Travel
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Yangmingshan National Park and Beitou Hot Springs, Taiwan: A Perfect Nature Getaway in Taipei
We woke at 7.00 am but struggled to get out of bed for another half an hour. Fortunately the monsoon shower head invigorated me and we were soon ready to experience our first breakfast in Taipei. The Green World Grand Nanjing hotel restaurant, located on the 2nd floor was called ‘Find the Life Kitchen’ and had…
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The Presidential Office and Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, Taipei: Exploring Taiwan’s Historic Landmarks
Over breakfast we chatted with two ladies on a weekend break from Japan who were sitting at the next table. They had both visited England and one had fond memories of the Cotswolds. We assured them that Japan was high on our list of places to visit, which they thought was nice. Before leaving home,…
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Taipei 101 and the National Palace Museum, Taiwan: A Journey Through Modern Marvels and Ancient Treasures
Drawing the curtains back, it appeared to be a dull morning but thankfully with no rain. The two Japanese ladies we met at breakfast yesterday were around again at the same time this morning so we exchanged pleasantries and wished them a good day. Our plan for the morning was to visit Taipei 101 which until…
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How to Visit Taipei Zoo on the Maokong Gondola: A Fun and Scenic Day Trip in Taipei
It was a bright, sunny morning as we took the MRT to Taipei Zoo Station along the Wenhou (Brown) line for most of the journey. The trains on this line run overground and are driverless, similar to London’s Docklands Light Railway and it was fun sitting at the front having uninterrupted views on our journey.…
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Day Trip from Taipei: Visiting Pingxi and Shifen for Sky Lanterns and Waterfalls
Our plan for today was to travel by train to the small countryside towns of Pingxi and Shifen. Getting there by public transport was quite easy, taking the MRT to Songshan Railway Station from where we caught a mainline train to Ruifang taking 46 minutes (its 34 minutes on the Express train but as the…
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Things to Do in Taipei: Explore Daan Park and Hike Elephant Mountain for the Best City Views
It was lovely warm, sunny morning so after breakfast we strolled along to the Nanjing Fuxing MRT station on the Brown (Wenhu) line. This overground line differs from the others as it runs on tyres on concrete tracks. Alighting at Daan station, a residential area of the city, we walked westbound to Daan Park hoping to…
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The Grand Hotel and Martyrs’ Shrine, Taipei: Discover Taiwan’s Heritage and Historic Landmarks
A relaxing breakfast on our final morning in Taipei, the week has passed in the blink of an eye, we’ve had such a fun filled time, seeing and doing so many different things in beautiful Taiwan. Returning to our room, we packed our belongings together managing to squeeze in numerous packets of Taiwanese Oolong tea…
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Discover Cambridge and its Colleges
An opportunity to visit Cambridge as my husband had a business meeting there recently. I’ve only been to this university city a couple of times and its many years since my last visit. We parked our car at Homerton College where the meeting was taking place so I started my tour of the Colleges here.…
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Poundbury: A New Town with a Difference — Exploring Prince Charles’s Vision for Sustainable Living
As we were visiting the Dorset stretch of the Jurasssic Coast, we decided to take a short detour to Poundbury to see what it looks like for ourselves. Poundbury is a thriving new urban development on the outskirts of Dorchester, West Dorset. The town was commissioned by Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales who outlined…
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Discovering Waterside Leeds: Explore the City’s Revitalised Waterfront
I’d heard that there was more to Leeds than city centre shopping so one sunny morning I took the train there to have a look around. Leeds is located in West Yorkshire and is only a two and a quarter hour rail journey from London King’s Cross station. Instead of leaving Leeds Railway Station from…
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Travelling to Malta
Finding a good deal online for a winter week in Malta seemed irresistible and as it’s somewhere we haven’t already visited it’s an opportunity to explore a ‘new’ country. Flights during the winter are infrequent, so we opted for an early morning departure from Manchester. Rather than risk the weather and drive to the airport…
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Exploring Valletta, Malta: A Complete Guide to the City’s History, Culture, and Attractions
After a good night’s sleep we enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant and then walked the short distance to the Bugibba bus station to catch a bus into Malta’s capital Valletta. It’s possible to take the 31, 45 and 48 buses and the journey takes approximately one hour on each service. Valletta is…
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One Day in Gozo: The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Gozo by Ferry from Malta
Drawing back the curtains we were dismayed to find it was raining heavily and a strong wind was blowing. Not to be deterred, we kept with our original plans and caught a bus (No.221) to the Gozo ferry terminal at Cirkewwa, taking approximately 30 minutes. During the winter months ferries depart for Gozo at 45…
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Sliema Travel Guide: Explore Malta’s Premier Resort Destination
Thankfully, we woke to a bright, sunny morning after yesterday’s heavy rain and strong winds so after breakfast in our hotel we caught a bus to the large resort of Sliema situated in the north east of the island. Buses are frequent but don’t expect to arrive at your destination very quickly as roads are…
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Travel Guide to Mdina: Discover Malta’s Silent City
This is what we had been waiting for – clear blue skies and a warm sunny morning, just perfect for our visit to Mdina which is easily accessible by bus (No.186 taking 45 minutes) from Bugibba. As vehicular access is limited to residents in Mdina, buses stop alongside the Howard Gardens in Rabat which are…
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How to Spend a Perfect Day in St. Julian’s Bay, Malta
Fortunately the warm sunshine is continuing so after breakfast we took the Sliema bus (No.212) as far as Spinola Bay located in St. Julian’s. This charming, photogenic small bay with traditional fishing boats is lined on one side with numerous bars and restaurants and contains the largest proportion of 5 star hotels on the island.…
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Complete Guide to Valletta, Malta – What to See, Do & Eat
A dull, breezy morning for our second visit to the island’s capital, Valletta. Buses from Bugibba run at approximately 15 minute intervals taking about one hour to reach Valletta. Roads are both narrow and congested and the constant stop start motion of the bus always seems to make us feel drowsy. It was bustling as…
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Our final day in Malta
As we had arranged a late evening flight back to the UK we still had a complete day to relax in Bugibba. Check out time was 11.00 am so we popped down to the spa for a post breakfast sauna before vacating our room. We were pleasantly surprised to be able to retain our wristbands…
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Exploring the V&A: What to See at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum
The start of another long weekend in London. Arriving in the capital around lunchtime, I decided to take the Underground to South Kensington so that I could visit the Victoria & Albert Museum which is on Cromwell Road. The Victoria & Albert (V & A) is the world’s leading museum of art and design housing many of…
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Exploring London’s Hidden Gems: The Faraday Museum & The Wallace Collection at Hertford House
A much brighter morning and gladly somewhat milder than yesterday. After taking a train to Victoria from Clapham Junction, the country’s busiest railway station we rode the Underground one stop to Green Park as we wished to visit the Royal Institution on Albemarle Street, just off Piccadilly. In the basement of the Royal Institution you…
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Visiting the Imperial War Museum & Experiencing Chinese New Year in London: A Complete Guide
I’ve visited the Imperial Museum North at Salford Quays, Manchester a couple of times but had not visited the main site in London so on this cold, dreary morning we decided to take a look. The nearest underground station is Lambeth North but this is currently closed whilst the lifts are being replaced so as an alternative,…
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Chinese New Year in London
To round off our weekend in London we headed to Trafalgar Square where a huge festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year (Year of the Rooster) was taking place from 10.00 a.m. No visit to London should take place without visiting this iconic square with Nelson’s Column at its centre surrounded by four lions. Getting…
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Explore the BBC Studios: MediaCityUK Tour Experience in Salford
On a recent visit to Salford Quays we noticed that it was possible to take guided tours of parts of the television and radio studios – so when we returned home we visited the BBC website and booked online. Tours last 90 minutes and cost £11 per person with concessions available. A maximum of 22 visitors are…
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Salford Quays & MediaCityUK Day Guide – What to See, Eat & Do
Salford Quays, Greater Manchester’s waterfront destination is situated just a 15 minute tram ride away from the centre of Manchester, our destination today. An adult return from Piccadilly costs £3 see Metrolink for details and passengers need to take the Eccles line for MediaCityUK. If you are planning on travelling by car there is a large car…
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