Travel

La Pelosa & Neptune’s Cave, Sardinia

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Having had such success with our guidebook when looking for somewhere to eat out, we decided to give it another spin for the next day’s activities.

La Pelosa was listed as one of the most spectacular beaches on the island so we headed over to it. Unfortunately, everyone else must have thought so too… when we got there you couldn’t see the beach for people. The waters were a stunning colour but the area lacked the tranquility we were craving so after snapping a couple of photos we turned around and headed back to Alghero.

On the hunt for another activity, I remembered reading about Neptune’s Cave and we managed to book ourselves onto the last trip of the day.

Things couldn’t have worked out better – even if we’d planned them. We had a quick bite to eat on shore, then hopped aboard and set sail for the cave. It takes about 40 minutes to reach by sea – and you have to pay extra for the crossing – but it is preferable to walking from the car park, which involves a climb of 654 steps.

The cave itself is roughly 80 million years old. I can never remember which is a stalactite or a stalagmite – but there were a lot of them! The very helpful guide (who spoke 4 languages) told us that only 1% of the cave is still “living” due to reduced rainfall in the area.

Tall folks take note though – there are a lot of low ceilings and things to bang your head on (as demonstrated by the blurry photo lower down)

Castelsardo, Sardinia

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When we left Isola Rossa, we headed south along the West Coast and on the way we decided to stop off at Castelsardo. The castle itself is 12th Century but the area’s history extends back much further than that.

There is some parking higher up but we opted to walk up the hill so that we could see more of the town and it’s charming shops (note to self – next time, do shopping on the way down). It was quite a climb but we were rewarded when we got to the Castle with a blast of fresh air at the top and the most stunning views of the harbour and the Sardinian countryside behind. Oh and there was a Gelato shop up there – so that helped too!

Giraffe print top (no longer available): H&M Conscious collection.
Shorts: Warehouse
Shoes: Primark
Sunglasses: F&F

Little White Dress

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For the first part of our trip to Sardinia we stayed in the beautiful Hotel Relax Torreruja. Located on a rocky outcrop in the north of the Island it’s surrounded by stunning views – but be warned it can get a little breezy up there!

It’s a moment away from the small-but-perfectly-formed town of Isola Rossa. There isn’t a huge amount to do, but quite honestly that didn’t seem to matter as the days slipped by easily. I spent them laying out in the sun overlooking the sea, reading a few good books and slipping into the sea to make friends with the fishes whenever I needed to cool off.

I packed a lot of summer dresses for the trip and the Topshop one below is an oldie but a goodie. It’s very girly and flirty – perfect for sunny summer evenings. As it’s one from way-back-when it’s no longer available in stores but there are similar options here and here.

Vienna: Schonbrunn Palace

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This is my final post on Vienna, but I saved the best for last. We were staying a little way out from the city centre, but the upside to this was that we were within walking distance of the Schonbrunn Palace. This was formerly the summer palace of the royal family but is now a museum and park. The park and gardens are free to visit – but there is an entry charge for the rooms inside the palace as well as some other parts of the grounds, including a zoo.

I’ve never seen anything like this before. The gardens took hours to explore and there were surprises round every corner, but the palace itself completely took my breath away. We loved it so much that on our last day when we had a couple of hours spare before we had to be at the airport, we went back for more. 

I wanted to experience a classical concert whilst I was in Vienna so I opted to go to one of the nightly concerts held at the Schonbrunn in the Orangerie – where Mozart himself once performed. It was a little pricey, but an unforgettable experience.

Cream Top: Zara
Cream Shorts: Warehouse
Navy Playsuit: Vaudeville and Burlesque via Urban Outfitters
Sunglasses: F&F
Shoes: Primark
Bag: Jane Shilton at TK Maxx

Vienna: A Walk Around Town

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There is so much to see in Vienna that we could never have hoped to fit it all in with just 4 days there. So here are a few snapshots of things we saw while walking around town. We took in the up-market shopping district (where I did much window-gazing), followed by some beautiful gardens. Then the Rathaus (town hall), the Austrian Parliament building and the slightly controversial Liberation Monument. We tried to fit in the Belvedere as well, but sadly ran out of time.

After all that walking we were pretty hungry so we headed to Cafe Diglas for dinner. Tucked away down a side street near to Stephansdom it wasn’t as busy as other eateries, but I would definitely recommend a visit. The cafe dates back to the fifties and we noticed many locals visiting for a slice of cake and a natter. We ate traditional Austrian dishes and relaxed while the pianist played some of my favourite songs. (One thing to note if you are lucky enough to visit – they don’t take card payments, only cash.)

Top: F&F (previously seen here)
Vest: Primark
Shorts: ASOS Tall
Sunglasses F&F

(Side note: Any photos of me were very kindly taken by my lovely travel-buddy.)

Vienna: Stephansdom and Sacher Torte

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There are many, many delicious cakes on offer in Vienna. However, I was most looking forward to trying Sacher Torte – which was invented in the city.

Sacher Torte is a chocolate cake made to a secret recipe and sandwiched using apricot jam. As a girl who has eaten a LOT of chocolate cake over the years, I’d say this is definitely worth the hype.

After exploring Stephansdom (and a nearby bavarian market) we headed to The Hotel Sacher to try out Austria’s most famous cake in the place where it was first conceived.

Corsica

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Shirt: Mango | Shorts: Warehouse
Bikini (worn underneath): F&F | Sunglasses: F&F | Earrings: Miss Selfridge

So here’s the deal, if you want to visit a Caribbean Island, but you live on the wrong side of the Atlantic, got to Corsica instead.

If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s a French Island in the Mediterranean – just off the coast of Italy. There are various ferry services from France/Italy/Sardinia or if you can’t be faffed with all that (like me) EasyJet fly there. Once you reach the south of the island it really looks no different to Antigua. There are beautiful mountains that stretch all the way down to the white beaches and turquoise seas.

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Top: Rare (previously blogged about here)

We stayed in a villa near the tiny town of Propriano – where the food is to die for. (If there’s one benefit of this being a French island, it’s that everywhere you go you can get Crepes. Yum!) It’s also close to some of the best beaches on the island as well as some of the main tourist attractions, such as the medieval town of Sartene, or the prehistoric site of Filitosa.

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Propriano Harbour

If you asked me what my favourite part of the trip was though, I would have to say Bonifacio. The little town perched on the cliffs is one of the most famous images associated with Corsica, but the only way to see it properly is from the water – because it really does look like some parts are held up by magic. Boat trips aren’t expensive and car parking is included in the ticket price (if you can find the car park – it took us a while!).

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Bonifacio

It’s a steep climb up to the town, and I wouldn’t recommend doing it in the midday heat. (I also wouldn’t recommend attempting to do it in flip flops – my feet really didn’t thank me for that!) But it’s worth it to explore the gorgeous higgledy-piggledy town.

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The prettiest beach side restaurant (at Piantarella).

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The Pretty Dress Guide to Packing for a Beach Holiday

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It’s surprising how much goes into packing for a holiday. I’m not one of those people who can just throw a few things in a bag and go, I like to plan.

Lets start with the shoes: One pair of trainers, one pair of nude-goes-with-everything heels, one pair of wedges, one pair of sandals and one pair of flip-flops. I nearly always end up sticking to sandals and flip-flops once I’m there, but I like to know I’ve got all the bases covered.

The easiest and best way to pack shoes is using a plastic carrier bag. I usually line the bottom of my suitcase with shoes and then pack smaller items around them, leaving a relatively flat surface for the clothes to lie on.

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Converse trainers from BrandAlley

The next staple is the little white dress – dressed up with wedges for the evening or down with sandals in the day.

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Dress: Topshop | Wedges: ASOS

I like outfits that can go from day to evening just by changing up the accessories. (Small hard-case clutches are great for hols as you can also use them for transporting jewellery – or anything else that might get damaged in transit). These are also some of my favourite combinations…

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Dress: Zara | Sandals: Oasis | Clutch: Next

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Playsuit: Jovonnista | Shoes: H&M | Clutch: Textile Federation via ASOS

At the beach I prefer light dresses that you can just throw on/off – maxi dresses are great but the best thing I ever bought, I got years ago from Orion. Their kimono dresses are incredibly light and the material doesn’t wrinkle so they can be chucked in your beach bag with no fuss.

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Orion

I love getting out on the water in a boat (motorboat that is… I can’t sail but I like to pretend I can by looking the part) so I’m a big fan of breton stripe tops.

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Top: F&F | Shorts: Warehouse | Sandals: F&F

And lastly: The Bikinis. I live in these things on holiday. You can never have too many right?

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Clockwise from top left: F&F | George | F&F | ASOS | South Beach via ASOS

When In Rome

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I’ve been meaning to do this post for the past 3 months – but every time I sat down to write it I struggled to do justice to this amazing city.

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St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican City
(as seen from the top of Castel Sant’Angelo)

Two years ago I decided I wanted to go to Rome. I bought a guidebook and everything… then I bought my house. All plans for adventure had to be put on hold whilst I spent my time traipsing to solicitors, banks and building merchants. So this year, as a birthday present to myself, I decided to make it happen.

I flew out on my birthday (word to the wise: if you book a flight on your birthday, make sure it isn’t at the crack of dawn – no one remembers it’s your birthday when it’s that early in the morning!) and I got my birthday wish to stand in the Colosseum. Though I quickly learned that I’ve been calling it by the wrong name all my life – it’s proper name is the Flavian Ampitheatre. It got the nickname ‘Colosseum’ from a statue of the god ‘Collosus’ which used to stand outside the entrance. True story.

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The Flavian Ampitheatre (or Roman Colosseum as it’s more commonly known)
When I showed my dad the photo above he thought it had been empty on our visit – but then I pointed out all the people stood around the edges – they’re just so dwarfed by the scale of this amazing place.

Here’s a little tip though: the Colosseum is amazing, but the Imperial Fora is something else. It’s like walking around a film set. There are literally dozens of palaces, temples, buildings and ruins which have accumulated over thousands of years. It’s mind boggling to think they were created by sheer man power alone.

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Wandering the Fora with my sister.

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Skirt & Top: Zara | Sandals: Primark

The most important accessory for Rome is a pair of comfy shoes. There is a metro system but why spend your time underground when there’s so much to discover on each street? We stayed close to the colosseum – in the very lovely Hotel Duca D’Alba. (The hotels near the train station are cheaper but much further away from the historic sights.) All the main tourist attractions were within 30 minutes walk.

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The Trevi Fountain

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The Vatican City

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The Pantheon was by far my favourite building. When we rounded the corner and came face to face with it, the first thing my sister said about it was ‘There should be music playing, like we’re in universal studios or something.’ Standing in front of it, it really does feel like you’ve just walked onto the set of Gladiator or something.

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Rome is full of amazing things to see, but it’s also shopping and food heaven. We neglected the shopping part of our trip a bit, but not so with the food. La Tavernelle, a restaurant around the corner from our hotel, kept us fuelled with pizza, pasta and award-winning Panna Cotta (seriously – you have to try it!) but the thing Rome is most famous for is the gelato.

There’s a gelataria on almost every street but very few places sell the real-deal. Most gelato is made from powder these days but you can taste the difference – look for gelato made with 100% natural ingredients. This place was my favourite – their dark chocolate and orange gelato made me the happiest girl in Rome.

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View of Rome from the Villa Borghese

Paris in Spring Time

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If you haven’t been, everything you’ve heard is true: Paris is amazing.

When I was little we’d always have our family summer holidays in France, and we’d nearly always visit Paris on the way home. Paris has tonnes to offer, but you appreciate it so much more as a twenty-something than you do as a teenager. The one similarity on this trip? Once again I tagged along on my parents’ holiday…

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On the first day we went to the Sacre Coeur and I climbed all 300 steps to the top. The view was well worth it but it has to be said I lacked a bit of Parisian style the next day when I was hobbling around with sore muscles…

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After that my mum wanted to see the Moulin Rouge but I really wish I hadn’t tagged along on this one… because if there is one place you shouldn’t visit with your parents it’s the sex district.

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Whilst my Mum was at the Musee D’Orsay, I visited the Louvre with my Dad. He’s one of those tourists who likes to consult the guide book and rent the audio guides in museums… After about 10 minutes of trying to figure out how to work this particular one (whoever thought a Nintendo DS console would make a good audio guide really hadn’t thought it through!) we were walking through one of the many vast rooms, everyone else admiring it in hushed tones, when from 10 paces back I heard ‘THIS IS AWESOME!’ … ‘Turn your volume down Dad.’

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If I could give you one tip for a visit to Paris it would be to take comfy shoes. The metro is great, but to really discover Paris it’s a good idea to leave a place in a different way to how you got there. The Louvre has it’s own metro station underneath, but after our visit we decided to walk to Place de la Concorde and catch the metro from there…

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On my last day in Paris I discovered Hotel Des Invalides on our way back to the hotel. Parisian history is full of kings and emperors who have all contributed something to the rich tapestry of buildings. Louis XIV created this beautiful complex as a home for unwell or retired soldiers. Today it still serves as a home for war veterans but  it is also a war/army museum and a resting place for many famous soldiers – including Napoleon. I wish I had more time to explore it properly… guess I’ll just have to go back!

Where we stayed: Novotel Tour Eiffel

Getting there: I flew FlyBe from Manchester to Charles De Gaulle

But I’d recommend getting the Eurostar from St Pancras. It’s a much simpler and cheaper option. (Not least because Charles De Gaulle is the most expansive and difficult-to-navigate airport that I’ve ever been inside!)

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