68 hours in Carcassonne and Toulouse, France

We’ve recently returned from a weekend away in the South of France. To be specific, a small town called Carcassonne. When I mentioned our trip before we went, a lot of people had not heard of Carcassonne, and to be honest I hadn’t known about it long. We bought a book a couple of months back which has a bunch of recommendations for trips away in Europe and Carcassonne was one of them. Flights were super cheap with Ryanair from Manchester (£40 each return) so we booked up and found a cute little Airbnb to house us for our long weekend away.

The South of France is of course known for its hot climate and is a popular destination in the Summer, but not so much in the Winter. When we met our Airbnb host she warned us that some restaurants and shops may not be open due to the time of year. Once we started our exploring it didn’t bother us too much, it was very tranquil and added to the relaxing atmosphere. Obviously, it would be lovely to visit it when everywhere is open and in full swing, but for our visit it was great. 

We explored the streets on our first night looking for a supermarket to fill the fridge and a restaurant to fill our bellies. The newer part of Carcassonne is small and very walkable. There are quaint little streets that lead you to open squares with cafes and restaurants.

On our second day, a Saturday, we were told about the market that is held in one of the squares. In an effort to take in the French culture we had a walk along. It was such a bustling and vibrant market full of fresh produce. It was so fantastic to see that this was their way of living, popping out on a Saturday morning to buy their essentials, with very little plastic insight, and to chat to their friends along the way. There were many times we saw people bump into people they knew and stop for a chat. The simplicity of it all and the slower way of life makes me want to move right away. 

After this, we headed to the Medieval city. When I first saw it I was awestruck at how pretty and beautifully preserved it is. It is like a huge adult playground. We walked up the steep hills to get inside and it was a maze of streets with restaurants and small shops. If you’ve seen Game of Thrones it reminded me of King’s Landing. We walked around the fortified city many times seeing everything there was to see and taking in the many fabulous views of Carcassonne. Later on in the day, I told you it’s a maze in there, we finally stumbled across the main part where you can pay to on in and explore further (Le Château Comtal). It’s definitely worth the trip inside as you learn about the history of it all and you get to walk parts of the wall you otherwise can't.

On Sunday, we took the double-decker train to Toulouse. Unfortunately, almost everything was closed there on Sundays but we had a good look round at all the tourist spots and down to the river. We ate burgers and came across a super busy and very delicious tea room. The cake selection was small enough so that they did it well but big enough for a good selection. I went for the sickliest chocolate item I could find and Matt went for the biggest piece of apple pie he’s ever had. Having a pit stop amongst the French, eating our cake and drinking our tea was lovely. 

On our last day, we were back on the streets, wandering around for some breakfast and of course, we had the most French breakfast there is; pastry, baguette and jams, juice and tea - all served out in a typical French square. Again, a little later on, we went for cake. With so many fabulous bakeries and patisseries, it would be rude not to take advantage. My cake was stunning and then it was sadly time to leave.

Although our time in Carcassonne was very quiet, it didn’t hamper our trip or put us off future visits. If anything we got a little flavour for this French town and are eager to go back.

If this is somewhere that you're adding to your travel list, I’ve got a few tips for you:

• Decide if you're happy with it being quite quiet, or if you want to come in high season and enjoy the full Carcassonne experience. 
• Use the airport shuttle bus. Carcassonne airport will most likely be the smallest airport you ever did see. When you get out of the airport, a bus will be waiting. Pay €6 each and the bus will take you into town. It usually waits around 45 minutes from the plane landing until it sets off so don't worry if you think it isn't moving. In terms of transport from the airport, there is a severe lack of it with no taxis in sight and no rail connection, so the bus is probably your best bet and it takes less than 10 minutes with no traffic. The first stop is the train station and then there are a couple of other stops after taking you further into town. Then for getting back to the airport, as there aren't many flights the bus has transfers just for these. Check the train station bus stop for times dependent on your flight. 
• If you're around on a Sunday night, make sure to stock up your fridge the day before. For us, almost everywhere was closed so we couldn't get anything to eat and so went hungry for the night. 
• Learn a bit of French to get by. A lot of places here only speak French so it’s good to go with a little knowledge of what is being said and what you’re asking for. They are all very friendly people and will try, but it's always nice to learn the language. 
• Stay in our Airbnb. It was super cute and a great location and also very reasonable for the price. Isabelle the host is also really nice and will show you her recommendations, including a cake shop around the corner which is amazing!

Flying to the West Coast - Los Angeles

Following our previous trip to America in 2017, we have quickly become obsessed with America and doing trips where we visit multiple locations. That meant that we had to book up to now go and see what the West Coast had to offer. To be honest, I think I was more excited about this trip than the last because of how amazing the first one was.

For this one, I got back on Skyscanner and scoured the website for great flight prices and times that would fit with the time we could get off from work. Once I'd manipulated our schedule within an inch of its life, we had our final itinerary. This was a big trip as it would be Matt's 30th Birthday when we were out there. First stop L.A, second stop Las Vegas and finishing up in San Francisco. Literally typing that makes me smile and want to desperately go back ASAP. I should add, we had one special item that we had to fit into the schedule and what made finalising our schedule so difficult, we were adamant that we'd make it to UFC 229. If you're into MMA at all, you'll know that this was a massive card for UFC in which Connor McGregor was defeated by the Eagle, Khabib Nurmagomedov. So with the dates boxed in, we awaited our first flight to L.A.

If you've grown up as a 90s child like me, you know that L.A featured in a lot of the TV programmes of our generation. I'm thinking Beverley Hills 90210, The OC and The Hills. We were finally going to step foot in the places that these iconic shows were filmed. For our stay in L.A we got our first Airbnb, and what a precious, amazing and fantastically located one it was. We stayed near West Hollywood, close to Fairfax and Melrose, and we couldn't have picked a better spot. We were right next to The Grove which had some great shops and restaurants as well as a TRADER JOE'S (can you tell I was excited about this) and a Whole Foods.

Our little Airbnb was basically someone's garage that they had converted but it was away from the main house and had lots of privacy. It had a bed and lounge area, a bathroom with a shower and a kitchen area too. Everything you need for a short stay and our host was super nice.

So what did we do whilst we were in L.A?

On the first night we got there, we did exactly as I had planned - went to THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY. If you know me, you know I love food, especially anything faddy that I will have probably seen other American's eating on Youtube. The Cheesecake Factory was definitely one of these places. The food didn't really live up to the hype, but oh wow, the cheesecake certainly did. I got some sort of heavenly smores one and it took me two days to eat because it was so sickly sweet.

After we ate, I obviously insisted we went to Trader Joe's. I watch too many American's on Youtube and they always go to Trader Joe's and talk about the amazing stuff they get here, so I really really wanted to go. It was everything I dreamed of and more and I did not get to spend enough time there. We picked up some cereal and on another trip there I got some funky Mexican salsa (that I then had to pack three times over as we went between locations - clearly a great idea...).

The next day we went hiking up to the Griffith Observatory so we could pretend to be in Charlies Angels 2 (or maybe not). It was a short hike but it gave your amazing views of the city and you could even see the Hollywood sign - probably the closest we got to it all trip.

The next day was pretty cool as we decided to spend our morning in Beverley Hills (you bet the Weezer song was in my head whilst we were there) and we spent an extortionate amount of money on candles and fitness gear. We also got attacked by a GIANT bug whilst eating our lunch which was pretty horrific.

However, after this, we took an Uber to Hollywood Boulevard to see Jimmy Kimmel Live! If you are going to L.A and want something free and totally unique to do, I definitely recommend trying to get tickets to a TV show filming like this. I realised we could do this a week or so before and was lucky enough to get tickets to the one we wanted in which we saw RYAN FREAKING GOSLING and Dana White (UFC President - very apt for our trip). There aren't many people allowed in for each taping so you feel so close to the guests. It's definitely a great experience.




Then on our final day in L.A, we decided it was time to head to the beach. Get the real West Coast experience. We got an Uber to Santa Monica, which I might add was super easy, and then we had a good old wander. Took in the pier, the beach and the shops. Had taco's on National Taco Day on the seafront and then took ourselves on a walk down the coast to Venice Beach. We kind of which we hadn't as it made us feel quite on edge. I wouldn't recommend it really if I did it again, I'd stay in Santa Monica.




Overall our trip to L.A was so incredible, made better by our fantastic Airbnb and the use of Ubers - they are a must in America. As I'm having such a great time reliving this trip, I will be looking to write up the other two destinations on our trip, Las Vegas and San Francisco - and maybe a couple of hints and tips posts. Hope you enjoyed the read!

When in Atlanta, Georgia - Travelling in America

It’s over a year now since we stepped foot in Atlanta. A place we weren’t planning on going but stumbled across it in a bid to go to another Southern destination. Thinking back now, I actually can’t remember what made our minds up about visiting but it was another great stop on our trip to America last year.

Atlanta is a big place and it’s not really your typical tourist location like New York or New Orleans but it does have some good places to visit and interesting things to see.

We’d booked tickets to go to an NFL game whilst in Atlanta and this was certainly a highlight. I didn’t know what to expect going into it as I had heard the games were long and to be honest I didn’t really get what was going on most of the time. The day before the game we wandered to the Mercedes Benz Stadium where the Falcons play and it was epic. First of all, it was enormous, second it was all new and modern and third it was just a breathtaking place to be. It definitely got me excited for the game.

The next day the stadium was packed. Floods of people arrived in red Atlanta jerseys and blue Miami Dolphins jerseys. It was a fantastic atmosphere. The opening of the game had us hyped for the next three hours with cheerleaders, music, video and pyrotechnics. There was always something going on throughout the time we were there to keep the audience engaged and when Atlanta scored, it was very exciting. Just a shame it was a low scoring game and at the end, the Dolphins took the win!

A gem of a find we came across whilst wandering around Atlanta was Ponce City Market. Here there were lots of shops and places to eat as well as on the top floor rides and carnival games. We had a look in the daytime and decided to come back on the night to really experience all it had to offer.

What was great about PCM was that you put money on a special card that you could top up whilst you were there and then whatever you wanted to eat, drink or do, you just swiped this card. We had some drinks, played lots of games and won cuddly toys and had a go on the different rides as well as a game of crazy golf. This was all against a stunning backdrop of Atlanta at night.

These were the two highlights of our time in Atlanta although we did also visit Centennial Olympic Park, visited the World of Coca-Cola (wouldn’t recommend) and got to see lots of houses dressed up for Halloween! If you are stopping by Atlanta for a few days, I’d definitely make sure it’s when Atlanta are playing at home and get yourself to Ponce City Market.

New Orleans - The Big Easy - USA travel

It’s been three months since we left New Orleans, and its essence and energy continues to play on my mind and make me want to return. When we first decided on our two week-three destination trip to America, New Orleans wasn’t on the list. 

In fact, it was Houston that was going to be our second location of choice. Deciding that the Houston Texans weren’t enough of a draw for three days, I chose New Orleans as another Southern spot to visit. Although I still very much would like to drop in on Houston, I’m really glad we picked NOLA as our second choice.

When we first arrived in New Orleans after our late flight, we were a bit overwhelmed - this party Mecca certainly lived up to its reputation. As soon as we saw the city in the daylight, our worries disappeared as we discovered as much as there is a party atmosphere, there is also a laid back chilled side to the city.

We spent our days exploring by foot, going up and down the French Quarter’s streets, taking in all of the fantastic colourful houses. We walked Bourbon Street and picked up some alcoholic drinks to walk with (its totally allowed here and felt extremely weird), saw St. Louis Cathedral taking pride of place in Jackson Square and experienced some authentic jazz on Frenchman Street.

New Orleans is such a fun and vibrant place to visit, that I believe we just scratched the surface in what we managed to do. There were definitely some best bits of this part of our trip which include food, excursions and nightlife.

Beignets

You can’t come to New Orleans without trying a beignet, I mean are you insane? These are small parcels of pastry deep-fried like doughnuts. They’re then COVERED in icing sugar. They’re definitely one to try when you’re in NOLA, but I have to admit, they weren’t my favourite. P.S our guide told us that these are the same all over town, so you don’t have to squeeze into the seating at Café Du Monde unless you want to.

El Gato Negro

This was a restaurant recommended to us by our tour guide, Bob, for our last night in New Orleans. It was seriously the Bees Knees and we wished we could have told Bob how much we loved it. We visited the restaurant in the French Market which was colourful, quirky and full of delicious Mexican food. As New Orleans is known for its seafood we decided to share a portion of fish tacos and also get a portion of brisket tacos accompanied by nachos and tableside guacamole. It was all amazing and we couldn’t get enough. I washed mine down with various margaritas and it was the most delicious meal.

The Ruby Slipper Cafe

This is one that I’d seen on Helen Anderson’s vlog and that we decided would be a good brunch spot. It is very busy at Ruby Slipper but they are super-efficient with their table system. They sign you up at the door and offer you the drinks menu whilst you wait. Our table took no more than ten minutes and we were soon seated perusing the menu. They have a great variety of choices and our meals were really good.

Steamboat Natchez

New Orleans is famous for being on the Mississippi River, so we couldn't visit and not take a trip. We chose to go on New Orlean's only steamboat, Steamboat Natchez, for an evening excursion and a fancy meal. A Jazz band was already playing by the time we boarded, so we picked up a drink and had a wander around the decks. It is such a cool boat with various decks offering a restaurant, bar, shop and the opportunity to see the engine room. The dinner was served in a buffet format with lots of delicious options. It was so nice to sail down the river seeing the twinkly lights of New Orleans whilst hearing the rush of water from the paddlewheel and the sweet sound of jazz.

Super City Tour

Late into our stay in New Orleans, and after wandering the streets of the French Quarter, we decided it would be a good idea to join a tour and learn some more about this fantastic city. Swayed by our hotel, who I'm sure will get a commission, we chose Grayline's Super City Tour. On this we were taken around the streets we'd already walked, learning more about the buildings and their history. We were also taken further out seeing some suburban houses and stopping at a cemetery and City Park. It was such a fascinating tour and our tour guide was a right laugh. We wished we'd gone on sooner!

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

This is such a quirky spot that I'm glad we spent some time in. When we reached Lafitte's we'd only had one drink, but their famous Hurricane pushed us over the edge in the high New Orleans heat. It was fantastic to sit in and enjoy the history of what is said to be one of the oldest bars in America.

Bourbon Street & Frenchman Street

When you hear about New Orleans, you are sure to hear of Bourbon Street, this is very loud, lairy and full of bars and places to dance the night away. "It's like Disneyland for drunks", is what a lot of locals would say. You definitely want to take some time to visit it as it is bucket list material. 

However if you find Bourbon is not your style and you want something more authentic and laid back, you have to go to Frenchman Street. Again this is something we only ventured out to later on in our trip and we wished we'd gone sooner. There are bars with live singers and bands blasting out all kinds of brilliant music. Not only this, when we walked down, there were performers on the street getting crowds of people dancing, stopping cars in the process. This is definitely what we imagined New Orleans to be like.

If there was any time to visit New Orleans, it would be this year. They're celebrating their 300th birthday, I know, who knew it was so young! If you're looking for a hotel, I'd recommend the Wyndham New Orleans French Quarter as it was perfectly located with huge rooms and lots of storage.

Let me know if you're planning a trip as I'd love to live vicariously through you!