Tag: travel

Discovering the Beautiful Channel Island of Jersey!

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn Channel Islands, solo female travel1 Comment

After travelling through Spain in July and August, I was not ready for summer to end even at the end of September.

I didn’t know much about Jersey therefore hadn’t ever thought about visiting, until I saw my mum and dad’s photos in spring 2023. I was sat at my desk in Ormskirk (where I was working at the time) looking out of the window at bleak grey skies while they were sending over photos of unexpected azure blue skies and sea views from their hotel room’s window.

Wow- I had no idea! The food, vibe, and people they described made me chalk it up to my wish list, along with countless other places.

About 18 months later, in September 2024, I was browsing EasyJet’s early autumn sales and was reminded of Jersey. I entered dates to stay for two nights and saw I could fly there for £47 return! Booked in the blink of an eye.

On Sunday 29th September, I drove to Liverpool Airport and parked up, had a coffee then took off into the calm sky for a 1 hour flight.

Continue reading “Discovering the Beautiful Channel Island of Jersey!” →

Uncover the Best of Bilbao: The Capital of Spain’s Basque Region

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn europe, spain1 Comment

Bilbao, the capital of the Basque region in the very north of Spain.

Admittedly, I knew very little about it and had never visited any of the more northern cities in Spain such as Vigo, Santander and San Sebastián. My sister’s colleague had returned from a trip to Bilbao earlier this year and sang its praises so we, and our cousin, booked on for five days this August to see what it is all about.

The Basque region spans a certain region across some of the north of Spain and some of the south of France, connected by the Bay of Biscay. They share a common language called Euskara, or Basque (easier to say for English speakers!), and there has been a political Basque independence movement for several decades which included the separatist group ETA who sadly utilised violence and terrorism, including bombings at Madrid airport in 2006.

The majority of Basque people, of course, did not and do not advocate for violence and times have moved on into perhaps more unity and acceptance of others.

In fact, today, Bilbao is a very modern, international university city where people from many backgrounds study, work and live together in what feels like the friendliest city we’ve experienced in Spain.

Continue reading “Uncover the Best of Bilbao: The Capital of Spain’s Basque Region” →

Exploring Villajoyosa: A Colourful Coastal Town on Spain’s Costa Blanca

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn solo female travel, spain4 Comments

This summer, I was based in Alicante Old Town for three days on my own and knew that I’d want to incorporate visiting one of the seaside towns along the Costa Blanca for the day whilst I was in the area.

I spent several hours reading up on Albir, Altea, Calpe, Dénia, Gandia, Jávea and Villajoyosa, finding it really difficult to make a decision on where to spend one of my three days in Alicante as quibbles on Trip Advisor proved inconclusive about which one was the town most worth visiting.

In the end, I went with visuals and I chose the most colourful town, the most joyful town (literally in the name): Villajoyosa, or, La Vila Joiosa in Valenciano. It is often referred to simply as ‘La Vila’.

Continue reading “Exploring Villajoyosa: A Colourful Coastal Town on Spain’s Costa Blanca” →

Travelling Through Time with Wine: Unforgettable Wines from Around the World

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn wine2 Comments

“Wine is bottled poetry.”

– Robert Louis Stevenson

*

I am no wine expert. I don’t know a lot of the correct language to use when writing about wine. I just enjoy the journey of sampling varieties of wines from around the world like a magical mystery tour.

In place of sommelier vocabulary, I am going to write brashly and humbly about wines I have tried in recent years that have stayed with me for some reason, whether through taste, setting, company or experience.

I remember the first time I tasted red wine, when a bottle was placed on the table at my Year 11 prom and had one sip and declared it tasted like vinegar and wondered, how could anybody possibly like this?

Around my 21st birthday, a friend and I went to London and she bought me a glass of wine from the hotel bar. I felt grateful but guilty and couldn’t tell her I didn’t like it, but drank it anyway. She bought a few more, and I thought it wasn’t too bad by the end of the night.

I’ve loved to travel since I was 18 and I believe that the best way to sample a culture is through food and drink (not just alcoholic drinks; Moroccan mint tea, Italian espresso, freshly squeezed Seville orange juice and more are also delightful).

For me, tasting wine is a form of travelling. Opening a bottle from Chile from 2019, or a 2017 Chianti, or a 2020 Bulgarian, for example, is both a geographical travel and a time travel.

Here, I’d like to share some of these travels from wines that have stood out to me over the years. Reasons for my choices below vary from being because I loved the taste, to the memorable event I tried it, the beauty of the location, the life stage I was in, or a particular memory I have attached to the sensory experience.

Continue reading “Travelling Through Time with Wine: Unforgettable Wines from Around the World” →

Experiencing the Cruces de Mayo Festival in Córdoba, Spain- 48 Floral Crosses with Bars and Music!

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn cordoba, cruces de mayo3 Comments

Going to Spain on holiday but don’t know the language? Wanting to know just enough Spanish to use on your holiday without having to learn the grammar and tons of pointless vocabulary and phrases? (‘La niña come manzanas‘ on DuoLingo, anyone?)

Download my simple, colourful and helpful guide to holiday Spanish which will give you exactly the word and brief phrases you will need for chatting with the locals in Spain here!

1

Next up in line in the Córdobes spring calendar after the Cata del Vino: Córdoba’s Annual April Wine Festival is the ‘Cruces de Mayo’. I think of this as a sort of ‘pre-feria‘, which is the culmination of the festivals spread across April and May each year.

Continue reading “Experiencing the Cruces de Mayo Festival in Córdoba, Spain- 48 Floral Crosses with Bars and Music!” →