A fairy tale ending

Our travels together ended with two jam-packed days in Paris. As it was my third trip here and having had enough of sightseeing, we opted for a more adventurous experience. After arriving in to Paris at midday straight from our Sail Croatia trip and not being able to check in to our room, it was a quick lunch and coffee stop before a short walk to the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower

We had decided to walk up the Eiffel Tower so were pleased to see the stairs line was a lot shorter than the lift line. We purchased our stairs tickets for 4.70 euro each and walked up two levels - more than 1000 steps! When we reached the 2nd level we had to purchase another ticket to take the lift to the top of the tower - approximately five euro. Once at the very top, it was an amazing view over Paris city with the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Trocadero and River Seine in full view. We returned at sunset and waited for the flashing lights to begin - which didn't happen until 10pm when daylight was finally taken over by the night.

Arc de Triomphe from the top of the Eiffel Tower

The next day, my childhood dream finally came true - a trip to Paris Disneyland! We took the train an hour out of Paris to Disneyland and couldn't decide on Walt Disney Studios Park or Disneyland Park so we bought a two parks in one day ticket. We kicked off at Walt Disney Studios where the adrenaline junkie from within was let out with more thrill seeker rides on offer. We rode on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Crush's Coaster, saw the Armageddon Special Effects performance and Cars Race Rally in Toon Studios.

Cars performance

With time against us, it was time to move on to Disneyland Park where we took on all the big thrills - Indiana Jones and Space Mountain. We also caught a glimpse at all the Disney characters and enjoyed winding our way through the range of gift shops.

Outside Disneyland Park

Sailing the Croatian coast

From Dubrovnik to Split we saw some of Croatia's most amazing mainland and island towns. The eight day Busabout tour departed Dubrovnik on Saturday and travelled to Mljet, Korcula, Stari Grad, Hvar, Brac, Bol, Makarska, Pucisca, Omis and Split where it docked on Friday afternoon for the last night.

Busabout IKA - our home for 8 days

We explored Old Town Dubrovnik, the tour group bonded over a captain's BBQ dinner in Mljet, enjoyed cocktails at Korcula's rooftop bar, walked to the top of the fortress and partied in Hvar, marvelled over the scenery and enjoyed the beach and markets in Makarska, saw the famous Bol beach, white water rafted in Omis and shopped in Split.

Old town Dubrovnik

Rooftop bar in Korcula

Busabout crew enjoying Hvar nightlife

Makarska's beauty

Split Piazza

The tour was a great way to see so much of Croatia. It included breakfast and lunch and had the option of below/above deck and ensuite/shared bathrooms to suit all budgets. It was a lot of fun but I think the experience you have on sail Croatia highly depends on the group you get. We were lucky to have a group of people who were travelling in no more than twos so everyone mingled and enjoyed each others company. I think we were pretty lucky as there were some boats which we were glad we weren't on.

Waiting for the sunset in Makarska

Chilling on top of the boat

Croatia Highlights
- Crystal clear swim spots
- Amazing seafood
- Partying for seven nights straight
- Gorgeous old towns and scenery
- Cheap alcohol
- Everyone is there to have a good time

Amazing ocean

Take me away... to Lake Como

Ever since moving to London, Lake Como was on my 'to do' list. And with my boyfriend visiting, there didn't seem a more perfect occasion. We opted to take a road trip from Rome to Bellagio - known as the pearl of Lake Como where the two lakes meet. The drive took 6.5 hours but with a break in between wasn't too hard to sit through and driving on the right side went quite well until we reached the narrow streets around the Lake which was a little stressful.

We arrived at our hotel, approximately a three minute drive uphill from Bellagio town. It offered the most amazing views over Lake Como, it was truly stunning and so picturesque.

Lake Como in Bellagio

Bellagio town is full of jewellery, clothes and accessory stores, restaurants with traditional Italian cuisine, gelato, cakes and biscuits, hundreds of stairs and a port so you can travel between towns along the Lake - but we thought why leave when we're already at the best part? My personal favourite was dinner at Silvio's, owned by a fisherman himself - try the rice with fish if you get a chance... delish!

Bellagio

One of many narrow staircases with restaurants
and shops on either side 

Bellagio is the perfect place for a relaxing weekend, to indulge in some Italian cuisine, for a spot of local shopping, and to enjoy the picturesque surroundings.

When in Rome for a day...

Travelling to Rome for the third time didn't stop me from wanting to see the same sites and eat plenty of gelato! Having been inside most sites before I opted for a walking tour around the city led by my boyfriend who had already spent five days in this amazing city prior to my arrival. We visited St Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Piazza Venezia.

Trevi Fountain

But the food was what I was looking forward to the most after a four week detox in London, so lunchtime couldn't have come around sooner! We indulged in caprese salad - tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, rocket and balsamic vinegar - pizza and veal in a rich tomato sauce. The day wouldn't have been complete though without stopping past a gelateria for some nocciola gelato.

Italian goodness

The evening was quite special. We met one of my Italian connections for the first time - a third cousin - at a bar overlooking the Colosseum and enjoyed cocktails and dinner. Then it was time to say goodbye to Rome and hello to our hire car ready for a road trip on Italian roads!!

Enjoying the scenery

5 things to do on a day trip to Edinburgh

1. Visit Edinburgh Castle
This historical castle is full of attractions including the Great Hall, The Honours of Scotland with the nation's crown jewels, National War Museum Scotland, Prisons of War Exhibition, Royal Palace, Royal Scots Regimental Museum and amazing views over Edinburgh.

2. Try haggis, tatties and neeps
A traditional Scottish dish consisting of a minced sausage made of sheep's pluck, mashed swede and potatoes. The dish is sometime cooked with Scotch whisky.

3. Walk the Royal Mile
Stretching from Edinburgh Castle's entrance to the gates of Holyrood Palace, The Royal Mile is the main strip of the Old Town of the city filled with pubs, shops, sites, entertainers and tourists.

4. Taste some Scotch
Made in Scotland, Scotch whisky is separated into two types - single malt and single grain - and three blends - blended malt, blended grain and blended Scotch whisky. The capital city has numerous stores selling Scotch whisky and The Scotch Whisky Experience - a tour through a replica distillery

5. Finish the day with some shortbread
Enjoy a classic Scottish biscuit or two made of flour, sugar and butter!

A taste of Ireland

I headed to Ireland's capital, Dublin, for a fun-filled weekend with friends from London. We flew in Saturday morning and out Sunday night so we packed in as much as possible. Of the highlights was a visit to the Guinness Storehouse, the product Ireland is most famous for. We learnt the history of this famous brew, had samples and enjoyed our own pint on the seventh floor Gravity Bar with 360 degree views of Dublin. And I can say the Guinness definitely tastes better in Dublin - it must be something in the water.

With our pint in the Gravity Bar

Among the other highlights were a night out in the Temple Bar area, a visit to Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, lunch at Temple Bar with two pages of sandwiches to choose from, dinner in an Irish pub - try beef and Guinness pie or Irish stew - and afternoon tea at Queen of Tarts with an array of delectable treats. One thing is for sure, the Irish like their drink!!

Christ Church Cathedral

Beef & Guinness pie

The land of bikes

When exploring Amsterdam, it's not hard to notice the abundance of bikes that fill the streets, either locked around light poles or bike racks or being rode along one of the many bike paths that have a stance on all Amsterdam roads. It took me a while to remember there were separate paths for pedestrians and bikes, coming close to being hit more than once!

We enjoyed savoury pancakes, the numerous clogs on display in souvenir stores and explored Museumplein, Van Gogh Museum, Westerkerk Cathedral, Amsterdam Palace, National Monument, the Red Light District, Beurs van Berlage, St Nicholas Kerk, New Markt and an afternoon lie down in Vondelpark.

The sign says it all...

My ham and cheese pancake... YUM

Bikes galore

National Monument