Colors of Cartagena

Our time was short in Cartagena, but it was incredibly memorable. We started the morning with what many say is a must-do while visiting this gorgeous city riding in a Chiva Bus. A Chiva bus cam only be described as a party on wheels. Upon arrival to the bus we were handed a bucket of ice, local rum and coke. The entertainment on board was a 3-man band located in the middle rows of the bus; which truly bring the party to life. While some shy away from 8am cocktails, we embraced the experience like a local. When in Rome, right?  

We took a short site seeing tour stopping to take photos at San Felipe Castle and Las Bóvedas. Las Bóvedas at one time was the cities dungeon and now turned into a tourist hub for souvenirs. Outside the shops was an authentic Colombia coffee kiosk made out of an old Willys jeep. From Las Bóvedas you can capture views of the ocean or even start a bike ride along the city walls. 

We headed back through the city on our party bus and were dropped off at the clock tower to finish the city highlights. Beyond those walls were some of the most colorful buildings I had ever seen. The balconies, flowers and colorfully dressed ladies carrying baskets of fruit on their heads were along every street. We strolled for hours just taking in each and every square block of this fantastic city. We even stopped into the famous Juan Valdez. 

Cartagena sparked our curiosity for Colombia and we cannot wait to go back to see more. 

Happy Traveling, 

Katrina

Sunshine and Southern Africa

Sunshine and Southern Africa

After watching a recent reality show where two men road tripped from Scotland to Cape Town. I was completely intrigued about what Africa had to offer. All great things start with a flight and a ton of planning. I decided to use Victoria Falls for my base to travel around the region. Many safaris and overland tours use Victoria Falls, as a starting and end-point for their tours. Usually only spending a day or two in the area.

There are 3 airports that serve the region, and all are in three different countries. Picking the right one and the right visa is key to a seamless trip. I watched quite a few American’s come via Botswana and did only single-entry visas for the region. They were held at the border for over 3 hours trying to enter. I cannot stress enough that if you plan to country hop the Kasa Visa (Zimbabwe and Zambia) 30-day visa was the best option. I do not believe it’s possible to obtain this when coming into Botswana currently.

Now do you book ahead or wing it on arrival? I came in the height of high-season and many of the tours I had booked were sold out when I arrived. So, it’s a risk you must weigh if you chose to wing it. Choosing who to book through was the hardest thing by far. With the amount of tour companies in the area, it was overwhelming to say the least. I decided to go with Shearwater Adventures, as they were budget friendly and offered the largest variety of tours. They even helped with organize an external camping trip, but due to the water levels it had to be cancelled last minute.

Day One

Upon arrival I was collected by the Shearwater staff and taken to Explorers Village in the heart of Victoria Falls. The village offered camping and chalet accommodation. I stayed in a tent the first two days and then moved to the chalets the latter three days. To be honest knowing what I know now I would have stayed in the tents the whole time, as it was feasible for time I spent in the “room”. The shower/toilet block was large and clean. Don’t forget a towel and a lock for your tent and you are set.  The village was a five-minute walk to local craft markets and most of the restaurants. The falls were under a 10-minute walk.  

Straight off the plane I wasted no time and headed over to get some views of the bridge and waterfalls. There is a small trail that runs parallel to the road to the falls. Along the way you will see signs for the “Lookout Cafe” which is owned by Wild Horizons another prominent tour company in the area. I turned up as lunch was ending, but they did not skip a beat in letting me order. The view from here was downright incredible. From their viewpoint you can watch the zipline and swing that plunges into the falls. I called it an early night and headed back to camp.

Day Two

The next morning, I was collected for my trip to Botswana. The border crossing was quite quick, if you have the right visa to exit Zimbabwe. I love pedestrian border crossings, as they always have that good amount of chaos and excitement. We had some free time in Kasane to walk around before heading down to Chobe Safari Lodge on the river. Killing some time before our safari boat launch and I opted for a speed boat tour along the river. It was amazing, as you get into areas where the large barges cannot reach. If you an elephant lover, you are in for a freaking treat!!

I had pre-booked the game drive and river safari cruise with lunch to commence at 11am. You will get close to crocodiles, hippos and if you are lucky you will see tons of elephants. I preferred the water safari over the land, as many of the animals had already started migrating due to the bush being dry in areas. We saw a lot of impalas, water buffalo and a family of giraffes.

The group headed back to Zimbabwe and I met up with some of the other campers. We had found out that there was a free bus to Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, which is said to have the best sunset views. Off we went on the bus to check out this new-found gem. Upon arrival we headed to the bar for drinks and grabbed a seat overlooking the national park. The sunset did not disappoint in the slightest and glad this saved us the chaotic burden of the sunset cruise.

Day Three

Another morning and another activity. This by far was the one I was looking forward to the most. Canoe safari down the Zambezi river. I convinced one of the campers to join me, as I had book two spots to have this private tour. We headed through the national park for about 25km until reaching our landing point. As it was very early the game in the park was really on the move. We spotted so many animals, including a mother and baby giraffe.

We stopped and had a quick breakfast with the guides. The guides went over all the risks and safety information and we set off down the Zambezi. I say risks, as there are points when you come in close contact to hippos and they do try to capsize boats. I will not sugar coat it, I was damn scared. But how cool to talk about if you survive. This is quite strenuous, as you do canoe for over 20km down a river avoiding wildlife and debris. I got the experience of a lifetime and while we did have a near miss. I call it a win in my book.

As the excursion was quite early we ventured out to the Victoria Falls Bridge for some views. This was the perfect time to watch the bungee jumpers from the main platform. I cannot believe that over 1,000 people a month jump off that bridge. 90% of them women. The money from the activities on the bridge is used to paint and provide restoration. Sunset was approaching, and we whisked off to local brewery for some beer and grub. The River Brewing Company was touristy, but tasty.

Day Four

The next day was a bit chaotic, as I naively crammed three tours in one day. It usually works, but my transport in route was shared and well the group sharing transport turned up nearly an hour late (no apologises either). I started my day in a foul mood to be honest. The transport rushed me to the border to start my historic bridge tour, but I had missed it. They sorted it out and got me a private guide Simba. He really made the best of my frustrating morning. You are given some information about the bridge and then jump in a harness to walk the underneath of the bridge. I found this interesting and had the pleasure of a train coming over the top when we were underneath. As we finished the tour I walk to meet the bus and see it leaving back to Zimbabwe. Apparently, the others who were late, were too impatient to wait another 5 minutes for me to finish. The irony I tell you. The driver came back shortly after, as he saw me waving him down from Zambia. (HAHA)

I was rushed to the National Park to meet my guide Thabani for our waterfall tour. It was well worth the wait!! As it was now mid-afternoon most of the tourist had left. We had the waterfalls to ourselves for most of the tour. After a picturesque walk in the rain forest we headed back to the lodge. I killed a few hours before the sunset cruise I had booked for this evening.

I will spare you the grim details, but if you want to feel like cattle on a boat this is for you. We had arrived nearly last and others had already rearranged tables for their parties. I get it, but spare seats were sparse and forget anyone being considerate when asked to use a chair they had their bags in. I ended up standing right above the stairs in a nook to even get breathing room. Only bonus is unlimited booze was included, but we got some very unpleasant looking snacks. There were lots of boats on the river that looked orderly, but this was not it. So, do your research and book a sunset dinner cruise. I believe I got a better experience for free at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, but to each their own. The amount of alcohol consumption helped my fear of heights, as impromptu booked the helicopter flight for the next day.

Day Five

Final day in Victoria Falls and my hike to the Boiling Point was cancelled the night before. Rightfully so as the water was still too high, and we would have been swept away. There was one spot left to visit the local Elephant Orphanage. It was a before sunrise departure, but I felt it was totally worth it. On arrival you are greeted by the staff at the lodge and paired up with an elephant for your 45-minute walk.  I will spare you too many details but consider the Elephant Back Safari. After a walk in the bush, snacks with the elephants and breakfast we left. I was thankful I was able to go and learn more about the elephants native to the region. This is no dog and pony show, so if you really want to learn about elephant migration and conservation this place is for you. They limit the visitors to around 30 people a day.

Then the finale happened. Somehow convinced that getting in a helicopter over the falls was a great idea. My fear of heights and questioning the safety of the aircraft kept playing over and over in my head.  The van showed up to take me about 10 minutes away to the helipad. After arriving I jumped on the scale with my bags in hand and was briefed on my 15-minute flight. The couple I was to share the trip with had flown before, so pretty much told me I was taking the front seat. It was incredible and memorable seeing the falls from a few thousand feet above. You can get the video from your flight after your tour if you wish.

This trip was really one of the most amazing trips I have been on. It was great to meet so many people along the way, but enjoyed being outside my comfort zone alone.

Happy Travels,

Katrina

Sri Lanka – Land of such diversity

The country with beauty from within

The time spent in Sri Lanka can be days or even weeks. We had 6 short days to capture as much of this countries beauty as possible. We definitely did not see all of what this amazing country has to offer, but we did get an amazing sampler.

Our goal was to take in the ancient history, food, mountains, rice terraces, beaches, tea plantations and the native animals. We accomplished our itinerary with the guidance of our knowledgeable guide Rana. We decided to book everything on our own, but he does offer itinerary planning, as part of his services.

Day 1-

We arrived at 4:30am to the island; I had about 3 hours of sleep after a 14-hour flight. I was armed with some granola and coffee to get through the day. Our guide greeted us promptly and we set off from Colombo to Dambulla.  Dambulla is the site of the exquisite rock cave temples. The paintings with-in the monastery date back nearly 2,000 years.  Take your time here and make sure capture all the views from above the temple. If it is a clear day you can see Sigiriya from the distance.

Our intentions were to climb Sigiriya Rock next, but due to an injury prior to the trip the hike was not feasible for me. We made the most of the extra time and Rana set up a traditional herbal oil massage close by. This totally hit the spot after that long flight. I found myself relaxed and well rested after this experience.

As it was nearly midday we set-off towards the National Parks of Minneriya and Kaudulla to see the daily Elephant Gathering, which takes place in dry season within the parks. With the help of our guide he called to see where they had been spotted to ensure we picked a safari. We jumped in a private safari jeep and headed to Kaudulla where the elephants had been spotted earlier that day. I highly recommend getting into the park prior to 2pm if at all possible. When we arrived there was a handful of jeeps on the safari and 40 plus elephants on the pasture grazing.  We stayed on the park about an hour watching numerous elephant families play in the mud and fields. We even spotted a large herd of water buffalos along the lake between the parks. By the time we left the safari it was so crowded with dozens of jeeps trying to make their way down the one-way road into the park. Dozens more waiting for their time slot at the gate to enter the park. We finished the day at our remote hotel, the Ruins Villa in Polonnaruwa with a homemade dinner and sunset.

Day 2-

We had an early morning start to try to beat the heat as we headed to the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. A visit to the museum is a must to fully understand the history of the site. We spent around 2.5 hours across all the sites with our driver moving us along most of the complex to save my poor knee from giving out.  The temples are still in tact in most places giving you a real picture of what the village looked like thousands of years ago. We finished with a local lunch and made our way to Kandy for some more historical sites.

Kandy is known for the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and for being the cultural center. I found it overwhelming, crowded and expensive. After spending time in the remote areas near the ancient city of Polonnaruwa where the only sounds you heard were that of the toucans and monkeys in the trees, the people in the city completely made me want to run back to our sanctuary in the hills. We had a few hours to kill before heading to the temple, so we caught a local show inclusive of a fire walk!!

 

After the show we braved the crowds and headed to the temple for the unveiling of the Tooth Relic at 6pm. The ceremony within the temple was incredible to watch, but the pushing from the large tour groups going up the stairs in the peaceful temple had me ready to escape. The monks were the only people not rushing people through the temple and allowing people to pay their respects. Here we stayed in a boutique hotel atop the hills called Sweet Kandy; which did not disappoint on amazing views.  

Day 3-

After another early morning start we headed for the hills, quite literally.  The area Nuwara Eliya (known as Little England) was filled with hills upon hills of tea plantations. The scenery changed drastically over the next 2 hours. The palm trees turned into large rolling hills filled with rows of tea plants. As it was early in the day we were able to catch some of the tea pickers are work. The tea plant blooms every 7 days so it’s essential that they are picked often for the freshest tea possible. Due to the delicate process women primarily pick the tea. We visited Glenloch tea factory for a close up view of the tea making process. You finish the tour with a small tasting session and a chance to buy any local tea.

We stopped off at numerous waterfalls and look out points along the way. We almost chose the train to come down from Kandy, but we would have missed a large amount of scenery that you could stop off at along the way. Nuwara Eliya was quaint and it was very apparent that the British had colonized the village. The buildings still had the quintessential look of a typical village in the UK complete with horse racing. We stopped into the local markets here to get a glimpse of how the locals shopped. We were spent and headed back to the hotel for bed and another early morning on the train to Ella.

Day 4-

We awoke with the sunrise to enjoy the crisp air. The weather in this area was far colder than any other place we have visited in Sri Lanka. The area was nearly 2,000 meters above sea level so the temperature change was nice when you do not have A/C in your accommodation. We took the more rustic commuter train versus the faster train down to Ella. While it was nearly twice the journey time on the train, the train offered far more character than the faster tourist train. All windows including 1st class opened on this train providing ample time for the best views.

Once arriving in Ella we stopped into Adam’s café for a quick lunch. To my surprise this was the best meal we had while in Sri Lanka. The variety of curry’s and fruit juices was fantastic. We stopped over at the nine arches bridge to see the last train of the day pass over. Based on recommendation from our driver Rana we booked the Srilak View Holiday Inn located in Haputale. All the food cooked in house is from their garden below the hotel. The views from the hotel are pretty damn incredible.

Day 5-

After a few days in the mountains we were glad to toss the coats and head back to lower ground. As we drove from Haputale to Induruwa we crossed rainforests, rice terraces and numerous beaches. I chose Bentota/ Induruwa based on recommendations for quiet less touristy beaches. It did not let us down at all. Most people flock to Mirissa and Galle for beaches due to the calmer seas in the south. We found the seas perfect to take a quick swim. The non-existent people in the area made strolls along the beach so peaceful and quiet.

We visited a local turtle sanctuary who rescues and launches turtles everyday. It was completely destroyed by the tsunami a few years ago, so the funds go toward rebuilding the conservation effort. They hold one of each type of turtle local to Sri Lanka within their compound for educational purposes. Some injured (like the blind turtle) and even the rare albino which have a short lifespan in the wild. There are quite a few excursions from here, but we chose to relax the last day before our long journeys home. 

While our time was short in Sri Lanka, it was unforgettable. Our trip could have not been made possible without our amazing driver Rana. He was flexible and adjusted the itinerary to make sure we got the most out of our itinerary. What I loved the most is that he does not take you to the huge tourist shops or factories. He truly has a love of his country and wants you to see if through his eyes at local restaurants and shops.

He does custom itineraries or just driver only packages.

http://www.srilanka-guide.com or on FB https://www.facebook.com/sarath.ranasinghe.18

Happy Travelling,

Katrina

* The recommendation is not to my benefit. I gain nothing for the recommendation. 

Dordogne Valley – Best villages for a weekend getaway

Dordogne Valley – Land of Fairytales

La Roque-Gageac - Upper Village

There are no words to describe the beauty of this region. Dare I say it; it has the most beautiful villages I have ever seen. Perfectly placed flower boxes in each window with honey-toned buildings overlooking the winding Dordogne River.

La Roque-Gageac Promenade

The region covers a vast area between Bergerac and Brive, but we picked a small area that was far less populated. We chose to stay at the Domaine du Château de Monrecour, which was just one village over from Beynac-et-Cazenac, where we spent time strolling the quiet cobblestone streets at dusk.

The local hot air balloons launch from the castle grounds, which was quite the site to see at sunset. The hotel offered two heated pools and an incredible backdrop to the gorgeous area.

In my opinion the three best villages to visit in no apparent order are:

Domme, Beynac-et-Cazenac and La Roque-Gageac.

La Roque-Gageac:

We started the first day off roaming around the bustling La Roque-Gageac. This town truly had a lot to offer, there are many viewpoints from all over the village.  There are caves high above the town, but at the time of writing they were under renovation.  There were more activities and restaurants here than in the other villages we visited later in our trip. You had the choice to take a riverboat, which takes you up stream for a one hour ride with a guided tour.  Alternatively, you can also rent a canoe from various vendors along the water and make your way down the river yourself. Some of the streets felt like quiet alleys tucked away in a fairytale. 

 

Beynac-et-Cazenac:

We set off to Beynac-et-Cazenac right as the shops were closing, which no doubt made the experience in the village that much more exciting. We strolled around for nearly an hour getting lost in the streets without a soul in sight. We hiked up towards the Chateau to get some of the views of the hot air balloons launching from our hotel. It was down right magical. The photos alone do this village no justice. You could see numerous Chateaus’ in the distance from the viewpoints in the village.

We finished the evening with one of the best meals I have had in a long time at Hotel-Restaurant du Château. You must try the Foie gras while here; it’s a local favorite and can be found at most restaurants. This village took my breath away, I truly felt as though we were on the set of Beauty and the Beast.

 

Domme:

We started the morning off on the east end of the Dordogne River into the village of Domme. Domme is set up high on a hill overlooking the winding valley below. The village is well known for its caves “Grotte de Domme”. We opted for ice cream and a stroll along the city’s still remaining fortification walls. Each street offered such breathtaking views. The colors of the doors and shutters in this town by far were the most picturesque. 

 

Happy Traveling, 

Katrina

Uniquely Tokyo

When most people think Japan, they think technology. Japan is so unique in its own right, that Tokyo truly lives up to the hype. 

Imagine ordering food from a vending machine, cuddling cats in a cafe or riding Mario Karts through the city. Well its all available to try in Tokyo.  

I headed to Tokyo to run the 2017 Marathon. Having lived in Japan before, I already had my heart set on some of the top crazy things to do in the city. 

I used Shinjuku as a good base, staying at the Keio Plaza Hotel. The hotel was centrally located near metro and JR stations. The hotel offers a penthouse Karaoke bar if thats something to tick off your bucket list. 

Vending machine restaurant  

Tokyo is truly the city that never sleeps. Suffering from jet lag made it easy to wander out late to see what crazy things happen after dark. The night life is incredible and you will be spoiled for choice on what to eat and see.  I mean even the man hole covers are gorgeous. After a long day I headed in to get some rest before the adventure truly began. 

Man hole covers.  

Shinagawa Port Area

A lot of things in Tokyo book up in advance, so I highly recommend prebooking if possible. While I came for the race, a chance to dress up and drive go-karts through the city was a dream come true. I left busy Shinjuku for Shinagawa port. What I found there was ornately painted temples and beautifully done metal doors. Each one offering a different part of the port towns story. 

I turned the corner to find about 20 cars all tucked in and ready to tour the city. This experience is truly a MUST do!   

After 2 hours wizzing around Tokyo it was time to find more fun. Now off to see what the Cat Cafe and Robot restaurant were all about.  For a small fee you can go in and pet cats!! 

And if thats not enough. Go have dinner with a few robots. 

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto, you know you were thinking it. Dinner was not open yet, so I did my robot moves out front and moved on. I was on a mission now and in search of the holy grail of Japanese treats, the KITKAT. No, I am not kidding. The flavours are unique and endless. Don Quiote is where you can find these magical treats. 

I loaded up on flavors such as red bean and sake. This store was packed with so much!! I decided a costume for the race was a must. 

I mean how many times will I have a chance to run in a Kimono with Pikachu and the gang. Tokyo lived up to all its expectations and a little more. 

Happy Traveling,  

Katrina

Temples, Sand and Sea- Myanmar (Burma)

Have you ever laid eyes on a place and thought, I must go there. This was my first thought when I came across a photo of the city of Old Bagan. It appeared to be untouched by civilization and just the type of adventure I wanted to end an epic year.

Getting there from the UK was half the adventure. It took 36 hours door to door, across 4 airports and half a dozen times zones. The feeling when I landed in Yangon was exhaustion and excitement. I met up with some incredible ladies, who months before agreed to jump on the trip with me. A few Facebook communications and the trip was booked. I will admit that planning the trip at first seemed overwhelming, not much has been written about it and finding trustworthy blogs with updated information was hard. That was until I came across this site: http://www.go-myanmar.com/ that offered the largest amount of accurate content and information.

Picking the right destinations for the 10 days was another battle. I wanted culture, sunshine, beaches and relaxation. Choosing Yangon, Bagan and Ngapali were indeed the right choices.

Spending around 1 full day in Yangon we stayed at the Hotel Esperado, which overlooked Kandawgyi Park and the Shwedagon Pagoda. The hotel was just a short walk to the Royal Barge and Shwedagon Pagoda. Shwedagon Pagoda is a great place to watch the sunset as the building seems to magically glow at dusk. Traffic was absolutely manic when we left Shwedagon Pagoda, so we ended up missing Old Town and the historic area. We used our time wisely and booked a few hours into the spa that evening. Feeling relaxed we went to bed for our early morning flight.

Coming into Yangon, I entered a 5 star airport, newly built and shiny. Leaving for Bagan from the domestic terminal was an entirely different experience. You enter the small building to the west of the international terminal. There were no fancy signs and the check in process was so relaxed. Handed over our passports and given simple boarding passes and our colored stickers placed on our lapels. These stickers are crucial into ensuring you make your flight. Once through security and into the waiting hall, we realized it was not as 5 star as next door. A small toilet area and café is all the airport had to offer. Thank goodness the hotel packed us a boxed breakfast, as this was a just what I needed in the morning chaos. About 15 minutes before our departure staff shuttled us outside where a plane had just landed, allowing some of the passengers to disembark. We jumped in our seats on the tiny propeller plane and we were off. I slept most of the flight as jetlag was getting the best of me. By the time I woke up we were coming into Bagan. If you are sitting on the left hand side of the plane, you will get to the see the incredible view of all the temples amongst the trees. This view was even more spectacular than I could have ever imagined.

On arrival into Nyaung U airport you will buy the Bagan Zone Pass that provides access to archaeological zone. The cost was 25,000 Kwat, it was about $20. Having done a lot of research I found that while many hotels in Old Bagan were closer to the famous temples, the hotels in New Bagan offered some of the best views for balloon watching. Having chosen B&B Hotel Manisanda, as the other travels raved that it offered the best views for sunrise over the temples. As you can see their reviews did not disappoint. There are a few ways to get around Bagan, and you can chose a taxi, ebike or horse cart. There are only two main roads running through the area, so it is hard to get lost even with no sense of direction like myself. The ebikes really allow you to get to some of the more remote temples.

 

Spending three days in the Bagan area was more than enough, as it allowed us to taken in the sites without feeling rushed. There is day trips to Mt. Popa and while it was a long card ride, it was a change of scenery from Bagan. You can set up a taxi to this for about $40 from one of the taxi shops off the main road where you can rent ebikes. Get one of the free maps and explore as many of the temples as you can. Many of them you can enter and get some great views of the whole area. Some of the temples caretakers expect a small tip to allow you to view from the top. I brought quite a few dollar bills for this, as it was suggested by another blogger. I have to admit we did not try many restaurants as the first trip to The Moon 2, we were hooked and kept returning.  

Concluding our amazing time in Bagan we headed into Ngapali for some sand and sea. Amata Resort Suites was just what we needed after long fun filled days in Bagan. On arrival the resort met with us and put us into a bus to transfer to the other end of the bay. Amata is one of the last resorts along the bay providing a nice secluded beach area. The lack of tourists made it feel like utter paradise. The spa, beach and happy hour were just what we needed to relax.  

 

There is not much to do once in Ngapali, but if looking for a livelier atmosphere stay closer to the airport. We saw quite a few bars, cafes and tourists. If looking to relax head to the end of the bay.

 

Leaving Myanmar (Burma) was so hard. It was one of the most amazing trips that I have ever planned. The country offered some of kindest people in the world. Always willing to help and making sure you enjoy their beautiful country.

 

Happy Traveling,

 

Katrina

Macedonia, Skopje- The City of Statues

I know you are probably thinking the same thing I was when Skopje came up on my fare finder last year. Where the heck is Skopje? I can assure you before moving to Europe I was unaware this little gem of a city existed or even the country for a matter of fact. Macedonia or FYROM as it’s usually referred to is tucked between Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Greece. It is a perfect starting point if you plan to see the Balkan’s as most of the car rental places allow you to cross borders without an issue.

 

I  was only in the country for a mere 36 hours. I know, not nearly enough time to soak it in a enjoy everything it had to offer, but the city of Skopje fit the bill. I stayed at Bushi Resort and Spa right at the edge of the Old Bazaar. This hotel was a steal and a great find with the spa being inclusive of the stay. The driver from the hotel collected me on arrival and whisked me into the city. While the city has nearly a million people, the city felt quiet and quaint.

 

I headed down into Old Town, which was just a short minute walk from the hotel. From here I found a square full of statues of leaders, conquers and musicians. The city is not as old as it looks as many of the buildings have been built recently due to the economic stimulus in the country and many buildings have been destroyed in earthquakes.  On the way into Old Town you can stop in to the Holocaust Museum and the National Theater. One of the most amazing and very unique things I found in Skopje is that they have built an area surrounding the House of Opera and Ballet with music playing from famous composers. I sat for about 20 minutes just enjoying the sounds of the music and peacefulness within this large city.

 

If you book in advance you can visit the home of Mother Teresa. It was closed the two days I was in town so I had to miss it on this trip. In order to get into the rest of Old Town you walk over the famous Stone Bridge. The river is being renovated right now so the views were not very good as there are backhoes, diggers and mounds of dirt along the river. They have built to ships along the river with restaurants and rooms on board. They looked really cool if you were staying with kids. Now the amount of statues that existed in this city was crazy. Everywhere you turned a statue was just around the corner. They were down the river, on the bridge, in the squares and intersections. They really provided uniqueness to the city. Looking through the building in Old Town is was so surprising to see many were just built as late as 2012, but the architecture is in line with Roman period.

 

I strolled back up to the hotel through Kale Fortress on top of the hill. It was a great viewpoint down into the Old Town. Since the hotel was very close to the Old Bazaar I had a look at some of the goods they had to offer. It seems many people come here to go wedding dress shopping as there was a lot of wedding dress boutiques located in the bazaar. One of the shops allowed me to have a look as some of the handmade lace gowns and they were just stunning.

After a ton of walking I went back to the resort to find an amazing spa right in the hotel. I was not expecting much due to it being in a hotel, but I was surprised by the hotels spa, which included a salt room, sauna, Turkish bath, Jacuzzi, heated loungers and large pool. 

Happy Traveling, 

Katrina

Dublin in a Day - 12 hours in Dublin

Dublin in a Day- Tackle Dublin in 12 hours

I am always saying how close so many countries are to the UK. Flights to most places are just under 45 minutes. Yep, you can hop to another country just for the day. What I find great is that the low cost airlines like Ryan Air and Easy Jet promote this and you can find flights to meet that tight schedule.

Flights make it happen

So I am sure you are wondering how do you make this work, right? I have done this about 3 times now so it’s totally tried and tested. Each time I try to see something I didn’t see before and its possible. 

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Well on our recent stop over to Dublin we grabbed the 6am flight out of Stansted and the 8pm flight back. It makes for a long day so if you have kids you and be assured that will be sleeping in route back to the UK. We have done this with my daughter when she was just 2 years old, and then again when she was 9.

Before you go I highly recommend picking up a Freedom Pass, this enables you airport transport, Hop On and Hop Off Tour, and free bus transport while in Dublin. Once booked online you print off your voucher and collect right in the terminal building. On arrival you will pick up you pass or chose to head straight out the main doors to the bus stop. You will see signs for AirLink buses. There is a machine at the bus stop to pick up your ticket if you decided not to go with the Freedom Pass Ticket. The cost of the ticket is around €6 each way at the time of my trip. From there I recommend getting off at the College Green and Temple Bar and taking a stroll through the Temple Bar district before headed onto the Hop On and Hop Off bus. If the Guinness Storehouse is top on your list I would highly recommend heading there on the bus first as the lines by midday can get long. The Guinness Storehouse was family friendly and offered apple juice or orange juice for the kids.

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From here we headed to Dublin Castle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, and then to Kilmainham Gaol. We headed back into town to grab a warm lunch at the Queen of Tarts. It was a quick pub lunch and offer breakfast for the better part of the day. After a quick bite to eat we headed to Christ Church Cathedral to jump on the afternoon tour of the church for a history lesson. This is great as they have traditional bell ringers in the church and you could have a chance to ring the bells if you catch it in time.

Relaxing Afternoon

At this point we had spent the better part of the morning touring and decided to head over for a Jameson Whiskey Distillery tour. This was kid friendly as well as they were talking about the science involved in the making and really tried hard to provide some educational learning for the kids. It was about 5pm now so we headed back into town to walk down through the Temple Bar area. We decided to have a relaxing sit down dinner at the The Oldstorehouse based on a friend’s recommendation to try the Guinness stew and she sure was right. We popped into a few tourist shops to pick up some fun gifts and headed to the airport on the AirLink.

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We packed a lot in, but it is totally doable if you utilize the bus tour to get around. If you have family visiting it’s a great stop over and its far less crowded than a trip to London.

Good Tips:

Wear good walking shoes

Pre-book as much as possible to maximize you day

Don’t be afraid to ask directions. Dubliners are the friendliest people around.

Happy Traveling,

Katrina