Steven Coe

Steven Coe

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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Ireland: County Clare
Jun 20–23, 2025 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
📌 A few chilled days around country Clare staying with Clara's parents and getting a real feel for country Ireland life. Their house was on a beautiful edge of the estuary, allowing great views of the water on a quiet farm road. John and Assumpta were so lovely, serving us breakfast every morning and making us feel right at home.

📌 We were fortunate enough to have a local tour from John around nearby Scattery island, this involved a row out on the boat he was part of making. It was a great experience rowing out to the island and wandering around, there was some fascinating history but the best part was simply just enjoying the day without sightseeing or rushing around. We all then went out for dinner that evening, earning a few pints and a delicious meal, including Chloe's long awaited mussels.

📌 Whilst in Clare, we explored the Wild Atlantic way, we visited Galway for a wander and some drinks, a brief stop at The Cliffs of Moher and we enjoyed sitting around the comfortable house listening to John's history lessons on boating, Ireland and the locals ☺️Read more
TravelerBeautiful shots mate. Wish we hit up west Ireland coast
7/4/25Reply
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Reading
Jun 1–20, 2025 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
📌 A short but jam packed little stint around reading and surrounds. The place we were staying was character building, quite a dingy Airbnb without a living room and often being shared with loud or strange other guests. It was in a bit of an awkward place but fortunately I had a bike and in the end it was only 2.5 weeks. One guy was particularly interesting, he would spend the whole day in his room and we never saw him eat, he'd have a tea and then go back upstairs 🤔

📌 On day 1 at my new clinic our suspicions were confirmed and mum and dad rocked up to the clinic, I was onto them kind of but didn't think they'd come to work, plus I was already in unfamiliar territory so I was a little thrown off by that too 😂 They were to spend the next 3-4 days in the area, which meant a pub trip and a couple of nights hanging out in their superior apartment. Additionally Chloe also went for a little adventure around the Cotswolds with them on a nice day trip. It was a great "surprise" and it meant the upcoming trip to Italy/Netherlands would be extra fun which motivated me to work.

📌 Another weekend we headed into London and met up with Katie, we had a wander around Hackney, the canals and then headed out for a Sunday roast. It was a treat and also lovely to see another inner suburb of London rather than just central. The vibes around the inner London suburbs when the sun is out are pretty crazy, the Britt's definitely make the most of a sunny day.

📌 Overall reading was okay, probably one of our least favourite stays, but atleast work was pretty chill, and it was short stint. We were also keen to get summer travelling, so that made it feel longer ☺️Read more
Travelerloved the surprise, 6 months of planning all worked out. Dad and I were so happy to see you, and spend those 4 days with you both. Looking forward to Amsterdam & Italy xx
6/18/25Reply
TravelerWhat an awesome update to read! So happy the surprise worked out, love it 👍🏾❤️
7/4/25Reply
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
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Glencoe
May 30–Jun 1, 2025 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
📌 Our last stop in Scotland, we headed out to the west Highlands to do a little more hiking. So far we'd been fortunate with the weather but that changed for the last few days. We were staying at a lovely guesthouse with a great view of the loch across from the house.

📌 We headed out in the afternoon for a small hike into a valley, where there was a history of clans fighting one another. It was a nice walk through some forest and waterfalls and it meant on a return, a well earned beer at a awesome brewery in the town. We had a few craft beers, some delicious wood fired pizzas and relaxed.

📌 The next day we planned a strenuous hike up one of the local munroes, it was a bit of a race against the weather and as we finished what felt like 90 mins of straight ascent, it started raining 😆 A quick few minutes at the summit and we got back down, nice and wet with smelly shoes and ready to get dry. We'd been fortunate enough with weather until now so it didn't really matter. We ended up at the brewery for a few more drinks. We ended the day at a great pub, had a chat with a couple of Americans in their 60s that were still out doing hiking holidays and finished with a good pub meal.Read more
Traveler Beautiful
6/9/25Reply
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Isle of Skye
May 28–30, 2025 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
📌 We enjoyed our drive up to Skye through the highlands, it was lovely driving past all the lochs and Skye was definitely more mountainous. We checked in at a very cool hostel, it was star wars and movie themed with lots of interesting nice nacs and wonderful people. We spent the afternoon at a pub down the road, it was a pretty remote area with single roads, so it felt like we had really stepped out of the bustling cities of the UK we were used to.

📌 The plan in Skye was to hike, so on our full day we were blessed with great weather and the plan was to tackle 2 of the most beautiful hikes, firstly we started early at the Quiraing, a loop hike onto a table with beautiful views over the sea and surrounding mountains. Despite being only 1000m high munroes/mountains, they are quite rugged and therefore appear high and large to the surrounding sea level. It was a lovely walk. We then headed to a small town near the coast down the road and tucked into a delicious lunch at a cafe giving off coastal Aussie cafe vibes. The afternoon was then spent with a quick visit to the beach at low tide to see the 170 million year old fossilised dinosaur footprints which was pretty cool. We then headed onwards to do short 1-2 hour hike around The Old Man of Stor, the characteristic isle of Skye picture.

📌 We explored Portree, Skye's biggest town which was still quite small, where we enjoyed a late afternoon drink before heading back to the hostel and cooking up some pasta to restore the carbs after a day of hiking. A short stay in Skye was lovely and it is definitely one of the nicest areas in the UK.Read more
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Inverness
May 27–28, 2025 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 13 °C
📌 A short stop in Inverness on the way to the Isle of Skye. We visited the loch Ness of course and stopped in Inverness for a drink at a distillery. The drive into the highlands was beautiful and you could start to see the appeal for Scotland road trips.

📌 We actually ended up staying in a town (Drumnadrochit) which held some history around the lake, one of the first supposed reported Nessie sightings was around here. We were staying in a lovely guest house right next to a pub so we headed across for a beer garden drink in the sun and a little dabble in the local whisky which was okay but we definitely weren't going to go out of our way to try whiskey distilleries. We tucked into a local meal which included some haggis and this was actually quite nice! It was a nice little afternoon and evening stop to break up the drive to Skye and enjoy the nice weather.

📌 Ofcourse in Scotland, there are many castles, one of the highlights was the Eileen Doonan castle. Given we have been in many glamorous castles in Europe, we decided to just enjoy this one from the outside which was by accounts the best part anyway, the landscape was gorgeous.Read more
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Edinburgh
May 25–28, 2025 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 14 °C
📌 First stop in Scotland, we were keen to see if Scotland offered a different side to the UK. We wandered through Edinburgh old town and it was immediately easier to be able to communicate with people in English again, no stress or miscommunications. We were staying in a bit of a rundown area but it was a comfortable and quiet accom particularly given the prices in Edinburgh!

📌 Edinburgh has a lovely old town, with quite grand and unique buildings all overlooked by the castle. We wandered around one day after a morning stuck on the phone to Qantas (working out a flights home that they stuffed up). The castle, the lookout and Victoria Street were gorgeous.

📌 On our 2nd full day we were fortunate enough to have some good weather and we headed about 90 mins out to a seaside town to catch a boat to the Isle of May. The goal was to see puffins and we had a good day for it, 100k puffins use this island for breeding and we were there for peak season. They are such cute birds and watching them and the other birds ride against the wind was fascinating. Luckily we had a good day because getting out and back to land was a very rough journey, we have never been on a boat that rough, the waves were making the boat feel like a rollercoaster 🥴Read more
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Bordeux
May 22–24, 2025 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
📌 A short trip across the border into France, we were so close to Bordeux so we definitely weren't going to miss one of the most famous wine regions in the world.

📌 Another beautiful few days of weather and we enjoyed the outdoor vibes of the city, there were some lovely things to see including the grand french gates into the city and many beautiful french buildings amongst the narrow streets. Ofcourse we also explored the various bakery's whilst walking around the cities 🥐🥐

📌 One evening we found a few wine bars in the city and then enjoyed a delicious Italian meal that felt super authentic before winding up at a pub with darts, and ofcourse Chloe got competitive 😆.

📌 Another day we thought we best go into one of the smaller wine villages, we headed to Saint Emillion, one famous for merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. We visited one of the chateaus for a short tour, visiting the cellar, wine making sheds and learning some history. We then wrapped up the day with a wander around the town and a drink of some more local wines. The area was lovely, and it would be a great place to drive around visiting the small villages.Read more
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
San Sebastian
May 20–22, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
📌 Two nights in San Sebastian where the goal was to eat, eat and eat due to the city being one of the best food cities globally.

📌 We arrived around midday where we were blessed with another sunny day. The city was small and walkable and we immediately noticed the abundance of obnoxious british tourists ☺️ It was eventually worked out that they were all there for the Europa final between Tottenham and Man United in the adjacent city of Bilbao.

📌 Once again the city had beautiful architecture, narrow lanes in old town with many balconies, tapas bars and taverns lining them. The Basque region is an interesting place as they are autonomous with apparently the oldest European language that has no links to other European languages. There is also controversy as the Basque region apparently also want to seperate themselves from Spain and form their own state.

📌 We got out food hunt on whilst visiting, enjoying a variety of pintox at bars that seemed to each have a unique way of making different ones, more red wine and delicious coffees. Some of the highlights was a Bottega serving delicious basque cuisine including super soft octopus and salty garlic chicken wings! The other food highlight which we made the most of, was the Basque cheesecake, I think we had 4 cheesecakes over 2 days ☺️ Chloe had her last patatas bravas (as pictured) and next stop, France!Read more
TravelerThe food looks so good
5/25/25Reply
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Haro, La Rioja Wine region
May 19–20, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
📌 The next stop on our roadtrip, The La Rioja wine region where we were using Haro as our base. This area of Spain is famous for its abundance of high quality wineries, one of the best regions in Spain. The area was quite picturesque with small villages and small mountains on the horizon.

📌 Haro was fairly quiet but we were able to enjoy our afternoon there, we visited a couple of wineries on the outskirts of the town, which again were super cheap at 4-5 euros a glass and thus resulted in a couple of drunk idiots ☺️ As a result, food was on the agenda and we found a tasty Mexican meal at a no frills authentic gem of a restaurant.Read more
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Salamanca via Segovia
May 18–19, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
📌 We picked up a car in Madrid and begun a little road trip on our way to San Sebastian. The first stop was Segovia, this initial part of the day involved a beautiful drive through some beautiful forest and mountains. Segovia was of interest as it has one of the best preserved Roman aqueducts and upon arrival we were in awe of the size. It was amazing to see another structure that seemed incomprehensible to build in such a time. We spent a few hours in Segovia, quite a touristy place but none the less worth a wander.

📌 We then headed for Salamanca, another town a couple of hours away that is primarily a university town but has great examples of beautiful gothic and Roman architecture. We arrived in the afternoon, the sun was out, the city was comfortably buzzing but not busy. Once again we enjoyed a short wander and then some refreshing 2.50 euro Tinto de Verano in the cathedral square.Read more
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Madrid
May 15–18, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
📌 A fun 3 days in Madrid! We weren't sure what to expect of the Spanish capital but we thoroughly enjoyed it.

📌 The standout for us was eating our way through apparently, one of the best food cities of the world, and as seen in the photos, I think we agree. The market we visited on day one had soooo many tapas options, the shops around the various districts were elite and every tapas bar we would pop into for an afternoon snack or light lunch was excellent, particularly as they'd usually have wine or Tinto d Verano (sangria alternative) for 2-3 euros. One of the highlights was also a Asian fusion dinner in a cool bar with a daily rotating menu, the gochgang ribs will always exist in our memories 🤤

📌 Madrid was a super busy city, the architecture was lovely and the vibes in the sunny afternoons and evenings gave a true taste of the social life Europeans live. The streets and bars were always full, drinking was definitely more social rather than drinking to get drunk like Aussies. We also got a deeper insight into the city in a walking tour which as always was quite good, one stop including the oldest continuously running restaurant in the world, which seemed a little technical as it is apparently due to the wood fired oven being on since 1700s.

📌 One of the days we visited Toledo, about ,45 minutes from the city by train. An old walled city that was originally the capital. It was nice to wander around the streets, admire the alcazar and sit in a square having some drinks with the locals as a very busy tapas bar where little english was spoken, a fun challenge.Read more
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Seville
May 12–15, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
📌 The beauty of high speed rail, we travelled approx 900km in 5 hours and arrived in warm and sunny Seville around midday. We were now quite close to Africa and we were keen to see the remains of the former arabic influence on this part of Spain.

📌 The weather was perfect for our 3 days, we enjoyed relaxing days with tapas and wine, cold beers after walking around admiring the beautiful streets or afternoon sangria whilst waiting for dinner. One evening we found a delicious Mexican taqueria serving 1 euro tacos and 5 euro iced margaritas. Another evening we wandered into a more local neighbourhood and had a challenging time ordering tapas in broken Spanish, eventually getting a random assortment of tasty dishes.

📌 One of the main highlights was the plaza, a beautiful semi circular building with amazing detailed tiles and beautiful views. It was lovely to walk around admiring aspects of arabic influence, royal symbols and even seeing some elderly street flamenco dancers loving life. The city was beautiful to walk around in general, the colourful well maintained buildings and fascades, the random rustic tapas bars and the greenery amongst the streets.

📌 Another memorable experience was heading to the local football game, Seville vs Las Palmas. The game was a sea of red chanting passionately, and as the game neared to an end with the other team pushing to score an equaliser, the intensity went up another notch and the fans were going wild. It was an atmosphere people definitely imagine when thinking of such a passionate football nation.Read more
TravelerSounds amazing
5/15/25Reply
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Barcelona
May 9–12, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
📌 A late arrival into Barcelona was smooth and comfortable and it meant waking up to a whole day with perfect weather on Saturday. Everyone was out and about, the streets were closed, people were out at markets, cafes and enjoying the weekend. We grabbed a tasty coffee, something that seemed easy to come by in Barcelona. We were staying in a less central area so we wandered around on our way to the centre and came across a market serving wine with a DJ and people enjoying salsa. It was lovely to sit and people watch.

📌 Without any particular goal on day 1, we explored different quarters, enjoyed some drinks at a tapas bar and then eventually went out to a Valencian owned restaurant for paella. As expected the restaurants started to fill up around 9.30-10 and our 8pm booking was early ☺️

📌 On day 2 we had a bit more of schedule, a slow morning coffee enjoying another nice day, a quick peek at some of the buildings designed by Gaudi including the famous Sagrada Familia and then wander to the park at the top of Barcelona. We then continued our walking to an iconic chocolatier for some tasty churros before heading to a dingy local bar that was going crazy for the el classico Barcelona vs Real Madrid. Here we enjoyed a cold beer after a lot of walking before kicking off another boozy night of a brewery visit and a few more drinks with a delicious tapas dinner. Croquettes being a massive highlight 😍

📌 Barcelona was a huge yes from us, a great city with good vibes, good food and pedestrian friendly!Read more
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
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Roady To Manchester
Apr 18–19, 2025 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
📌 Easter weekend and with both of us having good Friday and Easter Saturday off, this meant going to get our summer clothes and dumping all the bulky thick clothing from winter. Given Chloe was in Oxford and I was in Eastbourne, train prices varied considerably, so we decided to hire a car and do a drive with a couple of short stops.

📌 I picked up a car early Friday morning from Gatwick airport and headed off to pick up Chloe. Once she'd worked out what clothes she wanted to part with, we headed off to Stow on the Wold, a small town in the Cotswolds that was reasonably close and worth a stop for a coffee and pastry. The Cotswolds was packed, and the roads were slow but it was a nice stop, the town was very quaint, the coffee was good and the pastries were awesome! Eventually we got out of the traffic but because we weren't going direct to Manchester, we didn't have a whole lot of freeway on the drive. As a result we winded our way through farmland, small towns and random suburbs. The next stop was just outside of Manchester, in the peak district. We enjoyed a late lunch in a beautiful pub in the small village of Castleton. The peak district was beautiful and driving through the winding roads and towns was lovely.

📌 Eventually we made it to Hebden Bridge, we parted with our clothes, sussed our Emily and Robbie's renovations and went out for some catch up drinks. As expected, several drinks turned into more and we were out till midnight which lead into eating in the lounge listening to drunk Emily and Chloe talk whilst Robbie was half asleep very drunk. Eventually I was able to drag Chloe out of there and we made it to the accommodation in Manchester by 2am. An early start the next day was not nice, I dropped Chloe off at the station and headed for a nearby clinic as I had picked up a shift. Thank God the shift was super easy, knocking off early I set off to drive the car back to the south. It was a smooth cruise straight down the centre of England accompanied by some karaoke and audiobooks. It was a moment of realization again, that I was just cruising in another country on the other side of the world, how lucky are we. The drive was quite beautoful as I took little detour into the hills for a bit as the sun was going down. Quite a hectic weekend, keen to get into bed for the next few days off work.Read more
Traveler Lunch looks delicious 😋
4/19/25Reply
Traveler Gorgeous
4/19/25Reply
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Living in the UK Part 2 Traveler
Eastbourne
Mar 31–May 9, 2025 in England ⋅ 🌙 7 °C
📌 The next chapter of work and exploring another part of the UK. This time I am working for a vets for pets, the equivalent of Green Cross which will be interesting. The goal was to work as many shifts as possible and accumulate a nice boost to savings before a big few months of travel. I was able to get a bike off marketplace which made getting around much easier. I scheduled in a few shifts in nearby towns such as Brighton and Lewes which meant seeing a few extra areas along the south coast also.

📌 Eastbourne was quite a nice coastal town, it seemed less built up then Brighton. The housing and some of the architecture was very nice, with large windows and colourful fascades characteristic to the south England coast. The sea front was lovely to ride along, especially on the way home as the sun was going down after a long shift. The sun was finally coming out and the weather was perfect to be on the coast.

📌 One weekend Chloe was coming down, I decided to do a short shift in Ashford and on my tight time frame to get back to the train, my bike broke, terrible timing, it was unfixable and I had to run a quick kilometre or so otherwise a post nightshift Chloe would have had to wait around atleast an hour 😬 Anyway, I made it and we enjoyed a wander around Eastbourne, having some drinks and some English style fish and chips, definitely missing the potato cakes and dim sims though! The next day we headed out of Eastbourne to see the iconic south downs at the seven sisters. We caught the bus out, wandered around as the sun came out, it was a beautiful landscape, the ocean contrasting against the white cliffs with some dotted yellow over the fields. We ended up at a beautiful pub by chance as we had just missed the bus. This was great in the end as we stumbled across a little village for a Sunday roast and dessert.

📌 Another weekend Chloe visited we decided to check out the nearby small village of Lewes for some of their classic pubs before heading into Brighton to continue our pub crawl. Overall, I quite enjoyed Eastbourne, it was hard work doing so many long shifts but it was worth it, the people were nice and we enjoyed some nice weekends around Sussex.Read more
TravelerSounds awesome
5/16/25Reply
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
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Visting Chloe in Oxford
Mar 29–30, 2025 in England ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
📌 It was quite a weekend of moving around, I finished up in Neath on Friday night and got the train to a Reading Airbnb for a Saturday shift in Andover. After an early rise Saturday morning, and a pretty cruisy 9-5 shift, I headed to Oxford to meet Chloe for dinner. We went out to a delicious burger place, and then enjoyed some beers at an local friendly pub.

📌 After much to catch up and a few drinks we headed back to Chloe's nursing accommodation where I had to sleep on the ground thanks to her tiny single bed ☺️ A few Guinness and a mattress of clothes made the going to sleep part easy, but there were a few sore shoulders the next morning.

📌 The next day we had about 6 hours before I had to head off to the coast for my work in Eastbourne. It was a beautiful day and all the effort to come to Oxford was worth it. It was beautiful to wander around the area with no purpose and admiring the buildings and shops. We enjoyed some more lunch together, the sunny weather, some delicious coffee and a lovely day. It was quickly time to get on the bus for the next chapter of work, me in Eastbourne whilst Chloe finished her next 6 weeks in Oxford.Read more
TravelerSounds like you had a beautiful time together 💙🩷 the area of Oxford looks amazing, the buildings and manicured gardens
3/30/25Reply
Traveler Nice x
3/30/25Reply
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
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Weekend around Wales
March 21, 2025 in Wales ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
📌 We had both planned the weekend off to go and see the wombats on their home soil and they were down in Cardiff. Chloe made her way to Neath and we headed off to explore Cardiff for the afternoon. We went and tried the renowned Welsh cakes at the Cardiff market where they were making 100s fresh in all different flavours, we had a quick peek at the castle and arcades and then we headed out for a couple of drinks at the breweries before the show.

📌 The wombats were excellent as usual, and it felt the crowd were really into the older songs which we loved, particularly given out experiences with UK crowds have been a little lacklustre. The show went for a good 2 hours and we left satisfied on a train full of drunks.

📌 The next day was quite sunny so we headed down to Swansea and then onto a little coastal section known as the mumbles, a little town adjacent to the Gower national park. We had a wander around the pier and enjoyed a a short walk along the rugged coast lined with beautiful yellow flowers. On Sunday we chilled out and enjoyed relaxing, it was another nice weekend together before Chloe headed back to Oxford, and also nice to see more of Wales before finishing up in Neath.Read more
Traveler Awesome
3/24/25Reply
Traveler 👋👋 Hi Chloe 👋👋
3/24/25Reply
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
Stockholm
Mar 7–10, 2025 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C
📌 We bid farewell to the snowy Lapland and the lovely swedes we met in Abisko, and headed for the warmer capital of Sweden. We arrived in the evening and headed out to a trendy restaurant/bar doing chicken in all kinds of ways. This meal was incredible, fried gochagang cauliflower, some of the best hot wings and an insight into the vibe of Stockholm.

📌 As we were in Stockholm for the weekend, the city was buzzing. We wandered around the beautiful waterside areas, the old town, and the trendy sodermalm. The cafes were great, everyone was out and about in the sunny crisp weather, the city had a very vibrant feel. We ofcourse had an afternoon drink in a busy bar that was even serving a home made cola known as Koala Kola of all things. That evening we enjoyed more delicious food at a tasty Mexican place that was getting us excited for the end of our year trip, going home via Mexico. We ended the night at a small microbrewery, enjoying some local Swedish brewed beers.

📌 Our final full day was relaxed, another sunny and clear day that involved a wander around the city. We finally got into the busy meatball restaurant, which was incredible food again! All kinds of Swedish meatballs that would melt in your mouth, served alongside delicious ligonberry jam and some of the best mashed potatoes. We enjoyed another walk through the old town before heading to the Vasa museum. This museum was based on a shipwreck that was submerged for 330 years from 1600s to the 1900s, where it was then surfaced and preserved. It was an incredible museum as the detail of the ship was amazing, the wood was intricately carved and would have been extremely colourful as the ship was one to show off the Swedish power and pride back then.

📌 We ended our trip on a high with a intimate and friendly wine bar, some tasty Italian food and an early night for our 7am flight the next day. Stockholm was a highlight, potentially one of my favourite cities in Europe and definitely in Scandinavia so far. One final memory was on departure where the immigration was the slowest and strictest we have ever seen!!! We ran to the plan with about 5 minutes until boarding, thank god we asked some people to skip the line, people definitely missed the flight being stuck in customs.Read more
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
Abisko, Swedish Lapland
Mar 5–7, 2025 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ -7 °C
📌 Our next stop on our chase for the northern lights was Abisko, in Sweden. In order to get there we had to bus down to the border and meet the artic train through the fjords. We caught the bus down to Narvik, a Norwegian town on the border surrounded by fjords. We enjoyed a beautiful seafood lunch whilst awaiting the train. Once on board the train we had 90 mins of one of the most beautiful train journeys I have ever been on. The train winded along the cliff side of stunning mountains alongside the fjords before passing through small villages blanketed in snow. Just before getting into Abisko, we spotted some moose and it's calf in the snow!

📌 We were welcomed to abisko with a beautiful small quiet town with only several accommodations, one supermarket and a huge frozen lake. Our accommodation was warm, it had a beautiful view, a Swedish couple and also a older Swedish woman staying there named Sanya, who was extremely nice and over the next 2 days would have long conversations with us. This eventually ended in her giving me a list of her favourite movies and her email in case we were ever in Sweden again.

📌 Whilst in Abisko we went down to the lake for the sunset, we enjoyed some cooking at the guesthouse and we caught the northern lights from the carpark on night 1. The next day was our big day, dog sledding started early where we drove to Kiruna. We put on our thermal suits as it was approximately -11 degrees and we were greeted by some very excited dogs who were very vocal about getting out to run. There were approximately 4 sleds and thus 40 or so very loud howling doggies. Chloe was at the front and sledding through the woods and open icy lakes was beautiful. We were able to then have Fika and cuddle the dogs halfway when we stopped at the lake. It was an amazing experience to see how the dogs worked together with the driver and how much stimulation they got from the exercise.

📌 That evening we headed out for a northern lights chase with the same company, as soon as we started the lights were showing so we made a short drive to the darker area outside of town. This is where we were treated to some absolutely amazing auroras, the whole sky was going, the corona was showing and even some red colouring. It was our last and best viewing yet! Abisko was definitely worth it, the nature, the remoteness and the beautiful lights!Read more
TravelerAmazing photos
3/12/25Reply
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
Tromso
Mar 2–5, 2025 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ -1 °C
📌 We were blessed with an incredible view as we flew into Tromso! The fjords and rugged snow capped peaks in the afternoon sun may be the most amazing plane landing view we have ever seen!

📌 We checked into our small but cosy accommodation hungry and ready to explore. We grabbed a cheap frozen pizza as eating out in Norway was not on the agenda. We then headed out of the city on a bus to try and catch the lights ourselves. There was a park a few KMs out of town with less lights but despite a clear sky, unfortunately our efforts of standing in the cold wind had no success. Day 2 involved a wander around town, the cloud cover was very thick so our enthusiasm for the night minibus chase was low! Despite this, we enjoyed a wander around the beautiful harbour, a few Norwegian hotdogs and a relaxing day.

📌 That evening we set out on our first guided aurora chase, this involved thermal suits and boots that keep people warm in negative 30, so we were super cosy. We left at 6pm and drove throughout Norway and headed into Finland in chase of clear sky. We had some small success in Finland but mostly the clouds seemed too thick or the aurora too faint. Despite this, we enjoyed a fire, some camp food and some quiet in the middle of finish Lapland. We ended up getting back at 4am!

📌 Our final full day involved a fjord minivan tour, the weather was a little clearer and it ended up being a fabulous tour. We drove towards some of the islands a few hours away, enjoying the views of the fjords, waterfalls and the small villages on the islands around the coast. That evening after dinner we went looking for the lights again but the chances were low and we didn't have much luck, so we headed for bed with hopes for Sweden.

📌Just before heading to bed Chloe had a look out the window in hope and saw some faint green. We rushed out with not much warm clothes on and suddenly the aurora dancing started! It lasted for about 2-3 minutes and included streaks and waves, it was beautiful and we were so fortunate to look out the window at just the right time! Tromso gave us one last show before leaving!Read more
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
Bristol for the night
March 1, 2025 in England ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
📌 A good flight option to Norway from Bristol meant a good excuse to see another city for a day. The weather turned out to be on point so it was a nice day to have a look around and enjoy a few drinks outside.

📌 We were staying a cheap shared Airbnb outside the city so we checked in and got ready to come back late that evening. We headed to the popular central market which was packed for lunch, it had a great variety of stalls where we ended up with a delicious Turkish wrap and Chinese milk buns. We then headed to Gloucester road, a strip of independent shops and pubs that had similar vibes to Fitzroy or Collingwood. Bristol was giving off a very trendy city which had a great vibe. Bristol is also the home of cider in the UK, so we headed to a cidery by the river doing so many ciders! It was great.

📌 Dinner involved another trendy bustling place at an authentic Cuban restaurant that was loud, cosy and delicious. They served beautiful rice, meats and great cocktails! Enjoying ourselves, we decided to kick on at a brewery along the river for another drink, another vibrant place with delicious beers. Bristol was definitely worth a visit before the airport and it would be a great city to get some work later in the year.Read more
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
Weekend in Bath
Feb 22–23, 2025 in England ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
📌 We both had the weekend off so we booked a night to meet up and explore Bath. It was so nice to see Chloe again after 2 weeks, it felt like we were dating again, living separately and meeting up for dinner and drinks ☺️

📌 We were blessed with a clear day so we made the most of it, wandered around Bath admiring the old gothic and Georgian architecture. We found some tasty sandwiches and headed for a park for a long lunch with lots to talk about. We then headed to the iconic Roman baths, and despite their costly entry, it was worth a visit as it was something we haven't seen a great deal of despite seeing lots of Roman ruins on this trip. After lots of reading, it was about time to go and wet the whistle, so we searched for a pub which was a little challenging as they were super busy watching the Wales vs Ireland rugby. We eventually found a cider house and enjoyed a drink before heading to the accommodation to get ready for an evening out.

📌 We started at a little wine bar that was cosy and warm, catching up on the weekly trivia we had missed whilst enjoying some cheese. We had a late booking so we enjoyed a few more drinks and then headed onwards to a napalese restaurant highly regarded in the area. We were seated on floor seats and cushions, and we were served a delicious aromatic lamb and chicken curry with daal, however, the highlight was the dessert, a delicious semi Freddo and chiya Icecream (similar flavours to chai).

📌 It was a lovely trip to bath, capped off by a nice brunch in the morning, a wander around some shops and a beer in another cosy pub. We parted ways at the station as Chloe headed to Oxford and me back to Neath, keen for a week's time where we are headed to Norway and Sweden!Read more
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
Wales: Working in Neath
Feb 8–Mar 31, 2025 in Wales ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C
📌 The next working chapter, we arrived back from Jordan, gathered our things over the next few days and Chloe headed to Oxford whilst I headed to Neath in Wales. We will be about 2 hours apart for the next 3 weeks, however working lots to keep us busy before heading to Norway. The best thing about Neath is the old but quiet and comfortable accommodation it comes with, saving us extra money for travels.

📌 I had a brief wonder around Neath on arrival, the Welsh language is very foreign but intriguing, the river alongside the town is lovely and the old castle from 1200 is a nice addition. The town is compact, has good access to supermarkets and a gym, and it will be nice to make day trips when Chloe comes to visit.

📌 Whilst working in Neath I picked up a few extra shifts around Swansea and also up in the hills which was a nice way to see a few more towns and experience the Welsh culture a little bit out of the city.

📌 My time in Neath and at Afon Vets came to an end quite quickly, time flew by and it was actually probably my favourite practice I have worked so far. The team were great to work with, the practice was busy and challenging and it was nice to feel social and have some fun at work. It was a sad departure, and I found myself hoping I'd get the opportunity to go back for another block of work.Read more
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
Jordan: Aqaba to Amman
Feb 2–6, 2025 in Jordan ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
📌 After a fairly chilly night in the dessert we were off to the resort town of Aqaba, a town in the south of Jordan on the red sea where you could see Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. We had another great hotel and the city had a really nice vibe about it, coffee shops and nice restaurants. We headed out on a bougie yacht to do some snorkeling, it was a nice 25 degrees and the water was super clear. It was quite interesting to be so close to so many borders, particularly as we were not allowed to film or photograph when near the Israeli border.

📌 The snorkeling was a little rough, it was also quite close to some man made structures which felt less picturesque, however it was surprisingly nice in the water. There were many colourful fish, including clown fish, some colourful corals and also many many purple harmless jellyfish which were majestic to watch floating around. We headed back and everyone was keen for a sunset drink on the rooftop before heading to a local seafood restaurant. After a pretty good feed we ended up at an English pub of all places for a few Jordanian beers.

📌 We had a long drive back to Amman where we stopped over in a small village for one of the best lunches we had on the trip. It was a local farming village where money was going into the education and development of the community. Once we arrived in Amman, we headed out for a farewell dinner, this was delicious, we had a huge sharing spread of dips, meats, rice, veges. It was another great meal, even though Chloe had to help with a mild anaphylaxis ☺️

📌 The last 2 days we chilled out in Amman on our own, we visited the citadel, had a great insight into the history of the middle east at the Jordan museum, enjoyed some coffee and some more delicious Jordanian food including a flaming Mansaf. It was kind of sad to be leaving Jordan as it was a great trip coming to an end. It was nice to have met people and seen a part of the world that we had always dreamed of, definitely somewhere everyone should visit.Read more
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
Jordan: Petra to Wadi Rum
Jan 31–Feb 2, 2025 in Jordan ⋅ 🌙 5 °C
📌 We arrived in Wadi Musa, where Petra is located, a small city with a nice hotel. The agenda on night one was to visit Petra by night, a candle lit display of the iconic treasury. We enjoyed a maqluba, a delicious dish of chicken, rice and vegetables all cooked together and then flipped upside down. We then headed off to Petra by night which was a beautiful experience, walking approximately 2km along a candle lit path through the canyon was amazing, particularly as it opens up into the candle lit treasury. We sat here for an hour or so listening to music and looking at the stars, it was a beautiful perspective of one of the wonders of the world.

📌 The next day we had another early start, which was tough, however, it meant that we were the first people into Petra in the morning. We learned about the Nabateans who inhabited the area, had the treasury and monastery to ourselves and we explore the colourful rock tombs. It was an amazing place and definitely a wonder, the size of the city and how they carved everything into rock in the middle of the dessert mountains was incredible to imagine. By the end of the day we had walked about 15km and we were glad that we had started early as we avoided the crowds and the peak sun.

📌 After a long day in Petra, we had decided to go ahead with the Turkish bath, something we skipped in Turkey but is popular throughout the former ottoman empire. It was a hilarious experience, I had never been exfoliated so roughly, and the massage was intense, he put all his effort in, unfortunately for Chloe and the girls (who are seperated), their experience seemed less authentic and a bit lackluster. It was worth doing to know what the traditional experience is like ☺️

📌 Our time in Petra came to an end after a well earned sleep in, we were heading to the nearby dessert of Wadi Rum for a night in dessert accommodation. We checked in and headed off for a sunset/desert 4wd exploration. The dessert was beautiful, the rock formations and colours were mars like and it only got prettier as the afternoon turned into sunset. It was obvious why films such as Dune, Star Wars and The Martian were filmed here. In the evening we had a traditional dessert meal, Zarb, where meat, rice and vegetables is cooked in the sand in a large barrel for hours. It was delicious and we were glad to have a fire in the cold dessert night, where it was made the most of by toasting marshmallows.Read more
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Living In the UK Part 1 Traveler
Jordan: Amman to Petra
Jan 28–31, 2025 in Jordan ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
📌 We departed Luxor into Cairo where we seperated from the rest of the group as about 6 of us were going onto Jordan. We had a long wait at the airport but eventually made it into Jordan. A fun side note, 2 people were questioned by police as they had binoculars and they're banned in Jordan. Our first impressions of Amman were that it was a lot cleaner, more organised and upmarket compared to Egypt.

📌 Our first full day started with a visit to Jerash, an old Roman city, one of the best preserved outside of Europe. It was lovely to walk around and admire the columns and streets. Our next stop was the resort area on the dead sea, it was a very unique experience as it sits 300m below sea level and hence you could feel the air pressure and increase in temperature. It was a fun afternoon, it's impossible to sink in the dead sea as it's 32% salinity creates great buoyancy, you can float so easily. The salty water burned if it got in your eyes or nose, and it felt oily, our skin felt very nice afterwards, particularly as we did mud bathing in conjunction. Additionally, it was also eerie being in this region as you could physically see the west bank and Israel from our side of the dead sea, a no go war zone. We finished the day with some cocktails and even a brewery, some rare finds in an Islamic country.

📌 Day 2 started early and we headed to some old religious sites of the Byzantine Empire to check out some mosiacs and apparently where Moses had died, mount Nebo. We then headed to an old fort that was mainly occupied by the crusaders around 1100 AD, as they attempted to convert the region from Islam to Christianity. We then drove further south into the desert where we headed to little Petra, this was a beautiful time of the day and the rock formations were lovely in the afternoon light.Read more
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