Our travel adventures as husband and wife

We're off to New York in just over three weeks! We haven't had more than a couple of days off work since our last big holiday in May, so we're very excited about our pre-Christmas getaway.

We travelled to New York together for the first time in February 2013. It was one of our first holidays together as a couple and, in some ways, it feels as if it happened a whole lifetime ago. This got me thinking about all the places we've travelled to together since then... cue blogging inspiration alert.

I decided to focus on the holidays we've been on since we got married in August 2014. We didn't get photos of the two of us on every occasion, but I'm quite impressed that we managed as many as we did considering we don't particularly like having our photos taken.

Please excuse the inconsistent photo sizes... we've both had lots of different cameras and phones over the last four years! 



Rome, September 2014

We went to Rome for the first leg of our honeymoon. Rome is an amazing place and we loved the four days we spent there, apart from the stress of trying to cross their hectic roads.

Lake Garda, September 2014

The second leg of our honeymoon was spent in beautiful Malcesine. A completely different pace to Rome with breathtaking beauty at every turn.

Venice, September 2014

The last leg of our honeymoon was spent in Venice. More beautiful views, architecture and food... it's safe to say that we were well and truly in love with Italy by the time we left.

Disneyland Paris, December 2014

We went to Disneyland Paris for the first time in December 2014. We couldn't afford to go to Walt Disney World in 2014 due to our wedding and honeymoon but we still wanted our Disney fix. Disney + Christmas = perfection!

Amalfi, April 2015

We decided we wanted to see a different part of Italy in 2015, so we went to Amalfi on the Amalfi Coast.  Definitely one of the most beautiful coastlines I've ever seen in my life.

Walt Disney World, September 2015

It was finally time to go back to our favourite place in the world in September 2015. This was our first trip back to Florida since we got engaged there in 2013, so it was an extra special holiday for us.

Toronto, March 2016

We spent a week in Toronto in March 2016. Toronto is an incredible city with loads to see, and we also went on a day trip to Niagara Falls while we were there.

Walt Disney World, September 2016

Surprise surprise, we ended up back in Walt Disney World in September 2016. Although this trip was overshadowed by my cancer diagnosis, escaping to the most magical place on earth for two weeks was the ideal distraction.

London, October 2016

We went on an overnight theatre break to London in October 2016 to see Aladdin at the West End. I was still recovering from my operation so we had a slow couple of days, and it was lovely to get away for a night.

London, March 2017

We booked another theatre break in March 2017 as we loved the first one so much. This time we went to see The Lion King and it was absolutely amazing.

Walt Disney World, April 2017

I know I know, we can't keep away. This trip was only eight months after the last one which meant we didn't have to wait quite so long for it to arrive!

Wizarding World of Harry Potter, August 2017

I bought tickets for us to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Watford for Neil's birthday back in March. We booked our trip in August to coincide with our anniversary, and we had a brilliant time.

Florence, October 2017

It was time for us to try yet another part of Italy in October 2017. We loved Florence and I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for the perfect mix of culture, city life and relaxation.

Walt Disney World, May 2018

Back again... yes, we do enjoy going back to Walt Disney World every year. We just love it that much!

Llangennith, October 2018

We went on our first holiday with Jessie in October. It was so lovely to be able to take Jessie with us and we'll definitely be planning more dog-friendly weekends away in the near future.

Next stop... New York! 

Reminiscing about our honeymoon...

I always take part in the Instagram 'Throwback Thursday' hashtag as I love looking through old photographs. Last Thursday, I used a photo from our honeymoon which I hadn't shared on Instagram yet. This led to me looking nostalgically through all my honeymoon albums to remind myself what an amazing holiday it was.

As I take photographs with my digital camera when I'm on holiday rather than with my phone, I realised that there were loads of honeymoon photos I hadn't put on Instagram yet. I consequently decided to spend the bank holiday weekend reminiscing about our three beautiful honeymoon locations (Rome, Malcesine and Venice) through sharing new photographs.

I posted nine photos from each location on Instagram as I liked the symmetry of it... I'm a bit pedantic like that. Here's what the end result looked like:

Rome

Malcesine

Venice 

Have you been to any of these locations? Or have you written any posts about your Instagram activities? Please leave your links below if so, I love seeing other people's photographs! 

Honeymoon destination #1 - Rome

I've blogged briefly about our honeymoon and shocked you all with the volume of food I ate, but I thought I'd share some more thoughts and photos from the three beautiful locations we visited on our visit to Italy.

It was liberating to be able to escape to such an exciting and diverse country after such a hectic year of wedding planning (and house buying). Neither of us had ever visited Italy before... we'll definitely be visiting again!

Our first stop was Rome, the capital city of Italy. We stayed in Hotel Capo d'Africa which was recommended to us by an Italian friend, and we couldn't have been happier with our beautiful hotel suite. We had a huge private terrace with a view of the Colosseum, a super modern and gleaming bathroom, a massive bed and a complimentary fruit bowl and bottle of Prosecco. The hotel staff were helpful and efficient from the outset and spoke perfect English, and they gave us lots of advice on the best places to visit and how to get around Rome in the most efficient way. The hotel was minutes away from the Colosseum - a great central location. Eleven out of ten!

View from our private terrace

Outside the hotel

Dressing gown and slippers!

The Colosseum quickly became my favourite Roman landmark, which isn't surprising as we could see it from our hotel room and we walked past it every day. It truly is one of the most breathtaking spectacles I've ever seen, and I thought a lot about the battles that must have taken place inside its walls. They don't build arenas like this any more! We went on a walking tour of the inside of Colosseum as well as walking around the outside several times. The walking tour was great value for money and the inside is just as impressive as the outside. The stone is metres thick and there are tons and tons and tons of it. It's been beautifully preserved through the centuries and I'm totally in love with this particular landmark.

After fully exploring the Colosseum, we also ventured into the Roman Forum. Yet another amazing place, steeped in history like everything else in this corner of Rome. I can't even describe how many historical places of significance we saw while wandering around the Roman Forum. It was absolutely scorching while we were exploring the Forum, probably exacerbated by the fact that we kept going around in circles as we couldn't find the way out! It wouldn't be a good holiday without some funny stories about getting lost, and it's not every day you can say that you've been lost in the Roman Forum.

The Vatican City and St Peter's Basilica were high on our Rome hit list so we dedicated a whole day to exploring this legendary place in detail. We decided to walk there from our hotel which took an hour or so. However, the walk was totally worth it as it took us along the river and overhanging trees, away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. It became immediately obvious as soon as we entered the Vatican... crowds swarmed around St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican City in general, and the architecture of the whole place is just spectacular. We couldn't face the 3 hour wait to get in to St Peter's Basilica as we wanted to make the most of our time in the area, but we spent a long time soaking up the atmosphere. This area of Rome absolutely has to be on your must-see list!

Moving on to a different landmark, the Pantheon was possibly my favourite sight in Rome after the Colosseum. We accidentally stumbled upon the Pantheon on our first day when we were attempting to familiarise ourselves with the city. It's a massively impressive and solid structure which just looks as if it's been there for ever and will continue to be there for ever. Although the Pantheon was packed with hundreds of tourists, there was still a respectful and hushed aura inside the temple. The architecture inside was just as striking as the outside, and I thought it was a truly awe-inspiring building.

I was very excited about seeing the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, but unfortunately these were the only disappointing aspects of our time in Rome. Both areas were undergoing maintenance work so they were covered with scaffolding and advertising hoardings. I know maintenance has to be carried out occasionally but I thought it was very inconsiderate of the powers-that-be to tarnish two famous landmarks while I was there!

Rome is such an amazing city and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to everyone I know. We'd been told that crime was rife in Rome and that we should be very careful, but we never felt unsafe there. Everyone we met was kind and welcoming, and we certainly didn't feel threatened at any point. I've felt much more unsafe in Cardiff city centre on a Saturday night, if I'm honest. People are correct when they tell you that drivers are crazy in Rome, but you soon get used to this. We were strolling across the road in between cars like the locals by the end of our stay!

We were surrounded by beautiful sights and buildings wherever we ventured... my camera was very busy! I loved imagining what had taken place in all these locations thousands of years ago and marvelling at the way it's all been preserved so flawlessly.  

So that was the first leg of our honeymoon... Malcesine had a lot to live up to after such an amazing few days in Rome. Check back on the blog in a few days to find out if it lived up to our expectations! 

Food, glorious food (and drink) - Honeymoon style #1

We ate a LOT of food on honeymoon (that's a massive understatement). As I've mentioned in previous posts, it was so nice to be able to eat whatever I wanted for two weeks without worrying about having to fit in to my wedding dress. It's safe to say that I more than made up for my strict dieting in the few months before the wedding!

I managed to take photos of most of my meals and snacks, much to my husband's amusement and/or embarrassment. After sorting through my photos, I thought I'd document the food I ate in each Italian location in a separate blog post due to the sheer volume of it. It'll definitely make me feel less ashamed of my gluttony if it's spread over three posts... I think.

We also drank more alcohol on this holiday than we usually would as it was such a special occasion and we wanted it to be as relaxing as possible. We didn't go overboard as no one wants a hangover when they're on on honeymoon (or ever, in fact), so we just had a glass of wine or two in the evenings and a few cocktails along the way.

So here goes... here's what I ate (and drank) in Rome! Get ready to be amazed/disgusted.

Fruit plate and a bottle of Prosecco on arrival at the hotel

Meat and cheese starter on our first evening

Fancy ravioli!

Good old apple crumble and ice cream

My first Italian hot chocolate

My first Italian pizza!

Possibly the best gelato of the holiday

Vegetables in breadcrumbs... tasted much more exotic than it sounds! 

Bolognese... just can't go wrong with this dish

The hotel's amazing breakfast (don't worry, I had more plates after this one)

Chocolate croissant for breakfast! 

Pasta and pesto. My favourite!

Pepperoni pizza slices in the Vatican City 

Glass of Prosecco on our private terrace

Spaghetti Carbonara

A nice glass of wine!

There were also a couple of meals/desserts I didn't get a decent photograph of... please don't judge me. Actually, judge away, I loved every morsel of it. 

As you can see, we had a nice mixture of fancy meals indoors, casual meals outdoors, and street food. We found that the prices in Rome were very reasonable and our most expensive meal was the one on our first evening at our hotel, which was to be expected as it was a fairly upmarket hotel. 

Check back on the blog in a few days to find out what I ate and drank in Malcesine. I'm already salivating!