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Steven Coe
Steven Coe

Steven Coe

traveled in 58 countries Read more🇦🇺Brisbane
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  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Malta; Chloes 30th 🎉❤️

    Jan 14–20, 2025 in Malta ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    📌 We were off to escape the cold January UK, first stop Malta for some Mediterranean vibes. We arrived late at night and unfortunately we got the opposite of ideal, heavy rain! However, everything was smooth and we checked in to a nice fancy hotel for Chloe's 30th celebrations.

    📌 The beautiful architecture of Malta made it lovely to wander around the streets, we admired the colourful balconies, the blue water and the hidden restaurants. The weather was pretty good for the whole trip and it was great seeing the blue sky. We picked up the car and headed around the island throughout the stay, we visited some neolithic archeological sites from approximately 4500 BC, 2000 years older than the pyramids. We also wandered around the capital Valetta, and the former military fort from the 1500s which provided a great view of the city.

    📌 Chloe's 30th started with a birthday video from everyone which was really lovely, we then headed for some brunch and coffee. Malta being a small island doesn't have a lot of local wine but I found a tasting at one of them (Meridiana) and it proved to be great, one of the best ones we have had. We enjoyed a warm afternoon with delicious wine, snacks and company from the local ginger cat. Dinner at a Michelin local Maltese restaurant was next, it was delicious, 7 local courses, authentic and cosy inside. It was a memorable day for sure.

    📌 The rest of the trip involved eating delicious and cheap pastizzi, a walking tour, visiting the sauna and steam room at the hotel, drinks at the cocktail bar and more delicious dinners including Italian and another small family run Maltese restaurant where the highlight was the rabbit spaghetti.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Christmas/New Year in Hebden Bridge

    Dec 19–Jan 14, 2025 in England ⋅ 🌙 2 °C

    📌 We spent a nice couple of weeks in Hebden bridge in good company over the Christmas and New year's period. We had some relaxing but nice celebrations including a excellent Christmas lunch, a quiet new years event drinks and a delicious early birthday Sunday roast for Chloe.

    📌 Initially Hebden bridge was grey and gloomy but just after new years there was some heavy snow which made the landscape very pretty. The snow stuck around for a while and caused all sorts of issues with workers, transport etc. It was lovely and new to experience a UK town in full snow as we had only really seen small amounts and cities, otherwise only large amounts in well equipped mountain regions.

    📌 I was able to pick up some more work around the public holidays whilst Chloe also did her first shift just after new years in Oxford. We spent Chloe's early birthday celebration in a quaint pub on the hills of the tops of the valley, it was still quite snowy up there and it made the fireplace inside super cosy! The roast was delish and we had a couple of drinks which lead to the alcos in the group (everyone but me ☺️) wanting more when we got home. The night eventually ended around 2am which meant a tired day the next day at work for everyone except Chloe haha.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler
    1

    Copenhagen

    Dec 15–19, 2024 in Denmark ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    📌 Copenhagen, the last stop on our Christmas adventures. We were keen to explore the food scene, see the Tivoli gardens Christmas market and to otherwise see the city with aimless intention.

    📌 The weather was not as charming in Copenhagen, mostly rainy or grey and not cold enough for snow. This was welcoming as it was slightly warmer but also made us think that the whole white Christmas in Europe seems quite hard to experience for most Europeans ☺️ We did have a nice clear sunny day during the stay which we enjoyed with 25k steps of walking around.

    📌 Copenhagen in general was a very beautiful and clean city, it is large but it seemed like each area had something interesting or cool about it. We were staying in a Pod accommodation which was initially slightly unnerving in case they were too small, however, this pod was actually super comfortable and unique for the stay. The Tivoli gardens was beautiful to wander through with the 7000 Christmas trees and beautiful displays. Additionally, the smaller city markets were also beautiful and fun (Tallinn or Riga win overall though).

    📌 Some food highlights of the stay included a delicious chicken sandwich (inspo from the bear), some open sandwiches (a Danish traditional sandwich) and the street hotdogs 😍 Despite the good food, the drinks were probably more enjoyed, from the cool breweries, the hot drinks at the Christmas markets or the delicious white glogg (warm white wine, spices and apple schnapps) from the walking tour recommendation, everything was great!    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Talinn

    Dec 12–15, 2024 in Estonia ⋅ 🌬 -2 °C

    📌 Our last stop in the Baltics, we had heard great things about Talinn and it did not disappoint. Talinn was probably our favourite stop of this trip and potentially one of the nicest old towns we have seen in Europe so far. The town was magical, it felt very medieval, the beauty was also enhanced by the day we had snow!

    📌 Talinn was a great place for food and drinks, we ate our way through delicious sweets, great wine and beer and some warming comfort food. The culinary highlight was dining at Old Hansa, a medieval themed restaurant which was similar to the one we visited in Riga. This experience however was unique in that the whole place was lit by candles, the building felt very old and authentic (including the toilets) and the food was very unique! Chloe had a spiced lamb dish whilst I ate a variety of sausages; veal, black pork blood sausage and a game sausage of boar, elk and bear!

    📌 The Christmas market was again beautiful, the walking tour was interesting and fun, particularly given that it was very snowy. We also visited an interesting banned book museum, a pour your own wine, wine bar and one of the oldest pharmacy's in Europe.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Tartu

    Dec 10–12, 2024 in Estonia ⋅ ☁️ -2 °C

    📌 A short stop in Tartu, the European capital of culture of 2024. We didn't know much about the town but we were keen to see another part of Estonia other than the capital. Tartu is a university town, it was quiet but charming to wander around. We finally got some snow!

    📌 We enjoyed some delicious food, Italian, some German, a few cafes and bakeries. The main square was the highlight of the town with the lit up tree and town hall. We weren't to keen on tying up some skates and trying the ice skating rink, particularly as the local kids were like 5 years old and killing it, zooming around the rink.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler
    1

    Riga

    Dec 6–10, 2024 in Latvia ⋅ ☁️ 0 °C

    📌 We arrived in Latvia via bus, keen to see another Baltic country, this time basing ourselves in the capital, Riga, and exploring from there. Riga was a large city, it was busy and cold but we managed to explore most of it over the 4 days.

    📌 We started our first full day with a trip to Cesis, this area was of interest due to its 800 year old castle and also to get a taste of Latvia outside of the city. We wandered around the small quiet old town, enjoyed some delicious and cheap coffee and then headed to visit the castle and museum. The castle was a great experience, it felt authentic as we toured the grounds ourselves, it was quiet and we had to use a flame lit lantern to navigate around the dark rooms of the castle. The museum was a nice addition also, providing an insight into Latvian history.

    📌 During our days in Riga, we visited several breweries, enjoyed some cold evenings at the Christmas market drinking mulled wine and admiring the lights. We also ventured out to the art nouveau district, one of the most concentrated areas of this architecture in all of Europe. We also learnt that Latvia has approximately 40% native Russian speakers hence it was worth trying a Russian restaurant for dinner one night, this resulted in some delicious beef stroganoff, creamy cod and some standout pelmeni dumplings.

    📌 One other dining highlight of Riga was eating at a mediaeval restaurant housed in a former cistern, where the waiters were servents, the food was very old fashioned and the atmosphere was very cool! We enjoyed rabbit stew, chicken, legumes and some delicious dark beer. The concept was very cool.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Vilnius

    Dec 3–6, 2024 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    📌 We travelled to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania via a beautiful Christmas decorated train. Vilnius was much larger than Kaunas, and it has the largest old town in the Baltics due to Lithuania once having the crown of the largest country in Europe in the past.

    📌 Vilnius was lovely to walk around, we were lucky with no rain but unfortunately no snow. The days were short but once it was dark, around 4pm, the Christmas lights and trees looked amazing! Many shops and hotels had decorated their front windows. The Christmas market in the centre was smaller than other cities but it didn't need to be large as the tree was grand and the surrounding buildings were beautiful.

    📌 We had some delicious meals in Vilnius, we went all out at a steak/grill restaurant, we had some traditional Lithuanian, and we enjoyed some Georgian also! The carbs however were starting to become an effort, as our appetites were so quenched, the next meal felt like it needed to be many hours away.

    📌 Our few days included some visiting of a former KGB government prison/office which provided an interesting history of Lithuanian occupation. Additionally, we visited an old Lithuanian and Soviet prison used as a set in stranger things, now converted to a bar/restaurant and art space.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Kaunas

    Nov 30–Dec 3, 2024 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    📌 We flew out of tiny Liverpool airport late on Saturday night to arrive in Lithuania. Luckily we were able to enter the EU, our lack of knowledge of the Schengen visa, almost resulted in us spending too much time in the EU over the last 180 days and therefore entry could have been denied, we had about 10 days leeway. Of course it was Chloe that was questioned, and I went straight through 😂

    📌 We were staying in an old building from the 1900s used by the shipping community, apparently we were in the captains mistress quarters. The weather was cold, as expected, but it was still nice to wander around Kaunas. It was quite a small city but it was lovely, the Christmas decorations and nice lit up trees and streets added to the winter charm.

    📌 We also visited a labour camp/fort that became a concentration camp during the Nazi regime. It was interesting to see how another part of Europe was affected by the war, adding another layer to what we have already seen and learnt in the past year. In the evening's we enjoyed the small Christmas market, some breweries and we sampled the local Lithuanian foods, which we are not overly enthusiastic for, given the amount of potato/carb Europe we have been travelling of late.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Preston

    Nov 11–30, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    📌 A second stint at Bamber Bridge vets between travelling. It was nice to go back to a clinic that I was familiar with, where I knew everyone. This Airbnb was a little closer, it was okay, but it was nice to stay and suss out Preston also.

    📌 We had a busy few weeks planned, we visited Manchester to see London Grammar, starting with some incredible Pho and then heading to the AO arena. The show was great, it was a combination of powerful vocals and electronic synths accompanied by mesmerising visuals. It was well worth seeing them, the highlight of the night was Baby it's You ofcourse!

    📌 I did some big stints of work, 5-6 day weeks which was good to boost the savings. We managed to fit in a visit to Bradford for the Book of Mormon show. It was hilarious and it was another bucket list show we had been hoping to see for a long time. Chloe didn't get any good shifts sent her way so she's still the stay at home woman, which is great as she's been cooking up some great dinners when I get home in the cold! The weather has started to turn, some mornings on the way to the gym have been -4, the sun has been rising around 8 and setting just before 4pm. The nights now feel much longer when I finish at 7.

    📌 Preston was a nice place, it was, again, a little rough around the edges, but we enjoyed it overall, the park nearby was beautiful, the doughnut and coffee shop was great on the weekend, and the clinic was one of my favourites so far. I will likely go back for some shifts next year!    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Algarve Region

    Nov 9–11, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    📌 The end of our trip concluded with a beautiful coastal stay in the Algarve region. We stayed in Lagos and had amazing weather, it was to be in a sunny 25 degrees whilst the UK was having 8 degrees and rain. 😸

    📌 We made it down to the coast on quite a nice high speed rail service, one of the nicest we had seen so far in Europe. We picked up a car and headed to a nice waterside town for lunch where we tucked into some delicious indian. The Goan curry was elite (the backstory being that Portugal colonised Goa, hence the influence and recipes made it back here). We then enjoyed the afternoon visiting some coastal beaches and cliffs before checking into our accommodation with great views of the water. Dinner was a highlight, a small Italian restaurant where we waited in line with Prosecco before being treated to delicious food in which all ingredients were imported from Italy.

    📌 Our full day started with coffee and brunch, we then headed for a nice late morning walk along the coastal cliffs, before going for a dip. A swim in the Atlantic was a first, it was also a cold one but quite refreshing. It was likely the last swim we would have for another 6 months 😫😬. We then jumped in the car, headed to another small town for a light lunch before heading to a local winery for afternoon drinks. We continued the night with a few beers at a local brewery and one last Piri Piri chicken dinner 😋. A fantastic few days to finish the trip before heading back to the cold and gloomy UK.    Read more

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    Lisbon

    Nov 5–9, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    📌 Lisbon felt like a much busier city, we initially took a while to gain some bearings, perhaps because we arrived in the evening. Dinner was on the agenda, but we first found a wine bar nearby and enjoyed some more cheap Portugese wines. We then were lucky enough to stumble across a delicious traditional Portugese family run restaurant in a small side street.

    📌 We decided it was time for a walking tour, so day 2 involved a coffee and Portugese tart, a wonder around the main area and a visit to a food market hall. The weather was elite, much better than the UK. I enjoyed an informative walking tour, however, to Chloe's despair, 3.5 hours of walking was too much ☺️ Tonight's agenda was some more Piri Piri chicken, this one was delicious and it was again, another nice night to sit out on the streets in the warm evening.

    📌 Day 3 was a short train ride to Sintra, a former area where the wealthy would escape to avoid the hot Lisbon summer. The historical area was decorated with unique colourful castles and palaces, as well as lush manicured gardens. The main palace was super busy, but it was worth visiting the area, particularly as the architecture was something new to us.

    📌 Portugal were one of the largest colonisers, hence a variety of cuisines exist in Lisbon from their former colonies. This meant we had a great opportunity to try some new cuisines, so we headed to a Mozambique restaurant for some delicious Curry and spicy chicken. The next night we did the same and headed out for Brazilian Churrasco (bbq) that was all you can eat. We left that place pretty full to the brim! 🤤 Overall, it was another great city with beautiful food and wine being the main takeaway.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Porto to Lisbon Roadtrip

    Nov 4–5, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    📌 We picked up a car in Porto and had a few stops to visit over the next few days. Portugal isn't a huge country so we were able to take our time between stops, plus explore with no constraints.

    📌 We first stopped in Batalha to get brunch, coffee and look at a monastery from the 1400s. We then headed to Tomar, another small Portugese city that is renowned for its Roman gothic convent that was founded by the Knights Templar of the 12th century. The convent was interesting to walk through, it had unique styles that we had not come across on our travels yet, it was also reasonably quiet which made for a peaceful visit.

    📌 We spent the evening in Tomar old town, where we found a great wine bar serving 2.50 euro wine with great service. The guest house we were staying in was also a cool renovated space that was nice to come back to after a long day.

    📌 On day 2 of driving we found another small town with a local market, a beautiful park and some delicious coffee (Chloe was pleased). We then headed to nearby Obidos, a well preserved medieval walled town from around the 1200s. It was very geared towards tourists but it was nice to walk around the narrow colourful streets and along the fortified walls. Finally, before heading into Lisbon, we visited a coastal town which attracts international surf competitions, it wasn't the greatest afternoon for weather, so we did a coastal drive and enjoyed the surroundings from the car ☺️.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Porto

    Nov 1–4, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    📌 A getaway to Portugal between shifts started in Porto. We didn't really have any preempted expectations for Portugal besides eating new foods, so we had a blank canvas which was nice. After staying at an airbnb near Manchester airport with a super friendly and interesting host we arrived in Porto on an early morning flight. We headed for coffee and tucked into some Portuguese tarts (we would soon learn they all seem to differ slightly between bakeries). We then continued our hunt for local food and with great satisfaction, we align with Portugal with our love for sandwiches!

    📌 We wondered around Portugal throughout the days, winding up and down the narrow hilly streets, some quiet and some super busy! The river side areas were busy and nice to stroll along, as well as the views from the top of each side. We ate cod cakes and drank port, we enjoyed craft beer and we drank great coffee.

    📌 The second night involved a food tour, planned for our 4th anniversary. It started in a famous porto market and was composed of about 12 people, Americans, Dutch and us. The tour took us around the market trying wine and cured meats, we then headed for a few restaurants, one for sandwiches and wine, and another for cod fritters and rice with wine again. Overall the tour was pretty good and allowed us to learn some of the culture of Porto and Portugal.

    📌 A few other worthy notes from Porto were eating the famous franchesina sandwich (a cheese covered multiple meat sandwich) which is worth having once. Additionally, enjoying craft beer overlooking the city and also finding a delicious freshly made Portugese tart that was the best one we had in Porto.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Blackburn

    Oct 9–31, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    📌 Job number 3 was in Bamber bridge, which meant we were staying in nearby Blackburn, a little bit closer to Manchester, where we had an Airbnb. The train rides proved a fun lottery as sometimes they'd randomly be cancelled and you'd have to wait an hour to travel 10 minutes. Overall, the job was pretty relaxed and the team were easy to work with.

    📌 The Airbnb was okay, it was a nice view from the top floor, decent space and very central which was handy. Blackburn is quite a historical town but evidently it has been neglected over the years. The area has a large population of Pakistanis, hence we had to go to a local Pakistani restaurant, it was delish and of course Chloe ordered spicy, rather then medium, which is always fun to watch 🥵☺️

    📌 We were keen to get amongst the locals, so we headed to the local football, Blackburn vs Swansea, playing in the UKs 2nd division. It was a pretty uneventful game but a good atmosphere, cheap tickets and a day with nice weather for once. We then backed this up a day later and went into Manchester to watch Manchester City vs Aston Villa Womens where some of the Matilda's players were playing!

    📌 True to form we also found a few music gigs to attend whilst back in the UK, Jack Botts in Manchester was a great gig basically in a room full of Aussies. On another weekend we headed to Leeds for the final tour of Sum 41 which was elite!    Read more

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    Prague & Český Krumlov

    Oct 4–9, 2024 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    📌 The last stop of the trip, Czech republic. We caught the train and were keen to explore beautiful Prague. It was nice to have a new cuisine on offer so we went for a renowned Czech dumplings restaurant up front and it was great! Mushroom stuffed potato dumplings and then sweet coconut and plum dumplings for dessert!

    📌 We relaxed in Prague, had breaky out a few times and enjoyed the great coffee and cafe scene! We found a few wine bars (+ had cheese) and got stuck into the beers also as the alcohol was so cheap. The square, the streets, the bridge have been mostly unscathed through history so the old town is fabulous to walk through. We enjoyed some stops at the bakeries which serve Profiterole like Czech desserts which were delicious. The food highlight of the trip was probably eating at a traditional Czech restaurant a little out of town which served dark beer honey gravy beef cheeks and duck! It was delicious 🤤

    📌 Part of the trip included a night in Cesky Krumlov, about 2 hours away, a beautiful small mediaeval UNESCO town built around a river and castle. We had a great accommodation, we enjoyed a wander around the pretty quiet streets which was lovely and Chloe probably had the best cake of her life, a Bischoff layered cake!

    📌 On our last day we went back to a burger place I loved from 2017 and it was still just as good! We enjoyed some delicious Vietnamese and we managed to fit in one more sweet Czech treat with tea. It was definitely worth adding a few days to see a bit of Czech, we would both go back for sure!    Read more

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    Berlin

    Sep 30–Oct 4, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    📌 Our last stop in Germany, Berlin! We were visiting to go to a gig and also to chill as we didn't really have many plans. We were staying a little out of the city in a cosy quite nice Airbnb that unfortunately had a few too many daddy long legs in it, luckily after clearing them out Chloe didn't see any more.

    📌 We went on a walking tour around Berlin in some very cold weather but it was quite good and informative for a place of such historical significance. We visited the east side gallery of the Berlin Wall and also the museum of the 3rd Reich/nazi regime which was a further insight into history that we hadn't picked up so far in this year's travels. The berlin wall was quite mesmerising, to be present around such a significant structure in history that didn't really fall that long ago. We were finally able to grasp it's meaning after not really knowing much about it before visiting.

    📌 We were kind of over German food so Berlin was all about eating good food in cool restaurants. We had a burger from an old toliet under a bridge, we went and had Indian ofcourse, a cool pizza place, some dumplings which reminded us of home and a delicious ramen bar. We wandered around an old abandoned airport that was once the largest in Europe and we mostly just relaxed. The highlight of Berlin was the purple disco machine gig, it was in an old American army hall and the atmosphere was great. It was a very groovy enthusiastic gig with lots of lights and dancing 🕺😍.    Read more

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    Munich

    Sep 25–30, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    📌 After a long drive and day sightseeing we made it to Munich to be welcomed by Wolfger, our new host for the next 5 days. As we learned throughout the stay, Wolfger was about 70, lived in Germany as a art and culture lecturer/academic. He showed us all these books he'd written including one on the 1500 sausages of Germany. He gave us breaky every morning (often including sausages) and he even lent me his jacket for Octoberfest.

    📌 As usual we started with a walking tour, which was quite interesting, Munich was super busy for the Octoberfest which started due to a wedding celebration in 1810. We then met up with Anthony Dario and Monique for a drink in the festival which was a great catch up but also a nice intro into the festival before going the next day.

    📌 Friday was the day for the event, we rented some traditional lederhosen and dirndle clothing, Wolfger gave me a jacket and we were off at about 12. We hung out with some Norwegians for the first few hours of the day and as a few more drinks were drunk conversations with randoms became more flowing including some Texans, Israelis and Italians. We ended up visiting a few more tents and eventually settled in the hofbrau tent which is known for mostly internationals. At times it was hard to get a place but we eventually found a table and stayed there for hours, hanging out mostly with Australians and Germans in the end. It was a very rowdy night of broken shoes, singing and a lot of talking rubbish.

    📌 The next day was a a tough get up at 5am, it was Brisbane vs Sydney and we were watching at Ned Kelly's Bar. A few tactical vomits and we watched at a very packed pub as the lions got over the line!! Unfortunately no celebratory beers were had 🤮☺️ We went and found some coffee and then some Vietnamese pho to help the hangovers. The rest of the day was napping and not doing much was perfect, finishing the day with Mexican was delish. We then finished the trip with some exploring of the churches, a few palace gardens and one last traditional Bavarian meal. Munich will definitely be a highlight of our travels and Octoberfest was definitely a bucket list item worth doing.    Read more

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    Switzerland: Engadine Region

    Sep 23–25, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    📌 The last area of Switzerland to visit was the south east, quite close to the Italian border so there was a lot of Italian influence. We stayed in an Airbnb that was a homestay for the last 3 generations. They had the wood heater warming the place, creating a very cosy accommodation.

    📌 The weather was not great but we headed out to explore St Moritz where we tried the local nut tart, wandered around the blue lake and then headed for a short walk around the alpine lakes of the area.

    📌 Our final full day involved an earlish get up to go and walk to the mountain hut where we would be staying overnight. Boval hut was located next to and overlooking the Morteratsch glacier and the Diavolezza. The walk up was short, about 5km, and we arrived around midday for lunch and then some beers and plum pie. We enjoyed the afternoon looking over the glacier, eventually retreating inside as temperatures dropped and it snowed. The sun came out for sunset and we enjoyed some more beer and a hut cooked dinner which was interesting, cheesy risotto, cheesy pork and some beans. Sleep was cold and chilly but the bedding was quite warm, the morning was perfect, super clear and calm, it was lovely to watch the sun come up over the mountains.

    📌 A big day ahead, we hurried down to the car, headed for the German border and had a few castles to see before heading to Munich. We managed to see all the sites, some beautiful castles and the incredible linderhof palace before getting to Munich around dinner time.    Read more

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    Switzerland & Liechtenstein: East Region

    Sep 21–23, 2024 in Liechtenstein ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    📌 We started the day heading to Zermatt, a car free town that builds it's own electric cars and sustains itself, however it is most famous for the Matterhorn or the Toblerone mountain. The clouds were surrounding the Matterhorn so we decided to wander the town, have a coffee and relax instead of hiking. We also tuned in to the Brisbane vs Geelong prelim which was an insane finish!

    📌 We were heading more east so we had to travel over a few alpine passes, the furka pass was one of these, one of the most picturesque passes in the world that has featured in a few movies including James Bond. The pass was beautiful and also anxiety inducing for Chloe as the roads were quite narrow and with very steep edges with little barriers.

    📌 The next day we headed to Pizol, a local mountain of the area that had some cool hiking, we headed up on the ski lifts but found out the whole trail was closed. We were still able to hike to the highest point to see a few of the lakes, it was quite a snowy path but it meant the views and the lakes were very beautiful. It was a tough descent down, sometimes we chose to slide rather then walk as it was easier ☺️

    📌 Since we had half a day, we decided to head to Liechtenstein, a small monarchical country between Germany, Switzerland and Austria that was about 15 minutes from our accommodation. It was bizarre to enter such a small country where the king still lives in the royal Castle on the hill. We got a souvenir, wandered around the quietest capital city ever and had an ice cream. Overall an interesting little detour.    Read more

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    Switzerland: Valais Region

    Sep 19–21, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    📌 We departed our Airbnb early as we wanted to beat the crowds to the popular oeschinensee lake walk. We arrived and found the lake still pretty quiet with some keen hikers also there. The walk was tough, it was only approximately a 7km loop but it was steep and through patches of snow or crossing waterfalls, so it was quite technical and easily quite dangerous. Despite this, it was an amazing walk, the steep cliffs and beautiful blue lake was awesome, even though recent snow had made it harder, it added an extra layer of beauty on the landscape.

    📌 We finished the walk feeling quite satisfied and interested in the drive ahead, in order to get to the Airbnb we were getting the car on a car train. We drove on the train, you sit in the car and then the train essentially drives straight through a mountain range for about 15 minutes in pitch black. It was fascinating that we were travelling under huge mountains and we popped out the other side saving us hours of driving.

    📌 The main reason for visiting the valais area was to do the aletsch glacier hike. We started early again and had another day of great weather. The glacier was insane, it is about 20km long and 1km deep. We walked alongside it for about 5km whilst being able to see many 4000+m peaks. Given the weather was good we decided to detour to the top of one of the smaller mountains, the eggishorn at 2927m. It was a tough steep and slow climb with very rewarding views of the glacier and surrounds. We had to hurry down in order to make the last cable car but it was very well worth it, we finished the day doing about 20km hiking, so we're quite exhausted.    Read more

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    Switzerland: Interlaken Region

    Sep 16–19, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌫 1 °C

    📌 We started the day with another pastry and baguette to go before leaving France, we shopped on the French side to avoid spending Swiss CHF . We drove into Switzerland with no border checks and headed for the Airbnb, it was a great apartment however we soon realised it had no wifi, I was at fault as I had booked it 🤫😄

    📌 The next morning we got up early and headed for Lauterbrunnen valley, a famous destination. We arrived semi early but the place was already super packed, something we usually avoid and had been avoiding in recent travels. It was lovely to walk through the valley though, and the crowd soon thinned out. We made our way past many waterfalls, up and under one and then into some waterfalls inside caves. The sound of the cows grazing with their bells swinging was a nice background noise amongst the lovely surrounds.

    📌 Day 2 we decided to head for Grindelwald, another famous area. We decided to hike and summit the Faulhorn at 2681m. Uncommon to us, most hikes start with a scenic cable car to a base where the hikes or activities start. We headed up to the Faulhorn which was about 5km and we were rewarded with awesome 360 views of the Alps, the weather really turned it on. The summit was the location of a hotel now mountain hut from the 1800s, hence we enjoyed our chips with a beer looking out over the Alps. This hike was phenomenal, one of the best views we have seen. We had a brief look around Grindelwald and Interlaken but nothing too special to note about these towns compared to the surrounding views from above.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    France: Alsace region part 2

    Sep 15–16, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    📌 The Alsace region was so beautiful it required two posts. On day two, the goal was to visit more of the small towns dotted amongst the wineries and hills. There were many beautiful places and a lot of delicious food to taste. We started the day with pastries of course, delicious croissants from a boulangerie!

    📌 We visited Eguisheim, Riquewirh and Ribeauville. All beautiful towns that had also featured or won the most beautiful town in France at some point. Out favourite was Riquewirh, the main street was straight out of Hansel and Gretel basically. We ate macaroon coconut cookies, we had wine and cheese, we ate regular macaroons and we were pretty much done after that for a bit. Particularly after eating Munster cheese which was a very strong pungent cheese from the area, a very different pungent compared to blue cheese.

    📌 We ended the day with finding a spot looking over the vineyards and then we headed into Colmar to a Michelin star Alsace region restaurant. The service was great, the food was excellent and it was well worth it. French cuisine is not our favourite but we appreciated the flavours and freshness of the food. Chloe particularly enjoyed her lava cake which my translation resulted in me getting an ice cream cake rather than the warm one I was expecting (a kugelhopf).    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    France: Alsace Region part 1

    Sep 14–15, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    📌 We crossed the border into France and had a brief visit in Strasbourg, the start of the Alsace region. We visited the super detailed cathedral, we wandered around the small canals lined with the beautiful wooden houses and it was lunch time which meant seeking out a French bakery. A delicious baguette and an incredible extra large macaroon went down a treat.

    📌 We then headed further south into the Alsace region where we stopped in the afternoon in Kayersberg, a town that won most beautiful town in France a few times. We wandered around, looking at the lovely houses and shops, which are extra special with all their flowers around the windows. The afternoon was lovely and as we got hungrier made our way to the accommodation before heading into Colmar, one of the larger towns of the region. It was super busy but again it had lovely canals, we struggled to find an open restaurant as they were all full. We eventually found a cosy french restaurant serving delicious food.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Rhine and Mosel River

    Sep 12–14, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    📌 We picked up a car in Dusseldorf and headed along the Rhine, one of Europe's large rivers dotted with quaint towns, wineries and castles, so many castles!

    📌 We visited Schloss Drachenburg which was one of the most beautiful castles we saw with the fancy interiors and lovely views over the water. Being German castles some of them had been involved with the Nazis and thus had sustained damage and repairs over the 100s of years. We also visited Koblenz where the Rhine and Mosel river divide which turned out to be significant as this was where the east and west Germany border ran. We ended our day on the Mosel river where we stayed at a German woman's guesthouse which felt very local and comfortable.

    📌 The second day started with a run followed by a drive back to the Rhine where we headed further south, we visited cochem castle, a very grand castle overlooking the river which had beautiful gardens and many towers. We then drove along the beautiful valley past many wineries to Burg Eltz. A castle that has been owned by the same family for 35 generations since the middle ages, it was not as extravagant inside but the presence of it amongst the forest was very cool. We finished the day in Rudesheim, another beautiful Rhine town, where we had some more local wine and German food. The Rhine is beautiful, the Mosel is quieter and more quaint, both are high recommendations of ours, as it's picturesque and characteristic fairytale Europe.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler
    1

    Dusseldorf

    Sep 11–12, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    📌 A short detour via Dusseldorf for one night as it was close to Cologne and it was one of their rivals, plus they also brewed their own beer. We were staying right in town but stupid me booked a room that had single beds, assuming they would just join them like the rest of Europe usually had done before. This was not possible as there was a small wall in between, luckily it was only one night so Chloe didn't kill me ☺️

    📌 We wandered around the docks/river area known for its modern architectural art buildings, we tried some of the Altbier which we decided was second to Kolsch as it was darker and not as smooth and we then visited the famous little Tokyo area. I guess being so far from Asia, Asian food is more difficult to come by and this area was super busy, all in all though, we enjoyed ramen and some dessert. Dusseldorf was a worthy side trip and a nice comparison to Cologne.    Read more

  • Steven CoeLiving In the UK Part 1Traveler

    Cologne; The start of a new trip

    Sep 8–11, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    📌 Manchester to Cologne was surprisingly smooth despite train disruptions in the morning, a visit to Huddersfield was a nice detour.

    📌 We arrived in Germany hungry for a hearty meal, the weather was better then the UK but still comfort food weather. Cologne is famous for Kolsch, a beer only brewed in the city boundaries as they need to be able to see the cathedral to brew it legally. So naturally we went looking for Kolsch and we enjoyed it's delicious light taste with some sausages and codon bleu. The Kolsch was highlight, they come in 0.2l glasses and the server continues to refill unless you place the coaster on top.

    📌 Day 2 we wondered around the different quarters, cologne is super multicultural due to a post war treaty that gave people citizenship if they came to rebuild. This was highlighted in the walking tour with an American who'd been embraced by the city once he migrated. It was obvious that the city was cool, accepting and unique. Apparently they have the biggest carnaval in Europe. We ended day 2 with some beers, bratwursts and pork knuckle, German food was going down a treat after long days.

    📌 On our last full day in cologne we ventured out on the tram to Bruhl Palace, a extravagant palace for the archbishop's back in the day. The inside was insane, particularly the entrance hall, it was also lovely to walk around as nobody was really there. Our last food adventure out was to get the biggest schnitzel in cologne, the restaurant was pumping and we sat at the bar, sinking 10 Kolsch beers and eating Schnitzel that wouldn't fit on the plate 😋    Read more

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