#155 Brasov, Transylvania

Brasov

Despite being based in Brasov for three days, we actually spent very little time exploring the area as we were busy with day trips. However, our AirBnB was located in the old town and had a great view of the Brasov sign in the mountains. The old town is a great place to stay, and is a short and cheap Uber ride to the train or bus stations.

We did have some time in the late afternoons after our day trips to venture out a little and explore the area, and it would have been nice to have had at least one full day exploring there.

Food & Drink

We availed of a giant chimney cake (Kurtos Kalacs) from a little wagon for just 20lei, and it was large enough for 3 of us to share. We also enjoyed a relaxing evening cocktail outside along one of the many bars and restaurants, who set up tables and chairs in the middle of the street in the evenings.

For dinner one evening we had dinner at the highly rated Sergiana. It's located in a cellar, so no option to dine al fresco which we had gotten used to! I enjoyed my meal but my friends was incredibly salty, and the service wasn't particularly fast, so overall it's a bit hit and miss.

Sights to See

We wandered around the main square, Piata Sfatului, which is also next to the Black Church. Unfortunately we didn't have time to fit in a trip up to the Brasov sign on Tampa mountain, which can be reached by a short hike or by cable car. 

I feel it is also important to note that there is nowhere to eat in or around Brasov train station, as we came back from a day trip and had to wait 2 hours for our train back to Bucharest and ended up almost starving! After a look around the station we found nothing suitable (honestly they looked like places we'd get food poisoning) and ventured across the street to a shopping mall - which similarly had nowhere that looked clean or fresh. So....yeah. Try and bring some snacks with you!

#154 Bran Castle, Transylvania

Bran / Dracula's Castle

Bran Castle is famous for being the inspiration for Dracula's castle. This has been largely debunked and in reality there is little to no basis for this vampire link, but nonetheless it remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in Romania.

We had heard that it's small, overcrowded and overrated, and that Peles Castle is better. We didn't agree with this, and enjoyed Bran very much, possibly because we had such low expectations going in.

We went midweek and got the bus to Bran from Autogara 2 in Brasov, which is located a little bit out of the city and isn't the one located next to the train station, so you'll need to get an Uber or something there. We had read online the bus to Bran cost 7 lei each way, but we were charged 9 lei (€2) by the bus driver so it seems the price has increased, although it's still cheap.

Early Birds Get The...

Since I had heard about it being very busy with coach tours, and having a similar problem when we visited Peles, I was eager to get there as early as possible. We got the 8am bus from Brasov that arrived at 8.45am, despite the castle not being open until 9.15am. Thankfully the bus dropped us right outside the castle and it's only a few minutes walk to the entrance. Entry to the castle is 40lei(€8.50).

It allowed us enough time to make a leisurely walk up to the castle and go to the bathroom before entering just moments after opening time. When we entered there was only two small groups of children in front of us, but by the time we left about an hour later the castle was already getting very busy with large tour groups.

Inside Dracula's Lair

You don't need a guided tour and are free to wander around the castle at your leisure. It's quite old style and the rooms aren't too busy with decorations or furniture, but I enjoyed it. There's a lovely view of the mountains, and the castle has some neat features like a very narrow stairwell, winding wooden stairs, and an open veranda. We enjoyed wandering around at our own pace but I imagine later in the day or on weekends it would be very crowded and uncomfortable.

On the way out of the castle we stopped at the little souvenir market, as it had been mostly closed on our way into the castle. The prices were reasonable and I got a fridge magnet for 5lei(€1). We stopped at Galeria restaurant and my friend got a gelato dessert and I got a black forest gateau, these were good and the prices were reasonable.

Also I should mention that the bus from Brasov to Bran also makes a stop at Rasnov, a citadel on hill that also boasts a Hollywood-esque sign. We were tempted to stop off here, but in the end we were just very tired after a busy few days and decided to give it a miss. However, it looked good from the bus as we passed and I think if you have time it could be a nice addition to your trip.

#153 Sighisoara, Transylvania

Sighisoara

We only had time to do a day trip to either Sighisoara or Sibiu, and in the end decided that Sighisoara looked like a prettier place. It was a little difficult to find information and we were unsure if the information we did have was up to date, but thankfully in the end it all ran very smoothly.

The Bus

We took a bus there and back from Brasov. The bus left from the Autogara 1 bus station which is attached to the main Brasov train station.

We had read they were "mini buses" but the bus we got on was a comfortable coach and wasn't busy, however this might have been because it was midweek. We used the company CDI and found timetables (with the help of Google Translate) on www.cdyservice.ro, it leaves around every 2 hours in each direction and the route is Tg Mures - Bucuresti. They have a ticket office where you can buy tickets in Brasov, and you just buy them from the bus driver in Sighisoara. It cost 25lei/€5 each way and took around 2 hours.

We got the first bus of the day at 8.56am which arrived in Sighisoara at 10.56am, and we returned on the 2.30pm bus, which was enough for us to wander around the old town and get some lunch before heading back to Brasov and spending the evening there. The bus station in Sighisoara is within a short walking distance of the old town and is easy to navigate.

The journey is quite nice and takes in quite a few small towns and villages, as well as scenery and even some old ruins.

Picture Perfect

Sighisoara was absolutely gorgeous and very picturesque, with winding cobble stoned streets and colorful old buildings. It was particularly nice as the weather was blue skies and since we arrived early in the day it wasn't too busy with coach tours and other tourists either.

For lunch we had pizza and a beer outside at Pizzeria San Gennaro just off the main square (Piata Cetatii). This was probably one of the better places we ate at with good service in Romania, so would recommend.

I had largely planned this trip, and the night before we visited Sighisoara my friends asked me "But what is there to do there?" and my response was "Nothing, I think it's just pretty to walk around". I was a little concerned if the trip would be a waste of time, and it had been very troublesome figuring out the bus, but it was a gamble that paid off and our relaxing day wandering around Sighisoara was one of the highlights of our trip.

#152 Peles Castle and Sinaia, Transylvania

Peles Castle

To start with, you should probably know that the 's' of Peles has an accent on it which makes it pronounced like "Pel-esh". I had read online and even heard from locals that this castle is far nicer than Bran/Dracula Castle. As it turns out, my friends and I totally disagree on that point, and while Peles was nice, we still think Bran was better.

Train to Sinaia

We went on a Sunday and set off on the train from Bucharest at 8.10am and despite a slight delay, arrived at Sinaia station just before 10am. You can check train times, buy tickets online and show them on your phone to the inspector at www.cfrcalatori.ro, or just buy them at the station.

We left our luggage at Sinaia station for 10lei/€2 (open everyday from 7am-7pm) and used the bathroom for a small 1.5lei fee. You will need to show your passport when leaving your luggage so make sure you have it to hand. Sinaia is nestled in forest covered mountains, and is beautifully scenic. 

The Long Walk

From Sinaia station to Peles Castle it is an uphill hike, but nothing too difficult if you take your time. It was confusing, as oftentimes there are signs for it pointing in opposite directions. In the end, I think we went the long way around following the road that was meant more for vehicles, and there was probably a shorter route with steps for walking in the other direction.

It took us 20mins to walk from the station to the Monastery. We didn't go in as we were asked to rent a skirt to cover our legs, and my friend took offence to this. I'm not sure if it's because it was a Sunday, as I hadn't read about it online before, but it's something to be careful of if you're a woman in shorts.

It took us another 25mins from there to reach the castle, and that included a stop at a local shop to buy some water and quite a bit of time stopping and trying to see if Google Maps could help us, as we couldn't see the castle and were very unsure if we were even going in the right direction. So overall it was one hour walk from the station to the castle. I had read online it was about 30-40mins, so I'm unsure if we were just very slow or if we went the long way around.

Entry Fee and Tour

By the time we arrived at the castle it was after 11am, and despite seeing no other tourists on the train from Bucharest or on the walk up, we found several coaches parked outside, and the castle was busy with plenty of group tours. We queued up and got a tour quite quickly, but I imagine could be far busier later in the afternoon. There were local women outside selling little baskets of cherries and raspberries for 10lei which were a nice snack after the long walk.

We paid 30lei/€6.50 entry, and there is also another 30lei extra charge if you want to take photos inside. We didn't bother and as it turned out, almost everyone took lots of photos. The groups were so big it was very easy to sneak photos on your phone without being caught (once you didn't use flash) and even if you were caught, you were just told not to take photos or to show your photo pass, there was no real punishment. Therefore I'd advise unless you have a big camera not to bother paying the extra photo charge.

The compulsory guided tour wasn't great, I think it took about 40mins or so. It was very crowded and at times difficult to hear the guide as he wasn't very loud and didn't have the best English, and many people spoke over him to their friends. The interior was quite fancy and decadent, but the tour just wasn't enjoyable and we would have preferred doing it in our own time.

We also had a problem that we couldn't actually get a proper full photo of the exterior of the castle, as when we walked up the lane it was obscured until we reached it, and then we were too close to get it all in one photo. There did appear to be a lane at the bottom of the field in front of the castle that we could see people walking and perhaps there we could have gotten a better photo, but we were just too tired and hungry to check it out.

The Way Back

On the way back to the station we went a little out of our way to stop to eat at a restaurant called Snow which was quite highly rated online. Unfortunately it wasn't worth our time as the service was very, very slow and the food was so bad we couldn't finish it despite being hungry (very greasy and oily). The decor was nice but I wouldn't recommend.

Once finished in Sinaia, you can hop back on another train that will bring you to Brasov, a nice city and a good starting point for day trips to Bran(Draculas) castle as well as the picturesque towns of Sighisoara and Sibiu. The train from Sinaia to Brasov took one hour and cost 14lei/€3, and departs regularly.

Overall, we were glad we went to Sinaia and Peles Castle, but we did favour Bran Castle.

#151 Transylvania, Romania

I had a blast during my visit to Romania, despite finding it difficult to find information before my visit. Hopefully this blog will help anyone else who is planning their trip!

For details on my time spent in Bucharest, you can check my previous post here.

Sample Itinerary

We spent 5 full days in Romania. We spent our first and our last day in Bucharest, and the 3 days in between in Transylvania.

Our itinerary worked out like this:

Day 1: Bucharest - Old town, palace of the parliament, outdoor village museum, natural history museum (overnight in Bucharest)

Day 2: Sinaia - Peles Castle (overnight in Brasov)

Day 3: Sighisoara (overnight in Brasov)

Day 4: Bran Castle (overnight in Bucharest)

Day 5: Bucharest - Therme Spa

The itinerary worked really well as it allowed us to see all the main sights and make the most of our time in Romania.

Bucharest to Sinaia and Peles Castle

Sinaia is the closest and easiest place to get to from Bucharest. It's a direct train that takes about 1.5hr and costs about 40lei/€9.  The main attraction here is Peles Castle, and as the local monastery is nearby some people visit there also.

Train Information

With the help of Google Translate you can easily buy train tickets on the official Romanian Railways website at www.cfrcalatori.ro (but only up to 6hrs before the train departs) and show them on your phone to the ticket inspector. You can also buy them at the station using automated ticket machines or desks.

We sometimes bought tickets in advance, but often we weren't sure exactly what time we would be finished sightseeing, so bought them at the station. On one occasion (I believe it was midday and midweek) the tickets were sold out and we had to wait an hour for the next train, which was a little inconvenient. I've heard trains sell out more often at weekends and weekday rush hour, so I suppose my advice would be to buy in advance if possible.

Peles Castle

I had read and heard from locals that the castle is far nicer than Bran/Dracula Castle, but we preferred Bran.

We left our luggage at Sinaia train station for 10lei. From there to Peles Castle it is an uphill hike, but nothing too difficult if you take your time. It took us about a one hour walk from the station to the castle.

We paid 30lei/€6.50 entry, and there is also another 30lei extra if you want to take photos inside but I'd advise unless you have a big camera not to bother paying the extra. The compulsory guided tour wasn't great, it was very crowded and at times difficult to hear the guide.

Once finished in Sinaia, we hopped back on another train that took us to Brasov. The train from Sinaia to Brasov took one hour and cost 14lei/€3, and departs regularly.

Sighisoara

We only had time to do a day trip to either Sighisoara or Sibiu, and in the end decided that Sighisoara looked like a prettier place. It was a little difficult to find information and we were unsure if the information we did have was up to date, but thankfully in the end it all ran very smoothly. We took a bus there and back that left from the Autogara 1 bus station which is attached to the main Brasov train station. We used the company CDI and found timetables (with the help of Google Translate) on www.cdyservice.ro. It cost 25lei/€5 each way and took around 2 hours.


Sighisoara was absolutely gorgeous and very picturesque, with winding cobble stoned streets and colorful old buildings. It was particularly nice as the weather was blue skies and since we arrived early in the day it wasn't too busy with coach tours and other tourists.

Brasov

Despite being based in Brasov for three days, we actually spent very little time exploring the area as we were busy with day trips. However, our AirBnB was located in the old town and had a great view of the Brasov sign in the mountains. The old town is a great place to stay, and is a short and cheap Uber ride to the train or bus stations.

One of the highlights of our brief stay was a giant chimney cake (Kurtos Kalacs) from a little wagon for just 20lei, and it was large enough for 3 of us to share.

We wandered around the main square, Piata Sfatului, which is also next to the Black Church. Unfortunately we didn't have time to fit in a trip up to the Brasov sign on Tampa mountain, which can be reached by a short hike or by cable car. 

Bran / Dracula's Castle

Bran Castle is famous for being the inspiration for Dracula's castle. This has been largely debunked and in reality there is little to no basis for this vampire link, but nonetheless it remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in Romania. 

We had heard that it's small, overcrowded and overrated, and that Peles Castle is better. We didn't agree with this, and enjoyed Bran very much, possibly because we had such low expectations going in.


We went midweek and got the bus to Bran from Autogara 2 in Brasov. We got the 8am bus from Brasov that arrived at 8.45am. Entry to the castle is 40lei/€8.50. You don't need a guided tour and are free to wander around the castle at your leisure. It's quite old style and the rooms aren't too busy with decorations or furniture, but I enjoyed it. On the way out of the castle we stopped at the little souvenir market, the prices were reasonable and I got a fridge magnet for 5lei/€1.

Also I should mention that the bus from Brasov to Bran also makes a stop at Rasnov, a citadel on hill that also boasts a Hollywood-esque sign. We were too tired to go but I think it does look like a neat place if you have the time and energy!

#150 Bucharest, Romania

While looking up flights and potential places to visit, I came across Romania. I was curious, but also dubious. As a solo female traveller, I put it on the "maybe" list and moved on. A few months later, I was doing a similar thing, but with friends this time. It was difficult to pick a place that had relatively cheap flights, and somewhere the three of us hadn't already been - again Romania came up. Deciding to be adventurous, we went for it and booked our flights to Bucharest.

The good news is I absolutely loved Romania and would highly recommend it to anyone. It is spectacular in terms of value for money, and it was (surprisingly) clean, modern and safe. Book your flights now!!!

Planning Your Trip to Romania

It's quite hard to find information about Romania that is up to date. TripAdvisor isn't hugely populated with that many reviews, and a lot of blogs or forum posts I found were a few years old, and things can change very fast. So, I found planning our trip took a lot more research and time than it usually would with more popular and mainstream destinations.

Hopefully the information in this blog will be useful, and then after that it's just taking the time and trying to find the newest information as it's the most reliable. We visited early June 2018, which is apparently one of the best times to go because it's good weather but not too hot or crowded like July and August.

Bucharest to Transylvania

There isn't a huge amount to do in Bucharest, and I've read a lot of blogs and instances were people have attempted to visit some of the castles (Dracula!) in Transylvania during a day trip from Bucharest. I have an adjoining post with my experience of Transylvania where you can get more detail - but I would definitely recommend planning a longer trip in Romania (we spent 5 full days) and staying overnight in Transylvania than trying to rush it in a day.

Bucharest Old Town

Bucharest old town (Lipscani) is wonderful, and wandering through the streets can make you feel more like you're in Paris than in Romania. We stayed at two AirBnBs which were located just a few minutes walk and it's a great area to base yourself. It is mostly comprised of bars, cafés and restaurants, and is a hive of activity in the evenings. Even being a tourist trap prices are incredibly reasonable, with a beer costing on average 10lei/€2 and meals usually around 25lei/€5.

The old town is a short walk to the impressive Palace of the Parliament, and a short Uber ride to the wonderful Outdoor Village Museum (Dimitrie Gusti). We didn't get a tour of the Parliament as we felt it may not be time well spent, and were happy to just look at it from the outside. The outdoor museum features very old buildings taken from around Romania and is lovely to walk around. It's priced very cheaply at 15lei/€3 and I think is best enjoyed in the morning before it gets too busy or too hot. 

From the village museum we walked out to the Arcul De Triomf, and from there down a pleasant avenue lined with embassy's to get the Museum of the Romanian Peasant. After a lot of confused wandering around we eventually discovered that the museum has closed, despite all indications online saying it's still open. A little disappointed, we went into the nearby Natural History Museum instead. While it was enjoyable to get inside out of the heat, it wasn't anything special and I wouldn't recommend it. There was again an extra cost to take photos, which we didn't avail of and there was no one around to check we had paid the extra cost either, so it appears to be a money-racket.

Getting Around Bucharest

You have two main travel options of metro or bus which are usually less than 50c a trip, but we ended up using Uber as prices ended up being on average less than €2 per trip, and divided between three of us was very cheap. The great things about Uber is the price is already agreed before you take the journey so there's no nasty surprises at the end, and you can pay online using your card which eliminates the need for carrying around cash. I had never used it before this trip, but would recommend it as the best way to get around cities in Romania.

Also, we noticed there were very few other tourists around. A few seemed to be Eastern European, and most were part of large coach tours. This meant you could see no other tourists on the bus or at the train stations and assume it's not busy, but once you arrived at the attraction in question there could be ten buses parked outside and hundreds of tourists in large groups inside. In general, it's best to try go places first thing in the morning before most of the bus tours arrive.

Therme Spa

I loved this place so much I gave it it's own blog post. It is Europe's largest wellness spa, a huge facility located on the outskirts of the city close to the airport. Entry cost us around €30 for 4.5hours, which included access to all three areas and to whatever treatments were scheduled during our time there (we had a scrub and a beauty treatment called "liquid gold"). It has something for everyone, including an amazing childrens area with an array of slides, and is well worth a visit if you have some spare time.

#149 Barcelona, Spain

I'm Irish, and Spain is the most popular holiday destination for Irish people. Since our weather is a bit damp, as a nation we just can't get enough of the hot Spanish weather.

I, however, do not like hot weather. I do not enjoy sitting by the pool all day working on my tan. I was brought on a few of these sun holidays as a child and the scars still remain.

Now, Barcelona is said to be a sort-of exception to this "sitting  by the pool" rule. A vibrant, fun, cultural city which makes a great city break. I wasn't hugely interested in going, but it's a close-by destination which regularly gets rave reviews by the many who have been. So to cross it off the list, I booked my flights.

On the whole, I did not enjoy Barcelona. I wouldn't hugely recommend it and I would not like to go back. I found that while it was nice, it was in many cases over-hyped and often times disappointing. A fine example of this is all the works by artist Gaudi which dot the city - some are OK, some are overpriced and a bit rubbish. If, like me, you have no interest in art, then most of his works are a waste of your time, despite how much everyone on TripAdvisor can try and tell you how amazing it is.

Weather

You go to Barcelona for the blue skies don't you? Well, we visited in late April and the weather forecast stated there would be rain for the four days of my trip.... This updated the day before we left and stated the first day would be sunny, and the rest wet. So we ran around our first day in a desperate attempt to get some nice photos before the rain hit. As it turned out, it never rained, but we had sore legs and feet from the stress of that first day that it somewhat put a damper on the rest of the days there.

Gaudi

I like to travel cheaply, and more often than not I will avoid paying entrance fees to attractions I have no interest in. Following this logic, I saw the Sagrada Familia cathedral from the outside only, as I did with Casa Batllo. I don't think I missed out hugely as most of the photos you see of these places online are also taken from the outside only. 

We decided to splash out on one attraction, and pay entrance to visit Park Guell. You really need to book a time online (even just a day or two before), as it's a very busy attraction and there are many cases where people show up in the morning for all the timeslots to be already sold out until much later in the day, or totally sold out. Thankfully the website is in English, fast and easy to use and the tickets were sent as pdf to my emails and scanned off my phone at the entrance.

The website however did not inform us of the following: the park is still a work in progress and half of the famous rooftop view was obscured, and the park is a trek to get to. We went to the nearest metro, and then had to walk for a long time down a business district with very few restaurants or cafés. Based on the amount of time and effort it took to get there, plus the disappointing interior, I was unhappy I had spent my money on this attraction.

Castell Montjuic

I really enjoyed this place, and probably because it wasn't hugely over-hyped in the same way as many of the Gaudi works. We got there by getting the funicular halfway up the hill (it's great because it is attached to the metro and you can use your metro travel card, saving money).  Once you get out there is an option to grab a bus, however we decided to walk. It was an uphill walk but nothing too strenuous and there were nice views along the way. Another option is to get the cable car, which does look good but not so much if you're saving money.

Entrance was cheap at €3/5 and the views were fabulous. One of the highlights.

Las Ramblas / La Boquiera Market

Las Ramblas is literally just a long pedestrian avenue with suspicious looking people loitering and others trying to sell grossly overpriced souvenirs. It was an uncomfortable experience and I felt paranoid I was going to be pickpocketed or kidnapped. The only reason to go there is to get to the wonderful La Boquiera market. Among the fish, meat and cheeses there were lots of juices and fruit cups that were great value at around €1.50. Again another gem in our visit.

#148 Preparing for Barcelona

Did you know that I, with my travel blog, have not traveled in almost one year? My last trip was to Brussels in May, and my next won't be until April. Terrible!

I had a trip to Croatia booked for last October, however due to work constrictions I was forced to cancel. Afterwards I was desperate for a break and I toyed with the idea of visiting Germany for a Christmas market, however after research I still found it difficult to decide which city was best to visit and could offer more than just overpriced mulled wine - so in the end I gave up and abandoned the idea altogether.

Unfortunately due to further work constraints I am unable to travel again until Easter, which this year falls in the end of March/beginning of April. Having browsed through airline websites I found a fair price and decided to visit Barcelona in Spain.

Park Guell in Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona has been somewhere on my "to-do" list for quite a while, but it always came runner-up as I would find cheaper flights to another destination. I also think April will be a good time for me to visit, as I have an aversion to the heat and prefer a more comfortable climate.

Unlike my usual trips this one will not be solo - my sister heard I was going and got jealous, so she booked her tickets a few days later!

We've previously traveled around Tokyo and Edinburgh together, and she enjoys my travel style - cheap and cheerful! When she travels with her husband it costs quite a lot as they stay in hotels and eat at nice restaurants etc. When she travels with me, she stays in hostel dormitories, eats bread on-the-go for lunch and forgoes some of the "must-see" destinations because of their high cost.

I've had a brief look at the things to do in Barcelona and I'm confident our 3 day stay will be enough to get everything done.

#147 Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland

When I was a teenager I visited Finnish Lapland, more specifically the capital Rovaniemi. This would have been around....2007? So while I've finally decided to share my experience, I realize the information below may be a little outdated, but it should still be a good place to start. We visited at Halloween, which may sound a little bizarre, but the only reason we went is because my sister spent a semester at the University there (which admittedly is also a little bizarre, but anyway!).

I'll firstly mention a few highlights: we were there about 5 days and did not see the Northern Lights, we did not do a sleigh/husky ride into the wilderness, we did not sleep in an igloo or an ice hotel, we did not get naked in a sauna and run outside into the snow. We did visit Santa at his workshop, we did cross the Arctic circle, we did visit the Arktikum museum and we did see the restaurant owned by Eurovision winners Lordi (however it was seasonally closed, and now I presume forever closed?).

To get to the point, would I recommend it? No! Although my parents arranged and paid for it (I believe it was outrageously expensive), I really don't think it offers value for money, especially for families.

Ok, so now for a little more detail!

The Northern Lights

We've all seen those mad photographs where the sky is an amazing big greeny haze. The reality of you seeing the Northern Lights is quite low, and the chance they will be even half as distinctive as in the photos even lower. This is based on the experience of my sister who spent 5 months living in Rovaniemi, my own personal experience visiting for a few days, and also the experience of a few friends of mine who spent a fortune travelling to Swedish Lapland and came home bitterly disappointed after a few days as they had only barely seen a greenish glow on one night, and it didn't come out in any photos. I believe they are better times of year and better places to view them, but I think you're mostly depending on the weather and pure luck. So, if you desperately want to see the Northern Lights, please be aware despite what the travel agents are selling, there is a very good chance you will not see them, or they will be very faint and not "Instagrammable".

Here's another interesting experience I found online: https://luxeadventuretraveler.com/northern-lights/


Up next....

The Real Santa Claus

Ok, so I was at an age where I knew Santa wasn't real, and as I said we visited on like 28th October or something, so not quite seasonal but I do think there was a little snow. I personally enjoyed our visit to Santa's workshop. My sister has previously been on a group trip and was terribly disappointed, so admittedly I was surprised when it wasn't bad. However if you go in thinking it's like a scene out of "The Santa Clause" or "The Polar Express" you will be disappointed.
Again there has probably been upgrades to it since I went, but basically there was lots of pretty wooden huts selling numerous types of souvenirs. I think there may have been some reindeer. There is a big red line on the ground indicating the Arctic Circle, and you can get a certificate to say you crossed it. For Santa's compound, we were the only people there I think, but we were greeted by an elf who asked us what language we speak (I guess there are different Santas for different languages maybe?) and we walked in, spoke to him a little, got a photo taken and left. Santa himself was good, friendly and had a top quality suit and beard. The queuing area was nice, similar to maybe one before a ride in Disneyland, and I remember it had a big machine that helps Santa stop time to travel around the world (or something to that effect?), but to be honest a lot of home-grown Santa experiences here in Ireland have really upped their game in recent years, so while it was nice, it wasn't exactly made of childhood dreams or probably worth the cost of going there just to see Santa.

For more up to date information, here's a link to their official website:
https://www.santaclausvillage.info/santa-claus/santa-park/

Santa Claus in Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi

It's a lovely little town, incredibly clean and modern. Felt very safe and welcoming. I remember spending a lot of money in the local H&M! I can't really remember much about restaurants or food, I know we ate at my sisters apartment a few times and had breakfast inclusive at our hotel.

Arktikum Museum

This is a science/natural history museum based on the local area, and one of the highlights of the trip. It was very insightful as well as being fun and interactive. I think I remember there being like a "northern lights" kind of cinema experience but I could be wrong.

#146 Bruges, Belgium

My experience of Bruges (also known as Brugge) was absolutely magical. I had seen the movie. I had read it was nice. But I really only decided to go because I found incredibly cheap flights to Brussels and Bruges was a short train ride away.

Bruges was like a fairy tale, with incredibly old winding streets and picturesque old buildings. I only spent about 24 hours in this wonderful place, and while it was more than enough to see all the main sights, I could easily have spent a few more days just relaxing and soaking up the atmosphere. It is one of the few places that I would highly recommend to visit, and in fact I look forward to returning again.

Transport and Accommodation

I got to Bruges via train from Brussels which took just over one hour. Since I am under 26 years old I qualified for a Go pass, which means I can travel anywhere in Belgium for only €6.40, which is fantastic value! I was also surprised to find out that there are a few hostels in Bruges, and they were similar in price to what I found in Brussels too. I stayed at Hostel Lybeer which was very close to both the train station and the historic centre and although it was quite nice, however I would be open to staying somewhere else if I were to return.

If you haven't, you should try watch the film In Bruges before you go. I'd seen it a few years ago but I actually didn't have the time to watch it before I went so I'm rusty on the details. I'm probably a little prejudiced since it's an Irish film, it's a black comedy and a little bleak at times, but a really well made film and it does show you quite a few sights around Bruges as well. It was on Netflix however I think it may have been removed from the lineup.

Weather

As I visited in May, the weather was gorgeous - getting to around 29 degrees Celsius (which for my Irish skin was a bit much). Apparently I was lucky with the weather as I was told Belgium is quite a rainy country, and in fact it rained on my second day there, however I had already seen all the sights and was getting ready to leave anyway. Since the aesthetic of Bruges is all outdoors, I do think wet weather would put a damper on it, but these are risks you take!


I arrived on an early train from Brussels, left my baggage at the hostel and started my day with a free walking tour by Legends of Bruges. It was a 2 hour tour and was a good introduction to Bruges and took us around all the main sights, as well as giving a brief history of the town. I really enjoyed it, and think it may have been one of the better free walking tours I had been on. Following on from the tour I walked around the sights again and took my time, especially with photos etc.

The best way to get around Bruges is walking, it's a short walk from the train station and the town itself is very small to get around. There's also horse and carriage rides, and of course boat rides as well. The boat ride tour itself is very good value, €8 for about 30mins, and they run every few minutes. I found it very enjoyable, however they really fill the boats so it was a little cramped in terms of legroom.

While Bruges does offer surprising more value for money than expected in terms of accommodation and sightseeing, I feel the biggest barrier is eating out. I found it difficult to find or decide on a restaurant that would offer value, so I settled for buying my own breakfast and lunch in the supermarkets. There is a McDonalds, however I am glad to say I didn't need to visit!

Food

One of the many things Belgium is famous for is chocolate - and there are plenty of places in Bruges to buy some. My preference would probably be The Chocolate Line by Dominque Persoon, as you can try chocolates with strange flavours there, such as wasabi and bacon. In terms of Belgian waffles, I admitted in a previous post I'm not a huge fan, but there are a few different places you can get them, I went to Chez Albert based on reviews but I didn't think it was anything special in comparison to other places.

#145 Brussels, Belgium

I spent a lovely 24 hours in Brussels, which I found was more than enough time to see all the main sights in the city. 

I started the day with a free walking tour, which took me around all the sights and gave me a brief history of the city. Although I didn't particularly like the tour guide I still enjoyed the tour and being brought around the city, and would recommend it as a good way to see the all the sights if you only have a short time. 

 
Belgian WafflesBelgian Beer 
Transport 
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After the tour I had lunch, then revisited some of the main areas again so I could get more photos and soak in the atmosphere a bit more. Of course the main attractions are the Grand Place (the big colourful square) and the Mannequin Pis (the tiny statue of the boy peeing), both within a moments walking distance of each other. 

The most popular places for lunch would be the many places that sell French fries, of course the fries being a Belgian invention that was introduced to Americans by some French speaking Belgians (hence the confusion of the name, although in Ireland we just call them chips).  

Weather

Being mid-May the weather was glorious and got as hot as 27 degrees, although I had heard that it usually rains a lot in Belgium and had rained for a few days before my visit. To beat the heat I treated myself to a visit to one of the many gelato places in the city centre, they all seemed to have similar prices and flavours. 

Belgian Waffles

As for the waffles - I have a confession. I didn't really like them!! I absolutely love sweet things and had been drooling over photos of Belgian waffles on Instagram in the days before my trip. However I had two - one was plain and I thought it a bit stale tasting, and the other was covered in strawberries and cream from an eatery in Bruges (which is apparently the best), and while it was definitely fresh I still found it very heavy and a bit chewy, not what I was expecting. My sister has a waffle maker in her house and I much prefer the light and fluffy ones we make, sorry Belgium! 

After a return to my hostel for a shower I headed out again to the Parlementarium, the interactive exhibit about the European Union, which is of course based in Brussels. They provide free audio guide devices with little screens which you can use to interact with the many exhibits. I was tired and honestly skipped through a lot of it but it's a modern and interesting facility nonetheless and would be a good place to visit while the weather is very hot in the afternoon. 

Belgian Beer and Belgian Chocolate

Of course Belgium is also very famous for its beers and there are many bars and restaurants with plenty of space to sit and relax outside, a cold beer in hand. One of the most famous bars in Brussels is Delirium Village, a complex of about four or five different bars ranging from tequila bars to beer, based on the famous Delirium beer, a very strong beer with a pink elephant logo.

There are also many chocolate shops, however you will find that many are for example Leonidas or Godiva and are the same as you can get in these chain stores in your home country, or are tourist traps selling very poor quality chocolate in boxes from China that say "Belgium" on them. It can be difficult to try find a genuine chocolate shop!

Transport

In terms of transport, most of the main sights are within walking distance of each other, but there is a metro, bus and train available. During my visit to Belgium I also went to Bruges, which is just over one hour away by train, so very closeby. You can also get trains to countries like the Netherlands, Luxembourg and France.

#144 On Travelling During The Summer

So we're at the end of April now, and summer is steadfast approaching! I'm sure a lot of you have already planned your summer holidays away.

Summer holiday. Eponymous. Renowned. A standard part of life for many people. Yet a summer holiday is something I admittedly don't really understand. Why travel during the summer? The reasons I can think of would be that either a) you have kids in school, b) you're still in education yourself, c) you work in education, or d) you like really hot weather.

Sandhamm, a popular holiday island in Sweden

So basically it mostly revolves around school. If you're not a teacher and you don't have child in school, I have no idea why you would actually ever want to travel during the summer season. I personally hate summer travel, I did it last year in Asia as I was unfortunately in the above mentioned grouping of being a teacher, and I would have much preferred to have done it any other time of year. Why do I hate it so? Summer travel is a) crazy expensive, b) overcrowded, c) tons of unsupervised children running riot and d) just too damn hot.



Irish people don't get a lot of warm weather, so most of them like to holiday in Spain or somewhere with a warmer climate. However, a lot of places are quite warm all year, and by going in the summer the Irish subject themselves to weather that is uncomfortably hot (although they will deny it) and earn dodgy tans and wince-worthy sunburns that they will wear back home like badges of honor.


I don't like hot weather. I don't like annoying children. I don't like being ripped off. I do not like summer holidays. Next month I will make a short mid-week trip to Belgium, and then I will remain static until around October, when the weather cools off, the prices dip, and the crowds are few and far between. Bliss.

Sunset on an island in the Stockholm archipelago

#143 Edinburgh, Scotland

Since I’m from Ireland, visiting Scotland didn’t seem particularly exotic or exciting for me because it’s so close both geographically and culturally. However, for my sister’s birthday this year we decided to finally visit the capital, Edinburgh, and cross it off the to-do list. The fact that flights were really cheap also helped make up our minds, and honestly we had an absolute blast. We really, really enjoyed our time in the city and would recommend it as a great place for a city or weekend break. 

Flights and transport

Writers Museum

When we arrived at our hostel early in the morning she guessed we were either from the Dublin flight or the overnight bus from London, so now we know coming from London that the bus is an option. You can also get trains and flights but these are likely to be far more expensive.

Edinburgh International Airport is really close to the city and connections are cheap, you can get either the tram or bus – we opted for the route 100 airlink bus which cost only £7.50 return and took about 30mins each way. The bus had a few stops along the way (including Edinburgh Zoo) and we got off at the final stop at Waverly station, from where we could easily walk to our hostel in the Old Town. I had looked up tickets for the tram and buses should the weather be very bad to walk around, but actually all the main sights in Edinburgh are very close together and since the weather was clear (although very windy) we easily just walked everywhere.

Sightseeing and things to-do

It's worth mentioning first of all that most of the attractions in Edinburgh are quite expensive, so unless you have a large budget you should plan in advance and try and pick and choose what to see and what to leave out. We had considered getting a free walking tour, and actually while eating breakfast we happened to notice a crowd forming for one right outside the restaurant so we went out and joined it. Sandemanns do lots of walking tours around Europe and this Edinburgh one was enjoyable, although there are also different groups and types of tours available too. It was a good way to see the city and get your bearings, so I would recommend doing it the day you arrive as it will give you ideas on where to go back and visit again yourself. 

National Museum

We were never given a map which is probably a first on my travels, but I had downloaded an offline Google map of the city on my phone and since the city's quite small anyway we didn't really need one. Obviously the main attraction is the Castle, but since our hostel overlooked it and we're really cheap we actually just took pictures outside...we never paid to go in. This sounds like a sin, but honestly we just weren't up to paying to go inside as we were fairly certain we didn't have an interest, and we're fine about that choice. The attraction we enjoyed most was the National Museum Of Scotland, it was free, absolutely huge and had great exhibits including ones on Scotland but also lots of interactive ones with natural history and science.

Greyfriar's Bobby

Some of the sight-seeing areas include Greyfriars Kirk graveyard, the statue of Bobby the dog, the Elephant House cafe (where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter), Calton Hill (good views of the city and also the Greek monument), Arthurs Seat (views) and Prince's Street (shopping). We didn't climb up to Arthurs Seat, this was for a variety of reasons like we didn't have any appropriate clothes and we really weren't sure how difficult it would be as reviews were mixed between it was easy and quite tough, so in the end we decided not to risk it just in case. 

The other main attractions are the Edinburgh Dungeons and Real Mary Kings Close. I've done the London and Amsterdam Dunegon's and I find them good fun although I appreciate they wouldn't be for everyone. This time I  had read lots of positive for Real Mary Kings close, so we said we would spend our hard earned cash going to this. This was a big mistake, we absolutely hated it. We found it incredibly overpriced for what was offered - namely empty rooms, and I genuinely can't see how it's so busy and how it's so popular as it was by far the worst attraction I've every visited on any of my travels around the world, so please avoid it and spend your money elsewhere. Many people also visit the city just for the Zoo to see rare Giant Pandas, but I've already seen them in China itself so I didn't need to see them here too. 

Food and Drink

Elephant House café

We have probably never eaten so well as we did on this trip. The fact that obviously everything was in English and we were familiar with the food and menus also made it easier for us to pick and choose wisely. I had looked up some places on TripAdvisor and also looked for deals on Groupon – opting for a cocktails and nachos deal in a bar. 

There are absolutely tons of places for afternoon tea in Edinburgh, and although it’s primarily an English thing you’re still in the UK so with the variety it’s a good time to try. The best and most expensive would be in the famous Balmoral Hotel, this was out of our price range but as it was my sisters birthday we still opted for a relatively expensive set at the Fourth Floor Bar in Harvey Nicholls. While I enjoyed it I would probably try somewhere else in the future, especially somewhere a little cheaper too.

We didn’t go out of our way to try any haggis but we did end up trying a little as part of our large cooked breakfast (sausages, pudding, eggs, bacon etc) at the City Café which was very enjoyable, it was like an American diner and looked like a cool spot to go out at night too. On another morning we had porridge and gourmet tea at Eteaket which was a quaint café and a must for any tea lovers as they had a great selection.

For dinner our highlight was Cosmo, which I believe is a buffet chain around the UK. The foods were delicious and there was a great selection including desserts (which are usually a let-down at most buffets). Would absolutely recommend this as a great place to really load up for the day (we skipped lunch so we were really hungry by the time it opened at 5.30). It can get very busy on weekends and even on a Tuesday at 6pm it was crowded so go early if possible.

Another Scottish thing is deep fried Mars bars, which is basically a chocolate bar dipped in batter and fried. We found one at Grassmarket for £2.50 which was definitely overpriced as the bars cost them less than a pound, so shop around and pop into any chipper (fast food restaurant) and you should be able to find one.