Day Trip to Segovia

Segovia was a simple day trip from Madrid. I would highly recommend you to go on your own given how completely accessible it is. There are many organized trips out there that would combine Segovia, Avila and Toledo with different combinations and permutations, it’s very attractive for someone who has less time, but you do waste time on the bus (since it’s slower than high speed train) and you’ll see less. I did Segovia and Toledo on different days in order to have enough time.

Segovia definitely took less time than Toledo purely from distance perspective and how long it took to tour the major attractions, I’d say half a day might be sufficient if you don’t stop a lot.

Madrid Solo(ish) – 4D3N

I told myself not long ago that I’d strive to do a solo trip once every year, and ideally that trip will be in nature as I find that’s when I can relax the most. This year, I wasn’t quite able to fit something nature-ish due to my work trip schedules, so I decided to make Madrid the solo trip of the year in Sep 2019!

Madrid is a gorgeous place and it was easy to fall in love with it. Weather is generally good (although it unluckily rained a lot when I was there), transport system super efficient, and key places are located close to each other. There are plenty of famous day trips out from Madrid that takes under an hour to get to as well, which I’ll cover in this post 🙂

Finland Solo: Auroras, huskies & everything cold

There’s just something undeniably magical about the arctic North aka Lapland in Finland. It’s cold and quiet, almost fascinating in its loneliness, filled with magical phenomenons like the Aurora/Northern Lights and magical creatures like reindeers and huskies (they’re magical k!!!!!).

Switzerland Solo: Jungfrau region

This is part two of my post on Switzerland. Find part one here on Lucerne.

Jungfaru, one of the most touristy mountain areas. There are plenty of spots to stay here, with the most popular being Interlaken. Interlaken in itself is a town so you get the benefits of restaurants and shops at your convenience. But it can look a bit dull in this season, as the mists hang low and the sun isn’t strong (dropped by once at night and it was sad). It’s the main station to go everywhere else, but if Alps is your destination, you’re only heading upwards so you can afford to stay further up. I chose the valleys of Lauterbrunnen as cable cars / trains to popular peaks start there.

Switzerland Solo: Lucerne & Mt. Rigi

Time had finally come for my first proper solo trip! It might seem like a rather random location, but it was one of the best options as I was traveling to Europe for work, and one of the flights had a layover at Zurich. It was part impulse I suppose, I just felt like I wanted to extend for a little while and that stopover felt perfect. Between the few countries to choose from, Switzerland felt the safest.

UK: Day Trip to Oxford

A day trip was in the talk since Termanda was going to the stadium tour and we had nothing much to do. We were planning to meet up with Ron and go on a day trip but in the end we were both simply too far away to really meet up in a day 😦 So I sent her a gift from Greece and we didn’t meet in the end.

London D5 – Warner Bros Studio Tour (Harry Potter)

I think I’m kidding myself by forcing myself to post detailed accounts of Europe, to be frank, it’s already been a year LOL and I’m updating at crawling speed! Ridiculous! Feeling obliged to write about something is one of the things I have always despised, because it distracts from the purpose of writing in the first place (that I actually enjoy writing). It’s time for me to make space for this blog to start hosting things I actually love and for me to share my thoughts and all as I used to before. I do intend to fast track the remaining countries (Italy and France) to capture only the highlights that were really memorable for me, but this post deserves a special mention as it’s about the Harry Potter studios tour which is very important!!

London D3 | Experiencing the city life

Featured in this post:
Things to see/do: Old Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane
Things to eat: Hawksmoor (steak), Full stop. (cafe), Shoryu (ramen) 
Others: Ladsbroke (betting)

This post is part of a 1-month Europe trip.

We took Day 3 slightly easier than the previous day, wanting to experience the city for what it is. Termanda had gone on a Manchester Stadium Tour so it was just me, the BF and Ying Neng who was also in London.

London D2 – Getting to know London

Featured in this post:
Things to see/do: London Walking Tour (various famous tourist spots), Primrose Hill
Things to eat: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (2 Michelin Star), Flat Iron (steak)

This post is part of a 1-month Europe trip.

We started our first official full day in London with a walking tour that we found online. This walking tour is free, with the idea that they won’t make you pay for something you are not sure you’d like. At the end of the tour, you’re free to give as little or as much tip as you want to the tour guide.

London D1 | Burgers & Lobsters

The last day in Santorini was spent just enjoying breakfast and appreciating the last of the beautiful island before getting ready to go to the airport to catch our flight to London. Right before leaving the weather got pretty hot which was kinda ugh because that would have been the perfect weather to enjoy Santorini. Damn!!