My Inter Railing Experience

When I first heard a group of friends talking about their Inter Railing trip around the main cities of Europe I was a bit skeptical of the idea; 22 days travelling through Europe by train sounded a bit nightmarish to me. The thought of spending up to eight hours on one train made my palms a bit sweaty. But whilst avoiding revision in the Summer term, my housemate and I decided to do a bit of research into it and what we found out through the internet, and lots of our friends who had already done it, made us eager to get on board with it too.

For those of you who don't know, there are two types of global InterRail passes which can be used in 30 different countries.

1. 5 travel days within 10 days.
> You can travel for 10 days but you can only use up to 5 of those days travelling.

2. 10 travel days within 22 days.
>You can travel for 22 days but you can only use up to 10 of those days travelling.

We set about planning our route, booking hostels and deciding what we wanted to do in each city.

The route  was by far the hardest part as we had to make sure that we did not exceed our 10 days of travelling. Using websites such as De Bahn helped us to work out how long each leg of the journey would take and whether another option would be better. - I have to be honest, the timings and confusion of this part of the planning was left to my friend, Ness. She didn't fail me and we didn't have a single hitch on any of our journeys. This seems to be very rare as nearly all of our friends who have done similar trips encountered a few minor disasters, such as losing passports and the cherished inter rail pass itself (sellotape this to yourself if you are known for misplacing things), missing trains and paying huge fines for not booking their trains.

The route was changed a number of times before we settled on; Amsterdam, Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Venice. Nope we had never heard of Ljubljana before either but we had been tipped off by our friends to go there and we are so glad we listened to them as Lake Bled is by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen.

I thought I would include a few holiday snaps to show how much fun (& how tiring!) this excursion around Europe was.

 Kirst, Ness & I before we embarked on our little adventure.

 A classic scene from Amsterdam. A beautiful city with so much history.

 We couldn't resist sitting in this giant clog! 

 Next stop, Berlin. My favourite city with so much to see and explore especially with the WWII history throughout

 The Berlin Wall. 

 A sleepy Ness after a long journey from Warsaw to Krakow.

Tuk-Tuk back to the hostel in Krakow

The first leg of the journey after Kirst had left us for Paris. Probably one of the worst but funniest nights of my life - A night train from Krakow to Prague. We shared a room big enough for 3 people with five others and we were three bunks up. Never been so claustrophobic in my life!  

A beautiful market in Prague, we kept revisiting to have another browse around.

An amazing view of Budapest. This man ruined every picture, photo-bombing every single shot we took!

In a cool ruin bar with some fellow Brits we met in our hostel in Budapest

Lake Bled in Slovenia surrounded by the most amazing scenery I have ever seen. 

It was quite overwhelming to go from bustling cities to this idyllic setting - especially as were most certainly under-dressed in our travelling gear of jeans and hoodies

Final stop, Venice. Our hostel was right on the water's edge and this was what we saw when we opened our door. A pretty good way to end the three week trip

A visit to Venice isn't complete without a ride in a gondola. By this time we had spent all of our money and had to seriously bargain to get a reasonable price. Definitely worth it!

If you're thinking of doing the InterRail experience or are just going round Europe, here are a few tips which people had given us before we went and things we learnt along the way.

* Book your hostels before you go! You do not want to be in a city with nowhere to stay after a seven hour journey. If you use websites such as Hostel Bookers or Hostel World you can get handy discounts and can book your ideal hostel in terms of location, price and star ratings.

* Once you have got to one station, make sure you book your next train to the next city. This means you will avoid potential fines and also for a very cheap cost you are guaranteed a seat on what could be a packed train otherwise. Trust me you will appreciate this when you're tired, hungry and irritable after carrying a heavy rucksack.

*Take the correct currency out before you go. This will save you a steep exchange rate and you'll end up with more money.

*Find things to do and see off the beaten track. As much as it's amazing to see the famous sights, it's even better when you stumble across something you never expected to see. Get a map from your hostel reception and ask their advice on something different to do.

For more information visit the InterRail website here

Happy travelling!

Recipe #1 | Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is a classic family meal; it's simple but delicious and a dinner that seems to be loved by all.  

Everyone has their own variation on the recipe and this is one that my Mother dearest gave to me before I started at university - probably aiming to bury her own fears that I would either starve to death or live solely on Dominos Pizza (half true). 

It's such a versatile recipe as you can add anything that takes your fancy or take out something that you're not a fan of (mushrooms spring to mind). Adjust this recipe to suit your own personal taste. 

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 red onion

1-2 cloves of garlic

500 grams beef mince

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1-2 tsp tomato puree

Salt, Pepper, mixed herbs

Spaghetti or tagliatelle

Parmesan

Step 1 - Add a small amount of sunflower oil to a warm saucepan. Chop up the onion finely and add it to the saucepan with the garlic. Wait for the onion to soften and become slightly translucent.

Step 2 -  Put the mince meat in with the onion and garlic. Using a wooden spoon separate the meat out and stir on the heat until it is browned off.

Step 3 - Once the meat has been browned pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes and a teaspoon or two of tomato puree. Stir in. 

Step 4 - Season with salt, pepper and mixed herbs. 

The location of the salt in our kitchen always makes me laugh, just casually perched next to a magnifying glass and some phone manuals. Obviously. 

Place the lid on the saucepan and leave the bolognese sauce to simmer and infuse whilst preparing the pasta.

Step 5 - Measure out the amount of spaghetti you want and bring the water in the saucepan to the boil. Gradually curve the spaghetti in and add a pinch of salt to the water.

Stir the pasta every so often to prevent it from sticking together. It should be cooked in 10-12 minutes.

Drain off the water using a colander.

Step 6 -  Grate the Parmesan cheese over the top and plate up!

And finally the not so great part.

Enjoy!

Wish List #1 | The Classic Satchel

Available from The Cambridge Satchel Company

Every girl has that one collection that they want need to continue adding to - shoes, jackets, perfumes, mine happens to be handbags. In my opinion I could never have enough. Daytime bags, shopper bags, clutches, the office bag, over-night bag, the list is endless. One bag that I long to have and have yet to successfully save enough money to buy is the Cambridge Satchel. 

This trend seemed to start many moons ago but with prices starting at £99 and upwards it was quite a hefty sum to pay for a bag. However the sturdy, classic design and choices of colours make them worthwhile. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes from 'The Classic' to 'The Designer' and in every colour you could want.

I like the adjustable strap as many bags with long handles are often too long and hang at an awkward length. This would sit just on the hip at an easy to open height. The iconic fastenings and firm base keep it practical whilst the pop colours make them fun and young. 

I currently love the pale mint colour and to celebrate the Royal birth they are offering 10% off the Classic design in the colour 'Sweet Pea' (hurrah) and 'Navy'. This is surely a sign if any that I should purchase on my next pay day with my favourite colour on offer. 

Work Attire

With the summer weather still very much around, keeping everyone awake at night, the smartness of my work wardrobe has declined somewhat. Trousers and a blouse just won't do.

My Manager in the middle in blue has, however, kept her workwear smart with a summer edge. This blue Matalan (would you believe it) pencil dress is sleeveless keeping you cool but the above the knee cut maintains the chic office wear look. Flats rather than heels keep the look relaxed.

My dress is from New Look and is very similar to a Topshop design earlier in the year. The skater shape keeps it fun but the colour and short sleeve add to the smart look an office needs. Ballet pumps are a must when walking around completing errands and tasks and for me heels can only be persevered on a night out! 

Gemma has added the bright pop of pink with her skirt from New Look to the office here but has kept the rest of her outfit simple with the plain white T and brown sandals. The similar skater shape to my dress is a flattering shape with the pleats and the subtle baroque pattern keeps the eye wandering. 

It'll soon be time for smart trousers and skirts with blouses again but until then I'm going to enjoy the slightly relaxed direction my work wardrobe has taken.

Summer Loving

Yellow- Zara
Floral Blazer - Zara
Black Levi Shorts- Urban Oufitters
Chanel 'Chance' Perfume - Debenhams
Ballet Pumps - Pull and Bear

17 days. Just 17 little days until my getaway to Portugal. British weather has done us all proud these last few weeks or so with an almost constant heatwave but it's not quite the same as staying in a country where the locals can actually deal with the non stop humidity and high pollen count. It feels almost strange that we seem to be having a real Summer this year - touches wood to prevent jinxing - but I'm certainly not complaining!

This little outfit is what I would wear during the day, with the simple but eye-catching vest top from Zara brightening up the classic cut off Levi shorts. Ballet pumps in this nude colour are comfortable, easy to pack and go with pretty much every holiday outfit - a suitcase must have. The floral blazer adds a smarter touch taking it from day time to dinner appropriate.

Chanel 'Chance' is my absolute favourite perfume and with only a few droplets left it will most certainly be re-purchased this coming weekend. I wear it all year round but it is definitely a summery romantic scent with fresh floral tones. Just lovely.

I think this is a perfect simple Summer outfit and can be recycled by adding jeans when we reach those Autumn days. A smart but easy to wear ensemble ideal for this lovely weather!

Tapas Galore

Barcelona you beautiful city. 

A few snaps from my four days away in Barcelona. We saw all the amazing sights; Basilica de La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Casa Batllo, the beach and a walking tour around the Gothic Quarter of the city. I would recommend this city to everyone, especially in the summer months when it's hot, sunny and a perfect time for sangria and tapas.
Back to cold English weather, brrr.