Hogben's Big Adventure

August - October 2019 Read more

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Trip start
August 26, 2019
Hogben's Big Adventure Traveler
Sun and sandy dunes for days
August 26, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
14hrs and two weary travellers later we landed in Dubai. First stop the Dubai Mall to see what everyone was talking and wow, definately not disappointed. Home to the largest suspended aquarium it had over 400 species of sharks and fish, a pop up star wars life size exhibit and lots of shopping. We managed to catch the Dubai Fountains, world's largest choreographed fountain, in action which was exquisite. We walked around the Burj Khalifa struggling to find the entrance only to discover it was in the mall. It is the world's tallest tower with a staggering height of 829.8m.Read more
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Red dunes bashing
August 27, 2019 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ⛅ 44 °C
A bit of adrenaline for the day brought to us by the red dunes and camel safari tour which finished with a lovely bbq dinner and sunset at Al Khayma camp.
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Cooling off
August 27, 2019 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C
A wander in the morning found us at La Mer Beach, a shoreline on the Arabian golf, with street art and a harmonious blend of contemporary and minimalist design. We returned at night to see it all lit up and enjoy some of the amazing food.Read more
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Hop on hop off bus tour
August 28, 2019 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C
An early start had us touring around Dubai on the big red bus which thankfully had air conditioning! We visited the spice and gold souks, the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai museum, Dubai frame and aquarium just to name a few.Read more
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Dubai to Paris
August 29, 2019 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
A little more exploring of the Dubai mall, and visiting the aquarium again, filled the last bit of the morning before we flew out to Paris. 7hrs later we landed and were driven crazily through the streets of Paris to our Hotel the Ronceray Opera, a quaint little place.Read more
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Paris
August 30, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
What a breathtakingly, magical place the city of Paris is. We spent the day on the hop on hop off bus checking out the sites of the city. Some of the highlights were Arc de Triomphe, Sacrè Coeur Basilica and it's views of the city, Musèe d'Orsay which had works by Van Gogh and Monet on display and the Citē de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine. We passed Notre Dame but it was all closed off from public access due to repairs. We finished with a sunset cruise on the Seine and watching the sunset at the Eiffel Tower.Read more
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Art and gardens
August 31, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
A day of meandering through Jardin des Tuileries Gardens, discovering the beautiful works of Monet and Picasso at the Musèe de l'Orangerie and playing find and seek with the Mona Lisa at the Louvre we really got our step count up. We stopped in at Les Caves du Louvre where we tried some French wines and discovered what makes it different to our wines. Another visit to the Eiffel Tower and a quick viewing of the Paris Aquarium had us exhausted!Read more
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From bones to breasts..
September 1, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
A later start to the morning had us enjoying some freshly baked pastry while our laundry was running. We wandered through Musèe Grevin the Paris wax museum and then enjoyed some chocolate at the Choco Story. A quick stop to buy some shoes as Amy's broke from all the walking and then off to the Catacombes which house over 2 million people's bones from through history. We finished the night off at Moulin Rouge and then some live music and dinner at Le Chat Noir where Amy tried escargot... and liked it.Read more
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Eurostar adventures
September 2, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Feeling a bit like a packhorse we made our way on the metro to the Eurostar where we caught the train to London. A quick taxi ride had us arrive at our hotel St Giles in the afternoon. We walked around the streets for the afternoon and enjoyed a beer and burger while watching street performers in Leicester Square. We had a look in Lego and M&M world then window shopped all the way back to our hotel.Read more
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Steps galore...
September 3, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
We set out early in the morning and visited St Paul's Cathedral where we climbed the 528 steps to the Golden Gallery and were rewarded with beautiful views of the city. A wander through the Tower Bridge had us walking over the clear glass East and west walkways before having a tour of the engine room. We then had a quick stop at the Tower of London and viewed the crown jewels before taking a cruise on the river Thames. Our stop first was the Cutty Sark which turned out to be the fastest British tea clipper of its time. We then went up the river enjoying the jokes of our tour guide to the London Eye were we finished the day of with dinner amazing views.Read more
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Living like royals
September 4, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
We spent the morning checking out the Florence Nightingale Museum and marveling in the origins of nursing and then off to the Beefeater Gin distillery to learn about its beginnings. A quick cheeky tasting and g&t then had us refreshed and off to Hyde Park where we wandered the grounds then visited Kensington Palace. We made our way to Harrods where we had a lovely but expensive lunch in the dining hall and quickly realised we couldn't afford anything. We fundus the day off with a picnic in the hotel room where we could put our feet up and watch a movie.Read more
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The best til last
September 5, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
What a great day we had on our last day in London. We went to Madam Tussaud's where we had photos with some famous faces. Then a leisurely stroll to the London zoo and a ride along the back canals of London lovingly called Little Venice. The long boat ride took us to the Camden market where we enjoyed some street food and shopping. We finished our night out at the theatre Come from away and a sneaky whisky.Read more
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London to Dublin
September 6, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
We had an early start to catch the plane to Dublin which was a nice short 1hour flight time. We picked up or car and set out for Carrickfergus where the Milne's hosted us. We went out and saw our first GOT door but the Ballygally hotel was booked out for dinner so we ended up enjoying the scenic drive with Alison and Matthew before having dinner at their house.Read more
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Exploring Belfast and Carrickfergus
September 7, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
We tried some Northern Ireland delicacies Veda and Tayto's and then we spent the day exploring Belfast. We went to the Titanic museum and the GOT exhibition where we saw the costumes and props used for the tv series. We walked around the cathedral quarter frequently stopping to admire the architecture and also the amazing street art and GOT windows. The Milnes then joined us for some drinks in the city before having dinner at Castello Italia.Read more
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Lazy day sunday
September 8, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
We had a lovely breakfast with the Milnes and met Ruth, Phillip and their boys, Owen and Ethan. Then off we set along the coastal causeway route. We admired The Dark Hedges and drove some very narrow roads to Bushmills Inn where Cade enjoyed a flight of Steamship Whisky a commerative batch made for the 125th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the steamship Bushmills. We finished the day off walking around Giants Causeway and enjoying an enormous ice cream.Read more
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Castles and bridges
September 9, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
We did a bit of backtracking to see Dunluce Castle and walk the 60ft rope bridge at Carrick de Rede in the windy conditions. Before making our way to our accommodation at Finn Lough resort we stopped at Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne. We stayed in an inflatable dome in the forest near Enniskillen and enjoyed a leisurely ride around the resort and then a decidant dinner and drinks. We were lucky to have a beautiful evening with clear skies perfect for start gazing.Read more
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Wet and rainy
September 10, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
A short drive to Enniskillen Castle had us learning about the infantry on the town throughout history. We found a Game of Thrones door in one of the oldest pubs, Blakes of the Hollow and then drove on to the Marble Arch Caves which were incredible. 3hrs of driving later we arrived in Galway and had a traditional Irish pub meal of stew explored the streets in the rain.Read more
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Home of Guinness
September 11, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
A morning drive had us in Dublin by midday where we spent the afternoon at the Guinness Factory, even Amy gave Guinness a try. Navigating the tight streets we found our hotel in Temple Bar and walked up the street for drinks and dinner.Read more
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Glasgow
September 12, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 14 °C
A smaller plane for this trip had Amy feeling a little nervous but it was a smooth flight into Edinburgh. We picked up our rental car and drove into Glasgow. Cade quickly found a brewery which served up some tasty food and beers.Read more
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Henderson's hangouts
September 13, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Waking around the streets of Glasgow we wandered around the Henderson's old stomping grounds. We visited their apartment then did some shopping in Merchant City before having a pub lunch. We then visited Cup/Gin 71 before walking the streets and having some cocktails.Read more
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Out and about in glasgow
September 14, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
After enjoying a Saturday sleepin and attending to washing we set off to Cathedral Quarter and walked the amazing Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis. We went to the Auchentoshan Distillery and Cade enjoyed some cask strength whisky then drove into town and went for a walk around the Botanical Gardens. We watched IT in 4D at the world's tallest cinema and finished our day with some delicious indian at The Wee Curry Hut.Read more
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Leaving on an airplane
September 15, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
A lovely day for flying into Barra where our twin otter plane landed on the sandy beach of Barra. We managed to bring some sun with us and explored Kisimul Castle which the MacNeil clan own. A lazy afternoon had us both enjoying a book sitting at a cafe on the edge of Castlebay.Read more
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Plane, car, ferry
September 16, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
A walk along the beaches of Barra and watching one of the planes land was a nice way to spend our last few hours before catching the plane back to Glasgow. We jumped in the car and drove through to the Ardrossan Ferry and caught the boat to Isle of Arran where we settled into a lovely B & B The Glenartney and enjoyed dinner and a drink at Eighteen69.Read more
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Let the whisky begin
September 17, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
What a magnificent day with the sun shining and the wind low we walked to the Machrie Moor Standing Stones and then for a short hike in the forest to the King's Cave. Lunch was at the Arran Distillery and Cade enjoyed a whisky flight and made his first purchase of the trip.Read more
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Ferryhopping
September 18, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Early morning start had us seeing a seal on a rock with the beautiful sunrise then catching the ferry from Arran to Claonaig where we drove around the coast to Campbeltown. Cade had a wander of Springbank Distillery then found a special whisky to buy from a n independent bottler. Back in the car and around the other side of the coast to Kennacraig we got on the get to Islay. It was a bit misty and wet driving to Bunnahabhain and Ardnahoe but the whisky warmed from the inside and then we reached our perfect hideaway the Bowmore Pod.Read more
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