Lydiard Park

This week I returned to yet another place that I hadn't visited since my childhood: Lydiard Park. It's a huge country park near Swindon featuring a grand manor house, an 18th century walled garden, a parish church and a lake. I actually think it's been my favourite lockdown outing so far; it's just a really scenic place and so spacious. It felt like a very safe destination to visit during this current period, where travel is tricky to say the least.

The first part of the park we saw was the Ice House. When I read those two words on the direction sign, I was pretty excited. My mind was conjuring up images of a building akin to Elsa's ice palace in Frozen. However, when we arrived in the corner of the woods where the Ice House was located, this is what we found:

Not quite what I'd been hoping for! It turned out to be a building where ice is stored, as opposed to a building made out of ice. Maybe "The Ice Storage House" would be a better name for it...

But the rest of the park was definitely not disappointing, as there's so much nature to see there. I really liked seeing all the towering trees, which were so much bigger than most of the trees in England.

Next we saw Saint Mary's church, a typical English country church, which has origins in the 13th century.

We had a look through the gates of the 18th century walled garden. Unfortunately it's closed at the moment, probably because it wouldn't be easy to socially distance on its narrow paths. But it's still a pretty place to see from outside.

Then we walked over to a field full of beautiful ponies. (Okay, so this might be the main reason why Lydiard Park has been my favourite lockdown outing so far!)

After saying hello to the lovely horses, we went to see the house, which is a very impressive building.

Near the house, there's a small lake inhabited by many ducks, swans and other birds. It was very peaceful to watch them swimming around.

All in all, it was a great morning out, and I'm sure we'll go back in the future.

It's good to know that even during this pandemic, there are still various travelling experiences we can enjoy. However, I have to admit that I can't wait for travel to return to normal again. Well, maybe not quite normal again; there are changes that should be made in terms of sustainability and mass tourism. But I am missing the freedom we had before, and I'm dreaming of exploring new places and of course, starting my new life in Chile...

The world is opening up again now, and that's both exciting and worrying. While I'm of the opinion that we can't feasibly stay stuck at home forever, and that safe travel can be possible if done very very cautiously, sadly a lot of people don't seem to want to follow the rules. Just look at what happened in Bournemouth the other week! I had no idea when we went there last year that it would be the must-visit destination for summer 2020...

Despite my concerns, I have planned a short-haul break away in September, but I'm holding off on actually booking anything until I feel more confident about travelling again.

It's a good thing that there are still several more local places that I've yet to tick off on my lockdown travel list! Next week, we're planning to go to a destination that I've never been to before and which I'm very excited to see. It's only about an hour away in the car, but judging from the pictures on its website, it looks like it could be somewhere much further afield...

Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Cities

It's been a while since I last wrote a Travel Tips article, and as I won't be going on another outing until later this week and therefore have no new place to write about, I thought it was a good idea to use the spare time I've got today to write a little piece about my favourite cities. Besides, in recent weeks this blog has been filled with images of little towns and villages in the West Country, so now seems like a good moment to shake up its aesthetic a bit!

Visiting new cities is something I find really exciting. They all have their own personality; some are old-fashioned and charming, while others are shiny and modern. Some are situated by beautiful beaches, others are surrounded by mountain landscapes. And they all have their famous landmarks that tourists flock to, as well as their lesser-known gems which are harder to find.

I have been lucky enough to have visited many amazing cities across Europe, South America and Canada, and all of them have left some kind of impression on me. However, for this article I have narrowed my list down to just ten of my favourites as well as some honourable mentions.

I hope you enjoy reading my list!

10) Vaduz, Liechtenstein

A European capital city quite unlike the rest is Vaduz. I visited this tiny city within a tiny country during my Year Abroad, and found it to be a fascinating place. With its mountaintop castle, it really is like something out of a fairytale. Additionally, it has two brilliant museums: Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein (Liechtenstein Museum of Fine Arts) and the Liechtenstein National Museum.

Read more about Vaduz here!

9) Lisbon, Portugal

Last year, I ended up taking a spontaneous trip to Madrid and Lisbon, and while I liked Madrid, I really loved Lisbon. It's such a beautiful and colourful city, with amazing viewpoints from its many hills. My personal highlights were Castelo de São Jorge, Torre de Belém, Jardim Vasco da Gama and the botanical garden.

Read more about Lisbon here!

8) Kraków, Poland

Having visited several Eastern European cities, I have to say Kraków is my favourite. I went there last year when I took part in the Angloville volunteer programme teaching English in Poland, and I was so impressed by its magnificent architecture. Highlights include Wawel Castle and Rynek Główny, the city's main square, where you can find St Mary's Basilica (pictured above). 

Read more about Kraków here!

7) Valparaíso, Chile

Moving across to South America, the next item on my list is the amazing Chilean port city of Valparaíso, which is the capital of the region of the same name. Like Lisbon, Valparaíso is built on a series of hills and features many colourful buildings. It is also very famous for its vibrant street art which covers its walls and staircases (I particularly liked the one pictured above), and its funicular railways. The city has a very lively, Bohemian vibe, and I absolutely loved spending a day there during my semester in Chile.

Read more about Valparaíso here!

6) Bath, England, UK

Bath is the first of two British cities in my list, and it happens to be in my home region, the southwest of England. Many would consider Oxford to be the most beautiful city in England, but I would personally put Bath at the top of that list. In addition to its picturesque architecture, it also has a fascinating Roman and literary history; the Roman Baths and the Jane Austen museum are both must-see attractions. One thing I really like about Bath is that it feels like a truly European city, where different cultures are appreciated and signs are written in French! It was even used as a stand in for Paris in the 2012 Les Misérables movie, and Pulteney Bridge (pictured above) was the setting for Javert's final song.

Previously on this blog, I wrote about The American Museum in Bath, which is actually located quite far outside of the city. I plan on writing a post about the city centre soon.

Edit: I finally wrote a post about Bath in December 2020! Check it out here!

5) Montpellier, France

I spent a few weeks studying at a language school in Montpellier in the summer of 2017, which was definitely the best bit of the French part of my Year Abroad. Located in the Occitanie region in the south of France, Montpellier is an amazing city with beautiful architecture, plenty of green spaces, great weather and a nearby beach! I would really like to go back there at some point in the future.

Read more about Montpellier here!

4) London, England, UK

I'll round off my list with four great capital cities, starting with London. Although London is not far away from me, it's such a different place to Wiltshire (where I'm from), and I always find it so exciting to spend a day there. Throughout the city, you can really see the influence of different cultures from all around the world, which I find fascinating. Last time I was there, I visited Chinatown (pictured above), a really interesting area to see. Walking around there was like being transported to China, which for me was great, as I haven't been to Asia yet. (But I'll definitely go in the future!)

Read more about London here!

3) Paris, France

As much as I love London, Paris has to be my favourite European capital city. There's something just so magical about exploring its streets, parks and museums. My favourite parts are the Montmartre district (where you can find the Moulin Rouge club and the Sacré Cœur basilica), le Jardin du Luxembourg, the Tuileries Garden, and of course, the Eiffel Tower! I don't think I could ever get bored of being in Paris, and I hope I can go back there in the future with my boyfriend.

Read more about Paris here!

2) Buenos Aires, Argentina

Back to South America, and the incredible city of Buenos Aires. I went there in February this year and had an amazing time. (I can't believe how much things have changed in the world since then...) My favourite part was La Boca district (pictured above) with its colourful buildings and tango dancers. I also loved Casa Rosada, Puente de la Mujer, Ecoparque BA, and the Japanese garden. I would 100 percent go back in the future, as there's just so much to see there.

Read more about Buenos Aires here!

1) Santiago, Chile

And finally, the award for my favourite city goes to Santiago. Okay, maybe I'm a little biased, as this is the city where I used to live, where I met my boyfriend, and where I will be moving back to as soon as it's possible to do so. But objectively speaking, it really is a fantastic city to visit. Here you can find many examples of amazing architecture, such as the Costanera Centre (pictured above), beautiful green spaces like Parque Metropolitano (where I took this picture), as well as the impressive Andes mountains surrounding the city. I can't wait to move back there again!

Read more about Santiago here and here!

Well, I've had a lot of fun compiling that list, and I hope it can serve as travel inspiration for when the world starts opening up again!

By the way, my honourable mentions of other cities I've loved visiting are as follows: Udine, Italy; Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bruges, Belgium; York, England, UK; Cardiff, Wales, UK; and Montréal, Québec, Canada.

I also have a long list of cities I would love to go to in the future, including: Brighton (Edit: I made it there in December 2020!), Edinburgh, Amsterdam (Edit: Made it there in December 2023!), Copenhagen, Tallinn, Riga, St Petersburg, Moscow, Barcelona, Granada, Rome (Edit: Made it there in March 2024!), Athens, Istanbul, Singapore, Sydney, Casablanca, New York, Miami, Havana, Cartagena and Rio de Janeiro (Edit: Made in there in December 2022!). Let's just say I'm not short of travel inspiration!

My next blog post will most likely be about the trip I'll be going on with my parents later this week, but I plan to write more Travel Tips articles in the near future...

Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here! 

Lechlade-on-Thames

This week my parents and I drove to Lechlade (full name: Lechlade-on-Thames) to walk alongside the River Thames. I remember going there before when I was very little and going out on the water in a boat, but I'd been wanting to return since the start of this year, when I read the book The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton. The setting of the story was inspired by different parts of Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Gloucestershire, including the town of Lechlade. Kate Morton's description of the area is so evocative and really conjures up images in your mind of a picture-perfect corner of England. When we arrived in Lechlade yesterday, I was happy to see that the real life town was just as I'd imagined it in the book!

Firstly, we parked the car and walked through the town centre to the riverside path. The centre is quite pretty but unfortunately, just like in Malmesbury, not everyone there was sticking to the social distancing rules. Someone actually walked up right behind us, which left me feeling very worried. Honestly, keeping at a safe distance from others is not that great a sacrifice to make in the grand scheme of things, and if we all make that effort, then we can all enjoy outdoor outings whilst feeling safe. We shouldn't have to feel worried for our health on a trip out, just because some people can't be bothered to follow simple rules. If I were a vulnerable person, I'd never want to leave the house again, because I'd be so concerned about other people's careless behaviour. It's just extremely frustrating. 

Okay, rant over! Here are a couple of pictures of the town centre:

The riverside of Lechlade is really picturesque and is a lovely place for a walk, but the path on the side of the bridge by the Riverside pub is too narrow to walk along whilst maintaining social distancing. Even so, plenty of people were using it without a care in the world. However, on the other side of the bridge, there is plenty of space, so that's where my parents and I had our walk.

We met this cute swan, who was very interested in finding out if we had any food!

Afterwards, we sat next to the river with cups of coffee from the Tea Chest café. I had an oat milk flat white, which tasted amazing after three months of only drinking instant! (It's a shame about the disposable cup, but I suppose it's the safest option in these times.)

I can't deny, however, that I've saved a lot of money lately simply thanks to the fact that I haven't been spending money in cafés such as Starbucks and Costa! In the future, I think I'll buy these fancy drinks on a less regular basis, because although they're delicious, I've realised how much money I can save from not buying them so often. And the best thing is, I can spend that extra money on travelling!

Speaking of travelling, it's positive news that the tourism industry is starting to open up again and that foreign holidays are starting to look like a genuine possibility. Personally, I'm hoping to go abroad again fairly soon. There is still a extremely strict lockdown in Chile, so I'm very unclear on when I'll be able to get my visa and start my job out there, which is obviously really disappointing for me. But while I'm waiting for things to return to normal, I would like to have a short break somewhere with nice weather and great beaches. This lockdown has been a long slog and I'm feeling the need for a change of scenery.

But for the time being, I'm going to continue enjoying local outings. I'm sure we'll be visiting another new place next week, which I'll write about here. 😊

Malmesbury

Malmesbury isn't exactly the first place I would associate with travel adventures, as it's the town where I went to secondary school. However, it is actually considered something of a tourist attraction due to its impressive abbey and the fact that it is thought to be the oldest town in England, with a history dating back over 1000 years.

Today I went for a walk around the town centre with my mum and took some photos. It was nice to have a walk in an area with some different scenery to our village, and I feel like I gained a different perspective on Malmesbury. When I was at school, I never understood why people would want to come there, but now I can see that it's actually quite an interesting place to visit.

I was glad to see that the town council had implemented a one way system in the town centre and put up signs with advice about the Coronavirus outbreak. However, it was disappointing that many people weren't following the advice! My mum and I were the only people wearing masks, and I saw people ignoring social distancing guidelines and meeting in large groups. I just think it's important to remember that the pandemic isn't over yet and that the rules still apply to everyone. The closer we all stick to the rules, the sooner life will be able to return to normal again. And obviously that's what we all want.

On Tuesday, I'm going to be off work between 10:00 and 15:00, so my parents and I will be able to go on a longer outing. We're not 100% sure where we'll be going yet, but I'm looking forward to getting out of the village again and writing about the trip on this blog.