Sunday, October 19, 2014

Switzerland Vlog! Part I - Lucerne and Lauterbrunnen plus Hotel (Chalet) Tour!


GoPro Silver 3+
Music by danosongs.com
  


Anyone who's been to Switzerland will tell you just how beautiful it is. It literally feels like heaven on Earth...As I love being outdoors, Switzerland was definitely a highlight for me, getting in touch with nature and I thought Lauterbrunnen is the PERFECT place for a tranquil, back to basics, getaway :)

We arrived in Zurich, Switzerland from Barcelona and caught the train from Zurich to Lucerne where we had a stop over for lunch, then back on the train again from Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen.  The trains and customer service we received were top notch compared to Sydney! Below is what I thought of our first day in Switzerland...

What to do in Lucerne if you had 2-3 hours...
1. Check out the famous Kapellbrücke (wooden "Chapel Bridge"). It's so pretty and worth a picture
2. Try some cheese fondue or a sausage and some rosti
3. Buy some chocolate!! Go to Bachmann, you won't regret it!
4. Enjoy the scenery :) Lucerne is right next to a stunning lake, enjoy the sun, and the swans and pelicans!

Lauterbrunnen
We chose to stay in Lauterbrunnen because it was in the valley of the Bernese Oberland.  We wanted somewhere serene and close to walking trails.  So Lauterbrunnen is easily accessible by train as well as walking tracks from other nearby villages such as Murren.

We stayed at Chalet Horner which I can't recommend enough! It was a cozy chalet with a kitchen and the most spectacular view of Staubbach Falls just outside your balcony. What more could you ask for?

In the next vlog, and blog post, I'll walk through things to do in Lauterbrunnen :)

Monday, October 6, 2014

London Vlog! Part II - Tower of London, British Museum and Portobello Markets


GoPro Silver 3+
Music by danosongs.com
 


London Tips Part II!

1. Visit the museums!
One of the best things about visiting London is checking out the free museums! We visited British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern and Natural History Museum.  British was definitely my fav by far, I enjoyed the artefacts of the various historical civilisations.  Highly recommend checking out the museums!

2. Tower of London - worth it?
Personally, no I didn't think it was worth it. I enjoyed it, the Beefeaters made a great tour guide, but just walking within the Tower of London wasn't amazing...the crown jewels were pretty but were probably not worth the travel or entry fee!

3. Ride a double decker bus!
Go on, ride on the second floor, front row!We don't have these in Sydney so I thought it was pretty fun :)

4. Food adventures!
We ventured out to west of central London for a taste of curry and I definitely recommend it if you have the time! Was one of the best Indian foods I've eaten! Also, definitely try high tea! We went to Charlotte Street Hotel and absolutely loved it!! Scones were delish!

5. Hit the theatre!
We went to see the Lion King, book your seats early! Absolutley loved the show :) If we had time, would have loved to see another! You can also check out Covent Garden which is in the area!

6. Visit the markets!
We went to Borough markets (we went late and it was closing but there was some interesting food stalls) as well as Portobello Markets (good for antiques, bits and bobs, a few food stalls)! Go early as they can get quite crowded, especially Portobello on a Saturday!

7. Stroll through the parks!
Loved the walks through Kensington park, it was warm and very calming - we even crossed paths with some squirrels! We stayed close to the park so we actually walked from Harrods back to Bayswater via the park!