Istanbul, Turkey
Whenever Nicola and I have been to eastern Europe, we always comment how much we enjoy the Ottoman architecture, coffee, food and arts. So it was probably time we headed to Ottoman HQ, also known as Istanbul. We had booked a few nights at the Galata Istanbul Hotel MGallery, just on the edge of Beyoğlu. A converted bank, the hotel opened about a year ago … Continue reading Istanbul, Turkey
Buenos Aires, Argentina
The final destination on our honeymoon was Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina and the city of Evita, architecture, steaks and tango. What’s not to like? Having blown our budget on some other hotels, we were staying in an Airbnb in the Palermo Soho neighbourhood. It was a cosy little place, with a balcony and a swimming pool on the roof terrace, and as seems … Continue reading Buenos Aires, Argentina
Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Twenty miles across the river from Buenos Aires is Uruguay. We were told it makes a perfect day trip from Argentina, so we got to the port at silly o’clock in the morning and bought a ferry ticket. We boarded the 8am ferry and set out across Río de la Plata, one of the widest estuaries in the world. After finding the only two egg … Continue reading Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is one of the largest producers of Malbec in the world, and produces two-thirds of all Argentinian wine. As our plane came in to land, you could tell, as row upon row of millions of grapevines stretched towards the horizon. We hailed a cab outside the airport and headed to our hotel. It was already autumn in Mendoza, and the sun was setting, making … Continue reading Mendoza, Argentina
The Iguaçu Falls, Brazil & Argentina
The Iguaçu Falls on the border between Brazil and Argentina are one of the seven natural wonders of the world. We were in the area, so it seemed only sensible to stop and see what all the fuss was about. Our flight from Rio to Foz do Iguaçu arrived pretty late, so we’d arranged a cheap hostel for a night. At Tetris Container Hostel, the … Continue reading The Iguaçu Falls, Brazil & Argentina
Ilha Grande, Brazil
After the hustle and bustle of Rio De Janeiro, we thought we deserved some time to relax. It was our honeymoon, after all. So we headed to the island of Ilha Grande. Ilha Grande is a lush, green little island, about 100 miles south of Rio de Janeiro. Largely rainforest and deserted beaches, Ilha Grande has avoided becoming overdeveloped, thanks in part to its previous … Continue reading Ilha Grande, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I finally married Nicola on the 13th April 2019. A couple of days after the wedding, we boarded a plane to Rio de Janeiro, to start our three-week honeymoon in Brazil and Argentina. For the first couple of days in Rio we were staying in Santa Teresa, an area in the north of Rio, before we headed down to the beaches for the full Rio … Continue reading Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Budapest, Hungary
A few months back, I got engaged to Nicola. While this is obviously great, the even better news is that this meant a stag do. I gave my best man, Dave, a list of my friends and the brief of ‘a weekend break with some beers’, so that’s exactly what we did. It turns out my friends are terrible at keeping secrets, so seventeen of … Continue reading Budapest, Hungary
