TravelLost In Lipstick | A Beauty & Lifestyle Blog: Travel

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Monday, 11 April 2016

Photo Diary | Amsterdam | March 2016

Me inside a giant clog!

Rijksmuseum

Sunny Canal

Lots of bikes!

Tulips!

Beautiful Houses

Vondelpark

Bridges

Clogs!

Stunning Architecture

Cheese!

Oude Kerk (Old Church)

Canal at Night

Centraal Station

Souvenir! (Had to be done!)

As many of you know, at the end of March, Rory and I went to Amsterdam. Neither of us had been there before and it was somewhere we both wanted to visit. I actually surprised Rory with the trip as a Christmas present but I booked it in October! I had been looking forward to it for so long and it did not disappoint! We both want to go back already!

Our hotel was called Hotel Cornelisz. It was situated close to the Rijksmuseum and Vondelpark. It was the perfect location for everything we needed. The hotel was 3 stars but we couldn't fault it. The only negative was that the room was small but we hardly spent any time in our room and most hotel rooms in the city centre are small. Our stay included breakfast which was lovely. It was a continental breakfast and allowed us to start our day energised.

There were so many things that we wanted to see and do. I knew we wouldn't fit it all into four days but that gives us an excuse to go back! We managed to do so much though and I've never walked so much in my entire life. There was plenty of buses and trams, even bikes or taxis, to get around but the city was so beautiful that we wanted to walk and see all the sights. My feet were in agony though!

Some of my favourite places that we visited were; The Anne Frank Huis, The Van Gogh Museum, Vondelpark, Begijnhof and I loved the 1 hour canal cruise around the city. I would definitely recommend all of these places plus so much more! If you are going to go to popular attractions like The Anne Frank Huis or The Van Gogh Museum, definitely book online beforehand as it will save you so much time.

I managed to book The Van Gogh Museum the night before we wanted to go so we walked straight in and avoided the 1-2 hour queue. The Anne Frank Huis has a strange system online where they only release so many tickets for each day and this is done 3 months earlier ( I believe they're changing it). Therefore, I wasn't able to get tickets. We got there at 8:15am and it didn't open until 9am. We were queueing for a total of 2 and a half hours! That's nothing though. I heard some people spent 4 hours in line!! Book online!!

Overall, we had an amazing time and it was a great experience. I can definitely see why so many people visit Amsterdam because I fell in love straight away! We will definitely be returning in the future as there are still so many things that we didn't get chance to see. See you soon Amsterdam! Maybe next time I'll hire a bike!

Have you been to Amsterdam before? Is it somewhere on your travel list?

Rachel x

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Monday, 29 February 2016

Photo Diary | York | February 2016

City of York

Our hotel - York Ibis

Micklegate Bar

York Minster

Ruins of St Mary's Abbey

Daffodils

Remains of St Leonard's Hospital

Remains of The Multangular Tower and Roman Wall

The Punch Bowl

Watching fudge being made at The Fudge KItchen

Clifford's Tower

York Castle Museum

York Castle Prison inside the Castle Museum

Pharmacy on a Victorian Street inside York Castle Museum

During half term, Rory and I went to York. We have been to York before (nearly 7 years ago) but we loved it so we decided to go again. There were a few attractions that we wanted to visit that we didn't see last time like The York Castle Museum and York Dungeon. Unfortunately, York Dungeon was still closed because of the recent floodings.

We booked to stay in Hotel Ibis which was a five minute walk from Micklegate which is a famous medieval gateway into York. We were really happy with the hotel. The reception and lounge area were lovely and there was even a pool table for guests. Our room was basic but we only used it as a base to sleep. It was clean and had everything we needed. We would definitely return in the future.

We visited York Minster on our last visit but I couldn't resist taking photos of the stunning architecture. The amount of detail on the building is amazing and it truly is a work of art. Spring had sprung early and I loved looking at the daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses on our walks around York. A highlight for me was visiting The Fudge Kitchen and watching them make Strawberries and Cream fudge. Obviously, I purchased some to take home! It was delicious!

We were really lucky with the weather while we were there. The sun was shining and we had gorgeous blue skies but it was freezing! I ended up buying a hat and gloves while we were there! We didn't see any rain until the day we were going home. I would definitely recommend York if you haven't been before. It is a stunning historic city with lots to do.

Have you been to York before?

Rachel x

Monday, 1 February 2016

Travel Bucket List

The world is a beautiful planet and there are so many amazing places in the world that I would like to visit. I thought it would be fun to share them on my blog as a virtual list but also a good opportunity for you to share your advice if you've been to any of these cities/countries.

York (image source)

I'm kind of cheating here because a visit to York is already happening (in two weeks) but I want to document all of my travels on here so why not include the beautiful, historic town of York. We have actually been to York but it was about 7 years ago. We had a great time and knew we would always visit again in the future. Last time, we stayed in a cute little B&B but it was a long walk to the centre of town as there was nowhere central to park. This time we decided to stay in a budget chain hotel in the center so that we are closer to everything and have more money to explore everything York has to offer. We visited the York Minster on our last visit and even climbed all those steps to the top of the tower. We also went to Jorvik Viking Centre, which is fantastic and very educational. This year, I would like to visit York Castle Museum and see The Shambles again. Obviously, a walk along the City Walls will feature as this is a must! If you have any other recommendations please let me know.

Amsterdam (image source)

I have wanted to go to Amsterdam for ages now and I know so many people who have been and fell in love. As you may know, I booked flights and a hotel as a surprise for Rory's Christmas present. We're going at the end of March just after Easter. We're both so excited and there are so many attractions/places that we want to see and visit. We definitely want to see Anne Frank's House and visit at least one museum. At the moment, favourites are Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum but we're open to suggestions. I would also love to pack a picnic and spend an afternoon in Vondelpark. A visit to Amsterdam wouldn't be complete without a canal cruise and a bike ride so I think these are definitely on the cards. Any other attractions/places you think we need to visit?

Paris (image source)

I know it's a cliché but I really want to go to Paris. I would love my husband to surprise me with a visit as I just think it would be so romantic. Although, I don't know why but I think I would be massively disappointed. Paris is probably no different on the romance level than other cities but the film industry has portrayed it as the capital of romance. I can speak a little French (I got an A at GCSE) and there are many sights and attractions that I would love to tick off my list. Obviously, I would like to go up the Eiffel Tower and look at the wonderful view. I would also love to see and visit The Louvre. I'm fascinated with the architecture as well as the art inside. I would also love to see Notre Dame Cathedral and Arc de Triomphe. Have you been to Paris? Do you recommend it?

Northern Lights (image source)

Before we die, Rory and I would both love to see The Northern Lights. I know there are several places you can go to see them but I'm not sure where is the best place to see this magnificent phenomenon. I know there is Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden where you can get a glimpse so we would have to do our research and see which place is the best and also where we would like to go the most as I would love to visit all four countries in my lifetime. I think I only know two people who have seen The Northern Lights and one of those people didn't see them until their third trip! I suppose that makes them even more special as you aren't guaranteed to see them even if you travel somewhere like Iceland.

New York (image source)

I bet there aren't many girls (or boys) who would say no to a trip to New York. I would love to save up for ages and go on a mega shopping spree! There are also many sights I would have to see. It would be awesome to see all of the sets of the films/TV series that I love like Sex and the City, Friends and Gossip Girl. I would also love to see Central Park, a show on Broadway, The Empire State Building and The Statue of Liberty. All of the obvious tourist attractions!

What is at the top of your travel bucket list? Do you have any recommendations of places you think I would love?

Rachel x

Tuesday, 15 September 2015

Crete Photo Diary - August 2015

After our trip to Whitby and Northumberland, we decided we needed a week away in the sunshine, just the two of us. So we went to the travel agents and booked a last minute holiday to Crete. We had never been before but we absolutely loved it and would 100% go back. We stayed in the resort of Agia Marina which is on the West of the island. The weather was fantastic and we had glorious sunshine everyday. Our hotel was just five minutes from the beach and was centrally located within Agia Marina. We fell in love with Crete. And we have added Greek food to our lists of loves. I'm craving moussaka but I know it won't be the same. Until next time.

Enjoy some of our photos.

Rachel x