Alnwick and Home

 As the end of the summer holidays is approaching, and certainly the end of any decent weather we've enjoyed, I'm still reminiscing on our week in the North, which was too coming to an end. Sunday was our last day before it was time to go. We'd definitely made the most of our time, and I think all of us, including the dog, were pretty tired. 

We spent a lazy day on site, cashing in all of the tickets little Miss had won on the arcades (for a stash of plastic junk to take home), and having our Sunday dinner in the on-site Weatherspoons. Then, it was an evening of packing our bags, ready for an early departure on Monday. 

Since Alnwick was en-route home, we decided to stop off. Originally I'd planned to visit Alnwick gardens, I'm fascinated by their poisonous plants section, but the weather was starting to turn and I didn't really fancy wandering around gardens by this point. No, instead, we wandered the pretty little town of Alnwick. 

We were greeted in the distance by the imposing image of Alnwick castle, and the town itself is filled again with some lovely architecture. There are a myriad of independent boutiques, and in one particular leather goods shop I was extremely tempted by a beautiful leather handbag. I did what I always do and walked around the shop with it for 30 minutes, what I don't always do is put it down and walk away though. I did this time because I am coming to the realisation that I have more handbags than I can use in a lifetime. I've thought about that bag every day ever since, so I've added it to my wishlist and who knows maybe I will buy it at some future point, but I am really trying not to. 

There wasn't really many dog friendly places in Alnwick where we could grab some lunch, so we ended up grabbing some snacks from Greggs and eating them in the car before setting off on the journey home. It had been an excellent holiday, so excellent that little Miss exclaimed it was her best holiday ever. What more could anyone want?

Northumberland: Bingo and Berwick

 The holidays that stick in my head from my childhood are the caravan holidays Mum would take me on. Sometimes we’d go as a larger family with cousins, other times just us. We’d stay in places like Skegness, Weymouth or Newquay and they were carefree and fun filled. Keen to relive those experiences with little Miss, this year I’d booked us a week’s holiday at Haven Haggerston Castle, near Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. 

The drive up from Yorkshire is a fairly straightforward one, over the moors and up through Newcastle, we were at our caravan by late afternoon. I’d booked one with a decking area for sitting out on, and also so Thelma could watch the world go by. We loved it! The site itself was huge, like a small town, but our little corner of the site, nestled in the trees was fairly quiet and peaceful. After unpacking and making a quick meal in the caravan, we quickly freshened up and headed out to the onsite club.

Ready for the club

Little Miss was thrilled that there was an arcade and a soft play area on site. Only promises to return later in the week would move her past them. The club itself was chaos. We’d arrived right in the middle of bonkers bingo. Once it was over though (we were grateful it was) there was live music which Little Miss was so happy to be able to dance to, and was a pleasant opportunity as there’s not much in the way of family nightlife back in Scarborough.

We had a great evening and made a mental note to miss the bingo slot on our next visit. Next morning, we were up early to go swimming. The pool was busy, but there was still plenty of room to play with the beach ball that little Miss persuaded me to buy. We had a blast. Little Miss has really come along this year with swimming and has so much more confidence.

Berwick town centre

The afternoon was sunny and hot, so we decided to pay nearby Berwick a visit. Berwick-on-Tweed sits on the picturesque river Tweed and is very close to the border of Scotland. Through history it’s been both Scottish and English, and architecturally it certainly feels more Scottish. 

We found a fabulous little dog friendly vintage tea room for a tea and cake break, before wandering down to the river front. It was beautiful, but incredibly hot. I don’t usually bring Thelma out in such temperatures so I was careful to make sure she got plenty of water breaks. 

The river Tweed

Feeling the heat

On the way back up to town from the river we decided to stop for a cold drink in the sunshine outside a nice cafe. Unfortunately they wouldn’t serve food outside and our desire to sit in the sunshine was stronger than our desire to eat, so it was drinks only. 

By the time we wandered back through town to the car park, checking out a few charity shops along the way, we were very hot. Back at the caravan site Mum treated us to a fish and chip supper from the on site chip shop, and we had a quiet night watching TV and relaxing. 

Swimming, Camping and Exploring

 The spell of good weather we'd enjoyed over the Bank Holiday weekend continued into the week, thankfully. Little Misses disappointment at not getting into the waterpark the day before was short lived, and after a lazy start to the morning we were joining the masses in the queue to get into Alpamare. Overhearing staff members talk about the unprecedented crowds of the previous day made me very grateful we hadn't been able to get tickets.

 

It was still very busy. We didn't go on the slides, but we had a wonderful time in the outside heated pools, and indoor pool with wave machine. Little Miss loved it. 

On Wednesday, I was heading off for my first ever camping trip with the chap. We had booked somewhere not too far away, near Helmsley. We met in Helmsley, stocking up on supplies for our night under canvas, including filling up the cool box at the butchers, then we set off to our camp site and set up our new tent. 

The field next to our tent

The site itself was lovely, situated next to wide open fields and very quiet in itself. We had plenty of space. 

Yorkshire Spa Retreat

We went for a long walk, and decided to take a wander to the nearby Yorkshire Spa Retreat. It's a place I've wanted to go to for a while so I was keen to take a look. Luckily for us, especially since the local pub had been closed, they had a fabulous bar and restaurant where non-guests were welcome. We had a drink, and I had a bit of a nosey at the spa itself, before taking the scenic country walk back to our tent. 

So happy with my hanging grill

We set up our fire pit and the fabulous new hanging grill I've bought to cook on it with, and then tried to light a fire. We're clearly not well practised because it took us forever, but we got there in the end, and then cooked burgers and chicken kebabs. It all tasted delicious, washed down with cans of Madri. 

Then, we just sat by our fire and listened to the peaceful sounds of the country side. As the evening went on, a change in the weather started to come in and it grew colder. Time to retire to our cosy little tent. 

The chap cooking breakfast

I slept surprisingly well and the chap cooked our breakfast on the stove the next morning. We agreed, we need a new stove before we go camping again because everytime there was a gust of wind, our stove went out. As we finished off our breakfast and washed up our plates, we heard a rumble of thunder in the distance signifying it was time to pack up our camp. 

We did get a bit rained on, but missed the worst of it thankfully. It was a fabulous experience and we can't wait to do it again, with a better stove. 

Sunset over our tent

The break in the weather didn't mark the end of half-term adventures, but you'll have to wait for the next instalment. 

Seeing the Sights of Paris

 After the grey day at Disneyland, the sunshine and heat returned for our final full day in the city of light. I couldn't wait to let the air into the apartment and gaze out on the square below, knowing that our holiday was drawing to a close. 

I'd decided that a fitting first outing for my posh new handbag was wandering around the streets of Paris. It's far smaller than I'm used to, being a fan of oversized tote bags, but I've quickly discovered that I can actually get most of what I need into it. Not willing to repeat the journey's on the RER that we'd attempted on the first day, we called an Uber and enjoyed the 40 minute journey into the heart of Paris, at leisure. 

We were dropped off at the Eiffel Tower. Little Miss had been so excited to see this particular landmark, although as she looked up to its summit high up in the clear blue sky all she could say was "looking up that high is making me dizzy".

Street artists around the Eiffel tower

Indeed, we were right under the tower! We wandered around the grassy area, and large cordoned areas of people queueing to make the journey up to the top, and found a coffee wagon. A much needed coffee wagon, and a bench to sit and enjoy it. 

Afterwards, we crossed the road away from the tower, and found there was a small street market taking place in the shadow of the tower. I was elated when the first stall we went to was selling beaded bracelets, and finally I managed to find a moonstone one to replace the one I had broken around a year ago! I've been lost without it, and I've scoured so many places to find a replacement, but no, I had to wait to go to France to find it! A bargain it was too at 10 Euro. 

We sat down at one of the trestle tables and bought some sausage and frites for lunch, and fought the wasps for our cans of pop. Alas, I had to concede defeat when a large wasp plunged into my Sprite. Some of the wasps we encountered in France were scary. At least 3 of them were larger than a British hornet. Thankfully we all came off unscathed. 

The Eiffel tower from the opposite side of the Seine

First outing for my Balenciaga bag

Musee d'Art Moderne de Paris

After perusing more of the (mostly souvenirs) available at the street market, we carried on across the Seine on the Pont d'Lena and on the other side walked along in the general direction of the Champs Elysee, since the Arc du Triomphe was another one we wanted to show little miss. Passing multiple tourists, some performing daring feats to capture that all important well posed Instagram photo with the Eiffel tower in the background, we walked for what seemed like miles, looking in awe at the beautiful buildings that surrounded us. It reminded me why I do love Paris so much. 

An all too enticing Paris street cafe beckoned us in for cold beers (and pop for little Miss) and people watching. A fabulous Parisian pastime. I spent my time trying to spot the true Parisians amongst the visitors, it was too easy though. The Parisians have a certain confident nonchalance as they bounce around the streets, that the majority of tourists (me included) most certainly don't exude. It made me wonder if I’m nonchalant when I’m at home, but I’m pretty sure it’s not a personality trait I have, wherever I may be.

After our respite, we carried on walking, finding ourselves on a wide road where people were pulling up outside of the Four Seasons Hotel in chauffeur driven Rolls Royces. Hermes and Goyard just across the street and Louis Vuitton at the top of the road. We went in all of the stores for a look. Then, we were on the Champs Elysee. The hustle and bustle of Paris all leading up to the beautiful Arc. 

We crossed the road to settle ourselves at a gorgeous and typically French street cafe for dinner. I'd craved Beef bourginon the whole time I was in Paris, so I was thrilled to find it on the menu, and it was divine. An espresso martini for dessert and then we carried on walking towards the monument, stopping to take in the strange installation taking up a large swathe of the Champs Elysee which is a giant Louis Vuitton trunk. I couldn't even fit it all in the photo. 

Enjoying dinner in a street cafe

The sun was setting on our days adventures, so after some photos at the Arc du Triomphe it was time to order an Uber to take us back to the apartment to pack for our journey home the next day. It had been an amazing experience. It had been busy, but so much fun and Little Miss had thoroughly enjoyed her first trip to another country.