Cardiff - May 28th long weekend

Cardiff - unexciting.

Although we did go to Cardiff during some "qualifying" football game of some sort, there wasn't a whole lot going on.

My boyfriend Dan and I and our friends Haley and Geoff rented a car and left London on Saturday morning getting into Cardiff in the afternoon. We were staying at the Ibis and checked in straight away which was nice.

The rooms were tiny and we called the bathroom a "pod". If you don't plan on spending any real time (other than sleeping) in the bedroom, it's not that bad. But for anybody who likes to spend time in their room, the Ibis is not for you!

Despite the hundreds and thousdands of football fans in the city, it was quite easy to move around and again, the Ibis was quite central. Cardiff does have a surprisingly good amount of restaurants and we were shocked by the nightlife! No cover and no lineup at most places....but there's no need because there were tons of spots to go for drinks and dancing.

A trip to Cardiff definitely requires a car. Although you can get to Cardiff on a train or bus, there's not a lot to do in the city itself and a car comes in handy for trips to Gower Penninsula and "the mumbles".

There is a water taxi tour by the newer part of Cardiff (by the Millenium building). We got a return trip to Penarth for 4 pounds each and got off on the other side for a wander and one of the best meals at the restaurant right by the water taxi. After getting back to Cardiff we decided to get the water taxi from the new part to the center where we were staying.

There's not really that much to do in Cardiff and one night, two days would definitely suffice!

Unfortunately the Ibis wasn't the best. The air conditioning was on all the time and wouldn't turn off and the staff cleaned our room while we had put up the "do not disturb" sign. After a quick letter advising that we weren't all that happy and I had come away with a very bad cold, we received a reply including a voucher for a free night B&B for myself and Dan.

We do plan on going back one Saturday night but it will be more of a relaxing trip away from London as we saw and did most things that there were to do last time.

All in all, not bad but more useful for a one night stay - stopover on your way to another spot. But be sure not to miss the nightclubs and bars while you're there!!

Brussels. May 1st long weekend

Brussels. Boring. Sorry to say it but there really wasn't much to do and not much to see.

We got a special deal online which included Eurostar and a 5 star hotel (Radisson).

I was quite excited about the Eurostar but some pointers for those of you who are getting on the Eurostar:

1. Take your own food as there's only one place to get food on the train and it's just snacks
2. Take a book. We thought we'd be able to see something....towns, sights but half of the time we were in a bit of a ditch and the remainder of the time we were going through farmland.
3. Get there early to get decent seats. There are some seats which face backwards and if you're picky - you'll need to make sure you don't get lumped with one of those!

So after 1 hour and 45 minutes we get to the train station in Brussels. When you come out of the station - DO NOT take a taxi! They will try and charge you 25 - 30 euros although you can walk into the city center in 5 - 10 minutes and check out some sights on the way.

Again we arrived early so we leave our bags at the hotel. The Radisson was located in the perfect spot for us! It was only 1 block from the main shopping strip and 2 blocks from the "Grand Place" so we were only a 5 minute walk to everything.

The food in Brussels is just alright. They don't really have their own style food (other than mussels and fries) so you'll find a lot of kebab shops, italian restaurants and pizzerias.

Things to do in Brussels:

1. Eat waffles!!! There are some really good street vendors that have quite cheap waffles and you should never have to pay more than 1.50 Euros!
2. Shop. Shopping was a lot cheaper in Brussels than London and Madrid (of course) so shop away!
3. Eat mussels and fries!

Things to skip when you're in Brussels

1. The chocolate museum. It costs 5 euros and gives a history of chocolate rather than tasters and/or a view of chocolate making.
2. The beer museum. Sad to say but this also costs 5 euros and just gives a quick rundown on how beer is made. It's saving grace is that you do get a 1/2 pint of beer with your admission.

Easter long weekend in Madrid

Madrid - what a beautiful city but if I can give you one piece of advice.....don't go on a religious long weekend!

My Mom had come to London to visit so my boyfriend Dan and I decided to take her to Madrid with us.

We got in to Madrid early on Thursday morning and got to the hotel by 9am. Check-in wasn't until 2pm but the hotel was very accomodating so we dropped our bags and went off to explore the city.

We found a beautiful park with an amazing little pond and of course some shops. We eventually made our way down to the city center and I was surprised that Madrid is such a surprisingly clean city with wide roads and not much traffic.

Because it was the Easter long weekend, there were religious celebrations ALL weekend long! It was very interesting to see but a bit difficult at times because there were hundreds of people trying to see the processions etc and a lot of the roads were blocked off which made it a lot easier to get lost.

The shops were closed on Friday, Sunday and Monday so we did all of our shopping on the Saturday afternoon. However, if you ever go to Madrid, don't get fooled into going to the "outlet malls" at Las Rosas. We were told they were only 15 minutes away but they ended up being at least a half hour away and the transit was quite expensive. They are not the kind of outlets we are used to but instead have stores like Carolina Herrera and Versace etc and the "discount" prices were hundreds of euros (yikes). Instead stick to the high street, main shopping areas.

The food and alcohol was great...paella and sangria were flowing freely and don't forget the churros!! I was first introduced to churros when my friend Kippy and I went to Mexico about 10 years ago. But in Spain...you get a huge plate of churros with a full cup of melted chocolate for dipping - talk about decadent!

A great idea is to take the "hop on, hop off" bus. We got a two day pass which was only 14 euros each (very decent) and includes a map, headphones and the ability to get on the bus at any stop during operating hours.

This worked really well for us as we were in Madrid for 4 days, so we took the bus for the first two days which enabled us to see all kinds of things we probably wouldn't have seen had we not taken this bus. There are two routes, a red route and a blue route. We found the red route had a lot more interesting stops on it while the blue didn't have much other than the Real Madrid stadium.

For those of you wanting to check out the Real Madrid stadium...it's 9 euros per person and quite a wait. So unless you're a real fan, stick to checking it out as the bus passes it.

The Prado museum is also quite good but make sure to go on a SUNDAY as it's free! Again because it's free it does make for long lineups but make sure to get there early!

The Royal Palace was quite good and only 5 euros per person. If you are wanting to check out the Palace, make sure to get there really early as the lineups start early. And also make sure to check out the opening and closing times!!

Also, a must see/must do is flamenco dancing! There are quite a few places to go in the city but we went to a cheaper place called "Las Tablas". It was a great show and only half the price of the bigger spots. The price of admission included a drink and there were light appies and desserts served.

All in all Madrid was a good holiday but if I was ever to go again, it would definitely not be on a long weekend as too many shops were closed.