Tag: history
-
Wrapping up in Scotland: Edinburgh Castle
We returned to Edinburgh from our tour of the Highlands and checked back in at Wilde Aparthotels Grassmarket. We had one final day in Edinburgh before wrapping up our visit to the United Kingdom, which we spent on a visit to Edinburgh Castle. This historic castle stands on Castle Rock, which has been occupied by…
-
From Edinburgh to the Scottish Highlands
During our week in Scotland, we broke up our time in Edinburgh with a trip to the Highlands. Teddy is not old enough to participate in group tours yet and we didn’t feel brave enough to drive on the left side of the road, so we opted for a private tour with Discreet Scotland on…
-
Our Portugal finale: Sintra and Belem, Lisbon
As we wrap up 2024, I realized that I neglected to finish my Portugal blog series from our trip back in August! I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with bated breath to read about how we spent our last couple days in Portugal. 😉 Exploring castles and alchemy in Sintra After landing in Lisbon and…
-
Visiting Monet’s House in Giverny, France
Following our day in Versailles, we planned another day trip out of Paris — this time to the village of Giverny. Located 80 kilometres northwest of Paris, in the region of Normandy, Giverny is best known for being the home of artist Claude Monet, where he resided from 1883–1926. A number of his renowned paintings…
-
Day trip to Versailles from Paris
We had enjoyed a busy itinerary of activities and sightseeing around the city on our first full day in Paris. The next day, we planned a day trip to see the Palace of Versailles. Getting to Versailles was fairly straightforward. We took the Metro from our hotel and then transferred to the regional RER train…
-
Discovering Paris: Seine River cruise, Champs-Élysées, Moulin Rouge
After visiting the Eiffel Tower by night, we started our first full day in Paris with early morning views of the tower from the Trocadero. For breakfast, we went out in search of pastries and found them at La Patisserie Cyril Lignac, where I tried the pain au chocolat and kouign-amann. So good! Cruising along…
-
Exploring the beaches of San Sebastián, Spain
We awoke on an overcast April morning to begin our first full day in San Sebastián. Our plan was to take a walk around town and explore the beautiful beaches. Heading toward Old Town, our first stop before our beach exploration was breakfast at Churreria Santa Lucía, where I enjoyed my first of many churros…
-
Pintxos and Old Town in San Sebastián, Spain
Please excuse the abrupt pause in my trip recaps; it’s been a busy several months at home! Picking up from where I last left off… Following a whirlwind three days in Barcelona, we headed toward our next destination: San Sebastián. Also named Donostia, San Sebastián is a resort town located in the Basque region of…
-
Landing in Barcelona: Gothic Quarter, Casa Batllo, Sagrada Familia
We departed from Toronto on an overnight flight with Air Canada toward Barcelona, where we would start our trip in Spain. Over the past few years, I’ve become increasingly intolerant of discomfort while travelling, so we opted to splurge on an upgrade to Premium Economy. Although we probably could’ve tolerated our economy seats, it was…
-
On this day: Fisherman’s Wharf & Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
See more from my On This Day series here, where I celebrate travel memories on their trip anniversaries. On October 20, 2019, I was at Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, USA. We disembarked from our Alcatraz Island cruise, and headed toward Fisherman’s Wharf for the next stop on our tour of San Francisco. This neighbourhood encompasses the…
I've Bean Travelling 