Zion National park, Utah

Hi everyone, over 4500 views of this blog now...incredible!!!

This post is just a quick summary of a few days spent in Zion National park, Utah.

Fist of all, as a surprise to most of my British friends visiting Las Vegas, there's actually beautiful and interesting things to do outside of the Strip (besides the Grand Canyon). :-)   Zion is one of those places, it's a national park about 2.5 hours from Vegas. Actually, there's a number of parks within easy driving from the city and that includes Red Rock (25 minutes from the city), Valley of Fire (about 45 minutes) and Death Valley (a couple hours) to name a few.

To get to Zion, just head Northeast along US15. You'll drive through Nevada and parts of Arizona before heading into the South western corner of Utah via the Virgin River Canyon. The canyon is itself pretty impressive, cutting through the mountains whilst rising to over 6000 feet. However, the goal is Zion, so keep on going!

I've included a map of the park, apologies for the quality.

The main purpose of the map is to show that the park is made up of two major sections. The first section is to the Northwest and is comprised of the Kolob canyons. The canyons are very much like mini Zion canyons with very similar geology. For me the biggest attraction is that there are less tourists. The downside is that the scenery, while beautiful, doesn't rival that of Zion.

As with the rest of the park, there are a variety of trails to choose from and a number of websites that can help you decide. Personally, I used the following website as it provided a good synopsis of the trails, basic maps and guidance for those visiting.

Joe's guide to Zion national Park

Given that we had a limited amount of time in the park (24 hours from time of arrival to departure) and were not, by any stretch of the imagination, experienced hikers. We decided on an 'easy' trail to begin with, the 'Taylor Creek trail'. The trailhead is approximately 2 miles from the Kolob Canyon Ranger Station and gives you three options (North, Middle and South forks). We decided upon the middle fork which is estimated to be a 5 mile round trip (although, by my calculations it was slightly longer but that could be due to a few 'diversions).

The hike started at 0930 which, with hindsight, was pretty poor planning on my part. Despite it being the 9th of September and being at over 6000ft it was still very hot (easily 30c by mid-hike) but at least the views were very nice...

A little trail information: The trail is doable in hiking shoes or running shoes (my choice for this hike). I actually saw a young woman in sandals but wouldn't recommend them. The trail is also well marked with only a few spots that require any real effort. There are a few creeks to cross which didn't present a challenge (although, I would expect them to be a bit deeper during Spring and Fall.

The decision point between the three forks is near the Larson cabin which is a cultural site dating back over 100 years.

We headed East towards the ultimate goal of the hike which is the Double Arch Alcove. One of the nice things about the trail is that a lot of the walking is through the forest which offers respite from the heat.

We managed to make it to the actual arch in well under 2 hours which was good considering the number of stops that we took to take photos and to enjoy the scenery.

Made it!!!!!

Okay, hike over...drive to Springdale by following US15 Southwest to US9 then head east to Springdale. Now, Springdale is 180 degrees out from kolob. Think the South rim of the Grand Canyon but a bit classier. The 'town' has a number of nice places to stay with fantastic views and features but you will pay for it, obviously.

Apologies for the blatant advertising here... :-)

I'd suggest eating at 'jack's' as the food was amazing, relatively inexpensive and they had a reasonable selection of beers, some locally produced, which is a key for me.

Just a few points about the Eastern part of the park...first of all, unless you enter the park early (as in before 8am) then forget about parking. Although the park signs say that parking is unavailable after 10am, that's not even close. Most visitors don't heed the advice and try to drive in to hike late...Don't do it! The park offers shuttle service which picks up at a number of stops before and in the park, leave your car along the road (or in the hotel) and get the shuttle.


As with the rest of the park, there are a number of great options for hikes. If time isn't a problem then I'd suggest going for some of the trails within the park such as the emerald pools trail. However, the downside of those trails is that they are usually busy...I prefer a bit of quiet so opted for one of the few trails that started at the Visitors center in Springdale. The trail that we decided upon was the 'Watchman Trail' which included a shorter 'Loop' at the end. As with many of the park trails, this one was an out and back. It is rated as 'moderate' due to the climb and the sheer drops along parts of the trail. The trail itself was a bit shorter than the 'Taylor Creek trail', only about 1-1.5 miles each way not including the extra .25-.5 mile loop section.

The trail climbs up through a canyon and winds around to a scenic overlook. I would suggest starting early (as soon as the sun rises) to avoid the heat and the 'busy' period. The views with the sun rising, whilst not on par with some of the more popular trails, are still stunning and worth the less than 2 hours roundtrip.

Okay, that's it for today. keep an eye on future posts as have a few other trips planned in the next few months.

Bank Holiday in Budapest (May 2016)

Welcome back everyone....!! I know it's been a while since my last blog post, been a bit busy recently. :-)


So, this post continues on my theme from last year which was to try to hit at least 2 or 3 new countries every year. Given that this is my first post of the year, I have some catching up to do!!!

I've always been interested in visiting Budapest, even more so following recent trips to other Eastern European countries. The culture, food, beer all appeal to me so figured it was about time to visit and when better than a long bank holiday!!!

I have decided to mess around a bit with the format of this post, changing from the running commentary about what I did and when I did it. It has occurred to me that, if this blog is to help potential visitors/travellers or those interested in history (My 101st AB posts), then I need to post less about me and more about the subject. Happy to entertain any ideas that readers may have...post a comment or drop me a message on Facebook or Twitter.

Things to know about Budapest before visiting:

1. It takes approximately 2.5 hours to fly if going directly from the UK.

2. Unless you want to fly a budget airline, I wouldn't recommend it, then you will most likely need to change. I flew Lufthansa so had to change at Frankfurt.

3. It can get very hot in Hungary...it was 31-32C and that was the end of May.

4. Food and accommodation can be cheap. Avoid the main tourist areas or eating in the hotel and it can be even cheaper. For example, breakfast at the 'Like' café which is close to the terror museum cost 1000 Forints (about £3) and you get a huge omelette, coffee and juice.

5. There is a very good Metro system comprised of 4 main lines which are colour coded. It is worthwhile purchasing a Budapest card (24, 48 or 72 hours). This gets you unlimited travel on the Metro, Bus and Tram system. The stops are, generally, a half kilometre apart so it is easy to get anywhere. A few notes though...the metro closes at 2340 on Saturday and the blue line (Heading towards the airport) has stops that are spaced further apart.

6. It is still a large city...prepare yourself accordingly. We could have spent twice as long in order to cover the main attractions. The city is actually comprised of two parts (which use to be separate cities in their own right) Buda and Pest. Buda includes castle hill whilst Pest is the busier side which includes the main city centre.


The visit....

My hotel was the Mecure Buda which was a 10 minute walk from Castle Hill...or one metro stop from the Deli station then a short bus ride. Hindsight being 20/20, I'd take the metro option unless you feel like climbing these... :-)

...although the views from the top are very nice.

The Castle Hill area, although very touristy, is still very nice...full of great architecture and history. Just a word of warning, many places do not open until 10am.

If you walk around the area you'll notice the excavations of the original Roman settlement. You will also notice that they still retain the changing of the guard.

If you walk through the arch in the background of the photo above then you come to a large museum (currently exhibiting Picasso) with fantastic views of the Danube.

A short walk, or escalator ride, takes you down to the river where you can walk across the 'Chain bridge' to get to Pest.

Walking across the bridge takes about 5-10 minutes and you end up near the main docks for the river tours (more about this later). If you walk about a half a kilometre you end up at the main Metro station (Deak Ferenc Ter) where you can catch 3 of the main lines (Red, Yellow and Blue). If you catch the Yellow line you can head into Pest towards such attractions as the Opera House (get off at the 'Opera' stop oddly enough), the Terror Museum (The Octagon stop), etc.

Terror Museum...

 I took the Metro to the hero's memorial (first picture below at the Hosok Tere stop) and walked around the park (City Park). You'll find Vajdahunyad Castle and some pretty baroque buildings. It would appear that they have a 'market' on during the weekends...mainly tourist stuff but you can sample some of the local snacks such as Lagonas (a sort of deep fried naan bread with different toppings).

You could also walk the length of Andrassy Ut which is the main boulevard in Budapest stretching 2.4kms.

Opera House...

National Gallery

Hero's memorial at entrance to City Park

Vajdahunyad Castle

I opted to try something different during the evening and went for the dinner and cruise on the Danube. It allows for a different perspective of the city and highlights how beautiful it is at night. Just a note, there are a number of companies that offer the service and many different varieties of cruise. You can go for the 'all you can eat' Pizza and unlimited beer cruise, the standard 1.5 hour no frills cruise, the dinner and folk dance cruise, etc. I went for the folk dance cruise via Silverline (But booked using Viator...definitely recommend them as used them in a number of cities and never been disappointed).

The Parliament building at night...

I managed to get back out on Sunday to check out some of the other tourist attractions. Started at the terror museum (again, using the Yellow metro line). The terror museum is located in the building where the Hungarian Secret Service under the Communist regime, and before them under the fascists,  would interrogate and jail dissidents or "enemies of the people". The museum houses a collection of torture implements, pictures and mementos from that period. Personally, I was disappointed by the museum having visited similar museums in Warsaw and Riga. I enjoyed it but thought it could have been done better (cost 4000 Forints) and you can't take photos. To be honest the KGB museum in Riga and the equivalent in Warsaw were better ad cheaper.

Budapest also has a number of good museums. If you get a Budapest card you can get either reduced entry or free entry. That was the case at the Hungarian History Museum (use the Blue Metro line and get off at Corvin Negye) where the entry was free. The museum was nice, housed in a huge building but the number of displays was small compared to other history museums that I've visited.

The city also has a number of very pretty churches and examples of some outstanding architecture. Obviously, with limited time, I didn't have a chance to visit anywhere near as many as I would have liked but here are a few examples...

...after walking around in the 30+ degree heat you really need to relax with a cold one. :-)

Looking hot and tired...

Then a few more photos and a bit more walking to the parliament building.

Of course, walking around all day makes you hungry and you, obviously, have to try the local cuisine so let's have some proper goulash.

If you walk around you'll find some nice places which serve fantastic food at a reasonable price...be adventurous.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. I would recommend visiting Budapest and Hungary. Perhaps my next trip will be a driving tour so I can sample some of the countryside rather than just look it out the window of the plane.

Until next time....

Introduction to Scandanavia...

Hi all my blog fans...welcome back!

 

 

So, for my latest experience....decided that it was time to explore some of the Northern parts of Europe. Sat down and looked at what was close and, relatively, inexpensive and came up with Denmark or, more specifically, its capital...Copenhagen.

 

 

Copenhagen was the perfect choice, a capital city with Christmas markets (One of the main reasons for wanting to get away), not too big (so easier to explore) and close to Sweden (so I could add another country to my list).

 

 

Flew out of Gatwick early Friday with Norwegian air. For those of you who don't know about Norwegian, they are a relatively young discount airline (been around some 10-15 years) that has recently expanded to more international routes including to the USA. The flight and the airline were pretty good for the cost, staff were polite and helpful and the plan was a new Boeing (with on-board WiFi!!). Arrival at Copenhagen airport was uneventful. The airport looks pretty new and modern with two main terminals. The airport itself is on the outskirts of the city, probably less than 10KMs from the city center. When you arrive you have a number of choices for travelling to the city. You can take the train (Station is co-located at the airport as with most European cities) for 36 Danish Kroner...about £3.60 or $7.00. Alternatively, you can take a bus for a bit less or a taxi for significantly more (About 250 Kroner)...I decided on the taxi as the lines for the ticket machines were huge.

 

 

I am not going to spend a huge amount of time on this trip as it was only a short break...may add more later if I get some time. So, on to the trip....

 

 

Decided to stay in the center of the city which proved useful given how small the city is and how close the Radisson Blu (Royal) is to the Tivoli Garden which was one of the main reasons for the visit. The Tivoli garden is a large city park that the Danes convert to a Christmas market during the holiday season. The park is huge and contains a number of restaurants, booths and rides. You can buy entry tickets to the park only for about £10 or for entry and the use of the rides for about £15 per person. Alternatively, you can buy entry on the rides at the actual rides. You can also re-enter by getting your hand stamped.

 

 

I really enjoyed the market, thought that it was very consumer oriented but that was expected.

Tivoli Gardens at night...beautiful!

 

 Managed to do some walking around the city, mainly the shopping area. It was very busy and much along the lines of most major city shopping areas...traffic free with lots of familiar shops. The prices were a bit higher than most places but not significantly and it certainly didn't deter the throngs of visitors from the Far East eager to spend their money..

Ended up back at Tivoli where grabbed a 'proper' Danish dinner at one of the restaurants that are available...always marked by the compulsory beer! Proud to say that I've had a beer in almost 30 countries now. :-)

 

 





There's always beer... :-)

 

 

 

The following day was dedicated to taking a trip to Sweden. One of the reasons for choosing Copenhagen was the ease at getting to Sweden. There is a fantastic rail bridge between Copenhagen and the Swedish mainland. The main train station, itself an architectural highlight, was only a few minutes from the hotel. Once I figured out the ticket machine (actually didn't figure it out until I had arrived in Sweden!), it was easy to catch the train to Malmo (Runs every 20 minutes from platform 5/6). The trip takes about 45 minutes but be prepared to show passport at the first stop in Sweden. Oh, by the way, the ticket cost about £12.50...a deal until I figured out that was one way!

 

 

It was a rainy day in Malmo but managed to see some sights, do some shopping and experience one of the best meals that I had at a proper Swedish restaurant...and, of course had to have a beer!

 

 

 

Did I mention that there's always beer...?

It was cold in Malmo but once the rain stopped it was nice. Lots of canals...

 

Managed to make it back to Copenhagen in time for dinner...did anyone say that it was beer o'clock? :-)

 

Oh, and a beer....

 

 

The final day was mainly focused on some sightseeing. I never use to take the bus tours of cities but had become a convert. When you have little time and the weather isn't great...kinda like the Sunday in Copenhagen, then a bus tour can be useful. I have used the greylines tours in a number of cities, tends to be very good albeit a bit rushed and short on info but you can hop on and off. The tour was around £12.50 for what ended up being 90 minutes around the city.

 

Gave me the chance to see a number of sites including Christiana (the free town), the opera house, Nyhaven, the little mermaid, the English Church and the old stock exchange building to name a few.

 

 

The final act was to have a huge burger before heading to the airport..some advice for travellers, pay a little extra and opt for the airport lounge. Copenhagen airport is very nice but it is like a shopping mall with an airport attached. There isn't very much space to sit down and wait, can be very crowded and not the most pleasant way to end a trip.

 

All in all, I loved the trip...very relaxing. The food and beer were fantastic and there was plenty to see and do. Definitely head to Sweden, my short trip there made me want to see more of the country.

 

Until next time...