A weekend at the Brussels Winter Wonders Festival is something I would highly recommend. What else would you want to do in Belgium in Winter?
Mid-November I was starting to get that itch again, and wanted to get out there and experience a new country. Belgium in winter was always high on my list, so when I found really cheap flights to Brussels I couldn’t resist and booked up to experience the Capital’s Winter Wonders and Christmas Markets at the start of December.
Glasgow Green Park or as us locals call it – Glasgow Green – is a beautiful 136 acre park in the East End of Glasgow. It’s the oldest park in the city and hugs the north bank of the River Clyde with wide-open concrete paths lined with flourishing green trees. You could easily lose an afternoon meandering through the park. But when you’ve hit up every nook and cranny of the Green, you will start to look closer at all the hidden gems Glasgow Green Park has to offer.
What to see in Belfast in 24 hours. That was our dilemma. With such a short period of time in Northern Ireland’s capital, we knew we had to condense our itinerary into only the main sites. We decided to hit up the Titanic Museum, SS Nomadic and a Hope On Hop Off Sightseeing Tour. It’s not ideal as there are lots of attractions and activities to do but it’s just an excuse to return, right?
I love hill walks but I’m a total unfit beginner. I was desperate to ‘bag’ some of Scotland’s famous munros, but the truth is, I am unfit and unprepared to take on such a big climb. You hear of some of these horror stories of young people underestimating the complexity of Scotland’s landscape, and going out for a hike with only shorts and a mobile phone. (Or that one guy who needed rescuing after climbing Snowdonia in his undies!!).
I spent a week in Inverurie in Aberdeenshire this winter. With my last break from work in September, I was determined to get outside as much as possible, despite staying in a beautiful cottage with a hot tub. This meant finding local walking routes to take advantage of – Udny Station to Newmacher.
Being an Aviation Geek, I knew I wanted to spend my birthday at the Museum of Flight in Scotland in East Fortune. I had never heard of such a place until I came across a photo on social media and knew instantly I had to experience it for myself.
The Hotel Barcelo Santiago is a luxury four star all inclusive hotel hugging the ragged coastline of Tenerife’s Puerto de Santiago resort. It offers visitors breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, the island of Gomera and the famous Los Gigantes cliffs.
Brig O’Turk is a small rural village situated between Callander / Loch Vanachar and Loch Achray (Duke’s Pass) in the Trossachs National Park; it offers a gateway into a relatively easy walking route around Glen Finglas Reservoir.
We only had couple of days in Bremen so we were keen to experience the main sites and taste the local delicacy – the widely exported Beck’s beer. We were able to not only get it in every bar, but we got to go on a guided tour of the very brewery/factory where it is made.
I’m not one to stay in fancy hotels, I normally opt for anything that’s cheap and cheerful. Especially when I’m doing short city breaks and planning on spending as little time inside as possible. But when I found an amazing price on Booking.com for the Radisson Blu for my trip to Bremen, I couldn’t turn it down.
We travelled to Bremen for the May Bank Holiday as a last-minute trip. I wanted to take full advantage of the extra free day off work so decided to take the Friday off as a holiday to make it a 4-day weekend. Bliss! You can read my post here on what we did on our trip.