Tag: explore

15 Reasons to Visit Venice

  1. Getting lost is the BEST way to explore
  2. Try to visit in Spring or Autumn as these are the best seasons to explore.
  3. It will be weird to not see cars but you won’t realise this till you head back to the airport
  4. There are 417 bridges in Venice. I dare you to try and cross them all. The Rialto bridge is one you need to both walk over and sail under. 
  5. Factor in the cost for a Vaporetto pass as this will help with your exploring. It will save your achy feet and really you have to see Venice from the canals as much as possible.
  6. Every corner, bridge and canal is a picture perfect moment so get ready to get snapping. 
  7. Don’t just stay in Venice get out and explore the other islands in the lagoon like Burano, Lido and Murano
  8. You can hire bikes and ride around Lido (fun fact this is where the Venice Film Festival is held) 
  9. A Gondola ride is going to be pricey but where else can you do this? Surely the experience far outweighs the expense. 
  10. Visit Burano to see the amazing coloured houses and eat the ‘s’ shaped cookies this island is known for 
  11. When in St Mark’s Square ensure you go up the Bell Tower. You get to see a different side of Venice and the lagoon 
  12. As frustrating as wet shoes will be experiencing Acqua alta is soo interesting to witness. Ovs not ideal for the locals though and there is a lot of working being done to minimise it. It has also been said to be one of the reasons people move out of Venice 
  13. You need to buy a carnival mask in Venice even if you aren’t there during carnival 
  14. Try to eat away from the St Mark’s Square as it is pricey in this area. You will have just as beautiful buildings to look at a few streets back
  15. Get up early or stay up late and visit some of the more touristy sights so you can marvel at the magic of the city on your own. 

6 Places to visit in Somerset  

Somerset is a lovely county in the South West of the UK. If you go by the common misconception you would think everyone is country bumpkins, who speak funny and drink too much cider. Actually that is kinda right but it just adds to the charm of this stunning area. 

I’ve lived in this beautiful area of the UK for almost a third of my life and still haven’t even been everywhere yet.

However I have chosen 6 of my favourite places that if you should definitely visit if you find yourself down this way. All within less than an hour drive of each other so you could do all of these in one weekend. 
Glastonbury Abbey
I have been to this place so many times as I just love it. Anyone in the south west knows there is much more to Glastonbury than the festival. It’s a very spiritual town and the abbey is said to be the final resting place of King Arthur. It’s a serene place clocked in history, from the Saxons to the Normans. It truly is beautiful even in its ruined state I can only imagine how beautiful it was in the past. 


Cheddar 
Cheddar cheese, cheddar village and Cheddar Gorge. All great and all need to be enjoyed on your visit. The gorge has lots of walks for all levels of fitness with spectacular views of the mendips. There is caves to be explored and lots of lovely tea shops to stop at and refuel.You can also rock climb if you want something more adventurous than hiking. 


Clevedon Pier
This Victorian Pier is stunning both in looks and that it’s still standing after so many years. It was opened in 1869. Pier’s are a key part of the Great British Seaside and the museum that is attached to the pier shows just how much this pier shaped the history of Clevedon and Somerset. Also if you’re a 1D fan they filmed one of their video clips here a couple of years ago. 



Middle Hope and Sand Point- Kewstoke
Another recent find. This is a National Trust area and perfect for a picnic or walk along the coast line. This area is in British history as weapons were tested here in the Second World War. There is stunning views out over the Estuary and is just as lovely in winter as it is in summer.  


Burnham on Sea Lighthouse

I discovered this gem only last year and you can find some more pictures here. I went in Autumn so the beach wasn’t as busy as it would be in the height of summer and it was beautiful even then. Bit of an odd one but I do love a beach walk in Autumn and winter. This lighthouse is super photogenic and also really interesting to see as it sits low on the beach. 


Wells 
Wells is the UK’s smallest city and has a stunning Cathedral that has to be seen. Closely located to the Cathedral is The Bishop’s Palace and the extremely photogenic Vicars Close. The Cathedral is in Gothic Style and is open to all to explore. The Bishop’ Palace has been the home of the Bishop for over 800 years. The Garden and Moat are beautiful and although there is always others walking it’s always quiet and peaceful. The Vicars Close is thought to be the only complete medieval street left in the UK. Whenever I am there I always feel like I’m in a scene from Harry Potter!

So these are 6 of my favourite places in Somerset. To be honest I could have done a list of 20 but this is more of a taster for you to get you down to our gorgeous county. 

Have you been to Somerset? Where was your favourite place? I’d love to hear them so please do share below in the comments

Where I want to go 2016 

Today most people went back to work after the Christmas break. I was one of the lucky (smug) ones that didn’t. Having been in New York between Christmas and New Year I wanted to have a few relaxing days at home before getting back to the 9-5. 
One thing I found myself doing today was looking at different ideas of where to go this year. It also led me to looking at lots of the ‘2016 holiday destinations’ lists that lots of travel operators/magazines have put out. 
I’m sure there is good logic around why the certain destinations made it onto these lists and it’s interesting how so many included similar if not the same destinations. But really who decides why a destination makes it into the list? 
Anyhoo I’ve put together a hit list for myself this year. I’m fully aware I won’t get to all these destinations but it’s a good place to start and helps prioritise where to go. 2015 was a good year I went to Marrakech, Essaouria, Paris, Melbourne, Regional Australia, Wales, New York and Devon so I needed to make sure I have a strong list for this year. 
I already knew that Nashville would feature on our list as the fiancé is keen (massive country music fan!) and it’s actually been listed on a few ‘2016 holiday destination lists’ so we are bang on trend!
I’m already booked up to go to Portugal for a girls holiday in the summer for some much needed sun. 
I’ve longed to see the Northern lights for YEARS so a little email from Easyjet claiming 20% of some flights led me to check out how I could get to Iceland later in the year. This will be a winter holiday. Although I also would adore going to Canada so that’s a long haul option and makes my list for this year. 

Other closer to home destinations include 

Amsterdam 

Rome 

Edinburgh 

Lake District 

Poland 

Sicily or Sardinia 
Let’s see where I end up!

If you have any suggestions or tips where your heading this year let me know!