A Minibreak in Bournemouth

Earlier this week I got back from a couple of days in Bournemouth with my parents. We only spent one night there, because of difficulties finding an affordable hotel that everyone liked, but we managed to squeeze quite a lot into the time we had.

The main reason we went there was so we could swim in the sea - the last time I'd swam in the sea was in Chile in March 2020 and the last time I'd swam at all was in July 2020 in our local outdoor pool. Unfortunately, the pool had implemented a special booking system to deal with Covid, which actually had the effect of making it far more crowded than it had been in normal times, so swimming there wasn't a safe or enjoyable experience at all, and we haven't been back since. This is a shame for me, as I love swimming, and I don't feel like I've had a proper summer without spending time in the sea, or at least in a pool. Fortunately, during this holiday we had the chance to spend time in both!

The only real downside of the trip was that the hotel where we stayed wasn't anywhere near as good as we'd been expecting; my room was very small and the shower didn't work. But on the other hand, at least it was right by the beach.

On the afternoon that we arrived (after a long journey passing sights including Avebury stone circle and Salisbury Cathedral), we settled into our rooms, and then my mum and I went down to the hotel pool for our pre-booked swimming slot. We had about 10-15 minutes with the pool all to ourselves, but then more and more people started arriving, as it turned out that the hotel had allowed around 10 guests to book the same slot (which we'd thought was just for us). This was a bit disappointing, especially because the pool wasn't particularly big. But it was nice just to be able to swim again, and also to relax in the jacuzzi!

Later on, we went for a little walk through the town, firstly to the beach and then to Lower Gardens, a park that we'd visited last time we were in Bournemouth (in 2019). The whole area was absolutely heaving with tourists, as it was one of the hottest days of the year, and because of all the travel restrictions preventing people (especially us younger people, who are last in the queue for the vaccine, and therefore have fewer rights to travel) from going on holiday abroad. It was definitely quite a different vibe from two years ago!

Afterwards, we had a very tasty dinner at the 1805 Chinese restaurant. By the time we'd finished the meal, it was later than we'd expected, but there was still another place I wanted to visit before the day was done.

As the sun was going down, I made the mile-long journey to the Tropical Gardens in the west side of the town. This place had particularly intrigued me when I had discovered it while searching for info about Bournemouth on the internet, because I really liked the idea of having some kind of experience of a tropical beach holiday whilst being confined to the UK.

The garden was small but it did not disappoint. It had plenty of palm trees, in addition to other plants from many different parts of the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Mexico and Chile! And the views from the garden of the beach below were beautiful, especially because it was sunset. Being there was when I finally started to feel that "holiday feeling".

And the holiday vibes continued into the next day! My mum and I got up early and went down to the beach at around 7:30 in order to avoid the crowds. The weather was already quite nice even at that time in the morning, and although the sea was a little cold, it was an amazing experience to swim in it. This was definitely the highlight of the holiday, and I wish I was back there already! Hopefully, I'll have the chance to swim in the sea again soon, wherever that may happen.

After breakfast, it was time to pack up and leave Bournemouth. But it wasn't the end of the holiday yet! En route back to our village, we stopped off to spend a few hours at another beautiful place, and I'll be writing about it very soon...

Bristol: Part Two

Last week I went on my first solo travel trip since March last year, spending a day seeing the sights of Bristol. I'd seen a few interesting places, including the Christmas Steps, during a trip there with my parents in August last year. But I felt like there was a lot I still hadn't seen, so I decided to take the opportunity to go back again, now that I'm on my summer holidays and have more free time.

Bristol isn't the easiest city to get around; it's too big to easily explore on foot, and it doesn't have a metro or tram system like other big cities do. However, it does have a bus system known as "metrobus", which as the name suggests, is a bus network that (in theory) functions like a metro network. I chose to use this system to go between Bristol Temple Meads train station and other places in the city, and it worked out alright for me. It was a bit hard to find some of the bus stops (the train station one was about 5 minutes away from the station entrance) and the buses didn't always arrive on time. But I managed to get to all of the places I wanted to go to, so overall it was a success.

First of all, I took the bus to The Centre, a part of the city by the harbour, where you can find a statue of Neptune.

From there, I could walk to College Green, where I found one of the sights I'd most been looking forward to seeing: Bristol Cathedral. This Gothic building is very impressive to look at from both the outside and the inside, and is extremely reminiscent of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Inside there are toilets, a café and a little garden. (But sadly, I didn't see Quasimodo or any talking gargoyles!)

Next I walked to Cabot Circus mall to find some lunch and to pick up a couple of things in the shops. On my way there, I noticed lots of people looking at the sky, and looked up to see what was so interesting. It was a surprise to see a plane drawing smiley faces in the sky! I didn't know what it was all about at the time, but the next day I read an article which said that it was organised by a group of school children to say "thank you" to their teachers!

After lunch I got back on the metrobus and travelled away from the city centre, getting off at Spike Island to find some more interesting sights. The bus stop really seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, but after I walked along a few quiet, nondescript streets, I found a little courtyard with something very special on one of its walls...

The Girl with the Pierced Eardrum is the world-famous Bristolian street artist Banksy's take on Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, and it was quite amazing and surreal to be mere metres away from this work of art, and to be the only person looking at it.

Following a few minutes' contemplation, I went around the next street corner and was met with some incredible views. I had arrived at the harbourside area, where many boats are located, including the famous ship SS Great Britain, which travelled to many places all over the world, including the Falkland Islands and Australia, during the 19th century. At the moment it's not possible to see much of the ship apart from the very top of the sails without buying a ticket. 

But that didn't bother me much, because for me, the most impressive part of the harbourside area was the views of the rows of colourful houses on the other side of the water. They brought back memories of visiting Valparaíso (another port city known for its street art and colourful buildings), though you could also say there was something of the Nordic countries about them. In addition to the houses, I could see Cabot Tower and a little corner of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, so it was without a doubt quite an amazing panorama.

To sum up, I had a fantastic day exploring the city of Bristol. It really is a unique place, filled with culture, art, and a range of architecture that evokes different places from all over the world. Spending time there was a real escape from the very quiet village life I've been stuck in for the last year and a half.

Luckily, two days after my day in Bristol, I got to go on another little adventure, when I went with my parents for a minibreak at the beach! I'll be writing all about it very soon...

Read about Bristol: Part One here!

Corsham

This afternoon I had the opportunity to explore Corsham, a town that I'd never been to before. My mum was doing an exercise class nearby, so my dad and I went for a walk in the area.

First of all, we walked around the grounds of Corsham Court, a stately home that was built in 1582. The park surrounding the house features a sham ruin, a church, a lake and lots of lots of sheep!

Afterwards, we had a walk around the town centre, which is very pretty with a strong Cotswolds character, and which also has lots of independent shops and cafés. I wouldn't mind coming back again in the future to be able to spend some more time there.

I saw a signpost pointing in the direction of "the Flemish Cottages", which intrigued me. However, when we actually found said cottages, I didn't think they looked especially Belgian - they seemed more like typical Cotswold houses. But they were definitely quite picturesque.

Some other interesting sights of Corsham included the Wiltshire Lion (a sculpture celebrating the landscapes of this county) and a very beautiful peacock wandering around!

To conclude, I had a good time discovering Corsham, and it was a nice start to my summer holidays! 

This is the first decent amount of time I've taken off work since Christmas, so I'm looking forward to relaxing a bit over the coming days. But I also have some exciting trips planned! I'll be going on a city trip tomorrow and then a short beach holiday a couple of days later. And I might also be going to a historic house later on in my holidays. So there's plenty to look forward to.

Although this year has so far been a difficult and frustrating one, I'd like to make the most of this summer the best I can. And hopefully when December comes around, I'll be having another, even better, summer out in Chile...

Country Guide: Austria

Name: Austria (in German: Österreich)

Continent: Europe

Capital (and Largest) City: Vienna (in German: Wien)

Language: German

Currency: Euro

Drives on the: Right

Time Zone: Central European Time

Adaptor Types: Type C and Type F

Description: Austria is a landlocked country in the centre of Europe. Most of it is located within the Alps, and for that reason it's famous for its mountains, as well as its Alpine meadows and lakes. In the summer the weather is warm, but in the winter the whole country turns into a winter wonderland with lots of snow! In terms of culture, the country is a very popular destination for skiing and other winter sports, and is also known for its musical heritage.

Why You Should Visit: Austria is a beautiful place, thanks to its natural scenery and picturesque cities, such as Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Vienna in particular is a must visit, as it is one of the most iconic cities in Europe, and is renowned for its historic architecture. Another reason to go to Austria is to see its fairytale castles: you can find many of them in every corner of the country.

Fun Fact: Although the movie "The Sound of Music" was set in and filmed in Salzburg and the surrounding area, it is actually not at all a well-known movie amongst Austrian people.

My Blogposts About Austria

My Year Abroad Blog 2017-2018

- Salzburg (Salzburg, Sankt Gilgen and Mondsee)

- My New Town (Feldkirchen in Kärnten)

- Vienna and Bratislava

- A Memorable Few Days (Innsbruck, Sargans and Vaduz)

- My Last Five Weeks in Kärnten

Charlotte's Travel Adventures

- Travel Tips: Destinations off the Tourist Trail (Kärnten region)

- Travel Tips: My Top Five Places to Visit in Austria (Vienna, Salzburg, Mondsee, Innsbruck and Kärnten region)

- Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Castles and Palaces (Belvedere Palace, Vienna)

- My Gap Year 2014-2015 (Plus Gap Year Tips) (Klagenfurt and Velden am Wörthersee)

- Year Abroad: Dealing With Problems

- Year Abroad: The Best Bits

- Planning a Year Abroad

- UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Salzburg, Vienna and Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna)

- Travel Tips: My Top Ten Fairytale Destinations (Salzburg and Hochosterwitz Castle)

- Movie Travels (Salzburg and Mondsee)

- Travel Tips: My Top Five Mountain Destinations (the Alps)

- Cute Animals in the Wild (Innsbruck)

- Travel Tips: The Best Destinations to Live in - Part One (Feldkirchen in Kärnten)

- Travel Tips: The Best Destinations to Live in - Part Two (Vienna)

Clockwise starting from top left: Innsbruck, Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Sankt Gilgen, Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Villach

Check out the rest of my Country Guides here!

Broadway Tower

A year or two ago, I was browsing in a local book shop, when the cover of an Ordnance Survey map caught my eye. It showed a beautiful, golden castle on a hill, which looked like an incredible place to visit. A bit of googling told me that it was Broadway Tower, and I mentally made a note that I'd like to go there one day, but I pretty much forgot about it until Covid began last year. Since then, I've tried to make the most of the less than ideal situation of being stuck living in a small village, by exploring as much of my local area as I can, including plenty of attractions in the Cotswolds. I've been keeping a list of nearby places to visit (which I've now nearly completed), and this week, Broadway Tower was the destination of choice.

Slightly disappointingly, the tower is much smaller and far less golden than it looked in the photo in the bookshop. But it was still nice to see it in real life - it's a very pretty building.

My dad and I actually went up the tower, which was a very interesting experience. There are three rooms inside (one on each floor) which have been preserved to represent the late 18th century time period when it was built. And being up on the roof was a real highlight; the tower is on the second highest hill in the entire Cotswolds area, and in theory, you can see across 16 counties of England and Wales from the top. The morning was a bit misty, so we couldn't see quite that much, but we still had some amazing views from up there. The best thing was that we could see a beautiful group of deer close to the tower!

After visiting the tower and going for a walk around the grounds, we visited one of the on-site cafés, where I had a delicious matcha latte and vegan lemon drizzle cake!

All in all, it was a nice little day out, and I'm glad to have finally visited this place which had interested me for quite a while.

I'll be going on another family outing tomorrow, and may be writing about that soon. And I also have some more Country Guides and Travel Tips articles in mind, so I'll have plenty to write here over the coming weeks and months!