Noelle Across The Pond

Day Trips from London

Published on June 22, 2016November 29, 2016 by NoelleLeave a comment

Day Trips from London

While London has a plethora of activities to do, it is sometimes nice to get out of the city and see the other towns, countryside, and seaside that England has to offer. Below I offer some of my favorite day trips I’ve taken thus far and a few that I’m hoping to get to this summer.

Eastbourne and Beachy Head

Eastbourne is a seaside resort town with Victorian-era architecture. When I visited, my friend and I walked on a beach path by the bright blue water of the English Channel and then hiked up to Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain. During the hike up to Beachy Head you also get a great view of the Eastbourne area. There’s a pub near the top of Beachy Head where we had some food and a drink before heading back.

How to get there: Eastbourne is a 1 hour 20 minute train ride from London Victoria station. Beachy Head is a four mile slightly strenuous hike from Eastbourne station, but taxis and a bus are available if you don’t want to hike.

Beachy Head cliff and lighthouse

Jing and I

Arundel and South Downs

Arundel is a quaint market town on the River Arun. Attractions in the town are a medieval castle and cathedral, cute pubs, and local shops. When I visited, we started in the South Downs National Park (a short walk from the town center) doing a countryside hike and then later explored the town before heading back.

How to get there: Arundel is a 1 hour 20 minute train ride from London Victoria station. From the train station, it’s a ten minute walk into town.

Oxford

Oxford is the home of the prestigious University of Oxford. The town is full of picturesque Gothic medieval churches and colleges and the city is quite vibrant thanks to the large student community. For my fellow Harry Potter fans, some of Hogwarts scenes in the movies were filmed in Oxford.

How to get there: Oxford is a 1 hour train ride from London Paddington. The Oxford train station is directly in the city center.

Radcliffe Camera, part of Oxford University

Hever Castle and Gardens

Hever is a country village in Kent. When I visited, we took the train into Hever station and then it was a lovely one mile country walk to Hever Castle. Hever Castle was the home of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII (the king who had six wives and started the Church of England) and is well preserved with a fair share of furniture originating from the 16th century. As well, the property boasts really beautiful gardens as well as a maze.

How to get there: Hever is a 40 minute train ride from London Bridge station. From the train station, it’s a twenty minute walk to the castle.

12671723_1003839366332495_8370886425541858358_o — Mom and Markie at Hever

12376300_10205599643221515_2246620966926163266_n — Hever Castle

The below day trips are on my list of trips I’d like to take this summer.

Brighton

Brighton is an English seaside resort town – and is one of the most popular beach destinations for those living in London. There are several arcades, the Brighton Pier, and a boardwalk. The town has many Victorian era buildings that add to its charm.

How to get there: Brighton is a 1 hour train ride from London Victoria station. From the train station, it’s a fifteen minute walk to the beach.

Bath

Bath, appropriately named, has historic Roman period baths that date back to 2000 years ago. The town has some lovely Georgian architecture, and there’s also Pulteney Bridge which has shops that span both sides (only one of four of these type of bridges remaning in the world!). You can take boat rides from near the bridge during summer months.

How to get there: Bath is a 1 hour 30 minute train ride from London Paddington. The Bath train station is directly in the city center.

Which of these would you most like to go to?

Till next time all!

My Top 10 London Experiences (thus far!)

Published on June 16, 2016November 15, 2016 by NoelleLeave a comment

I’ve lived in London since February now and have really enjoyed exploring the new city I call home. I obviously haven’t done everything the city has to offer (that would take years!), but of the things I have done I thought I’d share my top ten favorites below.

My Top 10 London Experiences

1. An evening in Hyde Park

Like most Londoners, I don’t have a yard, or a balcony for that matter, so I really appreciate the bounty of parks that London has to offer. Hyde Park is a very popular park in the city – Kensington Palace sits on one end of it, and within you can find the Princess Diana fountain, Peter Pan statue (author J.M. Barrie died in London), and the Serpentine Gallery. In summer months, there are paddle boats that you can rent and paddle around Serpentine Lake. I first visited in January and enjoyed it, and even more so now that it’s summer.

2. Gardens in Regent’s Park

Regent’s Park is another park within the city. Regent’s Park has several gardens with well manicured shrubbery, which are really nice to walk through. There’s also Primrose Hill to the north of the park that you can climb up and get a great view of the city.

12552519_10205173352444512_2457454929985908632_n — View from Primrose Hill

3. Eating in Camden Lock Market

Camden Market and Camden Lock Market are across the street from each other and are a lot of fun to explore. Camden Market has a lot of clothes and accessories, while Camden Lock Market has more artisan items and a large international food area where you can get foods from all around the world. This market is not where you’ll find a bargain since it gets a decent tourist crowd, but it’s worth a visit. During warmer months, you can also hop on a canal waterbus from the Camden Lock area for a one or two hour boat ride (more info on the London Waterbus company here). One of the times I went, without knowing, I ended up at The Hawley. The Hawley was Amy Winehouse’s favorite pub (she was a resident of the neighborhood) and you can see messages written to her in the bathroom stalls.

4. Learning in the Museum of London (and seeing the London Wall)

London has several great free museums, but the Museum of London is my favorite thus far. While many of the other museums have artifacts and history from around the world, the Museum of London is focused on solely London and somewhat on England (hence the name). My first time here I did a tour called ‘Fire, Plague, and the Civil War’ which was a free one hour walking tour with a guide who discussed these topics. This summer the museum is having a special exhibit since its the 350 year anniversary of the 1666 Great Fire of London. Next to the Museum of London is the London Wall, which is the original wall from Roman times that surrounded the City of London.

5. Viewing London from above

I always enjoy having a nice view – and in London one of the best ones is from above. So far I’ve viewed the city from the Shard and Duck and Waffle. You can pay £25+ ($35+) for the view from the Shard, but the insider tip is to go to one of the restaurants in the Shard (make sure to enter through the restaurant entrance) for a similar view but for much less – I got an £5 beer when Mark and I went. You can also get a great view at the Duck and Waffle restaurant; my friend Miriam and I got an £8 glass of wine and enjoyed the view there as well.

View of the Gherkin, as seen from the Shard

6. Traditional British tea time

Tea time is a British tradition, but can be quite costly in London. I recommend looking at Groupon or LivingSocial for tea time deals, otherwise prices start at £25 ($36) per person. With Groupon I did tea time twice for about £12 ($17) per person, which is a much more reasonable price. I did splurge once and go to one that was £26 though. Tea time is great because you always get plenty of food – enough for a filling meal and some – and the food and tea are well presented.

Tea time at The Tea Rooms in Stoke Newington

7. Going on walking tours

One of my top interests since moving to London is to learn more about the city’s history. I’ve done two walking tours thus far – a Jack the Ripper Tour and Ghosts of the Old City tour. Both focused on different aspects of the city and what has happened in the past. There’s more tours that I’d like to do (Harry Potter walking tour!) as well so I can continue to learn. Bonus of walking tours is you definitely get your step count in for the day!

8. Drinking and eating in pubs

While the U.S. has bars, England has (mostly) pubs. Pubs are more laid back, generally historic, family-friendly watering holes that typically have English classics like fish and chips or steak and ale pie on the menu. I have three pubs in a five minute walk of my flat, one of which I’d consider my ‘local’. I also enjoy exploring pubs throughout the city of London and have a few favorites. Pubs are a good place to go for a hearty meal, relaxing with friends, and watching a game.

‘Elvis doughnut’ and wine at my local pub

9. Eating out and partying in SoHo

SoHo is the most ‘New York’ area of London with dozens of restaurants, pubs, bars, and clubs. If I want to have my choice of cuisine (Ramen! Korean BBQ! Tapas!) I tend to go to SoHo. There’s also plenty of pubs and bars for a good night out.

12513929_10100454530893591_3526512919232103206_o — Night out at Coach and Horses pub in SoHo

10. The infamous Platform 9 3/4 photo

For any Harry Potter fan, getting the photo at Platform 9 3/4 in Kings Cross Station is a must-do. There’s a professional photographer there who will take your picture (and give you a scarf and wand to pose with), but you can take your own photo for free. Be warned though – I went at 10am on a Tuesday in January and the line was over 30 minutes; I’ve heard its even worse in more popular tourist months. Try to go at off peak times if possible (early morning or late at night) to beat the rush.

I’m still waiting for my Hogwarts letter

What are your favorite London experiences? Are any of the above on your bucket list? Post in the comments below!

Till next time all!

My Solo Travel Tips

Published on June 9, 2016March 15, 2017 by NoelleLeave a comment

As some of you may have noticed, I have done quite a few of my trips thus far since moving solo. Early on it was because I didn’t really know anyone well enough to travel with (and I had booked my first few trips when I was still in the U.S), and as of late its been more because my schedule hasn’t coordinated for friends or Mark to come along.

In this article though, I’d like to give some of my top tips that I’ve picked up from my solo traveling experiences. I know that a lot of people find the idea of traveling alone scary or too ‘out there’, but I think it’s a really rewarding experience because you are forced not only to have yourself as your only company, but also have the benefit of being able to pick the itinerary you want.

My Solo Travel Tips

Learn about the city through walking tours (or bus tours)

One way I can not feel as ‘alone’ even if I am solo is to do walking tours when I travel. Walking tours are typically free one to two hour tours where you learn about the culture and history of where you are visiting, and then tip (usually about $10) after. Since you are with a group of people you blend seamlessly into the crowd.

Bus tours are also a good idea – there are city bus tours that can get you around the city and give commentary. I did a bus tour from Belfast to the Antrim Coast where I got to see the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge and Giant’s Causeway.

For a night out, join a pub tour or crawl

If you want to go out at night but are alone, pub crawls or tours are a great way to go out safely in a group. There’s always someone who leads the pub crawl, so you can usually discretely make it known you are alone and they tend to look out for you. People will always befriend you on pub crawls as well. I recently did a Literary Pub Tour in Edinburgh where I met a few other solo travelers and we all ended up hanging out together. One caveat to this is to make sure you don’t drink too much so that you can get back to your hotel/hostel safely.

Non-drinking alternatives to this are watching a play, comedy show, movie, or going on a night time tour (Edinburgh and London have tons of ghost tours!).

Stay in a hostel

People – the movie Hostel is NOT what hostels are really like. I’ve stayed in over twenty hostels in the past few years and have never had a negative experience or felt unsafe. Hostels are perfect for solo travelers – they typically have common rooms, and some have bars, so it’s a great way to meet other people. Lots of people traveling in hostels are solo or willing to make friends, so the social atmosphere is quite friendly. A bonus is that they are cheaper than hotels as well (typically about $30 a night, usually with breakfast included).

Hostelfriends — A night out with friends from my London hostel in January

Bring a book

There’s bound to be some down time during your trip – while on public transport, waiting for food, and etc. If you are traveling abroad you typically won’t have data, and there’s not always guaranteed WiFi, so carrying a book is never a bad idea. Reading will make the time go by quicker (make sure to pick a good book!) and will make you feel like you are doing something rather than just waiting idly.

Put headphones in

I tend to feel very uncomfortable when people come up to me either asking for money, and sometimes for directions (this can sometimes be a rouse to rob unsuspecting victims). What I do sometimes is put headphones in – even if I’m not actually listening to anything. People generally don’t try to talk to you when they don’t think you can hear them, and even if they do you can just gesture to your headphone so they get the hint.

Make a ‘list’ of things to do

I’ve found that it’s helpful to have some top sights in mind you want to see before you travel. Then you can base your itinerary around doing those things, but also fit in relaxing or other activities should you find something at your destination that grabs your interest. When you are alone this is good because I tend to feel lonelier if I have too much free time – if I’m busy doing things I don’t even think about it! It’s also not a bad idea to have a ‘rain’ activity in case bad weather comes your way – a museum or indoor attraction is usually a good one for this.

Checked eating a Belgian waffle in Belgium off the list!

Lastly, don’t be too self conscious

You may feel like everyone is staring at you or notices that you are alone, but they typically don’t. I certainly can’t think of many times when I noticed that people were alone if I’m with a group, and that tends to be the case for most people. Everyone is too busy worrying about what they are doing to notice you. So be confident and enjoy yourself!

I hope you find these tips useful in future solo adventures; some may seem obvious but others I have gleaned along the way. Do you have any good solo travel tips for me? Post them in the comments below if so!

Till next time all!

Edinburgh – A Weekend in Photos

Published on June 6, 2016March 27, 2017 by Noelle2 Comments

This past weekend I visited the beautiful city of Edinburgh, Scotland where I was fortunate to have warm, sunny weather the whole weekend. Continue reading “Edinburgh – A Weekend in Photos” →

Mini-Golf Champions at Eastington Park

Published on June 1, 2016November 29, 2016 by NoelleLeave a comment

As the US celebrated the three-day Memorial Day weekend, it was a long weekend for us in the UK as well (I checked what the actual holiday was and apparently it’s just ‘spring bank holiday’… ah Europeans).

Friday I headed to Cheltenham (which is quickly becoming my home away from home… away from home) to Mark’s house. His friend Tim and Victoria got married on Sunday, so we met with others who were attending the wedding on Saturday, and then went to the ceremony itself on Sunday.

I’ve been to a few weddings, but the setting for this one was probably one of my favorites. The wedding (ceremony and reception) took place at Eastington Park, which is a former manor house that has been transformed into an inn that hosts weddings. There was a nice terrace overlooking the garden which was adjacent to a farm. The ceremony itself was outdoors and we were blessed with warm, sunny weather for the (intimate compared to other weddings I’ve been to) group of eighty or so attendees. The majority of the reception was indoors, but we went back out on the terrace in the evening just in time for the married couple’s first dance, and then finally ended the night inside for some late night dancing.

Manor — View from our room at Eastington Park

I only noticed a few differences between a US and UK wedding – namely that in the US we typically have the best man and maid of honor give a speech, versus in the UK the father of the bride, groom, and best man give a speech (although in this wedding, the bride gave a quick one as well). They also didn’t have a DJ but used Spotify instead, but I think that’s becoming more of a trend as it can save thousands on the cost of the entertainment.

This wedding also had a MINI GOLF championship – as the bride and groom are enthusiasts. Mark is also a huge mini golf fan, and we had just played a few weeks ago, so we ended up WINNING the championship by only getting nineteen on a course of nine holes. We were later presented with a small trophy to take home.

Tuesday it was back to work and gloomy weather, but Marianna and her boyfriend Aaron arrived and are staying with me for the week, so I’m looking forward to having some company from home.

Till next time all!