Yorkshire Holiday

We had a nice time during the Easter Holiday. Our family decided to go to York and enjoy the "old english" way. Our friend Maricar with her daughter showed us around York all the way up to North Yorkshire. The whole trip was beyond my expectation. Surely, Yorkshire has a lot to offer, in terms of history, culture, food and  landscapes. I really never thought this trip would give me the chills and feels of how it is to live in the old victorian/ medieval age. Before heading North, we researched via Trip Advisor as to what places we definitely should see in York. Each attraction on the site will show the cost of the trip and distance from the city centre. So for those who are planning for a quick city break, visit https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk

Here's a glimpse of our travel. 

Day 1 

Quick trip to the city's Clifford's Tower which is just located in the hert of the town. Totally free activity to do, you just have to pay for parking in case you have car.

Clifford's Tower on the background

Love my candid smile here.

We head off to Whitby, a seaside town in North Yorkshire. For me, it's one of the best seasides in the UK I've ever been to.So we parked on the highest spot in town where Whitby Abbey was located. It's a National Trust location. There is an entrance if you want to go inside but the view outside it's walls are still amazing.

Here's a groufie! 

Going further down the abbey, you'll see a graveyard where the "Dracula" setting took place in Bram Stoker's novel. And at this east cliff there's a stairway which counts to 199 steps and there you'll see a stunning view or the Whitby Harbour.

We then had lunch on the seaside and ate the traditional fish and chips.

After some time we travelled for an hour going south to Scarborough where we booked our hotel. But before checking in, we strolled on their lovely beaches first and had fun on the colourful beach houses.

After a stroll on the beach we checked in at Green Gables Hotel. It was a very nice self catering accomodation and very affordable too. This is a great place to stay for families and big groups as they have 5-6 beds in one apartment. Plus, they have a pool to enjoy.

Day 2

We left the hotel around 9:00 and travelled for 2 hours to see the great rock formations in Harrogate. It's called the Brimham Rocks, which is a National Trust scenery as well. Sculpted over centuries by ice, wind and rain, it is a perfect haven for nature lovers like me.

After a tiring hike, we drove back to york mainland. But before that we had some traditional pies mash and peas in harrogate high street. The place is called Burkitts and according to trip advisor it's a five star. Well, it definitely passed my taste and will give it 4.5 rating.

...and we slept the night away.

Day 3

It's time to explore the town itself. Even if you just stay in the city centre, you'll love the story behind york and will have a glimpse of what's it like in the past. 

St Mary's Abbey

Outside York Minster

It's famous for it's stained glass windows. I only got one clear picture as you have to pay to see all of the windows inside the church. 

Now, we went to the old english market called "The Shambles". You can see the assymetrical architecure years ago. 

and the shortest street with a funny name.

Unfortunately, the Jorvik Viking Centre was closed for the whole year as it has been damaged from the flood a year ago.  We just have to take photos from outside.

Finally, took a walk in the shallow pathways of York walls. 

And that's our lovely, educational, fun trip to York. I definitely will come back in the future. The place is amazing and nice to make memories with your loved ones. 

Complete photos on my facebook page 

Jobelle Baluis. And a travel video on my vimeo account https://vimeo.com/161549471

Magical Lantern Festival

I just wanted to share with you some fantastic photos from last night. We went to the Magical Lantern Festival in Chiswick House and Gardens. This beautiful landscaped area was ornamented with over 50 chinese new year themed lanterns ranging from small to massive, jaw dropping lanterns. It's orth every penny you spend. We got our tickets via the FEVER app and got some discounts. We paid £12 for an adult and got a Family ticket(2 adults 2 kids) as well for £42.84, so like £10.71 each family member. That was a good price I guess coz normally a regular adult ticket would cost £18 and a regualr child would be £12.

One thing you need to remember is to check the weather before coming. Food stalls are all over the place so no need to worry about getting hungry, just bring with you some cash. Also public toilets were installed all over the park and trails so when mother nature calls, it's not a problem. 

We went there on a Wednesday night and the rain was pouring, like literally we were on hoodies but still got even wet. The lanterns were still fantastic and each time you see a new one, you can't help but smile and be amazed. The only downfall is we didn't get to have decent selfies and group pics. Maybe there's a reason why it happened, so we could totally experience and appreciate the lanterns' beauty. Scoll down and enjoy the lantern photos. 

(Visit www.feverup.com for more attractions, vouchers, things-to-do so you can save on your next adventure. You can also download the FEVER app on apple store and android apps. )

This one will welcome you in the entrance.

Keeping our heads up as we got enchanted by this overhead flower lanterns along the trail.

Ooohhh lovely swans!

This part of the garden features a safari themed array of animal lanterns.

Peacocks are always adorable animals. Now here comes Cinderella.

I know this one's blurry but they are flamingos lining up the swamp bed.

Here's a closer and better one.

Ant power!

The dragon from afar. Before reaching the big dragon, we met quite a few more lanterns.

And we're here!!! This was massive, a 66 metre long dragon as a centrepiece is the most popular and talked about lantern in the festival. For me this was the highlight of our trail. 

The beautifully lit archway.

We're almost done with the trail and there's this showcase of animal lanterns which later on we figured out to be chinese zodiacs. I only took photo of the Ox as I was born in 1985, which basically falls on the year of the ox.

This one is right on the exit, just before you leave the gates. My hands and feet are so numb now. My phone can't even detect my fingers. I can't even feel my face, nah! But seriously it was so freakin' cold already.

Everything was lovely and pleasing to my eyes. It made me feel happy like a little kid jumping on water puddles. If only it didn't rain, it would have been much more fun and of course more pictures taken. But at the end of the day, our tummies needs to be happy as well. Chicken always win, let's go to Nandos. 

 Disclaimer: All photos taken by me on my Iphone6. No filters made on the lantern photos. Some were blurry due to cold weather, moist and rain.