riverwild

apart from being one of the most expensive stretches of water in the world (ive heard THE most expensive)it is a great place to vitit. i am refering of course of the trip from portsmouth to the isle of wight…

its not exciting but its a nice place to go. there are a few activities and the beaches are nice. there are places to collect jems and fossils which is why i like it…

a good family day out and good for a relaxing place to go

first heard about this place because i worked for whittards and the “blue mountain jamaican” coffee was so expensive but it smelled divine. i never got to taste any though people used to rave about it.

i still have to try it at some point.

aaaaaaaaaanyway, i got interested in the area it comes from so i started looking and it looks beautiful so i want to go there to see the place and the people and to try the coffee fresh and at home.

i like to find little connected reasons to travel to places ;)

i keep meeting german people, its getting a bit strange. i guess its to be expected. out of the whole of europe i think germany and english stereotypes are quite similar and there tends not to be smoke where theres no fire when it comes to stereotypes in my experience.

i got on v well with all my german teachers at school (i.e the ones that were german) then my first proper boyfriend who i was engaged to for 3 years was half german by blood, when i got to university my tutor is german (and also v cool) and one of my best friends at university is also an overseas student from germany.

the first time i went here i was on a school trip and we stayed in a hotel near the rhein. we were fed veal without being asked first which i thought was awful and i sliced my toe nail open when then cheap wardrobe door fell off its hinges and sliced across the nail. you think your cringing!

the hotel owner looked just like eddie izzard and was clearly a tranny who had not bothered to shave which was hilarious. other than my injury and that particular hotels idea of food i liked germany. i liked the sights and the people were really polite and direct which is a quality i love….probably why i get on with german people so well.

germany knows how to do comfort food! ill tell you that for nothing. none of this mass produced american martha stewart crap but real fresh comfort food, generous servings and nutrition with the comfort.

i would like to visit berlin next as this is where my friend comes from…

i have been here quite a few times but mostly with my school so it was a little sheltered. i have obviously been to paris though didnt bother to wait to go up the eiffel tower as the que is always huge. i also didnt get to go the notre dame as the coach trip my dad had won for me didnt include this.

i have been to paris with my boyfriend, i love the buildings in paris, the way the city looks. at first i found french people to be very rude but if everyone seems rude to me then they must just be doing something i find rude as a normal part of their lives. it was paris so its a big inner city like london so i guess i shouldnt be surprised if they seem a little grumpy. the shop owners etc are nice though. i recomend the boat trip on the river, it was informative and it was damn impressive to watch someone present paris in a variety of languages!!

we had a photo taken by surprise which my boyfriend looks fabulous in and i look like i am trying to run away, which i sort of am.

i have also been to the south of france with pgl http://www.pgl.co.uk/online/ which i found was a great experience and i recomend this company. i was bullied at school and sufered from depression and this holiday really helped me every year.

also have been to normandy and caen but only on a french exchange so i didnt really see much more than museums which i remember but in a childish sort of way.

i want to go to greece anyway but i am an avid student of philosophy and i really want to visit the homeplace of western philosophy.

i have been camping here with my ex, we had our handfasting here alone.

the horses here are amazing, a couple of them let us touch them after a few mins of us standing there so they could get familiar with us. they were filthy though so we had to wash our hands after!

its nice having so much nature (and thyme) around you. i have never seen sunsets like that before and the sky has less pollution so you can see more stars.

there are lots of places to stay for a variety of budgets here so if you want to get in touch with nature or you need some time away from the concrete jungle then do visit.

i consider myself pagan so this visit meant alot to me. some people have complained aboutt he gift shop at the end but whatever keeps this place reserved is ok with me.

its nice to connect with the real british natives remembering our genetics is now a mishmash of anglo saxon and roman etc. (the most geneticly native brittons live in wales and scottland etc)

if you love seeing famous monuments u cant miss this one, or if you respect the history/spirituality of this place then go. i want to go on an equinox one year

i have a small number of family members who live here and we used to visit them for yule and new years (hogmanay).

hogmanay is brilliant, i went once to this massive street party and ad a great time, i was quite young, the people were all brilliant and cheerful. you do have to buy tickets for hogmanay though, it is worth it!

i enjoy shopping here in terms of normal activity. i love the history of the place in places like edinburgh castle and noticing that all the buildings have soot on them because of the industrial revolution. edinburgh tower being a good example of this.

i have been up edinburgh tower, it is very dangerous and should not be attempted by young or misbehaveing/hyper children as it is hard enough to walk up it when you are concentrating. this tower should also not be attempted by “cuddly” people as i was a young teen when i tried it at a size 6-8 (uk sizes!, american sizes 4-6 i think) and it was a squeeze for me, im not being nasty but this thing gets smaller as you go up and it would be dangerous.

there is princes street gardens which has an ice rink over xmas…andi ill shut up now hehe

hi, i have lived in portsmouth my whole life although i grew up in the suburbs of portsmouth (farlington)

i think portsmouth has something for everyone but it has to be reasearched before you arrive i think. thankfully there is alot of information online :)

theres obviously the new tower which look great even if the locals enjoyed complaining about how long it took almost as the much as the country enjoyed moaning about the millenium dome. hpwever it is now finished and has brilliant views and a scary glass floor for brave people to use. plus it is in gunwharf which is a great place to shop for cheap designer brands and things to remember portsmouth by

theres the naval dockyard which is great if you are into history and the D-day museum further along the seafront. there is blue reef which is out aquarium. its not as massive as anything you would have in londom but it is really good, informative and child friendly.

theres lots to do and see for tourists so have fun!!

farlington marshes is in the far north of portsmouth just above portsea island and it is a place to go if you travel with an interest in nature and/or walking. It has some guided signposts telling you about the local wildlife etc

farlington marshes is a nature reserve of sorts and therefore should obviously be respected i.e dont drop any litter etc

it isnt really supervised at all so you just walk around the place. obviously best visiyed in the hight of summer.

there are no shops but there is a garage on the other side of the roundabout/junction that it is near so you can go there if you need food. no toilets unfortunately so go before you go…so to speak and take a packed lunch. there are a few places to sit down provided but they have to be found along the way.

:D