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Bucharest’s secret treats – Romania

Home to around 2 million people, Bucharest is both the capital and largest city in former Communist nation, Romania.

I’ll admit, while I’ve had the urge to explore Eastern Europe for some time now, Bucharest as an individual location wasn’t high on my priority list.

But just a few days in this history-filled city that was once known as “Little Paris” was enough to have me recommending to everyone I spoke to that they give Bucharest a try.

From the expanse of social, political and cultural history on offer, to the friendly people, good food, abundance of beer – especially in the beautiful Old Town area (not that I could enjoy it, as I was pregnant at the time) – and ease of accessibility to get around on foot or subway, there were so many things that made Bucharest a winning travel destination to me.

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Incredibly grand AirBnB in Bordeaux, France

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Paris France is always a good idea, right?

Definitely!

And the beauty of living in England is that I can pop over whenever I damn well please… Although, it’s more likely whenever my bank balance pleases… I think all of us here know the struggle to live on a ordinary salary with the extraordinary urge to travel.

In fact, last week I got to visit France for the first time since I moved to the UK just over a year ago, which I find astounding, as the land of the French is just so accessible to us here in Great Britain.

I just hadn’t gotten the chance yet.

But anyway, the point is: I FINALLY got around to going there (Again – I visited back in 2013 on my first trip to Europe) last week when my fiance, myself, and a few of our friends headed to the Bordeaux region for a marathon Dan and two others in the group were set to run (More on that next week!).

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Exploring the brauhaus’ of Cologne

 

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Germany is a country well known for its beer, so what better what to enjoy a weekend in the nation by spending some time indulging in local beer at brewhouses?

Dan and I spent a weekend in Cologne recently, a city neither of us had travelled to before.

One of the popular features of Cologne, the fourth most populated German city, is the stunning architecture scattered across the Rhine River-split city, so it’s not all just beers and banter!

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Iceland puts on a stunning show from the air as we say goodbye

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Now I can’t be the only one who feels such an intense, dizzy excitement on the airplane toward a destination, and a deep, sorrowful, pit of despair on the homebound journey.

I’m talking more extreme than just general travel excitement and disappointment when those travels come to an end.

I’m talking a black hole mood that can sometimes show itself despondently, or with a fit of tears.

Post-travel depression is real, people.

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Welcomed to Iceland with a snowstorm

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Iceland has been one of those countries Dan and I have been wanting to travel to for a long time.

When we realised we both wanted to visit this Scandinavian bucket-list item, it quickly became our next adventure to plan.

We fell into a burrow of internet searches, guidebooks and travel blogs, finding out all the information we could to plan the trip of our dreams (Well, one of them, at least).

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Getting into the Christmas spirit

Sorry for my largely absent appearance on social media of late, and my complete lack of blog posts and videos for the last month or so, but I’ve been pretty busy (life has been getting in the way!).

But here you are: Here’s a short glimpse at part of my life here in the UK – a short video of my first ever Christmas Markets experience!

Christmas Markets are a huge part of the special season across Europe – in fact some of the large Christmas markets in places like Germany, Budapest and London for some examples, are often destinations in themselves for travellers who love Christmastime.

What better way is there to spend an afternoon than sipping mulled wine and snacking on market foods while browsing through the goods on sale – everything from trinkets and candles, to coffee beans and unique liqueurs here at Bristol.

If you haven’t been to a Christmas Market, make sure you check one out before the silly season is over – if you weren’t feeling in the Christmas spirit before your visit, you sure will be afterwards!

Merry Christmas everybody!

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A castle, a surprise vegan lunch, and more hot tubbing – Lake District, UK

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Rolling green hills and pastures, cobbled streets and dry stone walls transported me back a few centuries in my mind to imagine what life would have been like to live in this gorgeous country town in those old days.

Kendal, in the Lake District of England, has such a charm about it. I’m not sure whether that’s due to the abundance of tea rooms, the streets lined with heritage-conserved buildings, or the ruins of the old 13th century Kendal Castle I can spot on the hill overlooking us.

I could have happily walked the streets, stopping here and there for a cup of tea at one of the many teahouses manned by lovely and bubbly middle aged women, or for a pint at one of the many historic pubs with welcoming signs and charmingly dingy decor.

But there is much more to Kendal than just it’s beverage options and architecture appreciation.

It’s also the home of the Kendal Mint Cake, a delicious, tongue tingling sweet treat.

But I digress, it is also much more than that too.

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Finding secret cocktail bars in Manchester

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What a thrill it is to walk out of what LOOKS to be a simple shopfront onto the street, after having sipped on sweet cocktails, smiling to yourself and your drinking companions at the secret you share – one that nobody else walking along the pavement know about.

That’s the awesome thing about hidden speakeasy bars – they add an extra element of fun to a social outing.

On a recent visit to Manchester to meet with my boyfriend Dan’s wonderful family, we all headed out for a day mission in the city: To find as many secret bars as possible, and to drink as many new cocktails as we felt like.

And boy, did we have fun!

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VEGAN EATS: VX Bristol, United Kingdom

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Coming from a regional area of Australia, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited and gladly overwhelmed by the amount of choice I have access to now in terms of vegan food now that I’m living in the UK.

Faced with so much choice, I’ve decided to do the only rational thing: Start a new blog series called ‘Vegan Eats’ where I plan to test out as much vegan food and restaurants that I possibly can, both here in the UK and further afield.

Basically, I just want a good excuse to eat and eat and eat some more.

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