My hazy summers in wild Connemara...
Continuing our series featuring the holiday memories of famous people, this week TV presenter
Mariella Frostrup, 55, recalls her lifetime of adventures… First holiday I can remember:
Our move to Ireland from Norway when I was six was initiated by a holiday to Dingle in Kerry the previous summer. I don’t remember much about that excursion, but we moved to Co. Wicklow and, for the next three summers, we’d head to Connemara for our holidays. We’d be packed into my dad’s Renault 5 for an overnight drive. My fondest memories are of the three of us (brother Aksel and sister Danielle) gazing out the back window of the car at the stars, full of anticipation.
First trip abroad: My first independent trip was to Greece when I was 18. What a revelation to discover the sun-soaked island of Poros, where long days on the beach were followed by nights on the dancefloor.
My honeymoon: Was in the Panamanian jungle near the prison island of Coiba! It was also where we married, on a troop-carrier straight out of Saving Private
Ryan, decorated with jungle foliage. After the ceremony, conducted by the ship’s captain, we kayaked to shore with tin cans attached to the back, had fish and chips for dinner and spent the rest of the week trekking.
Best holiday: A sailing trip in the Caribbean over New Year 2000. A group of friends chartered an ancient English sailing boat and set off for two weeks in the Grenadines. First stop was Mustique for their millennium New Year party. We planned to stay overnight. Instead we stayed for a week.
My dream destination: A boat trip down the Mekong to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, a place I’ve long wanted to visit.
Mariella will be presenting The Big Painting Challenge on BBC1 at 6pm this evening.