tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46933581193407211662024-03-13T20:20:57.373+00:00Tarts in LondonAlysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-80450358283354433762017-05-22T22:58:00.000+01:002017-05-22T22:58:16.037+01:00A Dive into Mostar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the things that inspired me to go to the Balkans (way back in our 2015 babymoon if you recall) was hearing stories from my grandfather of his travels to the area. He had been when the war was tearing the areas apart, and despite stories of raids and bullets, he still managed to paint a picture of friendly people and a beautiful country.<br />
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He spent a lot of time in Bosnia and the country captured my fascination. I had read a lot about the famous bridge, Stari Most, which represents to me the past and present of this city.<br />
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Mostar, like many places in the Balkans, had been a city inhabited by different people and religions, including Christians, Muslims and Orthodox Serbs. After the Yugoslav war began, it trickled into Bosnia where fighting began between the 3 groups in 1992. In Mostar specifically, the bridge was shelled to prevent Muslims from entering the Croat side of the city.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Original found <a href="https://deanoworldtravels.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/mostar-bridge-damaged-bosnian-war.jpg" target="_blank">here</a></i></td></tr>
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Now the bridge has been re-built in the same fashion at the original. While it may not date back to the 16th century, it has a pretty strong history to share itself.<br />
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After arriving in the city, we decided to check into the hotel to park the car before walking over to the old town. Just as we were approaching the old city, the skies opened up and completely and totally drenched us. We tucked into a shop for some food and to ride out the rain, but luckily the owner was friendly and the food was delicious.<br />
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We followed the water downstream and found a great little point in which to watch the action up above on the bridge. One of the reasons the bridge is now so famous is bridge diving. An annual diving competition has been held nearly 500 times (with a break during the 10 year bridge-less time) although you don't need a competition time to see people diving. Now entrepreneurial locals will dive once the cash pot gets high enough, or tourists can shell out for a dive themselves. At nearly 80 feet tall, I thought it best to leave the diving to the local experts, so we went back to our wandering.<br />
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There wasn't a huge itinerary or schedule for our time in Mostar. Our plans centred around the bridge, but luckily so did a lot of the city. We did visit the nearby mosque for fantastic views of the city and bridge, with lots of wonderful local shops nearby.<br />
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Years later, you can still see the scars of war on the face of the city. Shelled out and graffiti-ed buildings wear the direct impact, but cemeteries show the indirect, with 100,000 lives lost in the conflict. My grandfather was a phychiatrist working with people there and seeing all of it made me so proud and really understand more the impact that he likely had in people's lives.<br />
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We decided to end our time in Bosnia on the way to Croatia with a bit more of a beautiful outlook, so we made a detour to Kravice. It's no wonder that these waterfalls are a popular stop; dramatic falls joining into pools made me wish we were in our suits to join the other bathers. Instead, we contented ourselves with a few quiet moments to reflect on Bosnia and what all it had to offer.<br />
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Oh and to extend our time in the beautiful country, a few sheep decided to stop us to say farewell :)<br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-17675833326289976692017-05-17T22:28:00.001+01:002017-05-17T22:51:22.418+01:00Cotswolds Countryside<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since my American family and friends just celebrated Mother's Day, I thought the timing was perfect to talk about our UK Mother's Day trip (one of the many blog posts piling up from my lack of blogging!!). This is celebrated in March, so I get the distinct pleasure of celebrating being a mother not once, but twice a year!<br />
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The week of Mother's Day rolled around - we didn't have any plans and the weather looked to be beautiful and sunny, so I decided to book a last minute trip. Since becoming parents, we've had to do all kinds of planning for trips, from getting a lap infant sorted, to finding hotels that are kid friendly with baby cots, to just plain hauling ourselves to the airport. Needless to say, it felt invigorating and terrifying to be booking that hotel on Thursday for a check-in on Friday.<br />
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For our first spontaneous weekend, we kept it somewhat local though (there's only so much last minute pressure for a mom to handle) and headed to the Cotswolds which had been on our bucket list for quite some time.<br />
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Due to the last minute reservations and the holiday weekend, hotels weren't easy to come by for a decent rate, so we ended up a bit further south than we would have liked, but our hotel was great. We were at the <a href="https://www.cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk/hare-and-hounds-hotel/" target="_blank">Hare & Hounds</a> in Tetbury and as we travelled with Belle, I thought the theme was quite appropriate! Since we left after work, we arrived just in time for dinner at the pub before bedtime rolled around.<br />
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The next day we had a packed schedule that was pretty ambitious. I had planned for stops in 4-5 different towns for meals, shopping and a wander down the high streets. We started furthest away and worked our way back. With this, our first stop was Chipping Campden. I had no idea what to expect of any of these places other than a 30 second online search, as all had come from co-workers. But I quickly was reminded of why I love English towns the moment we started walking. <br />
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After passing through a gorgeous old market hall area, we stumbled upon some locals with stalls out on the street. One was giving away free bread, the other selling some locally made jam. Pretty clever marketing idea there as we came away with olive bread and 3 jars of jam. We ended up near the church which had beautiful vistas out across the fields behind it. After chatting with a local, she pointed us towards the public footpath which she thought would give some lovely views and be a great walk for Belle.<br />
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If you haven't heard of the public footpath, it may seem a weird concept, but basically a public footpath (or right of way) is a path which can be used by the public at all times, even if it's on private lands. Public footpaths often take you right through private farms, with sheep and cows roaming about, most often with kissing gates or stiles to keep animals in and allow people through. With the sun shining, backdropped to a historic church and sheep, it was quintessential England and a reminder of how I love the outdoors culture here (at least when the weather is nice!!). Belle loves these kinds of walks and was totally in her element, and both Belle and L were curious about the sheep.<br />
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After picking up a few bites for a picnic, we made an unscheduled detour to Dover's Hill for our picnic as it was another local recommendation. Spontaneous mom forgot about the reality of toddlerhood, and plans were dashed when L fell asleep within 5 minutes of getting in the car. So, rather than picnic with views, we picnicked within feet of the parking lot! The sun was shining and we had cheese and crackers, so not too much to complain on there. Before heading to our next stop, we drove past Broadway Tower long enough to snap a picture.<br />
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Next on the list was Stow-on-the-Wold. I was most excited here about their church, which I had seen online and on social media, with old, twisted trees growing from the doors of the church (a bit like an English version of Ta Phrom). I seem to have some kind of man vs. nature of obsession, and so these made it on my list of must sees.<br />
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We found ourselves falling into a routine in each town - site, shopping and the most important part, ice cream. We left the ice cream too long on this stop, causing L to become hangry (she takes after her mom!), so we hurriedly found a shop and the perfect place to enjoy it, the old gallows. L didn't seem to mind and found the whole thing quite humourous!<br />
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Our last stop of the day was Bourton-on-the-Water. It was the busiest of all the places we had visited, and after we waited 15 minutes for a parking spot in the car park then joined the floods going out from their cars into the city, I wasn't so sure about it. Luckily, we snagged a spot on the canal anding L enjoyed feeding the ducks some of the last bits of our free bread. The tension eased away and the village's charm began to work its magic. <br />
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Here, the shops overlooked the canals which seemed to be the life source of the area. Pubs offered gardens for the chance to enjoy not just the views, but a pint, which seemed like a perfect combination to us. So we tried our hardest to get the last slivers of sunlight, and even though we failed miserably to do so in the crowded pub garden, all in all, it seemed perfect.<br />
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The next day, we weren't nearly so ambitious having learned our lesson, so our main stop was The National Arboretum in Westonbrit which was only a few minutes drive from our hotel. It was a huge area with lots to cover, and I imagine is probably prettier when flowers are actually blooming. But despite a little sun, it was a bit cold and windy, so we walked for an hour before deciding to get ourselves back to the warmth of the car.<br />
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The final stop was the famed row of cottage houses in Bibury. The town looked so cute as we drove in, but as luck would have it, yet again L was sleeping. Paul let me out in the town and I walked down the hill to the row. While so quaint looking to me, I began to realise some of the downfalls for the locals of this kind of fame. There were constantly people in front of these houses, posing in door frames, getting selfies, trodding in the plants in front. Imagine trying to drive down your street, hang out in your pajamas with the windows open or just enjoy a quiet cup of tea! <br />
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Before hitting the road, we lollygagged a little, watching the trout make their way upstream, watching others trekking down the row and revelling in a little time away. At only 90 minutes away and with plenty left to explore, I have a feeling another trip back to the Cotswolds is in the cards. <br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-38851937462987657662016-12-20T21:56:00.001+00:002016-12-20T21:58:21.162+00:00Blue Skies, Seas & Clotted Cream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In 2005, I made my second trip to the UK with my grandparents and sister. This was the time I really fell in love with the country and its cities full of cobbled streets, stately old homes, countrysides dotted with sheep, all of it steeped in history. We were part of a week long cruise that went to coastal cities in England, Scotland and Ireland. One of our final stops was St. Ives - unlike Edinburgh or Dublin, I'd never heard of it before, but immediately knew I needed to come back.<br />
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After moving here, I kept telling Paul we needed to go, but it is so far to make it to St. Ives by train, so we hadn't quite done so yet. With a car, it became (slightly) easier, so we decided last May to give it a go for an extended weekend. After researching, we found that in addition to the distance, my beloved St. Ives was perhaps no longer the sleepy town I remembered, so we booked ourselves into Port Gaverne instead - shortening our drive in the process!<br />
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Road trips with 7 month year old babies and a dog are guaranteed to take longer than the allotted time, so after a few hours and stops for nappy changes, potty breaks and feedings, we arrived in Cornwall. Last year we had gotten an English Heritage membership and looking around Cornwall, discovered Tintagel Castle was not too far from where we were staying, so we made a pit stop there before checking in to our hotel.<br />
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The castle's claims to fame are beautiful coastal vistas and as the place King Arthur was conceived. While there's no verification to the latter, the views are beautiful. The castle was built in the 1230's and is set on a cliff, spanning two hilltops with narrow, winding staircases leading you to and from. Not much of the castle remains, but you can see why someone would want to build a home there, regardless of it's connection to King Arthur.<br />
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We weren't the only ones to enjoy it, Belle was in heaven! From the water (where we let her off for a brief moment of joy despite the leash rules), to the green hills, she ran and sniffed as only the happiest of dogs can.<br />
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The town itself was bustling as well - being a bank holiday weekend and a sunny day meant the crowds were out. To tide ourselves over before lunch, we decided upon some ice cream, but not just any ice cream...... clotted cream ice cream. If you've ever had a proper scone in the UK, you know nothing beats Cornish clotted cream. So other than St. Ives, all I needed to convince me to visit Cornwall was the promise of clotted cream!<br />
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The next day, we met up with one of Paul's old co-workers who had retired and now lives in Cornwall (apparently you can't consider yourself a local if you don't go WAY back). We both brought along the dogs and went for a walk in Daymer Bay. The weather wasn't quite as much in our favour with winds and rain, so we didn't make it as far as we'd hoped. Luckily, you only had to go just over the hill and through the determined golfers to get to St. Enodoc's Church, a church built into the dunes in the 12th century. After that, we decided the best place to be was inside, so went back for a Sunday roast at the pub and a cuppa by the fire.<br />
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Monday, was May Day. I had never really put two and two together here, or thought May Day was anything other than a day off. Luckily, Paul had heard about the 'Obby 'Oss Festival, so we decided to take the ferry across to Padstow to see the excitment.<br />
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The festival is centred around the hobby horse or 'obby 'oss and is considered the oldest dance festival in the country. There's the blue ribbon 'obby 'oss (peace 'oss) and the old 'obby 'oss, and throughout the city, different 'oss are represented by their supporters with red or blue ribbons. They parade throughout the day with music and dancers following in their wake and eventually meet up at the May Day pole. The pole was beautiful despite the grey backdrop, covered in ribbons and was more than I could have expected from my first May Day festival.<br />
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We missed the first parade, but luckily there were several throughout the day all across the town. It's impossible to avoid joining in the fun and crowds when the 'oss passes you by. There's a superstition that says if you're caught under the veil of the 'Oss you'll be pregnant within a year, so we several times heard the joke about it being a good time at the festival last year. Luckily I was spared having to dance with the 'Oss, but it was still quite the festive time.<br />
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Before taking the ferry back, we queued up with half of the other revellers to get pasties (pronounced past-ees) from the Chough Bakery. Of course we made sure to get the true local variety with clotted cream and steak. As it was just starting to rain, everyone was vying for the same seats, so we decided to take the pasties to go for the ferry ride.<br />
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As the ferry arrived, L was still sleeping so rather than wake a slumbering baby, we decided on a walk on the beach. Belle loves the water and dives right in, jumping over waves and pretending to fetch sticks while playing. It's so much fun to see her in her natural element and I can't wait til the day it's a toddler and a dog playing fetch together on the beach.<br />
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On our last day in Cornwall, we decided to stay local. Our hotel was in Port Gaverne, a small fishing town, but a (very) short walk to on the coastal path took us to Port Isaac. I would have also thought it a small town, but apparently it's famous as it's the setting of the popular show Doc Martin.<br />
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We were determined for afternoon tea, so we wandered from one end of the town to another. We found a roadside standing selling magnets and jam that was off a take your own, honesty policy. We stumbled upon a church, a restaurant that was shutting for the day and a hotel that looked to be basically closed. Such is your luck when visiting a small town over a holiday weekend I suppose! We decided to head back to Port Gaverne and the weather decided to take pity on us and offer up blue skies for the walk back, affording us a lovely vista over the water and town. Before leaving, our hotel was offering afternoon tea complete with scones & Cornish clotted cream to give us one last taste of my Cornish obsession before heading back to London.<br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-58900222008376871342016-11-30T04:50:00.000+00:002016-11-30T04:50:02.070+00:00When in Bruges<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As the song says, it's the most wonderful time of the year across Europe. While preparations have been underway for a month or more in many of the biggest light shows across London, its now less than a month away putting me quite into the holiday spirit.<div>
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I've been thinking a lot about the infamous Christmas markets that so many flock to Europe for. Despite the cold weather, or perhaps in part of it, they are the perfect occasion to welcome the season. Our first visit was Germany back in 2011 when we first started on our expat adventure and it took 3 years for us to make another visit.</div>
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When Paul's family came to visit in 2014, we took in everything London has to offer for Christmas, from Winter Wonderland, ice skating at the Natural History Museum, carols and lights across the city, but we still wanted more Christmas. So, we grabbed a train and headed across the channel to Belgium. </div>
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Once in Bruges, we set to finding our apartment. The great thing about apartments are that they get you a local feel, the hard part is navigating less signposted streets. Our wandering was not in vain though, we meandered through the cobbled streets, peeking into windows filled with Christmas decorations and gifts as we passed. Following the canal, we found our home for the weekend conveniently situated near the oldest pub in Bruges, Herberg Vlissinghe. The pub was charming with wooden panels, a carved wood bar and a metal fireplace that was far too tempting for a 3 year old with beer that was far too tempting for grown men.</div>
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The main attraction for us was the markets so we made our way back into the city centre. In Germany, the market took over the entire city, but here, perhaps due to the city size and perhaps due to the fact it wasn't Germany, everything was concentrated in the square. A skating rink formed the centre with circles of food and mulled wine stands around the outskirts; it was too crowded to snatch an open table so we balanced mulled wine in one hand and sausage in another. The market had all the normal stands you'd expect, but somehow was a little less Christmas market than I had hoped.</div>
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Undeterred, we spent the rest of our time alternating walking around the city, with shopping, eating and drinking. The men picked out Cambrinus with their selection of over 400 beers, but we were pleased to find they also had a hot chocolate in the traditional Belgian style, where you're presented with hot milk and a "spoon" of chocolate to swirl in and create your drink. The women picked shops full of Belgian lace and Christmas decorations. We all chose plenty of food stops along the way.</div>
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Most of our attempts at true sight seeing failed - we did manage a visit to see the Madonna of Bruges, but our canal boat was thwarted due to rain and when we tried to go to the bell tower, the line was so long and it was so windy that we abandoned the plan and got hot chocolate instead. It was our first trip with friends with kids and perhaps the perfect introduction to how travel could be with a little one (which was perfect impeccable timing as unbeknownst to us, I was pregnant at the time). </div>
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Looking back two years later, it's hard to remember specifically what we did throughout the whole weekend, yet I still recall little moments and details; picking out hats in a shop off the square, following the crowd only to find a chocolate nativity as the star attraction, picking out the perfect chocolate flavours and dealing with what I know is the over tired toddler. But despite the fuzzy memories, I remember it as a great trip among family and friends. It's been a lesson to us - sometimes the best trips are those where you aren't rushing from site to site, but rather enjoy the true meaning of vacation - and of course a great hot chocolate!</div>
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-49852126481955789062016-10-19T21:42:00.000+01:002016-10-19T21:54:07.617+01:00Family History in Slovakia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When I was pregnant but didn't know it yet, I had a horrible cold that kept me up all kind of weird hours. And rather than watch television, I somehow decided to fill my time researching family history. How my family fled Texas to Mexico to escape the stigma of sharing a name with a famous train robber. How my family came from France during the Protestant Reformation to escape prosecution. And that research is actually what inspired mini-Tarts name as it came from my great grandmother.<br />
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As luck would have it in 2015, I had a chance to learn more about Paul's side of the family as well. Paul's great-great Grandfather was born in Smolnik, Slovakia, but when the area was turned into a reservoir, everyone was moved out. He immigrated to the US, but Paul's grandfather still likes to go visit where the family came from originally.<br />
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Unlike Bratislava, there aren't quite as many flight options into Eastern Slovakia. Luckily, there was a flight on Wizz Air to Kosice which was a short drive from nearby Michalovce. We were staying at a hotel by the lake a little bit out of town, close to the castle.<br />
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The weekend was pretty relaxed - we spent it with the locals that Paul's grandfather stays with every visit and celebrating Easter, which is a very important holiday in the region. Over the weekend, we went to 3 different church services (all in Slovakian). One church was near the Hungary border in an old stone church, no heating or air conditioning and so cold we could see our breath. Following that service, we were invited to a parisoners house for lunch - I had no idea what we were offered as English wasn't spoken, but especially being pregnant, I was offered more and more food!<br />
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A main reason for the visit was to learn about Paul's history - the trouble is that Smolnik is now part of the area that surrounds the reservoir, a main water source for the area, meaning it's not just for every Tom, Dick and Jane to go in. Luckily, we had friends who made special arrangements and got passes to drive us through. Even though the day was cold, we took a picnic to enjoy in the beautiful greenery. We stopped by the cemetary where there are still gravestones and foundation of the church. They still hold celebrations there occasionally for the family of old towns people and put a tent up over the church.<br />
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It was amazing to see a place that a century ago was the home of family - how much can change in a lifetime or two?<br />
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On the way out of town, we spent a little time in Kosice, just to get our fill of the cobbled streets, churchs and quaint shops of Eastern Europe. If you're looking for Slovakia away from the crowds, Kosice just may have what you're looking for!<br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-85116498958409517722016-10-09T23:22:00.001+01:002016-10-19T21:54:50.879+01:00Heart of Bali<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On our first night in Ubud, I was worried based on my first impression that our time would be less than the exciting cultural experience I had expected. We walked past restaurant after restaurant of Western foods, streets filled with tourists, and I thought - we flew all the way from London for this?<br />
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My scepticism remained when we struck out on day two - we had no plans and no real must see sites on our list (very very poor planning), so we wandered the markets. The knick knacks were all too familiar, coasters, mugs, t-shirts, artwork, but the more we wandered, the more I found that the people were different. Yes, of course there were the usual aggressive sellers, but L also attracted lots of friendly locals giving smiles and giggles - I was warming ever so slightly.</div>
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As the strolling continued, I realised there were two faces to Ubud. One was the first I had seen - what Ubud has become for the tourists who flock there. The second face is the one that attracted people in the first place - the warm people and the culture. The two faces are so intertwined it's almost easy to miss; the mini mart next to the temple, the kitschy Balinese restaurant overlooking a temple surrounded by lotus blossoms. In that sense, there's something for every one, although my realisation was that we just needed to look a little harder for what we were wanting out of our trip.</div>
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The next day, we moved our explorations outside the Ubud centre to the rice paddies with a trek in the village just past our hotel. One of the things that had attracted me to Bali was the beautiful scenery of these paddies, so I couldn't wait to explore them up close. The most popular way is to travel by bike, but with the baby, we decided an easy hike would be best for us.</div>
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Besides the beautiful backdrop, the tour gave us a better idea of the history of the rice production and it's importance in Bali. Each paddy is operated by a family and provides rice for their consumption throughout the year (according to the guide, no rice is exported from Bali). There are four different cycles in the rice production, but they don't follow a specific time throughout the year, so you may see some fields flooded in early stages of growth, right next to others with rice stalks peeping out. I was amazed to see the fresh rice grains and how different they look fresh from the dried grains we are used to getting from the store. As you watch families toiling out on their plots, it's crazy to think of how much time and work goes into that £0.99 bag of rice you get from the store.<br />
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The next day we enjoyed some time poolside in the morning and decided to break for some culture in the afternoon. After an hour walk to the far side of town, past the Monkey Forest (one of the top attractions which we avoided due to the extra aggressive monkeys who reside there), we ventured into the Agung Rai Museum featuring Balinese art. There were some fantastic paintings, but I especially loved the Batuan style paintings. Often black and white, they were so intricate and left you discovering something new every time you looked at them.<br />
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Our last full day in Ubud, we realised how much we had left to do and so our day was packed as we tried to squeeze every last minute out of our time in Bali.</div>
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First item of the day was the Campuhan Ridge Walk - we were recommended an early walk time to avoid the heat of the day which we were thankful for on the walk back. This walk gives you a different view of Balinese nature as you walk through the forests. Starting from the city, it's an uphill trek, especially fun when you're carrying a 10kg baby around. It's a short walk to the end of the path (about 3km) where there are plenty of options to reward your walk with coconut water and snacks. We didn't have time to relax long before we continued our day's agenda.</div>
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We had hired a driver for the day - after days of being hustled by taxi drivers in the city, we finally had a reason to need one! We negotiated with a couple before finding one that had a reasonable fare (negotiation was key as well, although we had already talked with our hotel about what to expect as a fare). Our first stop was Mount Batur for the natural hot springs. There are two main locations for the springs right next to each other; we visited Batur Hot Springs as it's where our driver suggested, although looking next door at Toya Devasya, they had a better view of the mount and seems as if perhaps the facilities were a bit better - both are the same price though and the springs are the same.<br />
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We floated around, slowly introducing L to the water as she seems to have developed an aversion somewhere around the age of 9 months. The afternoon was spent between checking out the sprays and then venturing back to the views of the mount (which is actually an active volcano whose most recent eruption was in 2000!). Our time was short though as we were off to check out some of the more cultural sites on our way back to Ubud.<br />
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The first stop was Tirta Empul, a temple known for the holy water on site. As you walk in (making sure you wear a sarong and waist wrap), the first entrance are the pools. Dragon heads line the long side, allowing the holy water to enter the pools. Many visitors, both locals and tourists, dip in the water and do a self-cleansing, just make sure you check-out the rules laid out. <br />
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We simply watched, then wandered the rest of the complex that was open to the public. L's favourite part was the giant koi pond where she excitedly watched fish pop up to the surface to snatch whatever food was being tossed their way. The pool was scenic, set against a wall of the temple and a perfect family photo opp as we had been a bit lax in our family photos so far on the trip. Something for us to work on!<br />
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Our last stop of the day was at Gunung Kawi - not much is known for certain about the temple, although there are lots of legends and speculations. As best as I got, each of the 10 carvings was dedicated to a Balinese ruler from the time it was carved (around the 11th century). When I walked in, I was struck by the resemblance to the Lycian tombs in Turkey. Not so much as the carvings themselves look alike, but because of the incredible will power behind the act of carving something like this out of stone.<br />
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The grounds were beautiful, surrounded by rice paddies and flowing water (carrying the same water that flows to the Tirta Empul temple). The river made everything lush and overgrown. A week or so after we left was Bali's biggest religious holiday of the year - meaning there were lots of preparations going on, and it was interesting to hear about the rituals that would happen over a few days of the festive season. The offerings were already piling up, and although the flies were not so appealing around some of the food offerings, it was incredible to see the amount and variety, each with a different purpose.<br />
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We'd been warned of the many steps of this temple, which hadn't seemed so bad as we entered. As we left, I realised it had seemed as breeze as everything was downhill. But on the way out, hot and tired from a long day, the 270 steps seemed more like 500. I was my usual stubborn self and refused assistance in baby wearing, but felt oh so accomplished as we made it to the top; followed by a quick demand of water and air conditioning at full blast! <br />
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And that was the end of our time in Bali - it left me realising how much more there was to see and the hopes that we may find ourselves there sometime again in the future! </div>
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-18267143893837276852016-09-25T23:11:00.002+01:002016-09-27T08:52:54.321+01:00Tapas y Tapas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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During my maternity leave, I was missing travel. It had been almost 6 months since my last real trip and the itch was setting in. Some deals came through on BA, and we poured over the destinations before finally settling on Seville. At the time we were feeling like the confident parents of a child who was sleeping 6 hour stretches. Come the time of our trip, we were excited to get 4 hours at a time. But nonetheless, we were determined and with one small suitcase for us and one giant suitcase for L, we arrived at the airport (after a small mix-up on which airport we were out of).</div>
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As soon as we arrived, I knew it would be wonderful. We were staying in the popular Santa Cruz barrio, filled with narrow and winding cobbled streets. The taxi dropped all our gear off as close as they could and we walked the streets just beginning at 9pm to fill with everyone on their way to dinner. When we finally arrived at the hotel and checked in, they told us about a <a href="http://www.feelthecitytours.com/en/" target="_blank">free walking tour</a> the next day, so we decided it was the perfect way to orient ourselves in Seville, figure out what sites were worth seeing before going back to explore. We dragged ourselves out of bed at 9am ready to hit the ground walking.<br />
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Three hours later, and countless smiles for the baby from wandering locals and tourists, we had seen almost all of the city's top sights. We learned an important lesson in preparation as it started to rain on us and we fastened an umbrella (purchased at the 'it just started raining price' from a corner store) over L's stroller to keep her dry. <br />
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As we finished at Plaza Espana, we decided to continue the walk and meandered through the gardens and streets. I was taken in by the vibrant tiles found everywhere from buildings and walls to park benches. If there was one memory I took away from Spain though, it was the oranges - every park was laden with orange trees and the time of year must have been right as you could smell their aroma as you walked through and stepped over all the ripened oranges that had found their home on the ground. All of it together with the sun seemed a bit like paradise to a woman who'd been landlocked for such a long time!<br />
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That evening we had arranged to visit a flamenco show. We were a bit worried about both the noise and the later hour for the littlest Tart, but she was fascinated with it. It was an intimate venue with one guitar player, singer and dancer - the setting meant you heard every pluck of string and stomp of the heel, and see the expressions on their faces showing the pain and joy of the music. The excitment must have been too much as L fell asleep in my arms; we had a few moments of smug thoughts as we decided to put her in the stroller and grab dinner while she slept. We wandered til we found a restaurant near the hotel with the famed Iberica ham hanging from the window, ordered our meals and wine, only for her to wake up as soon as our entrees had arrived! Karma.<br />
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After getting whatever sleep we could get that night, the next day was time to get more into the details of the sites, as so far all we had done was leisurely strolling, taking lots of breaks for croquettes and sangria. We first visited the Alcazar of Seville - a tour probably would have been a good idea as there wasn't a lot of direction on where to go or what to see, so without much decision making on our part, we first wandered through the buildings. <br />
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You can see the Moorish inspiration in so many places in all the little details of the tiles, ceilings, walls, floors - many of which I shared as my favourites in my last blog post), and the distinctly Arabic carvings - these were beautiful, detailed and sprawled across the facade of the building, around the courtyard, but also found their way into the details of the rooms with arches across doorways and windows.<br />
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The building brought us to the "backyard" of the Alcazar or as Game of Throne enthusiastics would know it as Dorn. It wouldn't be Sevilla without orange trees, flanked by stone pathways that always seemed to intersect with a fountain in the middle. <br />
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When the wind picked up, we decided to duck inside the nearby Catedral de Sevilla to escape. The highlight of the visit is the Giralda bell tower. Our tour guide had stumped us with a question on how many steps the tower had - it was a trick question since the tower is actually filled with ramps! Originally the minaret of the mosque, before converted to a church, the ramps allowed a horse to ride up for the 5x a day call to prayers. From the top, the views are beautiful and worth the walk up (even with a baby in tow!)<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1qrNljJlaXk/V-L0UnnEQOI/AAAAAAAAOr4/hSICKG4zPAoO5h4SPQb6d76K-FXzhdRggCLcB/s1600/IMG_6811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>On our last day of our trip (after a quick day in Cordoba), we revisited the Plaza d'Espana - compared to the first dreary day, it was a completely new plaza. The sun was shining, people were selling hats, shirts, balloons and artists had set up to paint the view, or do quick sketches for tourists. I had wanted to look at more of the detail of the plaza, with each province of Spain represented by a tiled alcove depicting something unique to the province. <br />
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All that sun meant it was time for a tapas break before our last look at tiles and gardens at Casa des Pilatos. With tiles just as beautiful, but far fewer crowds, it was a perfect way to end L's first European vacation.</div>
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-8820160069278982002016-09-12T21:16:00.003+01:002016-10-19T21:55:05.622+01:00Bali Baby<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi - remember me? That girl who used to blog a lot, then occasionally, then never? I'll simply say I'm sorry again, but life as a working mom has me busy! Between baby, work and travel, I find myself spending an evening sleeping instead of blogging. Promise I'll at least try to work on it :)<br />
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Early in our days in the UK, we invested in a travel map - it's a beautiful map hanging above our fireplace dotted with red pins marking our travels. Europe was looking more and more red, and as we chatted about our travels to visitors a few months ago, we realised how sparse our Asia travels had been. Paul swirled his finger and bam - it was decided we'd take a trip to Indonesia and the planning began!<br />
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There was painstaking deliberation on which island would be the best (Bintan would be easiest, Lombok would be quietest, Sumatra might be nice), but even after deciding Bali, there was still decisions to be made. You could spend weeks in Bali, but we only had one, so hours on the internet finally brought us to what we felt was a hidden gem amongst Bali beaches.<br />
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Just 30 minutes drive from the airport, but south of all the craziness of Kuta, we found a perfect getaway. A short walk down the cliff steps brought us right onto Balangan Beach, full of energy from those soaking up the chance to be near the water and bathe in the sun. Restaurants doubling as surf shops and hostels lined the beach offering cheap food and views. Onlookers grabbed these prime spots on the deck to sip cold coconuts while watching the water full of bobbing boards and bodies waiting for the perfect moment to make their move.<br />
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The fine sand was different from anything I'd seen before - round little pebbles that are almost as fine as grains of rice that clung to every wet surface. It didn't bother us though and we happily played in the sand (until the waves came which were not so happily greeted by L).<br />
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We didn't brave the surf, but used the days to lounge by the pool and beach, battling jet lag and enjoying that start of vacation feel. Our little bungalow hidden amongst gardens was perfect to retreat from the sun and give L free reign to run around inspecting shells and taking in all the new creatures we showed her like geckos and creepy crawlies.<br />
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Once the haze wore off, we knew it was time to head north but wanted to get in one local site first. I'd heard of Ulu Watu and its famous sunset views, but our planning was a bit off (or non-existant if I'm being truthful....) so instead we found ourselves there at 11am. With the sun beating down on us, I can see the appeal of the evening, but the views were pretty spectacular any time of day. After years away from Texas, we aren't quite as heat resistant as we used to be, so Paul decided to grab a chance to retreat to the shade with L where she captured the attention of everyone going through - I left her smiling and running around on a table while other tourists looked on and encouraged her silly (and adorable) antics.<br />
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I wandered hoping to see more of the temple, but was disappointed to find that the temple itself isn't open to visitors. Instead, I wandered the grounds, heading further away from the temple for views, then back up taking in the monkeys that thrive on stealing everything from bananas to sunglasses from unsuspecting visitors. If you're looking for a cultural experience, I don't think this is it, but it certainly has some pretty beautiful vistas.<br />
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And so sweaty but happy, we piled into the taxi to head to our next Bali adventure in Ubud. Stay tuned for more scenary, food and of course Bali baby.</div>
Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-72301681610680881042016-08-04T22:29:00.001+01:002016-10-19T21:55:27.550+01:00Stari Bar, Stari Budva, Stari Nights?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A year past our trip and several months since the last post, I figure it's high time I fill you in more on our babymoon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Either luckily (or unluckily), we started with low expectations after <a href="http://tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/balkans-road-trip-albania.html" target="_blank">Albania</a>. Itching with sand fleas and keeping the windows down to keep the car cool (since we were afraid the A/C would overheat it), we thought it was time for a good laugh and for fortunes to improve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since we were travelling by car and a lot of the countries we were visiting were not in the EU, we had warned the car rental and asked about the insurance we would need for driving to each of the countries. The agent handed us a green sheet which he said was very important that we would use at each crossing. Upon arriving at our first crossing, we came to find out that, we'd already lost it. Doh. Paul and I had some disagreeing on where it might have been (one theory being that our cop friend kept it), but either way, we found ourselves having to purchase new insurance at the crossing. Since it ended up only <span style="line-height: 18.2px;">€15 s</span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">o we didn't complain too much and instead turned our focus to food.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">We decided the first few stops didn't look that great and we would hold out for something better. Then the realisation was there were 2 very hungry pregnant women in the car and it became a mission to find something to eat ASAP. We found an exit that looked promising and stumbled upon one of those great finds that you always hope to find on a roadtrip.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">Ulcinj, where we stopped, ended up being a cosy beach city - not so locale that there weren't shops selling beach wares, or some places with English menus, but just locale enough that we were some of the only tourists there, especially this early in the season. We found a view over the water and dug into what was one of many, many Italian meals over the course of the trip. Afterwards, we walked the beach but decided to keep on our way north to Budva.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">Back in the car, despite planning to hightail it to our hotel, we saw signs for Bar along the way. We had looked at staying here, but decided that Budva was more our scene. When driving past, we knew we couldn't pass it up completely, so turned to drive up the hills to Stari Bar. At the top, we paid a random man </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">€</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px;">2 (likely a fee to keep our car, full of baggage, safe rather than park). Despite driving up hill, there was still more uphill hiking to do until we found ourselves in the castle. It was beautiful, some areas with tended gardens, others left to tend to themselves, what used to be rooms or churches now becoming home to roses and bushes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px;">We wandered around, at first following a map, then finally letting our imagination take-over. Despite being an attraction (there were handouts for </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">€</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px;">2 proving it), we had run of the place other than a few other people we spotted on the way up and in. It was surreal slipping through what we thought to be paths, perhaps alleyways when it was a booming castle/market in its day. Instead of crossing paths with a ghost of the past though, I only crossed with what I hope was a friendly snake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px;">Finally, our first day of roadtripping was done and we made it to Budva. In actuality, we had booked a hotel in a bay just north of Budva. Driving up through the campgrounds, full of backpackers and Eurotrippers, I wasn't sure what to expect. But, our hotel was nice enough, if lacking in local flair and tasty food. We enjoyed a day of lounging and nights of card playing, as the storms railed around us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">We couldn't leave Budva without investigating the city, so we stopped on our last day there. Of course we needed a little sustenance, so grabbed a smoothie before strolling the streets. We ducked into a museum on the ships that came through to get out of the heat and get a better view of the city walls, but finally gave in and headed to the beach.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">A little online research let us know about a beach that was supposed to be good, so we followed the directions, feeling a bit sneaky as we walked past a private hotel pool. We came upon the first beach, but according to directions needed to keep going. As we climbed through a large cutout in the rock, with a board placed on it, we felt even sneakier and were wondering where it was sending us. Not one to give in once we'd started, we kept on. We finally found our beach, which was nice, although a bit toasty without any shade. The boys were lucky to have been in their suits, but the ladies didn't feel like trying to wiggle pregnant bodies into bikinis under the towels, so settled with dipping our toes in and working to stay cool.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">Our first few days in Montenegro were surprisingly nice, although perhaps even more so in comparison to our rocky start! Little did we know what else Montenegro had to offer!<span id="goog_1232902821"></span><span id="goog_1232902822"></span></span></span></div>
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-86259199003034019432016-05-26T20:48:00.001+01:002016-10-19T21:56:13.067+01:00Seville snapshots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">With pregnancy, having a baby and maternity leave, last year we got a bit behind on travel (not to mention blogging but that's another sob story). I spent the last 5 months of 2015 without a single escape. Even with a baby though, I knew that travel was still a priority to me and so I didn't want to wait too long before we got back in the saddle.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Our first vacation destination couldn't have been more perfect - Seville, Spain. Even almost 3 months later, I still think of that moment as we rambled down the cobbled streets, passing tapas after tapas bar, loud with the sounds of friends enjoying a late meal (and probably some sangria). Looking up, I saw laundry hanging from clothes lines window boxes overflowing with red flowers, and windows surrounded by vibrant, colourful tiles. It was in that moment that I felt like I found a bit of myself that had been lost in the transition from carefree woman to mom who stresses about a baby's well-being, sleep schedule, eating schedule and just about everything else you can worry about (and many things you shouldn't worry on!).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Of course not everything about the trip was perfect - it started out with an expensive taxi ride when I thought we were running late for our flight at Heathrow when in fact we were running late for our flight at Gatwick. Or when we got stuck in the rain with no umbrellas. Or, something even less predictable than weather, the baby who doesn't sleep! But still, it re-ignited my excitement around travel and reminded me what I loved about it. Perhaps it's the old saying absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I felt more of a thrill from this trip than I had from travelling for awhile.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I am promising myself that I will write down our adventures soon, but for now, here are a few of the details that drew me in to Seville's history, architecture and culture. Hopefully this little taste will inspire me to come back to share more, and get more travel in the books!</span><br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-81278218796068601302016-01-06T14:15:00.000+00:002016-10-19T22:00:11.856+01:00Days in Shropshire<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had dreams of my maternity leave - using it to get out and about London to visit museums and the sites, perhaps with an occasional weekend trip. Paris anyone?<br />
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Then baby arrived and I realised quickly that it might not work out as I had imagined. And I've been very happy with that, as I have to say there is nothing better than having a baby curled up against you as they sleep contentedly.<br />
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However, when Paul had to take a trip for work within the UK, I decided I'd rather tag along (somewhere with room service!) than sit at home alone with the baby for a few days. So we packed up the car with baby, dog and lots of baby gear and hit the road.<br />
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We were staying in Whitchurch at a golf resort and spa; I thought we might be able to walk into town to see the sights, but it seemed as if both town and sights weren't exactly in walking distance.<br />
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So the first day, we packed up the car again and headed out for a small trip - to dip my toes into handling baby and dog out on my own outside my 1 mile comfort radius in Chiswick. We visited checked out English Heritage for a site near us to visit and stumbled upton Moreton Corbet Castle.<br />
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Originally built in the 12th century, it's stone facade was built in the 13th century and remodeled in the 16th century. It fell into disrepair when the family moved in the 18th century, and while it is managed by English Heritage, it is still owned by the family. There's not much importance to it, which I think is almost more interesting! Imagine someone coming to look at the ruins of my house 500 years from now!<br />
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The next day, feeling more confident, we decided to go out for a walk for the dog at Fenn's Whixhall Bettisfield Mosses. It claims to have one of the biggest and best raised bogs in Britain (whatever that means), but we were looking maily for a place for Belle to run around and let loose.<br />
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We drove in and parked by the canal. We decided to start our trek there and walked along the canal path. About 10 minutes into our walk, we crossed over the border from England to Wales. From there we decided to head inland. Our whole walk, we had only crossed paths with one other couple walking with their dog, but once we headed into the mosses we were completely alone. It was muddy out there, but that made no difference to Belle - she was in heaven! We wandered for a while but then a huge rain cloud was approaching so we dashed back to the car and decided to make it a night in, room service and all!<br />
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So that Paul could get in on some of the sightseeing, we had booked one extra night in Whitchurch. So Saturday morning, we slept in (as much as you can with a 2 month old baby) then squeezed in one final sightseeing stop at Beeston Castle. I had wanted to visit it during the week, but oddly enough it was only open weekend days.<br />
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The castle offered two walks - the woodlands walk and the castle walk. So we decided to take the woodlands route, thinking it would be scenic and something Belle would like. We were right on both counts - Belle sprinted, jumped logs, ran back, chased squirrels and was generally the happiest dog alive as we walked through trees full of the autumn reds, oranges and yellows. Where we were wrong in our thoughts was that the path would take us to the castle. She told us a 30 minute walk and 25 minutes later we ended up right back where we came in.<br />
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A little rain was starting to sprinkle and the baby was getting quite heavy to carry but we persevered, intent upon getting to the top of the castle. When we got to the top, while the castle wasn't much, the views were worth it. With views stretching across 8 counties, it reminded me of the simple beauty of the English countryside, filled with greenery, fields and of course sheep.<br />
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Unfortunately the rain was looming, so we snapped a family photo and scurried back down to leave. Before we left, we were persuaded to purchase an English Heritage membership though, meaning we'll have lots more English adventures in the next year!</div>
Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-36563301452857645772015-11-26T17:00:00.000+00:002015-11-26T17:00:02.502+00:00Thanksgiving Overseas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since our move overseas in 2011, we have missed the chance to celebrate Thanksgiving in the US. It's sad to miss out on our families (and the days off!), but we've taken the chance to bring this tradition with us to our new homes. Once we moved to London, we discovered a great community of Americans and took to celebrating in a big way!<br />
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The tradition started in 2013 with a group of 25 of us travelling out to Dartmoor National Park for a weekend at Bovey Castle. For 2014, we took it further and travelled to Cork, Ireland to celebrate.<br />
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While I had been to Ireland before, it was Paul's first trip and I think he may have been more excited about Ireland than the big Thanksgiving!<br />
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The first stop of the trip was a group tour and tasting at the Jameson Distillery nearby our hotel. While I'm not a whiskey fan, it was interesting to see the process and the history there.<br />
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The next day was our Thanksgiving day (albeit a week late!) - it included cooking all the trimmings all day, from the turkey, to mashed potatoes, to pumpkin pie, and there was even a game of American football, despite the rain. We decided to make a big evening of it and dress up for the event.</div>
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To make sure we didn't indulge TOO much, we followed the meal the next day with a walk on the nearby Garryvoe Beach. We picked it due to it's proximity, not it's importance, but it was a beautiful day of sunshine, perfect for a stroll along the water.</div>
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On our last day in Ireland, we both wanted to get in some proper sightseeing. Paul had researched the area and the drive around the Ring of Kerry, but since we didn't have time to do it all, we picked the biggest sight - the Blarney Castle.<br />
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While the castle has an impressive history, including requests from Queen Elizabeth to take possession of the castle, it is most famed for the one stone within it - the Blarney Stone. It's not entirely certain where it came from, but thousands (or more!) have made the trip to the castle to kiss the blarney stone in order to help them become more eloquoent speakers. Before arriving, I was expecting a stone on display with a queue up to give it a quick peck. <br />
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Once we arrived at the top of the castle, I saw the reality. The stone is built into the castle battlements - in the past, people were simply lowered to kiss it. Now, to ensure that everyone who kisses it lives to tell the story, they've built in protective bars and have a friendly staff member hold on as you give it a smooch!<br />
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So with great feast with friends and gaining the gift of gab, we called is a successful Thanksgiving. This year may not have been quite as exotic, but is certainly exciting as we enjoy it as a family, with my sister and a friend from the States visiting. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for!</div>
Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-20327797780360285032015-11-23T09:00:00.000+00:002016-10-19T22:05:12.522+01:00Chiang Mai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When we were planning our trip to Cambodia and Thailand, I kept hoping, hoping, hoping that our trip would overlap with the Loy Krathong Festival. This is the famous lantern festival, known to most only because of the gorgeous photos with thousands of laterns lighting up the sky. The hard part about visiting is that the dates aren't released very far in advance, as they are based off a lunar calendar, so it could be completely up to luck if you make the festival.<br />
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Our luck? The festival was the week before we arrived!! However, for tourists like us, they also do an international festival with a set date which coincided with our trip - unlike the normal festival, there are tickets which sell out months in advance and had sold out when we booked our tickets. I put my name on a waiting list and hoped for the best.<br />
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Even without the festival, Chiang Mai, home of the Yi Peng (or Loy Krathong) festival, was full of excitement during our days there. On the first night, we wandered the streets, which were full of people, parades, singing and lights! We found our way to the river and purchased some floating lanterns, made wishes and set them free. The night was raining, making it hard to keep the lanterns lit and making slush of the ground. We set up shop at an outdoor beer festival to take it all in.<br />
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Our friends were leaving the last day, while we were continuing our stay by another night. We decided to wake up early for a bit of a cultural exploration and took a tuk tuk out to see Wat Prathat Doi Suthep. In addition to the temple being beautiful, it is situated on top of Doi Suthep mountain, giving great views over the city, so we got an early start hoping to catch the sunrise over the city.<br />
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We arrived to a nearly empty temple clouded in fog with the only other early risers being the monks; all this combined created an almost mystical aura to our visit. We wandered the site hoping for the fog to clear, but eventually decided the weather wasn't in our favor.</div>
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We made a pit stop on our way back into Chiang Mai to another small temple on the river. Being a year later, I can't recall what it was called and an online search doesn't bring up much. It was a quiet, peaceful temple though, still in use, but having fallen victim to the elements in some places. The small river next to it added a symphony of babbles and gurgles as we walked around finding more and more statues around the park. Finally it was really time to hit the road so that our friends could hit the road to the airport.</div>
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That evening we decided to skip the celebrations in order to better explore Thai food with a cooking class. For our first stop, we hit the markets to find the fresh ingredients we would need for all of our recipes. The markets were busy, filled with people shopping for their evening meals, and full of unusual fruits and veggies. I had my eye out for the famed durian fruit (said to reek of fish and is banned from many hotels and planes), but it was out of season so I was either fortunate or unfortunate depending upon your stance on the smelly fruit.<br />
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After our shopping, we headed back to the site to cook up our evening meal. It was quite the feast! We started with spring rolls, headed over to soup (coconut and tom yum), then made our main meals (pad thai and stir fried hot basil). For our dishes, we even made our own curry, grinding up fresh green chilies to make the paste. With our enthusiastic grinding, Paul managed to get some in his eye, rendering him out of commission for the rest of the grinding, and making me a bit hesitant to finish up the job! The finished product was worth it though - so delicious. We tried recreating the pad thai at home once we got back, only to find it just wasn't as good. Was it our cooking or the lack of farm fresh ingredients? I'd like to think our cooking wasn't to blame!<br />
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Finally, on our last day in Chiang Mai, we got the tickets we had been waiting for! I had heard we had gotten tickets, but didn't want to believe it until they were in our hands. We wandered around the city through the early afternoon, but I couldn't wait to get to the ceremony. </div>
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The festival is a huge cultural event, a rite for people to pay their respects and let go of anger, resentment and frustrations. Throughout Thailand, people release the "krathong" on the river, but in Chiang Mai they release the famed lanterns lanterns. The true ceremony is overseen by the monks at Mae Jo University, with thousands and thousands of participants. For those that miss the true ceremony, they arrange an international event. This is focused on the release of the lanterns, although there are some speeches and information given in advance. However, you could tell everyone was restless and waiting for the big event. After sunset and a prayer, the first lantern was lit and the flames were passed along to the back of the area, every moment the sky becoming even more crowded with the lanterns.</div>
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Despite the commercialness (and even inauthenticity compared to the real event), it was moving and magical. I can only imagine sitting in on the real deal. After we lit our first lanterns, we stood back to take it all in before lighting a few more lanterns to send our wishes and prayers up. As the lanterns slowed, excitement began again when the fireworks started. It made a beautiful display against the backdrop of a sky lit with lanterns. I don't think I could have asked for a better ending to our time in Thailand and it's an image that is etched forever into my mind - how could it not be?<br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-54501542996894726462015-11-16T22:09:00.003+00:002015-11-16T22:09:44.572+00:00Austen Getaway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While a new baby means I'm not getting as much sleep as I'm accustomed too, it means I get a lot more time to catch up on television and movies during all those late night, early morning, midday, afternoon and evening feedings.<br />
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In the first month, I'd watched all of How I Met Your Mother, Call the Midwife, and several movies including Pride and Prejudice (old and new). It was then I realised it had been almost exactly a year since I had struck out like Elizabeth Bennet in the Peak District of England and I had yet to write about it. Call it baby brain, call it pregnancy fatigue, but either way, I've fallen seriously behind on the blog in the last year!<br />
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On to the Peak District though. I've always been an Austen fan, even in high school. I remember curling up on the tiny sofa at my friends house (3 of us on what was surely meant to fit no more than 2 people) and watching the best Pride and Prejudice, the BBC version of course. In those days it was VHS, so we had to get up every hour to pop in each of the five tapes. If we were short on time, we'd skip ahead to the 4th and 5th tapes since that's the best part anyways. <br />
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When a friend came to England to visit who is also a Pride and Prejudice fan, we decided to head north to see some of the stately homes for ourselves.<br />
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While a car is definitely helpful in the area, we decided to take the train first to Sheffield rather than fight London traffic getting out of town on a Friday afternoon. We stayed in the city and really only had time to hit up the pub, where we couldn't decide if we were insulted or flattered that they didn't consider us to look 18, so had to be IDed. We were happy to get out the next day and start off in the country.<br />
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Our first stop was Chatsworth House, but we had a little drive to get there. In the films, you see the beautiful, green rolling countryside and it didn't disappoint during our visit. Whether it was sheep grazing on a hillside, beautiful rock walls along the lanes or oceans of grass, green from the rain, there was something beautiful everywhere we looked. The lanes were a bit narrow though, so bravo to my friend for navigating the unfamiliar terrain on the other side of the road! She was such a trooper for driving the whole trip.<br />
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Chatsworth House dates back to the 16th century (although there was a manor house before that) with the Cavendish family who still reside in the house today as it has been passed down through the generations. It is odd to think of these as family residences, the objects as someone's prviate art collection, rather than the museum associated with historic homes. The collections inside held everything from rocks, to plates, to the usual sculpture and paintings. <br />
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While the insides were lovely, we were excited to check out the gardens, especially since it was a lovely sunny day. We successfully navigated the maze, past water features and then around to the back for a look down the long lawn at the familiar facade.<br />
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Except on this occasion, the facade wasn't so familiar. Chatsworth House is familiar as Pemberley from the BBC Pride & Prejudice, and you probably recall the fountain out on the lawn as you get a beautiful look at the facade. Except during our visit, there was a temporary contemporary art feature on with rocks and teeny tiny little snakes, rabbits, birds and other creatures spread out amongst the area. Slightly disappointed, we still circled around looking for the scandolous sculptures of men and women hidden among the rocks.<br />
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The next day, we headed further further west just to the outskirts of the Peak District to visit Lyme Park. This is a hunting estate also dating back to the 16th century, owned by the Legh family until it was donated to the National Trust in the 1940's. Can you imagine growing up in a place like one of these?<br />
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After seeing Pemberly, we figured this was a perfect way to round out the trip as the setting of the oh so imfamous lake scene from the BBC Pride and Prejudice (so famous in fact they <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/mr-darcy-giant-colin-firth-statue-in-londons-hyde-park-recreates-pride-and-prejudice-scene-8695490.html" target="_blank">erected a 12 foot statue in the Serpentine in Hyde Park</a> for a short display). The grounds were beautiful and on a sunny day full of everyone with their dogs on walking holidays. We walked around the house, but decided not to trek out to the lake itself, which was a bit further set out from the house.<br />
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Then, like most weekend trips, it was over too soon and we were back to London, and like most of 2014, I was heading off somewhere else the next day. The Peak District has plenty more to offer though, so it may require hauling Paul, Belle and the mini Tart back out there for a visit!</div>
Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-5796600791745500792015-10-19T15:06:00.002+01:002015-10-19T22:43:26.174+01:00Balkans Road Trip: Albania<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since baby Tart has finally arrived, I figure it's about time that I get around to talking about our "babymoon" in preparation for her arrival. I know a lot of people take a relaxing week vacation at the beach, but I decided I finally wanted to go on my Balkans roadtrip which had been topping my travel bucket list for the last two years.<br />
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Paul wasn't so sure at first, but after our 2 hour car ride with three kids during a recent <a href="http://tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/pauls-bucket-list-alps.html" target="_blank">trip to the Alps </a>(which included 1 nursing session, 1 crying session and 1 baby puking), he came around to see what I was saying when I said a car trip wouldn't be nearly so easy with a little one in tow.<br />
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Besides the point of the ease of a roadtrip sans baby, I was set on the Balkans roadtrip so we can continue my streak of "independent" travel and make our own schedule of stops for food, pictures or whatever else hit our fancy as it came across our path. And while the Balkans are popular (especially Croatia), they still seem less visited than other typical Europe destinations. So, for a couple of years, I'd been jotting down the names of interesting places and sites, put together an itinerary, mapped it out (a few times) and was just itching to go. So I cashed in the baby chip, and we visited last May - 5.5 months pregnant.<br />
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Our first stop was Albania. I'd thought about Albania for a while, although I can't remember why it started in the first place. As I was telling a random person I met about this dream road trip, and as it turned out, he was Albanian. He confirmed I must visit and recommended we try out Durres for the beach.<br />
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I had read up on Albania and it seemed the beaches to the south were probably more along the lines of what I was looking for, but we only had 2 days in Albania and at 3-3.5 hrs from the airport we flew into, I decided to take his advice try out Durres instead.<br />
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We landed late on Friday, checked into our lovely hotel and had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel - I was exhausted by that point and didn't want to expend the energy to walk 5 minutes down the beach for a meal. So we ate quickly and went to bed to rest up for the day ahead of us.<br />
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On Saturday, we got up to explore the beach and started to wonder about the destination I had chosen. While it was certainly the sandiest of the beaches we would visit over the next week and a half, it was also the dirtiest. Rotted out boats lay strewn about on the beach as if they washed up and were forgotten. Hotels and buildings built side by side with perhaps an alley between, and looking as if they were built in the 70's and never touched since. I found upon our departure that I'd been biten by sand fleas (a thing I didn't realise existed until this trip).<br />
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As we continued further, waiting to stumble upon the nice tourist beach, we walked past miles of empty beach chairs as we had beat the crowds of locals that flock here in the summer to escape Tirana. The more we walked, the more we became certain that this was it - the beaches that we were told about.<br />
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And while the setting wasn't gorgeous, you had to give it to them for a lively atmosphere. Plenty of children playing on the beach, games of football right up next to the water. There were so many vendors, their carts full of everything from floaties to wading pools, pushing their carts along the beach (or if they are lucky, driving their motorbike cart). We even saw a man walking his bear down the beach for tourists to pose with.<br />
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Still, after one day, we decided we needed to get out and explore what else Albania had to offer, hoping it would be more than Durres. We had heard about Berat, thinking originally we would skip for the beach, but it was now sounding a bit more intriguing given our findings in Durres.<br />
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Called the Town of a Thousand Windows, Berat is famous for the old Ottoman style buildings built into the hillside during the 15th century (and are what gave the city UNESCO status in 2008). While the Turks left hundreds of years ago, these little houses have remained, although with a castle. The town was cute and quaint, so we spent some time wandering the streets below looking for lunch, then wandering the walls of the castle for fantastic views of the city below. While it didn't hold a candle to a lot of other old towns we had seen, it certainly was above and away from Durres.<br />
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The 1.5 hour drive to Berat had been uneventful and as fast as you could be in a sad little Volkswagen that was past its prime with a barely functioning air conditioning (dream conditions for a pregnant lady). On the way back, we decided to take the second route offered by Google Maps. It was only supposed to be 10 minutes longer and we figured we could get some different scenery. It would give us about 2 hours in Tirana before we needed to pick up the other Tarts joining us on the babymoon (James and Ariel).<br />
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About 30 minutes in, we got to a fork in the road. Right, was a highway that wasn't quite going where we needed to. Left was what looked like a dirt road. Trusting Google Maps, we followed the little blue dot expecting to see the highway appear. About 2 hours later, and probably only 12 miles, we did finally get to the highway, but only after miles and miles of this:<br />
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We rejoiced when we hit the highway and could speed along to the airport, with little time left to get there, much less sightsee. A few miles further, we rounded a corner and came upon a police stop point. A few cars were flagged through, yet, surprisingly, as they came to us, we were pulled over. The officers grasp on English was almost non-existant, so we handed over everything the rental car place had given us to accompany our dilapadated VW and hoped for the best. We got a few questions from the officer ("Texas?") then were handed a slip. Paul tried his best to play the tourist card, but to no avail. He had gotten a ticket in Albania. The best part? It wasn't for speeding, but for driving without his lights on at 2 pm in the afternoon. We decided it best to just pay the $10 ticket rather than argue any further with the silly logic behind this rule (which happens to be a law throughout the Balkans as we found out later).<br />
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On the last day in Durres, we stopped to visit the amphitheater there. Thinking we would have to pay, we weren't sure if it was worth it, but once we appeared, they just waved us in without a care and went back to their tea and gossip. The theatre was interesting, but no <a href="http://www.tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/2012-trip-2-ephesus-turkey.html" target="_blank">Ephesus</a> or <a href="http://www.tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/2012-trip-6-pamukkale-turkey.html" target="_blank">Pammukkale</a> (yes, I acknowledge this sounds terribly snooty). We wandered the streets for a bit, grabbed some ice cream, but ultimately decided we had seen all Durres had to offer and hit the road.<br />
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The first two days in Durres, Paul and I had spotted little concrete bunkers all over the hillside. We investigated and found out that over <span id="goog_1379644789"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">700,000 of these exist in Albania<span id="goog_1379644790"></span></a>, remnants of the Communist rule of Hoxha. He was quite a paranoid ruler, constantly worried about people invading, so built these to help protect and mobilise if necessary during an attack, which never occurred. They turned out to be so solidly built that they are nearly impossible to remove, so they've just been left there, some re-purposed into rooms or shops, but many simply abandoned where they stand.<br />
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We were so excited to show these to James and Ariel and share the story, but in our drive, just hadn't seen one. As we approached Montenegro, Paul and I worried that they'd just have to hear the story when we finally spotted one! We pulled the car to the side of the narrow barely two lane "highway", tossed on the hazard lights and got out for some pictures. It turned out to be just in time as we were just around the bend from crossing into our next destination: Montenegro.<br />
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I know I've ragged a bit on Albania here, but if you're in the area, I'd skip Durres. There probably are better places to visit in the South for beaches, or even Tirana to understand the history of Albania. So if you're still interested in visiting, look around to see what other gems there may be to find!<br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-9926843759190888802015-08-02T20:50:00.000+01:002016-10-19T22:00:53.195+01:00Emerald Waters of Phi Phi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
At the end of last year, we had our biggest jaunt into Asia yet. I already shared with you some stories of our few days stumbling around ruins in <a href="http://www.tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Cambodia" target="_blank">Cambodia</a>. After all the ruins, we were ready to get on to some relaxation for our trip and meet up with our fellow travellers in Thailand. Since we took a late evening flight, we stayed overnight in Phuket before heading to our final destination of Koh Phi Phi.<br />
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Koh Phi Phi is just one of the many islands around Thailand, but like most of the others, the only way to get there is by boat. Because of our arrival time, we opted for the hotel's private "boat", although the ferry to the town center of Phi Phi was an option as well. <br />
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Right away on the water, you could recognise the Thailand from the pictures we all see.<br />
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The breathtaking water.<br />
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The iconic long boats, tassles hanging from the front, sailors rowing from behind.<br />
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The sun.<br />
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Our vacation was here! We arrived at the hotel, found our way among the maze to our villa, then promptly headed back to the beach/pool. All I can say is the most authentic Thai thing we did that day was indulge in some pad thai.<br />
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Later on in our stay, once we'd had our chance to soak up some sun, we decided it was about time to get to exploring. We hired a boat for the day to take us around to some of the other islands and see the sites. Honestly, I can't even remember all the places we ended up visiting through the day. There was some debate on whether or not to go to Maya Beach, the most famous beach in the area (because of the film "The Beach"), but I can't even remember the decision there.<br />
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So basically, the day consisted of tops at somewhat touristy beaches like Monkey Beach and Mosquito Beach. In between that was lounging on the boat, snorkeling, eating and drinking, so basically the perfect day on the water.<br />
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Another day consisted of us going into town to check out the more "city" side of things. It rained all day, making it an interesting long boat ride. Upon landing, we dashed out of the rain and into a little shack serving up cheap drinks and pad thai. We decided to sit out the rain and join in the fun.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">After the downpour stopped, we wandered the small streets full of seafood restaurants, hostels and bars and scuba shops. After a few bars, the ride back to the hotel was much more interesting!</span></div>
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On our last day, we discovered we had a city of our own hidden behind the hotel. This is the thing they never tell you, but of course it makes sense - the locals need to live somewhere. We were on a hunt for a beach and was it worth the walk. The beach was almost completely secluded, although with the hotel being built nearby, it likely won't stay that way for long. After a dip, we wandered back through the town chatting with some of the locals, many of whom were transplants from Australia or Europe who came to Thailand, fell in love and either never left, or came running back.<br />
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So after a few days, our English skin was looking much tanner and we were ready to check out the culture side of Thailand on our last stop in Chiang Mai!<br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-52572400149442321072015-07-22T17:53:00.000+01:002015-07-24T08:33:09.895+01:00Paul's Bucket List: Alps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last year, a lot of our travel ended up being about things on my bucket list. <a href="http://www.tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Jordan" target="_blank">Jordan</a>, <a href="http://www.tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Cambodia" target="_blank">Cambodia</a>, <a href="http://www.tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Thailand" target="_blank">Thailand</a>'s Lantern Festival were all some of the experiences I had been dreaming of. Perhaps it makes sense as I like to do the travel planning, but not exactly fair to my husband who willingly joins along on my long-awaited exploits.<br />
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This year though, it's been about Paul's wish list. The first and biggest thing he's wanted to - ski the French Alps.<br />
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So, we found some friends to join (easy), found a chalet (not quite as easy) and headed to Chamonix.<br />
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I had dreams of skiing the beautiful slopes, indulging in all the apres ski I could and unwinding at the end of the evening in the hot tub with a glass of wine.<br />
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Little did I imagine when we planned the trip, that I would find myself about 3 months pregnant. Pregnancy and morning sickness do not mix well with a ski trip. I tried a half day of skiing, but gave up as it was uncomfortable and I decided I'd be much happier in my bed with a book.<br />
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So while I didn't enjoy skiing, cocktails, or hot tubs, I did still get to enjoy stunning views of the mountains, which you can see from just about anywhere in Chamonix, relaxed (if somewhat cold) walks around the town, somewhat pathetic attempts at speaking French and time to catch up on sleep, reading and chatting with friends.<br />
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Paul did get the chance to enjoy some of the more "traditional" offerings of Chamonix. While the skiing wasn't great due to the warmer than usual weather in February and the poor snowfall in the winter, he still spent the long weekend on the slopes.<br />
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He was especially excited to have skiied Valle Blanche, the glacier found at the top of the Aiguille du Midi. A guide is required on this off-piste slopes, although not as much necessary because of the mountains less than snowy conditions.<br />
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Then, before we knew it, the weekend was over, reminding us why most people choose to spend a whole week skiing (versus our 3 days). While we weren't as impressed by the skiing, Chamonix had a lot to offer and we've been told that this wasn't a great year, so perhaps we'll have to give it a second chance (and hope they have some really good kiddie slopes!)<br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-24024107946328932592015-07-19T22:28:00.000+01:002015-07-24T08:32:41.913+01:00Jurassic Coast of England<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've decided it is time to re-visit my much neglected blog.<br />
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And with the recent release of Jurassic World, the timing couldn't be more appropriate to tell you all about our recent(ish) weekend at the Jurrasic Coast! (I promise I will still make it back at some point to tell you about everything we've done in 2015, and some of that 2014 stuff like SE Asia. Yikes am I behind!!)<br />
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For the second year in a row, Paul's participated in a charity fundraiser with his work. Typically focused around team building and/or some type of physical challenge, last year, he tackled Snowdonia with biking, running and kayaking. This year, the task sounded simpler - a 26 mile hike on the Jurassic Coast, all done in 1 day.<br />
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While I was in no condition or of the inclination to walk 26 miles, I was curious about the Jurassic Coast. It is in fact named after the era when dinosaurs used to roam here and where fossils are often still found, from <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2542197/Jurassic-Coast-packed-treasure-hunters-ichthyosaur-skeleton-worth-15-000-discovered-Boxing-Day-walk.html" target="_blank">ichtyosaur skeletons</a> to <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/dinosaurs/6447180/Fossil-of-giant-seamonster-found-on-Jurassic-Coast.html" target="_blank">sea monsters</a>. So, with explorations in mind, I tagged along on the weekend "getaway."<br />
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Belle and I started off enjoying a bit of the local area of Swanage. As luck would have it, that day was a big day for rowing there. All morning, the boats were headed out to row across the bay. We grabbed a seat near the beach and tried (only somewhat successfully) to follow what was going on.<br />
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Not content to sit all day, Belle and I decided it was time for lunch. All day with a dog can bring somewhat of a challenge, but luckily, the weather was gorgeous, making it a perfect chance to sit outside. We found a local seafood place with picnic tables overlooking the water and set down for some people watching. After lunch, Belle decided it wasn't necessarily to wait 30 minutes before swimming, so she got a quick dip in the water before we continued our explorations.</div>
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As we had crossed over on the chain link ferry into Dorset, I had noticed a beautiful sandy beach. It was quite a walk, so Belle and I took the bus over to Studland Beach.<br />
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Not only is the beach beautiful, but it (like many random things you may stumble upon in Europe), has a history to it as well. This area was a training ground for Allied forces leading up to D-Day, and many troops departed from this area in Dorset to Normandy.<br />
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Nowadays though, there are few reminders of its history, other than signs warning you to watch for unexploded ordnances upon your walk.<br />
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It was a beautiful day, perfect for walking barefoot and dipping our feet (and paws) into the water. I made plenty of stops to rest, relax and enjoy the scenery. Further along the walk, the <a href="http://www.naturist.com/" target="_blank">naturist</a> portion of the beach came up. Unawares of what I was walking into, we continued through. I have to say my education of differences between American and British English was expanded that day!<br />
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After 2 miles, Belle was spent - at least that's the story I'm sticking to! Luckily, there was a lovely cafe at Middle Beach where we snagged another outdoor picnic table, along with afternoon tea & scones. While I had wanted to head to get better views of <a href="http://jurassiccoast.org/rocks-and-fossils/the-science-of-a-beautiful-landscape/1014-old-harry-rocks" target="_blank">Old Harry's Rocks</a>, I realised that Paul was probably nearing the end of his walk, so Belle and I went to cheer him over the finish line.<br />
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The next day was our day to head back to London, but I figured it wasn't fair to leave without Paul getting to see any sights! Instead of hitting the beach this time, since they had walked quite a few miles there the day prior, we decided to head a town over to Corfe Castle.</div>
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Not much remains of the walls of this castle, which is understandable given it's 1,000 year history. The castle's towering keep (think the Red Keep from Game of Thrones) still shows how imposing this castle was back in the day, especially set up on the hill looking over the surrounding town.<br />
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During our visit, there was a falconry display putting us into the mood of what people may have experienced all those years ago, although wandering the ruins, it's hard to truly imagine how people lived there. Half an hour was all we needed to roam what's left, then we were back out past the falcons, through the gates and onto London.<br />
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It was the perfect weekend trip and reminded me how much England has to offer (and how much more we have to explore!)<br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-29408778131306696352015-05-06T21:53:00.001+01:002015-05-06T21:55:20.069+01:00London Getaway: Stratford Upon Avon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I've been (not so patiently) waiting for summertime in London to arrive, I've found myself starting to ponder what trips we can take within the UK as the weather warms up and the sunshine (hopefully) appears.<br />
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While our first summer here we seemed to be everywhere except the UK, last summer we stuck around and tried out lots of our London to-do list while also exploring nearby places.<br />
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One of the things I would have had on my bucket list (if I had it written down) was seeing a Shakespeare play. A few times, I'd seen something come on at the Globe, but never quite got around to booking tickets.<br />
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Then, I realised I could see the plays elsewhere, more specifically the famed Stratford Upon Avon where Shakespeare was born. Every summer, the Royal Shakespeare Company puts on several shows in their namesakes birthplace and tickets are a hot commodity as it's a short trip for Londoners to come down for the day (with train services even extended longer for those coming/going).<br />
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By the time I looked, tickets were sold out for the season so I resigned myself to missing out on it for 2014. Then, by chance, my obsessive compulsive self was checking later in the week and stumbled upon two tickets on a Saturday performance of <a href="http://www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/the-two-gentlemen-of-verona/" target="_blank">The Two Gentlemen of Verona</a>.<br />
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Who cares that I'd never heard of it? It was described as a comedy and it was Shakespeare so I just went ahead and snatched up what I could find!<br />
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With the tickets out of the way, I went about finding accomodation which ended up being slightly harder, especially since we wanted to bring the dog. We decided to make one night of it and drive ourselves there to enjoy the scenery and be able to get around the town.<br />
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On our arrival, we first stopped at a pub, then wandered the streets with Belle. There were obviously lots of visitors there for the shows and enjoying the sunny weather. We were happy to just stroll and take in the atmosphere.<br />
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The town was full of the old white Tudor buildings, but each with different, unique features outside differentiating them. We walked past Shakespeare's birthplace, but both the queue and the dog meant we stayed out on the pavement versus venturing inside. That didn't deter Belle from a photo opportunity, where she made many admirers (and you can probably find this photo somewhere else on the internet from the number of people snapping away).</div>
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That evening, we went to the theatre a little early for a drink and dessert before the play. We sat outside watching the swans laze by and trying to figure out which plays all the boats were named after. I wasn't sure what I would think of the play, but once it started, I loved it. It was quite funny and of course the acting was wonderful, plus a bit more interactive than you'd typically find in a West End production. They had put it in a more modern setting (a bit like all the Romeo & Juliet adoptions) which made it easier for us to understand since we weren't familiar with the play at all.<br />
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On our last day in Stratford-upon-Avon, we decided to walk the river this time before heading back. The weather was sunny and the dog was just begging for a chance to run around and perhaps chase a swan into the water.<br />
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After walking back towards the city, we stumbled upon a park where there were live productions of Shakespeare going on. It was free, the weather was beautiful, so we decided, hey, why not!<br />
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The play on at the time we arrived was Troilus and Cressida - a bit more gloomy than The Two Gentlemen of Verona as it tells about a sad love story during the Trojan War. While we were all for soaking up culture this weekend, when it was over, I wished I had the two hours of my time back. The play itself apparently vexes many as it seems to be one of his most widely criticised. Add into that the poor costumes, people reading lines from scripts and children running rampant around the stage, I just couldn't figure out what was going on. I felt a bit bad as you can't exactly compare a local troupe to the Royal Shakespeare Company, but it's bound to happen when you're performing right down stream from them.<br />
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With that last taste of Shakespeare, we decided we'd had just about as much Shakespeare as we could handle in 2 days and wound our way back to London. While we may not visit Shakespeare's birthplace again this summer, I know we'll have some great theatre experiences in store!</div>
Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-56232073980929961412015-03-02T21:16:00.002+00:002015-03-02T21:58:22.396+00:00Land of Tomb Raider<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While the town of Siem Reap may offer visitors hospitality and charm, the main attraction (including for us) is the famous temples in the area. If you were to follow the posters, menus and others, it's really the land of Laura Croft, Tomb Raider, but this famed temple is only one of <i>many</i>.<br />
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Angkor, meaning city, was the head of the Khmer region. With over 400 sq km and hundreds of temples, it is impossible to see the sites in a day, much less a week. So most people, us included, start with the largest religious complex in the world and most famous in the area, Angkor Wat. Instead of trying to figure out what the ruins were ourselves, we hired a guide and tuk-tuk driver for the day to take us around.<br />
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After getting our tickets to the Angkor complex, we followed the crowds into the temple, first over the moat, then through the first gate into the larger complex area. Even at 10 am, it was already hot and humid, especially given my maxi skirt and shoulder coverings. When we finally made it into the shade of the temple, I was first happy for the coolness, then after taking a moment to observe my surroundings, I was amazed.<br />
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From the initial walk in, you see the iconic towers, rock darkened in many places, crumbling in others and sometimes missing altogether replaced by an errant plant sprouting from the ruins. It's beautiful, but to be honest, with hundreds of other temples in the area it's not exactly anything to write home about. I wasn't quite sure what the fuss was about until the moment we finally entered the complex.<br />
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The inner complex is covered with historic art - beautiful, intricate rock carvings. Around the whole outer wall, there's a depiction of the King, battles and mythical creatures. Inside, you'll find depictions of asparas, Hindu gods from it's original design and Buddhist figures from the later conversion. The detail is incredible and unexpected.<br />
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After a few hours of wandering, we headed to the nearby Angkor Thom to visit the Bayon temple. You know this complex is special as you begin the approach. The bridge over the moat is flanked on either side by statues wrestling a serpent leading you up to the walls of the complex, the top adorned with more ornate carvings, making you crane your neck up to glimpse more as the tuk-tuk rushes through. The Bayon temple itself is famed for some of these carvings, specifically faces. As you wander throughout the temple, you'll see many pretending to kiss these faces (think like those pinching the Pyramids of Giza), but instead of doing that, we looked for the best vantages to see as many faces lined up as we could.<br />
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Finally, we made it to <span class="st">Ta Prohm (or the tomb raider) temple. Besides its association with Laura Croft, people love to visit this temple to see how it's been overtaken by nature. </span><br />
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<span class="st">Over the years, strangler trees have grown up through, on top and over the ruins, leaving you with an odd combination of human creation and jungle. The temple is much smaller than Angkor Wat, but still crowded, so you don't quite get any experience to yourself here. After a long day in the tuk-tuk, we decided to head back to the hotel for another $10 massage and sleep for our early morning.</span><br />
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<span class="st">One of the things I had been most excited about Angkor Wat was the sunrise - which happened at 6:00 am unfortunately. Our lovely tuk-tuk driver picked us up at the far too early hour of 5:30 so we would have time to get our tickets into the complex and get a good spot.</span><br />
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<span class="st">Or so we thought - upon arrival, there were almost more people than when we had arrived during the day yesterday. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people standing by the lakes in front of the temple waiting for the sky to put on its morning show. Despite all the people, it was beautiful and so worth it. </span><br />
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<span class="st">After soaking it all in, we decided to walk through the temple one more time - why not? We were already there. At that early hour, as many tourists headed home after snapping their shots, you felt like someone sneaking down the halls of the temple before anyone else woke up - enjoying the peace and chaos before everyone went to get about their business. Had we done it all over again, this would be the time that I visit the temple!</span><br />
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<span class="st">But, we were off through the fields and rice paddys in our tuk-tuk to visit </span><span class="st">Banteay Srei, a small temple, but with some of the best preserved stone work and often called the Gem of the Khmer. If you weren't looking closely, you could walk around the area in less than 15 minutes, but we were there probably closer to 45, circling the buildings again and again to find new and beautiful details in the carving.</span><br />
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<span class="st">Then, back to the tuk-tuk, through the fields with cows, past the funny "gas stations" and tourist stands to Siem Reap, and onwards to Thailand.</span></div>
Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com3Siem Reap, Cambodia13.6915377 104.1001326000000511.715456699999999 101.51834560000005 15.6676187 106.68191960000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-77353991346752023352015-02-15T22:28:00.000+00:002015-03-02T22:02:45.296+00:00Staycation: Hampton Court Palace<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm so behind on blogging, it's hard to figure out where to start. I've got tales from Thailand, Cambodia, South Africa and around the UK, meaning I've got a lot of catching up to do.<br />
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Rather than tackle these bigger things, I'm getting back into the blogging groove by starting locally.<br />
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Last year in September for our 5th wedding anniversary, we had plans to make plans. We wanted to be those people travelling in Europe and book a last minute trip the week of our anniversary. We had the days off, we just needed a destination!<br />
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I had discovered BA's Hello Weekend that offers destinations in several cities for that weekend, including accomodation around <span class="st">£</span>150 - <span class="st">£</span>300. A perfect deal! We waited and waited until the month of. Two weeks in advance we checked our options but decided to hold out until the week before.<br />
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When the time arrived, we had the chance for: Paris (which we had visited three months before so ruled out), Gothenburg (which I thought was in Germany but actually in Sweden), somewhere random in Poland and Manchester, UK.<br />
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Underwhelmed anyone?!<br />
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I was so disappointed by the lack of choices that we decided to forgo our destination anniversary and simply have a staycation to hit up some of London's sites we hadn't yet reached.<br />
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The top of my list was Hampton Court Palace - not only is it included in our Historic Royal Palaces membership, but also is much closer to our new flat, just down the Thames. As I've read up on British history over the last year, I've also been interested in the palace due to it's close ties to Henry VIII.<br />
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So on the Saturday of our staycation, we were off to Hampton Court. In books, you read about it taking a day to reach this summer residence from London, but now one hour between the tube and the bus found us there.<br />
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While Hampton Court was around in different fashions as a manor before Henry VIII, he turned it into it's current magnificence and construction was finished around 1540. The palace is huge, with all types of wings and some beautiful gardens, including a maze.<br />
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We started out our tour through the Great Hall and wound our way through Henry VIII's quarters, to learn about him, the famous tales of his wives, as well as the feud with Cardinal Woseley.<br />
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Just like our trip, we didn't really plan out much for our visit. We spent 3 hours wandering around the rooms without much of an itinerary. I was taken in by all the details of the palace in the ceilings, tapestries and ornaments throughout all the rooms. At the end of our visit, we found the gardens, but realised we had to get back home so had to satisfy ourselves with a abbreviated walk through.<br />
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As we left, I knew I'd find myself back there. There was too much to see, too much of the history that I love about London and the UK. And lo and behold, I was right. A few months later (and just a few weeks ago) we visited the palace for a different kind of tour - one of the ghost variety.<br />
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Hampton Court's Ghost Tours run in the winter evenings, allowing a small group of visitors to wander through the "haunted" hallways of the palace. For those who believe in ghosts, I'm sure there are some interesting ones to find there. For others, it's still an eery feeling walking through the halls without light and giving you an idea of what you might have been likely to find 500 years ago.<br />
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With the summers approaching and the palace's gardens to explore (plus our annual membership expiring!), I know we have at least one more Hampton Palace visit we have to make.<br />
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<a href="http://www.funkidslive.com/news/family-ghost-tours-at-hampton-court-palace/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo Credit</i></span></a></div>
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-6889428776749772472014-12-16T16:32:00.000+00:002014-12-16T16:42:36.489+00:00Blogging & Technology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm a hobby blogger. This blog is for me to document my life overseas. Lately, it's been a historical biography rather than an interesting narrative on life, but that's because my real job has gotten in the way. That's why I've decided not to write rather than bullet out what we've seen and done. But, I'll get there.<br />
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Besides, that, I always find when I revisit my blog, I find something new I want to do to the page.</div>
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As I've gotten further along in blogging, I've found I enjoy creating my own website more and more. </div>
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I started (as almost all do) with a blogger default template. Then I changed to a template I downloaded online. Then I changed again. Then I found out how to code some changes I couldn't make to my template like the multi-layered drop downs. Then I figured out about coding into a table onto a page. And I know the list will continue to grow.</div>
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While I can say with almost 100% certainty I'll never find a job in coding (just like I'll almost 100% certainly find a job in travel writing, which I'm okay with), I have to say that I find it immensely satisfying being able to figure out what I want to do with my site and how to make it happen.</div>
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I've also started branching out into newer social media/online outlets. While I may have adopted Facebook early, I'm a late adapter to almost everything else.<br />
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Case in point - I finally gave in to Twitter! My first tweet?<br />
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Don't forget to use <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/maybeLDNer?src=hash">#maybeLDNer</a> on your <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/London?src=hash">#London</a> images on Instagram! You could feature on <a href="http://t.co/ogf6B0X9Tu">http://t.co/ogf6B0X9Tu</a> <a href="http://t.co/KNbr1fFozG">pic.twitter.com/KNbr1fFozG</a><br />
— Maybe It's Because (@maybeLDNER) <a href="https://twitter.com/maybeLDNER/status/540141967183998976">December 3, 2014</a></blockquote>
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A re-tweet because for the life of me couldn't figure out how to share a tweet I was tagged in and add my own comments (although one week in and I'm still not 100% certain on this one still!)<br />
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Also new to Bloglovin - while my blog isn't a big hit yet, I'm enjoying reading others blogs with travel inspiration and funny stories, and also seriously reflecting on the rampage of blogging lately.<br />
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Who knows what else is out there for me to discover!<br />
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Any tips/suggestions/hacks?</div>
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-81735144601960669972014-11-25T20:11:00.000+00:002014-11-26T10:31:43.571+00:00A Taste (& Smell) of Cambodia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>I still have so much to write about from this year - our trip to Cape Town, weekend jaunts from London, our anniversary staycation, moving into a new flat.</i><br />
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<i>But that all can wait - while the sights, sounds and smells of our recent trip to Southeast Asia are still fresh in my mind, I'm jumping ahead!</i><br />
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Angkor Wat has always been one of the top items on my bucket list. With iconic pictures of the temple towers found everywhere from National Geographic to fellow bloggers, I couldn't get it out of my mind.<br />
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So when we made plans to travel to Thailand with friends, I knew that Cambodia was too close to not pay a visit to.<br />
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The day we arrived, we were greeted at the airport with a tuk-tuk driver to escort us back to our hotel and I knew that the city was going to be something different. As it started raining (or more truthfully, pouring) on our drive into the city, I just had to laugh. The poor tuk-tuk driver rolled down some plastic flaps to keep us relatively dry, threw on a rain poncho and kept on driving.<br />
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Because we arrived in the afternoon, we decided to wait and tackle the temples on our next two days, and spend the afternoon acquainting ourselves with the city of Siem Reap. I wasn't sure what to expect - something like <a href="http://www.tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Sri%20Lanka" target="_blank">Sri Lanka</a>? More like a small town in <a href="http://www.tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Turkey" target="_blank">Turkey</a>? A bustling tourist rip off?<br />
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To find out, we walked from our hotel rather than take the short tuk-tuk ride into town. We walked in the middle of the road, as the streets were without sidewalks and the sides of the road were lined with puddles, vendors selling you food and stray dogs basking in the sunshine after the rain. We crossed over to the river, dodging tuk-tuks filled with tourists, bikes with babies in laps or girlfriends riding the spokes or small trucks with fruits and people on the back.<br />
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We watched local 'crew' teams rowing their long thin boats easily through the water. Standby boats sat on the river's edge, getting a fresh paint of coat for their next journey.<br />
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Finally, we reached the hub of town - the local market. The outside is filled with tourist shops, trying to catch all the visitors as they walk on the small sidewalks (avoiding all the above obstacles in the road). After making a lap around the perimeter, we headed inside to see what else was on offer, and what deals we could have. Inside the market, the sunlight is dimmed from the tightly packed interior. Shop owners nap in chairs waiting for patrons while kids play in the alleys.<br />
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In the very center of it all, you'll find everything you need for dinner. While you may have adjusted to the scent of exhaust on the walk outside, all of a sudden you find your nose attacked with scents of fish and fresh meat (which is horrifying to me), or more pleasant cooked meals like noodles. You'll walk down one aisle with chicken meat (legs and all), fish gutted down the middle and shell fish, to the next filled with vegetables.<br />
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We decided to embrace the adventurous spirit of the trip and grabbed a seat at one of the stands that was frying up something in a pan. With no idea what was on offer, we ordered two, then sat to eat it, taking all in.<br />
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On the way out, we bargained for a few goodies to bring home, then meandered to the less local Pub Street. I spotted American, English, Italian and even Mexican food. But the best reason to visit here - 50 cent beer and people watching.<br />
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After we decided jet lag had gotten the better of us and it was time for our $10 massages, we headed back to the hotel. Yet after just 3 or 4 hours, Siem Reap and Cambodia had awoke an excitement for a new place and experience, which I hadn't seemed to felt in the last few months. The buzz of the city, the kindness of the people, the smells and the sites made it a place that felt real and authentic, in spite of the thousands of people that trek through each year. So much of the atmosphere reminded of what I loved about Istanbul (only without the Bosphorus), making me excited to see what else Cambodia had in store for us. </div>
Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-1367748071543524312014-11-17T15:27:00.000+00:002014-11-25T20:17:47.083+00:00Notting Hill: Recipease<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every time I get off the tube at Notting Hill Gate, I pass Recipease. When we were living in Notting Hill, that happened ALOT.<br />
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At first, I didn't pay much attention, then I looked at it some and chalked it up to be a kitchen goods store.<br />
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For my birthday this year though, I learned the truth of Recipease. It is partly a kitchen goods store, but even more so, it's Jamie Oliver's store that hosts cooking lessons! Paul surprised me with a voucher for a class and once I found out the real secret of it, I couldn't wait to give it a shot.<br />
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They offer lessons in all kinds of things. Steaks, street food, kids lessons, but I decided upon homemade pasta. I love pasta and Italian food, so I figured it was the perfect time to figure out how to make it at home.<br />
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The day of the class, Paul and I had a mad dash to the shop (I may have been sick and napping away through my alarm!) but we made it just in time to wash up and don our aprons. They put a maximum on the attendees to ensure there are enough work stations and that the teacher can ensure you're learning what you're doing.<br />
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We were going to be making a few different types of stuffed pasta - this one focused only on the pasta, not the sauce, although they do have another class that teaches both. We were making ravioli, tortellini and bow-tie pasta. The instructor started off by explaining it all to us and I was amazed at how easy it was! Flour and egg, voila, you have pasta dough!<br />
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Next comes the hard part - we rolled out the dough, then fed it through the pasta press several times, each time tightening up the rolls, to make sure we got it as thin and compact as we could. Once we had our strips, we set about cutting them up into the right size and there was even a fancy cutter that helped get those cute serrated edges you see on ravioli.<br />
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After we've got our perfect cut-outs, we set to filling them with ricotta, spinach and lemon. Not too full, or they fall apart in the cooking, and then we squish up the edges to seal them up.<br />
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As we drop the pasta in water (just a quick 2-3 minutes until they rise to the surface), we also start on our sauce. Simply butter, lemon and mint to give us a rich, if not too unhealthy, topping for our pasta.<br />
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So after 1 hour (mostly due to our learning than the length of the task) and we were done, kicking up our feet with a glass of wine and a plate of our delicious creations.<br />
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Despite the simplicity of it, I haven't quite yet tried this at home since I don't have a pasta roller, but perhaps I'll find one in my stocking for Christmas?!</div>
Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693358119340721166.post-79503273533306462692014-11-14T16:30:00.000+00:002014-11-25T20:22:52.926+00:0040 and counting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When I landed in Cambodia, I reached a major milestone in my travels.<br />
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Cambodia was my 40th country to add to the map.</div>
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I'm not a die hard country counter; some places have so much to offer, I've gone back and visited many places throughout. My love affair with Italy is a good example.</div>
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But, I do also enjoy visiting new countries to learn new cultures, languages, history, as well as see something new along the way.</div>
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As I've visited almost all of mainland Europe now, I'll probably get fewer new countries on my map (although I've got a few Eastern Europe trips in the works for next year). And that's okay with me. As long as I'm enjoying my travels, it doesn't really matter where you are, right?</div>
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After this feat, I decided I needed to re-work my travel map. Check it out on the <a href="http://tartsinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/p/where-in-world.html" target="_blank">Where in the World </a>tab to see if I've visited your favourite countries!<br />
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Alysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00107171533779087278noreply@blogger.com0