Gran Canaria

I booked myself a last minute package holiday to Gran Canaria. I looked at booking each part separately, but the package was cheaper. The weather was lovely and warm, with a breeze. Given it is 'winter' there the weather was brilliant.

San Augustin Beach

I stayed in San Augustin in the south of Gran Canaria, an island that used to grow tomatoes before tourism kicked off. The beach at San Augustin comprised of a beach with dark sand, but the sea was good for paddling in. The promenade runs along the beach and along part of the base of the cliff. The hotel was maybe 150m from the beach - vertically!

I took a trip to Mogan, taking a boat along the coast to get there from Puerto Rico. Mogan is a very pretty little coastal town and is a popular destination for shopping, with a market alongside shops, restaurants and bars. The market definitely came with a Spanish and African flavour but also included more mainstream items. The harbour in Mogan has lots of Yachts and is also home to a wide variety of fish, which were very pretty to watch. The boat had a glass bottom where you could sit in the bottom of the boat with glass panels. On the return journey the boat stopped to feed the fish, so there were a swarm of fish to see.

Mogan

Mogan Harbour

The other thing that you can do in the Canary Islands is take a catamaran trip to look for dolphins and pilot whales. I didn't do this on this trip, but have done it previously and would certainly recommend it. Dolphins and whales are so beautiful and elegant in the wild and it is a nice half a day out.

Watching the fish in Mogan

March is also carnival time in the Canary Islands, something I found out by accident a few years ago, so if you want to catch it look up when and where it is held before you travel.

I spent a lot of time relaxing by the hotel pool. Due to the time of year the water was freezing, but it did warm up come the afternoon. The entertainment team wasn't the best I have encountered, maybe because it is their winter season. The hotel allowed companies in each evening to sell goods. The food was good but as with most buffets in all inclusive, was very similar each night. It was a 10 minute walk down to the shops and bus stops, so it is by no means in an isolated location and you can get out and about if you wish to.

There is a lot less light pollution in the Canary Islands so it is a great place for star gazing too. Gran Canaria originally translated as the island of the big dogs, left behind by the Romans.

Coast of Gran Canaria

The Canary Islands are a perfect place for a bit of winter sun and adventure or relaxation alike. The islands are quite popular with tourists and are pretty accessible. You don't have to do the package holiday thing, but I was after a relaxing break without having to put in a lot of effort myself.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and at this time of year there is a lot of snow, so lots of layers is definitely advisable. I had a great 48 hours in Stockholm, so here are my highlights.

This was a very last minute trip made less than a week before going away to allow me to meet a friend who was having a short stopover. It was cold and there was a lot of snow, but I made the most of the time available to me. I must admit though that I did not venture very far from Central Station and my walking speed was impaired by the snow.

I flew Norwegian Air - a first for me. It was a pretty standard cheap airline. Both Gatwick and Arlanda airports had water fountains for refilling your re-usable water bottles - saving money on buying water and environmentally friendly. To get from Arlanda Airport to Central Station you have 2 options: the train or the bus. The train takes 30 mins but is twice the price of the bus, which took just under an hour. In the interests of saving money I took the bus as I was in no rush.

I walked around the parts of Stockholm closest to the train station. I had not appreciated that Stockholm is built over a umber of islands, although all the canals were frozen as it is winter. Drottningatan is the main shopping street and is very long. I found a cheap hotel along this road, although I forfeited a lot of facilities. At one end of the street is a bridge and road that takes you through the parliament buildings and on to the Royal Palace.

Gamla, or the old town, came highly recommended - it was occupied by more independent shops. I went in search of a Church as I could see it's spire to find Riddarholm Church, which is set on the waterfront. As the water was frozen it provided a stunning view of white. I was not quite brave enough to join the people who ventured out onto the ice, but it was so pretty I took my friend back there specifically when they arrived. I also walked to City Hall which has a 106m high tower and came into use in 1923.

City Hall

Central station consists of bus, train and metro over 3 floors. I met my friend from their train as I was able to make it all the way onto the platform without a ticket. It has a food court, shops and a rather nice waiting area on the top floor. It reminded me a little bit on the inside of New York Central Station, but was more modern on the outside.

Inside Stockholm Central Station

My friend and I did the same circuit I had previously walked and found a lovely little restaurant in Gambla that did a set menu. The food was good and the staff were good.

I treated myself to a spa day at Central Bad, opened in 1904. You can either pay for spa only or get a package. Robe, towels, shoes and a locker are all provided for you. This is also spread over 3 floors: the ground floor has the Jacuzzi and saunas, the first has the main swimming pool and the 2nd has the treatment rooms. I got a package with a 50 minute massage, which I have to say was a good choice. I used all the available facilities and spent about 3 hours at the spa. I had found the spa opposite my hotel when looking up things to do in Stockholm online before I left, so I had gone prepared for a trip to the spa and pool. It had a lovely calm atmosphere and the pool was huge.

CentralBadet's main pool

Contrary to popular belief it was actually more of a challenge to find somewhere that sold 'typical' Swedish food, Tapas and Pizza seeming popular options. I did however find myself meatballs with ligonberries and a Swedish pastry called Semla which had almond paste in.

Semla

Swedish meatballs

I only had 48 hours in Stockholm, so did not make it to any of the museums. There are a collection of museums clustered together on one of the islands, which include a Viking museum and the Abba museum, so I will have to go back one day for those, although maybe not in Swedish winter.

View from Riddarholme

20 Travel Hacks for 2019

1. Take a scarf. A scarf is multi functional and comes in very useful. You can use it to cover up your sunburn, keep you warm, cover up at religious sites and even double up as a hand towel. One item, many uses.
2. Take comfortable footwear. There is nothing worse than going for a full day out in shoes that hurt your feet.
   
3. You don't need to be fluent enough to hold a conversation, but know enough of the local language to be polite. Making the effort to be polite will be appreciated, even if most of the conversation has to be in English.
4. Write down the address of where you are staying. This will help if you get lost or if you are trying to tell a taxi driver where you want to go.
5. Bottled water. Enough said. Make sure you don't get dehydrated if you are out somewhere warm, it's easy to forget to drink water. I bought a large thermos bottle to keep my water cooler for longer whilst travelling in hot climates.
   
6. Get a paper map before you leave the airport. If you didn't travel with one get one. It will not only highlight popular places, but is much more useful for navigating. I have used paper maps to pick out what I want to see in a day and decide on which is the best order. A lot of good travel guides will have paper maps of popular areas, as well as suggestions for things to see.
   
7.  Don't rely on google maps. It got me totally lost and whilst I will use it in the UK, I will not trust it abroad again.
   
8. Carry a worldwide travel adaptor. I have 2 of these and they are so much better than having to get a different one to travel to different places. One item and you are covered for whichever country you end up in. I also recommend a universal sink plug, as not everywhere you go will have one. See My Top 6 Travel Purchases for more useful gadgets to take.
9. Protests may be fun to watch but they are a nuisance if you are trying to get somewhere. Chaos ensues with all the roads they close.
10. Take a reusable cup. I have a silicone collapsible cup, which is light weight, doesn't take up much space but expands out to a large cup. More and more places give you discounts if you take your own cup for takeaway drinks. I have also been known to take my spork away with me. It's also useful if you don't quite trust the crockery.
    
11. If you pack light, you have more space for shopping. One for all the girls out there. Be realistic about what you need to take and try not to take things you are unlikely to use at all. We all do it, but the less you take, the more space you have for souvenir shopping.
    
12. If you have medical supplies/medication carry them in your hand luggage. There is nothing worse than your hold baggage going missing with all your important medication and supplies in. Also, carry medications in their original boxes as it will help if you get your bag searched. However make sure you put your sun cream in your hold luggage due to the 100ml cabin bag restrictions for liquids.
    
13. Take a hoody/jacket. Even if you are going somewhere warm, the plane can get quite cold, so take a hoody and maybe a pair of socks to help you stay warm.
14. Take clothes that mix and match to make a number of outfits. Rather than pack your whole wardrobe, take things that you can mix up to make different outfits for all occasions.
15. Packing cubes/Travel vacuum bags etc help you pack. I took travel vacuum bags which the air rolled out of when I went travelling to help me make the most of the limited space I had available in my bag. My friend used packing cubes and wash bags to keep everything contained. Remember to keep what you might need first easily accessible though for when you arrive.
16.  Roll it, don't fold it. I got this from a book and to be honest was a bit sceptical, but it does work. Rolling your clothes actually reduces volume allowing you to pack more. When I spent 3 months travelling I rolled all my clothes before I packed them into a vacuum bag and I haven't looked back since.
17.  Consider if wheels help or hinder. Suitcases have their advantages but they also have their downfalls. I was very much pro-suitcase when I travelled before. Suitcases are great for a beach holiday, however if you are travelling they can be a lot more effort than they are worth. If you are somewhere with lots of staircases, or worse, cobblestones then a suitcase is a bad idea. I took a camping rucksack on my 3 month travels and was pleasantly surprised. It was easy to pick up and go, took up less space than a suitcase, was very durable and as I was carrying it, stairs and uneven ground were not an issue.
    
18. Layers - enough said. Take layers, regardless of your destination. Some of the hottest countries get a bit chilly by night, plus you need to remember what season it is when you arrive back home. Layers will make it easier to adjust if you are too warm or too cold.
    
19. Carry a light waterproof. Unless you are going somewhere cold when you will need a thicker waterproof. Always stick a lightweight waterproof in your bag for those unexpected showers or to keep you warm if its a bit windy. Remember it rains in hot places too and should you meet monsoon season.... well enough said.
20. Share your experiences Whether you keep a diary or write a blog or just tell your friends over coffee. I started to journal after a friend at University told me I should and the blog started at the request of friends who wanted to know what I was up to when I spent 3 months abroad. Keeping a record for yourself also helps you save those precious memories.

Thank you to everyone who made suggestions for inclusion in this blog post.

Vienna, Austria

I am a great fan of a good Christmas market and therefore went to Vienna, which was very very cold for a few days. Austria is a German speaking country, meaning their markets are also very close to the high standard set by my trip to Berlin several Christmas' ago.

At the airport we purchased 72 hour travel cards (24 and 48 hours also available) for about 25 euros. We also had to pay a couple of euros extra to initially get the train into the city and again to return to the airport. Whilst we didn't need to show our ticket each time we used the metro and tram, you did need one for random checks. The inspectors circled the exit and it felt a bit like you would get rugby tackled if you failed to show a ticket.

Vienna is home to a lot of palaces. We brought a 'Sisi ticket' for 30 euros, which gave us access to 3 of the palaces with audio guide tours included. We visited Schönbrunn and Hofburg Palaces, home to Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth (also called Sisi). They were both very elegant and beautiful places, one of which also had stunning grounds. The Hofburg has the silver collection on display, with thousands of pieces intricately crafted for the royalty dinners. It then moves into the Sisi museum which tells of Empress Elisabeth, who travelled a lot and was murdered in Geneva. She was also the Queen of Hungary and her coronation dress was on display. It ended with the imperial apartments where they lived. The audio guides where very informative and you typed in the number for what you are looking at.

Schonbrunn Palace

Gloriette

The Hofburg

St Stephan Domkirche (cathedral) stands on the ruins of 2 other Churches. It has a unique multi-coloured tile roof.

Pulpit stairs

The tiled roof

We visited the Liberation Monument, erected by the Russians during their occupation after WW2.

We took the metro to the river Danube and walked to the metro on the island in its centre. It was a bit overcast, but there was a nice view and lots of big boats moored up.

The hotel we stayed in near Strudelhof Palais had a roof terrace with a brilliant view of the city. Next door are the art nouveau steps leading up to the palace. It was a rather steep staircase and overlooked the Liechtenstein Palace and grounds just down the road.

Liechtenstein Palace

Art Nouveau Stairs

The Prater Ferris-wheel is something I certainly recommend. It cost 10 euros for a 10-15 minute circuit. We went at twilight and the wheel gives great views of Vienna, with the advantage of a display of what you can see. It also had the best souvenir shop of all those I had seen whilst in Vienna.

We visited a lot of Christmas markets, all of which had their own mugs. For a deposit you get your drink in a mug, then either return it and get the deposit back, or keep the cup. My favourite mug was from the market in Maria-Theresia Square. However, the market at the Rathaus was the best of them all. It was the biggest market and the Christmas lights were amazing with the town hall lit as its backdrop.

Rathaus Market

The food in Vienna was also really good and the cakes were just so worth it. Torte, Schnitzel and soo much cake.

#Christmas@Kew 2018

This is solely a photo blog after I went to see the Christmas Lights in Kew Garden in London. It took us just over 2 hours to walk round the mile route, but look at all the shiny lights we saw. I brought an off peak ticket, which saved me a fortune, all by going on a Thursday. If you want to drive, parking costs an extra £7 and sells out fast.

Enjoy.....