Travel
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Blackpool Highlights: Tower, Trams, and Must-See Attractions
It was such a treat waking up in our stylish room at the beautiful Boulevard Hotel and drawing back the curtains to uninterrupted views of the Irish Sea. Heading downstairs we were shown to a window table in the restaurant from where we could watch the waves lapping the beach whilst tucking into our delicious…
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Things to Do in Blackpool: Blackpool Tower, SeaLife Centre & Madame Tussaud’s
I’ve visited Blackpool several times but always either in the summer or during the autumn illuminations when the resort has been in full swing so I was curious to find out what it would be like to visit the resort out of season. Plans made, we were up at the crack of dawn (well, earlier…
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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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Discover Morningside, Edinburgh
Although our hotel room was lovely and quiet there was no need to set an alarm as each morning we were roused from our slumbers at 8.00 a.m. sharp to the clattering sounds of a glass recycling truck emptying bins along the road. With so many nice things we wanted to fit into our Edinburgh…
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Discover Scotland’s Industrial Heritage at the National Mining Museum Scotland
The rain clouds of the previous day seemed to have vanished but had been replaced by a strong wind so we wrapped up warm and after coming to life with bacon sandwiches and coffee, we wandered along Princes Street to visit Jenners. This famous department store has been part and parcel of Edinburgh’s history since…
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Walking Edinburgh’s Royal Mile: From Holyrood Palace to Edinburgh Castle
After the lovely sunny weather we’d experienced the previous day, it was a little disappointing to wake up to a dark, gloomy sky accompanied by rain soaked pavements. Still, undeterred we braved the elements to find somewhere for breakfast. After being brought back to life with two cups of coffee and my favourite smashed avocados…
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Edinburgh’s Christmas: A Festive Guide to Markets, Lights & More
It had been exactly three years since my last visit to Edinburgh and as it’s one of my favourite cities, that was far too long. So, to remedy the situation, we managed to squeeze in a short break to the Scottish capital just before Christmas. We travelled on a Cross-Country train that was over-crowded all…
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Getting from Istanbul to the Airport: Best Transport Options
It was back to clear blue skies on our final morning in Istanbul and after a leisurely breakfast we completed our packing and checked out of the Holiday Inn Istanbul Old City which had been an ideal place to stay during our city break. We trundled our luggage the short distance to the nearest tram…
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Top Sights in Beşiktaş, Istanbul: Best Things to See and Do
As we drew back the curtains we were dismayed to discover a dull and gloomy start to the day with rain beating against the window panes. Sadly, it wasn’t any better by the time we had finished our breakfast so with our umbrellas unfurled for the first time since setting foot on Turkish soil, we…
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Exploring Istanbul’s Kadıköy District – What to See and Where to Go
We allowed ourselves a little lie-in before enjoying a leisurely breakfast in the Holiday Inn’s restaurant. Feeling suitably energised we were then ready to set off by 9.45 a.m. starting the day by strolling along to the nearest tram stop, about ten minutes walk away. It was the hottest day so far with the sun…
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Ultimate Guide to Taksim and Karaköy, Istanbul’s Most Lively Neighbourhoods
After another enjoyable buffet breakfast in the hotel’s elegant restaurant we wandered along to the nearest tram stop and took a Line 1 tram service all the way to Kabatas from where we transferred to an underground funicular train to Taksim Square. The Kabatas – Taksim funicular is a modern, air-conditioned underground train transporting passengers…
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The Grand Bazaar, Istanbul: A Complete Guide to the World’s Most Famous Market
After a good night’s sleep, we tucked into a hearty breakfast in the elegant dining room of the Holiday Inn Istanbul Old City. As well as the usual offerings I was tempted into sampling some local cheese and olives. I did, however, give the local Turkish coffee a miss as I’d tried it before and…
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How to Get from Istanbul Airport to the City Centre
In readiness for our morning flight from London Gatwick Airport we had stayed overnight at a Travelodge in Crawley. This proved convenient as buses depart from near the hotel (Bus 10) to the south terminal taking only 20 minutes with tickets from the driver costing just £2.50. We arrived at the airport at 7.25 a.m.…
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Discover Girona’s Jewish Quarter on a guided walking tour
We woke to leaden skies and thundery rain – not what we were hoping for on our final day in beautiful Girona. Still, it was a good excuse for a long, relaxing breakfast as there was little point in hurrying outdoors. By 10.30 a.m. the rain had eased slightly so armed with our umbrellas we…
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How to Get to Lloret de Mar from Girona and top things to see and do
Sun streamed into our bedroom as we drew back the curtains and after a long, lazy breakfast we were ready for another day of sightseeing. Our first stop of the day was just a short walk away at the Museum of Cinema, standard admission €6. We’d already had the pleasure of visiting the Cinema Museum…
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Spend a Day Exploring Girona’s Top Attractions
We had slept so soundly it was difficult making a move, but after turning off the alarm clock several times we finally managed to rouse ourselves, coming to life with an invigorating shower followed by a delicious breakfast in the restaurant of the Doubletree by Hilton. Set up for the day, our first stop was…
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Girona City Walls Highlights – Explore the Ancient Ramparts
We’d arranged a short break to the Spanish city of Girona with a lunchtime flight from Bournemouth Airport on Dorset’s south coast. It was our third time using this airport and it’s always a pleasure as there are plenty of airside facilities and no queues. Our Ryanair flight departed on time with a full load…
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