A Slight Change of Plan...

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about my upcoming trip to Chile. My original plan was to stay out there and find a job. I'd already booked an Airbnb for the first week, and I was planning to look for more permanent accommodation during that week. However, because of recent events in Chile, it became obvious that this wasn't the best time to try and settle out there.

I will still go, but I'll only be staying a week. Unfortunately, my boyfriend's final exams at university have been postponed for the time being, and he doesn't know when they'll take place, so we won't be able to go off travelling very far. But we'll definitely take a day trip to the beach and maybe some other nice places! It will be great to be back in one of my favourite parts of the world with one of my favourite people. 💗

Once my parents heard the news about the protests, they were fairly keen for me to either cancel my trip or to cut it as short as possible! At first I was quite determined to stick to my original plan, but I came to realise that this just isn't the best time for either searching for work and accommodation or for travelling around the country. So I looked up flights out of Santiago on the day I check out of the Airbnb. The best value one was to Barcelona, but that would mean going from one unstable place to another. The second best value flight was to Madrid, so I went ahead and booked it!

I've been to Spain a few times before but not to Madrid, so I'm pretty excited. It looks like a great city to visit, and I've been interested in going for a while. I'll spend a couple of days there before moving on to my next destination!

I've decided to make the most of my time on the Iberian peninsula and take a trip to Portugal, a country I've never visited before. My family went there on holiday when my mum was pregnant with me, but I can't really count that as having been! So, I'm going to be able to tick another country off my European bucket list. I'll be taking an overnight train to Lisbon from Madrid, which will be a new experience for me. Lisbon looks like a beautiful city, and I'm looking forward to the couple of days I'll spend there before heading back to the UK. I've started learning a bit of Portuguese in preparation!

Although I wanted to get the next chapter of my life started as soon as possible, it's probably for the best that I'm going to have to wait a little longer. I haven't quite finished my TEFL course yet, and it's going to take a bit of time to receive the certificate once I pass. It will be easier to sort out my CV and apply for jobs from home than trying to sort everything out abroad without the certificate. Now my plan is to get a job in Chile that starts after Christmas. 😊

There's less than a week to go now until I go off on my travels, so I'll be writing here again very soon!

Image by Pixabay from pexels.com

Travel Tips: My Top Five Places to Visit in Austria

Today I'm going to write about my favourite travel destinations in a country where I spent part of my Year Abroad - Austria.

It's a beautiful Alpine nation with plenty of opportunities for snow sports in the winter and hiking in the summer. It also has several great city break destinations. If you want to visit multiple parts of Austria, I would recommend travelling around by train. The trains there are usually efficient, rarely busy, and give you the chance to see amazing mountainous landscapes. And it's the most environmentally-friendly option!

One of the best things about Austria is how close it is to so many other European countries. In fact, it borders eight of them! This means there are plenty of opportunities to take multi country trips. I'll give some recommendations on which destinations to combine.

So, here is my list of top five places to visit in Austria:

1) Vienna

The capital city Vienna is obviously a must see when visiting Austria. This is a place filled with culture, history and stunning architecture. My personal favourite attraction when I went was the Belvedere Palace (pictured above), where you can see many notable works of art, including The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. The Schönnbrunn Palace is another interesting (but busy!) place to visit.

Where to go next: It's easy to combine a trip to Vienna with trips to various places in Eastern Europe. Slovakia's capital city Bratislava is less than an hour away on the train and is an ideal place for a day trip. There are also direct trains to cities in Hungary and Czechia.

Read more about Vienna here!

2) Salzburg

Salzburg is Austria's musical city, being both the birthplace of Mozart and the setting of the musical The Sound of Music! I only had a day or two to spend there, but I made sure to go on the Sound of Music tour, which takes you around the sites where the film was made in Salzburg and the surrounding area. It was an experience I would definitely recommend!

Where to go next: Although in The Sound of Music the Von Trapp family are shown escaping from the Nazis over the mountains to Switzerland, this was very inaccurate geographically, as Switzerland is quite a distance from Salzburg. They would have actually ended up in Germany! So if you want to add a stop in another country on to your trip to Salzburg, it's a good idea to look at nearby destinations in the south of Germany, such as Munich.

Read more about Salzburg here!

3) Mondsee

Named for its lake which is shaped like the moon, Mondsee is a charming town near Salzburg. I visited it on the Sound of Music tour, as the wedding scene was filmed in the church there. The beautiful lake is popular with holidaymakers, as are the many cafés where you can try traditional Austrian cakes!

Where to go next: Salzburg is the obvious choice!

Read more about Mondsee here!

4) Innsbruck

Innsbruck is well known as a base for skiing holidays, but it's also great for city breaks. With lots of colourful buildings and snowy mountains, it's a beautiful place to explore on foot. My favourite parts from my trip there were the Goldenes Dachl (a golden roof) and the Hofgarten (pictured above). I saw an adorable red squirrel there!

Where to go next: Innsbruck spoils you for choice if you're looking to take a multi country holiday. Southern Germany and the region of South Tyrol in northern Italy are short distances away, and the city's position in the west of Austria means that it only takes a couple of hours to get to Switzerland on the train. After my first stay in Innsbruck, I chose to explore two countries I hadn't visited before. First I caught the train to the small Swiss town of Sargans, and the following day, I took the bus to the capital city of Liechtenstein, Vaduz. I stopped in Innsbruck again on my way back. That trip was one of the highlights of my Year Abroad!

Read more about Innsbruck, Sargans and Vaduz here!

5) Kärnten

The final place in my list is not a city or a town but an entire region of Austria. Maybe I'm biased because this is where I used to live! But Kärnten, also known as Carinthia, is definitely a great place to visit, with plenty of castles, lakes and mountains to explore. It has two main cities: Klagenfurt and Villach (pictured above). Villach is quite a fascinating place as it is right next to the borders with Slovenia and Italy. This means that it is the meeting point of the three main cultures of Europe: Germanic, Slavic and Latin. 

Where to go next: Slovenia and Italy are the obvious choices! From Villach train station, you can take direct trains to the beautiful Italian cities of Udine and Venice. It is also worth noting that from Venezia Mestre station on the Venetian mainland, it is possible to travel to cities all over Italy. So you only need two train journeys to get from Villach to destinations such as Florence and Rome!

Read more about Kärnten here!

So that concludes my short guide to travel in Austria and beyond. It's definitely a great country to visit for those of us with chronic Wanderlust!

Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!

Travel Tips: Destinations off the Tourist Trail

It's a cliché, but one of the best things about doing a Year Abroad was that I discovered a lot about myself, including how I like to travel! Although I enjoyed visiting places like Venice, I found the relentless crowds of tourists a bit stressful to deal with. I also realised that lesser-known places can be just as interesting as the tourist hotspots, as well as being a lot more authentic!

So, this is my list of my favourite travel destinations off the tourist trail...

1) Sète, France

Close to Montpellier in the Occitanie region of France, Sète is known as the French version of Venice, as it is a beautiful town with a network of canals. For this reason, it's not exactly tourist free, but it's not crowded either. You can take a boat trip around its main sites, and take in the great views from the top of Mont Saint-Clair.

In fact, I would recommend the region of Occitanie as a whole for those looking for a less touristy holiday in the south of France. I have spent a lot of time around the Nice/Cannes area of France, and while I liked those places, I must say that the Occitanie area feels much less extravagant and much more relaxed.

Read more here!

2) Le Havre, France

An interesting destination in Normandy is Le Havre. This port city with artistic attractions and a funicular railway reminded me a bit of Valparaíso in Chile. The highlight is the art gallery Musée Malraux, where you can see impressionist paintings by some of the most famous artists in history, without the crowds of the Louvre or the Musée d'Orsay.

Read more here!

3) Kärnten, Austria

Kärnten, or Carinthia as it's sometimes known in English, is the region where I lived when I spent a semester teaching English in Austria. It's not as well known as the Tyrol and Salzburg regions, but it's a beautiful place with plenty of lakes, mountains and fairytale castles! It's also very close to both Italy and Slovenia, so it's an ideal place to go to if you're planning a multi country trip.

Read more here!

4) Vaduz, Liechtenstein

This is a European capital city quite unlike the others I've visited. For one, it's very small, just like the country it's a part of. It's also pretty much devoid of people! Well, at least it was when I visited in November 2017. In this charming city overlooked by a castle (pictured above), you can visit both the national museum and a fantastic art gallery in total peace and quiet!

Read more here!

5) Udine, Italy

I first heard of Udine when looking at train timetables in Austria. I'm surprised that it's not more well known, as it's a beautiful city with plenty of attractions. The most memorable part for me was Piazza della Libertà (pictured above), but I also loved the art gallery in the castle, and the cathedral, which has an amazing painted ceiling. Although I've been to Florence and Venice, I have to say that Udine is my favourite Italian city. It has a very authentic and relaxed vibe. I could imagine living there!

Read more here!

6) Maule, Chile

The Maule region in south-central Chile is not totally off the tourist radar. The Siete Tazas national park is already quite well known. (It's on my list of places to visit when I go back to Chile!) However, in May last year, I went on a group tour to some parts of Maule that are not so frequently visited. My favourite places were Mirador Monjes Blancos (pictured above), Cascada Invertida (an inverted waterfall) and Laguna del Maule. This region of Chile has so much amazing nature to see.

Read more here!

7) Huilo Huilo and Siete Lagos, Chile

Another group tour I took in Chile was to Huilo Huilo biological reserve and Siete Lagos (seven lakes) in the south of the country. I've yet to visit the far south, but I've heard it can get very busy. This place, however, was so peaceful. I went in winter, so it was very cold, although maybe that was why it was so quiet. It was worth braving the weather to see beautiful sceneries of lakes, waterfalls, forests and volcanoes. The picture above is of me in front of the famous Montaña Mágica (magic mountain) hotel!

Read more here!

That concludes my list of less-touristy travel destinations! Coming soon: Five places to visit in Austria.

Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!

Travel Tips

I feel like trying something a bit different with this blog. Up until now, all my posts have been accounts of trips I've been on, and while I plan to continue writing those sorts of posts, I'm also interested in sharing some of my travel tips. So, over the coming days, there'll be a few list articles appearing right here!

The first article will be about great places I've visited off the tourist trail. Hopefully, I can provide some travel inspiration!

Image by Anugrah Lohiya from pexels.com

My Travel Tips Articles

1) Destinations off the Tourist Trail

2) My Top Five Places to Visit in Austria

3) My Ten Favourite Places to Visit in Santiago

4) My Ten Favourite Places to Visit in France

5) My Ten Favourite Cities

6) My Ten Favourite Castles and Palaces

7) My Top Ten Nature Destinations

8) My Ten Favourite Beaches

9) My Top Ten Fairytale Destinations

10) A Guide to the Cotswolds

11) UK Alternatives to Foreign Destinations

12) My Top Five Colourful Cities

13) The Best Day Trips From Santiago

14) My Top Ten Historical Destinations

15) My Top Five Mountain Destinations

16) Ten More of My Favourite Beach Destinations

17) The Best Hotels I've Ever Stayed in

18) The Best Destinations to Live in - Part One

19) The Best Destinations to Live in - Part Two

Exciting News!

It's been four months since I finished university, and I've been at home in my village for the majority of that time. However, that's going to change very soon... I've booked my ticket to go back to Chile in a few weeks time!

I'm hoping this will be a fairly permanent move. In August, I started doing a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) course which I'm now close to finishing. My plan is to get a teaching job in Santiago or at least as nearby as possible. But even if I don't manage to find work as soon as I hope, I'll still be able to spend a few weeks out there with my boyfriend, and do some travelling. I've been making a list of places to visit!

So it feels like this is the start of an exciting new chapter for me. I'll be writing here again soon! 

¡Hasta pronto! 

Image by Pixabay from pexels.com

The American Museum in Bath

Yesterday, I visited the American Museum in Bath with my parents. It's the only museum of its kind in the UK, and I've been interested in going there for a while, so it was great to finally visit.

The museum is located in Claverton Manor, a stately home built in 1820. It has amazing gardens that were designed using Native American plants and statues of important figures from U.S. history.

The gardens are really big, and even have an amphitheatre!

There is also a walled garden which is a recreation of George Washington's garden at Mount Vernon in Virginia.

At the museum, there's a café where you can try different types of cookies and cakes from the United States! I tried something called a Snickerdoodle for the first time, which was really nice. I'm definitely going to have a go at making them myself!

There is also a little tuck shop where you can buy ice creams and milkshakes of many flavours, including Oreo flavour!

The museum itself is a fascinating place, which includes a gallery of Folk Art. In the main exhibition, you can learn all about the history of the United States, see recreations of rooms from historical houses, and even dress up as a pilgrim!

To sum up, the American Museum in Bath is a great place for a day out. Visiting it was a very fun and educational experience, and it made me want to go to the United States. I have been to the U.S. side of the Niagara Falls on a boat from Canada, but I would like to see places like New York and the Grand Canyon.

I don't know when I'll next be writing on this blog, but I'm planning on going abroad again in a couple of months' time. I've just started a TEFL course, and I'm hoping to find work teaching in Chile by the end of the year. So I'm quite excited for the future! 😊

Volunteering in Poland With Angloville

On the 11th August, we travelled from Kraków to the Angloville venue, Modrzewiowe Wzgórze. I have to admit I was surprised by the place. All the information I'd received beforehand gave me the impression that it was a fancy 4* hotel. I did not expect to be staying in a cabin in the woods that seemed suspiciously like a haunted house!

On the first evening, I went to use the bathroom next to my room and found massive wasp-coloured bugs crawling out of the plughole! The only solution was to put a mug over the sink, close the door and never set foot in that bathroom again. Shortly after that, a massive spider appeared on the stairs. I'm really not good with insects, so I was seriously questioning whether I could complete the programme.

Luckily, as the week went on, I got used to staying there, despite finding out that someone who'd previously stayed in my room had supposedly been possessed by ghosts!

On the whole, the hotel was quite a weird place. The location was beautiful, but the following picture is kind of spoiled when you realise that the swimming pools were full of dirt and dead mice!

The food was also strange. One night there was a pasta dish that I avoided because I thought it wasn't vegetarian. It turns out it was vegetarian, but apparently the sauce was apple and cinnamon flavoured!

However, there were some things that I liked a lot about the hotel...

The dog (who we called Franek) was just adorable and so friendly. The family of kittens and their mum lived in an abandoned building near the cabin. They were more timid than Franek, but still very cute!

Finally, I will write a bit about the actual volunteering. We (the Native Speakers) did not have to formally teach the participants (Polish kids between 11-17 years old). The programme is based around conversation, rather than reading, writing and learning grammar. At first I found having to talk so much quite difficult, as I'm a relatively introverted person. But as the week went on, I found things got easier and more fun. The participants were a great group of kids, and I will miss speaking with them!

I also really enjoyed getting to know the other Native Speakers and the coordinators of the programme. I (sort of!) learned how to play the card game Mao, and had an amazing time singing and dancing at the talent show and the disco! I made lots of new friends, and I laughed more than I had in ages.

I only took part in one Angloville programme, because I didn't want to commit myself to more, in case I hated it. However, by the end of the week, I actually wished I had signed up to do another couple of weeks. All in all, it was just a brilliant experience!

My time volunteering with Angloville has given me more confidence and a bit more direction in my life. It made me realise that teaching English abroad as a foreign language is something I would like to do more of. So my plan is to become TEFL qualified and hopefully find some work in the near future. 😊