Ruins – Maldo Travels

Great Wall of China at Jinshanling

Jean Maldonado — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 22:09:00 +0000

There are many tours for different sections of the Great Wall of China. I was looking for one which included hiking along the wall so I decided to book this tour online. The tour agency emails you to ask for your contact details beforehand and informed us via Whatsapp that our pick-up from the hotel would be at 6.30 AM. The tour bus is quite big with capacity for around 80 people. It was around 8 AM when we were done picking up other groups. It was then a 2-hour drive to Gubei Water Town Hotel and the guide gives some info on the schedule. He also calls out some names to hand out water and some bread if a snack was included in your tour ticket. There was also a quick stop at a gas station for some rest in between. At the hotel, some people get off and stayed in the town for another tour. The rest of us are given some time to use the restroom at the hotel and walk to the river for some pictures. It’s a beautiful small town and it looked like a great place to stay for a night if you have the time.

We then get back on the bus and continue for another 30 minutes to Jinshanling arriving at 10.50 AM. The guide then talks about the hike up and asks those who want to take the cable car up to the wall. This was not included in the ticket so he needs to know before buying the tickets. Once that is sorted out, there is a train buggy that takes everyone up to the entrance and cable car station which is a 10-minute ride up. After getting our tickets validated, those who bought cable car tickets head to the station and everyone else hikes up to the wall along the trail. Before setting out on the trail, the guide tells everyone where the meeting point will be after the 3-hour hike. He says we can all walk at our own pace and that he will walk at the end to make sure no one gets left behind. The path to the wall takes about 20 minutes and it is easy to follow. There weren’t many tourists but there was a school trip going up to the wall so it was quite busy. We got to the top of the wall at around 11.40 AM and the views from here were amazing. After taking a couple of pictures we set out on our hike.

The wall goes up and down meandering through the mountain tops. Some of the steps are quite high so it can be quite tiring. There are several towers on the way where you can stop to get some rest in the shade. It was very hot when we went with temperatures reaching around 32 degrees, so make sure you take lots of water. There are many great views along the way as you see the wall stretching for miles into the horizon. Most of the wall in this section has been restored, but there are a few parts that are in ruins and a little tricky to walk through. We arrived at the meeting point at around 2.15 PM and waited for about 15 minutes for the rest of the group to arrive.

We then followed the guide on the trail to the parking lot where the tour bus was waiting for us. This trail was a dirt path going through the trees. There were quite a lot of insects and mosquitos so make sure to take repellant. It took about 30 minutes to get back down and then we got back on the tour bus to head for lunch. They took us to a tourist restaurant nearby for a buffet-style lunch. We were done with lunch at around 4.30 PM and then headed back to Beijing. There was a lot of traffic in the city so we reached the Qianmen area at around 7.30 PM.

Tintagel Castle – Mythical Scenic Site

Jean Maldonado — Sat, 24 Aug 2019 22:34:01 +0000

From Bristol, it was a 2-hour 40-minute drive to the north side of the Cornish coast. From London it would be a 4-hour 30-minute drive. We arrived at 1.30 PM and found a car park next to the ticket office. Tickets can be booked in advance for entry at a specific timeslot. Pre-booked tickets cost 13 GBP or free if you’re an English Heritage Member. Walk-up tickets cost 14.50 GBP¹ but you should pre-book during peak periods as it’s a very popular site. From the ticket office, you can follow the main path or take a trail that goes up to a viewpoint and then joins back to the main path before the bridge. We took the detour route via the viewpoint and it took about 10 minutes to get to the top. From here you get an elevated view of Tintagel and the new footbridge (finished on August 9th, 2019). It then takes about 5 minutes to walk down to the bridge. On the way you pass a control point where you have to present your ticket, so make sure you keep your ticket with you. Before the footbridge, visitors had to go down some steps to the beach and then up some steps on the other side. In the 13th century, a natural land bridge connected the mainland to the headland of Tintagel. However, erosion has caused the natural land bridge to collapse and now this new footbridge restores the original route to Tintagel.

Whilst crossing the bridge, you get great views of the surrounding landscape and the previous steps to cross to the other side. After crossing, we arrived at some ruins. There are information panels throughout giving information on the buildings that would have stood here. They also give a history of how Tintagel was used as a trading port during the age of the Roman Empire. Next, we followed the path to the top of the headland and found some rocks to sit on halfway through. The view from here is amazing of the hilly shores and beach down below. We continued down the path and arrived at the Gallos Sculpture representing King Arthur at the end of the headland island. It can be quite busy since everyone is taking pictures with the statue. We then found some boulders at the end of the headland to rest on, enjoying the seaside views.

At around 3 PM, we started heading back to go down to the beach. At the bridge, there are some steps on the right-hand side that go down to the beach. It’s a small sand and pebble beach with a rock island in the middle which people were jumping off. The water is freezing so we didn’t get in. There are two caves, one on either side of the beach. Going through the caves can be tricky since there are lots of rocks and boulders. They also fill up with water so keep an eye on the tide. We stayed at the beach until around 5 PM before heading back up and on one of the trails to a viewpoint. It takes about 20 minutes to follow the trail up to the cliff opposite Tintagel Castle. There are great views of Tintagel and the seaside from here. We stayed here until about 5.45 PM before heading back to the town to get some food. It was about 6.20 PM by the time we got back to the town and quite a lot of places were closing. We managed to find a cafe selling Cornish Pasties, so we grabbed a few of those and headed back to Bristol.

Kulen Mountain, Beng Mealea, and Bakong

Jean Maldonado — Wed, 29 May 2019 20:31:00 +0000

On our last day at Siem Reap, we got a private car with a driver who offered to take us to Kulen Mountain, Prasat Beng Mealea, and Prasat Bakong for 65 USD² total. This option is best if you are in a group, however, there were tour options for these locations but they didn’t include all these destinations. Our driver picked us up at around 8.20 AM and we first headed to Kulen Mountain. At around 9 AM, the driver asked if we wanted to stop and try some traditional Cambodian breakfast. We agreed and pulled up to a street food stall. He recommended a pork rice noodle soup or a fish rice noodle soup. Both were coconut-based with lemongrass costing 1.50 USD each and were very tasty. We finished breakfast at around 9.20 AM and then continued onwards for another hour to Kulen Mountain. There’s a ticket office at the park entrance and tickets cost 20 USD each. The last 20 minutes at the mountain is uphill along a narrow dirt road. There are park officials there though who help navigate traffic. Our first stop was at the Tiles of 1000 Lingas which are tiles carved into a stream’s bedrock. The driver told us of the story behind the tiles and then we walked about 5 minutes along the stream to a well. It was currently dry when we got there and the guide said when it fills up in the wet season. The locals believe it to be holy water since Kulen Mountain is considered a holy place.

We then went back to the car and drove another 5 minutes to the parking lot for the temple of the Reclining Buddha. From the parking lot, we walked through a market and up some steps which took about 5-10 minutes. Along the way, several locals have stacks of smaller bills in the local currency to change if you want to leave a donation at the temples. This place has many shrines for both Hindus and Buddhists. There are several cages in the area to leave your footwear if you want to step into the temples. The temples have been built around large rocks, and the reclining Buddha has been carved into the top of the largest rock. We climbed about 4-5 flights of stairs to get to the top where there was a small queue of people visiting the reclining Buddha. From the top, you also get a good view of the national park including a small town inside the park. At this site, it is mostly locals who come for worship but there are also several tourists visiting the area.

Once we were done taking pictures, we went back down to the car and drove a couple of minutes to the car park for the waterfall. From the car park, we walked through a market and arrived at the top of the waterfall. There is a small 5-meter waterfall here and a small stream you can bathe in. There is a trail that goes around the back and down to the large waterfall. It’s about a 10-minute walk and in the end, there is a small boardwalk with a swing that looks out to the waterfall. The locals charge to take pictures with the swing. There are also lockers there that you can rent if you want to go for a swim towards the waterfall. We left our belongings with the driver and jumped in. The water was refreshing but there are lots of small fish in the river, so probably not for the squeamish. There are several boulders in the river you can climb up to take pictures. Some people even ventured to the boulders at the base of the waterfall. Be careful in the water as it’s cloudy and there are several smaller rocks you can hit yourself on. The waterfall was a refreshing destination and a good break from visiting temples. Once we were done, we headed back to the car and onwards to Prasat Beng Mealea.

It took about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to the ruins of the temple of Beng Mealea. The driver dropped us off at the main entrance and said he will be at the car park which was at the other end. Tickets to the site cost 5 USD and you’re free to roam around. It’s quite a large site and it mostly lies untouched in ruins. There are paths and bridges for you to get around but walking throughout the site feels as though you’re discovering the place for the first time. There are also not many people at this site so it’s easier to take pictures here. We roamed around for about 30 minutes before heading to the exit to meet our driver.

The final destination of our day trip was Prasat Bakong. This was about a 30-minute drive from Siem Reap and about an hour’s drive from Beng Mealea. These temple ruins are part of Angkor so if you already bought the Angkor Wat ticket as we had, then you don’t need to pay for another ticket. There are several temples in the area but the key one is Bakong Temple. It is in the form of a pyramid with several levels and decorated with stone carvings. We also quickly visited the smaller temple of Preah Koh which can be identified by its 3 towers. We then headed back to Siem Reap and our driver dropped us off at our hotel.

A Full-Day Tour of Angkor

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 28 May 2019 23:36:00 +0000

We bought a tour which included transportation and a tour guide for 12.50 USD¹ each. The tour bus picked us up at around 8 AM and the first stop was the ticket office for those who hadn’t bought tickets yet. We had already bought the 3-day ticket so we just walked around the stalls while we waited. Once everyone had their tickets, we headed to the temple of Pre Rup. We then find some shade while the guide gives us some history on the temple. This temple has 3 levels and pre-dates Angkor Wat; being the main temple at the time. We then had some time to walk around to take pictures before heading to East Mebon. This temple is also from the same period as Pre Rup so it looks quite similar. This is a smaller temple with 2 levels but the interesting thing here is that there are many holes in the temple walls. The guide said that there used to be diamonds and other precious stones in these holes but have since been stolen. There are also elephant statues in the corners of the temple which is a good spot for pictures.

The next stop is the temple of Ta Som which has long tomb-raider-like corridors. There is a V-shaped tree just past the entrance which is a good photo spot. When you get to the end of the corridors, there’s a massive tree growing out of the temple walls that also makes for great pictures. Once we’re done here, we head to Neak Pean which is on an artificial island in the middle of a man-made lake. The tour bus dropped us off at the entrance where you walk along a bridge that leads to the temple. However, since we were there at the start of the wet season, the lake was dry. Normally, there would also be 4 ponds that surround the temple, each representing the elements of fire, water, earth, and wind. After quickly walking around to take pictures, we crossed back on the bridge and then to Preah Khan.

From the drop off point, it was a 5-minute walk to the temple. We crossed a bridge that was decorated with statues that had their heads or upper bodies cut off. The guide said that foreigners had done this with the help of the locals to sell in the black market. Preah Khan was the most tomb-raider-like temple with many long corridors. There was also a large tree growing out of its temple walls which made it very picturesque. There was a wedding photoshoot going on when we got there. The guide took us through the temple making stops to give information on the site. He then gave us some time to wander around the corridors before making our way back to the tour bus. It was now around 1 PM and we were taken to a tourist restaurant in the area. It seemed to be a fancy place as we were given refreshing cold face towels on the way in. The guide dropped us off and then said he’d be back in an hour. The menus had several Asian and Western dishes but not many Cambodian options. Prices ranged between 8 and 15 USD but it was all very tasty.

We were picked up from the restaurant at around 2 PM and then taken to Banteay Srei which took about 40 minutes to get there. This temple was built by a priest rather than a king. Its walls and towers were the most detailed and its carvings were very well preserved. The guide took us throughout the site making stops to give us information. It was a beautiful temple but quite small and debatable on whether it’s worth the 40-minute drive. From Banteay Srei, we then headed back to Siem Reap which took about an hour. We were dropped off at our hotel where we chilled by the pool for some time. In the evening, we went for dinner in Sok San road and a quick walk around the area.

Angkor Wat Sunrise Tour

Jean Maldonado — Mon, 27 May 2019 22:44:00 +0000

This sunrise tour included transportation and a guide for 10 USD¹ each. It’s a very early start with the tour agency picking us up from our hotel at 4.40 AM. We were taken in a 4×4 buggy to the main road where the tour bus was waiting for us. Once everyone had arrived, it was then a 10-minute drive to the ticket hall for the Angkor Archaeological Park. Some people had already been on other tours so they already had a multi-day ticket. Those who needed to buy went with the tour guide who helped everyone purchase their tickets. Since we had another full-day tour the next day, we purchased the 3-day ticket for 62 USD. They take your picture at the ticket office which is printed on your ticket to ensure you don’t sell the ticket to someone else. Also, this is the only place you can buy tickets for Angkor, so be wary of your hotel or any tour agency offering to sell Angkor tickets. Once everyone bought their tickets, we headed to Angkor Wat which was about 5 minutes away. We arrived at the car park at around 5.20 AM. By now there was daylight but the sun was yet to come up above the temple. From the car park, you cross over a floating bridge and then walk about 5 minutes towards the temple.

We arrive at 2 ponds and everyone is gathered around the pond on the right side. This is because the sunlight first hits the pond on the right side. We went to the pond on the left first to take some pictures and then joined everyone at the pond on the right side. The sunrise was finished at around 6.20 AM and we re-grouped with the guide to head up to the temple. We start by walking the perimeter where there are many carved murals. The guide explains the murals and gives a history of who built the temple as well as its purpose. When we get to the back of the temple, we walk inside into the main square. From here, we get a great view of the temple, perfect for pictures. At around 7.45 AM, the guide says we can walk into the main temple and tells us to be back down at the main square by 8.15 AM. Inside the temple, you may come across some monks who look after the temple. As the complex is a sacred site, appropriate clothing should be worn. Since the weather is so hot and humid, the site officials are fine with shorts and t-shirts as long as knees and shoulders aren’t visible. The views from the top of the temple are incredible and the detail in the stonework is amazing. After walking around and taking pictures, we re-grouped with the guide.

At this point, we asked him if that was the end of the tour and he said yes and that they were going to stop somewhere for breakfast. We wanted more time at the site so we stayed and went our separate way. We later found out that the guide meant it was the end of the tour of Angkor Wat only. After breakfast, the tour was going to take us to Angkor Thom and then Ta Phrom. After we split from the group, we made our way to Angkor Thom. We exited through the car park where there are some street vendors. It was getting very hot so we bought some water there. We then walked north along the main road for 15 minutes and stopped at the temple of Phnom Bakheng. It was currently being restored but still open to visitors and it was a 10-minute walk uphill. Once at the temple, there are some great views and we found out that it’s a popular spot to catch the sunset. We then continued north on the main road and reached the South Gate. Next to this gate, you can find a smaller temple called Baksei Chamkrong. It was a quick stop here for pictures before we crossed the bridge decorated with carved stones that goes to the South Gate.

It was then another 15-minute walk to reach Angkor Thom. On the way, there were many monkeys and we crossed paths with 2 elephants. Once at Angkor Thom, we found some shade at the temple of Bayon and rested for about 30 minutes before exploring the temple ruins. This temple had many more towers than Angkor Wat although they were much smaller. What was interesting about this temple is that the many towers were shaped like the Buddha’s face. After about 10 minutes of roaming around, we headed to Baphuon. This temple has a long pathway leading up to it and several high steps to get to the top. You get some great views of the surroundings from the top. We rested here for about 15 minutes before heading to the exit which goes around the back of the temple. At the back, there is the face of a sideways Buddha on the temple walls. There are some information panels here explaining the difficulties of restoring this part of the temple.

The trail curves around the back and takes you to Phimeanakas. This temple has a pyramid-like shape with several animal figures decorating its edges. There is also a rectangular pond next to the temple. From here, we planned to start heading west towards Ta Phrom. However, someone who we thought was a park official said there was another temple a little further north. We decided to check it out and the person followed us giving us information on things we came across. We found this quite bizarre and realized he was trying to impose himself as our guide. We told him we didn’t want a guide and he wanted us to pay him for what he showed us which was practically nothing so we refused. It was a very uncomfortable experience but he left us alone. We continued west rather than going to the temple the person mentioned which was quite a big detour. After about 10 minutes walking west, we came across the Terrace of the Elephants. We walked around here for a bit and then continued to North Khleang.

We went through the ruins at North Khleang and then found the main road which goes to Victory Gate. After about 10 minutes down this road, we saw a sign for East Top Temple. It was a 5-minutes off the main road and not worth the detour since it’s quite small and mostly in ruins. Once we got back to the main road, it was a 5-minute walk to Victory Gate. This gate is shaped like the Buddha’s head and you can climb up the side to get some pictures. We took a 15-minute break here before crossing the bridge. At the other end of the bridge, there were 2 more temples. Thommanon to the north side of the bridge and Chau Say Tevoda on the south side. We took some quick pictures and then continued on the main road to Ta Keo.

This was a large temple with high walls and very steep steps. We took some rest here and after about 15-minutes, I saw grey clouds coming in. I quickly went around the temple to take pictures, and after about 10 minutes, it started to pour down. The amount of rain was incredible, and the ditch around the perimeter of the temple quickly filled up with water. It didn’t look like the rain was going to go away any time soon so we crossed over to the main road to see if there were any tuk-tuks. We waited for about 10 minutes and didn’t see any tuk-tuks pass by and since we had raincoats and a waterproof backpack, we decided to walk over to Ta Phrom which is a bigger temple.

It took about 15 minutes to walk there and we took refuge under the arc by the entrance since there were still no tuk-tuks. At this point, we were about to walk back to the main entrance and went to check the parking lot for tuk-tuks once more. There were only tour buses here but luckily a tuk-tuk came by and offered to take us back downtown for 5 USD. We agreed and it took about 35 minutes to reach Pub Street. We went to grab some food in the area before heading back to the hotel to get some rest.

Siem Reap – Floating Village Tour

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 26 May 2019 22:48:00 +0000

On the day we arrived, we bought an afternoon Floating Village tour for 12.50 USD¹ each. We were told to be at the tour agency at 1.30 PM to wait for the tour bus which arrived at around 1.45 PM. We were the first pick up and the bus then went on to pick up the other passengers from their hotels. Having spent over 16 hours on flights, we were knackered so slept through most of the ride, other than when the guide was giving information. It took about 30 minutes to reach a stop with a view of the rice fields which were dry at the time. It was also a stop for restrooms and snacks. We then continued onwards for another 30 mins towards the Tonle Sap Lake to the floating village of Kampong Phluk.

The month of May is the beginning of the wet season so when we got there it was dry. The houses are high up on stilts since in the wet season the water level rises around 10 meters. We walked through the village and we came across a group of ladies asking for donations for the local school. They followed us throughout which made everyone in the group very uncomfortable. On the walk, we also came across a temple in the middle of the village. When we reached the end of the village, we got on a motor-canoe and headed into Tonle Sap Lake.

It takes about 15 minutes on the motor-canoe to get to a floating restaurant in the middle of the lake where we stayed for the ‘sunset’. We got there at around 4.30 PM and stayed until 5.45 PM. However, the sunset hadn’t actually started yet. We got back to the tour bus at around 6 PM and began making our way back to Siem Reap. It started getting dark at around 6.30 PM and we arrived at Siem Reap at around 7 PM. They offered to drop us off downtown which we agreed to. We walked around the Angkor Night Market area for a bit and got some street food. We then headed to the hotel to rest since we needed to be up at 3.30 AM for our Angkor Wat Sunrise Tour.

1066 Battle of Hastings

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 05 May 2019 21:35:00 +0000

Near the shores of Hastings, this historic battlefield can be visited on a short day trip from London. Only a one and a half-hour train ride from Charing Cross or about 1 hour 45 minutes by car. Entry to the site costs 13.60 GBP³ or free with an English Heritage membership. There’s an audio guide included with the ticket to listen to the history as you walk throughout the site. There’s a visitor center a short walk from the entrance which you should start with. There’s lots of info here providing background on William the Conqueror of Normandy and the Anglo-Saxon King Harold of England.

Following the visitor center, you can head to the trail of the battleground. There are two options; a trail which goes on a circuit down to the battleground and then up to the Abbey, or the trail which goes straight across to the Abbey with a panoramic view of the battleground. There are several numbered information panels on the trail which you can input into the audio guides which narrate the events of the battle. It took us about 30 minutes to walk throughout the battlefield and up to the Abbey. We then walked around the Abbey learning about its history from the information panels there. We then visited the garden next to the Abbey before heading back to the entrance. At the entrance, you can head up the tower where there is a small museum with some artifacts. You can also climb to the top of the tower which has views of the town. We completed our visit in about an hour before heading for some lunch and back home.

Milan – Art, Culture and a Fashion Capital

Jean Maldonado — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 22:38:28 +0000

For the UK Easter break, we decided to go on a 4-day getaway to Milan. It’s a short 2-hour flight from London and we arrived at Malpensa Airport at around 10 AM. It’s a small airport so we got through customs quickly and were out by 10.20 AM. The train station is a short 5-minute walk away and buses to the city center are also available at the terminal. Buses cost 8 EUR⁴ and the train is 13 EUR. We decided to take the train and got on the 10.30 AM train to Milano Centrale. The onboard ticket man was very friendly and recommended us to get a daily travel card which cost 4.50 EUR to get around in the city. He also said we could touch and go using contactless credit cards. The train ride to Milano Centrale took about an hour so we got there at around 11.30 AM. The station is huge and there are no ticket barriers to exit so you just make your way out. From the station, we decided to walk to our Airbnb⁵ near Duomo since we had time to spare before our check-in time slot. It should take about 45 minutes to walk but we made several stops for pictures so it took us 1 hour 30 minutes. On the way, we walked through Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli which is a garden where the natural history museum is. We also came across the shopping district which has several Gallerias which are like shopping malls.

We got to our Airbnb at around 1 PM and after settling in we went looking for food. We soon found out that most of the local places close the kitchen between 2-3 PM. We managed to find a place that said they could serve us if we ordered quickly. After lunch, we headed to the historic city center. The main site is the Duomo and it is a truly magnificent cathedral. The building is huge and it has many columns all with great detail. The plaza also covers a large area and is great for pictures. We walked around the area and got back to the Airbnb by 7 PM.

Our next two days we took day trips to Como and Verona which you can find out more about from the links. On our last day, our flight was at 8 PM so we explored the city throughout the day. In the morning, we went to Sempione Park which is one of the biggest in Milan. We got off at the Cardona metro station and walked towards Castello Sforzesco which serves as an entrance to the park. It is free to enter the open areas of the castle and tickets are available for the museum. The park has gardens and a lake which make for a picturesque walk. We walked through the park and got to the Arco della Pace which is an arch dedicated to peace. From here, we went to get lunch and then to the Duomo.

There are several tickets available to visit the inside of the Duomo; cathedral only, cathedral plus stairs to the top, or cathedral plus lift to the top. We chose the ticket with lift access and it cost 37 EUR. Tickets can be bought online or at the ticket office. The queue for the lift was quite long and we waited for about 30 minutes. The stairs queue was practically empty so it would have been quicker and cheaper to go by stairs. Also, the lift entrance is around the back of the Duomo. Once inside, the lift takes you to the terrace area. The level of detail in the stonework is mesmerizing and there are several balconies that make for great pictures. You walk across the terrace to the front and climb a couple of stairs to get to the top. More impressive views from here and you can walk over to the other end of the cathedral. Watch your footing as some of the stonework can be slippery. Once we were done, we headed down to visit the inside of the cathedral.

The inside is massive and there are many tall columns throughout. It’s very gothic in style and nice to walk around. At the entrance of the cathedral, there are some stairs which lead underground. Here you’ll see some tombs and the original baptism pool. This is a museum-like area and there are several artifacts on display. When finished with this, the ticket also gives you access to the museum opposite the Duomo. Do keep in mind that the museum closes at 6 but the last entry is at 5 PM. So we couldn’t get in as we got there at 5.10 PM. Following the Duomo, we went for a quick walk around the area and came across the Leonardo da Vinci statue. From here we then headed to the airport for our flight back to London.

Verona – The City of Romeo and Juliet

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 23:03:00 +0000

We took the 9.45 AM train from Milano Centrale to Verona Porta Nuova which took about 1 hour 50 minutes reaching Verona at 11.35 AM. The journey is quite scenic with vast crop fields and the alps in the distance. The Verona train station is on the outskirts of the city and it’s about a 20-minute walk from the train station to the city center. Once at the main plaza Piazza Bra, the area is filled with people walking around. There are several restaurants/cafes with outdoor seating around the plaza and along the side roads. There is a castle – Castelvecchio – a short 10-minute walk away towards the river. The entrance is free to explore the open areas of the castle and tickets can be purchased for entry to the museum. There is a bridge connected to the castle that crosses the river and is great for pictures.

By the time we were done walking around the castle, it was coming up to 1 PM so we went for lunch around the Verona Arena. After lunch, we continued walking towards the historic city center which is on the peninsula of the river. We found that there are many more restaurant options here. As we walked deeper into the city center, we came across Juliet’s Balcony. There is a very long queue here so we just walked by and continued to Piazza delle Erbe. At this plaza, there were many stalls selling all kinds of products and souvenirs. The surrounding buildings are very historic and there are also several restaurants and cafes. In the center of the plaza, there is a pillar with a chain hoop that people take pics with.

Going further in, there is another plaza Piazza dei Signori and there are several museums in the area. One of the museums is of the catacombs of previous Verona rulers. It was now coming up to 5 PM and our train back to Milan was at 5.45 PM, so we started heading back. On the way back we stopped at the Verona Arena for some pictures. This Roman Amphitheater is huge and still being used for concerts and events. After a quick rest stop here we walked back to the station and got our train back to Milano Centrale, arriving at around 8 PM. Overall, Verona is a beautiful city for a day trip with old architecture and Roman ruins.

Edinburgh and Loch Ness – Winter Holidays

Jean Maldonado — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 19:42:12 +0000

From London, it’s a short 1 hour 30 minute flight to get to Edinburgh making it perfect for a weekend getaway. We left on an early Saturday morning getting to Edinburgh at 9.30 AM. We rented a car to get around the city and after dropping off our bags at the hotel, we headed out to the National Wallace Monument. It was an hour’s drive away from Edinburgh to the site which is near the city of Stirling. Entrance tickets were 10.75 GBP¹ and you can find more info on the site here. Once you’ve paid for your ticket, there’s a bus service included which takes you up the hill to the monument. You can wait for the bus or hike up the hill which took us about 15 minutes. At the monument, you can then walk up the stairs in the tower to top for panoramic views of Stirling. Inside the tower, there’s a museum laid out on several floors. These make for good checkpoints to explore the museum on the way to the top. The museum goes over William Wallace’s and Scotland’s history. Once you reach the top, it gets very windy so make sure you take warm clothing. After taking some pictures, we headed back down and took the bus back down to the entrance.

By now it was around 1.30 PM so we headed back to the capital to visit Edinburgh Castle while we still had some sunlight. Finding free parking in the city can be a little tricky but we found a paid car park near the castle. We got to the castle ticket office at around 3 PM. Tickets cost 19.50 GBP but we got them for half price with our English Heritage membership. A free guided tour is included or you can hire an audio guide for 3.50 GBP. We had about 1 hour 30 minutes to explore the castle which is full of history. There are also some great viewpoints from the towers and castle walls. It was dark by the time we finished touring the castle when the site was closing at 5 PM. We then went for a walk around the city and came across a winter Christmas market which was set up in the Princess Street Gardens. There were several rides and the city is nicely lit up with Christmas lights. After getting some dinner, we then headed back to the hotel to get some sleep for an early morning the next day.

On Sunday, we left at 7.30 AM for Loch Ness, stopping for breakfast at Inverness at 10.30 AM. It’s then a quick 15-minute drive to the start of Loch Ness. Along the highway, there are several viewpoints with parking spots to get some pictures of the lake. We continued along the lakeside highway until we reached Urquhart Castle. This is roughly the halfway point of the lake so we decided to visit the lakeside castle. Tickets cost 12 GBP and there’s no English Heritage discount here. There’s also a free guided tour included with the ticket which leaves from the mound at the end of the castle. We walked around the castle ruins before the tour started at 1.30 PM. On the tour, the guide takes you through the site going over the history and the changing appearance of the castle through time. The tour takes about 30 minutes and ends in the keep. There’s also a pier at the site for boat tours that stop here. We were done with our visit at around 2.30 PM and started to head back to Edinburgh. When we got back, we went for another quick walk around the city to get some dinner. It was then an early night to be up to get our early morning flight back to London the next day.