Tag Archives: travel

The best of Tuscany; Florence & Pisa

This is a blog that I meant to post a while back but didn’t get around to it. Hopefully, it will make some good post lockdown reading… Please check the actual websites for attractions for Covid-19 related information, I have not updated the information to reflect any new rules.

Last Autumn I visited Florence and Pisa with a friend and it was a great opportunity to do a fun twin centre trip within the Tuscany area.

We decided to visit Florence as it is a bucket list destination known for its beautiful architecture and cultural atmosphere. We wanted to make the most of the close location to Pisa and so decided to spend two nights in Florence and then travel by train to Pisa and stay one night there. This was especially convenient because our flight was from Pisa.

A city of art

Florence is well known for its art galleries, specifically art from the Renaissance period. We visited the two main galleries; Uffizi and Accademia, but everywhere you went housed some sort of artistic reference. Even the walls of buildings had sculptures, frescos and patterns to admire.

With the style of art that is popular here, you can see hundreds of different views and interpretations of the same religious stories over and over again. Some really popular ones included of course; The Annunciation (Mary finding out from Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus), The adoration of the Magi (the presentation of gifts to Jesus by the three kings), and The Crucifixion of Christ (I think everyone knows this story).

museum florence

museum florence

There were also some really odd ones that caught my eye such as the ‘Birth of Venus’ by Sandro Botticelli. This painting from the 1400s shows the Greek goddess, Venus arriving nude on the shore of what is most likely Cyprus, fully grown in a large clam shell.

Birth of Venus

Another interesting piece that I really liked was ‘The Seven Virtues’ by Piero del Pollaiolo which Botticelli helped complete. It was commissioned by a court, for the judges’ high seat backs. The court decided that they wanted a painting of each of the virtues — the “three Christian values” (Faith, Hope, and Charity) and the “four universal values” (Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude, and Justice). These were really interesting, with each lady looking different in their expressions and holding something different in their hand; for example faith who holds a crucifix, justice who holds a sword and globe, and hope who holds her hands in prayer.

Seven Virtues

The Uffizi gallery is probably the most popular attraction in Florence and holds a massive collection of paintings across an absolutely huge building. People can spend a whole day in this gallery, but on average you should allow up to 3 hours. There is also a good chance that you will have to queue for a long time! We waited over an hour to get into the building.

The Accademia Gallery is much smaller and it houses many sculptures.

museum florence

It is also home to Michelangelo’s David, the most famous statue in the world. Originally located in Piazza della Signoria where there is now a copy in its place. There are other copies of this icon around the city including a bronze statue at the Piazzale Michelangelo.

Michelangelo’s David

Piazzale Michelangelo

The amount of art in this city was simply overwhelming and after a few galleries we felt completely mind boggled by it all. If you have no interest in art at all, this probably isn’t the place for you!

The historic buildings

With strong catholic connections, Florence holds many historic churches and buildings. The most popular one to see is the Duomo (Cathedral) along with the Giotto’s Campanile (Bell Tower) and Baptistery. You can get access to all these buildings and the museum on one ticket, but again be prepared to queue for a long period of time to get into the cathedral, and also for the bell tower.

You can pay extra to climb the dome of the cathedral which we considered doing, but after climbing the 414 steps of the Campanile we didn’t have the energy to climb, plus the tower is actually taller than the Duomo so the views were probably just as good if not better.

Duomo view from bell tower, Florence

Florence Bell Tower

Baptistery Florence

Duomo

Baptistery

Duomo

The opening times of the buildings can be quite frustrating as they don’t open until 10am so if you want to make an early start then you have to find some way to fill your time before you can go in. We had an extra large breakfast! Also be aware that these are catholic buildings where you will be required to cover up! We kept light cardigans and leggings in our bags so we could quickly cover up without carrying around too much weight the rest of the day.

Santa Maria Novella

The Santa Maria Novella church was also a lovely place to visit though we did find the pricing very difficult to understand as it didn’t seem to be well communicated to us when we tried to go in.

Viewpoints

There were a couple of great viewpoints that we found in Florence, including Piazzele Michelangelo, which is quite far from the centre, and is best travelled to by bus. Especially as to reach it by foot you have to climb a lot of very steep steps! The Piazzele is very popular for tourists and can be quite busy; with people, vehicles and food vans. Apparently it looks great at sunset but we only saw it during the day, it looked very pretty during the day as well though.

Piazzele Michelangelo

La Terrazza Continentale is also a great place to view some of the city centre. This was more of a special find… a roof bar tucked on top of the Continental Hotel. This is a very fancy bar and quite expensive, so we just had the one cocktail with our free snacks! It started raining too so we didn’t stay long but it was great to see the views and feel part of the Florence night scene. Also the elevator was very cool, but I will leave you to discover that yourself!

A couple of free sliders at La Terrazza Continentale

La Terrazza Continentale

The town of Fiesole

Whilst in Florence I wanted to take the opportunity to visit the town of Fiesole just 300 meters up the hill from Florence. My grandmother had often told me about the town as she lived their with my mother around 30 years ago and so I was curious to see it for myself.

This has a very different feel to the City of Florence as a very quiet local town only a short bus ride away which has great views of Florence and what seemed to be local vineyards and farmlands. There was also a lovely little church and a site of Roman ruins to see. We were only there for around two hours so I am sure there is plenty more to explore in the town for next time I visit the Tuscany area.

Fiesole Roman ruins

Fiesole views

Fiesole Roman ruins

Fiesole viewpoint

The train journey to Pisa was only around 10 Euros and takes about one hour. This short journey meant we could still have a full day in Florence before leaving for Pisa to have dinner in a lovely Pizzeria in Pisa and explore the city in the evening as well as the following day.

Pisa

The city of Pisa is normally just an excursion for many tourists but it was really interesting to see the city by night as well as day. The city actually has a booming nightlife with a large university residing over the river, the city fills with students by night and has a number of bars and cheap eateries to enjoy.

Pisa

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Baptistery

During the day we looked around the shops, saw Pisa’s Duomo, and baptistery and also their bell tower better known as ‘the leaning tower of Pisa’. The tower is normally open for tower tours but was sold out when we were there, I also don’t know that I would want to climb up a tower that is mid way through falling down! Apparently the tower keeps falling and so every so many years they have to refill the dip with cement again and prop it back up… sounds a bit risky to me!

There was also a museum that gave some background about the tower and an exhibition of different fresco paintings available to see.

Overall, this was a fun area to spend a few days, and I would definitely return. I would probably book more time away next time and spend some time in the rural parts of the region to see the contrast, and taste some of the local foods.

Me in Florence

Madrid: Memoirs of fancy parks and poor pronunciations…

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Last week, I travelled to the capital of Spain with the aim of having a relaxing week away with my partner and put the nine months of Spanish lessons i have had into practise. The holiday in the end was quite different to what I expected.

After some very difficult months, I packed my bag and was on my way to my budget flight to Madrid, crossing my fingers and toes that the flight wouldn’t be delayed and the infamous airline wouldn’t take my cabin bag from me. Thankfully the flight was okay but I did realise that I had forgotten probably the third most important item on this holiday… the Spanish dictionary and phrasebook! What a plonker! Well now I knew that the holiday would be somewhat more challenging…

We decided to take the Metro into Madrid from the airport, which would have been fine if I had done any sort of research previous to the holiday, but instead we got to the platform and realised we had no idea where we were going. Embarrassing for me really. Eventually we realised what we needed to do but the ticket options weren’t great, we ended up opting for the 10 trip ticket + airport travel but in hindsight this was a bit of a waste because we walked almost everywhere and returned to the UK with four unused journeys. Never mind! But a tip for those of you thinking about a visit, just get the airport ticket, because your 10 trips don’t count towards your journey back to the airport and you may find yourself having to pay extra to get back through the security gates… (Not that I’m talking from experience or anything *cough* cough*)

On arrival to the address of our apartment, (another AirBnB bargain) we had to enter a local hair salon to get the keys, and the apartment owner did not speak a word of English. But thankfully! I remembered the word for keys! LLAVES! Remember that one, you never know when you might need it. So after a lot of challenging conversation and frantic hand gestures, we made it into the apartment which was in the centre of Madrid, and a great price at £49 per night, although was missing some essentials.. like toilet paper. But just a minor thing!

Next on the list was to plan our visits to attractions and local hot spots for the week, of course I was trying to relax so managed to narrow this down to only about three locations per day, not bad I’d say. We were on a serious budget, but there is a surprising amount to do for free in Madrid, even some of the top ranking attractions.

We headed out to fill our apartment with those must have essentials at the local supermercado, and then hit the Mercado de San Miguel, a classy market full of local cuisine for the all important Tapas ingredients. This market is one of many in Madrid devoted to stalls of Ham, Olives, Fruit & Veg and lots of seafood.

Parks

It was boiling hot when we were there and so we wanted to take advantage by strolling in the local parks, we spent a full six hours within the El Retiro Parque in the East of the city. This popular park is full of attractions to enjoy.

Lake at Retiro Park

Lake at Retiro Park, Madrid

There is a lake which you can sail around and a beautiful monument alongside it with strange figures of mermaid like women riding various animals. There is also a few gorgeous buildings, one is a glasshouse with a pond in front of it filled with turtles.

Hidden away on one end of the park is also a peacock park where you can spot the birds hiding in every corner and formal hedge lines and fountains.

Peacock Park in Retiro Park

My favourite part of the park though is the Rosaleda or Rose Garden, which is very pretty, full of fountains and neatly trimmed rose bushes. Very beautiful.

Me at Rosaleda at Retiro

Retiro park – rosaleda

Me at Rosaleda at Retiro

There are so many other parks and gardens in the city to relax in as well, they all seemed to be taken well care of, and are clean and tidy.

One of the other reasons we spent so long in the Retiro park was because it was close by to the Prado art museum which is worth a visit. The museum is free during the week between 6pm and 8pm and we waited outside ready to go in, but turned our back for a moment and there was a queue of hundreds of people that had been formed. It would have taken an hour so we decided to give up and come back another day and pay, which was worth while because we ended up getting buy one get one free! The museum was full of paintings and sculptures, including some really brilliant work showing examples of heaven and hell and the artist’s perceptions of those journeys.

Palacio Real

The palace is also a lovely monument to view, we didn’t pay to go in, as the queue was quite long and we didn’t feel like it but the outside was pretty and it is right next door to the Cathedral. The Cathedral has great colours everywhere and a variety of chapels.

Evenings

In the evening, the city becomes very vibrant with street performers in all the large plazas, and the Spaniards have their late night dinners and high street shopping trips. One of the nights we stayed in Madrid we booked to enjoy a tapas dinner with a show in one of the many tablaos.

We chose to visit Torres Bermejas because of the wonderful decor replicating the interior of the Bermejas Towers of the Alhambra in Granada , which has a great Arabic feel to it. We watched an hour (with a break in the middle) of Spanish Flamenco dancing, singing and guitar playing, which was excellent. You could watch the show and just have drinks for about 30 Euros, but add another 25 Euros and you will get your dinner thrown in, ( a tapas that is, of course). The food was lovely as well, so generally a splendid night of entertainment and food.

There are also a few good view points to oversee the city; the Temple of Debod which is a park with ancient Egyptian monuments as well as the tower, Faro de Moncloa, which is a little towards the outside of the city but cheap to do – only three Euros. The downside of this attraction is that it has no facilities other than a vending machine so make sure you get some food on the way from one of the many restaurants alongside the Oeste Park next door.

An overview of the city

One of the other great things to do, to get a real feel for the city is to take a tour of Madrid. We spent some time considering whether we should do a bus tour or a walking tour but after looking at reviews and considering costs, decided to go for a walking tour. We took a free city tour with a gent named Miguel, which gave us a great overview of the city and its history and allowed us to discover a number of streets, alleys and landmarks that we would have never noticed on our own. For example did you know Madrid hosts the world’s oldest restaurant? Or that in many of the convents you can go and buy freshly baked cookies from the local nuns?!

I never knew until we had the tour that we had been walking around a city with such a mixture of origins. I had been passing through streets of Austrian, African, French and Roman influences. Much of the city is also influenced by the different religions and cultures that came with these countries.

We heard that the origin of the Flamenco music and dance that we had enjoyed a few nights before was an outcome of the oppression in Madrid and the persecution of Gypsies, Jewish and Muslim people within Spain during various invasions. It remained very dominant in Andalusia in the South of Spain where much of the original African migrants were dominant. We plan to see a bit more of the Flamenco art during our stay there next Summer.

Unfortunately, we took the tour at the end of the week but it would have been much more useful to go at the beginning. That’s what we get for being indecisive!

In general, it was a pretty nice place to visit, with lots of places to see cheaply, and the culture was really interesting. Word to the wise though, many of the people living and working here do not speak English, so don’t assume that you’ll get by because your a tourist going to tourist places. Remember your phrasebook! I think my boyfriend is pretty thankful that I knew enough Spanish to ask for food and beer, shame I still haven’t mastered understanding the responses back though.

Adios!

Pembrokeshire Coast, Wales

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Amroth beach

Newgale to Solva Walk

This Summer I took a family trip to the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales. This was a fabulous trip full of activity and fun, and one I would definitely be keen to repeat.

We stayed in a small seaside village called Amroth which was a lovely area with a sandy beach and a few nice bars. It was also close to the National Trust property of Colby Woodland, which was a nice natural attraction to explore nearby to our cottage. The village was also perfectly connected along the coastal path.

Colby Woodland

Colby Woodland Stream

Colby Woodland Money Tree

Getting active

There are tons of walking opportunities in the area with the coastal path providing plenty of connections to local sights, views and seaside towns. We did two main walks whilst staying there for the week.

Our first long distance walk was from Newgale to Solva. Newgale is a popular surfing spot, full of campers and water sport shops. The walk from here starts with a steep hike to the top of the cliffs, and took us up and down among the hills before flattening to a more pleasant stroll. The walk took us through views of the sea, beaches and Oystercatchers, and ended with us walking through fields of cattle and one last walk over a shingle beach before reaching Solva. This was a pleasant little seaside town where we could enjoy a well deserved lunch. This five mile walk took us around three hours to do and was very rewarding to complete.

Newgale to Solva Walk

The next walk we decided to go for was much more flat and so for me more leisurely. It also had a lot of different terrain to keep it interesting. This was the walk of Stackpole Quay around the coast and turning back through Bosherston and the Eight Arch Bridge.

Much of this area was covered by the National Trust, meaning there was plenty of very good car parking and cafe facilities. The first part of the walk is only a short inclining trail towards Barafundle Bay, which is one of the UK’s most beautiful beaches. We stopped here for a first break and enjoyed the sunshine before continuing on.

Me on Stackpole walk

Barafundle Bay

Next we found ourselves going through some foliage before coming to the cliff side of Stackpole Head. From here, the next section of the walk was an exploration of the cliffs, where you could see many people taking advantage of the great rock climbing opportunities. As the cliffs end, we found ourselves at Broad Haven beach, a huge sandy beach with plenty of visitors and more opportunity to get some food.

Bosherston Lily Ponds

From here there is the option to continue walking along the coast towards St Govan’s Head and Chapel or inwards to Bosherston Lily Ponds. Unfortunately, St Govan’s Chapel sits within a military training ground which means it is closed to walkers during certain times when training takes place. This conflicted with our walk which meant we couldn’t visit during our walk. Instead we went inland to the Bosherston Lily Ponds. This was a beautiful area with millions of lilies jam packing the water and plenty of wildlife. It was a truly unique outdoor area, unlike anything I have seen before.

Eight Arch Bridge

Bosherston Lily Ponds

After seeing the vast large ponds, the walk continues on wards to the Eight Arch Bridge, which is very picturesque. Apparently, otters can be regularly seen from this spot, although I didn’t manage to see any! Did see a Heron though! Another thirty minutes or so through farmlands will take you back to Stackpole Quay. This was a gorgeous six mile walk, and I would thoroughly recommend it!

Kayaking in Tenby

Jellyfish in Tenby

Kayaking in Tenby

With Pembrokeshire also being a coastal area there is also plenty of opportunity to get active on the water. There are plenty of spots to do this, but we decided to head to Tenby, which is a very popular seaside town and a good place to get out on the water. We decided to hire a couple of kayaks for a few hours and explore the sea. We found a number of small beaches only accessible by water, and we even had a huge jellyfish pass under our boats. I saw a number of massive jellyfish whilst exploring the water in Wales, apparently they had a particularly high number of them over this Summer due to the warm climate.

Someone we saw coasteering!

We saw a number of people coasteering in Pembrokeshire whilst there, meaning they were jumping off the cliffs into the ocean… but I wasn’t quite brave enough for this!

Caldey Island

Caldey Island is a peculiar island off the coast of Tenby that we decided to visit. It is inhabited entirely by a community of monks. This was a particularly interesting attraction for me as a lover of religious tourism. Regular trips can be taken to the island from the dock in Tenby over to the island. Once on the island, visitors can explore the various landmarks, including; the old priory, the lighthouse area, various monastic ruins, the island’s churches and even the monastery’s very own chocolate factory! We did indulge in some delicious monk made fudge! There is also a few shops on the island for visitors and trails to explore.

Old Priory on Caldey Island

Chocolate Factory on Caldey Island

Monastery on Caldey Island

This was a brilliant experience and very unusual!

We also visited St Davids whilst in Pembrokeshire, which is a well known town and famous for it’s St Davids Cathedral. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take any photos of inside the cathedral, but I must tell you that this was one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever visited. I can see why they need the town after it!

St David’s Cathedral… plus cheese

St Govan’s Head & Chapel

Whilst we didn’t manage to see the chapel during our walk we luckily managed to reattempt a visit later in the week. We were successful in finding the hidden away chapel, which was another unusual site in Pembrokeshire, tucked away in the rocky cliffs. The steep walk down to the little chapel is well worth it, and does make you wonder why they chose to build a chapel in such a strange place. Head to the chapel to discover the legends surrounding its history, which involves Irish pirates and a mystery bell.

Heatherton World of Activities

We did decide to take a break from all the walking one morning and visited Heatherton World of Activities. This was an interesting attraction which included all sorts of activities for kids and adults, from Mini – Golf to Go Karting and Tree Top Climbing. On arrival you buy a number of tokens which you can use for various activities. I got extremely excited to be victorious in Mini- Golf, and Archery, however I did find that I need a lot more practice on the Pistol Shooting.

Castles!

Wales is the place to be when you want to find a castle! We were on castle overload this holiday, but I loved it! We went to visit Pembroke, Corfe, Carew, and Manorbier Castles, as well as Lamphey Bishop’s Palace which is another set of ruins. Many of the castles offered free tours, guidance, and activities such as falconry experiences. This was a great way to enjoy a few hours and learn a little history whilst you’re at it.

Carew Castle Pembrokeshire Coast

Castle Pembrokeshire Coast

Generally, Pembrokeshire was a lovely place and I would really like to revisit and explore the towns I didn’t manage to make it out to. We had a week there, but I would happily go there for two weeks and spend more time relaxing on the beach as well as getting active. I just need to hope for another week of perfect weather like we were lucky enough to get!

Me at Carew Castle

Bath: England’s Natural Spa

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My partner and I decided to visit Bath in Somerset on our way from Norwich to Pembrokeshire in Wales. This was a great place to stop as it was a nice half way point to break the journey up and had lots to keep us busy during our one night stay. I hadn’t realised until arriving that Bath is actually the only place in England with hot springs and just how important it was to this city’s initial existence.

The Roman Baths

Of course we visited the historic Roman Baths that Bath is famous for. The visitor attraction was well laid out taking you through different parts of the building and the museum before you arrived outside by the main bath. Self guided audio equipment was available to use and there were regular free guided tours to enjoy that gave some insight into the history. It turns out that the springs in Bath were first discovered as warm bubbling mud by the Celts who thought it was a gift from the goddess Sulis. Later when the Romans came along they recognised the water with the god Minerva, but not to upset the locals, they kept the Celt name, and the area became known as Aquae Sulis, “the waters of Sulis”.

The tour was brilliant and explained to us all the strange beliefs that the Romans had which the baths played a key part in. For example 130 metal tablets were found at the bottom of the baths which Romans visiting the bath had written on and thrown in, in an attempt to curse people they didn’t like, mainly people that had stolen their clothes. We were also able to handle replicas of the sort of tools servants would use to shave and clean the visitors to the baths and the process in which people came in and used the facilities.

The baths were lost for a number of years when they fell into disrepair, however they were rediscovered by the Victorians whom rejuvenated them. This is evident in the baths when visiting, the only original remains is the building work from the knee down, above that is Victorian & Georgian additions, which were put in place to replicate the original Roman layout.

Overall the museum and attraction experience were top notch, we even got to try a taste of the water at the end… although I was not a fan of the taste, it was a nice touch!

Mask

Part of statue

Curse tablet

Thermae Bath Spa

Previous to visiting the town, we had read that going to the Thermae Bath Spa to bathe in the spring waters was a must, so I was really excited to do this. The Spa experience was expensive though and difficult to decide on, because you are given an option of either paying for the single small Georgian bath to bathe in, or the more expensive package of all the modern other baths, wellness suite and rooftop bath, but this excludes the Georgian bath. So already before going in you have to decide if you want the historical atmosphere or the relaxation factor.

We went for the more expensive package to get more out of our ticket and see more of the attraction, in hindsight though I think this might have been the wrong choice. Whilst the facilities were good inside, and quite clean (which is a very important factor in a public bath), I did find the experience to be quite underwhelming and overpriced. The main bath indoors just had the feel of a leisure center pool, and the rooftop pool had uninspiring views and crowds of people inside it. The wellness suite was somewhat interesting but each room was quite less than you expected, except for the Roman steam room which was quite good because it had just SO much steam and felt slightly more authentic and themed than the rest of the spa.

For the price we paid, I had hoped to be amazed by the spa but if you weren’t reading signs that said you were in the spring water, you wouldn’t even know you were in a Bath spa, rather than any other spa in the country. Having spent time abroad at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland and at Turkish and Roman spas elsewhere, it was quite disappointing.

Bath Abbey & Georgian Architecture

All around the town of Bath is Georgian architecture and the matching Bath stone. This includes at the Bath Abbey which was beautifully designed with huge and detailed stained glassed windows. The building was unusually covered throughout with wall and floor memorials, many more than you would normally see in a church or cathedral of this size. We were very lucky to witness the choir whilst visiting as well giving us a great atmospheric visit, and whilst inside we could hear the hymns, stepping outside was a square full of musical busking.

Bath Abbey

The town center has plenty to offer shoppers with a variety of local independent and chain stores, as well as street traders and entertainment. We really enjoyed looking around and seeing what was on offer, including having a delicious dinner at the Aqua restaurant. We read the great reviews for the restaurant and decided to see if they could squeeze us in. We managed to get a table and had a lovely evening. The restaurant was set out to match the bath theme with blue mosaics and was set in a former church so immediately got a ‘big tick’ from me. We had a great waiter that offered us a selection of Italian cuisine. I had the Linguine Gamberoni & my partner had Pork Cheeks, both meals were amazing. I would highly recommend the restaurant for a bit of fine dining.

bath

In general, we really enjoyed Bath and I would be happy to stay there again on my next trip to the West side of the country. It has great history, shopping and lots of outside places to enjoy.

Surrey on a hot weekend!

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Last month, myself and my partner visited Surrey’s Kingswood village and the nearby national trust venues. This is a great area to spend exploring the English countryside and traditional English gardens.

Kingswood in Surrey is a lovely small village with beautiful homes, quality shops and quality dining choices. This also happens to be the home of my grandfather and so I had the pleasure of spending time there.

Whilst in Kingswood, we enjoyed a fabulous meal in the Kingswood’s Arms which I decided to write a seperate review of…

Very close to Kingswood village are the beautiful views of Box Hill and the Surrey Hills. This is a great area to take a walk and explore the countryside, and you can see across Surrey from this viewpoint. With this being a National Trust site, there is also a cafe, shop and toilet facilities available.

There are also a number of National Trust properties surrounding the wider area. We decided to make a visit to the popular ‘Chartwell’, which was once the home of PM Winston Churchill.

Chartwell House

Chartwell Gardens

Chartwell Queen’s signature

Chartwell Roses

I had expected this to just be a house, but on arrival I realised that this was not only the house the Churchill lived in but also an entire estate of rose gardens, parkland, large ponds and trails. You can enjoy self guided tours of Churchill’s home, and discover his best works of art within his old studio. It was a brilliant place to spend time in the sun, and learn about one of England’s most important figures in history. With it being a National Trust site again, it also had all the visitor facilities you could need.

Chartwell House

I only had a few days in Surrey this time, but I know there is lots more available to do there. In previous visits I have taken quick trips into London (only 40 mins away), and taken drives down to the coast. You’re also close to the South Downs National Park, Epsom Downs Racecourse, and Albury Park.

More destination reviews coming soon!

A week in ‘the Big Apple’ and a day in Philly!

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This March a group of us traveled out to the ‘Big Apple’ for a birthday celebration, and although I had my reservations about going for a full week, there was plenty to keep us busy and we even managed to squeeze a visit to Philly in too!

Flying with Delta

We traveled to JFK Airport from Heathrow with Delta airlines. This was a pretty pleasant journey with a lot of choice in entertainment with the in seat screens, you have a choice of recent movie releases, television shows, and games. There was also plenty of food & drink included in our flight, I enjoyed a full lunch, full hot dinner, movie snacks, and ice cream.

Staying in Brooklyn

We decided to rent an apartment in Brooklyn for our week in NYC as there was seven of us and to stay in a hotel in Manhattan would have been too expensive for us. It was nice to see Brooklyn and you could definitely feel the difference between this community suburb and the metropolitan atmosphere of Manhattan. We were lucky enough to find an apartment with enough rooms for us all and brilliant facilities, which also happened to be close to the subway station which was great!

We were in the area of Bushwick which had quite a few shops for us to get supplies such as much needed midnight nachos! We also made a visit to Williamsburg which is a trendy part of Brooklyn with many bars and restaurants, where we had the enjoyment of trying out a ‘Meatball Shop‘ a great restaurant offering various meatball & spaghetti recipes. Opposite this, was an amazing bakery which offered the most freshly baked cakes I have ever seen in one place! Definitely worth a stop!

As well as making use of a weekly subway ticket which is a bargain at $30, I would also recommend taking a walk from Brooklyn into Manhattan if you have a chance. This well known bridge has some great views of the New York skyline and various stalls and artists sitting a long it.

Brooklyn bridge

Me on Brooklyn bridge

Brooklyn

Views of New York; Statue of Liberty, Top of the Rock, & Empire State building

I visited many of the main view points in New York City both during the day and night and I would have to say that whilst the Empire State building was a great view point within Manhattan, the queuing process for this is very long for a reasonably short experience, so I would recommend getting there early and having your tickets already.

My favourite view overall was the view from the ferry to the Statue of Liberty which showed the true skyline of lower Manhattan surrounded in water. The boat is great too as you are able to go outside or inside on three different levels to get the best snap. We also went up the crown of the Statue of Liberty, which had to be pre-booked, and whilst this was a unique experience, it is a very cramped room to stand in and can be quite claustrophobic to climb the many winding steps to the top. I would say that being mid way up the statue can be just as good for a nice shot of Manhattan with a bit less squeezing in small places.

Manhattan, New York

Museums & Central Park

One of the things I didn’t realise before visiting New York was the pure amount of museums and galleries that were available to visit. We tried to pack in quite a few of the main museums, but if I was to revisit I would definitely carry on checking out the museums I missed.

Many of the museums we saw surrounded Central Park which meant we could take a stroll through the park between museum visits. Seeing Central Park in the winter was quite disappointing as it wasn’t the great green space we had hoped to see but the views around the reservoir were lovely and there were plenty of structures to look around at in the park.

The museums surrounding the park included; American Museum of Natural History, Museum of the City of New York and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. These were all fab, the Museum of the City of New York was more based on photographs and imagery and included an interesting film showing the full history of New York. The American Museum of Natural History was full of interesting artifacts from around the world and a brilliant collection of mammals, fish and of course dinosaurs that really wowed us! It was also fun to see familiar scenes in the museum that I’d seen in films like ‘Night at the Museum’. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was also rich in historical objects as well as beautiful sculptures and art, with each room designed differently to suit the period of time or style it represented.

Central Park Reservoir

Other museums that were interesting included; the Statue of Liberty museum which explained the history and meaning of this massive American symbol; Ellis Island which holds a huge museum dedicated to the millions of immigrants that came over to New York during the 19th century; and the 9/11 museum which is extremely moving and informative, and which I would recommend everyone should visit.

Times Square

As expected, Times Square is a very busy area, full of tourists and souvenir shops, but also great for restaurants and bars. We went into Times Square a few times for some delicious American food and shopping, a great place to chill out after a day of sightseeing.

Broadway & Sports

If seeing Times Square lit up at night isn’t enough, you can also fill up your evenings with entertainment. We split up our group and saw Chicago in Theatre whilst the boys headed to a Basketball game; Brooklyn Mets Vs Philadelphia 76ers. The game was a bargain and the boys were able to buy there $13 tickets online on the day, whilst the Chicago tickets although more expensive at $75 each were still half price due to being bought on the day from a local TKTs booth. There are several of these booths offering discounted theatre tickets around the city but we decided to use the Lincoln Centre booth as it was less busy and also is the only stand which is housed indoors. The show was great fun and of brilliant quality including song, dance and comedy.

Chinatown & Little Italy

For some great shopping bargains and interesting cuisine it is worth spending an afternoon in Chinatown and the adjacent Little Italy. There is a Chinese market full of peculiar ingredients available to purchase, various shops selling souvenirs and other bottom dollar items, as well as a number of shrines.

I made a visit to the Eastern States Buddhist Temple on Mott St, which was a small tucked away building which you would miss if you did not know where to look. As well as having a Buddhist shrine with a few people worshiping, the building also sold souvenirs and had a bowl of fortunes which you could pay a dollar to take one. My partner and I did this and had very opposite results. This was a great fun and really interesting to see when you wonder down the streets of Chinatown that there are so many of these small temples tucked away. There was also many locals stopping in the street to bow their heads into the doorways, making you want to peer in and take a look.

Little Italy is much smaller, only going over a few streets, but it has many restaurants selling traditional Italian food and you can get a great vibe for the heritage with the colours of the Italian flag painted all around.

Eastern States Buddhist Temple

Little Italy, NY

Chinese Market, Chinatown, NY

Our fortunes

Eastern States Buddhist Temple

A quick trip to Philly…

As we had a week staying in the US we decided to take advantage of our location and book a bus to Philadelphia, which is only 1.5/2 hours from NYC. We traveled with Greyhound for $20 which we booked online a few days before. Ticket collection at Penn Station in Manhattan was simple and the bus journey was fairly pleasant. We managed to arrive early enough to head down to the Independence Visitor Centre and pre-book the last tour of the day for Independence Hall, which can only be viewed through a free booked tour.

After this rush to the Centre we circled back a little bit and I visited the Reading Terminal Market… This market place had such an amazing variety of food from all over the world, and everything looked delicious… I have not stopped thinking about some of the goodies I saw in this place! Of course we had to try a Philly Cheesesteak which Philadelphia has made famous worldwide, and I can see why!

The Cheesesteak from ‘by George’ in the Reading Terminal Market was absolutely mouthwatering! A great mix of steak, onions and melted american cheese was simple but excellent. The stand also sold other amazing looking treats such as pastas, stromboli (rolled up pizza!) and they even made the salad look great! My cheesesteak was a footlong though so I was unable to fit anymore in, how I wish I could go back again though..

Philly Cheesesteak

After our tasty lunch we headed out towards the Philadelphia Museum of Art where the famous scene from Rocky was filmed of the boxer running up the steps leading to the museum. Many of the people in my group were fans of the film so we decided to take a look and they a long with many others changed into a set of grey trackies and climbed the steps just like Rocky. I had never quite seen anything like this before but I can’t say I wouldn’t do something similar if it was the set from my favourite film! There is now also a statue of Rocky in place which I decided I may as well have a photo shot with as I was there.

Me with Rocky statue, Philadelphia

To finish off the day we made our way back to the historic district and went towards our tour of Independence Hall. We rushed through security and took some photos of the famous Liberty Bell which I was surprised to have to queue for as I had thought it would be easily accessible outside, but in actual reality it was inside a small museum.

From there we went on to go through further security and on to our tour of Independence Hall which lasted around 40 minutes and included a look at the Assembly room where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

The tour was of course very patriotic and took us through some of the basics of the US history including the revolution. This was very interesting as I had no idea beforehand how long it took the US to become established with laws and elected figures and this is of course is where many of the American people’s ideals today come from and of course the still celebrated ‘Independence Day’.

Liberty bell, Philadelphia

Assembly Room at Independence hall, Philadelphia

So that pretty much wraps up my visit to NYC & Philly, if I had made this a longer tour I probably would have made a visit to Washington, Boston or Niagara Falls and Toronto, but I am quite happy with all we squeezed in. This was a very tiring week with us totalling up around 10 miles of walking per day but well worth seeing some of America’s key symbols and historic locations, as well as experiencing New York life a little and meeting many friendly New Yorkers.

Quick tips:

Some other great places worth visiting and tips to remember whilst staying in New York…

Take a quick look in St Paul’s Chapel. This chapel was built in 1766 and is one of the earliest churches in American history, it is famous for being a place of worship for President George Washington, even immediately following his inauguration. There is also a lot of interesting information inside for visitors.
Be aware that what might not look far on the map, may actually be a hell of a long way! We were caught out a few times by thinking something at the end of the street wasn’t far, but many of the roads in New York are huge, so it is likely you will walk a long way. Save your feet and take the subway!
If you are going to a major attraction get there early! We went in March and the crowds were still huge in places like Statue of Liberty and the Empire State building. If you can, get there when it opens!
Purchase a New York CityPass! This was really handy as it meant our tickets were already sorted for the major attractions we wanted to go to and so in many places we did not have to join the longer ticket line.

Bournemouth – A winter break in ‘Boccy’

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A little late but oh well…

This January I traveled down south to one of the UK’s most popular coastal towns, Bournemouth. I stayed with a good friend right on the seafront in the suburb known as Boscombe or ‘Boccy’ East of the town. This was a great weekend get-away with lots to do nearby.

Boscombe

This suburb at the end of the beach is home to its very own pier, shopping area, and a lively community. I stayed with a friend in among a set of flats facing the beach where I could walk easily a long the sand to Bournemouth. This is definitely a great area to look at to keep the price down and still get the same quality views from accommodation like this one.

Whilst staying in the town we went for some drinks at the lovely Chaplin’s Cellar Bar. This was a great choice for a night out as it had the perfect mix of cocktails, atmosphere and entertainment. The prices weren’t bad either!

Wonder down the golden sandy beach and you will find yourself in the popular and thriving town of Bournemouth.

Boscombe Pier

Bournemouth beach

Bournemouth beach and Pier

Bournemouth

Bournemouth is well known for its events and festivals, including the Bournemouth Air Show, which I was fortunate enough to see the year before and would definitely recommend as a must see UK travel experience! Although I would not bring a car… a bit of a traffic nightmare..

Bournemouth also benefits from various gardens, a great nightlife and a bustling shopping area. The town is also home to the Bournemouth Oceanarium, which has hundreds of sea life creatures from across the globe, and an interactive dive cage which I plan to check out next time I’m in town!

Beach

Gardens

Although my friend and I are normally quite partial to a traditional cream tea when we are together, this time we went for something a little different at lunch by trying Koh Thai. We received some delicious Thai cuisine to warm us up from the cold January wind. They also made us some lovely refreshing strawberry smoothies which went surprisingly well with the Thai food.

You could tell that Bournemouth is a great place for young people to get loose and have some fun, with plenty of bars and clubs to enjoy. I could definitely see myself enjoying the beach in the day followed by partying in the evening only a few years back!

Corfe Castle

If you have an interest in history or even just nice views it is definitely worth taking the ferry across to the Studland area and making your way to Corfe Castle. This village built around the ruined castle that sits upon the hill, is a pretty little nugget of traditional English lifestyle. It consists of not only the castle and the connecting National trust shop and cafe (in which a tasty cream tea was consumed by myself) but also; independent shops, pubs, restaurants, tearooms, a church and two free museums.

Village through window of castle

Corfe Castle

Sheep roaming on hill of Corfe Castle

The castle itself dates back to the 10th century and is a massive site surrounded with roaming sheep, and covered with lots of nooks and crannies for the eager photographer. We attempted to take some nice photos but being an amateur many of mine were just bad selfies! As well as the National Trust property having regular events, there is also various information boards and a blacksmith’s workshop showing you how things were made, way back when! This castle has been through a lot, changing use between a defensive structure in the Saxon and Norman periods then to a royal palace and even family home. So as you go round you will see many stories of murder, imprisonment and war!

Corfe Castle

The views from the castle are also spectacular being perched up high on a hill and with beautiful countryside and small stone buildings surrounding it. That said… I would say to think considerably about visiting this castle if you struggle to walk up steep hills, as there is some difficult terrain to deal with.

New Forest

Lastly, I just wanted to add a note about the beautiful New Forest National Park. I only had time to make a quick detour to the village of Burley in New Forest on my way home from Bournemouth, but being as the park is only half an hour drive from Bournemouth, it is well worth fitting this into your holiday.

Coven of Witches, Burley

Titan Leather Craft, Burley

Wands!

Burley was a quirky little village in the park, known for having been home to a famous white witch named Sybil Leek in the ’50s. She was often seen walking around Burley in her long cloak with her pet bird sitting on her shoulder. She later moved to the states but her presence clearly had an impact, with the village now being renowned for its mystical gift shops which sell wands, crystals and all sorts of weird and wonderful things. I of course had to buy myself some souvenirs here and went away with a necklace and a crystal.

New Forest National Park

The best thing about it all was as I was driving out of the village, I saw the famous wild horses that New Forest are known for, roaming near the side of the road. This was the perfect end to my short trip down South.

Me at Corfe Castle

Some snaps from my recent day trip to pretty Cambridge… I will make sure to do a more in depth visit soon!

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Watching the seals at Horsey Gap, Norfolk

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Today I made a visit to Horsey nearby the popular village of Sea Palling on the Norfolk Coast. This area which is only a 45 minute scenic drive for me, is home to hundreds of beautiful seals and the location that they decide to breed each Winter. If you are making a visit to East Anglia between October and February it is well worth making the trip to the beach to see the colony.

The seals are well monitored and protected by the Friends of Horsey Seals volunteer group and they provided information this year that there were over 200 new pups so far this Winter. I think it is great that this organisation exists to protect these great animals as they are a true treasure for the region and without these protective measures, many of the pups would struggle to survive so close to humans.

The colony is full of grey seals or ‘hook nosed sea pigs’, and there is plenty of information around on how to spot the difference and identify a bull from a cow, and what happens when a pup is born. Did you know that a pup is only with its mum for a few weeks on the beach whilst it sheds its coat and gains blubber, it is then quickly left to fend for itself. Abit harsh if you ask me… but i suppose that’s nature for you!

Horsey’s seal viewing platform is on the route of the scenic Norfolk Coastal Path. This amazing pathway takes you through 62 miles of scenic coastline and stops at many picturesque seaside villages. I would definitely recommend it to those looking for a good walking holiday.

Oxford: The City of Dreaming Spires

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Oxford, known as the city of dreaming spires has been the home of inspirational scholars for centuries and last weekend I caught a glimpse into their world by taking a look at the famous Oxford University buildings and nearby historic attractions.

Quandrangle, Oxford University

Radcliffe Camera

Oxford High St

Milton Hill – De Vere Hotel

At the beginning of our weekend trip we checked in to the luxury De Vere hotel, Milton Hill on the outskirts of Oxford nearby the town of Abingdon. Milton Hill has impressive facilities such as a gym, pool, jacuzzi and sauna. Also the lounges dotted around the hotel are great for relaxing with a morning hot chocolate and a good book, which i did several times to make a good start to the day.

Whilst the facilities were great and there is plenty to keep you occupied I would say that parts of the hotel are due for a bit of redecorating. The pool changing rooms were fairly nasty and our en-suite bathroom was in need of replacement bath panels.

A university of open spaces and open minds

Christchurch Meadow

Oxford is known for its impressive university buildings and being home to a string of academic accomplishments. When wondering the streets of Oxford you will see a number of art and literary exhibitions, Shakespearean plays and theatre performances.

Hobbit illustration

Chronicals of Narnia illustration

Henry 8th drawing

A tour of the Bodleian library is very worth while as this is the second largest library in Britain and one of the oldest. The library started as only a few books donated to the university and kept in the local church before Sir Bodley began building the beautiful 15th century library and quadrangle. During our tour of the library we heard many interesting stories about life studying in the library and the love and tender care gone into the keeping of the books there. It is said that J. R. R. Tolkien spent a lot of time in the library scribbling on the back of his subject notes, ideas for his novel.

There is also a variety of open spaces to enjoy including Christchurch Meadow and the Botanical Gardens. The gardens have some great things to see and in Autumn this can be especially beautiful. The price of the gardens are fairly low and you can get a good few hours of enjoyment from seeing the peculiar plants on offer.

Back in the city centre you will find a mixture of shopping, bars and traditional pubs. We tried out a few of the many restaurants in the city including Banana Tree, a very unusual Indo- Chinese restaurant. Be warned though that this is a city for cyclists and parking can be a real nightmare! There are very little spaces in the town and what there is tends to be expensive… On the bright side there is many park and ride locations around the city.

Not far from the city…

Nearby to Oxford is another friendly town called Abingdon. We visited this town to explore the shops and enjoyed a lovely Italian meal at Bella Napoli. This wonderful little slice of Italy served us up a great three course meal that was delicious and authentic.

We also spent a day at Blenheim Palace. The palace was a reward to the victorious Duke of Marlborough and home of Sir Winston Churchill. It still stands as a home to the family as well as a brilliant visitor attraction. The grounds host trees, gardens, a butterfly house, maze and also the historic house which offers regular tours, informing you of the interesting history.

Blenheim Palace

Me in a tree!

Blenheim maze

Our tour guide told of how the estate was almost lost several times over history, due to the poor maintenance and money squandering of some of the previous Dukes. It was three times over that the women of the family saved the estate from destruction, which I thought was pretty impressive considering that women were normally thought of as second class citizens back in the 18th century.

A great tip to remember when visiting the palace is that the admission you buy for the palace can be converted into an annual pass for free! Just visit the kiosk when you get inside and they will put your pass ID together for you. A great thing to have for any future visits!

Next stop.. Cambridge

With one university city done, I am now planning my trip to the next one. Cambridge it shall be, and in the lead up to Christmas I am sure there will be lots of exciting things to explore.