Day one in Amsterdam had been a bit low-key, I spent a chunk of the day traveling and being December it was already dark by the time Iâd arrived late-afternoon. It was also pissing it down with rain which meant there was only so much exploring I wanted to do on my first evening.
So I woke up relatively early on the Wednesday morning keen to make the most of my first full day in the city. Amsterdam is just one of those places that wins you over pretty quickly. In December you have a lights festival sprawled over its canals which makes it look spectacular after dark but it turns out itâs no less impressive by day either.
After Tuesday eveningâs miserable downpour I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to blue skies, hopeful theyâd last and make exploring the city a little more enjoyable. I wanted to kick my day off with a âfreeâ walking tour of the city. I find these are useful for familiarising yourself with a new city, see a few of the sights and learn a bit about the city in the process.
Iâd got out in to the streets a bit earlier than anticipated though and the starting point wasnât as far from my hostel as I thought either so I arrived far too early, giving me a chance to have a little wander nearby beforehand.
As I strolled along one of the canals, admiring Amsterdamâs beauty, I was caught by surprise and pretty much jumped out of my skin.
Just to my left was some woman, stood inside with only her underwear, knocking against the window. She was waving me in for a cup of tea I think but I politely declined and moved along, a little surprised that the women of Amsterdam were looking for company so early in the day. It can only have been around 9-9:30 in the morning so I wasn’t expecting it.
Soon enough I wandered back towards the starting point for the tour, youâll find New Sandemans based in a lot of European cities offering âfreeâ walking tours (you tip what you like after). I quite enjoy their tours and this was another decent effort as we wandered along Amsterdamâs canals and got a bit more insight in to the history and quirks of Amsterdam. This particular spot on the tour was nicely hidden away and not too busy.
Iâd pre-booked the Anne Frank House museum for later in the day so had a bit of time to kill after the walking tour. I didnât really have anything planned so just wandered aimlessly for the next couple of hours.
Itâs recommended that you pre-book for the Anne Frank House and I passed the building a couple of times throughout my trip and the queues were fairly lengthy. Itâs also suggested that Wednesday is the quietest day to visit and it showed when I arrived, I had sensibly pre-booked but there wasnât actually much of a queue at the time I went anyway so I probably could have got away with not booking in advance.
This was really the one thing Iâd wanted to do in Amsterdam and I canât say that it disappointed. I thought the museum as a whole was really well done and is a credit to the memory of Anne Frank and the horrors of that time. I canât say I enjoyed it as such because itâs not one of those experiences you enjoy but I came out feeling educated, humbled and sombre which is what you hope to take away from a place such as this. Itâs somewhere you should make time to visit if youâre in the city.
Whilst it wasnât overly late, it was pretty dark by the time I came out so after a little stroll through the city I went and found myself some dinner to round off a rather enjoyable second day Amsterdam. The route back to my hostel afterwards took me by Amsterdamâs Red Light District and whilst Iâd had a brief introduction to it earlier in the trip, I have to say itâs a part of the city that surprised me a little. I had this image of it being this seedy little district full of old men or stag-doâs leering over women in windows but itâs as far from that as possible.
Iâm sure there is that element there but surprisingly itâs a real tourist trap, thereâs a little buzz to the area at night. I wasnât looking to do any “window shopping” but the whole area was just crawling with tourists, at times it felt like they were literally crawling.
“Can you please either walk quicker or get out of my way!”
If you actually want to get anywhere itâs an area best avoided, in theory passing through it should have made my route quicker but I spent most of my time hurdling tourists that were just dawdling along.
The red lights reflecting over the canal added a little atmosphere to the area, I didnât ever at any point feel unsafe or uncomfortable passing through it. Perhaps the legalisation of the prostitution and having it (all) on display makes it somehow seem a little less seedy but beyond the hordes of people itâs a relatively nice part of the city to walk through day or night.
After finally escaping the crowds I made my way back to the hostel and thought Iâd give the hostel bar another effort, hoping for a bit more luck at making friends than Iâd had the night before. Again it seemed the height of the social activity was in the smoking room which, even in Amsterdam, has never had any appeal to me.
Following a couple of beers I headed up to my dorm, contemplated how Iâd spend my final full day in Amsterdam and got myself some sleep ahead of another fun-filled day in the city to come.
Visiting Amsterdam was a mistake, not in the sense it was regretful but I hadnât actually booked the travel intending to go to Amsterdam. I gambled upon a rumour that Tottenham would be playing in Brussels in December 2015 and snapped up cheap Eurostar tickets. Sadly those rumours were wrong and we actually played in Brussels in the October (also 2015).
Consequently I had to buy new travel tickets for the October and it left me with additional Eurostar tickets to Brussels two months later. You might be thinking it was silly booking a trip based purely upon rumours but it was a risk worth taking, Iâd taken into consideration it could backfire and just figured I could take an additional trip later in the year.
So I fully intended to use the Eurostar tickets but I didnât particularly want to go back to Brussels so soon so I started considering alternative options. Belgium in December certainly had an appeal but something was drawing me towards Amsterdam and in the end I just had to go! I knew a train from Brussels to Amsterdam was a pretty simple journey so that was the plan! Three nights in the beautiful Dutch capital â my first time visiting the Netherlands!
I decided to stay in London on the Monday night as it was a little more convenient. It allowed me the opportunity to catch up with a friend over dinner and some beers, however more importantly it meant I was already in London the next morning. So I benefited from having a lay in before making the easy trip to St Pancras to catch the Eurostar on Tuesday morning. I much prefer traveling by train opposed to flying, not that I’m a particularly nervous flyer but trains are just more enjoyable. Soon I was waving goodbye to the blue skies of London.
Further blue skies greeted me on arrival to Belgium. Despite having the Eurostar tickets for ages, Amsterdam was a relatively late decision so I hadn’t actually booked my travel from Brussels to Amsterdam yet. It left me with a bit of flexibility on what to do. However rather than spend any time in Brussels instead I pretty much got on to the first train heading to Amsterdam. I didn’t want to waste any time in getting to Amsterdam!
As we whizzed along I suddenly felt a little buzz in my pocket, my phone was vibrating because I had a text message. I looked to see what it was and found that my phone network were messaging me to welcome me to the Netherlands. Weâve crossed the border!!
I looked up and almost instantly the first raindrop spattered across the window.
Welcome to the Netherlands!
âWhat!!? All weâve done is cross the border! It wasnât raining ten feet away in Belgium!!â
It was crazy. Following the Paris attacks in November 2015 I know that Belgium had stepped up border security but theyâre keeping the rain out too? Thatâs bloody impressive! Sadly the Dutch borders werenât so tight and it was soon pouring down with rain.
Nevertheless we drifted along, passing through a few different Dutch cities. Den Haag was somewhere that caught my eye as we passed through the city and it finally clicked that Den Haag is the same place as “The Hague” – for some reason I’d never made the connection haha. I think it’s somewhere I’ll visit another time. It was a pretty train ride but the rain kept on pouring. I was hoping by the time we reached Amsterdam it might have died down but if anything it was worse.
Thatâs what they donât tell you about Amsterdam! It rains all of the time! Apparently it rains on average 217 days a year in Amsterdam, in comparison itâs only 156 in England which is famed for its bad weather. Thatâs roughly two more months of rain per year than ârainyâ England!
I exited Amsterdamâs main train station and my first impressions were good. I just had that instant feeling that the city was going to live up to my expectations. I had a quick look around but with the rain coming down I moved on and hoped Iâd find my hostel pretty quickly. I have a habit of taking ages to find them, fortunately this wasnât one of those occasions but I was still drenched by the time I walked in to the reception area. The hostel (Flying Pigs) was pretty nice though. It looked like a sociable place and the rooms were decent too, my four-bed dorm had its own bathroom which is always a bonus when staying in hostels as youâre only sharing with 3 strangers opposed to the whole place.
I didnât really want to stick around in the hostel though. I was keen to see a little of Amsterdam before it got too late plus find some dinner. There had been no slowdown with the rain so I just had to make the best of it as I hurdled the puddles along Amsterdamâs cobblestones. Given it was December the city was beautifully decorated with decorations that were lighting up the streets and making the city feel a little more magical. I soon stumbled upon Dam square which had a number of Christmas trees adding to the festive atmosphere in the air.
A Christmas-y Amsterdam!
As much as I wanted to keep exploring I soon admitted defeat, I ducked in to a bar and ordered myself some food from the menu. Iâm usually keen to try the local beers when traveling, trying to avoid stuff I can drink at home, which is a little tougher when everywhere in Amsterdam seemed to favour Dutch beers Amstel and Heineken.
However one of the beers on the menu sounded good and I was soon presented a bottle with a naked lady printed on the bottle!
Following on from dinner and a beer I drifted back in to the slightly-less wet streets of Amsterdam. It’s a stunning city after dark, Amsterdam’s annual light festival takes place across the canals in December which certainly adds to its beauty as a host of decorations and displays line its canals. You can do a canal tour in the evening but I settled for just admiring all of the lights by foot. It’s worth checking out!
After a little wander I figured Iâd just spend the rest of my evening in the hostel bar. It was a sociable place but it felt like most of the social activity was geared away from the bar and towards the smoking room. That didnât have any personal appeal so after one beer at the hostel bar I decided Iâd just call it an early night and headed up to my dorm â there was still plenty of time for fun in Amsterdam and I was keen to get an early start to explore the city more thoroughly tomorrow!
The final part to my Italy adventure (February 2015).
On the Tuesday Iâd flown out to Pisa and spent a day exploring the city. Wednesday and Thursday (matchday) were days 1 and 2 of my time in Firenze and now we were at the end of the week! The football was over with and it was time to go home â or was it?
On Monday evening I figured I should probably check in for my flights, given I was heading to Pisa the next day. My outbound flight was no problem but I was trying to check in for my Friday flight home and was having no luck.
âSorry, you canât check in for a flight more than 7 days awayâ.
What? Iâm flying in four days! What is this nonsense? My flight is definitely on the 27th! I was baffled and kept darting my eyes between the error message and the flight details and couldnât understand what the issue was. What am I missing?
Wait.. why does that say my flight home is in April? Thatâs a mistake! Let me find my confirmation email.
Looking for reassurance, instead I found despair. All that email had confirmed was that Iâd somehow messed up my booking and that I was indeed flying home in two months time! My February 27th flight home was actually April 27th!!
I was light-heartedly acceptant of my fate. I guess Iâve got to stay in Italy for an extra two months then â what a pickle, right? How do I break the news to my family, friends and work. Will a postcard suffice?
Realistically that wasnât an option but resolving it Monday evening wasnât an option either â it was too last minute and most of my available money was in Euros by this point. I knew Iâd get paid whilst I was in Italy so I figured Iâd worry about the flight home once I was over there.
So back to day 3 in Firenze, my intended departure date. Care to guess what my first plan of the day was? Youâre spot on! I had to book a flight home! I was supposed to be going to a gig back in England on Friday night (Iâd paid for a hotel too!) but Friday flights seemed so much more expensive than the Saturday flights so in the end I decided Iâd stay in Italy an extra day.
As far as mistakes go, winding up in Italy for 24 more hours is a pretty good mistake to make! My next concern was that I had no accommodation for the extra night so needed to sort that out. I loved the hostel I had been staying at, it was in a decent location and the host was incredible but sadly it was a small hostel and they didnât have space for an extra night so I had to find somewhere else.
My host did help me find a hotel though which I appreciated.
Flight sorted, accommodation sorted, time to enjoy a bonus day in the city! Iâm so glad at how things worked out because Friday probably ended up being my favourite day in Italy. Perhaps thatâs just because it was an unexpected bonus day but I also ended up doing a few things to top off the Italy experience.
Firenze was a different city entirely. Most of the Spurs fans were England bound and the excessive police presence was long gone, this was Italy in all its glory and without the burden of an invasion of Brits.
My first stop of the day took me to the Piazza della Signaoria which is a large square with stunning architecture, sculptures and a few museums closeby such as the famous Uffizi gallery. I wasnât supposed to be here so inevitably I hadnât booked any museums. Some of the lines were far too long so I decided Iâd add the Uffizi to my ânext timeâ list and checked out another museum instead that I canât remember the name of.
I wish I could remember the name of it because Iâd recommend a visit. The museum was over a number of different floors and had all sorts of art, although the sculptures were the pieces I enjoyed most and something youâd associate with Italy / Firenze I suppose. Eventually I was content Iâd seen enough and my attention switched to a late lunch.
My waiter asked where I was from to which I replied Peterborough and most of the time I end up wishing Iâd just say London because itâs easier but to my surprise heâd heard of Peterborough, better yet heâd been to Peterborough.
âOh yes, the place with the shopping centre opposite the train station.. Queens..? â
âQueensgate! Why were you in Peterborough!!!?â
Excuse my overreaction but seriously, Firenze sets a pretty high standard and its inhabitants are visiting Peterborough? Are you crazy? It did amuse me though before enjoying my HRC experience. It isnât the best food youâre ever going to have and it can be expensive too but I just have a fondness of them and Firenzeâs was nice too.
Following a late lunch I was ready to go and explore further. On Wednesday Iâd climbed the Duomo as Iâd heard it had one of the best views in Firenze â the views are great. However my hostel hostess assured me the best view of the city was at the Piazzale Michelangelo and that it was free! I had to check it out and on route could see the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge!
Ponte Vecchio bridge!
Itâs a beautiful bridge to look at but the bridge itself is a proper tourist trap. Historically butchers and other merchants occupied space on the bridge but youâll now find a host of shops selling jewellery and gold! Itâs cool to look at but itâs busy so I settled for getting a few photos and swiftly moving on to escape the crowds.
Quick photo and then I was out of there!
I continued following signs to Piazzale Michelangelo and was soon climbing my way up this hill to discover the views awaiting me at the top. The Piazzale Michelangelo is a huge square that offers incredible views over the city â my host had said it was the best view in the city and itâd be hard to disagree. The one thing lacking from the view at the top of the Duomo is the Duomo itself which is the standout piece of Firenzeâs skyline.
Whilst the views are spectacular youâll also find a replica of the David statue here, a few stalls selling food and drinks plus a few buskers which all helps create a really nice atmosphere. Youâll find plenty of people occupying the stairs to sit and just admire the views over the river and the rest of the city.
The best view in Firenze!
It was getting late in the afternoon and I would have loved nothing more than to have picked up a beer and waited for the sun to set on the city. It was a beautiful spot to watch a sunset! Sadly Iâd arranged to meet my friend Daniel elsewhere and had no way to contact him for a change of plans so he could come join me instead. I left a little envious of those Iâd left behind that got to enjoy it fully.
The perfect sunset spot!
I didnât stay jealous for too long, as a pick-me-up I made a necessary stop for gelato. Firenze is credited as being the city that brought Gelato to the world so what better place to enjoy it? I had to buy some and see what the fuss was about. It was delicious and a good âstarterâ before finding dinner and having a few drinks.
Iâd probably been the drunker of the two of us on Wednesday night so it was nice to see the roles reversed this evening. We shared a few beers on our final night and Daniel was a bit tipsy come the end of the evening which amused me plenty. It was a great way to enjoy our final evening before heading back to England.
The next morning I had a last wander through the streets of Firenze and was sad to be saying goodbye. After the disappointment of Pisa, Firenze had really delivered and made for a memorable first visit to Italy. Itâs a cracking city and one you should definitely try to visit!
My morning flew by and before I knew it the clock read 12pm! I had time to enjoy one final meal in Firenze before I had to leave and inevitably wanted one final pizza before I said arriverderci to Italy. It rounded off the trip perfectly, I hopped on a train to Pisa and was soon boarding a flight back to London.
Italy had lived up to my expectations and the food was every bit as good as Iâd hoped it would be. I still havenât been back to Italy but Iâm feeling a return is long overdue!
Salzburg wrapped up my 2014 adventures so on we go in to the ânew year” of 2015, exciting right? Italy had always been a dream destination for me growing up, so when an opportunity to visit in February 2015 presented itself surely I had to go?
Perhaps surprisingly I was actually unsure. Youâll have to wait until my next post to hear why I was visiting Italy and consequently why there was a little question mark over going but after weighing up the pros & cons I quickly decided that Firenze (Florence) was too good an opportunity to miss!
With my heart set on visiting Firenze I started looking at flight prices and I came to the realisation that it was bloody expensive for the dates I was looking at. What was plan B?
Iâd given up hope of flying to Firenze directly so I had to consider how else I could get there. Were there any other cities nearby that might work out better?
Pisa was one option that caught my eye and booking flights would save me around ÂŁ100! The train from Pisa to Firenze was less than ten euros too so it was a much cheaper route and a âno brainerâ. I booked my flights to Italy and then started thinking about accommodation.
Pisa!
Once I knew I was flying to Pisa the next question was how long do I stay in Pisa? I didnât really know what Pisa had other than the obvious (the leaning tower) so was there any need to stay overnight and have less time in Firenze? I decided that I would give Pisa the benefit of the doubt and I booked a hotel for one night. Maybe I could come home and tell everybody that Pisa was vastly underrated!
âSo is it vastly underrated Jason?
No. Itâs a city with a famous tower and little else. I posted recently about Bratislava and awarded myself the title of âunofficial ambassadorâ for Bratislava / Slovakia. I feel bad but I feel like in this instance Iâm coming across closer to âPisa haterâ but sadly I did find it a little underwhelming.
I donât hate Pisa though, Iâm not even telling you not to go to Pisa because I genuinely believe everywhere is worth a visit once. It might only be a city with a famous tower but people are still going to want to see that tower so hereâs what I got up to with my overnight stay in Pisa! Iâll try not to be too negative!
Having arrived in to Pisa late-morning I quickly made my way in the direction of my hotel for the night in the hope Iâd be able to check in a little early. Success! My room was ready and I could drop my things off and get out and explore the city straight away!
Exploring in the rain!
I didnât go to Pisa with the highest expectations but there was one clear exception â the food! It was my first time in Italy and I was eager to experience authentic Italian food. Having dropped off my things I went on the search for some lunch and quickly found a nearby restaurant and ordered myself a pizza! Wow! Pisa might have otherwise disappointed but the food did not!
I was in pizza heaven! I donât know if Iâve let the experience of eating Italian pizza cloud my judgment but itâs the best pizza Iâve ever had. It seems too easy to say that the best pizza youâve ever had was in Italy but itâs how I remember it. It was so good and Pisa had made a great first impression! At the very least Pisa now had a famous tower and great food!
Having appeased my appetite it was time to explore and inevitably there was only one place to start! I went off in search of the famous leaning tower! I say in search, I knew it was only around the corner so it wasnât really much of a search but nevertheless off I went!
The leaning tower of Pisa!
Itâs cool to say Iâve seen it in the flesh but I guess I was hoping for more, it didnât really âwowâ me â the pizza was more impressive. I donât know what my expectations were, something too unrealistic probably because it just felt smaller than Iâd envisaged.
Itâs 55 meters high so I donât know what I was expecting â a tower leaning at a 45 degree angle at over 500 or 5,000 meters high? Itâd be ridiculous/impossible but nevertheless I did feel a little like âis that it?â.
You can go up the tower but itâs situated in this fairly enclosed square so I didnât actually expect to see much. Iâve since seen photos of the view and it does look quite good in fairness. Whether it justifies the admission price I donât know because it isnât the cheapest. Harsh? Maybe.
I settled for getting a few photos instead and then swiftly moved on.
Pisa’s Duomo!
In the same square youâll find Pisaâs Duomo (cathedral) which, shock horror, I actually liked. Crazy to be so positive, right? Itâs a nice building from the outside but you have to make sure you go inside as itâs beautiful, I actually preferred the interior of this to Firenzeâs own Duomo, the exterior in Firenze makes up for it though!
Inside the Duomo!
Iâd checked out the Duomo and seen the famous tower so what next? Iâd picked up a map at my hotel and I couldnât help but notice that Pisaâs football stadium was within walking distance of this square. It wasnât something I would have considered looking for otherwise but as it was so nearby I figured Iâd check it out, have a walk around the outside of it and maybe see if they offered any stadium tours.
To my surprise as I walked up to the main entrance the players were walking out. It looked like theyâd just finished a training session and I found there was nothing stopping you walking right in pitch-side. Whether I should have been there I donât know, logic would dictate I probably shouldnât have been but I figured someone would come and tell me if it was an issue.
I didnât overstay my welcome, I only took a quick look around and grabbed a few photos from inside an empty stadium. The capacity is supposedly 25,000 although it was hard to picture this as the only one inside. Pisaâs football team play in the 3rd tier of Italian football so itâs unlikely Iâll ever be here for a game so I was pleased Iâd taken a little detour and that my timing had been so spot on to take advantage.
Home of Pisa’s football club!Stadio Romeo Anconetani
I spent the rest of my afternoon just wandering the city but I just didnât really warm to Pisa. There are certainly pretty areas in the city, walk along the river and even the âPisa-hatersâ of the world would struggle to not admire some of the views because they are stunning. Nevertheless I just couldnât connect with it right, it wasnât for me.
Eventually I admitted defeat, gave up exploring and made my way back to my hotel. I figured Iâd relax a little and freshen up before heading out for some evening entertainment. Day-time Pisa hadnât really won me over but Pisaâs a university city so I was hopeful its nightlife could save the day!
Iâm not going to be too critical here because I donât think itâs fair to judge a cityâs nightlife based upon a Tuesday night but the lack of life in the city just summed up my time in Pisa.
I spent ages wandering through the city and it was dead. Where was everyone? Perhaps Pisaâs students actually spend their time studying? Whatever the reasons I had little luck finding anywhere with a bit of life to it. Perhaps I was just looking in the wrong parts of the city but no luck! As I said though, a Tuesday night in February probably isnât a great time to be judging a cityâs nightlife. Iâd be intrigued to experience a weekend or summer night in Pisa and see how it differs.
In the end I just settled for a quiet dinner (more amazing food!) and an early night relaxing back at the hotel.
I wouldnât discourage anyone from visiting Pisa, you might find you actually like it more than I did and Iâm still glad I visited myself.
In hindsight though I would have gone for just 3-4 hours and caught a later train to Firenze rather than staying overnight in Pisa.
I woke up early the next morning and didnât see any benefit to sticking around for much longer. I walked to the train station which gave me a chance to see a little more of Pisa on route but I was soon buying my train ticket to Firenze.
Pisa had given me a little taster of Italy and Iâd certainly fallen in love with the food but I was heading on to city number 2 with more hope and higher expectations.
Did Firenze live up to those expectations? Stay tuned for that!
In my last post ( Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg â why? ) I spoke about my decision-making in planning a mini Eurotrip for October 2014. It was an adventure that would see me visit three countries and four cities over ten days â starting in Budapest!
Honestly, I didnât really know what to expect from Budapest. I think if I was going for the first time now itâd be less of a struggle but at the time it didnât seem like anyone was talking about this destination. I was a bit of a novice traveler at the time so maybe I was just looking in the wrong places but Budapest and Hungary were both a bit of an unknown for me.
I didnât know anyone who had visited and I had never learned anything about Hungary in school so I went there just hoping for the best. In some respects Iâm quite thankful I went there blissfully unaware â within a couple of hours I was mesmerised by Budapest and I think it helped with it coming as a surprise rather than the feeling of âIâve seen this on Instagram 1,000 times alreadyâ that I have when visiting some places now.
Stunning on both sides of the Danube!
I donât know what the catalyst for change was. Shortly after I booked my trip George Ezra released his hit âBudapestâ. Without boosting his ego too much (George blatantly reads my blog, right?) I canât help but feel that it put a little spotlight on Budapest. Alternatively perhaps people were just waiting for the seal of approval from myself before visiting. Whatever the reason (probably not the latter), Budapest appears to be a much more popular destination than it was when I visited in 2014.
Anyway, back to my trip. Itâs October 2014 and Iâm counting down the days until my adventure begins. My first bit of excitement came when I was exchanging currencies. I picked up Euros for Slovakia and Austria but I also had to get some Hungarian Forints for the trip. I think the exchange rate at the time was around ÂŁ1 to 300-350 forints which left me walking away with thousands in my wallet and feeling rather rich.
Soon enough I was flying out to sunny Budapest and leaving the miserable English weather behind. I arrived in to Budapest around lunchtime on Saturday and went on the hunt for my hostel â that took some finding. I donât know why but I never seem to find hostels too easily and I must walk past them several times as they blend in to the other buildings around them. Bizarre.
With three days to explore I didnât really want to waste any time so I dropped off my things and started to wander towards the river Danube. It was only a short walk from where I was staying and seemed a good place to start my exploration of Budapest. My first impression of Budapest was one of disbelief, Iâd been blown away by the beauty of the city and I couldnât understand how Iâd got here without knowing how stunning it is.
With the blue skies and beautiful scenery Budapest had won me over instantly! I continued my walk alongside the Danube, admiring everything in all directions and then I stumbled upon the Hungarian Parliament building for the first time. Wow! Iâd seen photos of it online but photos donât really do it justice. Itâs my favourite piece of architecture Iâve seen anywhere and, even with my London bias, it is much more impressive than our own Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
Budapest Parliament. Photos don’t do it justice!
I donât know how much time I spent admiring the parliament building, it doesnât matter what angle youâre seeing it from it isnât any less impressive. As afternoon quickly turned to evening I decided I should find somewhere for dinner and somewhere to entertain myself for the evening. It was at that point I realised how cheap Budapest is. Iâve always been good at numbers but I was left second guessing myself if Iâd calculated the exchange rate correctly â âthat must be wrongâ I thought as I came to the conclusion that a beer, dinner and a tip was still ridiculously cheap.
After a couple of drinks I called it a night and had a relaxed first evening in Budapest, keen to get off to an early start the next day.
I started my day off with a âfreeâ walking tour, I find that these are a great way to familiarise yourself with a city and you usually learn a few things along the way. For instance I quickly learned that one side of the city was called âBudaâ and the other side of the river called âPestâ and between them they formed one city called, thatâs right, Budapest! Who knew?
I wasnât overly impressed with the specific tour-guide but overall it was a good tour, covered a few of the sights and gave me a better understanding of the history of the city. It also offered me a little inspiration for other things to see in the city that werenât covered on the tour. The tour began on the Pest side of the river but it finished off in Buda, I was staying in Pest so hadnât ventured to this side of the river yet so it was quite convenient to explore a little more over here.
Views of Pest from Buda!
Buda is on much higher ground so offers great views overlooking the river and the Pest side of the city â in particular the parliament building which is perhaps best viewed from the Buda half of the city.
After a little wandering I made my way back over to Pest in time to catch a tour which explored the Jewish district a little more. I was fascinated to learn how involved Hungary were in the rise of the Nazi regime around World War 2 â a history, much like Germany, that theyâre not proud of but donât shy away from re-telling.
The tour was really interesting, not just telling the history of the Jewish district but also showing it off in a modern climate. Youâll find the largest Synagogue in Europe here but also plenty of street art, restaurants and bars making it one of the livelier (and cheapest) parts of the city to enjoy an evening.
Exploring the Jewish district!
Following the tour I found some dinner in a nearby restaurant and then headed back to my hostel for a little downtime before deciding what to do with my Sunday evening.
I was sharing a 4 bed dorm in my hostel and on my return I found a fully occupied room. The other 3 guys coming from Scotland, Switzerland and Pakistan. We quickly established we were all in the same boat â traveling solo around Europe and up for a night out with new friends.
Budapest is famous for its ruin bars and it wasnât long before we were heading out in search of the cityâs most famous â Szimpla Kert. Words donât really do it justice as to how unique it is but itâs a must visit and you can find some photos of it here:Â Szimpla Kert
From the outside youâd never know what was awaiting inside in what is one of the quirkier bars youâre likely to visit. It attracts both tourists and locals alike, perhaps more the former as itâs one of the highest rated bars in the world. Tripadvisor had it rated as the 3rd best bar worldwide at the time of my visit I believe. Itâs definitely worth a visit and if you donât fancy the crowds in the evening they do host a farmers market during the day on a Sunday too.
After a few beers and a few shots we called it a night and went in search of a kebab house on the way back to our hostel. It was a great night and a highlight of my time in Budapest.
Entrance to the Szechenyi baths!
Iâd ticked off a ruin bar on my Budapest bucketlist, the other thing the city is famous for are its baths/spas which was on my list for Monday. Iâm not a spa type person but âwhen in Rome..â
The Szechenyi baths are Budapestâs biggest and most famous and perhaps the one youâre going to see recommended most â they even have a bath party on Saturday nights during the peak season. However itâs worth noting there are several in Budapest and if you want to escape the crowds youâve got other options too. I chose the second route and found one on the Buda side of the city. If youâre in to that sort of thing theyâre probably well worth a visit but I found the experience a little underwhelming and made use of the pool more than anything.
It did however set the tone for the rest of my day. I felt fairly relaxed and in the end I decided rather than rush around trying to do a million things in a day to just enjoy the city at my own pace. By this point I knew Iâd be coming back to Budapest some day and I didnât want to spoil my experience by rushing around when it could wait for future visits.
After a little breather I went and found a lunch spot near my hostel and had the most amazing goulash â not something Iâd normally eat but I was in the mood for something a little more traditionally Hungarian and it was a really good decision â probably my best meal in Budapest!
The rest of the day was just spent wandering before settling down in a bar for a few drinks.
Vadjahunyad Castle
I woke up on Tuesday morning a little down-hearted. I didnât want to say goodbye to Budapest yet and there was definitely a part of me tempted to change my plans to stay a little longer. However I knew an extra night in Budapest meant a night less somewhere else and I didnât want to miss out elsewhere. I made my way to the train station suffering a bit of the holiday-blues at the realisation that I was leaving.
Then it dawned on me. Yes, I was leaving but not to go home. I was leaving Budapest behind and heading onwards to part 2 of the adventure. I still had 3 cities to explore, why was I moping about?
I used up the last of my forints to book a train to Bratislava and then grabbed a beer until it was time to leave.
I took my seat in a small enclosed carriage on the train and said farewell to Budapest, however the adventure wasnât over. I was off to Bratislava!
Germany as Iâm sure you know by now happens to be one of my favourite places to visit, I first visited the country in 2013 and have been at least once every year since with my most recent trip (November) concluding my 8th visit! Germany has provided me with some wonderful memories and Iâve grown to love the diversity, people and culture of the country â Iâve even made an effort to learn German! VerrĂŒckt! (Crazy!).
So seeing a friend on Facebook suggest that she would never visit Germany was a little disheartening. Whilst Iâve generally made my destination posts chronological anyway, I thought Iâd use this as an opportunity to follow on from Barmouth with my next trip and set the record straight given some of the misconceptions about Germany last week following an incident at Munichâs airport.
Iâm not going to get in to my thoughts on the incident itself but Mo Farah claimed to have been on the end of racial harrassment in Munich, an accusation quickly denied by the accused. Online and media reaction to the headline went in two ways with some aiming criticism at Farah and others being critical of the accused security guard and then the defence of said security guard
.
Criticism is one thing but I read MANY comments making a sweeping generalisation of Germany as a whole because of this incident and I can not accept that. Youâll find ignorant and hateful people EVERYWHERE and one incident is not reflective of an entire nation with 80+ million citizens. Just like anywhere, Germany is a friendly and welcoming place and dismissing it as a potential travel destination would be a waste for a country that has so much to offer!
So letâs travel back to August 2014 and my trip to the German capital: Berlin! Myself and a friend had talked about going on a weekend break somewhere and as soon as Berlin was mentioned we were both in agreement that we should go! It had always been a âmust visitâ destination for me, Berlin was so steeped in history that it had always appealed to me. I couldnât wait to go!
Yet wait and wait I did. Solo travel and group travel both have their pros and cons, a pro to solo travel is that youâre in complete control of everything. With 4 of us making plans for Berlin I was growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress in booking the trip. I couldnât get properly excited until plans were finalised and it felt like there were a few setbacks, Iâm sure there was equal frustration on their part as the planning process went on but eventually we had dates booked into the calendar!
Myself and Karl flew out to Germany on Friday morning, Andy and Rox had already flown into Germany a day or two earlier to get a little longer out of their break. Budget airlines hold a bit of a catch 22 situation â on the one hand it means pretty much everyone can travel, on the other hand it means pretty much everyone can travel.
Particularly when flying out of Stansted, flying on a Friday or Saturday and flying to a popular destination, you can not avoid the stag / hen (bachelor / bachelorette) groups.
Our flight to Berlin consisted of at least two stag doâs and I think one hen do on board too. Karl somehow bagged the window seat which left me sat next to a young lad who, at 6am or whatever it was, was already far too drunk to string a coherent sentence together.
There has been a lot of controversy regarding alcohol limits in airports and on flights recently and Iâd apportion 99% of the blame at our drunken little island if Iâm being honest. Our friends in the rest of Europe seem a little better at knowing their limitations than the Brits who disgrace themselves in the continent on cheap weekend breaks. This guy was a perfect example and you question firstly if he should have been allowed to fly and secondly why they let him buy a further beer on board. I think he was keen I joined in for a breakfast beer but I politely declined.
In fairness to him he wasnât any trouble but it made my journey a little less peaceful than I would have liked. Nevertheless the two of us were soon arriving in to Berlin and making an effort to figure out how to get to our hostel, at the time I knew no German so both of us were solely dependent on English getting us by for the weekend.
It wasnât too tricky and eventually we were arriving into Berlinâs “Cat’s Pajamas” hostel â I liked it and would probably stay there again.
We met up with Andy and Rox and made plans to go and see some of Berlin, we started off with a quick lunchtime stop and then aimed for central Berlin.
Iâm a big fan of kicking off day one with a walking tour, however when Andy suggested we do a biking tour I was a little more sceptical. They say you never forget how to ride a bike, perhaps that is true but it didnât make me feel any more confident about riding around the city and through the streets of Berlin on a bicycle. When was the last time Iâd even rode a bike? I was coming up to my 26th birthday and the last time would certainly have been as a kid, so well over 10 years.
I donât think Karl and Rox were 100% sold on the idea either so credit to Andyâs persuasion skills. Heâd not just convinced one sceptic person it was a good idea but three, 3! Even after agreeing to it I was a little nervous about it. No sooner had I climbed on my bike had I fallen off it, and again, and again. The tour was something like 3 hours long and I couldnât stay upright for more than 2 minutes â disastrous and we hadnât even started hitting the streets yet! Can I get some stabilisers please?
Pros!
My fortunes did change (without the need for stabilisers before you ask!), soon enough Iâd remembered how to balance myself and stop properly. I was whizzing through the streets and ready to embark on the Tour de France (alright, maybe not). Nevertheless I had been won over. We ticked off a number of the sights spread out across the city and I started to appreciate how much there was to see in the city. From viewing the stunning architecture to learning about the history from our tour guide, Berlin was living up to my high expectation.
A bike tour was a perfect way to see it and allowed us to cover so much more distance than if weâd been on foot. I think the highlight was riding through the Tiergarten (Berlinâs answer to Central Park) and seeing how peaceful it was. The Tiergarten was also home to a couple of pubs, one of which we stopped at for a scheduled break in the tour! A beer later and we were back on our bikes to see a little more of Berlin before rounding up the tour. It wasnât something Iâd ever have considered doing if Iâd traveled alone but Iâm really pleased we ended up doing it.
Friday evening we went and grabbed food somewhere and then enjoyed a few drinks to finish off the night. A successful start to our trip in Berlin!
Four years later, Saturday and Sunday are a bit more of a blur. I remember what we did but I canât particularly associate the things we did with a particular day.
The Reichstag building
Over the next two days we took a little more time to see some of the sights weâd only briefly visited on Friday such as the famous Brandenburg Tor, Checkpoint Charlie and the Reichstag building. The latter you can enter for free to then see views over Berlin from up on the roof â despite being free you do have to book a time slot in advance so keep that in mind before visiting. We got a little caught up elsewhere and ended up having a crazy rush to get there in time, I think we were a little late but they fortunately werenât too strict on enforcing an exact time. Iâd still recommend getting there before your time slot though! Haha.
We checked out a few museums. The Topography of Terror and DDR museums ended up being the best of the ones we visited. The Topography of Terror my favourite of the two and as most of it is based outside, itâs free to enjoy! You also have to make sure to check out the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe – it’s a must see!
However in contrast the Checkpoint Charlie museum I personally found a bit of a mess and didnât enjoy. The museum had no structure to it, parts of it were interesting but it wasnât well laid out and some of the rooms had exhibitions with no real relevance to the museum. It was bizarre and I didnât really feel like it justified the admission price.
One of the other enjoyable things we did in Berlin was visit the huge Flohmarkt (flea market) on the Sunday which was interesting to look around. Iâm not much of a shopper but it was interesting to see the variety of things sold and people watch as tourists and locals both looked to enjoy themselves! It was also a good spot to pick up some cheap lunch.
Beyond the daytime antics, one of the things I loved most about Berlin was that it felt completely different in the evening. Itâs a fascinating city by day and has plenty to offer for tourists but come the evening it felt like a much livelier place. It helped that we were there in the summer. The better weather made it easy to enjoy eating out and drink at one of the numerous beer gardens that occupy the city, there was a buzz about Berlin every evening we were there and it made it a fun place to go out and enjoy Berlinâs nightlife.
With great company, great beer and great weather I could have spent many more nights soaking up the atmosphere of Berlin. Köln (2013) had given me a little taste of German culture but I truly felt at home in Berlin. Thereâs something I love about big cities and I found that Berlin matched some of the best and ranks as one of my favourite European cities.
I feel like I only covered a fraction of what Berlin had to offer so itâs a city I definitely want to return to and I highly recommend you visit too! Whilst itâs unfortunate that racism, discrimination and inequality continue to exist within society please donât let it put you off visiting Germany.
Berlin in particular is incredibly welcoming and a multi-cultural city home to foreigners from all over the world, youâd be missing out to overlook a country as diverse as Deutschland!
Me at the Brandenburger Tor
Deutschland; Ich liebe dich! Bis bald!
Have you ever been to Berlin? What did you think? Where else in Germany should I add to my growing list in this wonderful country? Let me know in the comments!
2017 was the year âJason likes to travelâ launched and it was quite a year! First and foremost I wanted to thank all of you for making this such an enjoyable experience. More than anything I started the blog for myself. I wanted a space I could talk about my travels and reflect on some of the experiences along the way but I didnât think many would read it or anticipate such positive feedback. Thanks to you all for following along and for all of your kind words and supportive feedback. There will be plenty more content coming in 2018 so stick with me!
Beyond the blog, 2017 ended up being quite a memorable year for me. I started the year in Paris which really set the tone for the rest of the year and I ended 2017 celebrating Hogmanay up in Edinburgh.
Including the New Year trips at each end of the year I ended up spending time in France, Scotland (twice), USA (twice), Germany (twice), Greece and Spain. Iâm so happy to have traveled so much this year and Iâve stepped foot out of England in every month but June and July (disaster!).
I promise there will be dedicated posts to all of these trips in the future which is why I haven’t gone in to too much detail on any one destination below, however I wanted to summarise what I’ve been up to this year. So hereâs a short look at some of the highlights of the year.
The capitals!
2017 saw me spend time in five different capital cities: Paris, London, Edinburgh, Washington DC and Madrid. So inevitably they ended up playing quite a significant role in my 2017.
Paris: Okay, so I only actually spent one day of 2017 in Paris. January 1st! Itâs really a trip I associate with 2016 but at midnight I was up on a rooftop seeing in the New Year and celebrating the beginning of 2017. It was the first time Iâd ever been out of the country at the start of the year so a memorable moment and it really set the tone for the rest of the year!
A foggy Paris
London: Home! So technically I havenât lived in London since 1997 but this will always be a place I think of as home. I only live an hour or so away which means it is still a city that I visit quite often.
Catching up with friends, going to the football, attending gigs, seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (itâs really good!) or just general sightseeing. London has provided a number of memorable moments in 2017 and 10 days in to the year Iâve already visited our wonderful capital twice in 2018!
Green Park, London
Washington DC: Some cities like New York City, Sydney and Berlin have been absolute âmust visitâ destinations for me, meanwhile others are more like âone dayâ destinations. I want to be clear and say I want to visit absolutely everywhere in the world but that soon becomes a long list. Being realistic Iâm not going to visit everywhere and DC was a place that I knew I may / may not get to.
Circumstances led me to DC but on arrival I still wasnât sure what to expect. Perhaps that was a good thing. You only really hear about the political side to the city which I canât say particularly excited me – it meant I was heading to DC with relatively low expectations. Whilst within the US the message was âMake America Great Againâ â from the outside all that I saw was a divided nation in political turmoil and I was heading right in to the heart of it.
Fortunately it was âbusiness as usualâ in DC. I donât want to make this too politically focused but as far as âMAGAâ is concerned I always feel like the every day people you meet are the best indication of how great a place is opposed to those in power. As ever, I felt completely welcomed in DC and quickly discovered this wonderful city had so much depth to it. Of course there are political elements to DC but at the same time thereâs a lot of history here, stunning architecture, beautiful nature (helped by peak Cherry Blossom season) and a buzzing nightlife. DC ended up being so much better than anticipated, despite being sick throughout my time there. I didnât particularly intend to end up in DC but Iâm glad I I found my way there. I’d quite like to go back because there’s still a few things I’d like to do there and I could have a proper night out in the city next time.
Washington DC, USA
Madrid: Another âone dayâ destination that happened to be in political turmoil (Catalan independence). In all likelihood I knew Iâd get to Madrid at some point but if I was going to visit Spain a return to Barcelona was a bigger priority. Then there were countless other European capitals I wanted to visit first â luckily Iâve already ticked off a few of those. Madrid had never had the same appeal for me as the likes of Berlin, Paris, Edinburgh, Amsterdam or Rome (the latter Iâve yet to get to).
So on that basis I owe massive apologies to Madrid – wow! What a city! It was easily my favourite place I visited in 2017.
Unlike DC I was quite prepared for an enjoyable trip by the time it came around – the more I read up on Madrid, the more excited I got. It lived up to every expectation and then some. Admittedly I visited for football and a positive result in the game helped that but taking the football out of the equation it is still a wonderful city.
It’s full of colour, full of character, has so much street art, good food, stunning architecture, beautiful weather and a great nightlife. I could go on and on. After Berlin (and London obviously) it is probably my favourite capital city I’ve visited to date. Ryanair cancelled my flight which means I actually ended up with an extra day in Madrid but I could still have easily stayed longer.
Don’t make the same mistake I did and wait to visit Madrid – go as soon as you can!
Madrid, Spain
Edinburgh: Last but certainly not least. I started the year in France and ended the year in Scotland. Paris had given me a little taste of New Year fun in another country but I wanted bigger and better – step up Hogmanay!
I’ve been to Edinburgh before and it is such a wonderful city – it really is a must visit whatever time of year you visit but I had to see what all the fuss about Hogmanay is. It has been on the bucketlist for a while and this was the opportunity to do it.
It was incredible! It completely lived up to the hype for me. I can’t imagine a better place to see in the New Year – I hope to get to New York City and Sydney sometime for their celebrations but Edinburgh has really set the standard. Best New Year ever!
Edinburgh, Scotland
The newbie!
In the last couple of years I feel like I’ve just switched between visiting Germany and the USA. I went to Germany three times in 2016 and twice in 2017, meanwhile I went to the USA twice in 2016 and then twice in 2017. Don’t get me wrong I love both countries and I’ve been lucky to visit some incredible cities in the last couple of years but I wanted to freshen things up. I was determined to get to at least one new country in 2017.
My heart was set on a birthday treat to myself. I wanted a relaxing getaway in August for a few days and all I had to do was decide on where, in Europe, to visit. It would have been cheaper to go away in June or July but I was adamant I deserved my birthday week off which meant trying to find an affordable escape somewhere at peak holiday time in Europe. After some searching I’d found reasonable flights and a hotel, the day after my birthday I was flying off to Thessaloniki in Greece.
I didn’t know much about the city but I knew the good weather was guaranteed and it ticked off the criteria of visiting a new country too. It was my first adventure in Greece and what better time of year to visit than in the summer? It was perfect!
Unlike Greek hotspots such as Athens, Santorini and many of the other islands – Thessaloniki isn’t a particularly well known place which meant it wasn’t full of tourists. I spent a few days relaxing, drinking beers and enjoying the warm weather. I’m not sure it’s a city I feel a need to return to but experiencing those Greek sunsets was definitely a highlight of the year and particularly the summer!
Thessaloniki, Greece
The German trips!
Visits to Germany in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 (x3) mean this country has been a regular feature of my annual highlights and as I mentioned above there were another two visits in 2017.
Hamburg: This is a city that has been on my list for a little while but I didn’t really anticipate getting there as soon as this year. I started looking for cheap flights for the last weekend of May (the Monday was a public holiday) and Hamburg was surprisingly cheap. A chance to practice my German, a city I’ve wanted to visit for ages and affordable – how could I possibly resist?
It’s a cracking city, I can see why it’s so highly rated and featured as one of Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities to visit in 2018. It ended up being a great weekend away and I was fortunate with the weather too! It was well worth missing a festival back home for and another city I’d like to return to.
Me with Hamburg’s Rathaus (Town Hall).
Bremen & DĂŒsseldorf: A while ago I posted about my love affair with Köln and my frustration at the footballing schedule continually sending me back to West Germany. Fast forward a year and I was put in the same scenario. I was NOT going to Köln again so soon. I really didn’t fancy staying in Dortmund so I started looking at what other German football coincided with my trip. Werder Bremen – “that’ll do!”.
Bremen’s charm had me swooning instantly. There was something irresistible about it. Typical Germany but without the crowds of the bigger cities. I loved it and just wanted a little longer in the city. For a lesser known European city-break I’d certainly recommend a couple of days in Bremen.
DĂŒsseldorf was a bit of a plan B. I was going to watch football in Dortmund on the Tuesday night but IÂ soon came to the realisation that there were no trains from Dortmund back to Bremen on Tuesday evening. So I had to half my time in Bremen and booked a couple of nights in a hotel in DĂŒsseldorf. The weather was miserable but I did like the city. It had plenty of places to go out to eat/drink and enjoy the city’s nightlife however I don’t think I really made the most of my days in the city to recommend it fully. If you pushed me to recommend one or the other I’d tell you to go to Bremen but it was still a memorable trip.
Bremen, Germany
The loved ones!
Having covered the capital cities, Greece and Germany all that is really left of 2017 are the US trips! My trips to the USA were heavily focused around visiting some special people across the country. One of the drawbacks to having people you care about in other countries is you don’t get to see them! This year I managed to change that and met up with a few people for the very first time – very satisfying and the real highlight of my year.
Nashville: I took so many good memories home with me from Nashville. It started with meeting a friend (and her family) whoâd driven up from Alabama who Iâd missed out on seeing a year earlier in Atlanta. It was great to finally meet, check out the Parthenon and grab some food together. With Sam bidding farewell to Nashville and making the drive back to Alabama I was left to explore the city (nightlife) for myself.
Nashville didnât disappoint, infact I loved it! It was everything Iâd hoped it would be and âmusic cityâ certainly lived up to its name. I regularly crave a return to Nashville because itâs a city like no other Iâve been to. Pure bliss and I feel like I left a little piece of me behind (probably my liver). I hope itâs a place Iâll return to. Everyone needs to experience a night in Nashville at some point!
Nashville aka “Music City”
Dallas: I got to Texas! Finally! It is somewhere I have been wanting to visit for such a long time so to finally make it there made this such a special highlight of my year.
I did like Dallas as a city but itâs not a place that blew me away. I enjoyed myself but itâs probably a place Iâd ordinarily be content in visiting just the once.
However I had wonderful company and with that came wonderful memories to take home with me. Itâs a trip that I look back on so fondly of and I donât think I could have enjoyed it any more. Full of first time experiences, long car rides, awful shots (sorry Amber – it’s true!) and the best people to share it with. Everything made it a trip Iâll cherish for a long time.
Iâll definitely be back Dallas!
Dallas, Texas
Washington State: Apparently one Washington visit in a year wasnât enough so after visiting DC in April, five months later I was heading to the West Coast. Getting to Washington had been on the agenda for a while and a wedding in 2018 finally gave me an excuse to visit!
Wait, 2018? Yeah, it turns out I couldnât wait that long so started making plans to get there much sooner.
Like Dallas this trip was all about the company (including the two-legged kind!) which made for such a memorable trip. Mountain views, baseball, awesome bars, good food, cool museums, road trips and boat trips –Â I loved it all. The company just topped it off
Moses Lake, Washington
That rounds up a summarised look at my 2017 adventures.
A huge thanks to Sam, Scott & Ariel (Nashville), Amber, Lanie & Macie (Dallas), Maddie, Cassie & Haleigh (Washington State) and Daniel & Natalie (football) for joining me on the adventure.
The aim now is to have 2018 top 2017 which will take some doing, however with a month-long trip to the US in the planning stages for this summer I wouldnât rule it out as a possibility.
Getting 2018 off to the best start!
If you read this far, thanks again! I hope you enjoyed it.
What were your highlights of 2017? What have you got planned for 2018? Let me know in the comments!
1988 â a year of many historic moments. Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway, Liverpool were the champions of English football, Celine Dion won the Eurovision song contest, George Bush won the 88 US presidential election but most importantly was the birth of an English baby boy on the 7th of August. I was always a bit of an early riser as a kid so typically I was two hours early to deny myself the perfect birth date of 8/8/88.
Even as a baby I was thinking about holidays!
Fast forward 29 years and that little baby is quickly approaching his 30th birthday! Thirty!
Those 30 years have taken me to some incredible places. For starters I was born and grew up in London so life began in one of the best cities in the world, certainly my favourite anyway. Iâve since been to the likes of New York City, Sydney, Berlin, Madrid, Amsterdam and many many more destinations. I canât deny Iâve done a lot of traveling but it would be easy to forget I didnât really start taking traveling seriously until 2013.
I was lucky growing up that I had been on family trips, the odd school trip and then had annual one week holidays of my own in 2011 and 2012 but going into 2013 Iâd barely scratched the surface of all there is to see on this planet.
It wasnât until 2013 that I really started focusing my efforts in to traveling more. So barely five years! People often suggest traveling is for your 20âs, if that was the case Iâd arrived pretty late to the party! Iâll let you in on a little secret though â you can keep traveling at 30 and beyond! I know itâs hard to believe but itâs true! Iâve seen it with my own eyes! Apparently they donât confiscate your passport on your 30th birthday!
So with that shocking revelation in mind, the planning for my own 30th is underway. On the 3rd of August Iâm due to attend a wedding on the West coast of the USA, with a 30th birthday four days later how could I not spend it in the US? The timing was perfect and thereâs so much of the US I still want to see â particularly down that West coast! A big adventure was on the cards.
I floated the idea with my boss at work about taking a longer trip and asked how much time Iâd be able to take off in one go. I optimistically put forward the idea of four weeks and Iâve had the OK this week!
If it comes to fruition this will be the biggest trip Iâve ever taken and is therefore going to require a lot of planning! Iâve done a couple of multi city breaks before, including in the US, so Iâm not a complete novice in this area but itâs a little daunting nonetheless.
Hereâs an insight in to the early stages of planning a trip like this.
Itinerary One of the most important decisions of a trip like this is obviously deciding where you want to go!  You donât necessarily need a finalised list but a draft list of destinations so you can start planning everything else out is helpful. The more flexible you can be the better but itâs also always good to have some set destinations in mind to help map out a route.
So stick a little pin in Seattle. Thatâs locked in to the itinerary for the wedding and gives me somewhere to either start my trip or aim to get to later on in the trip. Having other âmust visitsâ will help plan out a route. Portland and San Francisco tick that box on the West coast and from there Iâm pretty flexible. If everything goes to plan Iâll have 30 days in the country so the possible destinations can spread right across the country. Seeing more of California is certainly one option Iâll explore but similarly I have a number of friends in the US and I feel like that could dictate some of the destinations I choose to visit.
USA, I’m coming back for you!Â
Getting around!Â
Thirty days in the USA very much screams âROADTRIP!!!â â what a perfect opportunity for that bucketlist item many people dream of. Road-tripping across the USA definitely has its temptations. Travel the famous Route 66? Maybe! Iâll just rent a car and see where the road takes me!
However there is one tiny little flaw to this almost perfect plan â I canât drive. Unlike in Europe, traveling the US without a car is a little more challenging but Iâll be making good use of what available transport there is. The AMTRAK train line, greyhound buses and potentially even domestic flights dependent on the distance should get me so far and will still help me reach some incredible destinations.
Personally I love this part of the planning process as you have to weigh up the cost and convenience of getting from destination to destination. Do I go from A to B or B to A? Bâs actually too expensive so what if I go to D? Well if Iâm going to D maybe stop at C on the way? Oh, flying to D is actually cheaper. Or you could get an overnight bus to E which would mean one less nightâs accommodation to pay for. Decisions, decisions, decisions!
Flying might be an option to get around the US!
Accommodation This will likely play some factor in which destinations I visit too. Hotel prices in the US are quite expensive. Some cities are of course worse than others but it could be a factor between visiting one place rather than another. This is the area of the trip Iâll certainly be looking to cut costs. Aside from the occasional âtreatâ Iâll probably be steering clear of hotels and exploring hostel and AirBnB options instead.
Iâm also hopeful that I might have some US based friends I can stay with along the way, if Iâve got somewhere I can stay then the probability is Iâm going to make more effort to visit!
I love New York City but accommodation prices are crazy!
Objective
Something else to think about is what I actually want from this trip. The USA is huge which also makes it incredibly diverse. On previous trips Iâve been to Disneyland, Iâve been to small college towns and Iâve been to crazy cities like New York City. They’re all completely different type of trips. The US is so diverse as a holiday destination and has so much to offer, just deciding what type of holiday you want is a dilemma in itself. Do I want to concentrate on visiting cities? Could I squeeze in some beach time or visit one of the USâ many national parks? Is a Disney / Universal trip a possibility? Iâm often attracted to big cities but with a much longer trip in mind perhaps mixing it up a bit is the better way to go!
Company
My last big thing to think about at this early stage is who is joining me on the adventure. I enjoy solo travel but Iâm also thinking about who Iâll be spending time with whilst in the US. Would anyone come with me? Which US based friends do I try to visit? Do I see them in their hometown or might they meet me somewhere? Even if it only ends up being for a portion of the trip opposed to the entirety, itâs an important aspect to think about and plan for.
On a related note – that road trip I joked about? If there are any willing drives / adventurers then step right up, Iâm more than happy contributing towards âgasâ costs.
At the baseball with my Washington favourites in September
Budget I didnât want to completely omit a mention of this but at the same time itâs a little early to accurately budget at this stage. Itâs an important part of the trip but probably comes in the next part of the planning stage. You can budget an estimated amount based on accommodation per night, spending per day plus return flights to the US but really itâs very much guesswork at this stage.
The budget really overlaps with some of the above stages once Iâve started âconnecting the dotsâ.
At the minute my only definitive âdotâ is Seattle with much more planning to do!
Anyway that rounds up the early planning stages of the big 3-0 celebrations. Stay tuned for updates on how the planning goes and hopefully Iâll soon have a final itinerary!
Iâd love to hear your input. How did you celebrate your 30th? Where should I be looking to visit? If youâve planned a longer-term trip of your own Iâd appreciate any tips you have.
Or maybe youâre just tempted to tag along? Get in touch!
In addition to Köln and Edinburgh, Brussels seems to be one of those cities I canât escape from. If you were to ask me how many times Iâd been to Brussels then Iâd probably say âtwo and a half..â
Theoretically Iâve only been to Brussels twice. The first trip was a few days to celebrate a friendâs birthday in December 2013, I then went back for a further few days in October 2015. However Iâve also taken the train from London to Köln (March 2013) and Amsterdam (December 2015) via Brussels. The Köln trip left me no time to explore but on the way home from Amsterdam I had 2-3 hours to kill in Brussels before catching the Eurostar home. I canât really count it as a full visit but it gave me enough time to have a little wander. Hence two and a half!
Two and a half visits later, what makes Brussels a destination worth visiting? Plenty!
Let me start by saying Brussels exceeded my expectations. You might think Iâm getting carried away but let me clarify; I went to Brussels with such low expectations it would have been impossible not to. I fully understand why itâs neighbouring capitals Amsterdam and Paris get such high praise but Brussels should get far more credit than it does. It has its rough edges like any city does and itâs quickly associated as a city drowning in European politics but thereâs definitely more to Brussels than just politics. Brussels has a fun side to Brussels too and plenty to admire in its architecture, history and most importantly – beer!
If you already have plans to visit Brussels or youâre still in need of a little convincing as to why you should visit, here are my favourite things about Brussels.
Grand Place, Brussels
The architecture!
Your first stop on any visit to Brussels has to be Grand Place. This is arguably one of the prettiest squares in Europe and will leave you speechless at how impressive it is. A little on the pricier side but take a seat outside at one of the cafes or restaurants at Grand Place and just people-watch this busy square and admire how beautiful it is with gold splattered everywhere. Visit around Christmas time and itâs more impressive, particularly in the evenings with it all lit up! Youâll also find Brussels town hall and Tourist Information area here.
Whilst Grand Place is certainly the highlight, Brussels has other impressive architecture too such as its palace, beautiful churches and cathedrals. The symbol of Brussels is the âAtomiumâ which whilst an attraction (read more below) is also a cool and unique piece of architecture.
The artwork!
Brussels/Belgium is home to some really famous artists and characters including the creation of loved characters such as Tin-Tin. Youâll find plenty of street art in Brussels and itâs also well known for itâs comic-book scene. If this is something youâre interested in then you should give Brussels Comic Strip Centre a visit.
Art might not be particularly high on your list of things to see when travelling but you should definitely make a quick stop to visit the âMannekin Pisâ. The UK is well known for âthe boy who livedâ whereas Brussels is famous for âthe boy who peesâ. Iâm not expecting a JK Rowling masterpiece for the latter but itâs something the locals are proud of and they regularly dress him up in new outfits for the tourists and locals alike to admire.
Me and Brussels famous ‘Atomium’
The Atomium & Mini-Europe
Alright, this is two attractions but theyâre next to eachother so quite convenient to do both at once. As mentioned above â the Atomium is the symbol of the city and a pretty cool piece of architecture from the outside. The inside is one of Brusselâs leading attractions and gives you the opportunity to see Brussels from a much higher vantage point. We were relatively content to just see it from the outside but itâs worth a visit.
Across the street youâll find another great attraction called Mini-Europe. If youâve always dreamed of travelling across Europe but not had the time or money for it then this is for you. Youâll find a number of famous landmarks in miniature form that take you right across Europe and fulfill that dream you always had of seeing sights such as the Eiffel Tower â youâll even find a mini Grand Place here!
Iâd certainly recommend it as a great family-friendly attraction but itâs one for the adults to enjoy too!
Potential day trip – Liege!
The daytrips!
Depending on how much time you have in Brussels and how much mini-Europe has quenched your thirst for more adventure, you might find yourself tempted to see more of Belgium! There are a lot of things I love about Belgium but one of the added perks is how small the country is. It means most major Belgian cities arenât much more than an hour away from Brussels, making it a wonderful country for day-tripping. Iâve personally been to Bruges, Gent and Liege which Iâd be happy to recommend for daytrips (expect future posts on these 3). However other towns and cities such as Antwerp, Dinant and Ypres also remain on my bucketlist and are all within easy reach from Brussels.
If youâre content travelling a little further than Western Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of France are all fairly close by too.
The cuisine!Â
One of the first things youâll associate with Belgium is its cuisine â particularly famous for their chocolate, waffles and beer. No trip to Brussels would be complete with delving in to this area a little. You might also be surprised to hear that Belgium is where the âFrench fryâ originates. If you want an authentic Belgian dish order the popular âMoules Fritesâ (Mussels with fries) accompanied with one of Belgiumâs famous beers. âJupilerâ seemed to be the most popular in Brussels but you really canât go wrong. Personal favourites were the Duvel, Leffe and Hoegaarden.
Of course it isnât all about local cuisine. Like most capital cities youâll find that Brussels is a multi-cultural city and youâll find a range of different cuisine options in the city.
Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussels
Have you ever been to Brussels? Leave some recommendations in the comments on other tips you have.
If you havenât been to Brussels hopefully this went some way in convincing you that itâs worth a visit!
I find that whenever people from other countries talk about the UK they generally mean England. Itâs easy to forget that the UK is actually made up of more than one country. In the same way that America is more than just the USA and Africa is more than South Africa.
Itâs no secret that London is my favourite city in the world, so Iâm not trying to sway you from visiting London â please do..
However as much as London should be on any travel bucketlist, so should Edinburgh! It’s a must visit on any trip to the UK!
I have been fortunate enough to visit Edinburgh three times now, falling in love on the first visit and moreso on each return. I already have plans to make trip number 4 to celebrate Hogmanay / New Years Eve at the end of 2017.
So what does Edinburgh have to offer and how can you make the most of it?
HistoryÂ
Edinburgh is divided in to two, similar to Buda and Pest which form the city Budapest. Princes Street gardens splits the city, with the “old town” on one side and the “new town” on the other.
Edinburghâs city centre is also a UNESCO world heritage site. With its cobbled streets, old buildings and castle overlooking the city itâs pretty easy to see why the old town in particular is held in such high regard.
The city has a fascinating history which dates back hundreds of years and also has some really unique stories throughout that time. One of my favourites and on the more bizarre spectrum was the story of Maggie Dickson. Maggie was sentenced to death and was due to be publicly executed. The execution was carried out and Maggie’s body was ready to be transported for burial. On route there was a little knock on the coffin and out springs Maggie well and alive. Maggie’s return to Edinburgh caused uproar but logic would suggest you can’t execute somebody twice. In the eyes of the law Maggie’s execution had been carried out and she went on to live for many many years. You’ll now find a pub in her name to preserve her memory as Edinburgh’s luckiest lady.
It’s a favourite of mine but you’ll find Edinburgh is full of interesting stories.
Edinburgh’s city centre, between the old and new town.Â
Food & nightlife
Scotland has a bit of a reputation for being a nation that quite like their drink, so it should perhaps be unsurprising that Edinburgh has a great nightlife with many many pubs around the city. Whether you’re in the new town or the old town, you won’t struggle to find somewhere to spend the evening. For the beer lovers Iâd particularly recommend BrewDog who craft their own beers and now have an Edinburgh branch. Youâll find a few of these dotted around the UK but they originate from Scotland and youâll also find a BrewDog in Aberdeen or Glasgow if extending your Scottish adventure beyond the capital.
Of course it’s not all about alcohol in Scotland. Scotland is almost famous for its haggis, deep fried Mars Bars and Irn Bru. I’d also particularly recommend picking up some Edinburgh rock to take home with you – it’s delicious!
Culture
Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, JK Rowling and many more have lived in Edinburgh so it shouldnât be too surprising that there is plenty of interesting things to do here. Whether you’re visiting museums, enjoying Edinburgh’s performing arts, going to watch Edinburgh’s sports teams, visiting pandas and koala bears at Edinburghâs zoo or doing a ghost tour in search of Edinburgh’s poltergeists you’ll find this city has so much to keep you entertained throughout your stay.
Edinburghâs Fringe Festival and Hogmanay celebrations are world famous and also both personal bucketlist items of mine. These are peak times to visit so you’ll find the city is likely to be more expensive and busier too but both are so highly rated that it’d be a great time to experience the city.
However whatever time of year you visit youâll find thereâs plenty going on in the city.
Princes Street Gardens, looking up at the castle on the right.Â
Scenery
Edinburgh also happens to be a really beautiful city. In its architecture you quickly see why JK Rowling took so much inspiration for Harry Potter here with castle views and beautiful architecture. Princes Street gardens adds a little greenery to the centre of the city and Edinburgh is also right by the coast so if you’re willing to take a short trip away from the city centre you’ll soon find yourself with the luxury of sea views.
Edinburgh’s best views can be found at one of Edinburgh Castle, Calton Hill and Arthurâs Seat. However keep in mind you’ll have to pay for entry in to the castle to reap the benefits of the views. Calton Hill and Arthur’s Seat provide cheaper alternatives but a bit more of a climb to reach them.
You should definitely make time to check out at least one of those. For less of a city view but equally as pretty, Edinburgh zoo also has some great views from the top of the hill.
The view from the castle – you’d never guess this was in the summer!
The 5 must sees!
Edinburgh CastleÂ
I personally enjoyed paying to explore it further but even if you just want to admire from the outside, itâs hard to miss this wherever you are in the city. Itâll be one of your first sights arriving in to Edinburghâs city centre.
The Royal MileÂ
The sound of bagpipes, plenty of street performers and a number of shops and restaurants makes no trip to Edinburgh complete without walking along the Royal Mile.
Sun setting on the Royal Mile and St Giles’ Cathedral
St Gilesâ Cathedral
If, like me, you enjoy visiting religious buildings then this is a must. Itâs a lot smaller than many cathedrals youâll see on your travels but it’s still so pretty. Entry is free (donation optional) and itâs right in the heart of the old town so worth checking out.
Greyfriars Cemetary
Perhaps a little morbid but this graveyard is home to some fascinating stories and is also a highly reported spot for poltergeist activity. Starting with the latter, the Bloody Mackenzie is said to haunt this graveyard with hundreds of reported and unexplained symptoms and incidents occurring here. Come to your own conclusions but itâs a fascinating read and if youâve got time you can even do ghost tours here that have some rather interesting reviews.
Another popular figure that calls this home is Edinburghâs famous dog, Greyfriar Bobby. After losing his owner itâs said that Bobby sat at his masterâs grave until his own death. Such a famed story tourists from all over the world would come to visit and feed Bobby and youâll even see a statue of him just across the road from the graveyard. Bobby also has his own shiny headstone, usually accompanied with flowers left by Edinburgh’s many visitors.
For the Harry Potter fanatics youâll also see some interesting names across various headstones. Looking for inspiration, itâs said JK Rowling was advised to visit the local cemetary which was inspiration for a few characters. See if you can find Voldemort, Mad Eye Moody and Professor McGonagall! The latter has his own rather amusing story remembered as “Scotland’s worst ever poet”.
The Grassmarket
A place full of history, in the past people would shop here to pick up their daily needs but would also gather here for any public events and executions.
Youâll still find a market here throughout the day but the rest of the square is surrounded by restaurants and pubs which tend to be highly popular. A good spot to fill your stomach with food and beer!
A lot of the daily & evening tours begin in this area too so a good spot if youâre looking for one of these.
That wraps up my thoughts on Edinburgh. Feel free to ask for any further tips / suggestions, also feel free to comment with your own if youâve been to Edinburgh. Iâm heading back there at the end of the year so would love to hear your recommendations too!
Jason likes to travel 