Lottie Kerr: January 2017

A WEEKEND IN INNSBRUCK

Travel January 17, 2017

At the beginning of December Mike and I took a little trip to the beautiful city of Innsbruck, Austria. After a stressful few months starting a new job and Mike moving into the flat we had earned a weekend off getting some mountain air and consuming our body weight in Glühwein.

Innsbruck view of Christmas markets and mountains

We arrived early afternoon and went straight to our hotel to dump our cases and get out and about. I hadn't quite anticipated how cold it was going to be and quite soon after arriving we realised we both forgot to pack gloves, a mad dash to Tiger ensued to stop us getting frost bite. The nice thing about Innsbruck is lack of English tourists, we hardly heard it being spoken so it was like being in our own little bubble. The Christmas markets although lovely are incredibly busy during the day, they're open until about 9pm so I would recommend going a bit later. Once it's dark the lights are also much prettier.

On our first night we decided only traditional Austrian fare would do and promptly headed to the Goldenes Dachl. We arrived around 6pm and it was already heaving, we had to queue for about 20 minutes and then share a table but the atmosphere more than made up for it. It was warm and the waiters were very friendly. I decided to go traditional and have wiener schnitzel while Mike went for a steak. Service is very slow but we had such a nice time chatting and enjoying a few glasses of wine we didn't notice the time. The food was delicious and I am fully converted to parsley potatoes, who knew something so simple could be so delicious! After a wander around the markets and a nightcap in the hotel bar we hit the hay ready to explore the next day.

Goldenes Dachl Innsbruck Christmas Market

We had always planned Saturday would be our day to go up the mountain as the weather was perfect. The beauty of Innsbruck is it's location nestled in a valley bottom. everywhere you look are mountains and the most incredible views. As we went so early in December there wasn't much snow but we knew going up the mountain was worth it for the views alone. The Hungerburg Funicular gets very busy so I would advise getting on at the first stop when going up. This takes you to a tiny mountainside village and from here you can take the Nordkette cable car up to the top.

Gluhwein Innsbruck view over valley floor

It seems a little pricey at €35 return each to the very top but I can promise you it is 100% worth it. The views are simply stunning and the lack of snow actually worked in our favour as we definitely didn't pack the right footwear for climbing mountains! After taking a million photos and filling our lungs with as much Alpine air as possible we headed back down the mountain to Seegrub. This is the base of the mini ski park (Nordpark) and we were greeted by a DJ dressed as Santa spinning all your favourite Christmas tunes. We grabbed a couple of deck chairs and a beer and parked ourselves in the sunshine for a couple of hours, absolute bliss!

That evening we decided to try a very popular Thai restaurant in the shopping centre very close to our hotel. It was quick and tasty and Mike's spicy duck red curry was to die for, I had serious food envy. Just next to the shopping centre is a lovely hotel called - The Penz, 5th Floor which has a lovely little rooftop bar, perfect for a G&T or cold glass of white wine. The rest of our Saturday night was spent in an Irish pub watching boxing and getting quite drunk.

We stayed at Hotel Maximillian Stadhaus Penz, it was very close to the centre and the room was cosy and clean. Just be aware the bathroom is very 'open' with only glass dividers and a little frosting to protect your modesty!

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NEW YORK CITY

Travel January 05, 2017

My love affair with New York began after a trip with my family in 2006. I finally made it back 10 years later when my wonderful boyfriend took me for my birthday. We flew out on a Monday morning from Heathrow and were wandering around Times Square later that afternoon. We stayed in Midtown at the Hotel Metro on West 35^th. The location was fantastic right in the centre of Manhattan with a subway stop at the end of the block. We decided to get a Metro Card for the week as it was only $32 and gave us freedom to travel all over the place.

On our first full day Mike had booked for us to go on a helicopter tour. It lasts for 20 minutes and we flew all around Manhattan and up the Hudson River. If you can afford it I can’t recommend it enough, the views are simply breath-taking. We were a little unlucky with the weather as it was a bit hazy but nothing could spoil the experience of being in a helicopter for the first time.

Much of our week was spent eating our way around the city. What can I say, I love my food! The real culinary highlight was Katz Deli, pastrami sandwiches as big as our heads. Other notable places were the Oysterbar in Grand Central Station – the location is beautiful, Creamline in Chelsea Market for grilled cheese and tomato soup, Korea Town – you will definitely over order and the food will be hotter than you could ever imagine and Little Italy - we stumbled across a tiny restaurant just to get out of the cold and it turned out to be the best pizza I'd ever eaten, and I eat a lot of pizza!

Something I have wanted to do for the longest time is walk the Brooklyn Bridge, so one morning we took the F train out of the city to explore Brooklyn. The wind chill made the temperate -10 degrees and I’ve never felt cold like it. After walking as much as we could we bundled into a little breakfast spot called Iris Cafe to warm up. The coffee was delicious and my mountain of French toast was just what I needed! After filling our bellies we began the walk across the bridge. The walk is about 1 mile long and it took us about 45 minutes with all our photo stops.

Somewhere that didn’t exist when I visited before was the Chelsea Highline. As we were in the depths of winter there wasn’t a huge amount of plant life but there was something very beautiful in the juxtaposition of nature and industry right next to each other.

If you can get tickets going to a Basketball or Baseball game is a great way to spend an evening. We went to see the Knicks vs the Washington Wizards, the Knicks lost but I got a foam finger which was really all I was going for! Another great spot to while away the hours in the evening (if a little more on the pricey side) is Bar SixtyFive in the Rockefeller centre. The views are almost as good as going to the top, it’s warm and they serve booze, what more could you want! Get there early to get a good seat by the window.

One of the most poignant moments on our trip was visitng the World Trade Centre site. I still remember 9/11 like it was yesterday and when I visited in 2006 it was still a huge hole in the ground. When we arrived it had just gone 9am and there was nobody about, it was nice to just take a moment to remember.

One of my top tips for anyone visiting is walk as much as you can. Some of the best pictures I took were just from being in the right place at the right time. Oh and pack comfy shoes, I had to buy a pair of trainers as my boots ended up giving me a blister when we walked 11 miles in one day!

Where we stayed - http://www.hotelmetronyc.com/

Get that 'I'm freezing my tits off here' look

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A WEEKEND IN AMSTERDAM

Travel January 04, 2017

As a surprise for my friend Matt’s birthday, I and a group of my pals went on a weekend break to the beautiful city of Amsterdam. I had never been before and fell completely in love with the place. The architecture, the people, the bikes, the beer, genuinely everything! We went at the beginning of February and the weather was less than pleasant, definitely pack the thermals and waterproofs if you’re planning on going at this time of year.

Because it was a birthday weekend it was basically one big party and the first thing we did on arriving was find a pub. We drank beer, ate cheese toasties and played pool for several hours before thinking it would probably be a good idea to get out and do a bit of sightseeing.

We wandered the canals and marvelled (well I did, the boys less so) at the beautiful houses. A trip to the Rijksmuseum to take photos with the Iamsterdam sign has become a right of passage for tourists visiting the city, which we happily took part in. We also loved the Heineken factory tour (that may have had something to do with the amount of beer we managed to consume!). A trip to Anne Franks house was a sober but meaningful moment in the weekend and the flower market brings colour even in the dark winter months.

The night time is obviously quite a different vibe and a walk round the Red Light District is one of the most bizzare experiences I’ve ever had. The Netherlands are known for their EDM pedigree and we danced the night away in one of the super clubs until the early hours. A you can imagine our last day was a bit of a write off, all I managed to successfully do was eat!