L'Ariège

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law had their wedding at Chateau de Queille in St Quentin de la Tour in the Ariège region of the central French Pyrenees (the picture below is of the spectacular chapel where they had their ceremony).

We made a trip of it and decided to visit some of the sights in the local area. We started in Foix - the region's capital - where we wandered through the old town and visited the fabulous castle.

We stayed in a little hotel in Mirepoix, a medieval bastide town half-way between Foix and Carcasonne. If we ever visited the area again, I would love to stay in the Relais & Chateaux - Relais Royal - which looked amazing.

We also visited Camon which is said to be one of the most beautiful villages in France. It has a fabulous hotel - L'Abbaye-Château de Camon - a converted ancient Benedictine monastery dating back to the tenth century.

Kalkan

Last summer we went on a family holiday to celebrate my parents' 30th wedding anniversary. We rented a stunning villa (Villa Lavender, through The Turquoise Collection) in Islamar, which is at the bottom of Taurus Mountains and 15 minutes away from Kalkan and the sea. 

It was predominantly a beach holiday but there is plenty to see and do in the area. Here are some of the things we did...

1) Chartered a traditional Turkish gulet for the day

2) Spent the day at one of Kalkan's many beach clubs (we went for Villa Mahal)

3) Visited Xanthos, the capital of ancient Lycia

4) Enjoyed a massage at The Likya Residence Spa

5) Trekked through the Saklikent Gorge and then went rafting down the Sakklikent River

Dublin

Inspired by the last post, I wanted to write about our trip to Dublin. It was our first weekend away together and it was absolutely glorious.

We stayed at The Merrion - not normally my kind of hotel (I prefer boutique) but I have to say it was wonderful.

We did the Hop On-Hop Off bus tour (yes, I'm a big fan and like to do them in every city I visit!).

I remember walking around quite a lot - it's that kind of place. We sat and had a coffee on the grounds of Trinity College Dublin and visited the Guinness Storehouse, which was great fun.

 

Next time we go to Ireland, I would like to head out of the city and visit some of the luscious countryside. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while.

Gothenburg

When WT and I first starting dating, we did a series of weekend breaks (Paris, Dublin, the usual places). But for one of the bank holiday weekends we decided to go somewhere a little different - so we went to Gothenburg. 

People looked slightly confused every time I mentioned it - I very much got the impression that no-one had ever heard of it! It is perhaps a bit of an alternative city break but it was truly lovely. We had such a nice few days; I would defo recommend it.

It's a while ago now but I remember we stayed in a hotel right above Gothenburg Central Station: First Hotel G. Slightly odd experience but it was good value and very well located.

If I'm honest, I can't remember everything we saw but we definitely did the Hop On-Hop Off bus tour which was a great way to see the highlights in a short space of time.

We also visited the Botanical Garden and rode on The Wheel of Gothenburg, a huge ferris wheel (which at the time was located by the harbour next to the Opera House but has since been moved to Liseberg).

We also did a boat tour and visited the Älvsborg Fortress.