Hey guys! I am back again with another travel/interrailing post. I think I am going to keep alternating between my interrailing posts and other content just so that all my posts aren’t really samey, but it’s going to be next summer by the time I get all these interrail posts done!

Anyway, today’s post is about Vienna which was the next place we travelled to after Prague. We arrived in Vienna quite late in the afternoon and our hostel was a nightmare. It was in a good location, but of all the hostels we stayed in it was by far the worst. The room was so basic and the other people in our room were genuinely terrifying! We were scared to sleep there so I definitely would not recommend it, it was called the A&O Hostel. We headed straight out into Vienna to avoid the hostel and had an explore around the city centre. We first visited the Hofburg Imperial Palace which is amazing, it is absolutely huge and so beautiful. Around this area the architecture is unbelievable, there are so many massive, ornate buildings that are really breath-taking as well as countless statues and monuments. At the Hofburg Palace there is loads to see and do, including lovely gardens and a butterfly house. We also saw the Austrian Parliament which was really cool, as it was one of the few places we visited where we saw the parliament. After this we visited the Spanish Riding School just to have a look around. I had never heard of it before but it is really iconic and if you can catch one of the shows there I’m sure it would be amazing. After this, we headed more into the area where the shops are in the city centre. We explored a few shops, as well as the beautiful Cathedral where we lit a candle which was really nice. We then stopped for some food outside one of the many restaurants, enjoying traditional Wiener schnitzel and fried chicken. The city was even more beautiful as the sun began to set, and we enjoyed wandering around with a delicious ice cream. We really wanted to go to the Hard Rock Café but it was so expensive, so we sat outside a pub next door and had pints and played card games. Nearby was the Danube Canal which is lit up at night, which was beautiful for a walk along at this time. After a wander along the canal, we decided to head back to the hostel (which we spent as little time as possible in).

We survived the night in the hostel, and got up bright and early for what turned out to be another of my favourite days of the whole trip. We headed to the Schoenbrunn Palace, another stunning palace which has so many things to do, including a Zoo! First of all we had a look round the palace and it’s gardens, and it really was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. In the middle of the gardens you can find the Zoo, which we decided to pay to go in. We thought because it was in the gardens it would be small and not take up much of our day, but it is massive and we spent a lot of our day there because we loved it! It is definitely the best zoo I’ve ever been to, it just had everything from elephant training shows to a bat cave room – it was amazing. We were in the zoo from 10am until 4pm and we honestly just had the best time, I can’t recommend it enough.

When we eventually left the zoo, we headed back through the gardens. There is a big hill you can climb behind the palace with a stunning monument at the top, and also one of the best views of Vienna. You can see for miles and it is amazing.

After this, we headed to a nearby theme park which we didn’t even know existed! When we bought tickets for the zoo, we bought a package which also included going on a big wheel. We didn’t realise but the wheel was actually in a theme park, which was huge! I would really recommend going there as there was so many rides, and something for everyone. We were both starving so we decided to get something to eat before going on the wheel, and we came across a ‘Rollercoaster Restaurant’ in the theme park. It was honestly the coolest thing ever, you ordered your food and drinks and they came to you on a rollercoaster. I thought it would just be a novelty thing but honestly the concept was so good, and the food was actually really nice too!

Once we had dinner we decided to explore the theme park a little bit more, as we wanted to go on the wheel once it was dark. When we came to go on the wheel it was actually really good, there’s an exhibition about the history of it and it’s actually really interesting- the wheel has been through a lot! Once we got onto the wheel though I actually really didn’t like it, I got really anxious I have no idea why because I’m not usually scared of heights! The views were amazing, but I was glad to be back on dry land afterwards. It was pretty late by the time we got off the wheel, so we decided to head back as our next train was another early one!

Vienna actually turned out to be one of my favourite places. There’s so much to do and I think it is a really beautiful place to visit, at any time of the year.

I have had a crazy few weeks working and getting sorted for going back to uni and I am finally settled in my new house in Leeds. I was going to write a slightly different post today either about uni or maybe beauty related, as my past few have been travel related. However, I actually started writing this post on the 5th September and forgot all about it so I decided to just finish this from my drafts today and do something different next week.

The next place on my series of interrailing travel posts is the one I was most excited about writing, as it was my favourite place we visited. The Czech republic is honestly one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever seen, Prague was amazing and so were the national parks we went through on the train on the way there. The hostel we stayed in was called the Czech Inn and it was lovely and clean and in a really good location I would definitely recommend it. It also had a really lively bar which was full of other interrailers and sold very cheap pints.

We went straight out to start exploring the city and it soon became apparent how pretty Prague really is. From the architecture to the scenery, it really is just a breath-taking place. The old town square is iconic and you have to be there on the hour to see the astronomical clock do it’s thing. Although it’s not the most amazing thing in the world, seeing the crowds that gather to watch is really amazing. There are also stalls in the square selling all kinds of treats as well as some lovely restaurants which have a really nice vibe around them as the square is always bustling. We had one of my favourite meals of our whole trip in one of these restaurants, directly opposite the astronomical tower. I had the most delicious prawns, and we had front row seats for the hourly display of the clock. For pudding we got Trdelnik from one of the stalls. These are the most delicious sweet breads, with ice cream nuts and strawberries inside, and you can get them pretty much everywhere in Prague- even inside the walls of the castle!

We headed to the riverside for sunset and the Charles Bridge and seeing the beautiful view across the river at sunset was a once in a lifetime experience. We then headed back to the hostel for drinks in the bar before heading to bed, ready for a busy day the next day.

We woke up early and I was so excited to explore more of Prague. We headed to the castle which is on the other side of the river and explored the Royal Gardens before we went into the grounds of the castle. We paid for tickets to look around various areas of the castle and I would really recommend doing this as it was beautiful and the history around it is so interesting. For an extra fee you can climb to the top of the tower, which was hard work, but worth it for the stunning view of Prague. There are also market stalls inside the castle where you can try all kinds of Czech delights, I had a potato dish and a Czech cider which were both delicious. If you are feeling brave you can go down into the castle dungeons and have a look around there too.

After leaving the castle, we started exploring that side of the river. We came across the John Lennon pub and the John Lennon wall, which are a must see if you are a fan of John Lennon and The Beatles. The wall is especially beautiful, it’s filled with inspirational graffiti and its amazing to see people from all over the world contributing.

After exploring, we decided to head back over the bridge and eat near the square again as it was such a lovely atmosphere. We chose an Italians, where we enjoyed pizza and prosecco as I also found out my uni results that day. A festival had been set up in the square where there was jazz music playing, which we stood and listened too for a while too which was a really nice vibe.

It was a early night then up early for our next train as although our time in Prague was amazing, it was only short. Prague is a beautiful place and it really surprised me, and I would love to visit again one day.

The next place in my series of interrailing posts is Berlin.

Berlin was the third place we travelled to, and it was completely different from the chilled vibes in Amsterdam. We stayed in the One80 hostel which is located near Alexanderplatz and I would really recommend this hostel if you are travelling to Berlin. It was full of interrailers and it had a really nice vibe, there was even a pub crawl every night from the hostel which is a great way to make friends if you are travelling alone. Alexanderplatz is also a great place to stay, this area has some of the best nightlife in the city and Alexanderplatz itself has a great atmosphere about it. When we were there, there was an African festival on in the square with market stalls, food and drink and even a stage with live performers which was amazing to experience. This market was a great place to try currywurst, which was one of my favourite German foods we tasted. The square is overlooked by the Ferneshturm tower which is one of the largest in Europe. After unpacking and exploring Alexanderplatz, we headed into Berlin city centre which is just a short walk away. It seems like everywhere you turn there is a spectacular building or something to do, there is even a man made beach in the city centre! We headed to Checkpoint Charlie, where nearby there is an extremely interesting exhibit about the Berlin wall. It is so interesting to find out about the history of Berlin and everything that went on there, and there are even parts of the wall still standing that you can see. Checkpoint Charlie is a must see, although it did annoy me a bit that you had to pay to take a picture with it. We then headed to the Bebelplatz, another breath-taking square framed by stunning buildings all around. We struggled to find somewhere affordable and nice to eat, but we eventually found an area inside a shopping centre where there was a few nice restaurants. After tea, we headed back to Alexanderplatz where we had drinks at the festival and watched some of the live singers on stage. We then headed back to the hostel for more drinks, which is a much cheaper way of drinking as they have lots of drinks deals!

The next day we woke up early, as Berlin is such a big city there is so much to see. We had breakfast from one of the market stalls in Alexanderplatz before walking along to the Brandenburg gate. It was really busy around this area, and we were so confused what was going on- until we realised the crowd were all Metallica fans as they were playing a concert in Berlin that night. After that, we made our way to the Reichstag building, passing a memorial to the Gypsies murdered in the holocaust. There are so many beautiful memorials around Berlin that you come across while you are exploring, and they are really worth taking a look at. The Reichstag building is obviously magnificent, we couldn’t believe how big it was! We then walked on to where there is a Soviet War Memorial, one of the most spectacular memorials we saw. Just along the road from the Brandenburg gate and the memorials, you will find the Victory Column which is another giant structure in the middle of a roundabout. You can access it through subways that go under the road and get a great view of the Brandenburg gate from it. Heading towards the Potsdamer Platz, we passed more beautiful statues and pretty parks. We stopped at a Mexican restaurant for lunch where we had nachos and fajitas before heading back out. Near the Potsdamer Platz you can find the Mall of Berlin, which is one of the most amazing shopping malls I’ve ever seen. The design of the building is amazing, and it contains so many designer shops from Karl Lagerfeld to Louis Vuitton, and even Tesla. It also has a slide which you can ride from the top floor to the bottom, and flying carousel horses hanging from the ceiling. We carried on to the Topography of Terror, another harrowing exhibition about the war. On the way, we actually passed Berlin Fashion Week where you could see the catwalks being live streamed on big screens outside which was really cool. We also visited Hitler’s bunker, which now has a car park built over the top of it, but there is an information plaque there which is really interesting to read. From here, we headed to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe which is another stunning memorial which is a must see. It started absolutely pouring of rain at this point, but I was determined to go to the East Side Gallery as it was one of the things I most wanted to see in Berlin. It is quite difficult to get to on the metros, but it is well worth the trip as the murals are absolutely amazing. However, it is also all outside so we got absolutely soaked and ended up having to just get an Uber back to our hostel. Once we got into our warm clothes we didn’t want to go back into the rain, so we decided to just eat in the hostel that night. We got beers and pizza in the hostel before having an early night as our train to Prague was early the next day.

Berlin was actually one of my least favourite places we went, but it was still great in it’s own way. Although it is very interesting to learn about the history, it is a very serious place and I didn’t like the ‘vibe’ of it as much as other places we went. That being said, there is so much to do and it is still a really amazing and beautiful place- especially if you are interested in history I think you would love it. Although I’m not sure whether I would go back, I’m really glad we visited Berlin.

P.S. I had to include this pic because I’m a child and it makes me lol

If you read my last post, you will know that I am currently writing a series of posts about my interrail travels in July. My previous post was about the first place we visited which was Brussels, today’s post will be about the next place we visited which was Amsterdam.

We arrived in Amsterdam around 3pm and headed straight to Zaandam where we were staying. I could not recommend Zaandam more, it is a really beautiful place to stay if you are going to Amsterdam on a budget. Just a short train ride from Amsterdam, Zaandam is a cute little Dutch town where accommodation is much cheaper and it is a lovely place in itself. There are lots of shops and amenities in the town centre, as well as several hotels. We stayed in the EasyHotel which is just a budget chain hotel, but for the price it was definitely one of the best places we stayed the whole time we were travelling.

Once we were at the hotel, we quickly got showered and ready and took the train into the centre of Amsterdam. The train station is very close to everything in the city centre, so we were able to explore the heart of Amsterdam right away. We spent the evening exploring the city, visiting Dam Square and then stopping for a drink outside a pub in the sunshine. We tried to go to the Hard Rock Café, which is in an amazing canal side location, however it was fully booked so if you want to go there definitely try and book in advance. Instead, we ate at an Irish pub which is located just next door. The food there was pretty good, and a much cheaper way to experience the scenery of the canals while enjoying a meal and some drinks. After our meal, we headed towards the Rijksmuseum. There is some stunning architecture around this area, as well as a beautiful park and the Van Gogh Museum. From here, we then took a tram back to the train station where we headed back to our hotel in Zaandam.

The next day we woke up early and decided to explore Zaandam for a while before we headed back into Amsterdam. It really is a stunning place, with unique architecture and beautiful scenery – it is a shame that a lot of people visit Amsterdam and miss out on seeing Zaandam. At about 10:30am we took the train back into Amsterdam Central for what ended up being one of my favourite days of the whole month we were away. We purchased a combination ticket which allowed us to go up the A’Dam tower and go on the hop on hop off sightseeing canal tour. We first headed to the A’Dam tower, where we also paid the extra 5 euros to ride on the ‘Swing Over the Edge’ which I would really recommend doing. You get an amazing view of the city, combined with the thrills of swinging out from a sky scraper building. Even if you don’t fancy the swing, I would recommend the tower as you still get the views and there is a lovely bar up on the rooftop viewing platform. After we got back down on the ground, we then got onto the canal cruise which stops just outside the tower. We also really enjoyed the river cruise, it is a great way to see the city and find out more about it’s history as well as experiencing a trip along the canal. Once we got off the canal, we then took a walk around to see some more of the sights such as the famous Anne Frank Huis. After our busy day, we found another canalside restaurant, this time an Italians, where we had a lovely meal. We then headed to Wynand Fockink, a bar which was recommended to us by many people who had visited Amsterdam.

Sadly after this, we had to head back to Zaandam as we were up very early the next day for our train to Berlin which will be my next post.

Amsterdam was not what I expected at all, but it is a beautiful and chilled city where you can enjoy amazing food and stunning views as well as many hidden gems.

I have been in desperate need of some inspiration for a new blog post, and what better inspiration than going travelling for a month! It’s been months since I last posted, partly because I’ve been quite busy recently and also because I have been lacking in inspiration of what to write about.

On the 1st of July, me and my boyfriend left home for a month to go and explore Europe interrailing and it is one of the best things I have ever done! I honestly can’t recommend this experience enough, so I wanted to write some posts about the places we went and the things we did. As we went to so many places and did so much, I am going to break it down by each place that we went so that it is not a crazy long post about everything we did in a month.

Today’s post is about our first stop, Brussels! I will be doing another post with tips and tricks about interrailing, with everything from booking everything including information of what passes we got etc to tips for when you are there, so I am going to leave that information out of this post. If you are interested, keep an eye out for that post in the future.

As I’ve already said, we left on the 1st of July. A good thing about the interrail pass if you live in the UK is that on the first day you can use it within the UK. This means that you can get a train from wherever you live to London, where you can then get on the Eurostar across to mainland Europe. We took the Eurostar to Brussels. The journey was a long one from our home in Newcastle down to London, and then across to Brussels so when we got to Brussels the first thing we did was found somewhere to sit outside and have a drink. We also had to wait to check into our Air BnB so we had some time to kill. When we eventually checked into our Air BnB it was around 5pm so we both had a shower and got ready to go into the centre of Brussels. My first impression of Brussels was not the best, it seemed very industrial and urban with graffiti everywhere and a lot of grey buildings. However, the closer we got to the centre it started to grow on me more. Dirty-looking graffiti turned into spectacular wall murals and boring streets turned into cobbled ones with little independent shops. The first sight we saw was the Mannekin Pis which is so funny, it is basically just a statue of a boy having a wee but it is one of the biggest sights in Brussels! I couldn’t believe how many people there was standing taking pictures of the hilarious fountain. If you follow the street where the Mannekin Pis is, you eventually come to the Grand-Place of Brussels which is the main square in the centre. This is one of the most beautiful places in Brussels, everywhere you look there is a huge breath-taking buildings and the atmosphere is amazing with street performers and restaurants all around. The square becomes even more spectacular at night when it is lit up a stunning magenta colour. We ate at one of the many restaurants on the streets around the square, and we even tried the traditional ‘carbonnade flamande’. This is a beef stew, kind of like beef bourguignon, which is actually really nice. Speaking of Belgian cuisine, we of course tried proper Belgian waffles which were delicious. There are shops selling them all over the city, with pretty much any topping you can imagine.

The next day, we explored more of Brussels and it’s stunning architecture. There are some amazing buildings, such as the Palais de Justice and the Notre Dame there. You can get a beautiful view of the city from the top of the hill, where the Palais de Justice is located. The Royal Palace of Brussels is definitely worth a visit, although it is in a strange location on a roundabout. This roundabout must be one of the most interesting ones I’ve seen as every exit has important and beautiful buildings you can see from the centre of the roundabout. You can also visit the European Quarter where the EU buildings and parliament are located which is very interesting to see. This is also a nice area of Brussels, where you can find a lot of nice bars and restaurants. Another thing I liked about Brussels was there are a lot of beautiful green parks, including the Leopold Park which is located near the EU parliament. Of course, certainly the largest attraction in Brussels is the Atomium. This is a must see if you are visiting Brussels, but I would also highly recommend paying to go inside. I thought it would just be a lift straight up to the top, but once you are inside you realise that each circle within the Atomium has a different exhibition inside and each pole connecting them contains an elevator into the next one. The exhibitions are really interesting, and the view from the top is breath-taking. It is definitely worth the money to go inside, and it was definitely one of the best things we did in Brussels. That night we ate one of my favourite places the whole time we were away, a restaurant called Baogo. This place serves burgers, made with bao buns and served with spicy chips and it is honestly one of the best things I have ever eaten. Another place I would really recommend visiting is the Delirium bars. There are ones for pretty much every alcohol you can imagine, beer, tequila, vodka etc. Basically they just serve drinks of every flavour and type you can imagine, but they also have an amazing atmosphere until the early hours of the morning.

Brussels was not one of the places I was most excited about, but it was a real pleasant surprise. I’m not sure I would go back, but I would definitely recommend it as an interesting and beautiful place to visit with a nice atmosphere and unique things to do.

This post has been a very long time coming! As I explained in my last post I was really busy for a few months, so I have a backlog of posts I have been meaning to write over the last few months. This one has been waiting since the 7th of January when I got back from one of my favourite trips ever with my lovely boyfriend Greg.

It was Greg’s 21st this year on the 12th January and I wanted to get him something really special as obviously it’s a special birthday. Greg loves travelling, so I wanted to book to go away somewhere but with a limited budget and his birthday being in January I found it quite hard to choose somewhere to go. We both love Center Parcs and have been in the past with our families, and last year Greg came along with my family and we had such a nice time- but I had initially ruled it out before even looking into it as I thought it would be too expensive.

But the more I looked and wasn’t having much luck, I decided to just have a browse on their website to look at prices. It is a really good place to go at that time of year, as there’s loads to do both indoors and outdoors so no matter what the weather is like there’s always something to do. I didn’t even realise they had smaller accommodation for couples, and I was really surprised at how reasonable the price was.

We went from the 4th to the 7th of January, so it was 3 nights and we stayed at Whinfell Forest in one of the executive studio apartments and honestly it was so nice, I recommend it so much. You can choose between double or twin bed, and you can also bring a cot if you have a baby and it is so much cheaper than getting a lodge. The apartments are in a really good location, right next to the lake and the sports centre and a really short walk to the village area. The rooms were so nice, basically just like a hotel room but with a full kitchen area so you could cook your own meals if you wanted to. They also had balconies and a spa hydro-bath in the bathroom which was really nice!

I would definitely recommend one of these rooms to anyone looking for accommodation for either a couple or two friends as they were so nice and spacious. An added bonus was that they were ‘executive’ accommodation so there was complimentary daily housekeeping which was really nice. I will attach some pictures of the accommodation underneath.

As you can see it was very spacious and modern. You also get some things included with the price, such as access to the swimming pool so even if you don’t have a lot of money you can still enjoy some fun activities.

We drove across to Center Parcs on Friday the 4th January. For us, the Whinfell Forest one is about a two hour drive, but there are different ones all over the UK so you can probably find one near to you and they all have similar features. We went via Sainsbury’s to pick up some food shopping for the lodge, as there is a supermarket at Center Parcs but it is quite expensive so we went on the way to save money. We arrived at Center Parcs at about 2pm, and it’s really good because although you can’t access the accommodation until 3:30pm you can still do anything else you want so we had a bit of an explore. It was really nice because they still had all the Christmas lights up so it was very pretty. You’re not allowed to keep your car outside the lodges or drive around while your staying there, so after we unpacked Greg went and took the car back to the car park and I finished off unpacking. I also set up some nice 21 decorations as surprise for him coming back! (even though I accidentally bought him balloons that said Happy Retirement lol)

By the time Greg got back it was about 5:30pm and we were both tired so we decided to just have a night in on Friday night. I made Mexican food for tea and it was amazing if I do say so myself but we made way too much lol. We had tacos and nachos but there was a lot leftover! Then we had birthday cake and Greg blew out his candles. We then finished off our night in drinking prosecco and watching Luther- a perfect night in!

The next day we(I) got up early and made a cooked breakfast and coffee. Then we set off to explore some more and have a walk around the lake. We went to the shops inside the village to pick up a few things and some drinks to celebrate later on Saturday night! Then we went to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise which is the pool there and it’s one of my favourite things there. It’s included in the price and there’s so much to do, loads of slides including one that goes outside, an outdoor pool, jacuzzi, lazy river, wave pool etc etc. It also has a pool bar which sells the best cheese and bacon chips in the world. We spent our afternoon there chilling in the pool and I tested out my new GoPro that I got for Christmas which was very exciting. Then we went back to the room and got ready to go out. We had a few drinks in the lodge before heading to the sports bar to watch the football and have some more drinks, they have massive screens showing all different games so Greg was in his element. We played pool and ended up quite drunk, but had to leave as we had booked to go out for dinner at one of the restaurant’s in the village. Since Greg was turning 21 I took him to Huck’s American Diner for his tea as he’s now old enough to drink even in America! We had a really nice meal, sharing wings and nachos for starter then I had fajitas and Greg had chilli. The food from there is so nice I would definitely recommend it if you go, and I think there is a Huck’s at most of the locations.

The next day was our last full day :(. We got up early to go play badminton at the sports centre and of course I had to let Greg win because it was his birthday. After that, we went back to the room for a shower and to freshen up. Then we got ready and went for a walk around the lake and through the village centre. The lake area is so pretty so it’s really nice for a walk, and there are loads of shops inside the village which have really nice things from stationary to clothes and its always nice to have a little browse. That night we ordered takeaway and it was really nice. I had never had takeaway at Center Parks before, but they have everything you can think of from your usual Pizza, Chinese, Indian etc to even things like fajitas and ribs. We just got the pizza meal deal that they have which was really good value for money, and the pizzas were really nice. You can get them delivered to your lodge, but we decided to walk along to collect them as we wanted to walk along the lake at night time with all the lights and everything it was beautiful. After we ate our takeaway we just had a few drinks and chilled for our last night!

Another really good thing about Center Parcs is that on the last day you do have to check out of your room quite early, but you can stay for as long as you want at the village until midnight. We had breakfast in the lodge and one last explore around but we decided to just go back home. We both wanted food but the prices at the restaurants there are quite steep so we decided to go home via Nando’s lol. But from when we went to Sainsbury’s on the way there, to Nando’s on the way home I had the best time ever and honestly if you are looking for somewhere to go with your boyfriend or even a friend I can’t recommend it enough. There is so much more to do that we didn’t get a chance to, including a spa, loads of sport activities, bowling etc we were just a bit limited with money and some things are quite pricey. But, even if you are limited in money you can still have a lush time especially if your company is as good as mine was.

Overall, I love Center Parcs it’s really one of my favourite places to go and shout out to Greg for helping me have the best time ever. Hope you had the best 21st ever!