ABU DHABI – Qasr Al Hosn

On New Years Day, we decided to check out Qasr Al Hosn. An old fort since 1760s and in 1790’s Sheikh Shakhbut Al Nahyan constructed a tower which became the residency of the ruling Sheikh.

In 1930’s, they managed to extend the fort from the revenues they’ve earned when they granted the first oil license. Qasr Al Hosn was a palace and a place where the government would meet until 1966 when Abu Dhabi started expanding on the island.

Qasr Al Hosn is now a historical museum and is open to the public.

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The ticket costs AED 30 per adult. (Approx. £7)

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BELLION TRAVELS – London

We’ve been to London a few times but this time my brothers were the tourist and we were pretending to be Londoners showing them around the city.

We didn’t visit any of the touristic attractions but we did walk a lot and met up with Tim’s friends but overall we just explored the city by foot.

So here are the pictures we took of London in our 2018 UK trip 🙂

 

 

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BELLION TRAVELS – Bath, Cardiff (Wales) and Stonehenge

The purpose of this trip was to visit Wales. So we managed to visit Bath on our way to Cardiff and we also visited Stonehenge on our back back from Cardiff to Hayling Island.

BATH

On our way to Cardiff, we decided to make a quick stop in Bath. Of course the famous Roman Baths and the historical city are a must. So early in the morning, Tim drove to Bath and the first thing we did was of course visit the Roman Bath, we later decided to explore the city by foot.

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CARDIFF

In Cardiff, we did a quick stop at the Cardiff Castle and the city centre. Where we went for hot drinks, lunch and shopping.

Early in the morning, we managed to visit the Mermaid Quay. The view was lovely and the place looked like a nice hang out area but it was freezing cold. So we decided to drive back home.

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STONEHENGE

Before it got dark and before heading home, we thought OH WELL Stonehenge is on the way. Lets do a quick stop and check it out.

OMG! The place was MAGICAL. Before heading to the site,  we went into a small museum where they displayed facts and theories.

WE LOVED IT.

The issue was the weather, so we ran around instead of walking and did quick stops to take pictures. IT WAS FREAKING FREEZING COLD.

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We were jumping to keep ourselves warm and my brother, Mohammad took a picture of us LOL

Anyway we headed back to Hayling Island but the drive was the most beautiful drive we’ve done so far in England. The nature and the country side was just breathtaking.

I told Tim, we need to visit the country side next time and just enjoy the nature.

So Yes, we managed to visit Bath, Cardiff and the Stonehenge in 48 hours 🙂

 

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BELLION TRAVELS – Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth

Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth are the places which are not so far from each other. After landing at Southampton from Edinburgh, Tim decided to take us to Winchester to check out the Cathedral, Christmas Market and a Local Market. As we were walking towards the local market, we were invited to see St. Lawrence Church. The people were so friendly and funny, we actually stayed there for almost 2 hours just mingling with the church people.

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Afterwards, we did a quick stop at a local tea shop and bought bags of tea (HOW BRITISH OF US).

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Although we could have continued our journey to Portsmouth, we decided to head back to Hayling Island but we did a quick visit to Portsmouth days before going to Southampton. Of course the best place to visit in Portsmouth is Gunwharf Quays. Best place for shopping and eating.

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After visiting all those 3 places, we enjoyed Winchester the most.

 

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Celebrated my 30th Birthday in Edinburgh

Tim gifted me a 24 hours trip to Edinburgh, Scotland for my 30th Birthday. $#!t!!! 30!!! I actually still feel 20 but when I get up from the sofa or the bed, I hear my bones cracking.

Back in 2015, my friend Katherine gifted us a lonely planet book as a wedding gift. It’s called ‘Lonely Planet Ultimate Travelist’ and one of the recommended places was Edinburgh Castle. So Timmy booked a flight from Southampton airport to Edinburgh. We landed at 8AM and immediately bought a tram ticket to head straight to the city.

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As soon as we got there, we walked to Edinburgh Castle. The view was astonishing. I’d add Edinburgh to my top 5 favourite cities in the world. We stopped for a quick breakfast and continued our journey exploring the castle and the historical sites.

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Afterwards, we decided to explore the city by foot. We entered quirky stores and bought Scottish scarves and walked and walked the whole day. We discovered local markets, the old town and the Royal Mile. As it got dark, we went to Scott Monument which is located near the Christmas Market. We bought hot drinks and food and watched street performances.

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As it got late, we headed to the hotel which was located near the airport to have a good night sleep and we flew back to Southampton the next morning.

We had an amazing time in Edinburgh. Honestly, I was really impressed by Scotland and hopefully I will see more of it soon 🙂

 

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BELLION TRAVELS – Hayling Island, Havant & Chichester

Initially my brothers and I discussed a potential trip to the UK so they can meet Tim’s family and also explore a new country. My brothers went on and on about how they never experienced winter and the cold. So we decided to visit the UK in December to enjoy the winter along with the Christmas markets and all. The UK visa application is one of the most difficult visas to obtain so we thought it would be a good idea to celebrate my birthday in the UK so we can have a logical reason to why my brothers are planning on visiting the UK.

As some of you may know, Tim is from a place called Hayling Island. It’s in the south of England and yes it is an island that connects to Havant by a bridge. It is also very close to Chichester.

Hayling Island

My brothers had a great time on Hayling Island, it’s quiet and the island has lots of local stores and cute coffee shops.

My first birthday celebration was with Tim’s sister, his brother-in-law, nieces, his mum and my brothers at Inn on the Beach, one of my favourite places to eat on Hayling Island. This time, I tried their Haloumi Burger and it was DELICIOUS.

We mainly spent our time on Hayling Island visiting family and friends. Also visited book shops and local markets to buy things which are not available in the UAE.

We recommend the below restaurants to try.

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That’s a Minion Cake LOL

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Chichester

The next day, I had another early birthday celebration in Chichester but this time it was with Tim’s dad, his step-mum, cousin and his cousin’s fiance, Tim’s sister, his brother-in-law and my brothers.

Since it was a Sunday, we all went for a Sunday Roast at Fox and Hounds. The food was delicious and we all had a great time. It was my brothers first Sunday roast experience and they enjoyed it. However my brother, Mohammad hated the horse radish (LOL).

Our trip to Chichester started with a walk at the city centre market, we visited the Chichester Cathedral and had breakfast and coffee at The Buttery At the Crypt. 

We also visited the Christmas market and bought a lot of cheese.

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Havant

We don’t really spend time in Havant but we do have to pass by it all the time to get to Hayling Island. Tim and I always visit TESCO supermarket to get food for our journeys and we had coffee and hot chocolate at Bosewell’s Cafe at the Meridian Centre with Tim’s niece and my brothers. We also went for a walk with Tim’s sister and her husband.

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Whenever Tim and I travel to the UK, we always visit Hayling Island, Havant and Chichester.

 

 

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January 2019 Recap

As mentioned in my previous blog post, we haven’t planned any travels for 2019 yet. We are just going with the flow. We spent the month of January in UAE taking road trips between Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Tim’s mum spent the first week of January with us before she headed back to England. Afterwards, we’ve been going back and forth to Dubai and Sharjah to meet my family.

So I wrote a recap of what I’ve done, watched and read in the month of January 2019.

Destinations we’ve visited

UAE: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah

I don’t think we will travel anytime soon.

Highlights of the month

  • We visited Qasr Al Hosn with Tim’s mum

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  • Attended Asia Football Cup 2019 – Palestine Vs Australia

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  • Went Kayaking at Eastern Mangrove with Priyanka and Clint.

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What I watched?

Series: NETFLIX

  • Chef’s Table: A great documentary for food lovers. The story behind every dish and what inspired the Chef to create specific dishes. Awh! Love the show but I usually watch it with a full stomach.
  • Narcos: I have invested a lot of my time watching this series and will start watching Narcos Mexico soon. I love the artistic work they’ve put in the series. I’d say Narcos is one of my ultimate favourite series.
  • The Good Place: Sometimes you just need to laugh.
  • The Series of Unfortunate Events: I truly enjoyed how weird the series was but I hated the ending.
  • You: I enjoyed watching it. I didn’t expect the ending therefore I liked it. Makes you think about how much you should share on your social media accounts.
  • Brooklyn 99: One of my favourite comedy shows. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT

Movies:

  • Aquaman: So far my favourite latest DC movie and Jason Momoa HABA HABA

What I read this month?

Disclosure: The links below are affiliated links and there are no additional cost to you. I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

The Prophet by Gibran Kahlil Gibran: The book is inspiring and must be read by everyone.


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Ultimate Travelist by Lonely Planets: The book was gifted by my friend Katherine as a wedding gift. The book inspired me to travel and visit more places. The pictures in the book are breathtaking.

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What music did I listen to?

What have I blogged about?

I will post about our UK trip soon

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