Journeys Far and Wide: Grassington, The Yorkshire Dales

A month or so ago Nick and I booked a last minute stay in the Yorkshire Dales - he'd just come back from a work trip to Australia (it's alright for some eh!) and I'd been really busy at work (in England, boo) and we both felt a little like we'd become passing ships at home, and hadn't actually spent any quality time together for a while so I made the executive decision that we were going away for a relaxing night in the heart of one of our favourite places. 

We've been for weekends away in the Dales before, but usually either in summer or very late spring where we've gone with more of an 'outdoors-y' focus. This time I knew we wouldn't be doing that -  I was very skeptical about the weather and although we've been lucky in the past, I don't think we'd ever be so lucky to just happen to arrange a late trip in March with glorious weather. So we decided to go for a slightly more upmarket hotel that we normally would - just because if the weather was so bad we didn't even want to leave the room, it'd at least be a nice room to be confined to! We ended up staying at 5 Grassington House, in (wait for it....) Grassington. And I'm glad we did, because it was totally gross weather. 

One of the best things about Grassington is that it's big enough to have quite a bit going on for a village in the Dales (although by the Dales standard, it's more of a town) and you don't need to go out of the vicinity of the square for anything. Sometimes with little villages, you get a nice pub or inn and nothing else so you're stuck with pub food (don't get me wrong I like pub food and it's great after a day's walking but sometimes you just want a proper restaurant) but with Grassington there's more options which in my opinion is brilliant! It is honestly a beautiful place - it's the epitome of English country, full of little cafes, cobbled streets, cottages, rivers, waterfalls, old fashioned post offices and actual, real life bunting. So. Friggin. Cute. 

The hotel we stayed in was lovely, it's AA 5* and I was very impressed, especially for the price we paid - £100 for the night and breakfast the next day (obviously reflective of the time of year). We ate in the restaurant after having a couple of drinks beforehand in the local pubs, and it was a lovely evening. Expensive, but good. The quality was top notch and the service was on point. I didn't take any pictures of the hotel, but if you are interested, the one's on their website are pretty accurate in terms of what to expect.

This particular trip was exactly what I needed - a bit of relaxation, an excuse to forget the outside world and chill out with some red wine and good food.

Now I'm just excited to go back at Christmas - I've just found out they hold a Victorian Chrismas Fayre each Saturday in December which just sounds amazing!

Until next time :)

Journeys Far and Wide: Tuscany, Pisa and Florence

(Ponte Vecchio, Florence)

Earlier in the year, my Mum and Dad managed to fulfil one of their long time holiday dreams and drove through Europe down to Tuscany, Italy. They were away for just over three weeks and Nick and I flew out to join them for five days. It was a pretty spontaneous trip on our part, which was one of the reasons why it was so good! Nick and me had been booked to go to Venice at the end of May but unfortunately, due to a number of circumstances we had to cancel the trip so, in a moment of pity, my Mum asked if we wanted to go to stay with them in Tuscany whilst they were there as they had a spare room in their accommodation. Needless to say I organised my Annual Leave immediately and we booked our flights the next day!

As I said, we were only there for five days (two of which were marred by the journey there and back) so time was limited. The main reason for us wanting to go (aside from the gorgeous countryside, abundance of Chianti and amazing food), was the chance to visit Florence. It was about a thirty minute car ride from where we were staying and was top of our list of things to do. As long as we got to go there we weren't particularly bothered about what else we did. But as it worked out we actually flew into Pisa so we got to do a bit of exploration there too.

Pisa is pretty small so we managed to see quite a lot in a short space of time (although, other than the tower, there's not much going on), plus we arrived on a Sunday and sadly all the shops were shut :( walking around seeing all the Italian cosmetic shops on the main street with their doors shut and lights off was particularly disappointing for me. I had to keep telling myself I was there for the culture not for the make up.

(Our shameless 'leaning tower' selfie with complementary scaffolding)

Florence, on the other hand is huuuuuge. We didn't see a fraction of the place. It was bustling, vibrant and very very welcoming, I would recommend going to anyone.

The culture there is just amazing. Now, I'm not going to pretend I'm an art buff or even that interested in art generally, but it's hard to be in a place like Florence and not feel like you're experiencing something amazing. Sadly we didn't have time to go in any galleries (massive queues everywhere and we had no idea where to start) but we did visit Il Duomo de Firenze (or Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, if you want to use it's real name) which was a sight in itself. It's free and gives you a good taste of what to expect of Florence. I would have liked to have visited a few of the galleries and gardens, but with one day you really can't scratch the surface of a place like Florence. And, just walking around is like being in an art gallery in itself. The architecture alone is awe inspiring. You can walk around without even looking at the people around you, or where you're going because the whole time you're craning your neck to look at the buildings. Florence is definitely on my list of places to go back to when I have an excess of time and money (probably when I'm retired then... depressing!) Again, during my time in Florence I kept on reminding myself that our being there was a cultural experience, not a shopping trip. But when we stumbled across a leather market I could't resist having a look. And ended up coming away with one of my favourite purchases of the year; a cat shaped shoulder bag. What more could you want in a bag??

After visiting Florence and Pisa, we only actually had two other full days, which were spent by the amazing pool at our accommodation.

One of the best things about Tuscany is that the scenery is 100% amazing, and it is just so green. I'm not used to going to warm countries and seeing fields and fields of lush greenery so I was quite enamoured with the fact that it could be such beautiful weather, but also not be barren and a mass of beige coloured shrubs that you often get in hotter European countries. Being at the pool and being surrounded by such lovely countryside was an experience in itself. The view from the pool out over the hills was not something I was expecting.

In conclusion, Tuscany is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. And once Venice has been ticked off the travel bucket list (we're planning to re-book our trip for the next few months), I think Tuscany will be revisited.

Also, on a side note, we found the price of food and alcohol to be very reasonable. Almost every time any one mentions holidaying in Italy it's met with "ooh but it's just so expensive". I'm happy to report that we didn't feel this anywhere, not even in Florence (although we didn't eat out there) so it's not too bad for the purse strings. Our flights over were also quite well priced (we flew with Jet2 from Manchester) although they always get you with paying extra for online check in and luggage which leaves me feeling pretty miffed every time! I can't comment on the accommodation as that was a perk of staying with my parents for the duration but I understand that was a relatively good price as well. All in all, not one to utterly break the bank!

Until next time :)

Journeys Far and Wide - Amsterdam

Ooops sorry for my lack of posts in a while, I have been pretty busy with life and as a result this little corner of the internet has been neglected somewhat. But I am back - yay - to tell you about my trip to Amsterdam :)

Nick and I went over to Amsterdam in March, and as you can see from my previous post, I did a lovely bit of retail therapy which is essentially all it takes to make a trip worth it for me haha! But it was also gorgeous, so all in all it was worth hopping over the North Sea.

Now, I actually didn't take that many photos really, so I haven't got too much to show, but it was a great trip and really nice way to get away. I've wanted to go to Amsterdam for years but it's sort of never really been high on my list of priorities for whatever reason. But after we went to Brugge on the P&O mini cruise last year, I suggested to Nick (who had already been in his younger years) that we do the same but go to Amsterdam instead. It's just such a cheap and easy way to get there that there's actually very little excuses you can make to not do the trip! 

So, in early March off we popped on the boat over to the Netherlands. With Amsterdam we decided to stay over an additional night so we had two full days and one night there. Mainly this was just because Amsterdam is obviously much bigger than Brugge, and also, the coach that takes you from the port (Rotterdam) to Amsterdam actually lasts about 2 hours so, this greatly eats into the time you really get to spend in the city (unlike the mini cruise to Brugge, where Brugge is literally about 15 minutes down the road from the port). We stayed in the Inntel Hotel, which is really near to the station (where the coach drops you off) and is in the perfect location for exploring.

I bought a mini fold out map before we went but it really wasn't as good as the maps they gave out free in our hotel (and I imagine would be relatively easy to get hold of from any hotel or tourist information). The map they gave us had all the essentials on it, and was extremely useful for working out which tram to get to where. That is actually the one thing I would advise anyone going to Amsterdam - make use of the trams!!! The first day we walked around, mainly because we were keen to have a good look at everything, but later on that day and definitely the second day we just trammed it everywhere! 

My Amsterdam Recommendations -

1. THE FLOWER MARKET - Without a doubt. Very pretty, loads of Amsterdam souvenirs (aka utter tat) but well worth a visit! Also, the street that sort of runs parallel behind the flower market (Kalverstraat 176) is great for shopping.

2. The Heinekien Experience -  this was Nick's choice (obv!) but such a surprise for me, I actually really enjoyed the whole thing. It had minimal boring beer making talk, and had loads of interactive things to do. Plus, you got a few free beers so winner!

3. Anne Frank Huis - we didn't go in because the queue was insane, and I didn't want to get too upset (I've read her diary and never fully recovered), but I felt like I wanted to go and pay my respects and see it. I'm glad I did but it is quite harrowing.

4. Walk down the canals - you can find some great side streets with antique shops which are always good for a browse.

5. Red Light District - now, this is a bit of a controversial one but I would say it is worth a look. Now, I am in no way an advocater of drugs, and definitely not of prositution, but it is just so culturally different to England over there it's something I had to see. I managed to walk around a few little streets with the girls in the windows, until I got utterly freaked out and made Nick take me back to our hotel haha.

I would like to note, we also went to the Van Gough Museum, which was okay (great gift shop) but didn't completely blow my mind so I probably wouldn't recommend it unless you were really into art and such like!

If I were to go again, I would definitely go to the Amsterdam Dungeon, eat at Vlaming Eten & Drinken (which is meant to be one of the best restaurants in Amsterdam, but was sadly closed when we went, boo), visit the Bible Museum (weird, I know) and go on a boat ride!

I hope this was mildly interesting reading for my return to the 'blogosphere'. I have a few posts in mind for the coming days/weeks that may be a bit more serious than what my blog has had on it before so it might be a shock!

Until next time :)

Journeys Far and Wide (the back catalogue) - #2 Brugge

In October last year, me and Nick went to Brugge, Belguim. It was honestly, one of the nicest, prettiest, quaintest, cutest places I have ever been. We were super lucky as the weather was fab for an Autumn day and, literally everything was so picturesque, all the streets and shops looked like they were straight from a post card. It was a perfect place to visit for a day trip because it was quite small and we definitely got round it all without any problem and with little map reading/planning, and it just felt so relaxed. You know you sometimes get that insane rushed feeling in cities because you are in such a massive place and everyone is running around like a crazy person trying to go about their normal every day business? Brugge didn't have that feeling, at all. Probably because it isn't a big city (in fact, it's teeny tiny), but it was a lovely gentle atmosphere and I couldn't recommend it highly enough! We just lazily walked around the city centre, bought a few bits and bobs, admired all the chocolate shops, went in a couple of museums, had some lunch, walked by the canal (which had a market on a tree lined path just by it, so cute it hurt my heart), had tea and a waffle in a beauty of a tea shop and then slowly made our way back to the train station with time to spare. It was great! No running round trying to catch tubes, or dodging through throngs of people like so many other cities I've been to. Just thinking about it is making me relaxed! Unfortunately, we didn't actually get to go into The Hobbit pub because it had strange opening times and we were gone by the time it opened it's doors!

The above pictures were all taken with my DSLR whilst out and about, so below are a few cheeky Instagrammies I snapped whilst we were away as well :)

Until next time :)

Journeys Far and Wide (the back catalogue) - #1 Paris

Last August my boyfriend, his Dad and a friend decided to cycle from London to Paris. You know, as you do.

Not one to miss an opportunity for a quick trip to France, myself Nicks mum and the friend's girlfriend decided to fly out there to meet them under the Eiffel Tower when they finished their mammoth ride (which took 3 days), n'awww. And it was definitely one of the best decisions I made in 2013, because Paris is and was beautiful.

Due to time constraints of the trip and the fact that it was a bit of an impromptu decision to meet them at the end, we were only actually in Paris for one full day but it was still amazing, and quite exciting to be such a jet setter for a couple of days!

We got there on the Tuesday evening and had a lovely taxi driver pick us up from the airport to take us to our hotel. I normally hate the time spent on the transfer because it seems such a waste, but it was actually quite a good journey because the taxi driver took it upon himself to give us a little tour and he was pointing out all the popular tourist attractions and landmarks, which was really great because we had such little time there we knew we wouldn't see hardly anything really.

Our hotel was literally a 5 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower and it was exactly what we were looking for (Hotel Auteuil Tour Eiffel if you're interested), and great value for two nights in the middle of summer right next to the Eiffel Tower. 

So we got there, dumped our bags and headed out to the Tower to assume our places on the imaginary finish line! It was such a beautiful day and although we had quite a wait, I cannot imagine a more perfect place to wait :)

  (Meet Katie!)

(Meet Nick!)

After the arrival there was much time spent snapping away the Eiffel Tower, the boys under the Eiffel Tower avec their bikes, then couples under the Eiffel Tower.... you get the gist. Then we went back to the hotel, the boys collapsed for a bit, I read a bit, and then we went out for a lovely Parisian meal, and someone actually ordered snails (I know, what the hell?!)

The next day (our only day, boo) we went to the Eiffel Tower, on a cruise down the Seine (both of which were lovely) and I forced everyone to go on a perilous journey down the Champs-Élysées to find Sephora (aka heaven. I got an amazing highlighter and a coral lip gloss, that sadly no one I was with cared about). We had crepes, we had wine and the weather was beautiful - it was just a perfect day. And to say the men of the party had finished a 350 mile bike ride the night before, they were all troopers and didn't complain about being tired, or achey legs, bonus! Also, there was actually no complaining throughout the mammoth journey from the Eiffel Tower to the Champs-Élysées which was quite surprising since I was the only one who was remotely interested in that part of the day!

 (At the top of the Eiffel Tower - I'm on the right)

(This one is purely here because the fountains were making a rainbow, which is just delightful).

So after the wonderful day, we headed out for our final meal, sob. We went to a bustling restaurant in the Italian Quarter and after we had a few cheeky drinks in the little bars around and then saw the night lights on the Tower (awesome), and headed back to the hotel (by this time, the men really were tired).

(Nick and I, made into black and white because the hotel lighting was horrendous and made us both an odd yellow shade).

All in all, it was fabulous and I cannot wait to go back! Hopefully I will have another excuse very soon, and hopefully next time it will be for a considerably longer time than one and a bit days! I do think city breaks are best kept short and sweet, but maybe one day is a bit too short. But it was definitely fun, and lovely to have been there to meet Nick after such an acheivement!

Until next time :)