Tag Archives: days out

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Paris of the Americas (Part Two)

Following my first trip to Buenos Aires, I returned to the capital city at the end of my three month trip around Argentina to have a final week there, enjoying some attractions I had not been able to visit in my first visit. This time I was joined by a travel companion and was staying in a luxury hotel.

A focus on Evita

Following my first visit to Buenos Aires, and visiting the grave of Evita, a famous Argentine first lady, this time round, I visited the Evita museum. I was keen to learn more about her life and work for the state. The museum is housed in a previous home for the poor that was set up through a foundation that Evita begun. The museum has several rooms with projections of Evita’s film clips as an actress, her speeches as an activist and also a viewing gallery for her red carpet gowns.

I found the museum to be really interesting but unfortunately photos were not allowed. The information was really good about her early life, career, relationship with president Peron, and her death. I learnt that she had a lot more involvement in charity work than I had realised. She also won the vice presidency but turned it down, which I was not aware of. After finishing our look around the museum, we had a tasty lunch in the museum’s restaurant which has a very nice courtyard.

A walk around the parks

I was able to visit a few more of the park’s in Buenos Aires this time, although not all of them, as the rosalade (rose garden) was closed for upkeep.. very annoying. I did manage to visit both the Botanical Garden and the Eco Parque which are next door to each other. This took a full morning, and both parks were worth a look, and free to enter.

The botanical garden has many exotic plants and large trees as expected, and had attempted to theme different sections by different garden styles, for example french or italian.

The Eco Parque is a very different experience. This pretty park used to be a zoo with many large exotic animals, and elegant victorian styled animal houses. In recent decades, most of the animals have been moved to other locations, or sent back to their natural habitat.

There are a few that still roam through the park though, because they are either too old or unwell to move, or do not need to be relocated. The park still has an old camel, plenty of capybaras, strange half rabbit half deer things, and even some monkeys. It is a pleasant place to take a walk in the middle of this huge city, as you never know what new animal will be around the corner.

Nightlife

In the evening, I was lucky enough to be rejoined by my German traveller friends again as they also finished their journey in BA. We headed out to Palermo Hollywood for a night of clubbing and mischief. After a night that lasted until around 6am, I was glad for my full hotel continental breakfast the next day!

La Plata

For a day out, we decided to visit the capital of the Province, the city called La Plata. The city was easy to get to, only 90 minutes on the train, and the main attraction there is a beautiful cathedral.

The cathedral is gorgeous on the inside, and as well as the main church, the attraction offers exploration of the crypt with a museum about its construction and original pieces, the opportunity to be lifted up the tower, and a sweet restaurant. A lovely morning out.

Horse riding in the Pampas

The province of Buenos Aires is part of the ‘Pampas’ region, and this is where the gauchos (Argentine cowboys) farm cattle the most. So, I decided to book us a day of horse riding in the area.

The four hour riding experience included a traditional asado lunch at the house of a local which was pretty special, and the horse riding itself was an unforgettable experience. For good and bad reasons…

The horse I was given, was a little young and barely broken in. This was coupled by the style of gaucho riding which is very different compared to english riding. The saddles and riding kit on the horse is very different and there is no front to the saddles. You are also expected to ride one handed and without a riding hat.

Whilst a little nervous about my horse’s behaviour, I took on the challenge. We rode through long grasses, roads, ditches, and woodlands and after trotting, cantering and a little bucking by my horse, I did manage to stay on the horse! Even though I was a little banged up. The experience was good fun, but the major downer was the extreme amount of mosquito bites I endured all over my legs i was rubbing toothpaste on my legs for days after! (Fun fact: it takes out the itch).

Lunch in Uruguay

We became aware that you could visit Uruguay easily from Buenos Aires’ port by crossing in the river ferry for around an hour. It’s always tempting to cross another country off the list if the opportunity arises, so we booked our ferry tickets and took the pleasant ride across to a town called Colonia del Sacramento. From here you can also take a bus to Montevideo (Uruguay’s capital) but we decided to save that for another trip. Colonia del Sacramento is a picturesque town with a very portuguese style to it, from when it was colonised by Portugal.

There are a couple of small museums and a church in the town to enjoy, and we had a long and luscious lunch of a traditional Uruguay dish called ‘chivito’. This is like a giant inside out meaty sandwich. Like Argentina, Uruguay also does not skimp on food portions.

Before we knew it, it was time to take the ferry back across the river. We had a good laugh about how we left the country just fot lunch though! 🤣

Tango

You can’t visit Buenos Aires and not watch a little Tango, as the traditional dance of the city. Not only can you see people dance this in the streets of Caminito in Boca, there are also plenty of theatres offering shows and classes. I wanted to do a class but they were multiple hours and I felt too lazy about it, plus I only had walking boots to dance with.

I did decide to book a show and after a little research, I booked a show at Teatro Porteno. You had an option of paying for the show on its own or with dinner included. I chose to purchase just the show which was about £23 but then on arrival, we were also provided with another menu to pick and choose food. We went for some empanadas and a delicious ham and cheeses board.

The show itself was amazing! Focused on locations around Buenos Aires, there was a variety of styles of Tango on display. They also had an act that used drums and cattle whips to create impressive rhythms with the music. I was really glad I visited.

Another location where tango can be viewed and learnt is Cafe Tortoni. This is one of the oldest and most fabulous cafes in Buenos Aires. The decor is very traditional italian/ bohemian and many famous faces have eaten here. We decided to visit for a merienda (afternoon snack) and really enjoyed our visit with some great sandwiches and cake.

There were plenty of other bits and pieces I experienced in this bustling capital, but these were definitely the highlights. My return to the UK following Buenos Aires was a very long journey, but also gave me time to reflect on my amazing journey around this beautiful country.

After my return to the UK, I will soon be embarking on my next journey, working on board a cruise ship around the Mediterranean…

Camino de Santiago: Aviles to Gontan

This week I entered my final third of the walk, and as the rain poured down, the paths became rivers, but I powered on!

The week kicked off with a stop in Aviles, which is a large town. It has charming streets full of arches, old chapels and former monasteries, and a fountain of dribbling monks!

I stayed all alone in a large pilgrims albergue for the cheap fee of 8 euros and prepared for the week ahead.

Next was my soggy 20km to Soto del Barco. Most of the walk was through forests with deep red ferns and overflowing rivers.

I had hoped to find a cheap place to stay, but it was all pricey in this village at the bottom of the valley, so I decided to stay in a hotel. The hotel was beautiful as it was a former 18th century palace, and so enjoyed a little luxury and a slap up meal, of food that I could not identify!

The next day I walked to Soto de Luina. The rain continued and I had only been able to have a few small pastries and a piece of fruit for breakfast. I’d thought I would pass a cafe but all day I didn’t. The day was spent walking through forests.

Thankfully, forests and woodland are in my opinion, the easiest terrain on the joints, as the ground is so bouncy. I grew up in the woods (in a house not in the trees), and feel in my element within them.

The overflowing rivers and lack of food was making this very hard for ‘only’ a 22km walk. The day was full of ups and downs, and I had to stop frequently. A few times I thought I might pass out.

When I finally arrived in Soto de Luina, I made my way to my bed for the night, in an old abandoned school building. No heating, and no kitchen, but its all part of the experience… right? 😣

When I looked at my map, I found that my next stop in Luarca was up to 40km away (that is maybe 12 hours walk), and the morning came and my shoes were still wet, and my body still weak. So I decided to journey by train this day. I felt a bit guilty, but sometimes you have to know when to give yourself a break.

It was also a great place to do the train, as the track rides over the town of Luarca, and provides great views. The train driver was really nice too. We chatted in spanish, he showed me when to take photos, gave me some paper for my shoes, and showed me the control room! It also gave me a chance to nose around the town for longer, and just recover a little.

Luarca is a small town which was founded on fishing, especially for whales. The town has a winding river running through its centre and a reasonable amount of bars, restaurants and shops. As you walk through the town, which is full of grand indiano buildings, you are led to the harbour, two beaches and a climb to the lighthouse, cemetery and hermitage.

The hermitage is open to explore, and the cemetery can also be visited, and has some local famous figures within it.

The scenery is lovely, and whilst I was up against strong winds, I did manage to wonder around and look at the sites before the big storm hit! When I could hear thunder, and see snow, I knew the train had been the right decision this day..

The next morning, I headed to Navia. The rain started early and kept on coming, changing from small drops to monsoons without a second to react. I kept myself motivated by singing along to myself ‘hit me with your best shot!’ And it definitely did, when it began to thunder, I started to freak out that I was in the middle of nowhere holding metal sticks!

I pulled myself together and carried on, assuming that I was the only person mad enough to be out here, when another pilgrim appeared behind me.

This peregrino from down under, had managed to leave from Irun a week after me and was now overtaking me! Bit embarrassing… After walking together for an hour though I realised he had been doubling up trail lengths each day, not taken any rest days and was not stopping to look at things. Whilst I may end up being the last pilgrim of 2021, I still think slow and steady is a better experience. I do hope I’m home for Christmas though…

The arrival in Navia was met with a big smile from me, and in the pouring rain, and frozen to the core, I arrived at my hotel. Navia is a reasonable sized town and the hotel I stayed in was pleasant. One cheeseburger, and a warm bath later, and all was restored.

The next day was a big one, about 33km to Ribadeo, and into the final region of my camino, Galicia. It feels like forever that I have dreamed of standing in front of that beautiful Galicia sign. A sign that I have travelled over 600km and I am almost there!

I walked from sunrise to sunset, and the day started with the rain but by the afternoon there was some sunshine. There was also plenty of uplifting camino related signs, statues, and artworks. The day covered a mix of landscape; some forest but mostly road.

I did have a very natural river experience, when the river had overflowed the footbridge. I had to take my shoes off and cross bare footed. It was freezing, but fun!

At one point, I was given a choice of two routes, an inland one, and a coastal route. I chose the coast, so I had something to distract me from my ongoing pains, and because now I spend a lot of time trying to read the sky for clues of what direction the clouds will blow. It looked clear that way.

I made the right choice! I had 360′ views of nearly clear skies, with the ocean on one side and mountains on the other. This really was a nice surprise.

After 10 hours on the road I had to really push myself to make it over the bridge into Ribadeo as the night sky rolled in, and it began to rain again. The bridge is massive, and the views of the city are stunning, especially lit up at night. Then I got to the other side and finally saw the Galicia sign… and gave myself a big pat on the back.

Ribadeo is a must see stop, as it has lots of services and shops, and some gorgeous buildings.

The next morning, my body felt ruined, everything hurt and my foot was inflamed. I was facing another 10 hour walk, and there was no way I could do it. It was a sunny day, and I did not want to waste it or fall more behind. I spent some time in the nun’s convent praying for strength, visited the pharmacy for more ibuprofen, and took the one daily bus part of the way to Lourenzá.

I stopped here for a few hours and took a look around the outside of the gorgeous monastery which unfortunately was closed. I had some octopus and bread, and I walked a short 4km through forest to a nearby country lodge to rest my injuries. A while later that day, the Aussie stumbled in, and I was shocked to see that he wasn’t days ahead. It turned out, he had worked too hard, and was suffering with an injury now as well. There is no getting out of this walk unscathed!

The next day was supposed to be an easy 18km. The rain kept coming but I made it to my first stop in Mondenedo, this little city has a cathedral, that I was keen to visit. It was 3 euros to enter but did include an audio guide. The cathedral has a strange layout following many extensions, it has three naves, a chapel in the center, a small cloisters and a small museum inside. It is worth a visit, as the art work and choir in particular are lovely.

The city has a few other historical buildings, and an exhibition about Camino del Norte inside an old church. The man looking after it was very chatty and helped me to consider my next stages of the walk. He also warned me of an upcoming bank holiday when all the shops will be shut. The exhibition itself was quite interesting focused on the upcoming locations on the walk, within Galicia.

Once I had walked out of Mondenedo, I began a very long and vertical ascent. This eventually took me to the other side of forest, and I then walked about 10km through farmland. There are no services here, just me, the cows and two horses that took a run at me! I was entirely soaked, but singing along to my motivational playlist, which helped.

Then I decided to look back, and there was a double rainbow! Just the pick me up I needed, and lucky that I saw it. A minute later it was gone. An hour later, I finally arrived at Gontan’s pilgrim hostel. My clothes (2 outfits) were washed and dried for the first time in a week, and I fell into a coma.

The week has brought me a mix of emotions. There have been a lot of times when I have considered abandoning the camino, but I am still here, and still persevering. Pilgrimages are never meant to be easy, and with Santiago de Compostela so close now, I cannot turn back! Fingers crossed I can keep my body going until then…

Quirky day trip ideas!

Many of us have been unable to travel lately due to the pandemic. This means that we have needed to get a little creative with how we spend our spare time to keep it interesting. Day trips out are a big part of this, and in this blog I will give you some tried and tested quirky day trip ideas for you to explore!

With most of our leisure time being spent nearer to home this year, why not try something a bit unusual in your area.

Metal detecting

Many people have an interest in metal detecting with so many TV programmes about discoveries and salvages. I decided to have a go, and see if I could find some long lost treasure. A lot of people head to beaches, and back gardens with their metal detectors, and you do have to consider permissions from landowners when you do this. You might also need to agree the split you will get from any profit you make!

I wanted to try some fields, and my dad happens to have some land that I could investigate. The fields have been used for a few centuries by nurseries, farmers, scrap yard owners, and for other unknown purposes. This makes it a very mysterious place under the earth.

In the first two hours around 20 items were found, including several door handles, a light switch and a pig feeder, which could be recycled into a lovely bird bath.I didn’t find my fortune on that occasion, but I will keep looking. Either way, the experience is a fun one, and you do get a thrill from digging something out and trying to figure out what it is!

If you get really into this activity, you can apparently upgrade to a smarter metal detector which will tell you exactly what the metal is, so you can narrow your searches. This is a fun way to spend half a day with a friend or as a family, just bring your metal detector, a spade for everyone involved, and be prepared for everyone to get filthy!

Beach cleaning/litter picking

I like to keep the planet clean, and so naturally I hate litter! Of course, within waterways and oceans, the pollution, especially plastics, is extremely harmful for animals and us. If you want to do your part, or teach your kids about giving back, and the harm of littering, then a clean up event is great fun!

Many local groups and national charities such as the Marine Conservation Society, will organise beach and river clean ups, and other litter pick events regularly. These tend to be with a group of differently aged volunteers, and the group leader will provide you with a high viz, litter picker, gloves and bin bags. These events are especially popular during the off season when less people are visiting the beaches and riversides. ‘Keep Britain Tidy‘ creates several campaigns throughout the year in Britain, to encourage people to take pride in their open spaces and keep them litter free, such as the ‘Great British Spring Clean’ event.

I have done several litter picks before, and I always feel good afterwards, it is also a great way to get some exercise, and enjoy outdoor spaces that you may have not visited before. It can be quite addictive, and you can become quite competitive about how much you pick up. I got so into it, at one event, that I was climbing the sea barriers to retrieve a discarded shoe and fishing nets!

Foraging

Ever wondered if you could survive an apocolyptic event? Well, a day out foraging, might give you some idea. You may have tried the odd herb, or picked blackberries before, but you can go much further!

Foraging is becoming more popular as people become more interested in their green spaces, and lots of people are providing information on how to do this, and what greens to look out for in your area. You can even go on foraging tours and events to learn all about it. The Woodland Trust provide a great monthly calendar on what to look out for when you are out and about. The organisation will also allow you to forage in several of their woodlands, as you must ask permission before foraging in an area. You should also be sure of what you are picking, no poison berries! Lastly, you should minimise your impact, by only picking the fruit (not the plant) and only take what you need.

On my visit to the woods, I downloaded two apps on my phone to identify edible plants and see how they were to be consumed. Woodland Trust also has an app for identifying trees. I have previously collected blackberries, nettles, dandelions and chestnuts. I have been able to use these items to make teas, desserts, and soups, but I know there are lots of recipes available to try. Autumn is certainly the best time for this activity, I would like to try to find more varieties of nuts in the woods… if I can beat the squirrels to them! I would also be really interested in spending a day with an experienced forager, to learn about some of the more unheard of plants.

Exploring community gardens

If you live in an urban area, you may be unaware of a network of community gardens that are taken care of by locals. There is more and more demand for green spaces within towns and cities, and locations that locals could grow their own food & cutting flowers. There are a few national schemes that you can use to look up gardens and social farms in your area, some are open all the time, and some have set open days. Some examples are Social Farms & Gardens, Community Supported Agriculture, and National Garden Scheme. You can also speak to your local parish council about what is nearby to you.

I love to explore local community gardens and allotment areas when I am out walking. You can see the individual styles that have been incorporated across the plots and garden spaces, and get some really quirky ideas for your own gardening. It is a lovely contrast to a formal garden at a stately home, and it is also free, so lots of reasons to visit! If you explore enough that you like, you might even find that you want to volunteer to get involved with one local to you.

Geocaching

Geocaching is an activity of following GPS co-ordinates to find hidden containers that others have placed. Often these are hidden in very creative hiding spots, and when you find the container, you can add your name to a list of finders inside. Geocaching has a huge following, and is a great way to make your next walk a bit more interesting. Geocaching.com calls the activity ‘the world’s largest treasure hunt’ and invites you to download the application onto your phone for free and get started!

I have done this with quite a few different friends, and some containers are easier to find than others. A friend of mine once had me looking around all of Covent Garden for a specific geocache, for over an hour. We found it though! The buzz of finding it is quite satisfying, and I can see why people get really into doing this on their days out. Geocaching is so popular, you are very likely to have some in your area, so why not give it a go?!

Bird watching

If you love getting outside and experiencing nature then birdwatching is a popular hobby to take up. There are so many nature reserves dedicated to wildlife conservation, and offering brilliant facilities for ‘twitchers’ to enjoy. I have enjoyed visiting various RSPB nature reserves in my time, and have my own pair of binoculars! You can take it as seriously as you want to, but the more dedicated you are, the more likely you are to spot a rarer bird.

I am happy with whatever bird I see, as long as it surpasses the status of a pigeon… It is quite interesting to learn the different bird names though, and actually try to identify what you are looking at. You can equally do the same thing with creepy crawlies, if you are more that way inclined!

Crabbing & Rockpooling

Just a ‘ponds throw’ from bird watching… (see what i did there..) looking for crabs can be quite a fun way to spend a few hours, especially for kids. This is a really popular activity where I am from, in Norfolk. Every day that the sun is shining, there are people sitting at the edge of a beach pier, hanging bacon from a string, in the hope of catching a crab. Equally, you will see kids jumping over rocks to dig for crabs in the shallow pools of the beach.

I have done this with my family, although with little success (my fishing skills are lacking). My sisters were normally the ones to find the crabs, and then we would enjoy looking at the little fellow for half an hour, before gently releasing him back into the sea.

Church / Cemetery crawling

Those of you that like history, and specifically ancestry, may find this to be a particularly wonderful day out, especially in the days where you want to be indoors or in the shade. There is so much history to a parish church, and most are open all the time for visitors to walk in and explore. Equally cemeteries have become an attraction in themselves…

I started to take an interest in walking around cemeteries so that I could find specific graves of ancestors, and discovered Ancestry.co.uk and a website where you can find and record grave stones in local cemeteries to keep records up to date, and digital for all researchers. Once I then started visiting the cemeteries more, I began to appreciate the artwork, verses and style of the various tombstones. A lot of people also like to visit cemeteries as part of tours, or on their own, to pay respect to well known public figures that are buried there.

A final reason that they are nice to visit, is that they are generally beautiful, peaceful and often wild places to relax in. Many UK cemeteries have become accredited as mini nature reserves, for their wildlife credentials. I have even had a picnic in a cemetery before, as it was a pretty spot and also pleasantly shady on a warm day!

Fossil hunting and Flint knapping

If you want to do something that is really unique and one to write home about, then consider the world of geology! There are several locations across the UK where you can get permission to go fossil hunting, or join an organised event. The UK Fossils Network seems to be a great source of information about locations within the UK, and also guidance on how to do this activity safely. I have so far been unsuccessful in my lone wonderings to find fossils, but I may try one of the group events as it seems that they provide the equipment and safety bits you need to get more serious about it.

If you want to do something even more niche, then you may want to consider learning about flint knapping! I haven’t tried this myself, but I understand that you can take workshops in this, in my home county. Flint knapping is the act of finding flints, and then hitting them into the shape of weapons, that you would have used in prehistoric times!

Self guided tours/ trails

Taking yourself on a self guided tour of a city or town is a really traditional and easy way to spend a day out. Lots of locations will provide you with a map or app for following a trail of blue plaques, or local murals. In some locations, you can even walk up to a local statue and listen on your phone to a recording about who the figure was. This is part of the ‘talking statues‘ scheme.

I have walked several self guided trails in different cities, and have found that the more interactive, and unusual, the better. I especially like to do trails where you have to follow clues, as i find this more challenging. ‘Treasure Trails‘ is a great scheme that offers trails with clues to solve at different levels, across the UK.

To summarise…

If you are heading out for the day, why not make a proper day of it, and try an experience you won’t forget! I hope the above ideas may have tickled your imagination, and made you think about what is nearby to where you live.