A is for ancient

‘A is for ancient, Gill’s bucket list part one’ is a look at the first 4 places on my bucket list.

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Abu Dhabi – the Capital of the United Arab Emirates

I’ve always wanted to go to Dubai, but for some reason I feel that Abu Dhabi may be more the city for me.  The culture, a more traditional version of Dubai perhaps. I hear it’s quieter, and more relaxing, with a heady mix of where old meets new.

You can fly from Manchester, it’s just over 7-hours direct, with Etihad (an airline which neither of us have flown with, so would be a fantastic opportunity to!)

The weather is lush pretty much all year round. What more could you ask for! From the average coolest temperature in January (18°C) to the average warmest in August (36°C). The wettest month is February, but there is still over an average of 9 hours of sunshine daily, throughout the year.

In terms of sight-seeing – you’ve got the desert, palaces, mosques, Ferrari World, The National Aquarium, miles of waterfront, walkways and cafes, beaches and national parks. It appears to have everything to tick all my holiday boxes.

I would consider staying here for 5 days to a week, probably as part of a twin centre stay, with either a long weekend in Dubai to experience the best of both cities, or with a week in Oman, camping, stargazing, and fishing with Luke.

Amsterdam – the Capital of the Netherlands

When I think of Amsterdam, I think of canals for miles, gabled buildings, bicycles everywhere and brightly coloured flowers.

I have wanted to go here since I was a little girl… no idea why really. I don’t think my parents took me there or even went there themselves. I don’t think many of my friends have been, except for maybe a birthday, hen or stag do.

It’s a real winner for a weekend break in my eyes; only just over an hour flight from the Midlands. A city trip which you could make as cheap or as expensive as you heart desires. It would also be a place that I’d add to our next European Road Trip.

I feel that the weather would be typically “British” – I’ll be using one of my “staycation” packing lists to cover every eventuality!

Food would be the main event; I’d be snacking all day looking at what Amsterdam has to offer:

Bitterballen: a popular local street food of meat and ragout meatballs fried in breadcrumbs.

Poffertjes: small Dutch pancakes, usually served with butter and powdered sugar.

Stamppot: a mixed dish of potatoes, vegetables, and meat.

Haring: raw fish served on paper plates with onions and pickles or served on bread.

Stroopwafel: thin, crispy waffles topped with any manner of sweet (and even savoury) options.

Kibbeling: battered chunks of fish. Mostly consumed as a snack, but it can also be prepared for dinner, when it is recommended to pair it with French fries, a fresh salad, and a sauce of choice.

My mouth is watering already! When can we go, please Luke!?

I couldn’t choose between these last 2 places beginning with A but luckily, I can pair them together as they’re both in Greece…

Ancient Athens – the Capital of Greece (I’m really going BIG on Capitals for the letter A!)

Ancient Greece, the Acropolis, the Olympics, temples and amphitheatres. Imposing ancient ruins, nestled into the hillside, and views for miles over the Aegean Sea.

Delicious Greek food and glorious weather, coupled with a vibrant culture, means that Athens needs to make my bucket list. And if all that wasn’t enough, it’s apparently one of Europe’s more affordable capital cities (yay!).

It’s less than a 4-hour flight from Birmingham. And it’s recommended to stay at least 3 full days to fully explore Athens.

In an ideal world, I would love to spend months with Luke travelling around Greece and its islands, but for the purpose of this bucket list blog, I would stay in Athens for 3-4 days, then take a ferry to Crete, enjoying the sea views on the way. This would take approximately 9 hours and 30 minutes and a lot of persuading Luke!

Agios Nikolaos – City in Crete, Greece

For many years I have been transported to Greece when reading the books of Victoria Hislop. Including The Island, The Sunrise, The Thread, Postcards from Greece and Those who are Loved. Victoria writes about troubled, historical events, love, war, and how both families and individuals overcome such difficult times.

Agios Nikolaos is a rugged coastal city against a striking backdrop of red rock and trees, surrounded by water on 3 sides. It has all the benefits of a seaside holiday, mixed with a rich cultural heritage, local traditions, and authentic Cretan life. It’s the “capital town” of Lassithi, where there is a salt lake “Voulismeni” with a narrow channel connecting it to the sea.

With crystal clear water and Cretan homes built up the hillsides (which look so pretty both by day and lit up at night). It’s a quiet alternative to other cities in Crete, but the cafes and bars still remain open until late. The weather right now (it’s June), is 34*C. And you can fly back directly from Crete to the Midlands in 4 hours.

These are my words, including research from the internet in no particular order:
www.google.co.uk
www.visitabudhabi.ae
www.en.wikipedia.org
www.gocity.com
www.tripadvisor.co.uk
www.holiday-weather.com
www.thisisathens.org
www.greeka.com
www.cretetravel.com
www.victoriahislop.com
www.encounterstravel.com
www.visitgreece.gr