Stratford Butterfly Farm

It's not exactly an intrepid expedition to go to Stratford-upon-Avon - more a short jaunt down the road - but there are some lovely sights to see in this picturesque town and this time I focussed my time on the Butterfly Farm.

It was half-term and I had taken a few days off from College. The weather was not exactly great, but at least there was no rain and in February that is often as much as you can hope for.

I enjoyed a short walk by the River Avon and also went into the nearby Butterfly Farm, where I was immediately something of a lure to my winged friends! No more than 5 seconds passed before I had a butterfly come and land on my shoulder. Indeed, shoulder, hands or even my head were all suitable perch points for these beautiful insects.

I also saw parrots, fish, an iguana, a chameleon and even a snake and some spiders there (not so keen on the last couple). As you can see from my pictures below, this place is well worth a visit and it's somewhere I find myself drawn back to time and time again.

Paris & Versailles, France - December 2010

There are all sorts of different holidays ... shopping holidays, walking holidays, golfing holidays ... this trip it seems was a queing holiday!!!

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this was a bad holiday - far from it, but it was a very busy time of year to visit Paris. Lots of other people - from all over the world - seemed to have the same idea as me, to make good use of the time between Christmas and New Year. The huge queues at Luton Airport were just a taster of what was in store for me.

It was a flying visit, just a few days in Paris, but I was determined to make the best of it and visit places I had missed on previous visits. Top of my list was a visit to the Louvre. Inevitably this attraction had one of the longest queues to get in, but once I got in I was able to enjoy not only the wonderful works of art inside but also the exquisite building itself. Inevitably the Mona Lisa attracts the biggest crowds, although for me that is one of the least impressive things on display. I especially enjoyed some of the sculture and the Richelieu wing was my favourite.

Day one also saw me visit Notre Dame Cathedral and walk around the Pompidou Centre area of the city. I finished my first day my sore feet and made my way to my hostel to catch up with fellow travellers for a good old chat!

My second day saw me getting out of the centre of Paris and visiting Versailles. This of course is the site of the famous Chateau, formerly the centre of political power in France, which was turned from an ordinary palace into an extravagant and opulent monument to the then French monarch by Louis XIV.

My enjoyment of this magnificant Chateau was somewhat diminished by a foot injury, which pained me and spoiled my day a little. The Chateau does at least have places to sit down and enjoy the paintings, chandeliers and other grandeur, which given my injury was something of a life saver. The extensive and beautiful gardens also have plenty of seats, but such was the cold that I did not want to sit for long. Indeed, while a heavy snowfall before Christmas had disappeared from Paris city centre, there was still a signifcant accumulation at Versailles.

I spent much of an nejoyable day in Versailles, before stopping off at the Eiffel Tower on the way baack into Paris to visit the city's most famous landmark. I have been there before and gone up the tower. I chose not to queue yet again this time around - visibility was very poor (indeed, it was hard to see the top at all!), so the queue seemed a little much for little reward. I did, however, enjoy the Christmas market at the foot of the tower and enjoyed a cup of hot mulled wine (to warm me up you understand!!!).

The evening was spent in the very heart of Paris, enjoying the lights at the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysee.

My last day in Paris included a visit to Sacre Coeur and a walk around nearby Monmartre, including past (but not inside!) the numerous erotic shops and the famous Moulin Rouge. I also went back to the Champs Elysee to enjoy the Christmas market there and to walk around le Place de la Concord and up to Pont Alexander.

Finally my feet could take no more and it was off to Charles de Gaulle airport to fly home just in time to see in the New Year with my family.

Botswana & Zimbabwe - September 2010

After a busy summer of work and the inevitably hectic enrolment at College I felt I had really earned my holiday in September and I had long been looking forward to visiting sub-Saharan Africa. I have always wanted to go on safari and this was my chance!

Ross and I went together and the reason for our trip was primarily to see the Okavango Delta. In fact, we started in Zimbabwe, with a trip to Victoria Falls, on the border with Zambia and close to the border with Botswana.

The first thing that strikes you about Zimbabwe is the poverty. It is not possible to walk down the street in Victoria Falls without being harassed by locals wanting money. They are not unpleasant about it, but they are persistent. Some try to sell you wooden carvings, others try to swap the now useless Zimbabwean dollars for US dollars. It's sad! Away from the town itself is the falls, in the national park and they are the sole reason this town exists. What strikes you most about the Falls is the sheer length of them - it goes on and one and on! We were there in the dry season, but even still the water cascading over is deafening and the spray is incredible - it is also a nice way to cool off in the hot weather.

There are a host of activities to partake in at Victoria Falls from bungee jumping or white water rafting on grade 5 rapids, to more sedate wildlife encounters. We opted for the latter and took an elephant back safari. Our elephant was a 32-year0old matriarch called Coco and our guide was the charming and very knowledgeable Wellington. It was wonderful experience.

From Zimbabwe, we crossed the border into Botswana and made our way to Kasane, the gateway to Chobe National Park. Although I had not necessarily expected it to be, this was the highlight of my trip. We took two sunset boat cruises along the Chobe River and a more relaxing way of seeing game I can hardly imagine. So much wildlife comes down to the river to drink and cool off, so we saw elephants, hippos, crocodiles, impala, buffalo, lechwe, kudu and loads of birds. We also took an early morning game drive, which turned into a late morning game drive after we got a flat tyre and had to wait around in the bush for 2 hours! I think it may have been a blessing in disguise as once we got going again we saw so much wildlife that we might not have otherwise seen. This included lion, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, kudu, impala, warthog, vultures, bee-eaters and the beautiful lilac-breasted roller (pictured below). We almost saw a lion kill, but the hunt failed. It was magic to see such amazing wildlife so close.

We left Kasane and headed to Maun, from where we took a 3-day 2-night trip into the Okavango Delta. Mokoros (like canoes) were the only form of transport to access our camp and we roughed it with fairly basic camping. I must admit the inability to have a shower was a little wearing, but the place itself is great. We did not see as much wildlife there as I expected, but it is not until you are there that you realise the limitations - the long grasses tower above you when you are in a mokoro, so you have to be very close to wildlife to see it. That said, we did have a close encounter with hippos and saw elephants while out walking too.

We finished our trip with a flight over the Delta in a small plane and you get a totally different perspective of these wetlands from the air.

All in all, a wonderful first taste of bush safari-ing in Africa - it has whet my appetite for more in the future!

Croatia - June 2010

Croatia is one of the up and coming holiday destinations for Brits apparently and I now know why! I was drawn here after seeing a photo of Plitvice Lakes National Park, so I decided to combines the national parks with the coasts of Croatia.

 

I rather ambitiously decided to do this trip entirely on my own, including hiring a car and navigating on my own. AS my holiday drew closer I questioned this decision, but I need not have worried.

 

I stayed in Zadar for the first few days and looked around this lovely coastal city, before heading to the main reason for my visit, Plitvice Jezera. If there is a place for which the words "are of outstanding natural beauty" was made for it must be this national park. Full of lakes and waterfall, it is stunning! The water is emerald green and with towering gorge walls and lots of trees it is so worth visiting. There are wooden boardwalks throughout the park to help you find your way and to protect the landscape. It is a busy place for tourists, but if you take your time you can avoid the worst of the crowds.

 

The other national park I visited was Krka, which is also a place of lakes and waterfalls. One of the falls has 17 steps to it and it beautiful to behold. A boat trip to Roski Slap is also worth doing and the park is a lovely day out.

 

My trip was completed by visits to the towns and cities of Split, Trogir and Sibenik to soak up some Croatian culture. The only places I did not get to see were the islands off the coast and the city of Dubrovnik, so I'll add them to my list for next time!

 

 

Cornwall - May 2010

Having not been away since October 2009, I was desperate to go somewhere and this weekend came along. The weather was gorgeous and that is the main reason I went. Clear blue skies and warm sunshine made this the ideal time to visit Cornwall.

 

I headed for Penzance and took a boat trip out to sea. Hoping to see dolphins, basking sharks and other marine life, I had to be content with seals and an exhilarating rise on a speedboat.

 

A detour to Lands End before visiting friends made for a great weekend and I even got a little bit sunburned!!!

 

 

Iceland - October 2009

Iceland is one of those countries I had been promising myself I would visit for more than 5 years. I always worried about how expensive it was there, but in October 2009 I took the plunge and what's more I found a relatively cheap way of doing it. Reasonably priced flights and the decision to go self-catering were the answer and so off I went to Reykjavik.

 

In truth, if you just stick to the city, you will get round the sights quite quickly. The time of year I was there probably had something to do with this, but I found Reykjavik to be one of the quietest cities I had ever visited!

 

For me, what made the trip truly worthwhile was what I saw outside of the city. Most visitors do the Golden Circle tour and I was no different. I went to Thingvellir (incorrect spelling, but we don't have that first letter in our alphabet!!!) to see the first ever Parliament and the deep fissures that scar the landscape there. It was fascinating to think I was on top of an active fault line.

 

I also saw the fantastic waterfall of Gulfoss - I took my life in my hands by clambering on the very wet rocks beside the waterfall. It was supposedly 6 degrees Celsius, but I am not convinced - it was so windy and bitterly cold, but a spectacular sight.

 

The nearby Geysir, from which all other geysers are so named, was also well worth a stop. Although that geyser is no longer active, Strokkur right next to it is and spouts out boiling hot water and gas very frequently. Of course, it waiting until I turned my camera off to do one of its large eruptions - Murphy's Law!

 

My trip to Iceland concluded with a visit to the Blue Lagoon and I think I may have saved the best till last! I would happily visit this place once a month (once a week even!) for the most relaxing dip in hot waters you can ever have! I made the mistake of getting in the water straight away and then getting out to take photos later. A wet body in 6 degree temperatures is not recommended, but a trip to this magic place certainly is!

 

 

Shakespeare's Stratford - August 2009

At school I developed a fondness for the works of William Shakespeare and had long thought I should visit his birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon. As is often the case with places that are close to home, you just never get round to it, so in August 2009 I decided to put that right!
There are actually about five houses you can visit in Stratford which have some link to the Bard, but I settled for just visiting his actual birthplace and the church where he is buried, as well as Anne Hathaway's cottage, which is stunningly beautiful.

I also walked by the river and went to the lovely Butterfly Farm, which I would recommend to anyone visiting Stratford.