Home in Time for Tea

Whilst getting excited about my trip to Vienna, I Googled 'how to dress for the Viennese opera' - quite honestly hoping to have an excuse to dress up, and the results weren't disappointing. Most people seemed to be saying that the dress code was smart and only ignorant tourists attended in jeans! So, wanting the authentic experience as always, I happily packed my favourite silk peacock pashmina, favourite accessories, and a crease-resistant outfit. After a couple of great days sightseeing, appreciating the Swarovski flagship store, and quality-checking most of the cake and hot chocolate in Vienna, the night of the Opera arrived. My mum and I had booked in advance to ensure good seats to the Saturday performance of Armide, and we turned up to collect our tickets on the night. The Vienna State Opera building looks stuning and impressive by day, and by night it genuinely beguiles! I suddenly felt so glad to be a part of this magnificent city in such an authentic and ...

Mostar Old Town If you were born in the early 80s or before, you may remember Mostar being synonymous with war . Now over 20 years on from the former Yugoslav conflict, it is hard to imagine the trauma this historic place and it's multi-ethnic people endured. Despite obvious reminders in the form of  derelict buildings on the edge of the old town and engraved ' never forget ' stone signs incongruously but poignantly placed next to busy bazaars and buzzing restaurants . Mostar means ' old Bridge ' and this famed Ottoman Bridge gets some well-deserved attention. I couldn't stop taking photos! Richard coined the term 'bridging' as a verb to describe this new hobby of mine! The Old Bridge was originally built in the 16th century by the Ottomans in significantly Islamic style . The current structure is a replica due to its destruction in the 90s conflict but the entire UNESCO World Heritage old town retains its historic appeal despite restor...

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My cousin from New Zealand recently went travelling in Europe and when he came to us in the UK I asked him what his favourite place was. He gave an unexpected and unusual answer: Romania. The people, the scenery, the history - it seemed to have it all, so I decided to head on over there too, and what better time to do it than at Halloween... The first notable thing about any of this is that everything was so cheap! It was also a fantastically exciting and unusual holiday, needless to say. We flew for £82 each to Bucharest (Ryanair), got the 3.5 hour train from Bucharest to beautiful Brasov in Transylvania for £5 each , and stayed at the immaculate and well-equipped Kron Studios in Brasov for £28 per night , per 3/4 star double studio apartment! (booking.com) Brasov Town Brasov is a traditional Transylvanian town, located within a few miles of major attractions Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress, as well as the Libearty Bear Sanctuary and the Carpath...

Making the Most of Budapest's Ancient & Therapeutic Thermal Waters... and Hundreds of Other Low-Budget Attractions! Historic 'Buda' with its much-adored medieval churches, bath houses and funicular railway - and Neo-classical 'Pest' with its flurry of shops and café culture - both make up the exciting city of Budapest. The wide and graceful Danube river glides through the elegant city separating these two halves which are linked by a series of stunning bridges. Lukacsz Baths - Outdoors at Night Of all the wonderful things to do and see in Budapest, the thermal baths are possibly the most famous. The city enjoys a wide range of thermal springs throughout Buda and Pest, and therefore a wide range of bath houses and spas - a handful of which are over 400 years old and built by the Turks - founders of bathing culture in Budapest, who harnessed the area's therapeutic natural hot springs.   The Rudas baths...