Tag Archives: travel

Exploring Europe’s Churches, Chapels & Cathedrals

I have always loved to visit old buildings when exploring a destination and there is no better example of a building that has seen a town moving through the centuries than the local church.

I have seen many places of worship across the continent and they never seize to astonish me with their beauty, history and creativity. There are so many styles of architecture and amazing pieces of art available to see so I never get bored of taking a pew and enjoying the views inside.

A bit of peace…

Visiting a ‘house of God’ has always given me a great feeling of peace and helped me to relax in times of stress. The composure felt with visiting might be down to the quiet atmosphere, the generous community spirit or the comfort of knowing that you are walking in the same footsteps as many for centuries before you.

These are the places where families and friends gather to celebrate key moments in their lives, discuss important issues and deal with troubling emotions. The stories that are held in the walls of these temples are vast and intriguing and makes it no wonder that church tourism is one of the most popular forms of heritage tourism.

Church Tourism

With St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey being in the top ten paid attractions in the UK and many church groups trying to zone in on the tourist market through new innovations, religious buildings have never been more interesting.

Whilst in many parts of Europe churches are still used solely for worship, there are several cathedrals and churches in main cities and within the UK that are diversifying their offering to satisfy the curiosity of tourists. Services offered to tourists include: guided tours, information displays, gifts, events, and trails.

A snapshot of some of the most beautiful Churches, Monasteries, Cathedrals and Chapels i have seen across Europe…

Jeronimos Monastery, Lisbon

St George’s Basilica, Prague

St Nicholas’, Prague

St Vitus Cathedral, Prague

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Church of Our Lady Before Týn, Prague

Many churches that are part of the Churches Conservation Trust have even gone a step further by re-purposing the churches for modern activities such as rock concerts and ‘champing’, the new trend of camping inside one of these beautiful churches.

Norfolk’s Churches

In my home county of Norfolk there are no shortage of churches and in Norwich it is said that there is a church for every week of the year. This makes for a beautiful landscape where you are almost guaranteed to see a church spire on the horizon whilst driving through the countryside.

Booton Norfolk Church

With churches towering over the Norfolk Broads, the coast and the farmlands of the county you can experience amazing views of the area, whilst discovering the interesting history and culture of the English county inside.

Some of the most inviting and innovative churches include St Michael’s in Aylsham, St Michael’s in Booton and St Peter & St Paul in Salle.

St Peter & St Paul in Salle near Reepham was built between 1400 and 1450 and restored around 1900. Salle church is rumoured to be the burial site of the unfortunate Anne Boleyn, the former wife of King Henry VIII. The Boleyns lived in the village as early as 1318, only getting status later when they aquired Blickling Hall; the nearby Jacobean estate. Features include a chancel roof with carvings showing scenes from the life of Christ.

St Michael & All Angels in Booton also near Reepham is known as the ‘Cathedral of Fields’ because of its a remarkable example of great architecture. It was designed and built in 1891 by Revd Whitwell Elwin, a descendant of the famous Pocahontas. Booton church has full sized carved angels, a timber framed roof, and colourful stained glass windows.

St Michael’s in Aylsham was built in the early 14th century. The rood screen dates to 1507 and there is also a medieval crypt uncovered during renovations of the church. This church is still a buzzing community hub in the charming market town of Aylsham today.

Keep up the good work!

Whether in the UK or abroad, churches, cathedrals, chapels and monasteries can all be a brilliant place to learn about local heritage and traditions. It is great to see so many church teams trying to attract new visitors and I hope this carries on with the support and partnership of the community to keep these historic buildings around for future generations to enjoy.

Budapest – “Paris of the East”

Budapest also known as “Paris of the East”, “Pearl of the Danube” or “City of Spas” is one of Europe’s best hot spots for culture, nightlife and relaxation. Everything you need for a few summer days away… This summer I explored the city and was pleasantly surprised.

Budapest View

Arriving in Budapest

Flying from Stansted to Budapest was simple and cheap although we were a little bit disappointed with the infamous Ryanair service as with it being a late flight we hoped to just quickly get away with our cabin bags but when we got to the gate we had our bags taken away and put in hold meaning we would have to wait extra time at the airport to collect… a little bit frustrating.

Transport from the airport can be done in two ways; either a bus then metro train or a taxi, we went with the later. At such a late time it seemed easier to get a taxi this time round even though i would normally always travel like the locals on public transport. The taxi rank had a stand where you could get a ticket with the accurate cost of your journey on so there was no chance of getting scammed which is common with many Budapest taxi services. The drive was only 30 minutes and took us through Pest and over the Chain Bridge to beautiful Buda where our fabulous apartment awaited.

View from Margaret Bridge

This was my first stay in an AirBnB apartment and I was pleasantly surprised, we had great views and were situated in the Castle Hill District very close to the well known Chain Bridge and Buda Castle (not really a castle anymore but a palace). From the apartment and view points on the Buda side such as the palace and Gellert Hill you could see the historic river Danube and several luxury river cruise ships, many of which i remembered learning about and promoting in my previous agency work.

Getting around

There were many ways to see the city including river boat trips, buses, bicycles, trams, metro trains, suburban trains (HEV) and of course by foot!

I tried several of these methods and found them all to be really easy, frequent and punctual. A single ticket is only 350 HUF which is roughly £1 and you can go as far as you want with this on one line on any of the on land transportation. After buying your ticket simply validate it in one of the station machines and then hop on board! Walking around the city is also an option as there are many pedestrian routes and squares to explore. Budapest is one of many European cities that offer free walking tours, these last between 2-3 hours and give you plenty of information on local culture and history, and tips for places to go during your stay.

History of Budapest

The history of Hungary and Budapest in particular is very interesting having been heavily involved in both WW1 & WW2 on the side of the Central & Axis Powers and having also had history with the Roman empire and the Turkish.

Parliament view

Parliament Budapest

Parliament

Buildings such as Parliament & the Royal Palace look stunning and are full of stories too. Parliament hold regular tours but they are extremely popular so it is wise to book ahead. There is also a memorial exhibition outside the building and underground which tells the story of one of the worse massacres in European history, which happened outside the capital building in 1956, known as Bloody Thursday.

This was during the Hungarian revolution where tensions had been boiling between the citizens of Hungary and the Soviet Union rule. During a peaceful protest that day 800 civilians were shot down. Details, footage and witness accounts of the day are present at the underground memorial. This is a very sad but interesting memorial which helps to really build a picture of the oppression that might have been felt throughout the city back then.

The Royal Palace sits within Buda Castle (now only bordering walls remain) on Castle Hill and is home to the Budapest National Gallery and History Museum. Within the walls you will also find the beautiful Matthius Church and Fisherman’s Bastion where you can get great views of the city whilst enjoying a lovely meal on the balcony. This is a very popular area and so getting there early in the day is best for avoiding queues.

Follow the signs and take an elevator and you will come to the Hospital in the Rock. This museum was used as a hospital in WW2 as well as later becoming a top secret nuclear bunker. The very informative tour in here will walk you up to 17 metres underground through rooms that would have been used then and talk you through the difficult conditions for patients and staff. It is very interesting and peculiar and I would definitely recommend this! It costs 4000 HUF (roughly £10) and tours last an hour.

This wasn’t the only thing in the rock! Further a long the Buda side you will find the Cave Church that was sealed with cement in the war to stop people from worshiping but later reopened again for the people. You can wonder around the church for a very good price at only 500 HUF (£1.35) and listen to the interesting history though the self guided audio tour. It is also a nice cool escape from the heat outside in the summer.

In general there are vast amounts of historical buildings to see in Budapest which is surprising when you see the photos of how the city was left following air raids and riots in the various conflicts. There are also many memorials around the city, several of which are still being contested today by many locals. Some of the most interesting include: Gellert Hill, Heroes Square and the Shoes on the Promenade.

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Budapest Gellert Hill

There are also several interesting religious buildings including churches, St Stephen’s Basilica and of course the Jewish Donahy Street Synagogue which centerpiece’s the Jewish quarter that exists today. The synagogue is also home to the striking Holocaust Memorial Park which holds memory to the 400,000 Hungarian Jews that were murdered by Nazis.

Matthias Church

Cave Church

Synagogue

Matthias Church

Matthias Church in distance

St Stephen’s Basilica

Whilst much focus is given in Budapest to the suffering and war over the past century, there is also a strong Roman history in the city and if you take the suburban (HEV) train a little out past the pretty Margaret Island you can visit Aquincum which is home to a large roman conservation area. We had a brilliant morning in this attraction which made you feel like you suddenly were in Rome! We got in for free as on the last Saturday of every month under 26 yr olds are free of charge but we would have been happy to pay for this place… The site had several remains including; Roman public and private baths, forum buildings, fountains, homes and shops. The site also has what they believe to be the painter’s house with a typical roman lifestyle set up, a cafe and a brilliant museum with interactive games.

Aquincum

FOOD!

Hungarian food was delicious and cheap, a great combination! We were fairly adventurous over the week and tried several stews and also the mysterious Langos which is Budapest’s favourite snack. I was a little on the fence with this snack as it was very strong on the grease factor! …But my friends and the rest of the city seemed to like it so perhaps it’s just me!

For my fellow traveller’s birthday we enjoyed a special lunch at the beautiful New York Cafe which was inspired by Italian renaissance and is a very classy place for a lunchtime meal. Also the prices aren’t too bad!

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New York Cafe

City of Spas

It is clear to see why Budapest is nicknamed the ‘City of Spas’. We visited two very different bath houses in Budapest and enjoyed the minerals and 40’c heat of the water, as well as some jacuzzi jets and luxury treatments. It was a very nice way to relax and soak our sore feet after days of walking around the city. We visited Széchenyi Thermal Bath, the most popular bath in the city in the evening when it was all lit up, and this was definitely much more of a family site with several outside pools, jets and a whirlpool.

In contrast we also spent an afternoon at Veli Bej Bath which is one of the oldest baths in the city, much smaller and much more relaxed. This traditional Turkish bath has waters rich in calcium, magnesium, hydrogen-carbonate, sulfate and sodium to help ease joint pain and post-injury healing. A deep back massage was the perfect way to end the holiday and the spa and treatments were extremely good value at only £10 for a massage! I felt they were really too low in price as the service was professional and quality…

Széchenyi Thermal Bath

Veli Bej Bath

Overall, Budapest was definitely more than I was expecting… A vibrant culture, interesting history, great food and brilliant value, what more could you want! I would definitely visit again and next time I plan to try out more of the nightlife and work my way through more of the Hungarian cuisine.

Me in Budapest

Exploring Northern Ireland

For years my partner and I have been thinking of visiting the well known Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland… this summer we went and it did not disappoint.

Deciding on Northern Ireland…

A few years ago my boyfriend and I visited Dublin for my birthday and found the Irish spirit something to be admired and enjoyed. Dublin had a variety of day time activities to enjoy, a great music scene and an interesting history. This visit inspired us to look into other areas of Ireland that looked intriguing and the Giant’s Causeway seemed like the best place to go next…

Exploring the coast

Ballygalley, Ballintoy & Knocknacarry are just some of the local village names that we passed whilst driving on the scenic Causeway coast of Northern Ireland… These small villages boast of a traditional and rural life with small castles and farmlands plotted throughout the area. Every turn on the coastal road to the Giant Causeway showed another beautiful piece of landscape until landing at the iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Northern Ireland

Ballygalley castle

Ballygalley

A particular place that stood out to me as extra beautiful and a great place to visit on the coastal route was Carrick -a- Rede and its rickety rope bridge. Whilst there is a little uphill walking, the views are certainly worth it. You can see clear waters below the cliffs and flocks of birds overhead, we even saw a dolphin below whilst walking the path. At the end of the path you will come to the rope bridge which is an experience in itself being that it is a little scary! The bridge was only a few years ago just simply a bit of rope above a long drop but it is now much safer and has helpful National Trust workers on either side. To cross the bridge is only £6.

On reaching the Giant’s Causeway entrance there was a long walk to the mysterious rocky beach… but not to worry as there is also a bus service down for only £1. On first glance of the strange shore you do ask yourself how the rocks came to be there… Our guide told us the local story of how the beach came to be, the tale involves an actual giant falling in love and having to go against another giant from Scotland. Although the site may seem like a magical formation of some kind, science dictates that it was really a result of a volcanic eruption… I know which story I prefer though.

After climbing the pillars of rock you can wonder back to the top of the beach and enjoy a tasty meal at the local ‘Nook’ pub. This quaint Irish pub had a selection of delicious food & drink to enjoy including a gorgeous variety of sandwiches. I had goat’s cheese and caramelized onions – it was gorgeous!

Giant Causeway

Carrick -a- Rede Rope Bridge

Carrick -a- Rede

Giant Causeway

A Hollywood twist

Something that was nice to include in our tour of the coast was some of the many locations used in our favourite show ‘Game of Thrones’, much of the scenes in ‘The North of Westeros’ were shot in Northern Ireland and this is heavily promoted there. The locations used are unique, interesting and perfectly fitted to the scenes in the show. A particularly interesting location is ‘The Dark Hedges’ which was originally a manor driveway to which the family planted lines of beech trees too close together to create the overhanging look. This rare site was used for Ayra’s escape from King’s Landing.

We must also remember that Northern Ireland has also been the setting and inspiration for other great film and literature such as: The Fall, Boogaloo & Graham, Dracula Untold, Starred Up and even the epic Chronicles of Narnia.

Ballintoy Harbour – Seen in GoT as Theon Greyjoy’s home, the Iron Islands

Caves used in GoT for scene with birth of shadow demon

Ballintoy

Dark Hedges – seen in GoT when Ayra escapes Kings Landing

Staying in Belfast

During our time in Northern Ireland we stayed in the capital city of Belfast. It was clear throughout the trip that the city had some very interesting history and a very promising future. Belfast hosts four city quarters each with a unique character and story; Cathedral Quarter, Titanic Quarter, Queen’s Quarter, Gaeltacht Quarter and of course there is also the City Centre…

I was most impressed with the Titanic Quarter as it seemed that new life had been put into the Belfast dock area whilst still keeping the quarter’s proud history at the center. It was clear that this area had been subject to a lot of regeneration and was a great area for visitors to gather and learn about the city’s maritime highs and lows. Whilst much of the area is based around the Titanic which was built in Belfast, there is also the HMS Caroline, the world’s largest dry dock and even the Titanic Museum itself talks about many other topics.

The Cathedral Quarter was the site of our hotel and is known as a hot spot for bars and live music. Although we were somewhat disappointed with the amount of buildings empty during the busy summer period. After speaking with a local we were told that many businesses have been put off by the high rent in the quarter which is a shame because what was there was excellent. Both the Harp bar and the Dirty Onion were great bars and we enjoyed both traditional Irish and modern live music whilst there.

We didn’t have enough time to venture far into the Queen’s Quarter and Gaeltacht Quarter but what we did see was very interesting. The Queen’s Quarter is the student area and the University buildings are beautiful. This quarter is also home to the Ulster Museum and the Botanic Gardens. The Gaeltacht Quarter is where you will find the international wall murals which depicts the community’s views on world events, this is also an area which is known for its strong Irish culture and practice of the Irish language. The Crumlin Gaol is worth a visit in this area, for less than £10 you can learn about the interesting history of a prison that only closed its doors 20 years ago. The penitentiary has an underground tunnel, a mysterious graveyard and a secret door… as well as a nice restaurant and gift shop!

In the hustle and bustle of the City Centre you will find a number of well known high street stores, some cafes and several pubs but one thing to definitely fit in is the City Hall. Visitors can enjoy a very professional guided tour of the historic City Hall completely free of charge and also access the Titanic Memorial Gardens on the site. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave a brilliant tour where we were even give the opportunity to sit in the council chamber seats and another very special chair… We didn’t think the tour could impress us anymore when finally at the end we were given a free guidebook too. Superb.

Finally it is worth making a mention to a little haven just on the outskirts of the city which is Belfast Castle and Cavehill Country Park. On joining the motorway from Belfast towards the coast we spotted the castle up in the hills and thought even then that it looked very grand, but up close it was even better. Plotted in Cavehill Country Park this is the perfect way to spend a morning away from the hustle and bustle of the capital. Within the park you can walk three different trails we of course decided to go for the most strenuous; the Cavehill trail. This trail took us through marvelous views of the castle, the city of Belfast and even the Belfast Zoo where we spotted two bears! Not normally something you are happy to see on a walk outside!

Cavehill Country Park

Belfast Docks

Cavehill Country Park

Belfast City Hall

Belfast Crumlin Gaol

Crumlin Gaol

Harp Bar

Where next in the British Isles..?

The more I see of our beautiful homeland the more I want to see recently, especially with the fact that I have a few more mountains left to climb. I would love to go to Edinburgh next and visit the castle as well as hike Arthur’s Seat for those great views… Plus I can actual travel to Edinburgh from my local airport – big plus!