Easter weekend in Snowdonia, Wales

View of Harlech castle

This Easter, we had a relaxed 4 day vacation in and around the Snowdonia National Park, in North Wales. This was one of those vacations where all we did was book a place to stay and rent a car. The rest, we just decided as we went along. And it went perfectly well. We did end up doing a lot of activities, and explored a lot around the park. But we did it at a pace which made it feel that we were not rushing towards anything. And that’s what a perfect vacation is, right?

We stayed in the village of Harlech and explored the area around. Over the 4 days, we

• Spent some time in Harlech 
• Visited the Harlech and Shell beaches
• Explored the villages of Porthmadog, Portmeirion, Tremadog, and Dinas Mawddwy nearby, and 
• Trekked up Mt. Snowdon

The weather surprisingly was warm and sunny, and the spring greenery all around Wales made it the perfect place to have a nice time.


Getting there

We spent most of the first day driving in from London to Harlech. It took us about 5.5 hours to get there, longer than the 4.5 hours we were expecting. There was more traffic than we expected, all the way till Wolverhampton. Till then, the drive was mostly through highways and quite average. Though there were some sarson ke khet and cherry blossoms on the side providing some relief. But overall, nothing to write home about

Sheep and their lambs

Once we entered Wales, the drive became more scenic. It passed through small roads with bright green trees on the sides, and grass covered rolling hills everywhere, full of sheep and their lambs grazing next to them. The green was a bright shade as spring was just starting. And it felt very different than all the highways drive earlier.

The last part of the drive from Barmouth to Harlech was the topping on the cake. It was right next to the sea and breathtaking all the way. The road was lined with small villages on the narrow land patch between the mountains and the sea. The mountains were all full with yellow flowers dotting their one side and the bright blue sea was on the other. It also got sunny on the way and the views became even more stunning, especially when sunset time came. During this part of the drive, the train line also ran all along the sea and I am sure, the views from the trains must be even more fantastic. And it was the best way to ease into the relaxed life we were about to encounter the next three days. With picturesque views and a relaxed pace of life.


Harlech

Even though we were staying in Harlech, we went into town only once. The main village is located up a hill and it looks stunning. Especially its highlight, the Harlech Castle which sits atop the hill and is lighted at night. We saw the lighted Harlech castle every night while driving back and it looked heavenly.

One day we drove up and had a bit of an episode. Our car had weak brakes and the hand brake also got stuck on the drive up. So we ended up blocking the road up for a bit and stopped traffic. Anyways thanks to some helpful passersby, we were able to solve the problem, but didn’t drive up again 😜.

Castle at night

The castle had closed by then but we walked around the small town, and sat at a cafe which had the castle in the background, all lighted up during sunset. It was one of the best coffee backgrounds I have ever had. The castle on one side, and the flat lands below, against the sea which extended forever. It was definitely one of the lasting views from this trip. It felt nice to be there, as if time had almost stopped. And I loved the pace of life in that moment. You feel you are so far away from everything. In your own happy world…


Beaches

North Wales is known for its beaches. There are many around this area. The beaches are not really known for its warm waters, but this easter was so warm, that a lot of people were out on the beaches, and even in the water! If we had known, we would have planned accordingly too. We still went to a few of the beaches around but spent only a little time going into the water.

Shell Beach

The first day, we visited Shell Beach which was about 15 mins away from Harlech. The beach is a bit removed from the main road and is a huge establishment for campers. All around were people camping, fishing, kayaking, looking for shells and taking their dogs out for walks. It felt like a big mela. We drove into the area and walked to the beach which had small dunes next to the water. On one side were mountains with white houses dotted. And the water was full of waves. The water was coldish but not too bad. You could definitely put your feet in. We spent a few hours just chilling on the beach. And given the weather was bright and sunny, it felt amazing to sit there doing nothing. Even ice cream felt good at that time.

Harlech Beach

The last day while leaving for London, we drove to Harlech beach which was again full of people and a good place to hangout. We also drove to Barmouth beach which was a biggish town on the way. But since it was Easter and a sunny one at that, it was extremely crowded. We couldn’t even find a place to park our car and so left without getting out. But I think that may be a good place to hangout and shop too.


Nearby villages

There are tons of small villages and towns to explore nearby. They are nothing out of the extraordinary. Just cute little places to enjoy having a nice leisurely walk and meal in. Our first day, after checking in to our airbnb, we drove to to Porthmadog as it had a Tesco store there (and the only big supermarket around). It felt like a nice little town. It had a maritime museum and a small little river flowing through it, giving it a nice vibe. We walked around it a bit. And the drive from Harlech to Porthmadog was also interesting, narrow roads next to the sea. Always fun to drive at night 😜.

Random church in a village

One of the days, we went to the village of Portmeirion which is a fake village built in a picturesque Italian architecture style. It has been turned into a resort now and may be a good place to visit. We visited Portmeirion to go to one of the restaurants but they close by 5pm, so we couldn’t go in. But it may be something worth a visit. It also had a small castle right next to it which is a restaurant now. But that was also closed by the time we reached.

Tremadog

We also visited the village of Tremadog for dinner one night. It was a very small little charming village, nestled among high mountains on all sides. And offering great food options. Driving through all these villages is always a trek. The roads were all very narrow, some with stone walls on the sides. It was fun driving on small single car bridges, with bright green trees on both sides. On the way, there were lot of beaches next to the road. All very picturesque all the way.

Dinas Marwddwy

Our last day while coming back from Harlech to London, we stopped at Dinas Mawddwy, a small charming village on the way. We had lunch there and also spent some time near its river, soaking our feet in the cold running water. That's the thing with villages in UK. So many of them are picturesque, and perfect for spending a leisurely time. Not always offering a lot to do, but perfect for a nice relaxed sunny day. When all you want to do is nothing...


Mt Snowdon

My Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, and the park is named on it. We kept one day just for trekking Snowdon. This was my second attempt to go up Mt Snowdon. The first time we had come down as we had limited time that day. But this time, we made it.

The way up

We drove an hour, from Harlech towards the town of Llanberis. The drive was beautiful, through green valleys all the way. There are about 6 routes to go up the mountain, we took one of the easier ones which starts at Llanberis. This is the most touristy and crowded of the lot, full of people and and their dogs. And also has a train going up the mountain from the base. The total ascent on this route is about 950 metres, and the path is the least steep ones of the lot.

The path up

From Llanberis we started our trek up. It was steep initially, then a lot easier to walk up to the halfway point. And the second half of the trek was again quite steep, all the way till the peak. Throughout, we had stunning views of the dried mountains all around, and lakes dotting the landscape here and there. We also passed the Snowdon rail going up and down, ferrying passengers who didn’t want to walk up 😁. It took us about 3.5 hours to reach the summit. And then we sat for some time at the peak, just taking in the calmness of being at the top.

Lakes up the way

Overall, the weather was gorgeous that day, it was sunny and hot all the way up. Which made it tough as well as easy at the same time to trek. It definitely made for some gorgeous views of valleys and lakes on the way. And so the route was quite crowded, full of people making full use of the good weather to go up the mountain. And along with them were tons of dogs, running all the way up. It took up about 2.5 hours to walk down, and we were tired by the end of it. Given our brakes didn't work too well, we hurried back soon after the trek to reach home before dark. And this was the best day of the trip.

My Snowdon is definitely one of the easier treks to do, not too long and not too steep either. A definite must-do if you ever visit the park.


Our accommodation

We were staying in an airbnb in the town of Harlech. Unfortunately, it wasn’t on the town hill but on the flat lands in a holiday homes areas. The place was beautiful and well maintained. And it had a garden outside, where it was sunny and hot in the mornings. And it felt lovely to sit there having a leisurely breakfast. The weekend was surprisingly hot for an Easter weekend and it felt luxurious just to be able to eat outside every morning.


Eating options

We mostly cooked and ate food in our airbnb except one day when we ate at Y Sgwar in Tremadog, a small village where we had gone exploring. We were pleasantly surprised by the food, it was like fine dining in the middle of nowhere. And I would recommend it anytime.


Map




The weekend spent in North Wales was an extreme delight. Totally unplanned but still turning out to be a very active holiday. I loved the variety of options there were of things to do - beaches, mountains, castles, eating, trekking etc.. A great find, and I can see it as a place I can go back to again.

Loafing around in Alicante, Spanish style

This year it hasn’t been a warm summer in London. And somehow all of my last few vacations have been to coldish places. So I desperately wanted to have a warm and relaxing European getaway before summer was over. So at the last minute in August, I booked a short 5 day break to Alicante as it had direct flights from London. And of course, it was a hot place as the weather in Spain is always warm. And what a vacation it turned out to be!

View of Costa Blanca, from Altea

I hadn’t really researched much about what to do when there. But it turned out, there was a lot more to do than I would have expected. Which was definitely a bonus. The whole coast around Alicante is known as Costa Blanca and is full of touristy things to do. There are islands nearby, beaches to sunbathe in, towns to visit, castles to explore and amazing shopping to splurge on. So, over the 5 days, we managed to do a lot of different things:

• Alicante and around: Explored Old Town, the promenade and the local beach - Playa de Postiguet, trekked up Castillo de Santa Barbara and visited the amazing beach of San Juan
• Nearby places: Drove to the nearby villages of Villajoyosa, Abril, Altea and Elche and spent time on the beach as well as walked through town
• Island of Tabarca: Took a ferry to Tabarca island and swam in its hidden coves
• Shopping: Shopped at the Spanish brands - Zara and Mango - which have huge stores here, offering better variety, and at lower prices than London

But most of all, what I found most different about the vacation was the long 3 hour lunches we had on the beaches and the daily siestas we took when it was too hot to be outside. That really helps you set the pace for a relaxed enjoyable vacation.


Alicante and around

Getting there

While landing in Alicante, I found the Spanish scenery quite a contrast to London. London had been very green, while Spain had lot of interesting but brown landscapes on the way. There were some mountains but they seemed to be full of dried brown stepped fields. After the mountains also, most of the area looked very brown, with some small shrubs or greenery scattered here and there, but mostly brown. It still looked quite picturesque from the air though.

While landing, Alicante looked like a spread out industrial and boring city (all the houses had swimming pools though!). It did scare me a bit initially as I hadn’t researched by then whether there was enough to do in the city or not. And the first views were not encouraging. The airport was small and I took the shuttle bus (c6) to town. It was a quick ride, but even this ride did not look inspiring. The landscape was all brown and dry, and the outer city just felt like it was full of industrial buildings everywhere. I did have a moment of doubt whether I had chosen the right vacation spot or not.

When I got down at the bus terminal and walked to my hotel, all my doubts went away altogether. I first walked on the palm lined waterfront. And then through Old Town. The walk turned out to be quite enchanting. And the weather had also got warm by then. So it all felt perfect suddenly 😊.

The Old Town

The Old Town was full of colourful yellow and orange buildings everywhere, with the cobbled streets in between. And there was some pretty architecture to observe all around. It was always a pleasure to walk in this area as it was the most active place around.

Streets of Alicante

During afternoons, all the restaurants were full, and people would be sitting outside in the streets having a lazy lunch in the sun. Some of these streets were also lined with trees which made it easier to be outside. The temperatures were really hot during the day and so everyone preferred to be inside. So the town would become totally empty after lunch, from say 3-7 pm when everyone was off for their siestas. It was a bit difficult for me to do that the first day if you are not used to daily siestas. But by the end, I was also totally in the zone 😆.

And then evenings again, the town became alive and there would be people all out of their homes, eating and shopping. There were lot of small squares with palms trees giving shade to people who were lazing there. It seemed like the regular place for everyone to get together. The streets here were lined with antique iron lamps which would switch on every night. And it gave the town a very old world charm. The whole ambience in this part of town was always lively even at midnight. In fact by then, people would still just be starting their evening.

We spent a lot of time in this part of town, mostly just walking around, doing a bit of shopping, seeing some sights and just generally chilling when we were there. We did hear one day of a boat dance party which was planned but we got to it late. But its definitely something to do if you can.

One of the days we had to get our car filled with petrol and I followed google maps to find a petrol pump. I think I must have landed at the smallest petrol pump in the world! It was literally just a pump setup on one edge of a square, right on the road! I actually drove past it once and had to take a full round to come back to it to find it. It was definitely an interesting experience.

The Promenande

The main promenade of Alicante is on one edge of the Old Town, and runs all along the beach. One side of the promenade is lined with restaurants and local markets, while on the other side you can see all the yachts parked in the water. And as you walk, you come to the local town beach.

The Playa del Postiguet beach was a long one with the castle on one side of it, then the high-rise resorts and then the hundreds of people in their coloured umbrellas, in the water. The sunset from there was striking. The beach was too crowded though and I decided not to go there at all.

Summer concert

The promenade was full of people every time I went there, enjoying a stroll outside next to the water. They had some small trinket markets there, mostly run by the Africans. One of the evenings, they had a free summer concert going on in the open, where I sat for a bit. Most of the women in the audience were using paper fans, it was so hot. I haven't seen anyone use such fans for years now, but clearly it was a thing in Spain.

One of the days when we had lunch on the Promenade, there was a group of old Spanish musicians singing and playing Spanish music all afternoon. It was lovely to just sit there, under the palm trees, listen to the music, enjoy the food and just observe people walking around with nowhere to reach. And the breeze from the sea making it feel cooler than it was. It felt so perfect to be there. How much I miss this in London?!

Castillo de Santa Barbara

View of the castle from the ferry

Castillo de Santa Barbara is a small castle on top of a mountain, right in the middle of Alicante. It is visible from across the city and overlooks the main beach. One of the evenings, we walked up the castle which was a 30 mins walk up the road. Apparently you can walk from Plaza del Carmen but we took a longer route along the road. This route went around the mountain and then had a steep climb up through the forest hills. The forest walk was refreshing, though there an almost deafening sound of crickets on this which felt quite out of place. Overall, it was a nice short walk up, though given it was still hot and sunny, it wasn’t as easy as expected.

The castle

The castle on top, though small was impressive. It had a wall all around, and many smaller buildings and towers inside. You could easily explore it for an hour. It was partially bright with sun and sometimes in the shade. It definitely felt better once the sun had set. The castle had great views of the city below, the beaches, its blue waters, and the hills beyond.

Sunset over Alicante

We also got to view an impressive sunset over the city. They also have some cafes for people who want to spend more time there, plus they were also getting ready for a concert in the evening. So the castle definitely felt like a hub of activity and worth a trek up. It was especially refreshing while coming down when the weather got cooler and breezier.

Eating out in Alicante

Spain is a foodie’s heaven. They love their food, and even the small villages we visited had multiple restaurants offering some great fare. Our favourite foods during the trip were patatas bravas, garlic prawns, fish or veg croquettes, padron peppers and spanish omelette. We ended up ordering the same things at most of the places we went.

The Spanish really love long lazy lunches, and most of our lunches turned out to be 3 hours long along the beach, as the waiters took their own sweet time to get the menu, take the order, get the order, get the bill and then the machine to get paid! Not that we were complaining, as the long lunches were totally welcome during the hot afternoons.

Nou Manolin

In Alicante, we went to Nou Manolin twice for dinner. Its a famous restaurant but as we had no booking, we sat in their bar on the ground floor. And the ambience was very lively. There was the bar in the middle, with lot of green decorations. And it was full of people both evenings. They serve such huge servings of starters that one of the days, I didn’t even have a main course! Their paella is to die for. I had the lobster one and loved it totally. But most of it, I loved the overall lively feel of the place.

One evening, we had dinner at Casa De Leon, again in the Old Town which had a very interesting Spanish fusion menu and I loved it. It had outside seating which is always preferable. And one afternoon, we walked to La Tavernas del Gourmet for lunch which had great reviews. Once at the restaurant, we realised they had a place to sit outside also on the promenade. So we just chose to go there, enjoy a nice meal while just sitting outside in the sun enjoying the warm lazy air. I had one average meal in Alicante which was at a vegetarian place called Bodhi Green. That was definitely a bad idea as they took the vegetarianism to the next level. Definitely not a place for me!

Of course the Spanish eat their dinner late, starting at 9 pm. Then go for drinks after 12 and then go partying after, staying out till very late. We never got past the dinner as we were too tired with the siestas and long lunches by then 😜 but the areas of El Barrio and El Casco Antiguo are good to go for drinks while websites recommend to go to the Puerto area after 4 am for partying.

Shopping in Alicante

Spain is known for its Mango and Zara, and I recommend it totally. The prices are cheaper, the clothes variety more colourful. The shops here were open till very late at night (9/10pm depending on the day) plus the sales made it such a pleasure to shop. There were also loads of local boutiques and shops selling clothes and locally manufactured shoes (apparently this region is famous for its shoes too). They were always a pleasure to browse through and shopping is one of the things I would recommend to anyone going to Spain.

Hotel in Alicante

We had booked a relatively inexpensive hotel called La City Mercado for our stay. But it turned out to be just perfect for us. Its location was its best part. It was right next to the Old Town which ensured that we were able to walk or take local transport to all the places we wanted to go to. It was walking distance from the shuttle I took from the airport, 10 mins walk from the central stations where all the car rentals were located and minutes from the tram/bus stations to San Juan beach. We were located right in the Old Town, again walking distance from all the sites of the town, the Castillo de Santa Barbara, supermarkets, ATMs as well as the party areas. And the hotel was clean, with nice convenient room and good quality service. All for a very reasonable price. Totally worth it!


San Juan beach near Alicante

Tram to San Juan

One of the days, we spent only on the nearby beach of San Juan. It was a bus ride away from Alicante, and even though it is technically in a different city, it felt like being within Alicante itself. Getting there is easy - there are multiple options. You can either take tram L3 or L4. Or a few of the bus options. We decided to take the tram and it was very very convenient (and cute). It took us about 20 mins to get there. The tram route was along the beach and it felt like the area was continuously inhabited all the way, lined with holiday apartments along the coast. It was an enjoyable and short ride to the beach.

San Juan beach

The beach is apparently 7 kms long and on both sides there were small mountains. All along it, there were high-rise hotels and restaurants. Right next to the beach was a walking promenade, lined with palm trees. And once at the beach it was heaven. The sun was out, there was a breeze, the sand was white, the waters were deep blue, full of waves, the beach was lined with colourful umbrellas and thousands of people were there. All enjoying this paradise 😊.

We spent a couple of hours on the beach, alternating between sleeping on the sunbeds in the shade and swimming in the warm waters, going up and down with the waves, and swimming deep in the ocean. It was heavenly, as if time had stopped and we were just floating. I loved the day spent there, totally relaxed, with nothing to do and nowhere to go (other than back into the water when the temperatures felt too hot!). The water was warm, but coolish enough after the hot sun outside. And there were loads of waves which made it fun swimming in the waters. This beach was definitely the high point of my trip and we did not want to leave at all.

We had lunch at one of restaurants along the promenade - Lorea which served Basque food. It was bit tough to get something I could eat but whatever I got was tasty. And then sadly it was time to get back to Alicante. It was very tough to leave the place. But we did manage to pull ourselves away somehow 😜. We took the bus this time (no 22) which again took just 20 mins back to drop us to the centre of Alicante town.


Nearby villages of Villajoyosa, Abril, Altea and Elche

We spent one of the days driving to some of the nearby villages on the Costa Blanca and what a revelation it was. Each village had something different to offer. Our start to the day (as all days in Spain) had been a bit late and we decided to rent a car. It easy to just walk to the car rentals near the station and get one. I did manage to get a much cheaper rate, booking online while at the car rental shop than what they were offering us!

We took the day as it came, first driving east, towards the village of Villajoyosa (or La Vila Joiosa) which was about an hour away. The drive was mostly through motorways and some small roads. And it was picturesque. Most of the time, the route was lined with bare brown mountains on the side but at times we would glimpse beautiful houses on them. They were mostly orange and yellow coloured villas all on mountain tops, with views of the beach below. It looks like the entire area is full of holiday homes, and why not? The sun, the warmth, the palms, the glistening blue water and the waves. No wonder Spain is so popular among holiday home owners in Europe. Its paradise.

Beach at Villajoyosa

We first drove to Villajoyosa and just looked for the beach on the GPS. All the parking along the beach was full, so we parked a bit inside the village and then walked to the beach. The first views of the beach were magnificent. Golden yellow sand, with blue waters, scorching heat with green palms to provide shade and colourful houses all along the way. There were hundreds of people on the beach, all either in the water or sitting under colourful umbrellas. It felt like a great place to relax. And it was really hot that day too, just the perfect excuse to get into the water. I went into the water only for the a bit but found the sand too hot to walk on.

The rest of the time, we just sat by the restaurants on the promenade and had a nice 3 hour long lunch in the typical Spanish leisurely way. The food was the usual we would order - tapas orders of garlic prawns, patatas braves, spanish omelette and some fish. It felt nice just to sit and have a nice long lunch without a thought to bother. Just perfect.

Beach at Abril

After the lunch, we thought of driving to another beach, and from the map, just picked the beach of Abril. And it turned out to be even better. The whole area turned out to be quite a richer high end area with huge holiday homes lined with trees everywhere. You could feel the richness of the place just looking at the cars and the people around. The beach there was awesome too. It had mountains on both sides with some of the peaks covered with clouds even in summer. This beach was more windy than the previous one and that’s why felt cooler. The water was a deep blue, and the beach though pebbly was full of umbrellas and sunbeds everywhere. It felt awesome to be out there after a heavy lunch. So we got our 2 hour daily siesta here on the beach. And when the weather got cooler, we left to explore the old town of Altea.

Streets of Altea

It took us a bit to find a parking near the old town, known as Casco Antiguo. The Altea old town was enchanting. It was full of narrow cobbled streets, up and down the hill, lined with white houses all around. Just like you see in pictures from the islands in Greece. There was small shops everywhere and people were selling their locals wares. There were also loads of restaurants all around.

Streets of Altea

The architecture is very Moorish, and the squares on the top reminded me of Granada. There was a church on the peak which was worth exploring. From the top, we could also see some grand views of the sea, the beaches and the mountains around. This was my most memorable view from the entire trip. And I totally enjoyed our stroll in this village.

After the third stop of the day, we were in two minds whether to visit another place or not, but then decided to do it anyways. Our last stop of the day was the city of Elche which was famous for some palm groves. This was not a coastal village and turned out to be a much more modern and bigger city. But its city centre still had a nice small town feel to it.

Grand Basilica

We parked near the city centre and explored the area on foot. We first walked to the Grand Basilica which was quite grand and currently full of people. They were showcasing the religious play called misterio which is enacted there once a year. Then we walked around to the palm grove park and the old museum which had lights on and looked heavenly at night. But it was too late to visit the places as they had shut down. So we ended up just walking around a bit and finally stopping for dinner. We had a leisurely Italian dinner at one of the local restaurants, Lungo Mare and were on our way back by nighttime.

Museum at Elche

There are some other scenic villages on the coast which are worth visiting, like Javea and Novelda. And Altea apparently has many great restaurants, including Michelin star ones. But as I quite often say, for the next time 😁. We had a very fun-filled day visiting these villages, and even though we started with no plans, we ended up doing a lot. The villages were quite similar but unique in their own way. They had the typical beaches, but the old towns were full of colourful houses and made for a fine few hours of strolling around in a cosy atmosphere. All in all, definitely worth a visit.


Tabarca Island

My last day was spent in the island village of Tabarca, very close to Alicante. Its easy to get there, you can just take a 1 hour ferry ride from the Kontiki boat company on the promenade. They have multiple ferries going there every morning. When I tried to get on one, it got full just 2 people before me in the queue and they told me to get the next one. I had to get in with a bit of senti, as my flight was later in the day. But it did help as I got to spend enough time on the island.

Main beach on Tabarca Island

It was a very interesting trip, as I didn’t enjoy it at first but then realised how much the quaint island had to offer. The island is quite small and you can walk all around it in 20-30 mins I think. When you land, you walk into the first beach which was crowded to say the least. That did put me off for a bit as I didn’t feel like getting into the water then. So I walked around the island a bit which was bare and hot. There was a tower and some small buildings to explore. I ate at one of the crowded restaurants next to the main beach and by this time I still thought the place was too touristy.

Streets of Tabarca

Then I walked into the small village and my view changed. The village had the narrow coloured streets which made it quite an enchanted place. There were cafes and local restaurants, squares with benches, small churches and the island walls, all providing magnificent views.

One of the smaller coves

And while walking around the village, I also came upon hidden coves with stone structures and cliffs all around which were just perfect for enjoying the sun. There were small groups of people going into the waters in these protected areas, snorkelling, sunbathing and swimming. And this felt perfect, away from the crowds on the main beach. And the water was such a deep blue, it was breathtaking. I spent some time in these areas and then it felt like worth coming to this little paradise away from the mainland.

It was a bit hot earlier when I was in the main beach but had got cloudy and windy later which made the whole experience more enjoyable. The ride back in the ferry was also amazing. I sat in the front of the ferry, outside in the sun with the wind blowing in my face. And it was a spectacular ride!


And just like that, the trip got over. The weather had been awesome the time we were there, warm and comfortable. People around looked very chilled all the time. Altogether, there was something very calming about being there, forgetting work and just slowing down for a bit.

And so I found it very tough to bid adieu to such a mesmerising place. We had such an amazing time in Alicante, and it was such a surprise too as we hadn’t expected there would be so much to do. But it turned out to be the perfect vacation - with its mix of sun, water, beaches, food, villages, castles, islands, shopping.. And most of all, the relaxed pace of life to forget about everything else you’ve left behind. And feel fine with not doing too much. It was perfect. And I would suggest a trip to Alicante anytime, totally worth it!

A week in Japan, exploring Kobe and around

Japan during cherry blossoms

This year around the cherry blossom season, I got a chance to visit Kobe for a week on a work trip and then explore the places around on the weekend. I had visited Japan during the cherry blossom season just last year, but I still loved being there again. Most of my week was spent at work, but on the weekend I got a chance to see a few new places and enjoyed the experience. I visited Kyoto again, went to a local onsen at Arima village and visited the famous castle at Himeji.

And of course, I was once again impressed with the people and the culture of the country.

Workweek in Kobe

It was a long way to get to Japan as it was cherry blossom season, all major flights were already booked and I had to take a connecting flight through Helsinki. At the Helsinki airport, I noticed a lot more flights to Japanese cities, as compared to any other European airport. And then I remembered that the two countries share a very old and deep relationship.

Finland looked quite bare and snowed out from the air, with only a little bit of green here and there, while Japan was the opposite. The first views of Japan (once I woke up!) were of small green islands appearing in the water, with snow laden mountains visible far off and loads of fog everywhere. I hadn’t realised till then that Japan was quite a mountainous country.

Being back in Japan brought about an explosion of feelings (again), of its deep culture, its uniqueness and differences from the rest of the world and its eccentricities. Again I felt like an explorer, standing open-eyed in front of a country which has so much to offer to someone willing to explore. And immediately, I felt again that Japan is a juxtaposition of extremes. The old and the new, the polite and the kinky, the open and the closed. There are so many words which come to mind when thinking about Japan as a country - exotic, calm, deep, contradictory and so on. And it was the same this thing around as on my last visit to the country.

I had flown to the Osaka airport as it was one of the closest airport to Kobe. The airport is located on an island, connected to the mainland through a long bridge and it was about 1.5 hours drive to Kobe. As expected, the airport was very efficient and I was soon on my way. The road till Kobe was all along the port, totally industrial and very boring. So even though it was along the sea, it wasn’t really too exciting to look out.

Kobe

Kobe felt like a nice little city, modern with high-rises but with the mountains right next to it, providing it a lot of warmth and naturalness. At night too, the city looked awesome, with all the lights on and twinkling. The city felt a bit alien though at first, with so less written in English. It was not a typical touristy town, I could see that early on. And it felt like any other modern town in Japan, with high rises, steel and glass all around.

View from Nunobiki herb garden

There are a few things to do in Kobe but we didn’t have much time during the week. One day, we took a cable car and went up the Nunobiki herb garden which was right behind our hotel on one of the hills. It was a sunny day and so we enjoyed being out in the sun. We took the cable car up and got off midway. We then explored the area a bit, passing through some typical Japanese gardens. All along the walk up to the peak were herbs and flowers, set in various landscaped gardens. There was a glasshouse with some flower decorations set up. And we got some panoramic views of Kobe and the port down. You could also walk all the way down next to the Nunobiki waterfall, or just take the cable car down. And we ended up taking the cable car down. But it felt nice to be out and about for a bit.

One day we walked out from the hotel to a small street nearby which was lined with expat trader houses, and small shops from different countries. Apparently these were all houses of people from trading partners of Japan from much before, like British, Indians and so all. The small cultural houses felt nice after all the only high-rises we had seen around. It turns out Kobe is quite a multi-cultural town as such, as compared to some other Japanese towns, as it was one of the few and earliest Japanese towns which were open for business much before Japan opened up. But it wasn’t so apparent to me initially.

We did not go out of our hotel much though other than dinner at Kitano club which was a restaurant with a scintillating view of the city, especially at night with the twinkling lights and high-rises all around. I also went to Gaylord’s restaurant which is owned by a friend of mine. Its apparently one of the oldest Indian restaurants in Kobe, and I loved that I could eat Indian food there. Kobe is of course famous for its Kobe beef and sushi, but given my food preferences, I hadn’t been able to eat much of the Japanese food when I was there. So I really welcomed the Indian food!

About the Kobe hotels
I was staying in Crowne Plaza which was a multi storey hotel with the mountains on one side and the city on the other. The view of the city from the room windows were all beautiful. It had multiple restaurants on the 34th, 35th and the 36th floors with great views of the city but the restaurants all closed down by 830 pm! So you always need to hurry up if you want to eat dinner😜. The hotel was conveniently located for all travel around. If you take the lift to the bottom floor, you are right at the metro station as well as the Shinkansen, ready to explore all of Japan!


Trips from Kobe

I made Kobe my base for my weekend travels around. To be honest, it may not be the best option as its quite a lacklustre town. But it was definitely convenient to travel around.

Visit to Kyoto

On the last day of our training, we had half a day left and went for a quick trip to Kyoto, which given the fast bullet trains was so much more efficient and convenient than I would have thought. We took the Shinkansen from Kobe, which took about 30 minutes to get to Kyoto. Apparently you can take the slower trains too for much cheaper but we didn’t know. While going to Kyoto, we got a direct train, with one stop in between at Shin Osaka. And while coming back, we took a connecting one through Shin Osaka. But the train connections were very convenient and regular. Buying the tickets was a bit complicated though, as we had to buy both express tickets and fare tickets. And so had to stand in line after buying the tickets from the kiosk, as they only sell the express tickets.

Kiyomizudera temple

I had been to Kyoto before in cherry blossom season, so this time I explored a few places I hadn’t seen before. We first took a cab to the Kiyomizudera temple. On the way we drove by the river which had a few cherry blossoms just coming out. And lots of people were walking there, wearing kimonos. At the temple, the last time I had not gone in, but this time I explored the whole complex. It looked so beautiful, so serene and so majestic, I again loved it.

One of the smaller shrines

There was a main shrine and many smaller temples all around it, with most of the structures built of wood. After visiting the main temple, we walked on the mountains to visit the smaller stupas and temples. We got a view of Kyoto from the top, but there were not a lot of cherry blossoms. Most of them were just blooming. And I could already imagine how it would look like in just 3-4 days.

From the temple, we started walking towards the river, through the markets. We walked into a whiskey shop which was selling a lot of exotic and rare whiskeys. Then we walked along the river, where there were a few cherry blossoms just blooming. And on the other side, we could see the old houses, made of wood, from a time far away.

One of the Kyoto streets

We soon reached Gion and walked on the Pontocho alley. We knew we would need to eat soon and restaurants would also shut early. So we tried a lot of the small restaurants in the area which all looked very inviting. But most did not have a lot we could eat, or would have been tough to find something to eat given their limited English speaking skills. We tried searching on apps and find some good restaurants but they were all booked out!

During all this searching, we also walked next to the very small canals in this area, which were lined with cherry blossoms which had bloomed a lot more than any of the others we had seen. And the canals provided a great photo opportunity finally. Being in Kyoto always gives the feeling of having come back to a world from a long time away. I loved the blossoms there and the whole ambience, it was like reliving a year ago.

We had to walk around a bit to search for a place to eat, and then finally walked into a touristy place offering western food. It was right next to a canal and had some great cherry blossoms which provided a nice ambience as we sat outside for a bit next to the canal. Soon though it got too cold to sit outside and we sat inside for dinner. The food there was really bad but at least we were fed.

Anyways, we were done with our half day trip by then, and took a cab to take the Shinkansen back to Kobe. Wile driving back we realised that right next to the restaurant there were some cherry blossoms in full bloom which we had missed. Anyways, we took the Shinkansen from there and were very soon back in Kobe and all settled in.

I also realised this week that cherry blossoms blooming dates are so variable in the country. It was supposed to be peak season in Kobe the week and weekend I was there (as late as the week before, that was the forecast). But it had got cooler the last two weeks and the blossoms had got delayed by a week. People were planning picnics this weekend and they all had to postpone. And this year Tokyo peaked earlier than Kyoto, while last year, Kyoto peak was before Tokyo (which is normally the case).

So we had been extremely extremely lucky to have seen what we saw last year. Especially since we had booked our trip almost a year in advance. Generally tourists travelling from far with less flexibility would not be as lucky as we had been.


Day trip to Arima Onsen

On the Saturday, it was supposed to be a rainy day, so I kept the plan for the day more focused on indoor activity rather than outdoors and took a trip to the onsen in the nearby village of Arima. I first had to get an umbrella from the hotel where I was staying as it was so sunny. And then was off to the Sannomiya train station. As I was walking to the station, I walked past 2-3 Nepali-Indian restaurants on the way. Which I found quite interesting. That's a sure sign, that the place is touristy 😜.

I was also trying to take out cash that day and it turned out to be surprisingly tough as there were not as many ATMs around as I would have expected. I first walked to the ATM the hotel receptionist had told me about. And it turned out it didn’t even accept international debit cards! Thankfully, there was a Nomura ATM around to save the day.

I was earlier planning to take the underground to Arima, but I missed the train. Then I realised, there was also a bus option to get to Arima. Given that it was Japan, I decided to be adventurous and take the bus from Sannomiya bus terminal. The terminal was so huge, with trains, metro, buses and all the shops, that it took me a bit of help to get to the bus terminal within the building. It didn’t help that most people didn’t know English and there were very few signs in English.

The bus took about 45-50 mins to get there and it was an interesting experience altogether. The weather was very rainy and fresh. And the bus went through a tunnel, into the mountains. The whole drive was then through mountainous areas, with the bus stopping at many small villages on the way, like Tanigami and Hanayama. The mountains were mostly bare and sometimes the peaks were covered with fog. There were loads of bamboo trees lining the road side along the way. All villages had small streams flowing through them. And the village houses were sometimes pretty and sometimes not. And all along the bus route was the train line running next to it.

Arima village

When I got down at Arima, it was like I had come to a different era altogether. Arima is quite popular as a resort spa town and there were loads of tourists around. But still, the village felt very small, with wooden houses everywhere. There was a small river flowing through the middle, and still to bloom cherry blossom trees around it. It almost felt like an alpine village, with the mountains and the wooden houses, plus the rainy and cloudy weather.

I tried finding the onsen and it wasn’t easy to get around without English. So I walked into a hotel and got all the information I needed in one go. The onsen in Arima are apparently the oldest springs in Japan and they have two onsens there - the golden and the silver springs, both with different minerals and different properties. Both of them were walking distance from the centre, and I went to the closer one, called the Kin No You So.

It was quite an interesting experience to be there. All the systems around were working like clockwork, so it was all very convenient. There was a place to keep the umbrella, place for the shoes, kiosk to get your tickets, a queue for key to the lockers, lockers to keep clothes and so on, one after the other. There was a queue to get into the onsen as it was the weekend, so I had wait a bit. There were a few separate pools inside, all with different temperatures and minerals. The water was too hot though and I couldn’t stay more than 30 mins. But I did feel refreshed once I got out.

After that, I walked around a bit in the village and it was quite cute to be there. I walked through the market, with the wooden shops on both sides. And saw some of the pretty wooden houses around. It felt like I was in a different era, not the glitzy Japan we all know but a more older calmer slower Japan.

There were buses back every hour to Kobe, so I caught one of the last ones. And as expected, the buses left exactly on time from the bus stop. I was soon back to today’s age with the high-rises and the fast pace of Kobe. It almost felt that day that I had visited the Japan of old, from a different era. And felt very relaxed after being there.

In Kobe, I had dinner with Indian friends at the Gaylord restaurant, one of the older Indian restaurants in the city, running since 1973. As my friends had been staying in Japan for years, I learnt some more interesting titbits about the country, and as I said, Japan continues to amaze me.

The Japanese wear suits when working, and when not in suit means they are not working 😜. They mostly have mistresses and work very late. There is also apparently a huge Gujju community in and around Kobe, They are all third generation and have been staying there for a very long time, as Kobe was the only city open to trade while Japan was still closed. There is also a Jain temple and Gurudwara in Kobe, which I never expected!

Apparently, for all its law and order, Japan does have a very strong underground mafia (I guess anyone who sees movies knows that already, but for me that was news). They deal in drugs and fight each other, but are extremely polite to the locals. A funny scene I heard of was that when the Mafia Yakuza boss is running in the park, his 6-7 bodyguards run around him in suits. And when anyone passes them, they all bow to passers-by in synchronisation. In suits, while running😂. That is a sight I would like to see sometime.

The mafia regularly give gifts to the community and help the locals as they need their support to survive. They pay off the Japanese police, so looks like the Japanese police is also corrupt. And the mafia are supposed to have very cruel rules, especially of cutting off fingers. And hearing of all this really burst the Japanese bubble for me. So the Japanese again are this mix of extremes, honest and corrupt, lawful and lawless.


Himeji castle 

I decided to visit the Himeji castle on my last day as the weather was sunny and I hadn’t been there before. As usual, it was easy to get there with the convenient Japanese train travel. You just walk to the station and can buy tickets as there are regular trains going to all the major stations. For Himeji, I didn’t take the Shinkansen though as it was more expensive. I took the JR from Sannomiya and it took about 40 mins to get there. As Himeji was a touristy destination, they were announcing in English which helped.

The train ride was mostly right next to the ocean, and I saw grand views of the sea, the islands and some resorts on that route. I also saw the bridge to Akashi and Shikoku islands on the way. It was sunny too, so I saw some very fascinating views.

The town of Himeji seemed to be centred around the castle and the moment you get off the train, you can see the castle right in front. The path from the station to the castle was about 10 mins and it was lined with shops on both sides. I had lunch at the farmers lunch place - Sorairo kitchen, which thankfully had vegetarian options in the menu, explained in English. I had a pizza made in the Japanese style and then walked in to the castle.

Himeji castle

Himeji castle is a huge complex by itself. It has the main 7 storeyed white keep which is the most photographed part of it. And then all around, it has the castle walls, some small palaces and lot of towers as lookouts. There are many smaller gates and pillars inside. And the complex is surrounded by a huge moat. Everywhere in the castle, are planted hundreds of cherry blossoms trees, which would add to the magnificent views of the castle. At this time of the year though, they were just about to bloom.

View of Himeji

As soon as I entered the castle, I came onto a huge ground surrounded by the cherry blossoms. People were already picnicking in the garden even though the flowers hadn’t bloomed yet. This part of the castle was free to enter. When I got in, I first walked to the west bailey which had a long corridor displaying the history of the castle. It has been there for centuries, ruled by different families over the years. Princess Sen seems to be a famous occupant of this place. And it has strong defences setup too, all hidden under the beauty of the main keep. I also got some interesting views of the city outside, which was surrounded by hills on all sides. The city was bigger than it had earlier appeared.

Himeji Castle

The main keep is a beauty in white, perched on top of a small hill and visible from far away. It is built fully of wood and had been renovated multiple times. It has tiles and pillars, with stone walls for protection. There are multiple spots from where you can take pictures of this, each even better than the one earlier. And when merged with cherry blossoms, its a sight to behold. I can only imagine what it would look like when the blossoms are in full bloom.

View from the castle

It was very crowded this time of the year and there were long queues waiting to get inside. Inside the keep, I was surprised to see all the 7 floors were made of wood and were supported on two huge wooden pillars in the centre. It was built in the 14th century and is still standing tall, almost as it was then. Each floor has windows and places for weapons for soldiers to fight. It was a bit claustrophobic inside though especially with 1000s of tourists! Thankfully the foundation is strong and it doesn't fall apart as it feels it would. There are symbols of the families who built it inscribed outside. And the views from the window is a nice juxtaposition of the old and the new - the old castle walls against the gardens surrounding it and the huge modern city, all enclosed in a bowl.

Apparently there was a night festival also going on for sakura, which can be experienced in the evening when the castle is all lighted up. I had to get to Kobe before night, so I missed out. I did find a great cherry blossom there to get a nice pic though. I did a bit of shopping in the local department store and took the JR train back to Sannomiya.

And was off to Kansai airport in Osaka. The highway to the airport was lined with lights all the way, the shiny glitzy Japan we all know of, with high rises and lights dazzling everywhere. Its interesting how in a day, you can get from where to where in Japan.

At the airport, the counter opened only 2.5 hours before the flight while I turned up 4.5 hours before so I could chill in the lounge 🤣. It clearly din happen. Also a lot of the restaurants closed by 930 pm which was such a bummer. Anyways I got to eat some Udon noodles in one of the restaurants and was ready to come back to London.

Stay in Sannomiya Kobe Union hotel 
I was staying in a small boutique hotel in Kobe during the weekend and was surprised at how convenient it was. The rooms were small as per Japanese standards but everything else was great, especially the service.


Other things to do in and around Kobe

There are a few other things to do in and around Kobe if you have more time. I didn’t this time, but maybe for some other time...

• Roko cable car: You can take the cable car to go up the Roko mountain and spend a half day there
• Sakura tunnel: You can see a tunnel of cherry blossoms, and its about 15-20 mins bus ride from the city 
• Shukugawa: Line of cherry blossoms along the river, is about 15 mins train ride away 
• Awagishima: Is an island nearby, takes about 1 hour to get there 
• Wakayama: Beautiful countryside nearby, need a car to get there though

Impressions of Japan

• My first thought on landing in Japan was, how polite is everyone! I actually had a feeling of how nice it was to be with very polite people again. If there is someone walking behind you, he/she will wait behind you if you suddenly stop, and not try to cross you. Everyone who is providing any service will bow to you, especially in the Shinkansen. Everyone was so quiet in the trains, not talking to anyone else. And they all wear masks. I had a very interesting experience. We asked one of the guards how to take the connecting Shinkansen from Kyoto to Kobe. He did not know English and couldn’t help us. But once we boarded the train, the ticket master came to tell us how to get to Kobe! And it looks like the guards from the Kyoto station had told him to help the Indian lady on the train to get to Kobe😜. I am still amazed at this level of helpfulness and can't get past it
• It still felt a bit tough to get by with English. People speak much less English than what I was expecting. My friend said that most of the Japanese do know English as they are taught in school. But they are too shy to be wrong. So they prefer to not help you as their English is not great and they don’t want to be wrong. That makes more sense than most of the country not knowing English! Though I don’t mind some wrong English if it helps. But of course, when they can speak, they are extremely helpful and take a lot of effort and spend time to help you.
• The Japanese keep quite to themselves. And have too many rules. While coming down from the herb garden, no one would sit with a stranger in the same gondola. They would rather let it go empty and go onto the next one! Which led to long queues. Also there was a service person cleaning the gondola seats before the next person got it. Japan really has a very different standard of cleanliness than anywhere else I've been
• The Japanese have their dinner too early, at 630 pm! So a lot of the restaurants closed down by 10 or so. So we all needed to be extra careful everyday to get to the restaurants on time
• People follow the rules too much. I was checking out from my hotel an hour later and the receptionist said he would charge me extra for the one hour too! I tried asking him for a discount and he didn't get what I was asking him for 😝. Sometimes I feel Japan and India are quite on the opposite ends of many metrics