination on the ticket. If an airline can maintain that level of organisational discipline, a hotel should be able to provide soap.
But, back to positivity, the room was cheap, there were no noise issues internally or externally, there was a fan and since I’ve pro-active enough to have a back-up mini bottle of liquid soap, all was well. However, if Travelodge want to start selling decadence, they need to deliver, or just scrap decadence and focus on being consistently average.
This is the sixth podcast in the series, and this time I’m joined by travel writer Tom Chesshyre. Tom has made a career out of travelling to interesting places, meeting people and then sensibly turning the experience into books, which is a rather more organised version of my own approach of taking several hundred photographs and hoping that a coherent narrative eventually presents itself. It’s good to talk to a professional about these things.
Tom is the author of fourteen travel books, with journeys taking him everywhere from North Korea and the Maldives to rather more familiar adventures around Britain. His walking books include From Source to Sea, covering a 215-mile walk along the Thames, Lost in the Lakes, based on a 379-mile circuit of the Lake District centred on its sixteen principal lakes, and his latest book, Wild Peaks, which follows a 364-mile journey from Manchester, around the Peak District and onwards to Sheffield. There’s a full list of Tom’s books at https://www.tomchesshyre.co.uk/books/.
I very much enjoyed recording this episode and reading Tom’s books. I’ve always been interested in how being open to adventure can lead to unexpected experiences and encounters with fascinating people who have countless stories to tell. We touch on that, as well as walking and pubs, during the episode. As a reminder, these podcasts will be moved to the new LDWA digital platform when it launches in early 2027 and there’s a podcast with Richard May about that project.
The conversation was also a reminder that good travel writing, like a good walk, is often as much about communities, pubs, chance conversations and becoming slightly lost as it is about the scenery.
I mentioned in my previous post for my two excited loyal blog readers that I had decided to stay in Wales rather than Bristol as it was just cheaper to do so. I took this photo standing outside of Newport railway station and it gives an indication of the length of the walk. I think even my friend Richard could manage this sort of walk.
There was no-one on reception when I arrived, but I could hear the receptionist on the phone to her friend in the back office. I then heard, “I’ll phone back in a bit, just got a customer” and since she said it in a way that didn’t sound annoyed, I didn’t feel like an inconvenience. This is, I think, the very summit of modern hospitality.
And the receptionist was rather friendly, chatting away about how to get in the hotel if I stayed out late, which wasn’t relevant to me, but I obviously looked like someone that went to nice pubs a lot so I was pleased as there are worse personal brands to have developed.
These are the newly designed Travelodge rooms and I rate this whole set-up, as long as the prices are affordable anyway. The room was clean, functional, modern and was comfortable, so that’s pretty much everything sorted.
There was quite a lot of external noise from drunk women shouting in the evening, but I rather like city life and didn’t find it problematic. I also had a fan on my window and there it is in the photo…..
I had a little look at the reviews as I like doing that and they’re not great on Google…..
“Honestly, this has to be the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in. I know it’s cheap and you get what you pay for but I would rather have anything else than this. The place was dodgy from the start. I was given the key card by a man without uniform, nevwr asked me for my ID, just the name. The room was clean but could see a lot of broken or stained things as shown in the photos. The place also seems like a gathering place for the local alcies as they were right by my windows. I also booked the hotel through work and it was meant to include breakfast. This place has no restaurant so breakfast was a box that contained a stale pain au chocolat, a flap jack and some cereal. Will never see me there again.”
I’ve looked at these photos and I can’t see any staining, it’s not entirely clear what someone wanted from the arrangement. And I’ve never been asked for my ID in a Travelodge, just my name and address. I often don’t have any ID with me anyway, so I don’t want to be asked.
“Would AVOID!! Council are housing undesirable people here, got zero sleep as people were running up and down corridor at 3am, police were there !! Music blaring out of some rooms, if you want a peaceful restful night this is not for you.I had an 8 Hr drive the next day with little sleep. Be aware.staying here.”
Undesirable people is perhaps a rather loaded way to describe anyone.
“AVOID AT ALL COSTS… customer service shocking and really not helpful at all!! We were booked in here 26/12/25 for one night only whilst we were visiting family..one family member asked where we had booked so we told her and she said DO NOT STAY THERE!! She works local to the travel lodge and said it’s a drug den and been raided with on going issues!”
If it was a drugs den it was a very well kept secret from me, although that would hardly interest me unless they were dealing in crisps or something. Well, maybe some decadent craft beer I suppose, although I don’t tend to buy that in hotel corridors. It feels a little sub-optimal to be offered a mixed fermentation saison by a man standing near the lift.
Most of the reviews on Google aren’t actually negative and on TripAdvisor it’s all much more positive. However, nearly every review on TripAdvisor names a staff member which is this guilt trip thing they try on me of “if you could leave me a positive review and mention by name then I get a bonus” which feels really quite unfair of the chain to me to make their team members do this.
Anyway, I found the whole stay to be positive enough, it was clean, quite internally and I didn’t see this den of iniquity that others discovered. For a cheap stay it feels like a very viable option and it worked for me as a cheaper alternative to accommodation in Bristol.
This is a heat map of where I’ve been from the photos that I’ve taken. There are some gaps here as I used a camera for some trips rather than a phone and my trips to Russia seem to have entirely disappeared. Anyway, it means that the only European countries (I’m going to include the Vatican City and similar here, regardless of what they actually are) that I have left to visit are:
Vatican City
Belarus
Moldova
Iceland
Kosovo
Monaco
Andorra
San Marino
North Macedonia
Bosnia & Herzegovina
I mention this as I’ve persuaded Jonathan, who I went travelling to Turkey/Georgia and Armenia with in January and February, to take me to Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina in September. He can deal with rural public transport and I’ll deal with food options, it’s a fair allocation of resources. Some people divide travel responsibilities by navigation, accommodation and logistics. We are operating at a more advanced level, namely buses for him and lunch for me to worry about.
Belarus I can’t really go to at the moment and it’ll be a faff to tick off the micro-states/countries of Vatican City, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino but I’ll work it out. There are some Wizz Air possibilities to Iceland, Moldova and North Macedonia hopefully not far away, perhaps I can even visit those this year.
And then maybe I might start going outside Europe, but at least I have an exciting rail trip around Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia to look forward to in September. What could possibly go wrong?
After a quick visit to the Rook Taproom, I popped to Brighton Travelodge Seafront to check-in and I was already pre-pleased with the arrangement as the room cost £22 per night which surprised and delighted me. There was a friendly welcome at reception and the receptionist mentioned that the bar was 24 hours, which is certainly handy.
For the money, I was very impressed with the value as the room was clean, tidy and well presented. The hotel looked a bit knocked about in places, but it’s obviously heavily used. There was a heater in the room and the window actually opened, so the whole range of options as far as I’m concerned.
I had a look at the online reviews and they’re not particularly good, but they’re not a disaster.
“DO NOT GO HERE -Needs redecorating and NOT value for money paid over the top for a scummy room and toilet .Not enough coffee and milk for two people complained to reception . I don’t normally give feed back but do not use Third party websites as you will be over charged and not willing to help.Travel Lodge think before you sell your booking slots…”
There’s a heap of tea and coffee at reception, as much as you could ever want. Definitely don’t buy a Travelodge room via a third party site though….
“I booked a night on the quieter floor but the music from the Pub across the street was unbearable, even with the window closed.”
I can imagine a lot of people don’t like the noise, but it’s probably best not to book a hotel in the centre of Brighton….
“Worst hotel ever! Stains all over the floor, bedding and walls. Kept awake all night by club across the road and the hotels response is well it’s not our hotel is it!”
It’s an honest answer to be fair…
“Yes this hotel is not too expensive and in a great location. However room was infested with bed bugs causing over 40 bites on the body and then when moved room woke up with more. Was told they can’t offer refunds or compensation as the bites weren’t evidence enough so pest control have to confirm it. Rang 28 times and no one has answered to give a follow up and check If they have even rang pest control to avoid happening to other people.”
I like the reviewer’s precision of 40 bites and 28 calls.
“We paid over £200 for a 1-night stay. They don’t tell you that the hotel is right next to a nightclub that is open until 3am”
I think I would have considered paying £200 for a room as a bit sub-optimal, so they have my sympathy. Anyway, I digress.
And leaving the hotel the following morning. There was a lot of external noise during the night of crashing glasses and shouting people, but I like that kind of constant disruption and I slept through pretty much all of it. Overall, I was very pleased with the whole arrangement and if a room is under £25, then definitely go for it….
One running theme of the 1830s was the sheer excitement of so many people about the possibilities of the rail network and the amount of time it could save them.
The Railway Times reprinted a news story that had been published in Aylesbury News in November 1837, although they must have got the omnibus to another nearby station (perhaps Tring railway station which had opened in October 1837) as the railway was another eighteen months from opening in Aylesbury.
“One day, last week, a gentleman of Aylesbury left the White Hart inn in an omnibus, at a quarter before seven o’clock, proceeded by the first train to London, attended Doctors’ Commons, proved a will, and returned to Aylesbury to dinner, without experiencing either personal fatigue or hurry, or even the inconvenience of postponing his dinner-hour. To men of business, a saving of time is a saving of property.”
This feels like a perfect example of the sort of thing that would have excited me, to be able to get a lunch in London without any “personal fatigue or hurry” and without having my evening meal late…
Ross and I decided where to go on a weekend pub and history expedition primarily on the affordability of the hotels, with the Travelodge in Christchurch being rather decent value for money. The welcome was prompt and efficient, with the room allocation being reasonable (by this, I mean that Ross didn’t get a better room than me).
I forgot to take a photo of the room, but it looked like most other refurbished Travelodge rooms, so I’m sure my two loyal blog readers will be satisfied with that knowledge. I’m not sure what this little external area was, but I think it’s linked with one of the cafes that is in the shopping arcade below.
This Travelodge is too small for a bar cafe, so they don’t offer meals of any kind, including breakfast. They do offer this breakfast box, but I’m not sure why they bother as I’ve only ever seen negative reviews of it. There is an M&S and Waitrose that are both within a two minute walk (and a Greggs) so they’d likely offer better value.
Anyway, there were no noise disturbances either internally or externally, with the room being clean and functional. I had a look at the reviews, which are sort of positive. This one sounds exciting:
“Violent, drunk guest banging on our door throughout the night, scaring our 6 month old puppy. The guest went up and down the first floor throwing himself against the doors to other rooms while shouting and screaming to “let him the **** in before he * kills us”. This went on from 10.30pm through to 4am! We tried to phone down to reception, the call would not go through.”
I would have just phoned the police if this had genuinely gone on for five and a half hours. I would have thought that he’d wear himself out banging about for that long.
“However – what let it down was the view – through a small window over a flat roof to a wall and other room windows . Really felt like being in a prison cell. I explained I’m claustrophobic but was told the rooms are allocated automatically and can’t be changed.”
This reminds me that there’s a new Travelodge idea to charge people in advance to pick their room. This feels a poor idea to me that’s driven by accountants, it gives the impression that those who don’t pay will get a poorly located room rather than it being somewhat more random…..
“Booked and paid in advance for a room for the night of 25 August. Confirmed with the hotel the afternoon of arrival that we would be checking in that evening. On arrival at 7:30 pm we were told that the hotel was overbooked and there were no rooms available. We were offered an alternative ten miles away in Poole, which we declined.”
Travelodge does this overbooking thing way too much….. The number of complaints about it is excessive….
“No sleep, workers banging and drilling at 7am, door knocked on to ask if they gain entry to change the locks, did not feel safe or rested.”
This feels sub-optimal…
“Basic hotel at best but fit for purpose. However, our key cards frequently stopped working which we later discovered was due to them being incorrectly programmed. This led to another guest entering our room during the night. Although he understood and left immediately, the potential risk was significant. Reception staff did not understand the gravity of the situation and their response was disproportionate.”
My key card stopped working and reception gave me a new one, but took it on trust that I actually had a room there. I’d rather agree that the safety provision is a little inadequate….
Anyway, I was perfectly happy with the stay, the hotel was clean, the team members were friendly and there were no noise disturbances (although the seagulls could be quite vocal). I’d merrily stay here again.
