Travel
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How to Spend a Day in Praia da Luz from Lagos: Sun, Sea & Coastal Charm
Yet another warm, sunny morning so after breakfast we wandered over to the nearby Lagos bus station about five minutes walk away to take a 20 minute journey in a westerly direction to Praia da Luz. Tickets are very cheap on the Onda local service costing €1.60 for an adult single journey payable from…
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How to Spend a Day in Silves by Train from Lagos: History, Castles & Riverside Charm
I woke up briefly during the night to what sounded like hailstones out on the terrace but when we opened the curtains at 8.00 am we discovered our tiled balcony and white patio furniture were coated in a mixture of mud and grit. It must have rained heavily and as our room is on the…
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Taking the Train to Faro from Lagos: A Perfect Algarve Day Trip Guide
Although we flew into Faro airport last Saturday we didn’t see anything of Faro itself and as it’s an historic city as well as being the capital of the Algarve we thought it would be a good place to visit. Trains from Lagos to Faro take 1 hour 50 minutes and an adult return journey…
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How to Visit Alvor from Lagos, Portugal: What to See and Do in This Charming Coastal Town
Our plan on this warm, sunny morning was to visit Alvor by bus. It’s less than 30 minutes away from Lagos but buses are infrequent so we decided to enjoy a morning sauna before heading to the bus station for the 12.00 noon service. Buses to Alvor are on comfortable express coaches run by Eva…
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Walk Around Lagos, Portugal: Discover the Top Sights and Hidden Gems on Foot
Our last complete day in Lagos so we decided to complete our tour of this charming town. Starting by the marina we strolled along the seafront to the municipal market hall which was bustling with locals buying fresh produce for the weekend. Unlike other markets we’ve come across in the Algarve, this one has a…
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Our final day in the Algarve
There was plenty of time to relax over breakfast before checking out of our hotel the Tivoli. We’d arranged a transfer back to Faro airport as it wouldn’t have been possible to return by public transport on a Sunday morning. This has been our first holiday in the Algarve, would we return? Yes, we certainly would.…
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How to Enjoy an Autumn Stroll Around Burley-in-Wharfedale
Burley-in-Wharfedale is a village situated in the beautiful Wharfedale valley in West Yorkshire. It’s located eleven miles north west of Leeds and two miles from the market town of Otley. I arrived by train as Northern run regular services on the Wharfedale Line from both Leeds and Bradford, the journey taking around 25 minutes. The…
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Ilkley Street Circuit Cycling Evening Review: What to Expect and Highlights
An evening of town centre cycle racing first took place in Ilkley in 2014 as part of a festival of cycling prior to the Tour de France cycle race passing through the town. The evening was a such a huge success it was decided to make it an annual event in the town. There are…
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Guide to a Day at Beningbrough Hall, York: History and Gardens
This year Beningbrough is celebrating its 300th anniversary, it’s an 18th century Italian styled country house and we thought it might be a good opportunity to visit. Located 8 miles north of York just outside the village of Beningbrough we found ample parking on the day of our visit. The inspiration for Beningbrough Hall originated…
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Bournemouth Air Festival Review: Highlights, Tips, and What to Expect
The Bournemouth Air Festival takes place in August each year featuring air displays over four days. There is no admittance charge to the festival and thousands of plane lovers flock to this Dorset resort on the south coast of England to watch the extravaganza, so this year we decided to join them and take a…
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My Journey to Helsinki
The start of our summer holidays and whilst most Britsh families head south to the Mediterranean we always head north to Finland. You may find this somewhat strange but actually southern Finland generally enjoys warm sunny weather during the summer months, warm enough for trips to the beach and for swimming in the crystal clear…
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Travel Guide to Tapiola, Espoo: Finland’s Garden City
A leisurely start to the day after arriving here late last night. Waking to warm sunshine after so many cold days at home was just what was needed. Our holiday home overlooks a sheltered bay where the air is fresh and all around it’s so peaceful and green. I call it my ‘summer paradise’ as…
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How to Spend a Day in Tallinn While Visiting Helsinki: A Quick Guide to Estonia’s Capital
During the night we experienced a thunderstorm with heavy rain but thankfully it had passed by morning although it was a dull start to the day. After an early breakfast we travelled into Helsinki in order to take the 8.30 am Eckerö Line ferry across to Tallinn in Estonia. Over the years we’ve made many…
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Walking the Oulunkylä to Arabianranta Nature Trail in Helsinki: A Scenic Urban Escape
After taking the bus into Helsinki this morning we walked across to the Central Railway Station and travelled the short distance to Oulunkylä from where we started our nature trail (local trains are included in the regional travel pass). The gravel path passes the ornate pink Oulunkylä Seurahuone (a cafe, but currently closed for renovation)…
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Exploring Helsinki
A brighter start to the day so after breakfast we took a bus into Kamppi and our first stop this morning was to the Laituri museum just across the square from the bus station. This museum houses Helsinki City Planning Department’s exhibitions and on display at the moment is an exhibition on cycling in the city…
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How to spend a day on Lauttasaari Island, Helsinki
Back to sunshine this morning so we decided to take a walk around Lauttaasaari Island which lies between Espoo and Helsinki. Lauttasaari means ‘ferry island’ but nowadays the island is connected to the mainland by a series of bridges and causeways. On National Poet’s Day, and whenever it’s a National Day in Finland, Finnish flags…
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Guide to Helsinki University Botanical Garden
A sunny day in the capital so our first stop this morning was to the Helsinki University Botanical Garden in Kaisaniemi not far from the city’s Central Railway Station. Since our last visit two years ago the gardens have been undergoing a large rebuilding programme which is yet to be completed. I was surprised how…
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Helsinki Travel Guide: Exploring Keilaniemi and Kamppi Chapel
A short walk from our holiday apartment lies Keilaniemi. Located here overlooking the bay are the headquarters of some large companies including Kone and Neste Oil. There is a pleasant promenade to walk or cycle along and towards the far end you will find a lunch restaurant with an outside terrace called Keilalahden Ranta where we sometimes like…
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Why You Should Take the Metro in Helsinki to Vuosaari: Scenic Views, Beaches and Cafes
Another sunny day so we planned a trip to Helsinki’s eastern suburb of Vuosaari. To get there we caught a bus into Kamppi from where we connected to the metro for our journey, Vuosaari being the final stop on the line taking just 20 minutes. Leaving the metro station we glanced in the Columbus shopping…
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Travel Guide: Walking from Helsinki Market Square to Katajanokka
The day began with a farewell to my older son who was leaving on a Finnair flight to Rome this morning to meet up with his friends and embark on a sailing holiday along the Italian coast. This meant I had most of the day to myself before my husband was due to arrive later.…
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Visiting Savonlinna in the Finnish Lake District
This morning we travelled to Savonlinna in south eastern Finland, which is located quite near to the Russian border. The journey takes just over five hours by either train or coach. In previous years we have travelled by train but this time we opted to travel by coach as Onnibus have started to operate this…
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Enjoying life at the summer cottage on Lake Saimaa
We slept until late this morning, it’s so peaceful here at the Finnish summer cottage. After enjoying a brunch of pancakes with strawberries and yoghurt we relaxed on the terrace awhile soaking up the beautiful views. We decided to take some exercise and go for a walk to pick some berries and mushrooms. Fortunately for…
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Kongosaari Island Ferry
What an enjoyable existence, fresh blueberries and yoghurt for breakfast followed by a car journey into Savonlinna. We arrived on to the island by boat but today we were travelling by car so we needed to take the ferry across to the mainland. This ferry is very unusual, it only holds a maximum of four…
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Sauna at the Finnish Summer Cottage
No visit to a Finnish summer cottage is complete without a visit to the sauna. Finland has approximately five million inhabitants and around three million saunas. It’s a way of life here, to relax, spend time with friends and warm up in mid-winter. The majority of homes have their own sauna and, if not, there…
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