Buenos Aires: Day One

When I was looking for flights to go back to Chile, I found a pretty cheap deal from London to Buenos Aires. I decided to spend a few days there before going to Santiago, as it's been on my South American bucket list for ages, but I never got round to visiting it during my Year Abroad. I also really wanted to go to Uruguay and took the chance to take a day trip there, which I'll be writing about soon.

It was my second visit to Argentina, having been to the Mendoza province previously. When that trip took place, I was going through a bad time in my personal life, so maybe I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have done under normal circumstances. I'm glad I could see Argentina again and that this second trip was a much more positive one!

Buenos Aires is an amazing city to visit. There's so much to see there, that it can't all fit into one blog post, so I'll do a post for each day I spent there.

The day I arrived, I set out on foot from my hostel to explore as much of the city centre as I could. On my way towards Plaza de Mayo, I saw this interesting-looking bar with a statue of Fidel Castro. I found many more statues like this on day two of my trip!

I enjoyed seeing Plaza de Mayo, which is the most famous square in Buenos Aires. Here you can find the presidential palace, Casa Rosada.

Next, I went down to Puerto Madero to see Puente de la Mujer. The architecture of the bridge and the whole area of the port is very modern and impressive to see. One of the things I liked about the city in general was the contrast between old and new styles of architecture.

Then I had a look round Centro Cultural Kirchner, where many modern artworks are exhibited. It's a beautiful building which is free to enter. However, modern art isn't really my thing. The only exhibit that stayed in my mind was a series of videos about a giant balloon in the desert, featuring the Korean boyband BTS. Very random!

Finally, I decided to go back to the port to see the Costanera Sur ecological reserve, a little bit of nature within the urban area.

After my first afternoon in Buenos Aires, I already really liked the city. Soon I'll be writing about my second day there, where I got the bus out to La Boca district and explored a bit more of the city centre.

Read about Buenos Aires: Day Two here and Buenos Aires: Day Three here!

Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Places to Visit in France

I think my passion for languages and travelling really started when I was studying for my French GCSE. Around that time, I visited the south of France and Monaco (as well as Montréal) with my family, and I made it my goal to become fluent in French and dreamed of living in France someday. I also developed an interest in learning about foreign languages and countries in general, but the French language and France were what fascinated me the most.

Now I've achieved my goal of becoming fluent in French (though I'm a bit out of practice now!) and although I was never officially resident in France, I spent about three months of my Year Abroad there, so I do kind of feel like I've lived there. Those months were actually a bit of a wake-up call for me, making me realise that France wasn't quite the perfect, wonderful country I had previously thought it was. Although I had a great time studying at a language school in Montpellier, my "dream job" au pairing in the south of France turned out to be a nightmare, as did the job I got at an animal park in Brittany. And given the choice, I can't say I would have chosen to spend the majority of the French part of my Year Abroad in Rouen, a city in the north of France that didn't really seem all that different to England apart from the language.

But even though my dreams of spending an amazing few months living in Paris or the south of France didn't quite become reality, my time in France was definitely a useful experience that I learned a lot from. I was also lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit lots of interesting places around the country, and I have great memories of those trips.

France is the country that receives the highest amount of tourists, and when you visit, it's easy to see why. Not only does it have one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world, it also has plenty of mountains, scenic countryside landscapes, fairytale castles and great beaches. So in this post, I've compiled a list of ten places I've visited around the Hexagon which offer all these things and more!

Montpellier

Montpellier in the Occitanie region is quite possibly my favourite city in France. Its architecture is beautiful, and it has great museums and a really relaxed vibe. Oh and it's only a short distance from the beach! The few weeks I spent there were so much fun. I'll definitely try to go back at some point in the future...

Read more here!

Nîmes

A short distance away from Montpellier, you can find Nîmes, a city filled with Roman architecture. With highlights including the Temple of Diana, the Arena and Maison Carrée, it's a very attractive place to explore. I recommend finding the crocodile statue and touching its nose, which is said to bring good luck!

Read more here!

Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert

This enchanting village in the valley of the Gellone river is considered one of the prettiest places in all of France. It's also rich in history and culture; not only is it located along el Camino de Santiago (or le Chemin de Saint Jacques as it's known there), but its monastery is believed to have once held a piece of Jesus's cross. My personal favourite sight there was the mountaintop castle overlooking the village. Legend has it that a giant lives in it!

Read more here!

Sète

Mont Saint Clair in Sète, with its statues of the cross and the Virgin Mary overlooking the sea and the rest of the city, is rather reminiscent of South America to me. However, down at sea level, you can see why Sète is known as the Venice of France, due to its series of canals that you can take a boat trip around. And you'll be glad to know it's a lot less expensive and crowded than the real Venice!

Read more here!

Cap d'Agde

Like the four previous places I've listed, Cap d'Agde is located in the southern region of Occitanie. However, unlike the others, this is less of a place for exploring and more of a place for relaxing. Known for its volcanic sand, it's a great destination for a day at the beach. But be warned that part of the town is a nudist resort! I'm glad that I went on a guided tour that just took us to the beaches where people wear clothes!

Read more here!

Avignon

Now I'm moving on from Occitanie to Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the city of Avignon. Avignon is very popular with tourists thanks to Palais des Papes, the former papal residence, and Pont Saint-Bénézet (pictured above), the bridge from the famous song "Sur le pont d'Avignon"! The city centre is so beautiful that it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Read more here!

Nice

My first trips to France were all to the French Riviera, as my granddad lives in the area. In this part of the country, there are plenty of glamorous, showbizzy places, such as Cannes and the microstate of Monaco. Visiting those places is definitely an interesting experience, but I personally prefer the more relaxed city of Nice. Its historic centre is a beautiful place to explore, and Promenade des Anglais (pictured) is an impressive sight to see. (Excuse the fuzzy picture - I took it many years ago!)

Read more here!

Le Havre

Now I'm moving on to talk about the north of France and the region of Normandy, where I spent several weeks of my Year Abroad. I've got to admit that I much preferred being in the south of France, but I still found it interesting to visit places around Normandy, such as Le Havre. Le Havre's art gallery, Musée Malraux, has a great collection of paintings, including many impressionist works. I also recommend taking a look at the city centre's architecture, including the cathedral (pictured above).

Read more here!

Dieppe 

Dieppe was probably my favourite place that I went to in Normandy, mainly because of its fairytale-esque hilltop castle! Inside the castle is the Dieppe museum, where you can see various historical artefacts as well as paintings depicting scenic views of the town.

Read more here!

Paris

Obviously no list of places to visit in France would be complete without mentioning Paris. Even though my attempts to find work and accommodation there during my Year Abroad didn't work out, it still remains one of my favourite cities in the world. Everyone knows about the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, but I particularly love the neighbourhood of Montmartre, where you can find the Moulin Rouge, the Sacré Cœur Basilica (pictured above) and the café from the film "Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain"!

Read more here!

Of course this is by no means a definitive list of places to visit in France! It is limited to the places where I've been, which by coincidence happen to all be either in the far north or the far south of the country. Although Chile turned out to be the country that stole my heart during my Year Abroad (in more ways than one!), I'm sure I'll still return to France at some point in the future. I'm interested in visiting Strasbourg, Marseille and Carcassonne, as well as some of the châteaux of the Loire Valley. And I definitely wouldn't say no to a trip to Tahiti!

Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!

London: Part One

Earlier this week, I went to London with my dad, because I needed to visit the Chilean consulate about getting my visa. It turns out I'll need to go back there a couple of times over the coming weeks, so I might be writing another post or two about the city. Hence why this post is called "London: Part One"!

To make up for the fact that it was quite a stressful visit, I wanted to do some exploring. It had been a long time since I'd actually seen any of the sights of London, so it was nice to rediscover them. The first place we went to was St James's Park, which is a nice area of nature in the middle of the city. On the right hand side of my photo, you can see Duck Island Cottage.

Later on, we walked over to Parliament Square, as I wanted to see Big Ben and the London Eye. Unfortunately, Big Ben is not very photogenic at the moment!

We also saw Westminster Abbey, a place I don't think I'd seen in real life before.

I was glad to see that many people were out and about in Parliament Square supporting the European Union!

When we got back to Paddington station, we had some time to kill before getting the train. So we went to see Paddington Bear's statue on Platform One. He also has his own bench there!

Additionally, there's a Paddington Bear shop in the station's shopping centre, where you can find all sorts of merchandise related to the books and films that he stars in!

I always enjoy going to London, as it's such a big and exciting city with so many things to see and do. Even though it only takes a couple of hours to get there from my small village in the southwest of England, it almost seems like a different country, and not just because my village is rural and London is urban. Sadly, it's also because people where I'm from tend to be a lot less tolerant and open minded than Londoners. That's one of the reasons why I've never wanted to stay in the place I was born.

But on a more positive note, despite Brexit, London is still a great city to visit, and I'm looking forward to seeing more sights there very soon!

Read about London: Part Two here! 

Read about me and Claudio's trip to London here!

Read about London: Part Four here!

Read about London: Part Five here!

Read about London: Part Six here!

Read about London: Part Seven here!

Read about London: Part Eight here!

My Day Trip to Cardiff

Last week, I left England for a day to visit Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. I'd been there before in 2012 when my family and I were lucky enough to get tickets to watch an Olympic football match at the Millennium Stadium. That was a great day, but I don't remember seeing that much of the city itself. Recently I started wanting to go back, after finding out about Cardiff Castle. I love visiting castles, so when I had the opportunity to take a day trip last week, I decided it was the destination I most wanted to go to!

On the train to Cardiff, we passed through Newport. There were great views of Newport Castle next to the river. I tried my best to take a decent photo, but it wasn't easy!

Stepping out of Cardiff Central Station, I was immediately reminded of the fact that I had arrived in a capital city. The station is located in a big square with the headquarters of BBC Wales directly opposite. For me, it's a great thing that within two hours, I can go from my house in a small village to a big city in a different country (sort of)!

My first sightseeing stop was the castle. Apparently, Wales has more castles per square mile than any other country! Last year, I enjoyed seeing Chepstow Castle, so I was intrigued to find out how Cardiff's version compared. I definitely wasn't disappointed. Even its outside wall is an impressive sight.

I'd bought a ticket online, so I was able to start exploring the grounds of the castle straight away. Firstly, I went up inside the keep, which is probably the most famous part. From the top, there are amazing views across the city. You can see the Millennium Stadium and the City Hall, depending on which part you look out from.

The Welsh dragon in the centre of the grounds is a nice touch! Afterwards, I went into the main building to look around the castle apartments, which are very ornate. My favourite room was the Arab Room, which is decorated in a beautiful Arabic style.

Next to the castle, you can find Bute Park. Along the park's wall is a series of statues of different animals. Unsurprisingly, this is called the Animal Wall!

Next, I made my way to the National Museum. On my way there, I saw the City Hall, which is a beautiful building.

The National Museum is a great place to visit. What makes it even better is that entry is free! Dippy, the dinosaur skeleton replica from the Natural History Museum in London, is currently on display there.

The museum has a natural history section as well as an art gallery. The art gallery has a brilliant selection of paintings by some of the most famous artists of all time. I especially liked the Impressionism section, where you can find two versions of Waterlilies by Monet.

I had wanted to visit the Norwegian Church Arts Centre at Cardiff Bay, but it's a long distance from the city centre, and I wanted to get the train back before rush hour. But I had time to see the River Taff before going home.

I really enjoyed my trip to Cardiff and I'm sure I'll return in the future. 

Over the next month, I'm going to be busy getting ready for my big move back to Chile. Before going to Santiago, I'll be spending a few days in Buenos Aires, and I've also got a day trip to Uruguay planned, so I'm very excited about it all!