The Travelling Girl

30/01/202031/01/2020

The pleasure of travelling solo and insider tips

La Rioja Map at Plaza de España, Seville

Travelling solo may sound scary for many people, but also exciting for many and that includes me. I have been travelling solo a lot, especially to overseas. Several years ago, I saw a great quote and then told myself that once a year, I have to go to a place I’ve never been. As a result I have been doing it so well.

“ONCE A YEAR, GO SOMEPLACE YOU’VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE.”
Dalai Lama

I love it when I go check in at the airport knowing my new adventure is beginning again

I still remember the nervousness and excitement when travelling by plane outside of Thailand for the first time. Being a 17-year old, I flew to the US all by myself and my English was not so good. I was just a kid. But that changed my life completely because I have been addicted to travelling since.

People ask if I am not scared or feeling lonely, those feelings come sometimes. However, when you do travel solo more often, those feelings disappear and just leave you excitement and satisfactions. You just smile to yourself. Travelling makes me happy and richer.

“LIVE WITH NO EXCUSES AND TRAVEL WITH NO REGRETS”
Oscar Wilde

Here I have summed up my tips for travelling alone and hope that can help you to prepare your first or next solo trip. I am speaking from a female perspective and from my direct experience. Here are the 8 things I do for my solo trips.

I always take free maps from the airport to search for places I would like to visit and then put the destination on Google Map

1. Tech-Savvy

I am not talking about owning the latest smart phone or carrying cool gadgets with you, but you should be tech and Internet savvy. Why? You use Internet to search for information to plan the trip from visa application, transportation and accommodation options, attractions information.

I always carry a book to read on the plane as there is not much to do, except reading and sipping free drinks 🙂

Don’t be afraid to embrace yourself with technology and machines. Many services now use just robots, no human. For example, you may have to do all the airline check in, baggage drop off and print the luggage tag yourself, or in supermarkets that you may have to do self-check out.

Now it is even easier as there are apps which supply all these to you. You should know some useful apps such as Google Map, Google Translate and they can make your travel easier. I will write about useful apps in the next post.

2. Always carry a mobile with Internet

Ok guys, we live in the 20^th century. Internet is like oxygen, you cannot live without it. I always carry a mobile with Internet for the peace of mind. I love walking around the unknown city so sometimes I need Google map to bring me to the place. And sometimes Google Translate to communicate and understand the signage.

My current mobile now is Android phone with two sim card slots. I can have my Thai sim card to get the messages from Thailand and another sim card mainly for Internet. It is pretty useful.

3. Keep your memories in photos: Camera or good mobile with camera

I am not a professional photographer but I love keeping memories in the photos. I use my mobile to take all my travel photos and connect to my Google Photos account and Microsoft One Drive. The photos are synced automatically to the Drives on cloud. Voila! You got all you photos there and can empty the space on your phone. You may carry an external hard drive to do that as well.

4. Know the weather conditions and prepare proper clothes

Check the weather condition of the places you will go to. I usually travel with comfy cotton pants (no belt if possible) and sneakers when flying. When you travel to cold countries, dressing with layers is a key. Bring some heat-tech for the inner layer, then a shirt and your outer jacket or coat. You should bring a warm sweater as well for when you are indoor.

In winter, most places will have heaters inside, so if you are staying indoor a lot, two layers will suffice and you can remove the outer one if it is too warm. You don’t need a super ultra heat tech inner wear, unless you go skiing or hiking with snow, otherwise you can turn to be a roasted pork.

Dressing up with layers is the key for winter travels

When you are in the cold country, you do not want to have the hypothermia which is when your body loses the temperature, and that can be very dangerous. Our body usually loses the heat through head and feet. So always keep your head and feet warm, and wear scarf to protect your neck and chest from exposing to the cold.

Boots are invented for a reason, not only for the beauty, but they keep you warm.

5. You are always safe when you know what you are doing

I have been to places, like Milan, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, you name it, where people say they are dangerous with a lot of pick pocketing and scammers. For me the good thing about travelling alone is that you don’t attract people. They may even think you are from there because you don’t speak in your language to your friend or family, so you are not distracted. Keep your valuables in your bag, out of sight and not to attract the theft.

At Central Bus station in Bologna, Italy, departing to a new destination – Siena

6. Two is better than one

I always make copies of my important documents including passport, visa page, air ticket, insurance paper and keep them in my backpack and suitcase. Now with technology, I usually scan these documents and keep them on emails or Google Drive. Same as cash, I carry some cash with me and keep some at home or hotel in a safe, not a lot of amount though.

Separate cash in several places. Try to get them in small notes as it is use at small shops.

7. Finance: Cash, Debit card and credit card

Bring enough cash to spend during your trip but not too much. Because carrying a lot of cash is not a good idea. If you need more, go to ATM. In Europe, most of the shops and restaurants take card. I use debit and credit card a lot when travelling in Europe, Australia and Japan. Check with your banks for the fee and rates. Try to get small notes from your exchange kiosk or bank and most places will accept them.

At Mercato Centrale in Florence. I love this market! This shop offers you tasting of their products and yes they accept cards!

“NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST”
J.R.R. Tolkien

Several banks (in Thailand) offer a Travel Card which you can use as a debit card when overseas with no currency exchange fee during the transaction. You just need to transfer the money from your saving account to top up in the Travel card. Then buy your preferred currency such as Euro, US dollar, Japanese Yen, UK Pound to put in your card. The rate is pretty good, the same as the currency exchange kiosks.

I will provide some more info about the travel cards in the next blog.

8. Positive Attitude

This is a very important thing to bring with you. Be positive, learn new things, embrace to new cultures and surroundings but have precautions in the things around you. Be friendly and open to make friends with locals and learn some of their languages. You will be loved!

My first time watching Flamenco Dance in Seville which is where the dance is from.

Last but not least, always check in with your family and friends. Keep them posted of where you are so they do not worry about you and you feel connected with them wherever you are. This can help you cope with feeling lonely.

Admiring the world’s finest arts at Palazzo Pitti in Florence at my own pace.

Do not be afraid of travelling alone. Step out of your comfort zone, go somewhere you have’never seen. you will not regret.

“FEAR IS ONLY TEMPORARY. REGRETS LAST FOREVER.”

Another skill you will develop when travelling solo is selfie photo taking! 🙂

In my next post, I will write about the useful apps I use for travelling. Until then, ciao!

22/01/202023/01/2020

The Royal Alcázar of Seville, Dream of Dorne

After departing Madrid, I spent one night in Seville, the capital of Andalucia in southern Spain. This region is so different from the north, its beauty simply takes my breaths away.

The first thing on my list here was to see the Royal Palace Alcázar, a filming location for Dorne in the mega hit HBO series, Game of Throne. Yes I am a GOT fan!

Moorish influence, resulting a mesmerizing architecture

Did you remember how mesmerized you were when seeing Dorne for the first time? Here I am at the Royal Alcázar and feel like I am dreaming.

Seville’s royal palace complex was believed to have been built in the 10th century. This architectural wonder is a result of a combination of Mudejar (Moorish) and Gothic styles.

The palace was built by the Muslim Moorish dynasty. Later on the Christians regained the power in the region, and the additional constructions began. For me this is the greatest harmony of Muslims and Christians work of arts.

It is the product of many monarchs throughout the great history. The decoration, ornaments and architecture of Islamic, Mudejar, Gothic and Renaissance styles will stun you.

A high speed train from Madrid which takes about 2.5 hours will take you to Seville. Alternatively, you can fly to Seville Airport from many major cities in Europe. If you do not have many days to spare, I suggest a night or two will be good here.

*The Royal Alcázar* was declared UNESCO site in 1987

The Royal Alcázar, along with the Seville Cathedral which is located just in front of the Alcazar are UNESCO site.

Seville Cathedral, located in front of the Royal Alcázar, also a UNESCO site

Winter is slow season for Europe, I was lucky to be able to walk-in and got the ticket. If you visit in Spring or Summer, an advance purchase of the ticket would be a good idea and will save you time.

The general admission is 11.50 Euros. For ticket purchase and opening hours, visit https://www.alcazarsevilla.org

Even if you are not Game of Thrones fan, but The Royal Alcázar should stay on your to-see list in Seville and you will not be disappointed.

The palace has large gardens, please spare at least two hours for your visit

You will see a lot of orange trees in Andalucia, there were brought by the Arabs

Me with the Mudejar arts, the colourful bricks

06/01/202022/01/2020

Prado Museum, the finest European art collections under one roof in Madrid

If you are an art lover and history buff, Madrid will not disappoint you. The city has various museums for you to enjoy but the museum I will talk about here is Prado Museum, or Museo Nacional del Prado.

The Prado Museum has made it to my top 3 favorite museums. Together with The Uffizi in Florence and The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam as the Prado Museum has the finest European art collections.

This is one of Madrid’s best museums and one of the most visited art museums in the world. The collections include those, especially European arts from 12th to 20th century.

You can admire the artworks from the world’s famous artists including Francisco Goya, Hieronymus Bosch, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, Diego Velázquez. My favorite piece here is the Bible story oil canvas – David with the head of Goliath by the Italian painter Caraviaggio.

The Prado museum celebrates a 200-year anniversary in 2019. The museum building was designed by architect Juan de Villanueva in 1785. It became a national museum and opened for public for the first time in 1819.

Once you got through the security at the entrance, you can take the free museum plan from the information counter. I recommend an audio guide which costs you 6 euros but trust me, it is worth it. The audio guide has trails plan for you to choose for 1, 2 or 3 hour visit. This saves you a lot of time and you get to admire the must-see pieces.

The line to enter the museum for the free admission on Sunday at 5 PM. People start to line up around 4.15 PM.

The Museum opens from Monday to Saturday, 10 AM – 8 PM and 10 AM – 7 PM for Saturday and public holiday. The ticket is 15 euros and you can save time by purchasing it online.

If you are flexible with time, the museum offers free admission in the last two hours before closing. I went on Sunday and got a free ticket to enter the museum at 5 PM. There may be a long line, but do not give up. The line is moving fast.

The side of the museum building with the queue to enter the museum

Last but not least, I wish you an artsy day in Madrid!

For advance ticket booking and more information, visit https://www.museodelprado.es/en

03/01/202004/01/2020

Pinchos Night Out in Logroño

One of the best experiences while visiting Logroño is Pinchos night out. I love it and am doing it everyday here! It is the Spanish version of street food 🙂

We order calamari (tapa) to share and take the sandwich with ham (pincho) each for us, and paired with Mosto which is a kind of grape juice with no alcohol

What are pinchos? Pinchos are similar to tapas but being served in one portion while tapas are small dishes to share, for instance. People usually order a pincho with a glass of a beer or wine.

Where to go? Calle de Laurel is the street you head to for pinchos and it is located in the city centre old town. The street is usually packed on Friday and Saturday among the locals and you can expect groups of friends and families even with kids to gather around late evening.

After 10 PM, people gather here for a pinchos night out

What time to go? 10 PM is a good time to go there. The delicious and inviting smells of charcoal grill and the chatty conversations of people will draw you near.

Staff preparing aromatic champingon at Bar Soriano

How it works? Each bar has its own specialty and the idea is that you bar hop and try a little bit of this and that. Here are my favorites;

1. Chistora a la Brasa at Bar Paganos. Chistora is a soft chorizo on the charcoal grill wrapped in a bun and it is to die for. I have to come here every time I am in Calle de Laurel

2. Grilled Champignon at Bar Soriano – I love mushrooms and this place makes me drool with the smell of grilled champingon and topped with a piece of shrimp. If the place is too packed, you can go to Bar Angel too. I tried at both places.

3. Setas at Bar Cid – tasty mushroom that goes well with a corto! It is similar to mushroom we have in Thailand.

Grilled sirloin on toast with blue cheese spread at Bar Donosti

4. Grilled sirloin with blue cheese spread on a toast at Bar Donosti. The mix of the creamy blue cheese spread on the toast and grilled sirloin just melts in my mouth, on the other hand, you can also choose the pepper spread instead of blue cheese.

The zapatilla at Bar Tenessi is ready to go to the oven

5. Zapatilla at Bar Tennessi. Love the crusty toast topped with jamon and cheese. The zapatilla here is to die for!

What to drink? Crianza or Corto? Well it really depends of your pinchos. In La Rioja, they have 4 classifications for red wines which are 1. Rioja 2. Crianza 3. Reserva and 4. Gran Reserva. Crianza is an everyday wine as it is refreshing and not to heavy. As a result, you will see many locals order a crianza. Another popular drink is Corto or a small beer.

Squid on bread and Alioli sauce and a corto

How much and how to do the pinchos night? Pinchos night out is best to do with a group of friends (or family). What I experience here is that each of us chips in money and appoint one person to be in charge of the bill at the bar. Let say you put 20 euros each. You can expect to pay approximately 3-5 euros per person for a pincho and a drink in one bar.

I am already drooling now writing about this! there are many pinchos bars for you to discover. Keep me posted of your new discoveries. i Wish you a gastronomic evening in logroño. good luck and bon apetit!