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Living in the UK Part 2
  • Steven Coe
  • Steven Coe

Living in the UK Part 2

The second volume of our adventures around the UK and the world as we work, live and travel the 10 months before our flight home. En savoir plus
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  • Début du voyage
    30 mars 2025
    Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Eastbourne

    31 mars–9 mai 2025, Angleterre ⋅ 🌙 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.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur
    11

    Roady To Manchester

    18–19 avr. 2025, Angleterre ⋅ ☁️ 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.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Barcelona

    9–12 mai 2025, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 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!    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Seville

    12–15 mai 2025, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 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.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Madrid

    15–18 mai 2025, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 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.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Salamanca via Segovia

    18–19 mai 2025, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 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.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Haro, La Rioja Wine region

    19–20 mai 2025, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 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.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    San Sebastian

    20–22 mai 2025, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 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!    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Bordeux

    22–24 mai 2025, 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.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Edinburgh

    25–28 mai 2025, Écosse ⋅ 🌬 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 🥴    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Inverness

    27–28 mai 2025, Écosse ⋅ 🌬 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.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Isle of Skye

    28–30 mai 2025, Écosse ⋅ ⛅ 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.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur
    1

    Glencoe

    30 mai–1 juin 2025, Écosse ⋅ ☁️ 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.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Reading

    1–20 juin 2025, Angleterre ⋅ ☁️ 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 ☺️    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Ireland: County Clare

    20–23 juin 2025, Irlande ⋅ ⛅ 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 ☺️    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Dublin

    23–25 juin 2025, Irlande ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    📌 After enjoying a few days in the countryside it was time to head to the capital, we headed via Ireland's oldest pub and potentially the oldest in the world, 900AD. Of course we enjoyed a pint of Guinness, one of many since arriving in Ireland. Driving through Ireland had been beautiful, the towns had so much character and colour, it also felt very country and quaint.

    📌 Dublin was also a beautiful quirky city with the highlights being the various pubs and their historical coloured fascades. We enjoyed a few more delicious pints over a few days, making the most of Guinness from the source. We also visited Whelan's where Robbie used to work, it happened to be an open mic night so lots of novice Irish artists were playing their songs which were a great listen.

    📌 Another great experience was onboard the Jeanie Johnson, a replica of a Irish famine ship ( which Steve helped build, the NZ guy we met whilst rowing) that travelled many times to the USA and Canada. It was interesting to hear the stories of the famine and incomprehensible how hard it must have been, it painted a clear picture as to why Ireland likes to separate themselves from the English, and why they are adamant on bringing their culture and language back.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Brussels, Ghent & Brugges

    25–28 juin 2025, Belgique ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    📌 Some people say Brussels is boring and not worth a visit, but we thought it was great! We were staying in a quirky Airbnb loft in a cool area with plenty of people enjoying the summer evenings. The central square of Brussels was extravagant and extra impressive as it was quite old compared to other rebuilt European squares. The beer and chocolate options were everywhere, the cafes were great and the dinner options were delicious including some West African one night and maybe one of the best burgers I've ever had another night.

    📌 We used Brussels as a base and headed out on some day trips, the weather was lovely and we enjoyed Ghent and Brugges. Ghent seemed larger and a little more modern but had a beautiful promenade along the river filled with many beautiful buildings. Brugges was a little more compact and seemed to have more abundant old architecture around the residential areas and centre. The city also had many beautiful canals running through it, one where there was a great brewery perched right on the water.

    📌 A few other highlights included trying some delicious Belgian chocolates and pralines, some monastery breweries beers (Trappist beer) and ofcourse a fresh Belgian waffle with chocolate, cream and strawberries.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Antwerp and Maastricht

    28–30 juin 2025, Pays-Bas ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    📌 A few short trips to see some other areas of Belgium and the Netherlands on the way to Amsterdam.

    📌 First stop, Antwerp. Antwerp is known for the beautiful central train station which we thought was pretty grand. We were staying on the top floor of an old 18th century Airbnb, the host was lovely and we went and explored the city. Antwerp was nice for a short stay, it has a nice central square, some beautiful architecture and a nice marina/porr area. We spent the afternoon playing cards and drinking at a nice Belgian brewery offering 100+ beers.

    📌 Next up we caught the bus into the Netherlands, a typical flixbus experience, stinky and slow 😂 We arrived into Maastricht, a beautiful city with the goal to see a little more of the Netherlands other then just Amsterdam. This region was the Lambic region, influenced by neighbouring Belgium, and France. The old town was cute, with a lovely river running through it, we found another brewery and enjoyed the warm afternoon. Another little highlight was having a tasty Lambic region pie, usually cherry or other fruits such as plum. The bakery had been making them for 100+ years, using an old water mill type method to grind the flour.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    30 in Amsterdam

    30 juin–3 juil. 2025, Pays-Bas ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    📌 One of the reasons to travel to Amsterdam was for Green day live on July 2nd, a nice 30th present I bought myself. This was also where we would meet up with mum and dad for 10 days some proper travelling. We arrived in Amsterdam via bus which was a little slow again but the weather was good and we were keen to go catch up with the parentals. We caught up at the De Pijp market, aiming to get some street food such as croquettes and of course a freshly made Stroopwaffle. We had a chilled afternoon at some pubs by the canal and ended up ordering takeaway pizza to eat alongside the canals also, it was perfect, the city was buzzing, the sun was going down and it was a great start to Amsterdam.

    📌 30th birthday kickstarted with an awesome book made by Chloe including some friends and family messages, we then headed to a Melbourne inspired cafe called Little Collins and then headed onwards to Utrecht. Getting Margaret and Wayne around on the transit network was new for them but one that was smooth and enjoyable as it always gives a different perspective, especially when it's packed and delayed on the way home ☺️. Utrecht was approx 30 mins away, it was a beautiful city with unique canals lined by cellars and it was much quieter then Amsterdam. We wandered around, found a local brewery that was serving beautiful 100+ Dutch beers. That evening we then headed out to a modern Dutch restaurant serving 5 courses, it was a great experience with some interesting dishes that we usually probably wouldn't order, particularly dad ☺️ Overall a great 30th well planned by Chloe.

    📌 Before the gig we headed out to Indonesian, due to prev colonization and immigration characteristic Indonesian in The Netherlands is Rijstaffel, a variety of small dishes. The food was incredible and authentic. This set us up for a wild Green day concert! Possibly one of the best live gigs we've seen. The crowd was right into it, the performance was energetic and the set was classic after classic from all different albums. Minority went off and Chloe was the only one amongst 15k on shoulders for Bobby Sox 🤘 It was definitely worth going to Amsterdam to see, redeeming the less fun atmosphere 1 year earlier that the Britt's created 😂    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Sorrento

    3–7 juil. 2025, Italie ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    📌 Amsterdam -> Naples was a hoot thanks to the baggage handlers telling me to put my bag in oversize and therefore it was never loaded 😂 Arriving in 35 degrees southern Italy with no other clothes was fun, lucky I had dad's shorts, my underwear and then we went out and brought an extra tee. Baggage eventually was delivered 48 hours later, a little annoying but after all, being in Italy bagless was better than being at work!

    📌 We stayed around the Naples station as a late arriving plane meant getting to Sorrento was hard. Mum, Dad and Chloe were thrilled to get into the secure comfortable accom after walking the sketchy midnight streets with fireworks going wild above ☺️ We made our way down to Sorrento the next day on a loud chaotic train, it was a fitting welcome to southern Italy so far. Lunch however already set us up for the next 6-7 days, a very authentic pizzeria in Piano where the waiter was super friendly and the food was incredible, mum and dad were already sold!

    📌 We left the parents to their own devices and met up with Britt and Spencer for drinks, dinner and long awaited catch up. Another great meal that you couldn't fault, the fresh simple ingredients make it every time, particularly the tomatoes 🤤 We organised and awesome day out with them, hiring a boat to head out and around Capri with lunch also on the island. We were glad we had a skipper, as the sea was fairly rough and heavily trafficked. A little bit of a nauseating journey to start became much butter as the day went on. The scenery was amazing, the weather great and the water unreal to swim in, which included a few swims into some caves. Capri was beautiful but wildly expensive, our lunch of 2 mains, water and 2 sides was $250 AUD 🥴. They definitely hid us (in our bathers) in the corner away from the rich people 😂

    📌 Our last day back with mum and dad was awesome, the bus ride out to Positano, although difficult to get on due to the crowds was unreal! The views on the narrow coastal roads were unmatched, I've never seen anything like it. We wandered around Positano, had a great lunch at another quality pizzeria before heading back on the ferry, which provided more incredible views of the coast. Another great day, you can definitely see why the region is so popular.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Naples

    7–10 juil. 2025, Italie ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    📌 Round 2 in Naples, and it was a treat! Night 1 around the station was quickly forgotten as we were staying in a much nicer area and travelling around their super convenient and clean Metro. After a fun train back to Naples thanks to stubborn Americans wanting to sit in our seats, we made it to the bustling city. We were mainly keen to eat more delicious food. Day 1 was a light lunch as we had a good tour to prepare for, the weather was perfect, mid 30s had dropped down to pleasant high 20s, perfect for outdoor dining. We then headed for a quick tour of the opera theatre, the oldest operating theatre in the world. It was beautiful and very extravagant!

    📌 The food tour was a treat, ofcourse it was us and another Australian family! The guide was great, we had about 4-5 stops, learnt plenty and had lots of delicious food, wine, limoncello and ofcourse Aperol. We even saw a rare sight with dad polishing off a decent sized red wine. The party kept going afterward where we ended up back at the Aperol bar with the other Australians talking rubbish until midnight, sipping 3-4 euro Aperols.

    📌 Day 2 was a long day out at Pompeii, such a massive place and fascinating to see. We have seen many Roman ruins but this was another unique one, the preserved mosaics, the bodies immortalised in stone and the beautiful large villas. We ran into Liam Dullard and Kristie on the way back and soon enough everyone was chatting/catching up over some wines at dinner. This inevitably ended up with mum and dad going home and us 4 out at the Aperol bar again 😂 It was too good, too cheap and very local, so it was too hard to stay away 🤤 We even were joining in on a locals party, eating cake and singing.

    📌 Our last day we wandered around Naples, the chaotic Spanish quarter decorated with Maradona on every corner. We enjoyed one more pizza in the home of pizza, easily some of the best pizza we have ever had. We visited the cathedrals and the coastal views before heading out to a delicious final dinner and drinks. We had some delicious Neapolitan entrees, the fried pasta dish smothered in ragu sauce and fried frittatina pasta (arancini like) dishes were amazing. I had to try Genovese sauce which was great but perhaps not something I'll have again ☺️

    📌 We bid farewell to Mum and Dad, it was so good to travel with them, getting around each day, eating delicious food and celebrating a milestone with them in different parts of the world. Some memories for us all to cherish ❤️    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Venice

    10–11 juil. 2025, Italie ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    📌 A short stop in Venice before the hiking started. We both hadn't been to Venice for years but I was keen to wander through the unique city, eat some good food and admire the canals and architecture. We checked into a quaint guesthouse and headed out for some lunch. A delicious Italian Panini and Aperol 😍

    📌 Wandering through the streets of Venice was lovely, the quiet areas and the maze of lanes where you suddenly walk over some canals. This contrasts to the busy Grand canal and the St Mark's Square which are beautiful but definitely less enjoyable.

    📌 We met up with Michael which was great, enjoyed many Aperols at a bar before eventually getting a table at the popular neighbouring restaurant. It was great to catch up and just chill, it felt like nothing had changed and we had seen him yesterday. It was a good stop in Venice and worth seeing again for 1 night.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Cortina D'Ampezzo

    11–12 juil. 2025, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    📌 An early start and we were off to the mountains on the usual Flixbus. The drive was beautiful as we got into the mountainous dolomites. Cortina was a large place and the hills and streets were dotted with gorgeous alpine/ski style lodges.

    📌 We checked into a beautiful accommodation and then headed out for a pizza, some drinks and a catch up, this time with Matt and Kelsie present. It was awesome to be travelling as a group, something me and Chloe haven't really had much of. Cortina had a cool vibe, not overly touristy but definitely Ski town vibes. The bars would definitely be fun if you were staying for multiple days as a base. Our hotel even had a Sax 🎷 DJ playing some bangers.

    📌 We planned our day, packed our bags for the next few days and got keen for hiking. We would be coming back to stay another night and chill after hiking in the same hotel.    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Rifugio Sennes 2126m

    12 juillet 2025, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    📌 Day 1 of hiking, the group was a good level of fitness and we were optimistic for the 9km day and approx 900m ascent to get to the first hut. We started early in Cortina after working out a fairly confusing, poor scheduled bus system to get to one town where we would then get a small bus in order to get to the Lago Di Brias lake starting point.

    📌 We made it to the lake smoothly, enjoyed the beautiful serenity of the early morning and set off. The trail soon became a persistent ascent that felt like it was never going to end. Matt and Kelsie had only about 700ml of water each 😂, Chloe was not happy with the ascent and Michael was contemplating why he had come ☺️ It was hard, it was warm and despite the beautiful surrounds, there wasn't much rest. Eventually we made it to the Rifugio Sennes, which was appropriately named because it did feel like a refuge from the trail. Everyone scoffed a lunch and a well earned beer after the hard work, which left Horn and Chloe raving about the soup! There was one last hurdle to overcome on day 1, Matt being CC'd into my booking to add 3 more people had been lost in translation and the Hut had added a 3rd person instead..... Luckily, they had some dorm spots for Matt and Kelsie otherwise who knows where they would have slept.

    📌 After a good feed, some drinks and a bit of socialising everyone retreated to the comfort of bed, the private room for us and Mick, and the dorm for Matt and Kelsie ☺️    En savoir plus

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  • Steven CoeLiving in the UK Part 2Voyageur

    Rifugio Fannes 2060m

    13–14 juil. 2025, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    📌 The optimism was definitely lower on Day 2 after the tough first day 😂 Everyone knew the trail was not technical and many people do it, so I suppose we didn't expect the difficultly of continuous ascent. Chloe and Mick were definitely the least keen for a brutal ascent. The hike however wasn't as bad, we had either adapted quickly or perhaps day 1 was just a shock. We descended approx 600m and then ascended another more gradual 850m. The hike became more dramatic as we tracked further south into the Dolomites, we passed many cows with their bells creating music for us as we walked and we took many pictures. The morale was good!

    📌 We made it to Fanes reasonably early and enjoyed a warm lunch again, well earned after another descent hike! This hut was pretty grand, it looked over another one approx 500m down the hill and it was a big shared dorm this time. Me and Chloe left the others to relax and headed down to the other hut 'Laverella' which is claimed as the highest altitude European microbrewery. We enjoyed some beers in another day of fortunate beautiful weather, and upon our way back ran into the others making their way down. We decided to not backtrack with them which was a great decision as they ended up rocking up a couple of hours later saturated and drunk, 14-15 home made grappas between 3 and some rain would do that 😂

    📌 We enjoyed a included 3 course dinner, some drunk antics, a few wines and more grappas that weren't too bad at all, and the final of the Men's Wimbledon. It was another amazing day in a amazing part of the world with good company.    En savoir plus

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