mybigadventures.com

Half term has rolled around again and this year I headed off to Amsterdam with mum for a few days. We headed off from Doncaster aiport on Saturday and after just a 45 minute flight we were back on the ground. As it turned out, that was the short part of the journey with it taking us about the same amount of time again just to get through the airport. We stopped in a pretty central location with tram and metro links pretty close by which was handy for getting about. On our first full day we set out on a bit of a walk, which turned into a pretty long walk along the canals, through the red light district, past Anne Frank's house and along the nine streets. By the time we got back we had covered nearly 11km and were feeling pretty knackered. We decided on the next day to make use of public transport and caught the tram across to the Rijksmuseum. There was a special Rembrandt exhibition with lots of his early work spread across a series of rooms, so having managed to get some timed tickets we went in. It was really interesting with a huge selection of drawings, paintings, prints and engravings in the collection. Whilst there, we also popped in to the cafe in the museum for some tea and cake which was nice, it was pretty busy but very nice. 

On our last day we had tickets booked for the Anne Frank House, but as they weren't until the evening, we decided to drop by the Heineken experience. I actually managed to book tickets and save a few Euros on the way there which had the added benefit of skipping the queue when we arrived. I really liked the brewing room most with the big copper tanks and all the dials and guages! In the evening we went to Anne Frank. We arrived a little before our time slot but didn't have to wait too long before we went in. Despite the evening timeslot it was still really busy and we moved along in a queue most of the war around. It really is amazing that the two familys managed to keep hidden in the house for two years. We stopped for tea and cake in the cafe which has been added since me and Dani came just over a year ago.

Then it was time for home. We had a great time and were really lucky with the weather with blue skies and sunshine every day apart from the day we were leaving when there was a bit of rain. I've added a few photos to the album, let me know what you think. 

We decided to take a short break in Durham this week between results days at school having last been about 9 years ago for a wedding. We managed to get a late deal on lastminute.com and have ended up staying at the same hotel, the Radisson Blu, just a short walk from the city centre. The weather was fine yesterday, a little cloudy and a light shower but fairly warm for wandering about. We visted the Cathedral which is undergoing some repair work on the main tower at the moment. It is pretty spectacular inside, but no photography allowed I'm afriad so you'll just have to visit it yourselves. Inside the cathedral there is a coffee shop where we stopped for some cake and tea and inside the cathedral shop there is a huge replica of the cathedral itself made out of Lego - its fabulous!

We also managed to get on a tour of the castle which is used as student accomodation during term time. In addition to staying in the main castle two students get to live in the gatehouse which looks pretty awesome. The tour was interesting taking in the ancient Norman Chapel and then a more modern tudor chapel before walking through a gallery and down the black stairs to the great hall. We realised when we arrived in the great hall, that this was the venue for Luke and Helen's wedding 9 years ago, it's a really nice venue with the bar in the undercroft below. 

Today we visited Beamish which is only about 20 minutes drive from where we're staying. I visited a long time ago, but Dani had never been. It was probably one of the busiest places we've visited this holiday, with quite a long queue to get in. The tickets were £19 each but last a year so hopefully we'll find a chance to revisit for free. For those who haven't been, Beamish is an open air museum representing life in Britain in the 1820s, 1900s and 1940s. It's a huge site with period buildings, vehicles and machinery.

The majority of the buildings have been deconstructed brick by brick to be transported from their original locations to there new home at Beamish. Amongst the very impressive exhibits is the 1900s town with a range of shops including a bakery, grocers, and bank and a masonic lodge. You can walk around the site or catch any of the period vehicles including trams and buses. Despite leaving at closing time we still hadn't made it all the way around and still have the train station and farm to see, maybe next time!

So that day came around as it always does, the one where teachers are at least as anxious as their students - results day. No-one quite knew what to expect this year as it was the first year of the new 9-1 grades in English and Maths and on Wednesday evening in an effort to distract ourselves, we decided to plan a quick jaunt up to Liverpool for a few days away. Well the results turned out pretty good, which is more than I can say about the drive up. We set off after a morning of results on Thursday and arrived here 6 hours later after quite a bit of queuing on the motorway.

Liverpool as it turns out is quite the northern gem, and anyone reading this who hasn't yet taken the time to visit should plan a trip poste-haste! We're stopping close to Liverpool One which is pretty central and have managed to get about quite a bit. We've been down to the Albert Docks a few times - including today when it seemed to be hosting a folk festival with lots of musicians performing all around the docks - very exciting! We've also been to see the Cathedrals - both of which are less than 100 years old and one of which is celebrating its golden anniversary this year, having only opened 50 years ago!

You can't get too far without bumping into a bit of Beatles mania and amongst other things we saw a canal boat painted up as a yellow submarine, passed by the Cavern nightclub and stopped by 'a case history' which is a sculpture featuring cases from many of Liverpools famous faces including the Beatles. We also visited the central library which is a fantastic bit of architecture and features a wonderful circular reading room set over 3 levels - Dani was in her element surrounded by all the books. 

Anyway, we had a fantastic time, but sadly will be on our way tomorrow. Enjoy the photos!

Today we visited the castle - it was awesome. We rocked up about midday after a bit of breakfast at Starbucks and were immediately struck by view back across the town. We had a wander through the Royal Scots Greys museum charting the history of the cavalry regiment with a good deal of information and antiquities from the battle of Waterloo. It was appraching 1 o'clock when we came out of the museum and people were beginning to gather for the firing of the 1 o'clock gun. I got a few photo's including a pretty blurry one from when it actually fired - it was so LOUD!

We had a look at the old prison cells including looking at some of the amazing creations that some of the skilled prisoners created and sold whilst locked up. We also caught a talk with a guy dressed as an executioner in the great hall. He talked all about the quite gruesome punishments that were handed out to criminals of the time. The castle offers fantastic views of the surrounding area and the weather stayed nice throughout the day.

The castle is good value with a lot to do and we were there until late afternoon. We stopped for a bit of tea and cake in the castle cafe before heading off back to the hotel. Headed out again after dinner to get a few photos of the lit up buildings. Enjoy the new photos. 

We just got in from our nice dinner out at Monteiths in Edinburgh for Valentine's day. We used open table this year to book it online which was a first having not used the service before. It added a reminder to Google calendar for me and has been reminding me all day, and the restaurant were expecting us too so happy days. Dinner was lovely, Dani had monkfish whilst I settled for some lamb with some roast potatoes on the side. Very nice indeed. Today has been a much nicer day in Edinburgh. The sun has shone all day with blue skies and mild temperatures. We've had a great time so far, visiting Holyrood Palace on Monday and the underground attraction Mary King's Close today.

It was a fairly grey day on Monday when we visited Holyrood. Sadly there aren't many photos as you aren't allowed to take them inside. We had a tour of the state apartments including those of Mary, Queen of Scots, accompanied by an audio guide to tell us what everything was. The palace was really quiet with very few people about. We finished the tour outside the palace in the ruin of Holyrood Abbey which despite its ruined state, maintains some of the structure that gives you an idea of how grand it once was. We were probably only there for a couple of hours including a visit to the cafe so still had time in the afternoon to explore a little further. We headed over the bridge to the new town and walked up Carlton Hill to see the Wellington and Nelson monuments. Reaching the top you are rewarded with a nice view back over Edinburgh and even down over Holyrood Palace. We had a bit more of a wander around before heading back to the hotel. We ate at Byron burger later in the evening as it's really close to the hotel and picked up some desserts from a bakery on the way back.

Today with the sun shining outside, we headed underground. Not the best timing, but nevermind. The Mary King's Close experience takes you underground to the site of one of the original close's of Edinburgh, some of the original buildings still exist now with valuted ceilings to support the Royal Exchange now built above. The tour takes about an hour with a guide taking you though the history of the area and walking you through a number of rooms and buildings including the narrow street that originally ran all the way down to the loch - now filled in and home of the Waverley train station. We spent the afternoon exploring Edinburgh a bit more including a walk around the Grassmarket and a walk up to the Scott monument - which had sadly closed just before we got there.

Edinburgh Castle tomorrow - hope the weather stays nice! 

February half term has arrived at last! We finally settled on a mini break in Edinburgh so headed up here yesterday on the train. We had looked at flights but they were quite a bit more expensive and were either really early or quite late in the day. Either way the difference in travelling time wasn't huge by the time you factor in transfers to and from the airport. We bought the two travel together railcard as it saved quite a lot on the journey and four and a half hours later we're here! We're stopping in the Hilton close to the station and just a hop skip and jump away from the royal mile. It was a bit rainy when we arrived yesterday so we had a little sloth in the room before getting some dinner at Pizza Express. After dinner we had a little wander to get our bearings before calling it a night. Hopefully the weather will pick up a bit of the next few days. We haven't got anything special planned for today, but are visiting Hollyrood house tomorrow and Edinburgh castle on Wednesday. Here's hoping for some sunshine! 

Just added a few photos from my break in Bruges with Mum and Dad, while Ben was gadding about in Berlin. We had a lovely few days, wandering around the cobbled streets, meandering along the canals, and exploring the sights and sounds of the city. 

Amongst other things, we went to admire Michelangel's 'Madonna and Child', had a boat ride on the canal and were jostled along the cobbles in a horse and carriage. We enjoyed some tradional Belgian cuisine and, of course, a hot chocolate!

Hope you enjoy the photographs - let me know what you think!

It's October half term and this year we decided to take our parents on holiday again. Mum and I went to Berlin, Germany and Dani and her parents went to Bruges, Belgium.

So having just broken up from school, mum and I set off on the Saturday morning arriving in Berlin just after 11am local time. We were staying at the Melia, in Mitte (central Berlin) which turned out to be a great location. The hotel was really nice and is walking distance to many of the sites. It's also just a couple of hundred metres from Freidrickstrabe station and the nearest underground.

The hotel let us check in early which was great and after dropping our things we walked along the river to the Reichstag building and just a little further on, the Brandenburg gate. Being autumn all the trees had started to turn and the yellow and orange leaves looked quite striking against the historic buildings. From the Brandenburg gate we also took a walk down to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It consists of large blocks of concrete of differing heights set in rows across a large site in central Berlin. We had a short walk around before heading back to the hotel. Later in the evening I walked back out to look at both the Reichstag and Brandenbuurg gate lit up and to take a few night photos. 

The next day we headed to Schloss Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg Palace) dating from the 17th century. The palace was relatively easy to get to from the hotel, travelling on the S-Bahn from Freidrickstrabe station and then getting a bus from the zoo. Travelling around is a little different to London when you have to swipe in and out with oyster at every station. The system in Berlin seems to run on a honour system with inspectors that may intermittently check you have a valid ticket. We didn't encounter any inspectors but bought the zone A-B day tickets for 7 euros each to keep things simple. We went inside the state rooms which were pretty grand and then explored the outside. I was a little disappointed to see the main tower of the palace clad in scafolding, there seemed to be quite a bit of scaffolding about (perhaps ramping up for the summer?). Aside from the scaffolding, the palace looked amazing set against the autumnal gardens and the sunny blue sky, we had a bit of an explore of the gardens before heading over to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (nicknamed the lipstick and powder lipstick by Berliners due to its distinct appearance). The old church contains a cross made from nails from Coventry cathedral whilst the new church is spectacular inside as the walls are made from of small squares of blue stained glass. Later in the evening we walked down the river from the hotel in the opposite direction to the Reichstag building. We walked through a number of market stalls selling antiques just outside museum island (a number of large museums - again clad in scaffolding) reaching the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathederal) about 10 minutes later. The cathedral looked quite fantastic from the outside and there was a free viewing point just across the road where you could get a little higher and see a bit more of the Berlin skyline.    

Monday was our last full day so we started by heading over to the Eastside gallery, a large stretch of Berlin wall that still stands and is covered in colourful graffiti art. I think they're in the process of developing the area between the wall and the river as part of a series of developments to raise awareness about the history of the wall itself. We then headed over to Potzdamer platz a large commerical area in central Berlin that became available after the fall of the wall and is now home to ultra modern sky scrapers including the Sony building and Deutsche Bahn headquarters. On the way back we stopped off at the Brandenburg gate to look inside the nearby DZ bank. Designed by Frank Gehry, from the road, it is quite an unassuming building but inside there is ana amazing atrium and silver coated shell containing a main hall. definitely worth a visit!

On our last day we again headed over to Potzdamer platz to look at the nearby GDR watchtower that was used to monitor the border between East and West Berlin. It is quite well hidden, but would appear to be on the route of a number of tours (that turned up whilst we were there). You can apparently go in, but it wasn't open whilst we were visiting unfortunately. We also checked out a nearby spy museum which had some fantastic exhibits including an original German enigma machine. We finished off the day with a trip over to Alexandra platz which is much more of a shopping district. Had a wander through the shops before it was time to head off.

Overall a fantastic trip!