Northern Europe
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Giant’s Causeway and Ballycastle Boat Tour: Must-See Attractions in Northern Ireland
After staying overnight at The Causeway Hotel we started the day with a hearty breakfast in the hotel’s elegant dining room to ready ourselves for an action packed day exploring the Giant’s Causeway and surrounding coastline. After returning to our room and checking out we didn’t have far to go as The Causeway Hotel is…
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From Mountain Views to Handmade Chocolates: Binevenagh and Chocolate Manor
We awoke refreshed at The Willows after sleeping on such comfortable mattresses in our delightful Aspen bedroom. Drawing back the curtains we were dismayed to discover it was raining heavily, not a good sign for a planned hiking trip! To lift our spirits we wandered down to the dining room to be greeted by the cheerful…
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Exploring Derry Guildhall and the Historic Bogside, Northern Ireland
We started the day with a leisurely breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express Derry~Londonderry. After checking out of the hotel and leaving our bags to collect later in the day we walked across the Peace Bridge as we had only viewed it after dark the previous evening. Since it’s opening in 2011 the bridge has…
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Exploring Derry, Northern Ireland and Enjoying a Derry Girls Afternoon Tea
This is the first in a series of posts on our recent 10 day road trip across Ireland – starting in Derry/ Londonderry before travelling along the Causeway Coast and then down the Wild Atlantic Way – I hope you enjoy reading. We arrived into City of Derry Airport the previous evening, flying with Loganair…
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Top Free Things to See and Do in Helsinki
In addition to a large selection of world renowned museums, galleries and attractions for which an entrance ticket is required, there are many inexpensive ways to enjoy a short break in Helsinki. Listed below are my suggestions for some really lovely free things to see and do. Helsinki City Museum – located on the corner of…
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Where to Find the Best Seaside Cafes in Helsinki
Finn’s love their coffee, consuming the most per capita in the world. As you might expect, there’s a vibrant coffee culture and to experience the best that Finland has to offer you really need to try an authentic cinnamon bun (korvapuusti). Versions of these buns have been around since the 18th century and it has…
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Making the Most of the Helsinki Card: Attractions, Transport & Savings
A three day Helsinki Card might at first glance seem expensive as it costs €74 but as it covers a wide range of attractions and scenic boat trips that can cost at least €20 each then it’s possible to make substantial savings whilst using the card. It is also valid on public transport including trams,…
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Helsinki Weekend Break: The Ultimate Guide to Explore the City
Visiting Helsinki, Finland’s beautiful capital city is a delight at any time of year. Located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, the Helsinki archipelago consists of over 300 picturesque islands and wherever you are in the city, it is never far from the sea. Getting there: Helsinki International Airport is located in the…
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The Pullman Hotel, Cologne Review
Hotel Review Location: The hotel is located in a central yet peaceful location in the Innenstadt district of the city, just an easy 12 minute walk from the central railway station. Arrival and check-in: The spacious entrance lobby is bright and airy with modern furnishings. Check-in is from 3.00 p.m. and it was shortly after…
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Top Highlights of Cologne: Best Things to See and Do
The hotel’s restaurant appeared quieter than the previous morning but as breakfast is served between 7.00 and midday on Sundays, perhaps other guests were having a well earned lie in. We enjoyed tucking into a wide selection of healthy and perhaps not quite so healthy (but equally delicious) options to keep us going for most…
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Exploring Cologne: Top Things to See and Do
After enjoying a hearty breakfast in our hotel we popped on our coats and scarves and wandered along to Cologne Cathedral which had been closed the previous afternoon as a service was taking place. Fortunately, it was open and we were able to admire the majestic interior with its wonderful stained glass windows. This UNESCO…
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Arriving in Cologne: How to Get from the Airport and First Impressions of the City
After recently enjoying a winter break in Düsseldorf, we decided to turn our attention to neighbouring Cologne, another German city that we had yet to visit. Looking into airline schedules from Manchester we discovered that we could fly out at lunchtime on a Friday returning just before midnight on the Sunday allowing us plenty of…
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Düsseldorf’s Japanese Quarter: Exploring Little Tokyo in Germany
Our final day in Düsseldorf began with a leisurely buffet breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express, then after packing up our belongings we took the U Bahn along to Graf-Adolf-Platz to enjoy a morning stroll around MedienHafen (Media Harbour) near the Rhine Tower we had visited the previous morning. This former abandoned city docks located…
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Düsseldorf Highlights: Benrath Palace & the Rheinturm Tower
After enjoying a delicious breakfast in our hotel we wrapped up warm as a strong wind was blowing and took the U Bahn to Graf Adolf Platz so that we could take a ride up The Rheinturm, one of the city’s landmarks (admission €9 (£7.47) or €5 (£4.15) with the Dusseldorf Card. Designed by Horst H…
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Düsseldorf Altstadt & the Altbier Safari
I really enjoy visiting Germany and noting that Eurowings had flights departing from Manchester mid-evening on a Friday we decided to head there for a weekend break. It was just a short 65 minute hop over to Düsseldorf, the state capital of North Rhine Westphalia and our first experience of Eurowings, the low cost arm…
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Moscow’s Most Beautiful Metro Stations: A Guide to Stunning Underground Architecture
The Moscow metro is one of the most beautiful in the world. It was created as a showcase for the Soviet Union, and serves as a living museum with its stations adorned with mosaics, marble statues and stained glass that document the story of the Communist state. There are 12 lines and 223 stations on…
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Sokolniki Park Moscow at Christmas: Festive Lights and Winter Magic
Our week in Moscow had flown by and although we hadn’t seen one flake of snow which is so unusual for December, we’d experienced a fun filled week nonetheless. After enjoying a lazy breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant where we’d been welcomed each morning by the friendly waiters and waitresses, we put the finishing touches…
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Moscow Highlights: Iconic Metro Stations and Novodevichy
Our first stop of the day after breakfast was to the Vorobyovy Gory metro station located on a bridge over the Moskva river making it the only station on the network to have windows. Vorobyovy Gory is often used as an exhibition space and during our visit there were displays of fashion items in circular…
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Exploring Moscow’s Lubyanka District
After a leisurely breakfast we took the metro to Lubyanka to make a return visit to the Central Children’s Store next door to the station. It had only been open about 40 minutes and few people were about as we took one of the lifts to the top floor to visit the Museum of Childhood.…
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A Festive Visit to VDNKh Park Moscow: Christmas Lights and Ice Skating
After the previous morning’s disappointing egg order, I managed to achieve success by showing the chef a photo of some fried eggs on my iPad. She seemed to understand, smiled, and then served up some delicious, runny yolks for me to dip my toast into. Eventually we were ready to embark on a day’s sightseeing…
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Moscow University and its metro stations
We enjoyed another leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s executive lounge, which was lovely and quiet compared to the main restaurant across the corridor. I started the day with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from a hand press which had a sign in front of it suggesting that it was good morning exercise. After…
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Discover Red Square and the Kremlin: Moscow’s Historic Heart
After sleeping like logs, we tucked into a delicious breakfast in the hotel’s executive lounge where we had been invited after receiving a complimentary room upgrade. The buffet selection was broadly similar to the main hotel restaurant but we received a more personal service from the waiting staff and were able to sit back and…
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Moscow – the ultimate winter break
The previous evening I had taken the train to London to meet up with my son in Hammersmith. We’d chosen Hammersmith as it was on the Piccadilly Line and meant we hadn’t far to trundle our large suitcases. After a tasty meal of fish and chips we returned to the nearby underground station for a…
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Stuttgart’s Rack Railway
We allowed ourselves an extra hour in bed and then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant. The IBIS had a good selection of hot and cold dishes and in one corner a waffle station where guests could make their own fresh waffles. As we had arranged a late check out we left our…
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