Side - Turkey

So I have just arrived back from Turkey after a lovely weeks break in the glaring sunshine. Back to the cold and back to reality. I really don't enjoy coming back to the UK any more. It's just not the same when you get older - the excitement is no longer there. I suppose it's the realisation of what awaits you at home. A much deserved break nevertheless with the family, Turkey is a place I have been longing to visit for a while. My parents were lucky enough to visit a different part of Turkey earlier this year and loved it and many of my friends have been and given their praises. I must say I was very impressed with what awaited me when I stepped off the plane. Turkey is such an interesting country with a shed load of history which I find truly fascinating. I never knew quite how much history this place had in fact. 

We stayed just outside of Side's town centre in Antayla, a ten minute taxi ride which was ideal when we wanted to explore Turkey further. I fell in love with this Turkish town which was covered in Roman ruins and hundreds of little back street shops selling all the latest fakes and Turkish goods. I am not one for walking around countless shops all selling the same sorts of things which is often the case when you go to a tourist destination. However, I managed to pick up some lovely things in Side and brush up on my bartering skills in the process. They had some wonderful gifts including an array of different styled Turkish lamps and candle holders, along with some gorgeous Moroccan style dishes. I am particularly fond of my handmade Turkish bag which cost me just 4 euros and will be perfect for when I next go on my travels.

Besides the impressive amount of shops, the town boasted a lovely little harbour which looked out to the green Mediterranean sea, lots of wonderful restaurants and bars, and of course the Roman town which you are free to explore at your own leisure. If I were to come back I would definitely stay in the town centre itself as there is so much to see and do there, it really is wonderful. 

Here's me on the plane

So peaceful 

The gorgeous little harbour

I love a good cup of tea wherever I am in the world

Just one of the amazing shops selling an array of dried fruits and spices

Exploring the ruins

Along with exploring Side, we also visited Manavgat market one morning which was an experience to say the least. If you are a lover of fake goods, this ones for you. I had to get out of there as quickly as possible. It was far too busy and the heat was overwhelming. A walk along the green canyon river later in the day was definitely more to my liking. I wish we could have stayed there longer as it was such a pretty little Turkish town but it was definitely too hot to be walking around all day even for the sun lovers out there like me. 

However, my best day out by far was yet to come. A traditional Turkish bath just outside of town made my holiday complete. I have always wanted to experience this traditional cleansing routine and I wasn't leaving Turkey without checking this off my list. I certainly wasn't disappointed either. For just £23 I received a sauna, a scrub and peel, a foaming cleanse and a 20 minute all over  body oil massage. The whole thing lasted for over two hours in total and was extremely enjoyable. I did want to take some photos specifically for my blog but unfortunately we were told to leave all our belongings in the lockers beforehand. Not only does my skin feel amazing, my tan looks even better than usual. Well known to remove any dead skin, I would recommend this to anyone visiting Turkey. It really does work and it's no wonder why the tradition is still going strong today.

Before I ramble on too much, I am just going to mention our resort which was amazing and had everything you could imagine, from tennis and football courts to a luxury spa and indoor pool to four buzzing restaurants, three of which were al a carte. We really were spoilt from the offset after being upgraded to a deluxe suite shortly after check-in. You know you've done well when you get your own matching dressing gown and slippers awaiting your arrival, along with a fridge full of alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages. The hotel grounds were spotless, the staff extremely friendly and the night-time entertainment surprisingly good. Everyone was so enthusiastic about making our stay as enjoyable as possible which I loved. A four plus hotel, it certainly lived up to its name and we are even talking about going back next year!

On our pier

Just one of the pools

The staff were so lovely - we couldn't have asked for better people

Time to say our goodbyes

Waved off in true style

Have you ever visited Turkey? What was your favourite part?

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Prague | Romantic Heights

Our final stop on our three week trip around Europe was Prague. Now I know this may sound cliché but I am going to say it anyway - we really did save the best until last. However much I fell in love with Paris, Prague literally stole my heart. I expected a lot of good things from this enchanting city but I wasn't expecting to find all what I did. 

We arrived after another lengthy journey from Munich to find that the sun was shining and our hostel not too far away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. Again we jumped on the metro from the train station which took us all of five minutes, if that. Yes it seems that they have metros everywhere in Europe which is handy when you're feeling too lazy to walk or in our case - exhausted from all the travelling! After arriving at our hostel which was the worst out of a good bunch, we went out in search of some food. Of course we weren't complaining (well I wasn't). For just nine euros what did we expect really. This was the cheapest hostel and therefore it was bound to be the least cleanliest. 

This will be the last time I say it but evidently we were starving! Who would have thought that train journeys could make you so hungry? After a quick shower and change we took a walk along the riverside and came across a crowded but quirky looking pub/restaurant which my friend was adamant we went inside. I trusted her instincts after some terrible restaurant choices on my part and we weren't disappointed. As you can see below, we over ordered massively but the food was so cheap! Despite the bill I think our meals only came to over £15 each and that was with a bottle of wine and a whole basket full loaded with potato chips and dips (see below). I am drooling at the thought...

The cost of our meals

My main meal - Mexican chicken and veg

Where can I purchase this in the UK?

You could say we made a meal of it and after a few hours of chatting, drinking and eating we decided to take a walk further down the river to see what we could find. Unfortunately we only had a day in Prague so planning our time was pretty crucial if we wanted to get everything done. One of the things that shocked me most about this romantic city was the amount of things to do. There is so much to see here - bars, restaurants, river cruises, the magnificent castle and course lots of little shops for all us tourists to enjoy. It's so much more beautiful at night, especially if you are with your other half I imagine. We saw so many couples hand in hand walking along the Charles Bridge which made me slightly envious I must say. However just experiencing this with your best friend was very special too. Taking in all that Prague has to offer as we walked across the famous Charles bridge which brings in thousands of tourists each year - I could have stayed there all night.

After a few more hours of exploring and a rather awkward encounter with a stripper bar (these are known as music bars in Prague ladies) we ended up walking back to our hostel for some well deserved kip. Surprisingly Prague wasn't as busy as I thought it would have been. I expected to see a lot more drunken stags rolling across the floor but this only allowed us to appreciate its real beauty even more.

Quick selfie before we headed out

Such a pretty sight

We were up bright and early the next day and decided to jump on one of the walking tours which took us all round Prague free of charge! What seemed like a great deal  at first after a few hours was mind draining. It was so hot and all I wanted was a sit down but at least we knew where everything was by the end of it so we could explore at our leisure. You couldn't fault the efforts of our fantastic tour guide either who lived off tips solely - these were surely rewarded. Another thing I was oblivious too before I visited Prague was its in depth history - it truly is fascinating. I think I learnt more in those three hours than I did on the entire trip! Not only did we get to explore the old town which was famous for its remarkable astronomical clock and heaps of history, we also got to explore the new town, the more modern part of Prague you could say. After the tour had finished we grabbed a quick drink in the square and headed up to the Prague castle on the metro which again allowed us to capture some spectacular views of the whole city. The Prague castle which was located at the highest point of Prague was utterly stunning. I had never visited a castle before this so it was a totally new experience for me. Even though we didn't pay to go inside we got to explore the beautiful surrounding gardens and views from above. I thoroughly enjoyed this day and couldn't have been happier as I sat overlooking Prague with a cup of tea in one hand and my camera in the other.

Casual shot overlooking the river the following day

So beautiful

Old market square

The famous clock tower

The view from the castle grounds

After a long day of walking we decided to head out for some dinner and a few drinks at our favourite pub again to finish off the evening. This for me had been one of the best days of the entire trip and I was so sad at the thought of travelling back to Paris the next morning to catch our early flight to England the following day. Not another train she screams! 

I really can't wait to come back here in the near future. Maybe next time I will be hand in hand with someone - who knows. But for now thank you Prague for being so utterly beautiful and thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed this journey as much as I did and sorry for the time it has taken me to upload all these posts! I didn't realise how much I would have to say and how many photos I had to get through.

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Munich Germany | Sausage and more

It's been a while since I have done one of these but it's only right that I finish blogging about the rest of my travels. I have really enjoyed sharing with everyone my experiences up until now and have had some great feedback from you all. As my travels draw to a close, we head North to the beautiful Munich Germany where sausage is in abundance and beer it seems is the only beverage available on the somewhat unreadable menu.

The beautiful view on route to Munich

Heading down to Munich square

Arriving into Munich after a long and tiresome trip from Rome, again took it's toll on our bodies. It was past dinner time by the time we had arrived and evidently we were starving. Luckily our hostel was only a two minute walk from the train station (well after we started to walk in the right direction) and what a welcome we received. In fact the first thing I noticed after arriving at this hostel was the amazing atmosphere. Not only were the staff very friendly, there were a lot of travellers wondering around, drinking at the bar, socialising and generally having a good time.

After a quick rest in our room we headed out in search of one of the best authentic German restaurants in Munich, as recommended by our English hostel receptionist. The heavens had opened but it wasn't long before we stumbled across the thriving red brick restaurant with a name I won't even bother trying to pronounce. After being welcomed in by an old German fellow we took our seats near the entrance. Straight away it was clear that we were the minority in this German filled restaurant. Despite the food being delicious I have never felt so humiliated in my entire life. I must say before embarking on this journey I did have my concerns when it came to communicating with the locals as we were visiting so many diverse countries. So for my own knowledge and for sheer politeness, I decided to learn the basic terminology for each country. However, I hadn't quite prepared myself for what was in store that evening...

Despite this, our time in Munich was a pleasant one. The next morning after meeting our fantastic room mate from Hong Kong, we headed down to breakfast which again didn't fail to deliver -  it was amazing. I love buffet breakfasts and made sure I made the most of the delights on offer. Fresh fruit, cereals, unlimited tea and a selection of breads and fillings to stock up on in preparation for the rest of the day. So off we went in search of some of Munich's finest sights. As this is quite a small city (or so we thought) it didn't take us long to walk around. We managed to get a fair amount done during our short stay in Munich Germany including walking around the beautiful English Gardens which were one of my highlights of the whole trip, and not forgetting the wonderful German market. I finally got to see what all the fuss was about when it came down to the German sausage and the Bavarian beer. 

Munich Germany

Munich central

The English Gardens

A real German market

My first ever pint of bitter didn't go down too well

This was possibly one of the most chilled out days of the entire trip but it was definitely needed after endless hours of walking to and fro places. The town itself was fairly busy and they had all the shops you could dream of (a bit like Birmingham city centre) as my friend so elegantly put it. However, nothing about this city really amazed me and to tell you the truth and I was a bit disappointed. It just wasn't as vibrant as I had hoped and I felt it lacked any real sense of culture. Yet my faith in Munich was restored later that day when I decided to take a walk up one of Munich's finest church towers. Like every European city, churches are not hard to come by but at this stage I have to admit, I would have been glad to have seen the back of them! Walking up hundreds of steep old stairs to the top of a church tower would be a daunting experience for anyone. The never ending staircase defeated my friend who backed out halfway through after struggling to catch her breath but I was adamant on reaching the top. Like my friend I too have a fear of heights. I wouldn't say I have conquered this fear just yet but I am definitely on my way. After taking in the breathtaking views of the city, I felt content at last.

The view from above

And again - this picture doesn't really do it justice in terms of how high up I actually was

After a few more hours of exploring, we decided to head back to the hostel grabbing some food from a pizza take out on the way back. Not the most luxurious of meals but we had been indulging all day on different German foods and sometimes a good slice of pizza is definitely needed. Somehow our walk back to the hostel took us much longer than expected after we managed to get lost. However, after about an hour or so we managed to find our way and were up in time for our next journey to Prague the following day. 

So there you have it, Munich Germany in a nutshell. Even though I was fairly disappointed, I think this is definitely one of Germany's up and coming cities. It certainly attracts a lot of youngsters but if you're after a sight seeing holiday, I personally wouldn't recommend it. Next time I come back to Germany I will definitely be heading further North to the capital, Berlin and to some of the quieter less touristy places to get a better idea of how the German's really live.

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Interrailing Chapter 4 | Rome

Following up on my previous post, in this next post I will be discussing the final part of my adventure in Italy; Rome. Roman history - one of the reasons I expect many people visit Rome, and something I too couldn't wait to witness. During our pleasant stay at The Yellow Hostel, again we got to see pretty much everything we hoped to  during our time in this marvellous city including: the Colosseum, the Vatican the Roman Forum and the Trevi fountain. Again we struck lucky with this hostel as not only was it pretty central, it was cheap, friendly and they had their own bar which was perfect for grabbing a quick drink or breakfast in the morning. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you are thinking of visiting Rome.

So what did we get up to in Rome and what's worth paying a visit? Well let me start by telling you - there's plenty to see and do. I would probably be here all day if I started listing all the things you could do so I will let you in on some of the things you shouldn't do. One thing I must start by saying is that the underground system in Rome is not the best. The attractions are not clearly listed like they are in Paris and therefore it's not as easy to navigate your way around. However, if you are visiting Rome for a few days then this will be your best point of call. If you are like me and want to be certain that you are going in the right direction then I would recommend double checking with the locals! 

The Trevi Fountain

Just a tad wet after the torrential downpour...

Another fantastic way of seeing this enchanting city is by an open top bus. Yes I know what you're thinking-typical tourist, but when it's pouring down with rain and you haven't got a clue where you are going, paying twenty euros or so to jump on a bus which takes you to every sight in Rome makes it all seem worthwhile. Unluckily for us, it was freezing again and raining too - we got absolutely drenched. Probably not the best idea to sit on the top but I surely didn't want to miss out on any of the sights, rain or no rain! Joking aside, I must say, the weather did have a big impact on our time in Rome. I didn't think I would be getting my rain mac out, certainly not in this city! But it just goes to show-you cannot rely on the weather not even in sunny Italy...

After a just about bearable tour of the city, we decided to jump off at the Vatican. Again this wasn't the best idea as it was Easter Sunday the weekend we were in Rome and because of the rain, everyone wanted to take shelter, literally anywhere... I knew there would be a queue but I wasn't prepared to wait three or more hours in the pouring rain so we decided to jump the queue and grab ourselves a tour guide. This was pretty easy going even though the reception at our hostel told us otherwise. Yes, you can always rely on the wonderful tour guides standing outside the attractions on the lookout for vulnerable tourists. I am always very weary of anything like this, I hate the thought of being scammed but luckily it was all legit and after a half an hour introduction we finally got ourselves in the warm.

So another tip here - if you want to avoid long tiresome queues it may be worth paying that little bit extra for a tour guide. This way you not only cut the horrendous queues, you actually get to learn about the different attractions and are not just standing there wondering what an earth you are meant to be looking at. This I found was particularly useful in the Vatican and the Colosseum as neither of them had any signs to explain what each room/feature was. When you have an expert on hand explaining all the ins and outs, you can sit/stand back and take it all in. Now as I may have mentioned in my last post, I am not the world's biggest religious person, neither do I take an interest in the Pope's affairs. However, I must say the Vatican was a very special place indeed. The fact that it is a separate city to Rome is something, but only when you get inside do you realise the complexity of such place. Hundreds and hundreds of rooms all surrounded in beautiful art work. I think we managed about 40 on our tour but as our tour guide said you would be there for weeks if you were to study each one. Our tour of the Vatican lasted for a good three hours and by the end I was ready to get of there. It was awfully busy and there was an awful lot to take in but still well worth a visit especially if you are a fan of the pope.

Inside the Vatican

Just look at that detail - a glimpse of the stunning artwork on the ceilings

Michelangelo in all his glory

During our tour not only did we have the chance to visit the wonderful Vatican museums, we also got to experience the beautiful Sistine Chapel and the Vatican's gardens. Unfortunately the Basilica of Saint Peter was not open to visitors on the Easter Sunday weekend but this didn't really bother me too much as I was already exhausted. Overall, I think we definitely tried to fit too much in during our trip. We were soon to feel the effects of hours of endless walking as soon on our return home. I for one was aching for weeks! Luckily we had two full days in Rome to check out all the sights and the following day the sun decided to make an appearance just in time for the Colosseum.

Luckily we didn't pay the Colosseum a visit when it was raining

Inside the masterpiece that is the Colosseum

A better look at the beauty

Roman history in its finest form - this place was truly remarkable. I actually shocked myself at how much much I enjoyed it. Along with seeing the wonderful Colosseum, on the second day we also had a guided tour of the Roman Forum which again exceeded all my expectations. If you are a fan of Roman History or simply want to see some amazing architecture then I recommend you get yourself down to Rome ASAP! It was amazing to see so many of the vital foundations of these buildings still standing - you could really picture how it used to look all those years ago. It's crazy to think they used to have so many gruesome battles and these buildings played such an important part of Roman life. I must note, I am a huge fan of the theatre and anything performance related so for me this was bound to be one of my highlights of Rome..

One of the many temples in the Roman Forum

The Roman Forum at a glance-breath taking

The Colosseum from afar

The Pantheon

After a hectic two days exploring all that Rome has to offer which also included the spectacular Pantheon (see above), we finally got to sit down and enjoy our last meal in the big city. This time we decided to go all out in one of Rome's finest restaurants and what a delightful evening we had. As the famous saying goes; when in Rome... I think the pictures below pretty much sum it up. I don't recommend you reading the rest of this if you're hungry.

One of the best salads I've ever tasted-King prawn and avocado

Another delicious Italian pasta 

So there you have it. Besides the torrential rain and the countless hours of walking, it was great to finally see Rome. This was the place I held the highest hopes for out of everywhere on our trip and it certainly didn't let me down. In terms of size, I was quite shocked as Rome wasn't as big as I thought it would be but still more than enough to do in a couple of days. I will definitely be paying a return visit to Rome when I'm older as I am sure I will appreciate it even more so then but for now I will say Ciao!

L.A
xox

Interrailing Chapter 3| Milan Fashion

So here we are at the favourite part of my journey; Italy. Following up on my previous post, I am now going to share with you the third part of my wonderful trip. Words can't describe how beautiful this country is. Fortunately for us, we got to spend the majority of our time here during out three week trip exploring the likes of the Roman forum, the Colosseum, the fashion of Milan and the jaw droppingly beautiful Florence. 

We started off in Milan. Now for those of you who love shopping like myself you may be feeling slightly envious as you read this. However I don't want to disappoint any of you fashionistas out there. Why you may ask? Well I was really looking forward to visiting Milan. Shops, shops and more shops. What isn't to like? Yet Milan disappointed me for many reasons. Not only was there not a lot to do or see, it didn't have a very pleasant atmosphere. To say it is one of the fashion capitals I expected so much more from this potentially magnificent city, but instead I got so little. Not helped by the fact that we were staying in the ghetto of course and had just been travelling for 18 hours from Barcelona. This includes a five hour wait outside a freezing cold train station in the middle of France (don't ask). Yes, unfortunately Milan is so not all about glamorous shopping, it has its deprived areas too! To say there was not a supermarket or restaurant in sight near our hostel would be an understatement. Our hostel was fine but this didn't make up for the fact that it made false promises. Located in a lively built up area.. I think not

Luckily we were only staying for one night so we made the most of the time we had and headed straight to the shops; central Milan. Window shopping-I've never been the world's biggest fan. I adore my clothes as much as the next fashion blogger but when you have a strict budget and a small rucksack then maybe coming to Milan isn't the brightest idea. I wouldn't be able to put Milan on the same level as Paris or London for it's sense of fashion because it's simply incomparable. Some wonderful shops but maybe somewhere to visit when you meet a rich man ladies. One thing is for certain though, they do damn good ice creams. Yes, I think Gelato may be my new guilty pleasure!

Central Milan

The wonderful Duomo

The best Gelato in the whole of Italy

Fashion' finest

Window shopping in Milan may make you want to cry..

The student hub where our apartment was located

I don't think I will be coming back to Milan in a hurry which is a shame as it does have a lot of potential. Maybe if I had a bit more money and time to really appreciate it then I would have enjoyed it more. If its any consolation the train station is really pretty, just watch out for the gypsy ladies who will try and con you out of money! In terms of safety this was something Milan failed on. I would definitely recommend checking out the Duomo as this was stunning. That's one thing you wont be deprived of in Italy, beautiful churches and cathedrals. There are also plenty of museums and apparently some pretty nice canals which we didn't get to see so if you are paying a visit to Milan, I would recommend you start looking up things like this to do in advance! 

Next up Florence and what a treat I have in store for you...

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