In Bruges

A festive getaway to a European city for their traditional Christmas markets has long been on my travel to-do list (you can check it out here.) After deliberating about where to go, we finally decided on a long weekend in the picturesque city of Bruges, choosing the first weekend of December for our break.

Liam and I booked a charming hotel near the canal, while the girls stayed in an apartment just outside the city square. The great thing about the city is how compact it is, and many of its hotels and apartments are within a short walking distance. While our hotel had that lived-in, traditional feel about it and was incredibly comfortable, I have to say that the absence of a power shower was a bit of a minus for us! 

The city itself is beautiful and you can't help but be enchanted by the festive feel of its bustling Christmas markets and the intricate labyrinth of streets and canal ways. We spent a lot of our getaway wandering around and taking in the sights - aside from the crowds, it was nice to walk among chocolate shops and horse-drawn carriages. Although the Christmas markets in Bruges are not as extensive as some European cities, we found some great souvenirs to take home - from tree decorations to handmade jewellery - and the markets serve as a wonderful place to indulge in a seasonal Bratwurst or a hefty dose of Gluhwein.

Aside from browsing the markets, we also took a trip up the Belfort to catch a glimpse of the Bell Tower and paid a visit to the Chocolate Story Museum. The best part of our break was the food, however and the Flemish Beef stew was most definitely a highlight. After filling ourselves with delicious Belgian fare, the best part was lingering around the ice-skating rink with warmed mulled wine - even the rain didn't dampen our spirits.

London Zoo

A few weeks ago, I took a Monday off work and we took a trip to London Zoo. The older I get, the more I love attractions like this- anywhere I can walk around with my camera whilst learning new things makes me happy. The location of the zoo itself is something I love, too. In the heart of Camden, it is next to a beautiful canal frequented by dog walkers, joggers and old-fashioned canal boats. Proof that the city of London is much greener than you think. 

We were lucky enough to visit on the hottest day of the year. The weather was glorious and although it was a week day, the attraction was full of children on school outings. Watching the penguins swim around in the sunshine was one of the highlights and they attracted quite a crowd at feeding time. The zoo takes almost a full day to get around. We selected our favourite bits- namely the penguins, tigers, giraffes and monkeys, and spent longer in these sections. The gorillas will always be my favourite- their human-like interaction is wonderful to watch. The butterfly house is somewhere I like to visit, too. There is something quite relaxing about being somewhere that butterflies are fluttering around you.  

After leaving the zoo, we decided to get the tube down to the South Bank and take a Thames Clipper up to London Bridge. The boat ride is surprisingly cheap and gives you a great view of the city. We followed this with a walk across London Bridge before getting the train back to our small town.

New York, New York

Central Park.

The Mall in Central Park.

A view from Belvedere Castle.

Times Square.

Last week, I was lucky enough to find myself in New York for four days. One of the most beautiful cities in the world, the skyscrapers were dizzying and with our hotel room on the 31st floor, I never tired of the overwhelming view of the Manhattan skyline. It was also absolutely freezing. Still, the Big Apple in January was an amazing experience.

We flew out to JFK on the Wednesday and took the subway through to 50th street where we would be staying in a hotel opposite Times Square. A large pizza delivered to our room accompanied by the experience of American television was all we could manage before falling asleep.

The next day was mostly spent in Central Park, taking in the sights and climbing our way up the spiral staircase at Belvedere castle to see the views. Possibly my favourite thing in NYC, the contrast of the cityscape behind the trees was the only sign that we were in the midst of a busy city. In the heart of Central Park, there is a peacefulness that cannot be matched anywhere else in the city. Strawberry Fields, a memorial garden for John Lennon, really is one of the most tranquil places I have ever visited and reading the memorial plaques on the benches was eerie yet lovely.

That night, we had a quick burger and head off to nearby Broadway where we were lucky enough to see the musical of Once. Featuring the music of Glen Hansard and a cast of wonderful musicians, the production was brilliant to see on Broadway and is a wonderfully simple but feel-good story of love.

After another long sleep, we ended up the next day at the MOMA. Visiting here had been one of the main things I wanted to do in the city and I wasn't disappointed. The building itself was very impressive and had a wonderful collection of artwork and photography. My favourite part was being introduced to more of Munch's work. I  remember studying The Scream at school but there were some brilliantly haunting paintings that I had never seen before.




We also spent part of the day making our way around Grand Central Station. Having never set foot in there, it was very impressive and a lot bigger than expected. We were also lucky enough to see it on the day of it's centenary celebrations, crammed full with people. That night we decided to venture up the Empire State Building. Arriving around 7pm, there were no queues and we were shown straight up to the lifts and swiftly to the top. The view was breathtaking- at night, the city skyline just becomes a mass of lights. The heights were dizzying and although it was beautiful, I was happy when eventually back on the ground.

The following day, we had a delicious breakfast at a little place on 71st street called Alice's Teacup. A lovely little cafe, it had murals of Alice in Wonderland on the wall and sold homebaked cupcakes as well as every flavour tea you could imagine. As it was early on a Saturday morning, Liam chose eggs benedict and I went for the famous granola. I was served a large helping, topped with fresh berries and cinnamon. We then spent a morning wandering around The Met and The Gugenheim and taking in all the art followed by a brisk walk through the cold to see the Rockerfeller Centre. The tour guide was brilliant and showed us a lot of the art deco architecture that was created when the centre was first built, giving us a history of each piece. After a quick Starbucks, we also made our way up to the top of the rockerfeller to see the city from a birdseye view. It was good to see the skyline in the daytime as well as seeing the Empire State Building.

The next day was our last day and was spent hanging around the Museum of Natural History as well as having a long walk through the city. We also had a peek in some of the big department stores. The evening was the day of the Superbowl and we experienced it in an all-American restaurant eating fried chicken, drinking homemade lemonade and taking up the challenge of a delicious peanut butter pie. We fit so much into four days that our feet hardly touched the ground, but it was so worth it to be in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.