July
13
2010
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July
9
2010
Because Peter and I left for bed early the previous night, we had a great and sound sleep and managed to wake up very early on the following day. We had a decent breakfast in our London apartment patio and soon after 2 cups of hot chocolate we directed to the Oxford Street, at the Westminster district. I have to say that I’m very grateful that my partner adores shopping, because I know the majority of the men hate this.
Thus, with Peter together, we visited a number of key department stores, along with manufacturer shops. We spent most time in Selfridges – the second biggest store in the United kingdom, and Marks & Spencer retailer shop where we bought many clothing. Peter additionally went to the large Nike store, while I examined the new collection from Zara.
With arms full with bags we took the underground to our London holiday apartment, where we had a short snooze and a bath. In the early afternoon we went to visit the St. Paul’s Cathedral that was close to the vacation residence in London and then headed towards the Hyde Park where we spent the entire afternoon, because it was too hot to go on visiting sites trips.
Our last evening in London was very satisfying. Peter found a little and very intimate diner, where we had a dinner and a couple of glasses of wine. After that we proceeded for a stroll along the south bank of the Thames River. It turned out this is very a pleasant place after dark with many street entertainers, traditional pubs and cafes. The area is also great for making pictures, which we did and for relaxation and looking at the river and the party boats floating by. Then we crossed the river using the Tower Bridge and took the metro back to our London holiday flat.
London | July
8
2010
We enjoyed a great rest at the London flat and on the next day Peter woke me up with a light breakfast and a very hot cup of espresso and we managed to make plans for the remainder of the day. We had a very good guide and made a wonderful walk to the British Museum, where we made a decision to be our first stop. That museum really amazed me with its remarkable amount of things. Peter read that there were shown much more than 7 million art pieces that come from all major regions. He loved most the authentic reading room, that is right now surrounded by the Great Court. We devote good time in each of the departments in the British Museum and my favorite one became the Department of Africa, Oceania and Americas, while Peter loved most the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan. Because it was definitely lunch, we dined at the museum onsite dining place and the meal was good and at a realistic price.
After lunch we went to the National Gallery, which is positioned on the Trafalgar Square, behind the Nelson’s column with its 4 lions at its base. Just before stepping into the gallery we made some photos of the monument of this fantastic soldier. Peter said that it is right here that locals celebrate the New Year’s Eve and promised that we will come back one day to be part of this party too.
At the National Gallery we noticed works of art from amazing artists for instance Cezanne, Giotto, Velazquez, Titian, etc. Peter recommended we ought to purchase a number of souvenirs for close friends and family members from the gallery’s store and we did so, which turned to be a fantastic thought, as later on everybody loved the present.
The final stop for the day was the Tate Gallery, where we observed some modern art pieces. The day was very long and exhausting, thus we spend the night in our London holiday dwelling and went out only for a short walk soon after dinner organized by me.
London | July
7
2010
When Peter presented me an engagement ring in the Greek capital a year ago, I had no idea that things will move forward that fast and I was very amazed the moment he told me that he would like us to organize the wedding ceremony once possible, without any delay. So, we began setting up the wedding ceremony and I spend some weeks organizing the honeymoon too, as Peter was very busy with work. As soon as I proposed London as our very first family vacation, he told me this is not the standard romantic getaway, but when we were there he was disproved.
I adore to visit London, as I like its multicultural atmosphere, the good attitude of the locals, the fantastic sites and the busy social life. This was my 3rd time in the capital of the UK, but very first for my spouse Peter. Once we reached our London flat and left the bags, we had a short sleep and went for a stroll. We had several days to spend here, so we were not in a hurry. That very first morning I brought Peter to the Tower of London, one of the key landmarks of the city, placed at the northern side of Thames River. We needed an hour and a half to look at the exhibition there and make photos, then we went out, bought fish’n’chips with beer and sat on a bench, dining and looking at the Tower Bridge, which I find the most interesting sights in this huge town.
Peter liked it in London and particularly enjoyed our walk down to the Big Ben and the Westminster Abbey. Since we were quite worn out after that long stroll we made, we took the subway and went back to our London city holiday apartment where we had the possibility to take a long nap and a shower, before we went out for a nice evening meal in the neighbourhood, followed by a stop by to the London Eye where we saw the city flooded with lights from above.
London | July
6
2010
We were living in a nice and fully furnished Edinburgh residential home placed in the center of the Scottish main city and my spouse usually made the breakfast, however throughout the day we were outside and kids wanted to try the sandwiches available. Not surprisingly my wife was hostile to that and to tell the truth me too, because we insist on feeding our little ones with ecological and healthy meals, therefore we did our best to get them vegetables and fresh fruits as well and therefore to compensate the snacks bought outside.
We avoided the dining places down the downtown zone, the Grassmarket area and the Royal Castle, because we have read they may be really costly as they are focused directly to the travellers, but we loved to eat out in the West End area and the Leith area. During the evenings we often visited the pubs down the pedestrian Rose Street that is going parallel to the Princes Street and which offers a lot of cafes offering fantastic food. These bars were additionally near to our Edinburgh dwelling also and this made the walk home simple and quick, which helped when the kids were tired and dropping off to sleep in our arms.
We often ordered fish and chips, deep fried pizza which is a true Scottish delight. I was into the Black Pudding that is deep fried and is good with ale, while my wife preferred the haggis meal, also deep fried.
Of course, I wished to visit a bar or two, but with the children this was impossible to accomplish. Thus, I purchased a lot of beer from the supermarket, stored it in the fridge and with my wife we enjoyed a few drinks on the terrace of our Edinburgh apartment soon after the kids when to bed.
July
5
2010
Right after the festive days, I has been accompanied by my wife and small children and we all got accommodated in a bigger Edinburgh vacation apartment, yet again arranged in the central zone of the city and offering more facilities and bonuses than the studio holiday apartment in Edinburgh I was renting throughout the festival.
That was the first time me and my wife took the kids with us and I was scared they will be bored, however actually it turned out that the Scottish capital is a excellent place for children, as it’s easy to explore and has many sights and leisure spots to keep them occupied.
Throughout our vacation we were taking it easy, got lots of sleep, good breakfasts in our vacation dwelling in Edinburgh and still had lots of hours to relish the sights. The spots we brought our children to involved the Royal Mile, where our kids run all over the alleys in between the Holyroodhouse Palace and the Castle which they loved to explore. Another landmark they liked a lot was the Arthur’s Seat, where we made a picnic with the sandwiches my spouse made and spend enough time contemplating the nature and the town below.
On another day we went to the Camera Obscura at the Outlook Tower, where the boys enjoyed the periscope and searched for the sites around Edinburgh. The same day there was bad weather in the afternoon and we spent it at the Museum of Childhood where the kids were pleased by the traditional games and gadgets.
The last pair of days we’d in the city we spent in the Edinburgh Zoo, which is out of the centre but nevertheless easily accessible from our Edinburgh holiday apartment and in the Princes Street Gardens where the children had so much space to run and have fun.
July
4
2010
I really like festivals and that is why Edinburgh is my city. The very first time that I visited it was a long time ago, after which I haven’t missed a summer. This season I travelled for the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August and as usual I accommodated myself in an Edinburgh holiday accommodation I have picked some months ago, as I knew the organization of the holiday accommodation during the event weeks was not possible.
My holiday suite in Edinburgh was placed in the center, near to all places of interest and the zones where the festive days happened. I was intrigued to learn about the new literature tendencies and to listen to excerpts from audio books that were intended to be bestsellers. The training courses were very interesting also, but almost all of my free hours were spent in the massive bookselling tent where I got many books from the writers presented on the festival and then waited for signing tables to exchange several words with the writers I was mostly astounded by.
After a short nap and a dinner in my Edinburgh residential home, I was prepared to enjoy my most favorite time of the day and to get a pint at the Spiegeltent, where I took part in the free discussions during which I normally met many new friends.
Another event I really like to go to is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which is the largest alternative performances event on the globe, which celebrates fine art and music. This festival could be attended by everyone who would like to present oneself and one’s art. The art shows are being organized in all theatres in the city, but as the competitors are many these events might be organized in clubs, halls, etc. During the Fringe Festival there are also many free shows and exhibitions, which I want to go to too.
July
3
2010
The final day in Amsterdam started nicely, as we got up early and headed for a breakfast and capuccino in the close by bar that was a moment aside from our Amsterdam residence. And then Michelle recommended we must visit on a special tour, known here as Walking Over Water Tour, that lasted for more than 3 hours. That trip was really worth it, as we observed the old centre of Amsterdam with the leaning homes and the sea dikes, and after that we went towards hidden monasteries and the lost city walls. I was thrilled by the execution sites which were once applied, whilst Michelle was astounded by the Red Light District where we noticed some ladies positioned on display in shop windows. At midday we had a light lunch at one of the many little eating places along one of the lovely waterways and we tried a brand new local kind of ale which was very good but I do not remember its brand.
In the afternoon we returned to our Amsterdam holiday flat, as it was way too hot to stay outside. Immediately after that we traveled to check out the Maritime Museum and the oldest church in the city – Oude Kerk, but we kept the windmills De Otter and De Gooyer for the following day, prior to the trip.
Later on on our final night in the main city of the Netherlands, we went to a classy bistro which attracted us with its fluorescents lighting and exciting indicators. The meal was great and so was the wine, which set us into the mood of going to a bar. Michelle liked the cosmopolitan setting of that spot and I was surprised by the good attitude of these people. We had several ales and drinks and enjoyed the music. Late at night we returned to our vacation flat in Amsterdam and went to sleep immediately.
July
2
2010
Due to Michelle I got up the next morning by the scent of a hot cup of coffee and a pleasant breakfast, which she created in the kitchen of our equipped Amsterdam apartment. That helped me a lot, because I had many beers the evening before and to be frank, I am not used to that much alocohol consumption.
Michelle had prepared that day for traveling to the Amsterdam galleries and museums and we went in the direction of our first stop – the fantastic Rijksmuseum, becoming the nationwide museum of the state. The next stop on our catalog was the unique Van Gogh Museum that maintains the greatest collection of art works on the globe from this great artist. That occurred to be my place in the city, even so Michelle loved most the Amsterdam Tulip Museum with its multimedia reports featuring the historical past of the tulip, which was near to the House of Anne Frank that we visited before that. The last place we came across was the Sexmuseum.
I become truly worn out from going to galleries, therefore I really loved our snack that we had in one of the small eateries near the Van Gogh Museum. After the prolonged daytime I was genuinely happy to go back to our Amsterdam trip flat in which we had a very good and sound sleep. When we woke up, I proposed Michelle to go to a comfortable bistro close to a canal in the area, where we had a typical local dinner and enjoyed some beer. We concluded that Amsterdam is amongst the most stunning and passionate spots on the continent and is also a city of multiplicity and tolerance. We were looking at all these happy people, driving their bicycles, going in and out of cafes and discussing everyday challenges and in a way we felt as part of this. I think at that moment we fell in love with the city and promised to come back when we can.
July
1
2010
Michelle and I were together for one year by now but haven’t been on a real holiday. So, for the one-year event I decided to surprise her and bought seats for all of us for Amsterdam. Prior to doing that I prepared a research and discovered Michelle hasn’t been there but the capital of the Netherlands was included in her list with desired destinations.
Just as I predicted, she was very happy and she couldn’t stop laughing and planning all through the meal we had in one of the nearby dining places. The minute we got to our apartment she started exploring the net and soon she showed me a long list of realistically charged Amsterdam apartments for rent, which had good key location and were absolutely furnished and fixed. We selected one that most appealed to us in terms of setting, inner surface and price and completed the reservation form. The very next morning we had a verification and began making our sightseeing and tour plan.
The town welcomed us sun-drenched and friendly and we found our Amsterdam vacation residence very quickly. The moment we unpacked, Michelle took the map and we headed for a short stroll along the waterways. I might say that the most attractive area in the capital of Netherlands is the old city, which is set in a kind of a semicircle with 5 canals and the Main Station. We made various pictures in the Rokin and Damark areas and the River Amstel. Actually, both me and Michelle lost track of time, since we were strolling along the tiny narrow roads and were contemplating the historic houses and the small islands, all connected by bridges. I was surprised how relaxing life is here and we loved that atmosphere while eating in a little restaurant, properly organized with plants. The beer in Amsterdam is excellent and I had a few more than I should have, so we went back to our Amsterdam apartment and instantly went to sleep.