During our most recently trip to Italy, in between Florence and Cinque Terre, we spent a few days in the mountains. We did two amazing hikes (in one day, I’d recommend spacing them out a bit better!), the details of which you can find below.
Tag: travel
A trip to the Tuscan Mountains
We had the best time in Tuscany! This was the part of the trip I was least excited for and it wound up being my favourite part.
Where to stay
We stayed in Mulina, which was quite well located for the two hikes we ended up doing. The flat was really quite and spotlessly clean, with a nice area for eating outside as well. We’d definitely return here in the future.
Where to eat
(Just a note, that as this was during the COVID times, all of these places had outdoor and socially distanced seating.)
Lunch
We ate some of the best food of the trip in this area. On our way up we stopped at Osteria La Risvolta for lunch and ordered off the server’s recommendation. It was insanely good. Every day we planned to go back, but we kept finding new places to try and sadly never returned.
The second day we had a picnic lunch on top of Monte Forato – bread, meats, cheeses and wine of course. It was lovely 🙂
Dinner
The first night we had dinner close by at Trattoria Luciana Mulina. This was out of convenience, though our host did recommend it, and though it’s laid back looking, the food really surprised us. It was also totally delicious and a great local spot if you’re nearby.
After our epic day of hiking, we ate at Il Soggiorno. This place is kind of crazy to get to (you drive down a long windy road that isn’t totally convincing as a road), but the staff were so lovely and the food was so good and the portions were giant.
The one place we wanted to try but couldn’t was Osteria Candalla. If you’re going to be in the area (hiking or swimming most likely!), this place is popular enough that it’s necessary to book ahead.
What do to
Isola Santa
We did the best stuff! The day we arrived it was hot and we wanted to find somewhere to cool down, so we drove up to Isola Santa lake, which is nestled in this adorable village, and swam around. The water was so refreshing and you swim right over ruins of Medieval buildings.
Hiking
The next day we did two hikes because we couldn’t choose between them. If you plan to do this, I’d suggest breaking them up though I am not the fittest person in the world and survived doing both in one day.
We spent the morning hiking Monte Forato, mainly because we saw the peak on the way to Isola Santa the night before and decided it would be fun to climb – and it was!
Then we spent the afternoon doing the magical Candalla waterfalls hike.
You can read the details here!
We only had two days in Tuscany, if we go back we’ll stay longer and explore more. I thought we’d lack for things to do but there is so much on in this area. I can’t wait to return!
A return to Florence
We had such a lovely time in Florence. Even though it’s so modern, the city centre is so unchanged it always feels a bit like stepping back in time. We stayed here, and can highly recommend it as it was charming, well placed, and even had an air con. There are a lot of steps up though, so only fit for those glad to climb a ton of stairs.
I’ve already written a full itinerary for Florence here. We mainly followed that, while trying out new food options.
Italy Trip in the times of COVID
As you might have seen, we have some very exciting news! Our journey wasn’t the easiest, and after an early miscarriage in August we were desperate to get away from lockdown life for a bit. Luckily, there was a travel corridor open with Italy at the time and despite generally having an extremely low risk appetite for COVID exposure, we decided to take a trip to Italy to try to find some happiness. And we had the best trip!
COVID
Other than the flights, where we took precautions like sanitising our seats, not using the restrooms (or moving at all), not eating or drinking anything (thus never removing our masks) and where we didn’t have to sit with anyone else in our row, the trip felt completely safe. Italy is much, much stricter than the UK when it comes to COVID, so we were actually much safer there than back in London. All transport was socially distanced, train stations had people checking temperatures, and busy streets had police mandating masks at all times – even just walked about. No one in London wears masks just walking around outside, so it was a really nice change of pace!
Florence
We spent two days in Florence, eating the best food, drinking out in the sunshine, and just enjoying the gorgeous city. I have a full Florence itinerary here, and you can read about this trip here.
Tuscany
We then moved up into the mountains for a taste of the countryside. We ate the best meals here, went on two epic hikes, and swam in some really wonderful places!
Cinque Terre
I went to Cinque Terre a few years ago alone, and was so keen to return with a travel buddy. My hen do was actually going to be here in July, before COVID delayed the wedding. We stayed in Vernazza, my favourite of the five towns, and did nothing but eat, read and swim. It was heaven.
Christmastime in Europe
If you know me, you know Christmastime is my favourite time of year. I try to go to a Christmas market or two each season – though Christmas was a bit different last year!
This year, as we are running out of locations we haven’t yet been in Europe, and because we are broke, we bought the cheapest flights we could find – and will soon be heading to Sibiu, Romania! It’s meant to be a gorgeous market in one of the most picturesque areas of Romania. G and I have wanted to visit the country for a while, and £50 flights to one of the supposed best Christmas markets in Europe was impossible to pass up!
As we get ready to head out (trip is still two weeks away), I think it’s time to start a new section on the blog – European Christmas markets!
I’ve already written about Berlin, Prague and Amsterdam – however I’ve yet to write about Sweden, Finland, Norway, or Poland, and that is a travesty. So to kick off December and celebrate the lead up to what I hope will be a wonderful Christmas season, let’s look back on celebrations of years past!
We’re also doing as much as we can in London this year to get into the holiday spirit. We’re going to see the lights at Kew Gardens on our 5 year anniversary later in the month and after seeing the Nutcracker in 2017, this year we’re going to see White Christmas.
And honestly, everyone thinks you need to visit Europe in the summer, but I truly think there’s nothing better than a December spent sipping mulled wine and looking at local/handmade crafts. If you get the chance to visit in December don’t pass it up!
A Weekend in Helsinki at Christmas – with Reindeer!
During the Christmas of 2017, a year after going to Prague and Poland together, and after almost a year of living apart, I travelled to Helsinki to meet up with my roommates from when we lived in Spain. At that point Shaina had been living in Italy, getting Italian citizenship, and Vera was spending another year in Spain, this time in the Granada in the south.
I’ve heard Helsinki is boring and there’s not much to do in Finland. I can’t speak for other times of the year, but we did something awesome in Finland – we went to see the reindeer.
An easy half day trip from Helsinki, you can get to Nuuksio Reindeer Park. It’s about an hour on public transport, and so worth the trip. I’d never seen reindeer before, and the environment in Nuuksio feels so magical and Christmasy.
Getting there:
You can take commuter trains U, L, E from Helsinki Railway Station to Espoo (8 stops/25 min) and then bus no 245 from Espoo to Nuuksio. The bus stop at Espoo is right next to the train station. Ride the 245 bus until the Punjobsuo stop (27 stops/23 min). Walk a little bit forward and turn right after the crosswalk – you’ll see a sign advertising for the Reindeer park!
Getting back we had a bit more trouble as we had looked up the 245 bus schedule and obviously written it down wrong. The bus doesn’t run very often and we were waiting in the cold for about 45 minutes. I’d suggest asking the people working at the reindeer park to advise on the next bus, so you can avoid this.
The park itself is small but so lovely. When we went it was just the three of us and one other small group. You can feed the reindeer, pet them, and there’s a candlelit traditional Finnish tent with a fire pit where you can warm up and enjoy some warm cider or mulled wine. I recall being given some chocolate as well.
If you have more time (and money) than us, I would have LOVED to stay on site in one of the two iglu huts. These handcrafted huts are made from natural materials and look so cosy. You can feed the reindeer right from your window – there is a national park trail just around the corner that is meant to be a gorgeous walk as well. If I ever go back to Finland in the winter, I’ll definitely do this as a night in nature would be so wonderful.
The rest of our time in Helsinki was spent wandering around and taking in the city slowly. We went to MAJOR SHOPPING AREA, as it was quite festive and I bought a few decorations from SHOP that I look forward to putting out every year. We ate at Restaurant Savotta and spent an afternoon wandering around the stalls in the Helsinki market where there were tons of adorable handcrafted items.
Where to eat:
We had dinner at Restaurant Savotta, which was delicious and the place was adorable. It was like having dinner in someone’s house – traditionally decorated with Finnish furniture and rya rugs and the table settings were perfect. I wouldn’t miss this place on a return trip!
We also had dinner at Café Engel, which had great food and was perfectly located just across from Senate Square – where the Christmas Market is.
For breakfast, going to Regatta Café is basically a requirement. Traditionally Finnish and is right on the water, full of decorations, a fireplace, candles and is possibly the cosiest café I have ever been to. Go here and get the cinnamon roll – you won’t be sorry!
Logistics:
We stayed at Eurohostel, which was a cheap and cheerful option with a free sauna in the mornings. It’s a five minute tram ride to the city centre, and the trams are so easy to use in Helsinki it made getting in and out super easy.
To/from the airport: This is really easy as well. It’s one train that takes about 30 minutes between the city centre and the airport. Two trains connect the two: Line “I” train: Runs via Huopalahti to Helsinki Central Station. Line “P” train: Runs to Helsinki Central Station via Tikkurila. See their schedule here.
Though we only had two days in the city, we packed in so much and had such a lovely time getting in the holiday spirit. One thing we didn’t have time to do but wished we had was visit the Winter Garden. It’s meant to be a bit of an oasis in the middle of the city and we were sad to miss it.
Devastatingly, I haven’t seen Shaina in person since then, PROBABLY TIME TO SORT THAT. Instead of Africa 2020 maybe London-for-my-wedding 2020?
Work trip to Mandalay
This summer I spent two weeks in Myanmar on a work trip. It was pretty jam packed, and a truly wonderful experience (and so lovely to meet so many colleagues in person after having worked together for so long!). I spent the weekend in Bagan, which was stunning, and my second week in Mandalay. After finishing work early one day, my wonderful colleagues took my sight-seeing. They were amazing tour guides and took me to some incredible places. See the photos below!
A Weekend in Bagan
At work I currently support our Myanmar, China and Mongolia country programmes. This summer I went out for an induction with our Myanmar programme, and seeing the work we do on the ground was such an amazing experience.
I was there for about two weeks and while I can’t offer much in the way of logistics, as those were handled by work, I did take a personal trip to Bagan over the weekend and I’d really like to talk about that.
From Yangon, the best options to get to Bagan are via air or bus. For environmental (and fear-based) reasons, I always prefer bus over plane – a night bus being the dream. And there are quite a few night buses that run from Yangon to Bagan. The one I took was quite comfortable (and freezing), with our own TVs and blankets and such. Be sure to book a VIP ticket, as that is a row of single seats, meaning no one is next to you.
Tip: All the buses generally stop for about 30 minutes at a rest stop – everyone is forced off the bus, even at 1 am and even in the rain. I was pretty panicked because they announce when it’s time to reboard over loudspeaker in Burmese, but the bus drivers knew to look out for you and came and found me when I didn’t reboard.
We departed Yangon around 9:30 pm and arrived in Bagan around 5:30 am. There will be cabs waiting, so snag one and head to your hotel. I stayed Â___ and it was loooovely. Right on the river, in the middle of Old Bagan, with a pagoda right in the garden. As Bagan is now a world heritage site, hotels built around pagodas will have to move, so not sure how long this place will be open but it’s a great spot while it’s available.
Tip: Just rent a motorbike.
I’m terrified of motorbikes and was completely against renting one. I rented a normal bicycle and struggled to move anywhere in the sand while motorbikes whizzed past. I persevered for about an hour before giving in, and the motorbike was such a great choice! You can see so much of Bagan on one. I don’t really have a Bagan itinerary, as there is a new pagoda every few feet and part of the experience is stumbling across less popular ones where you have their beauty to yourself. I went during rainy season and it didn’t rain at all in Bagan and meant I was one of the only tourists around. I was lucky with the weather but it was such a great time to see the city.
Tip: You can’t climb the pagodas anymore (there are “guides” who will sneak you up a few for some cash, I’d recommend not doing this as it’s illegal), so if you want views head to Bagan Tower (Nann Myint Tower). It was about 30 minutes by motorbike from my hotel, and the views were definitely worth it.
Bagan is incredibly stunning and though it wasn’t a place I’d long dreamed of going, I am incredibly grateful I was able to visit. Next time, maybe I face my fear of heights and join in on the famous hot air balloons?
From Bagan I headed to Mandalay for another week of work, however we finished early one day and my fantastic colleagues took me sight seeing, and wow is Mandalay beautiful!
Stopover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
On my way home from Mada, I used airline miles to build in stops in Addis and Nairobi. I wasn’t sure when I’d be back to the African continent, and wanted to see as much as I could while I was there. I’d heard less than stellar things about Addis (vs the rest of Ethiopia which is meant to be lovely) – I didn’t have enough time to venture outside the city and I’m so glad I couldn’t because I loved Addis!
I hired a guide for a full day tour and it was wonderful. To start, I can’t really recommend my guide enough. I felt totally comfortable with him one on one all day long, it never felt awkward which I was a bit worried about. He was an official tour guide, but using the money he earned to fund opening a health clinic in his home village, and he had his MPH, the same degree I’m working on getting.
Itinerary
First we went to the National Museum, which is the home of Lucy, a 3.2 million-year-old skeleton that is the most complete skeleton of an early human ancestor ever discovered. When Obama visited Ethiopia they brought her skeleton to the palace so he could meet her.
From there we went to the Ethnological Museum, which I loved. The artwork displayed, the different exhibits – we spent more time here than the National Museum. This museum is also part of Addis Ababa University, and I loved seeing the course postings and students milling about.
Next was Mount Entoto, the highest peak of the Entoto Mountains which overlook the city. The views were incredible (I think it looks a bit like LA actually!) and the whole area was woodsy and green.
Then we had a next level delicious lunch at the Taitu Hotel. This was the first hotel in the city and still functions as one today. Every lunch they have a huge vegetarian buffet and it was top notch delicious. I’ve heard less than stellar things about the actual hotel rooms, so while I’d def come back to eat maybe not to stay.
From there we went to Tomoca Coffee. I don’t drink coffee so I ordered a tea like a dummy. My guide convinced me to just try a sip of his and it was AMAZING. I immediately ordered one and then drank all the Ethiopian coffee I could for the remainder of my trip. It was so good. The only coffee I’ve ever truly enjoyed and I think this would be the first stop on any return trip to the city.
Then we hit Addis Mercato, the largest open air market in Africa. The tour guide said he only added this because people kept asking to go, but as I’d spent the last six months shopping at an open air market I knew it wasn’t the place to get nice, hand crafted items but instead would be a bustling, chaotic free for all. We drove through and that was definitely enough!
Last on the tour was St George’s Cathedral, one of the country’s oldest monasteries and known for its distinctive octagonal shape.
After that I went back to my hotel for one last Injera dinner before trying to sleep before my flight to Nairobi the next morning. It was a bit stressful because four days before the same flight I was taking had crashed (it was the second Boeing 737 Max crash, and at this point the Max series hadn’t been grounded yet). I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous to fly as I was during the four flights it took me to get back to London from Madagascar, but luckily it at went smoothly!
TWO WEEK INTENSIVE FRENCH COURSE IN MONTPELLIER, FRANCE
Between Madagascar and moving back to London, there was a lot of uncertainty – would I actual go back to London? Would I move back to California* like I’ve been dreaming about for a few years now? Look for another position in the field with a more robust health care system? Or even take a few months off just to focus on language?
Then I got offered my current position back at MSI and the decision was made. I’d be moving to London and happily back in with G! I had a few weeks to play around with before my start date, and learning French is something that has been on my list of goals for years. It would be a huge career boost, and despite taking a course at MSI in early 2018, I still felt like I lacked even the most basic building blocks of the language. So I decided to book in for an intensive two week course in the south of France at LSF French school. I decided on this school because of price, location (I’d never been to S of France, I liked the small size of the city, and the weather was meant to be lovely – though I had terrible luck in that regard), and reputation – it had loads of excellent reviews.
My experience
I stayed with a host family which is very out of character – I value independence and privacy highly. I did it because it’s meant to offer the best opportunity to learn French, and while I don’t regret having done it, I wouldn’t again.
Pros:
– You can practice French in a natural environment with people who have to be patient with you. You’ll learn how people speak colloquially, learn words about everyday living that may not come up in class, and be exposed to the language basically 24/7.
– You can see how locals lived, which is something I think is important when visiting a new place – to get outside of the tourist bubble. I was quite far out and had to take a 25-minute metro ride into the city centre every day, and while this wasn’t ideal it did allow me to live a bit more like a local than tourist.
Cons:
– Every family is different, and you’re inserted right into someone else’s family. Two weeks is a bit of an awkward time. It’s difficult to get close, but you’re right there living with them – there was some personal drama that happened while I was there that I was a bit caught up in – very awkward when you’re an outsider who doesn’t speak the language!
– In my experience, the expectation was very much that I would spend as much free time with the family as possible. I spent 90% of my time in the library studying, and I think my host mother felt a tiny bit put out by this. I didn’t sign up for catered food, but started feeling guilty if I didn’t eat with the family every night anyway (with my own food obviously), and even at nearly 30 years old, they very much wanted to know my whereabouts at all times.
– I think the biggest issue I had was that I came in as a complete beginner. The family didn’t speak English, and I think a few decades ago the model would have worked where I’d have been forced to gesture until I could speak, and then speak and build from what I was learning each day, etc. Instead the host family used Google translate to communicate with me. I did eventually ask them to at least speak the words as well, so I could hear it in French, and it wasn’t terrible both seeing it written out and hearing it out loud. But I didn’t feel comfortable enough to do that right away, and for a while it felt like the only things I was learning were from listening in on their conversations to each other.
These things all might be very expected for a host family, and even desirable for some people. It’s also just one experience – I’d stayed with one other host family when I was in Guatemala for a few weeks in 2010, and in that instance we had breakfast together every day, but there were no expectation to spend free time socializing together. They were very happy to help when needed and would have a chat in Spanish at the end of most nights, but I still felt quite independent. That wasn’t the case here, and I think will be hard to know what kind of situation you’re getting before arrival.
Montpellier and LSF
Montpellier was incredible. This was my first trip to the south of France and it didn’t disappoint. The skies were blue, the town gorgeous, and the food delicious – which was even more meaningful after living with the limited food option in Mada for nearly six months. I love a small city in which to learn a language, and Montpellier was ideal.
LSF, the school where I studied was perfect. The teaching style was fantastic, the technology top notch, and I honestly learned faster than I ever could have imagined. It’s a bit of a let down because I’ve always dreamed of moving to the French countryside and taking lessons long term, however if I were to over go back it would be hard to not returned to LSF. I know the quality of their education and it would feel like a waste of time and money to go elsewhere!
*This would have been difficult to do as I don’t have health insurance in America anymore. If I got sick now, it would be nearly impossible to move home with my family to receive care. Another reason America’s HC system needs overhauling and another reason to vote for Elizabeth Warren in the upcoming primaries and election!