The 2018 Best 9 Post

As nothing exciting or life changing happened in the first 48 hours of 2019, what better time to look back to last year and share the stories behind my 2018 Best 9.

The dining hall at Christ Church in the University of Oxford. And yes, this IS the dining hall that inspired Harry Potter’s Great Hall. How amazing is that? Spellbindingly magical moment. You can read more about it in my An Afternoon in Oxford Post.

Can you see how excited my hair is about going inside Hampton Court Palace? I loved exploring the palace, gardens and tennis court. The kitchens were being being restored during my visit so I think that’s a reason to go back.

I spent around 36 hours in Paris and managed to squeeze in a walk to the Eiffel Tower, three museums and a catch-up dinner with a friend. #Paris is always a guarantee for top likes, even if the picture isn’t that great.

Covent Garden has become quite the London photo opp (there are also lots of things off the beaten path things to do in the area). If it’s not the flower benches, it’s the Christmas car or … these giant red balloons. They were part of a campaign for luxury fashion label, but no one remembers that.

London Lumiere was one of my favourite events in London and I’m so sad it’s not coming to London this year! Instead, it’s all happening in Durham, where it’s returning to the place it started 10 years ago.

Throwback to this cat in Kotor who has it all figured out. Look at this guy! He has life all sorted out. You can read more about how I reached such dizzying heights in my Hiking the ladder of Kotor post.

You can’t go wrong with a good inspirational quote. Like this one near Angel station.

Probably the only good thing from my visit to Kew Gardens. The rest wasn’t great: the place wasn’t in bloom, the Temperate House wasn’t open and the giant pagoda was closed and covered in scaffolding.

And closing off with a throwback to Barcelona. Parc Guell is actually another park/garden that I didn’t really enjoy: it was tiny and you had to pay to go inside – something I only learned once I got to the place (so much for my credentials as a travel blogger). I think London’s free parks/gardens have spoiled me because if I have to pay I become a self-proclaimed critic.

How was your 2018 Instagram game?