Disneyland Paris at Easter

What's better than a long weekend? An EXTRA long weekend!

Easter brings the gift of a Friday AND a Monday bank holiday!

But where to spend these 4 days (well, 3 once you take off travelling time)?

We found some relatively (for a long weekend) cheap flights from London with EasyJet flying on the Friday and Monday.

We had arranged an AirBNB, so got in an Uber from CDG and made our way to the small village of St-Germain-Sur-Morin - a fantastic spot easily accessible to Disneyland.

After a small hiccup of knocking on the wrong door (there were 6 houses numbered 49 on the same street!) we made contact with our hosts and got unpacked.

It was about 6pm so after unpacking and a bit of a chat with our hosts we made our way into the village to the an Asian restaurant. Mann Fong was a lovely local restaurant full of locals. Unfortunately the menu was not available in English, but with a bit of Google translate and the lovely young waiter we were able to get a meal without any (bad) surprises. They were really good at catering for my coeliac too!

We had a late start on the Saturday as we knew the fireworks at the end of the day weren't going to start till around 10.

A bus from St-Germain-Sur-Morin goes straight to the park for €2.

We scored some 2 day, 2 park tickets from Attraction Tickets Direct for £106 each which also came with a 20% off food voucher for Planet Hollywood.

Walt Disney Studios is the first park that you come across after getting through security so that's where we headed. There were a few rides that we tried - I got on a rollercoaster or 2! - and went and watched the Stunt Show. I got to be the Star of the Show! I got this lovely photo frame and photo for my efforts.

After all that excitement we went to Disney Village and made use of our Planet Hollywood voucher.

The menu is quite extensive and we all ended up with a rack of ribs. So excited to see BBQ ribs on the gluten free menu!

Unfortunately it got a bit awkward when the table of three French lads behind us turned their chairs around AND WATCHED US EAT RIBS! One of them did make a good photobomb though.

the boys couldn't believe 3 girls could eat a plate of ribs. Each.

The rest of the day we spent getting photo opportunities with the various attractions around the park and had a look through Disneyland Park before settling in to watch the fireworks.

The fireworks happen every day after closing. It also includes illuminations over the Disney castle and IS AMAZING and is a must see.

The next day was spent mostly at Disneyland Park and it seemed everyone else had the same idea so it was a bit hard to get on some rides, but there is a line for 'single riders' which had a reduced waiting time so we made use of that plenty.

We went back to Planet Hollywood for lunch (burgers this time) and made our way back to Disneyland Park for the afternoon parade. The floats were amazing and the Disney 'princesses' were interactive with the crowd.

We did have a bit of an issue with some people trying to push in front but we stood our ground and managed to have a great view.  

We finished the day off with a ride on the carousel and having a go at bring King Arthur.

So we know that Disneyland is pegged as a place for children but god! some parents need to teach their children some manners.

We had all lined up for a photo opportunity - we've been in England too long - when all these little kids just jumped in front. Cara's face in the above photo sums up the feelings. After pushing the kids out the way waiting for the kids to move on, we made our way back to our Airbnb and got ourselves takeaway.

The weather was typical France in April, but we were lucky that the rains stayed away. I would recommend a thicker coat than my light rain jacket though.

The Details

Our Airbnb with Alexis & Liliana was £69 per night

A 2 day, 2 park Disneyland Paris ticket was £106 from Attraction Tickets Direct.

An Uber from CDG to St-Germain-Sur-Morin was around €65.

Flights with EasyJet cost £120 flying out from Luton and back into Southend.

The local bus from St-Germain-Sur-Morin was €2 each way.

Travel Link-Up - A Perfect Sunset

The November travel link up topic is:

A Perfect...

This is quite a open ended topic, but as I have just spent some time in the US I decided to go with...

A Perfect Sunset

After a hectic 5 weeks travelling the United States, we decided to have a 'holiday from our holiday' and ended our trip in Hawaii.

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, which boasts it's own lagoon.

This shot was snapped as we made our way back from a day on the North Shore.

How to link up your post

Just pop your post up over the first week of the month (the 1st - 7th November), add it to the link up widget - found on either Angie's, Emma's or on our lovely co-host Jamie from Ink + Adventure's blog - from the 1st of the month.

There are no rules – basically all we ask is that you check out some of the other cool bloggers that are involved in that months travel link up; make a few comments here and there and tweet a few of the posts out to your followers that you think they will love. It’s a great way to meet some new travel bloggers and share some blogging joy!

The Travel Link Up is open to all bloggers as long as the post is relevant.

Food Glorious Food - September Travel Link-Up

This month the travel link up topic is all about food! Anyone who knows me knows that I love food and wont back down from unusual foods. 

Being Coeliac I do miss out on some yummy foods (no Krispy Kremes here) but last year I travelled to Cambodia and was able to try so much of the local cuisine there. From the Spider wine to the tarantulas, Cambodia was delicious!

I did want to write about the time I ate cricket - but I am not savvy enough to get the video from my Facebook onto my blog, so instead I thought I would touch on my cooking experience in Siem Reap.

At The Corner on Pub Street, 3 of us from my Intrepid tour group, were set up with our own cooking stations for our 4 course meal.

We went with the chef to the local market for some fresh ingredients and our first course we attempted was a Banana Flower Salad with chicken.

At first, the taste was a bit peculiar, but I started to enjoy it and of course ate most of it except the leaf.. and the mint. 

Our next course Sam Lor Koh Koo which is similar to a vegetarian curry poured over steamed rice.

The main course was Steamed Fish Amok in Banana Leaf. I am not a fish eater so was able to substitute the fish with chicken. Unfortunately we didn't get to try our hand and forming the banana leaf bowl as they were pre made.

To finish off, we made Banana sago in coconut milk for dessert, which was superb. 

We booked the cooking class through our Intrepid tour for around US$20. It was held at The Corner Bar and Restaurant on Pub Street in Siem Reap. 

Recipes below. 

                         

 

How to link up your post:

Just pop your post up over the first week of the month (the 1st - 7th September), add it to the link up widget - found on either Angie's, Jessi's, Emma's or on our lovely co-host Tanja at Red Phone Box Travels - from the 1st of the month.

There are no rules – basically all we ask is that you check out some of the other cool bloggers that are involved in that months travel link up; make a few comments here and there and tweet a few of the posts out that you think they will love. It’s a great way to meet some new travel bloggers and share some blogging joy!

The Travel Link Up is open to all bloggers as long as the post is relevant.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

A Sense of Home - July Travel Link Up

This month's travel linkup topic is Home.

It got me thinking as to what makes a place feel like home to me.

Although a lot of people have connections with the physical place, home to me has more to do with the people and the sense of belonging you get.

I love the Adelaide sceneries, the Hills, the beaches, the wineries, the most important thing about is the people that I love and who love me. My family and most of my friends are back in Adelaide, and when I go home, they are always there to support me and share in experiences.

I can say the same for the people I meet in London. Being an Antipodean in London, a lot of us have the same values - making the most of life, visiting new places, experiencing new cultures and foods, learning history of places we've never even heard about before.

I have made a great group of friends here in London, who I have shared many new experiences with.

Home is a sense of belonging.

How to link up your post

Just pop your post up over the first week of the month (the 1st - 7th July 2016) and add it to the link up widget found on Angie's, Jessi's or Polly's blogs.

No real rules – just check out some of the other cool bloggers; tweet a few of the posts out to your followers that you think they will love and make a few comments here and there.

Wanderlust Wishlist 2016 - January Travel Linkup

2015 saw me travelling far and wide, literally and emotionally. I spent the 14/15 New Year watching the fireworks over the Thames (and working on a party boat), spent a weekend in Brussels with my best friend, explored Cambridge, met new 'family' in Scotland, travelled to Portugal with work, saw where the Von Trapps lived in Salzburg, caught up with friends in Hanover, got lost in Berlin, made new friends in Vietnam and Cambodia and surprised family in Thailand! 

I also broke up with my boyfriend, quit my amazing job, packed up my life, moved back across a (couple of) oceans, made it back in time to be part of my best friend's wedding, saw my nieces for the first time and got to spend Christmas and New Years with family and friends for the first time in two years. 

goodbyes

If I have my way, 2016 will be just as big as it's predecessor.

 September will see me and a few friends soaking up the rays in LA, hunting alligators on the bayou and visiting a white house in Washington and a green lady in NY. Yup! We're going to America! And squeezing it all in by doing a 26 day Contiki tour. 

We'll be topping it off with a holiday from our holiday, relaxing on a beach in Hawaii. 

http://www.astonhotels.com/assets/slides/690x380-Hawaii-Sunset.jpg

Norway

Particularly, would LOVE to see the Northern Lights. And how could you not want to when you've spent to look on Instagram and come across photos like this?

photo from Christer Olsen https://www.instagram.com/christerolsen_

Moscow

photo credit to Anastasia Sviridova https://www.instagram.com/anastasia_svir

St Petersburg

Ever since reading The Bronze Horseman, I've been a bit obsessed with visiting Russia.

https://www.instagram.com/o_st.petersburg/

The biggest travel move I'm going to make this year (hopefully) is transporting myself back to my second home - LONDON! 

This is my first blog at the Travel Linkup, but I have been following Emma for a while now and thought it would be good to add another resolution to my ever growing list: blogging more (and with some sort of purpose!) 

How to link up your post

"Just pop your post up over the first week of the month (the 1st - 7th January 2016), add it to the link up widget found on Emma's, Angie's, or Jessi's blogs from the 1st.

As ever there are no real rules – basically all we ask is that you check out some of the other cool bloggers that are involved in that months travel link up; tweet a few of the posts out to your followers that you think they will love and make a few comments here and there. It really is a great way to meet some new travel bloggers and share some blogging joy!" - Emma 

Camel Riding in Tunisia

On trying to find a suitable holiday destination with my boyfriend I had one request: I wanted to ride a camel in the desert.

Tunisia was a great choice because it ticked all of our boxes:

* All inclusive (blame the British boyfriend for this one)
* Cheap
* Somewhere I/we hadn't been before
* Somewhere we could ride a camel


On our first full day we booked our half day Camel Caravan with our Thomas Cook representative for the following Monday.

Monday dawned bright and hot! After an early breakfast we awaited our first steed - the bus. 

After a rocky start - thank you bus sickness! - we were in amongst the olive groves in the Tunisian desert. 

Our camel

                           
These camels didn't know how to sit down, so I had to place my left leg in the hands of the guide who basically just threw me over. It's a bit hard considering the camel is over 6 foot high! But, I got up there and then Dan had to get thrown up behind me.
Unfortunately I'm not all that good with heights either and with Dan wriggling around I was not feeling the safest! Finally he settled down and we were on our way!

                              


After about 10 minutes trying not to fall off we stopped to feed the steeds. 
Getting off the camel was worse than getting off! It was sooo high! Once I was back on the ground I felt much safer. 

Camels eat cactus due to the amount of water the plant can hold. We all lined up with a piece in between our teeth. 

  

After my experience on the camel I wasn't getting back on it! Luckily they had some horse drawn carriages that took us to our second stop of lunch. 

After our 45 minute rest we were back on our steeds heading home. This time I got to ride the donkey. Much more comfortable and a lot closer to the ground the donkey was a wee bit slow, but that lead to a nice relaxing amble through the olive groves. 




All in all, I'm glad that I got to fulfill something that was on my Bucket List, even if I didn't enjoy it.

Brighton Up Your Day

On Tuesday, a friend and I headed down to the English coastal town of Brighton.
Brighton has got to be one of the most visited tourist beach destinations in the Summer - luckily we went at the beginning of March so it wasn't all that busy. 

The seaside resort town became more popular during the 1700s as some bloke decided to push the idea of drinking and bathing in seawater as a general remedy to illness. 

King George IV liked this idea so much he built a royal residence in Brighton - the Royal Pavilion.  Unfortunately i didn't have time to check out George's digs, although it is constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style that is popular in India. Bit of a contrast to the traditional English buildings Brighton sports!

One attraction we did get down to is Brighton Pier.

We headed down around dusk - an ideal time to snap some great sunset shots!

The pier has an amusement arcade full of different games - car racing, Dance, Dance Revolution, 'shoot the bad guys' - as well as 2p games. 
The 2p game was something new to me as we don't have anything like it in Australia.
 You put your 2 pence in a slot up the top and it slides down and tries to push the other coins out of the way. if you're lucky the coins fall over the edge and you get an influx of 2p coins to continue playing!



No arcade visit is complete without trying some of the rides. Here are the two I got on:

After our Pier fun, we checked out another side of Brighton.

Kelly's Brighton Murder and Mayhem Tour was all about the murders and mysteries of Brighton's dark past.

There was even a possible link between a Brighton man and Jack the Ripper! Kelly was very enthusiastic about the subject and was great to talk to. 

It's £8 per person and the walk goes for around 2 hours.

A train from London Bridge or London Victoria stations will take anywhere from 1 hour to 90 minutes, and will set you back around £16.

Or you can do what I did and invest in a personal chaffeur (make friends with locals with cars). Parking in Brighton can get quite expensive - 3 quid for 1 hour on the foreshore or £10 for a 24 hour parking permit from a hotel if you're staying down. 

It was a lovely day out with much to see and enjoy. 

Exploring London: Camden and Regent's Park

Today I finally ventured into the world of London markets. 

Camden Markets are huge! The Adelaide Central Market ain't got nothin' on this baby!

We went a wee bit further on the Northern Line (tube) and got of at Chalk Farm to walk through the Stables Market. Although there were no ACTUAL horses galloping around the place, the Stables Market is the site of the old Pickfords Stables and was a Grade II listed horse hospital. I did find many horses of the bronze variety though. 

Horses are coming for ya!

Smile for the camera!

Wandering through the labyrinth of stalls was hungry work, so of course our next stop on the Market train was the food stalls! 

I had a delicious chicken fajita (yes, I know I'm gonna suffer for the gluten intake later) from a local Mexican stall and it was DE-LIC-IOUS!! Betraying my inner foodie, I unfortunately did not get a photo of the deliciousness. 

Camden Lock eating area is unlike any of your usual eating areas - no picnic tables or such, just old Vespas as chairs looking over the canal. YES, London has canals! (I only found this out today) The view from the benches is lovely..

                                                                                     ... even with the seagulls trying to get some. 

The scrumpdiddlyumptious fajita filled my tummy and required a walk to burn it off. 

We headed to Primrose Hill in Regent's Park. 

Regent's Park is one of the eight Royal Parks of London and is home to the London Zoo. 
At the moment the park is also home to lots of fallen leaves. I may have wanted to make a pile of leaves and jump into it - but I refrained because I am a mature adult. 

After a lovely stroll through the park we made our way up hill (I hate hills!) to the lookout at Primrose Hill. Primrose Hill has a wonderful view of the City. 

The photo is a wee bit dark, the sun thought it was bedtime, even though it was only 4.30pm. 
The big stick looking thing is the BT Tower and to the right of that you can just see the London Eye. 

Due to a quick Wikipedia search I found out that Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Harry Styles all live in the area, as well as many other rich and famous people! Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any of these British icons :(

It was near dark by the time we headed home, but on the plus side London will never keep us in the dark - 

Lights to guide our way

Although I didn't buy anything (besides the food - saving for the Northern Ireland trip!) I had a very chill day.

The last thing to top it off - as we were walking to the tube station we passed this bad boy -

For those of you who DON"T know who lives at 221b Baker Street...

It was the home of Robert Downey Jr!

Ok, so it was the home of a CHARACTER the sexy beast played, but still. 

One of the things I absolutely love about London is that you can go pretty much anywhere and found something amazing.




Have you seen anything iconically British lately?