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 🙂
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.
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.
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.
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 🙂
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.
Afterwards, we did a quick stop at a local tea shop and bought bags of tea (HOW BRITISH OF US).
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.
After visiting all those 3 places, we enjoyed Winchester the most.
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.
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.
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.
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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Tim and I are fans of the AMAZING series called GAME OF THRONES. When we visited Spain, we knew Girona was one of the cities where Kings Landing and Braavos were filmed. Since we were in Barcelona and it only takes half an hour to get there by train, we were like HELL YEAH we are visiting Girona. Best part of it all, they have a 90 min walking GOT tour OMG OMG OMG !!!!!!! We purchased the ticket right away and visited the imaginary cities called Kings Landing and Braavos.
Our tour guide had a tablet with him the whole time so he would walk us to the film location and show us the scene on his tablet. IT WAS THE COOOOLEST THING EVER!!! It makes you appreciate the series more and the city itself. We were on the steps where the character Margaery walked the famous walk of shame. Where Arya Stark was being chased by The Waif. It was one hell of the tour. The tour ended with a free ice cream of Jaimie Lannister’s Golden Hand:) The tour included film location and a brief history of the city.
After the tour, Tim and I grabbed lunch at the plaza and decided to explore the city. Girona is known to be the capital city of the Jews and has a Jewish Quarter to explore. Tim and I visited the Jewish Museum where they display a summarised history of Jews on how they were torched by the Spaniards. Most of Girona’s Jewish community have moved and settled in Israel and some returned to Girona.
We continued our tour to a Catholic Cathedral. The style of the church is very much Gothic and has an interesting displays. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos.
Our final visit was to an Arab Bath.
As the sun started to set, we headed back to the train station to catch our train to Barcelona but before that, we stopped at the coffee shop to grab the best HOT CHOCOLATE in the whole world. Dark Chocolate melted to satisfy your palate. We had a quick stop at Cafe L’Arc where Game of Thrones actors had their coffee breaks.
Oh Girona you taught us a lot and thank you again for the amazing Game of Thrones experience.
Ciao for now
Mother of Dragons
X
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Barcelona is one of my favourite cities in the world. I love the food, the people, the art, culture, attractions and the history. Although it was our second time in Barcelona, we both wanted to explore thecity together. There are so many things to do in the beautiful the Catalonia city of Barcelona but we visited some of the main attractions together.
MERCAT DE LA BOQAUERIA
Our favourite place to eat is of course Mercat de la Boqueria. A food market by La Rambla, where you can taste the flavours of Barcelona. We spent hours there just trying almost everything.
GOTHIC QUARTER
One of the best places to explore is the Gothic Quarter. The vibe of the area is just mystical. We booked our accommodation in that area because there are so many quirky stores around and is walking distances to most of the attractions in Barcelona and is very close to the beach.
PICASSO MUSEUM
For the LOVE OF ART, we visited the Picasso Museum. One of the best art museums we have visited around the world. The museum is designed to display Picasso artwork according to his creative timeline.
GUADI GUADI GUADI!!!!!!!
We visited 3 important sites that are linked to Antoni Guadi.
Casa Batllo
Park Guell
Sagrada Familia
BARCELONA MAGIC FOUNTAIN
I told Tim that the Barcelona Magic Fountain isn’t as glamorous as the one in Vegas or Dubai but it’s different and has a magical feel to it. The way the water dances out and in the fountain and the colours of the light that synchronises with the classical music was just a unique experience.
BEACH
Best place to walk and enjoy the sound of the sea. Also that was where Shakira’s song LOCA was filmed.
LA RAMBLA
I call it the catwalk of Barcelona. A place where you can explore, get souvenirs and enjoy eating delicious Spanish tapas.
For our short time together in Barcelona, we has a blast and if ever we visit Spain again, I bet the first landing destination would always be Barcelona. NOS ENCANTA BARCELONA
We were really unlucky. It wasn’t my first time in Madrid but since it is the capital and I knew where to go, I told Tim how about we create memories together in Madrid. I kinda regret it now because I did not expect it to rain that much. This whole thing about the rain in Spain; yeah I get them now. I love rain because we barely get it in UAE but Madrid’s rain was just effin’ COLD and dammit, the rain wouldn’t take a break. Oh c’mon clouds STOP CRYING, I want to enjoy my holiday.
So like I said we were so unlucky but managed to do few things here and there. Since it was raining like crazzzyyyy, I suggested to get on a hop on hop off bus and explore the city that way since everything I wanted to do was outdoor, we decided to visit Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. We looked at a lot of paintings and art work and as soon as heavy rain turned into drizzles, we decided to continue our journey to explore the city.
I really liked the Plaza Mayor when I first visited Madrid, I wasn’t paying attention and I ended up taking Tim to the wrong plaza and we were walking in the cold freezing rain to get on the bus to head to the actual Plaza Mayor. Luckily, the rain stopped so we managed to take a few pictures. As soon as it started raining like crazy, I decided to take Tim to San Miguel Market for dinner. It is one of my favourite things to do in Madrid and THANK GOD it’s an indoor market. We spent hours there trying new drinks and food. Tim and I were really sick of the rain in Madrid so we headed back to our accommodation to rest.
The next day, we took an early train to Barcelona and that’s how we spent our 24 hours in rainy Madrid. It was quite upsetting because my last visit, I got to do a lot more. Hopefully, next time 🙂
We spent a total of 5 nights and 6 days in the Gran Canarias.
Day 1:
We arrived in the afternoon at around 2PM. Susan, Tim’s stepmom and Frank, Tim’s Dad picked us up from the airport and we headed to their home located in Mogan. When we arrived, we were welcomed by Frank’s cousins and Tim’s sister and her husband. It was a week of family get together to celebrate Frank’s 70th Birthday. Our first night, we all had dinner at a restaurant by the beach called Amadores. Tim and I shared a Paella Negra and just had a wonderful time chit chatting with everyone.
Day 2:
Susan booked an activity for everyone. Tim drove the buggy and we all adventured to the volcanic mountains of the Gran Canaria and tried a cactus fruit. The guide warned us all to be careful from the spikes on the fruit and not to get our hands dirty when eating the fruit,. Tim did a terrible job, he got spikes all over his mouth and his hands were pink and I the clumsy person managed to eat it perfectly. Later that night, Susan ordered 2 types of Paellas. She ordered a mixed paella and a seafood paella from a restaurant down the road to their home. It was extremely delicious.
Day 3: Easter Day
Tim and I went to the beach with Lucy and Steve. The water was quite cold so I avoided swimming the whole holiday. It was April and I consider it to be a cold weather LOL.
Later that day, Susan arranged a lovely lunch BBQ for everyone. Tim and I made lazy cake for dessert. At night, we all watched a movie in the entertainment room.
Day 4: Frank’s Birthday
Susan arranged a cruise to celebrate his birthday. It was located at Pasito Blanco Harbour. I, the half Middle Eastern girl who lived her whole life in the desert suffered a heatstroke for the first time EVER. I kept throwing up constantly and felt dizzy the whole cruise. I wasn’t sea sick because I got on a lot of cruises in UAE but the heat in Gran Canarias was a lot to bare and not just that I did not wear a hat. I felt horrible. Ever since I’ve learned my lesson to always wear a hat on a sunny day.
Susan, an amazing organiser, planned a tapas night. Everything you could imagine was served that night. We had shrimps, cheese and many other delicious food.
Day 5:
Frank’s cousin travelled in the afternoon, Lucy, Steve, Tim and I went to Puerto Rico Beach to buy some souvenirs. We later went for a walk and checked out a few stores in the town and headed back to Frank and Susan’s place.
Day 6:
Steve and Lucy travelled back to the UK. Susan and Frank dropped us to Mogan Beach for more shopping and to check out the beaches and local areas. Susan later picked us up and we went grocery shopping and purchased the cactus sauce and canary sauces. Later that night, we had dinner at a seafood restaurant overlooking the sea.
Day 7:
We left the house at 3AM to catch our flight to Tenerife.
We flew from Tenerife back to mainland Spain. Our first stop was Alicante; we drove from the airport to a place called Campoamor. Tim wanted to check on his dad’s boat and thought he would give me a tour around that area. We booked a ride from the airport which was not that expensive and was a fixed rate; our driver was Algerian so we only conversed in Spanish and Arabic.
Campoamor
As soon as we arrived, we checked in Hotel Montepiedra, the hotel was nice but the rooms had a really weird smell. Anyway we changed our outfits and walked to a Mediterranean restaurant called ‘La Barraca’ by the sea and had dinner. We went back to the hotel room and couldn’t sleep and we decided to watch a Spanish TV reality show which kinda helped us practice our Spanish, LOL.
The next day, we woke up early in the morning, had breakfast and decided to go to the Marina and check on Tim’s dad abandoned boat. Tim examined the condition and we decided to continue walking along Costa Blanca. The views were amazing and the place looked wonderful but honestly, we got bored. SOOOOOO we went back to our hotel, checked out and drove to Alicante city.
Apparently Campoamor is recommended during summer time.
Alicante City
As soon as we arrived, we checked in our hotel apartment and decided to grab lunch and I was so hungry that I fell in a tourist trap and ended up eating at a very touristic restaurant because it was the first restaurant I saw. MAN! I WAS HUNGRY. Tim lectured me about not falling into a tourist trap next time but I think my excuse was reasonable, I mean c’mon I NEEDED TO EAT.
Afterwards, we decided to explore the city by foot. We walked and walked and walked and walked and along the way, we saw;
There are a lot more to do in Alicante but we travelled the next day and took an early train to rainy Madrid.
Tenerife is a well-known holiday destination and the most visited Canary Island. It is also famous to be a honeymoon destination. Since it’s a 15 min flight from Gran Canaria we thought well why not visit it.
![20180407_160400-01[1].jpg](https://i0.wp.com/belliontravels.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/20180407_160400-011.jpg?resize=740%2C555&ssl=1)
We made a huge mistake by booking a flight that lands in the North and the apartment we booked was located in the South. There are two airports in Tenerife and we kinda missed that information.
Our apartment was in Costa Adeje so we rented a tiny car and drove South. It was a 1 hour drive. Regretfully, I forgot my driving license in UAE so Tim had to drive the entire trip. We landed early in the morning and arrived at Costa Adeje at 10AM.
The Landlord can only arrive at 4PM to handover the keys so we kept our luggage with a gentleman who was guarding the compound and we were picked up at 1PM to quad bike. The tour picked us up and introduced us to our group and we all drove to Mount Teide. We stopped at one of the villages for snacks and later that day, we went to the beach for a walk and to explore the area and had a proper Spanish dinner.
The next day, we woke up quite early in the morning, bought few items from the supermarket and drove to Jungle Park. We saw a lot of animals and actually enjoyed the Exotic Bird Show and the Seal Show. Afterwards, we drove around the island and checked out other resorts and hotels. As it got darker, we decided to head back to Costa Adeje for dinner. We ate at an Indian Restaurant which was packed with people, we actually had to wait for an hour to get a table. The restaurant is called Delhi Darbar and the food was delicious. We later went for a walk around the area and did some shopping.
We got back to the apartment quite late, so we packed our luggage and woke up early the next day to handover the keys to the landlord and drove back to the Northern Airport of Tenerife and flew to Alicante.
It was quite a short trip and we kinda wanted to stay a little longer because there were other activities to do on the island but we wanted to explore mainland Spain together.
