Rome

So, I had a little pre-Christmas adventure to Rome. It was lacking in Christmas markets (if you want those I highly recommend Berlin), but is steeped in history.

I went with family and we bought tickets for the sightseeing bus, to avoid having to work our way through masses of backstreets. It is nice to be able to plug in the complementary headphones and find out a bit more about the area you are in.

We started out with the Colosseum which cost 12 euros to go inside. It really is quite an impressive Roman structure, that comes complete with disabled access.

Colosseum

The Trevi Fountain is absolutely stunning and definitely worth a visit. I am well informed the best view for photography is at the top of the Church steps in the piazza. It is an immense fountain built against a building and tradition dictates that most visitor throw in a few coins on their visit (money is the one thing they allow you to throw in the fountain).

Trevi Fountain

We visited the Spanish steps, which is at the heart of a good district for shopping.

There are various Basilica (churches) to visit, which are all very elaborate inside. Not being Catholic it intrigued me that each confessional had two spaces for people to confess, to one father/priest. The Churches are historic and ornate with a wide range of smaller chapels around the edge. I saw one that had the body of a previous pope/priest (sorry my Italian isn't good enough to decipher quite who it was) on full display in a glass box. Personally I found that a bit creepy and wondered how sinful it was for me to then take photos of it....

Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore

The Vatican I found rather underwhelming, although I only stayed in the square. The entry for the basilica is free but the queue is massive. Instead I went to the port-a-cabin post office and sent myself a post card. I imagined the whole thing to be a lot shinier on the outside and they had a nativity that just confused me - think several different, unrelated stories all in the same scene. My friend pre-booked a ticket through an agent to go to the Wednesday morning audience with the Pope.

Vatican City

We stayed near Terminii station, which although conveniently located is full of hawkers and beggars (I think one side of the station was worse than the other). Our hotel was really lovely though and there were lots of restaurants nearby to eat in. My favourite was a place called Roadhouse which was inside the station, it is a grill house and the burgers and desserts were so good. However, avoid a place called A-café inside the station - the staff there are unbelievably rude and unhelpful.

Dessert at Roadhouse

There is a direct express train from the airport to Terminii that costs 14 euros and runs really frequently. I would recommend this over getting a shuttle bus or coach as it also is quicker when the traffic is bad.

Rome is a lovely city, full of Roman history. There is a lot that we didn't get to go and see in the short time we were there, but it was worth a visit.

Portsmouth

So my latest adventure took me to Portsmouth and 48 hours wasn't long enough.

I bought an all-attraction ticket for about £40, which is valid for a whole year and gives you entry to all the museums in the dockyard, harbour tours and access to museums in Gosport (via a waterbus).

There is so much to see in Portsmouth. The historical dockyards are close to Gunwharf keys, which is a place to eat and shop depending on your desire. It is an outlet shopping centre, complete with a cinema.

The dockyards are home to numerous museums and boats. You can visit HMS Warrior 1860 - the first iron hulled warship. There is also HMS Victory, the boat where Nelson died, but with very low ceilings, so mind your head! It is interesting to be able to walk the way throughout the boat and see how old warships operated. There is a museum dedicated to the remains of the Mary Rose, a boat owned by Henry VIII. It is specially built to house the remains, with an air lock so you can get a better view and all the artefacts are on the right floor of the museum in relation to where they would have been on the boat. There are also a whole host of museums that we didn't have time to visit.

HMS Warrior

HMS Victory

Mary Rose Museum

I also went up the Spinnaker tower, a 100m (360ft) viewing tower. The lift takes you to the first level, which is a dedicated viewing floor with a glass plate in the floor. You can then walk up to a café on the second floor and an open top sky garden on the third floor. The view was pretty good, especially given the weather. The tower has been sponsored by Emirates, and is only a bit short of a full 360 degree view.

The harbour tour was also very interesting as Portsmouth is a naval base. Fully commentated and just under an hour long, it gave a view of just how many navy and commercial ships use Portsmouth Harbour. We passed the new aircraft carrier and learning about it was fascinating. There are also cargo ships around, one delivering 26 million bananas - and that was considered a small boat - the bigger one brings 40+ million. The boat was fully furnished with a bar and toilets and lots of indoor and outdoor seating.

In Gunwharf keys you can find a whole host of restaurants and places to eat, with a view over the harbour. It is located beside the main train, bus and ferry terminal, so is very accessible. You can go from there to Gosport, the Isle of Wight and even get a train into London. We stayed a little bit out of the town centre and came in on a bus, which was regular and took cash or contactless payments.

You need a good week to do Portsmouth justice and visit all the museums. The tickets are valid for a year, so you can go back as many times as yo wish over the following 12 months and I am definitely hoping to go again, at least once, in that time. There are so many things to see and do in Portsmouth that the all attraction ticket is actually a great bargain. I believe it gives you access to 11 museums, harbour tours and waterbus to the other museums elsewhere in the harbour. You can also buy a ticket that covers all attractions and the tower, for just a little bit extra in cost.

Tall Ships

A boat figurehead

24 Photos of food and drink to make your mouth water

Pub starter platter, Sarrett

Burger from the Country Club

Breakfast at Bills

Carbonara at my favourite café in Eastbourne

Fish and Chips - a must for any seaside visit

Afternoon Tea at Frithsden Vinyard

Fine Dining

Fine Pudding

Cocktails at the Shard

Fusciardis - the best ice cream parlour ever, Eastbourne

Hot Chocolate is a great drink on a cold day

Who wouldn't want a Full English Breakfast from a local cafe

Pudding in Paris

Sri Lanka fruit platter

Mix plate

South Indian Masala Dosa

Indian mix platter

Chicken Satay in Sri Lanka

Beautiful paneer and mushroom curry at Lords, Negombo, Sri Lanks

Starters at Sydney Tower

Dessert at Sydney Tower 

Cupcake Central, Melbourne

Pancake Parlour, Melbourne

Airbourne

Airbourne is an annual free airshow in Eastbourne. I discovered it by accident at the end of my 1st year at university and have been every year since. It runs every August from a Thursday to a Sunday and if you get good weather, makes for a good day trip. If the weather is cold and cloudy then it can result in restricted displays and  a cold seat on the beach.

Arrival of the Red Arrows

In good weather the beach is packed out, with people bringing their own chairs, blankets and picnics. There is also a market running on the promenade so that buying food, drink and ice cream is easy. If you walk up to the Western Lawns then there is the airshow village, home to a stationary Chinook, military and charity stands, as well as recruitment tents and simulators.

The airplanes fly over the sea, viewed from the beach. The planes tend to use the bandstand as the centre point, but make it quite far out in both directions and can be viewed from Beachy Head. A frequent flier tends to be the red arrows, who either open or close most days, whilst also flying at other airshows around the country. Other regulars are the Breitling Wing Walkers, Battle of Britain Memorial flight (which was unfortunately grounded this year) and some fighter jets, which are my personal favourite.

Airbourne celebrated 25 years this year commemorated by its special programme, although you can buy one every year. You can get daily flight times each day and there is a dedicated radio station for the event.

Shops tend to stay open a bit later for the airshow, or hold raffles and sell more aeroplane related products. The cafes and restaurants fill up with visitors, selling meals or snacks as you wish. For us, a visit always includes a visit to the sweet shop, to buy fudge, honeycomb, rock and other favourites.

Eastbourne is accessible by train from London Victoria, or there is a park and ride for the event operated in a field somewhere. If you want to stay, you need to book your hotel early, as bookings rise during the event and many of Eastbourne's B&B's fill up fast.

During the summer, there are other beach-side airshows, all with similar planes attending, so it is not just restricted to Eastbourne, but for us it is the closest and easiest to get to and I get to visit my friends (occasionally) at the same time.

Eastbourne has a lot of other weekend events throughout the year, so it is worth looking at the tourist website to see what is on next.

'This is Our World' Exhibition

I have been to a free exhibition in London by Art World Conservation which is being held over 3 weeks. It is displaying 11 life sized paintings of endangered animals, providing information about them alongside each picture.

Words and photos cannot truly describe the enormity and detail of these paintings, all painted by the same artist on canvas. Some paintings are so big you can see where 2 pieces of canvas are attached.

Below are a few of the many endangered animals and a little bit of information on them:

Zebra

There are 3 species of Zebra, with the Grevy Zebra being most endangered of the 3. The others being plains and mountain zebra. They are all found in Africa and there are thought to be around 2000 Grevy Zebra left in the wild.

Sloth 

Sloth's are found in the rainforests of South/Central America and eat plants and leaves which provide them with little energy, helping to justify the 20 hours they spend asleep each day and why they move so slowly. They have natural predators, as well as the decline in the rainforest due to deforestation.

African Bull Elephant

Elephants are most often poached for their ivory tusks in Africa which are then sold on. Elephants are killed in order for their tusks and this is cause for the decline of the wild elephant population.

Polar Bears

The melting ice of the Arctic is having an impact on the entirety of its food chain. As the food chain fails, the Polar Bears become malnourished and the population drops.

There are also images and information on Rothschild giraffes, great white sharks, gorillas and a whole host of other animals. Once these animals are lost from the wild, there will be no way to get them back, so conservation has to be part of the way forward.

The exhibition is in London until August 25th 2017, free and open from 10am-8pm. If you have the chance to go and see them, I believe they are being auctioned off at a private event, then I would recommend it. Otherwise, you can see the paintings on their website which there is a link to above. 

Better Known London

Having done a blog post on Lesser Known London, it is only fair that I do one on Better Known London.

There is lots of things to do and places to see in London, some free and others costly.

London Southbank

View from the Shard

The London Eye provides a great view of London as does the restaurant at the Shard. The London eye is best pre-booked to save you joining the ticket line queue and the restaurant at the Shard requires pre-booking too. They are best on sunny days and clear nights, both times of day providing beautiful views out to the horizon.

There is also London Aquarium and the London Dungeons on Southbank, both can have tickets bought at the door. The aquarium is brilliant and makes for a nice trip out, whilst the Dungeons are a great (if not slightly scary) experience that I would highly recommend. I found that Madame Tussauds was slightly over-rated, but the wax works are highly realistic. It is definitely a place to go with a group of people to make the most of the visit.

You may also wish to visit Buckingham Palace, but google the times of the Changing of the Guard as it is something worth going to see. Occasionally there are events at the mall (like the London marathon finish line), but its only really an issue if you are driving. 

Hyde Park is home to lots of events, as well as being a pretty park. It is home to the better of the London Christmas markets: Winter Wonderland and a whole host of events that you can look up online.

If you are so inclined you can go and see the Houses of Parliament and if they are not sitting you can go on tours too, but you would need to look online. It made an interesting day when we went to visit. You can also go down Whitehall and peer through the gates at 10 Downing Street.

If you want somewhere for experiences then I recommend Leicester  Square and Covent Garden. The latter has markets, bars and street entertainers to keep you entertained when you visit.

There are also loads of museums with free entry. To name a few: Victoria and Albert, Natural History, Science, and Imperial War museum are just a few that are worth a visit with free entry. You can also go to Greenwich to see the Royal Observatory and the boat. Museums are a great place to go for a cheap day out and especially good if the weather is not showing you favour.

A sight you won't see anymore in the Natural History Museum

London is full of places to go and makes for a great day out. There is so much to do, but it is also worth looking online to see what events there are when you visit. London is also full of theatres, often with spare seats available for matinees. So, once you have decided what you want to see head to the box office as often their tickets are cheaper than online and they may even give you a discount (I once got a half price ticket for a Thursday lunchtime showing, from the theatres own box office a day or to earlier).

There are also lots of parks, as well as Hyde Park, there is St James' Park and Primrose Hill, which is near London Zoo. These are lovely places to go for a picnic or to enjoy the sunshine. London also has lots of commons and green areas, so you can find some solace while you are in the big city.

London from Primrose Hill

Hidden Hertfordshire

RSPB Rye Meads

I visited RSPB Rye Meads, having used google to find me a list of places I could go. Entry is free but it costs £3 to park your car in the car park if you are not a member. There is a loop trail you can follow, or you can turn back at the one way turnstile. It is wheelchair accessible too. There are lots of hides along the route, in which you can bird spot. I am not an avid bird watcher so I generally didn't stay long in the hides and predominantly all I saw was ducks. You can hire binoculars if you are so inclined and spend as long as you wish bird watching, as long as you know the car park is locked at 5pm (the lady at the desk made that very clear). I spent about 2 and a half hours walking the trail and looking at birds from the hides. It was very pretty and I even got in a little bit of plane spotting.

Paradise Wildlife Park
This is in Broxbourne and is home to some of the world's big cats. The highlight for me was seeing a jaguar cub and a cheetah. I would recommend buying your ticket online as it is cheaper than buying it at the door. I can't say that it was a great day out, although it did come with free parking. If you want to see animals you are better off going to the zoo - either London or Whipsnade. It was quite a small park and I felt sorry for the 2 zebra in the concrete pen. It also annoyed my that there was only one place near the entrance that sold a range of hot food, even if it was at high prices. There are a good few playgrounds for the kids, but at £16 for my online ticket I think it is definitely more of a day out to take small children out with you, as it is smaller than a zoo and maybe just a little bit cheaper.

Aldenham Country Park
This is a lovely place, although a little bit costly to park. It is the home of 10 Aker Wood, complete with associated Winnie the Pooh references. It is a good place to walk round on a nice day and comes complete with a restaurant. There is also a lake with ducks to sit by.

Tring National History Museum
This is a combination of the legacy of the Rothschild's and an association with the Natural History Museum in London. It is full of taxidermies and highly educational. It wasn't as busy as the London museums, but just as good. There is a car park tucked away in a nearby field, which allows you to explore the local area and high street should you wish.

Rickmansworth Aquadrome
Once you find the entrance to the car park, there are two loops you can follow around the reservoir. It is a nice place to go if you want to go for a walk and relax.

Frithsden Vineyard
This is a relatively small vineyard that you have to be careful not to miss and has a rather small carpark. It grows 3 different types of grape and only costs a few pounds to walk round and taste the wines (provided they still have stock). It has a shop where you can buy their wines and they do a very nice afternoon tea.

So given that Hertfordshire is only a short hop from North London and is relatively accessible by train and car, there is a lot to see and do. As always, check where you plan to go online, as sometimes the tickets are cheaper if you buy them online, even for the same day. Plus websites give you useful information about how to get there and parking costs.