The Athens of the North!

This Easter holiday, to be precise, 5 to 8 April 2012, I went to Edinburgh, Scotland. And… here is my travel write up. Hopefully will help you if you want to go to Edinburgh and only able to spent a short time in there. 3 days will be quite a task to cover the lovely town of Edinburgh.

On 5 April 2012, I went to Edinburgh from London Kings Cross at 16:00 by East Coast train. Arrived at 20:25 at Haymarket station. Thankfully, the guest house where I stayed is very close to the station. If you want to know more about it, go to http://www.stvalery.com/. The St. Valery is a beautiful place to stay and not to pricey compared to others. You also get Wi-Fi for the whole stay for free.

The next day, we try to understand how the bus works. They will not give you any change, so better be prepared to have the exact amount of money. Day ticket cost £3.50. Making an itinerary would probably be a good idea, you can fit around 3 – 4 sights/ attractions a day. I do not end up following my itinerary, but the itinerary surely help on planning.

The first day we spent it on Edinburgh Castle, one of important residences of Scottish kings and queens. You can see the Scotland’s crown jewels (kept in the Crown Room since 1617) and Stone of Destiny here. Also, don’t forget that its panoramic views from the top is stunning.

Next is the Gilmerton Cove. You need to book for the tour before you got to Edinburgh. This is a very rare cave in a town and the origins are still disputed. No one could be sure about who was the one who made it or what is it made for, but it is worth a trip. Don’t forget to e-mail them to book the tour and mention how many persons will join you.

The last thing we did on the first day was climbing the Holyrood Park. It is very far to get to the top, but the breathtaking views from there is one to not miss – ever. If you are fit and well, do get to the top and find the Arthur’s seat, the summit of the park.

7 April 2012 – There were quite a lot of things that we did this day because of the fact that we need to return the next day. First thing we did was taking a traditional Scottish family photo in the place right outside the Edinburgh Castle. After that, we walked to the Princes Street Gardens, a garden that lies right beneath Edinburgh Castle. Other than a place for the people to take a peaceful walk, this garden is also a place to hold concerts.

Next is Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. This place is near to Edinburgh Castle too, right after the place where we took photos. Other than many quirky exhibitions such as swapping your head and nose with other people or making your body look smaller or bigger, this place also offers 360 degrees rooftop panoramas with free telescopes. Vortex Tunnel will make your head dizzy. Camera Obscura show is truly a rare experience. You can spy on people in the city and even pick them up with your hand!

The last thing we did that day is visiting the Palace of Holyroodhouse, a place where HM Queen Elizabeth II stay when visiting Scotland. You can see state apartments and the ruins of Holyrood Abbey. All with an audio tour! There is also Queen’s Gallery – see the paintings, drawings, furniture, jewellery and others. The staircase is absolutely beautiful.

8 April 2012 – It is probably a good choice to visit Royal Yacht Britannia on the last day of your trip. This ship is stunning, consider being at the Titanic. Only less grandeur. This ship is used for several honeymoons (including Prince and Princess of Wales) and important visits from foreign politicians/ leaders. Furthermore, we went back to the area of Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile to buy some gifts and wonder around the Old Town (Grassmarket) and then made our way back to Haymarket station, wait for an hour at Starbucks coffee, and get on the train to go back to London and arrive there at 22:15.

From many amazing panoramic sceneries, green hills and old buildings, Edinburgh is truly a precious town to visit.

Majestic Cornwall

Hi all. It’s been a long time since I posted blog posts regularly, and it’s the day when I truly updated my blog theme and make it look fresh. Heya, I’m just gonna tell you all the things that amazed me in my recent holiday in Cornwall, England. I started going there on 27 August 2011 and it took me about 6 hours to get there. The first day I am just resting in Roselands caravan.

Day 2

LIZARD LIGHTHOUSEThis is a place that actually has the view rather than the tourist attraction itself. They actually sell the lighthouse, but it wasn’t that impressive, unless you’re really interested in it. So if you get here, don’t forget to see the amazing beach behind the lighthouse like the picture I gave you below:

NATIONAL SEAL SANCTUARY

National Seal Sanctuary held so many amazing shows throughout the day that involves cute animals like penguins, seals, otters etc. You can also enjoy the views – everywhere in Cornwall is beautiful, including this sanctuary.

Day 3

CAPE CORNWALL

I didn’t plan to go here and it is not very well-known for tourists, but I smell adventure here and I went there. I never regret it. The views are amazing in this mine location.

PENZANCE

Penzance is the most well-known area in Cornwall, they are pretty big in size and have wonderful fish restaurants. I ate fish and chips here.

Day 4

LAND’S END

Land’s End is your ultimate destination when you’re in Cornwall. If you’ve never been there, you’ve never been in Cornwall. You also need to take a picture with them with your hometown and the miles from there to Cornwall. Very interesting.

ST.IVES

This area could be really crowded sometimes, especially in the evening. Be prepared to not get any parking space because there are so many people wanted to go to the beach. Other than that, go and enjoy every minute of it. St. Ives has a lot of shopping places too.

MINACK THEATRE

I love Minack Theatre, more than words can describe! Everything about it is so beautiful and well-prepared. Even though the play wasn’t as big as New York Broadway or London West End, you can still see that they do the best they can with the small venue. Not to be missed: the outdoor feel of it.

Day 5

ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT

St. Michael’s Mount is in the town of Marazion, pretty heavy for old people because they need to climb a lot of stairs to be up there in the castle, but you cannot this tidal island and everything inside it. When the water is high you can go there by boat, but if not, you can just walk.

NEWQUAY

Newquay and their beaches were so pretty. Bring your sunglasses if you go there when it’s sunny. And be prepared will all your beach- gears!

Day 6

BODMIN RAILWAY

This 1950′s steam locomotive railway is one of the things you cannot see often, so it’s best if you find time to experience this still-alive train… Check their schedule first before you go.

EDEN PROJECT

Eden Project will amaze you for sure! It is actually a charity and the garden is so beautiful. You can experience rainforest like you are really there, not to mention the weather is also the same. It’s quite hot, so don’t use a warm jackets and coats. You’ll be fine, I promise!

Day 7

On the way home we stopped at these two places:

TINTAGEL CASTLE

Tintagel Castle is believed to be the birthplace of King Arthur. Stunning views and ruins.

DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK (HAYTOR)

This is the only places here that actually are not in Cornwall, but Devon. Agatha Christie like to spent her time in Haytor for her inspiration in writing.

New York Trip

Before i go back home this 17th of June,
I went to New York for a holiday after graduation.

At the airport going there,i bought some foods at McDonalds.
We stayed at Holiday Inn in Newark,New Jersey.
It is just because to stay there was a lot cheaper than staying in New York.
But we waste a lot of time to go to New York itself.|
We have to take Airtrain,Busway and Train to get there.
After we were at New York,we get the ticket for the Bus Night Tour.

Meanwhile,I take pictures at the Times Squares.
Before going to the bus,we went to a Calzone restaurant. (Pizza but not open).
My hostmom did not know that there is no calzone in the plastic bag.
My hostdad go back to the Calzone place,and we have to miss the bus and wait for the other one.
When my hostdad here,we know that there are just 2 calzone instead of 3!
Not even check it again!

So then my hostdad and my hostmom just have half of the calzone.
We can not hear the tour guide because it is so loud and his microphone was just broken.
I sat with a girl from the Netherlands, and we have fun and just talk.
We saw fireworks from the bridge.
The girl love indonesian foods. For some reasons,Netherlands have many indonesian restaurants.
We pretty much take a rest and go out from the bus and take pictures.
The bus take us where we want to stop for going home.

The other day,we are going to United Nations (i’m just hoping u know what it is)
There are a lot of people in New York that are tourists.
From India,Netherlands,Korea,China,Japan….
For some reasons,there are a lot of people from India.
In the United Nations we take a tour inside of the building.
We take pictures of the gifts that they received from other countries.
I bought my “I Love New York” shirts there. With the sign “Kings” on the bottom of it,I don’t know why.
After that we walk for a long time to get to the Skyline Boat Tour.
They have a great tour guide in there.
That is a good time to relax after long walk.

After the boat tour we went to Madame Tussauds (where they have celebrities,sports player and politicians in wax,looks like real)
I take picture with a lot of famous people,
like Johnny Depp and Miley Cyrus.
Then we ate at the Applebees restaurant.
After Applebees,we went shopping.
I found MTV Store too.

The next day,we went to Statue Liberty.
There have the “beautiful” long lines to go with the boat.
The only sad thing about this is we can’t go inside because you have to call for reservations first.
Then we went to Ellis Island,where the immigrants from another countries have to go to be Americans.

After that we went to World Trade Center Memorial Museum, when they show a lot of comments and things from 9/11.
They called WTC as “Ground Zero” right now.
They will be finished to build The new WTC at 2012.
They will have waterfalls there too.

After that we went to Top of The Rock,when we go to the top of the building and see New York skyscrappers.
And then we go to Famiglia Pizza,(they serve pizza for some famous celebrities) to eat New York style-pizza.
I ate both pizza and calzone.

The last day In New York we go to McDonalds for lunch,

and then……..

this is my favourite part………

guess what???

We are going to the Broadway Show!!!!!!!

We saw Phantom of the Opera,which is the longest-running show in broadway.

Then we ate at Chevy’s,which is Mexican Restaurant.