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Name: Flamboyant & Bulky Adventures
Address: Paris, FR

https://buymeacoffee.com/flamboyantandbulky, https://linktr.ee/flamboyantandbulky

Flamboyant & Bulky Adventures, Paris (2026)

02/11/2025

Paris, France — croissants, chaos, and the world’s fanciest tower.

Four-hour bus ride from Brussels to Paris 🇧🇪➡️🇫🇷 — smooth, affordable, and surprisingly scenic (if you like motorways and wind turbines).

We stayed at Generator Hostel Paris, which Rosie last visited ten years ago. Back then, it was cool, clean, and kind of iconic.
This time… let’s just say the full review is coming soon, and it’s going to be spicy. 🔥 (Spoiler: bad.)

We had two days in Paris — two very full, very chilly October days.
Highlights included:

🗼 The Eiffel Tower — still enormous. You can walk right underneath for free if you’re not keen on paying or queueing.
🎨 The Louvre — saw the actual boarded-up window from the heist that happened the day before we arrived.
🚶 Free walking tour — excellent way to see the city, just tip what you like at the end.
☕ Hot chocolate breaks — essential for surviving October in Paris.
📚 Shakespeare & Company — the legendary English-language bookshop by the Seine. No phones allowed inside, but it’s packed with creaky floors, crooked shelves, and enough soul to make even Kindle users emotional.
🍕 Lunch with a friend — met up with one of Rosie’s old clients from Thailand! Pizzeria Popolare was buzzing, cheap, and full of locals (always a good sign).
🍰 Tea & cake at La Théière et le Loir — quirky, colourful, and exactly the kind of place where time disappears.
🎨 Rue Mouffetard — our surprise favourite street. Cheap, artsy, and full of character. We could’ve spent hours there.

After another day of wandering, we stashed our bags in station lockers (again — lifesavers) and caught a direct train from Paris to Lyon — 2 hours, €55 total for two people, and blissfully comfortable.

Paris: beautiful, unpredictable, occasionally overpriced, but still one of those cities that feels alive in every sense of the word.

🚌 Brussels → Paris: 4 hrs (FlixBus, €20–25pp)
🏨 Stay: Generator Hostel (review coming…)
🚶 Free walking tours daily (tip-based)
🎨 Louvre entry: €22 (or €0 for exterior intrigue)
🗼 Eiffel Tower: free to walk beneath
☕ Hot chocolate: mandatory
📚 Shakespeare & Company: iconic, no phones, 100% worth it
🚆 Paris → Lyon: 2 hrs, €55 total, direct

31/10/2025

Brussels, Belgium — fries, façades, and a few too many train delays.

Welcome to Belgium — where the buildings are gilded, the fries are an art form, and the trains have a personality all of their own.

We booked a hotel in Ruisbroek, which (as we later discovered) is a good 20 minutes outside Brussels — but it was quiet, budget-friendly, and came with strong Wi-Fi and stronger coffee. No complaints.

Our first morning was derailed (literally) by train delays, which meant a slow start — but that’s travel life: you either stress about it or embrace the extra croissant time. We chose croissant. 🥐

Once we made it in, we stashed our bags in lockers and wandered into Grand Place — the city’s heart and easily one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. Gothic towers, gold trim, cobblestones, and the faint aroma of waffles and history.

The rest of the day was a blur of Belgian indulgence:
🍫 Hot chocolate (rich enough to stand a spoon in).
🍟 A stop at La Friterie for the obligatory cone of Belgian fries — crisp, salty perfection.
🍺 Beer tasting (for “cultural research” purposes).
🏰 Wandering past ornate churches and through colourful streets draped with Pride and solidarity flags.

We spotted rainbow flags alongside Palestinian ones, bikes attached to walls, and street cafés serving waffles the size of our heads. Brussels is a city of layers — grand architecture and grounded humour, politics and pastry, all in one afternoon.

Tomorrow: onwards — turbines spinning on the horizon, snacks in hand, and no clue what time the next train will actually arrive. 🚄

📍 Ruisbroek → Brussels: 20 min by train (when it runs on time!)
🏛 Grand Place – Free, spectacular, unmissable
🍫 Hot chocolate – mandatory
🍟 Fries – €4–6 cone at La Friterie
🍺 Belgian beer – cultural necessity
💶 Lockers at station – handy for bags while exploring
💨 Turbines count: many. Very many.

26/10/2025

Amsterdam, Take 2 — canals and coffee!

Back in Amsterdam for round two — this time, slower, floatier, and mildly more caffeinated.

We hopped on a canal boat tour, which is definitely worth doing if it’s your first time in the city. You get beautiful views of the tall, crooked houses and bridges that look straight out of a painting. If you’ve already explored by foot, though, it’s a bit of a “seen one canal, seen them all” situation. (Beautifully repetitive, but repetitive nonetheless.)

Fun fact: those elegant Amsterdam houses are so tall and thin because they were once taxed on their ground floor width. The narrower your house, the cheaper your taxes. Dutch people: inventing minimalist living before it was cool.

Also, most buildings have a winch and hook at the top so people can hoist furniture through the windows — the staircases are so narrow you couldn’t fit a suitcase up there, let alone a sofa.

We wandered around again, saw the Red Light District by day (honestly, surprisingly beautiful), and took time to write postcards… then spent an absurd amount of time trying to find a postbox. (Top tip: they’re orange, not red, and seem to appear only when you’ve given up hope.)

With perfect timing that can only be described as “fluke, not skill,” we reached the bus station just as our FlixBus pulled in. Three hours later, and with Rosie asleep before we even left the city limits, we were in Brussels! 🇧🇪

🚤 Canal Cruise: ~€14.50pp (1hr, great intro tour)
🏠 Houses taxed by width! Winches for moving furniture
💋 Red Light District: worth seeing in daylight too
📮 Postboxes: orange, elusive, mythical
🚌 Amsterdam → Brussels: ~3hrs (FlixBus) €11
☕ Coffee stops: mandatory, frequent, excellent

24/10/2025

Alkmaar, Netherlands 🇳🇱 — canals, cheese, and coffees!

Welcome to Alkmaar — a postcard-perfect Dutch town about 40 minutes north of Amsterdam, famous for its historic cheese market, storybook canals, and the kind of cobbled streets that make you half expect to bump into a wizard buying new robes.

We came here because Rosie has family in town, and used the weekend to recharge — and, obviously, eat our weight in cheese. 🧀

We wandered along the canals and through little shopping lanes that feel like Diagon Alley but Dutch — leaning buildings, rainbow flags, quirky cafés, and enough bikes to start a Tour de France prequel.

Highlights included:
🧀 The Cheese Museum Kaasmuseum - Dutch Cheese Museum which is exactly what it sounds like (entry €5, very educational).
🍟 “Oorlog” or “war fries” — topped with mayo, satay, and raw onion. It’s messy. It’s genius.
☕ Cosy cafés for coffee and appeltaart (Dutch apple crumble — more apple, less crumble, more joy).
📸 Testing our new 360° camera (footage coming soon).
🚁 Alex gave the drone a spin — turns out he’s still learning what up and forward mean.
📚 Found a q***r bookshop and joined their superhero competition.
Our power? Temporal dissonance — the ability to live five time zones ahead and eleven behind simultaneously. (Otherwise known as “slow travel brain.”)

We finished the weekend with family and M&C, soaking in the canalside calm before heading back toward Amsterdam to catch our next bus: Brussels, Belgium — here we come! 🇧🇪

📍 Alkmaar, Netherlands — 40 min from Amsterdam
🧀 Famous for: Cheese Market, canals, and cobbles
💸 Cheese Museum – €5
🍟 Try: “Patatje Oorlog” = fries + mayo + satay + onion
📚 Must-visit: De Q***r Boekenkast (q***r-friendly & colourful)
☕ Coffee & apple crumble essential
🚁 Drone & 360 footage = in progress
👨‍👩‍👧 Family time = wholesome

18/10/2025

Amsterdam 🇳🇱 — Stroopwafels, canals, and a museum full of… surprises.

Fresh off the ferry, we hopped on the train to Amsterdam Centraal — about an hour, roughly €16 each — easy, efficient, and scenic.

First stop: the Anne Frank House, both the museum and the original home. Tickets must be booked well in advance (€16 adult entry). It’s beautifully and powerfully presented — sobering, emotional, and an essential visit if you’re here. Expect timed entry, tight staircases, and a free audio guide.

Afterwards, we decompressed by wandering along the canals — picture-perfect reflections, bikes zooming past, and the occasional drop of rain. We even found the bench from The Fault in Our Stars (yes, that bench), which turns out to be just a regular bench - it was close by so we're glad we went, but it's really nothing special.

Next up: stroopwafels at Stroopperie, ordering ones drowning in a combo of Nutella, smarties, chocolate and fudge.
No regrets. 10/10. Sugar we absolutely didn't need but thoroughly enjoyed.

We also visited The S*x Museum, which was absolutely worth it (€10 entry). Expect a mix of history, humour, and anatomical art that’ll make you giggle and then say “huh, that’s actually fascinating.” We learned things. We won’t specify which.

Lunch was a falafel feast — unlimited salad bar, warm pita, and of course a paper cone of fries with an addictive sauce.
For one day in Amsterdam, we ticked off plenty: history, canals, snacks, questionable art, and a solid carb count.

Next up: north to Alkmaar to spend a few days with family before looping back here to finish exploring the city’s remaining sights.

Tips & Costs

🚆 Den Haag to Amsterdam: ~1hr (€16pp)
🏛 Anne Frank House: €16 adult, book ahead
🍪 Stroopperie: Stroopwafels sent from heaven €9 for 2 toppings
🍆 S*x Museum: €10 entry, 18+, funny and educational
🍟 Falafel & fries = yes. Always yes.
🕓 1 day = enough to taste Amsterdam (literally and figuratively)

16/10/2025

Hull → Rotterdam! 🚢🇳🇱

We’ve officially left the UK again — this time by sea, on the P&O Ferries overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam.

Roughly 370km door-to-door, taking about 17 hours all in, including a surprisingly good night’s sleep.

We booked a four-person cabin (ensuite, small but entirely workable) for around £60 each — car included! We’d expected “functional and fluorescent,” but instead found live entertainment, quizzes, and a band! 🎶

The onboard buffet was £27 per person, which we politely declined in favour of the café downstairs where we spent £28 total on two pizzas and some wedges. Gourmet budgeting at its finest.

Beds were comfy — though getting into the top bunks required a brief but spirited parkour sequence.

At 7am the tannoy cheerfully “bing-bonged” us awake to announce breakfast and an 8:45am docking. (Clocks forward 1 hour).

Customs was smooth — the border official asked what brought us to the Netherlands, and we replied (truthfully): “Cheese.” He nodded approvingly.

Rosie, of course, still took her motion sickness tablets despite the crossing being calm and only mildly wobbly. Alex hand delivered coffees to us in bed! 💙

All in all: 17 hours, door to door. One night’s sleep, one boat, two pizzas, zero planes.

Next stop: Amsterdam by train! 🚆 (About £15 each and an easy hour from the port.)

If you’re thinking about getting from the UK to Europe without flying, this route is a solid, budget-friendly and surprisingly comfy option — just bring snacks and a sense of humour.

Hull → Rotterdam (P&O Ferries)
💸 ~£60pp including car
🛏 4-person ensuite cabin
⏱ Approx 12hrs crossing
🧀 Cheese-based tourism strongly recommended

15/10/2025

🇬🇧 From Farewells to Fundraisers (and a Ferry!)

The final stretch of our UK chapter has been a whirlwind — emotional, busy, and full of unexpected wins (and axes).

Alex kicked off his running challenge for Cancer Research UK, in memory of his mum 💜 Ten 5km runs across multiple countries — the first few here in the UK before we hit the road again. We're so proud of everything he’s doing for such an important cause (donation link below).

We caught up with friends in Denbigh, visiting the Llyn Brenig Visitor Centre, where the Welsh wind nearly carried us off into the lake. Rosie also squeezed in a last-minute interview — and got the job! 🎉 More remote work means more adventures to come!

We refreshed our Compulsory Basic Training at C & A Motorcycle Training (thanks Chris!) — because apparently several years of dodging scooters and tuk-tuks across Asia still doesn’t count as formal motorcycle experience in the UK.

There was a baby’s christening in Norfolk, a few lovely birthday surprises for Rosie (a 360° camera 👀 and a handmade Flamboyant & Bulky flag — how cool is that?!), and a couple of newspaper features celebrating our no-fly journey so far.

Then things got competitive: axe throwing with Alex’s family. A deeply therapeutic experience for everyone involved (and possibly concerning for the staff).

Before long, we were back in the Forest of Dean again, wandering through Symonds Yat, crossing Biblins Bridge (right by where Rosie used to work with Woodcraft Folk!), and even taking a hand-pulled ferry across the River Wye — because of course we did.

And now… it’s time.
Tonight we leave the UK once again — this time from Hull to Rotterdam, via overnight ferry. 🚢
Europe, we’re coming for you.

💸 Highlights & Tips
🏃‍♂️ Cancer Research UK — support Alex’s 10x5K challenge here: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/donate/db82bf29-615f-41fc-8a94-90ec74c211d4/details
🏍️ C&A Motorcycle Training— CBT training (Norfolk)
🪓 AxePlay — for anyone who’s ever wanted to throw things legally
🌉 Symonds Yat & Biblins Bridge — beautiful walk + ferry fun

15/10/2025

🇬🇧 Festivals, Farewells & Forest Views

The “quiet few weeks” in the UK continued to be anything but.

We kicked things off with a family festival — tents, campfires, endless food, long chats, inflatable sumo wrestling, and a bit of drone-flying mayhem. (Nothing says “family bonding” like knocking your relatives over in padded suits.)

From there, we levelled up to glamping — courtesy of a Wowcher voucher — in the picture-perfect village of Woodhall Spa. The local The Kinema In The Woods was a total gem: a 1920s cinema hidden among the trees, complete with an old-fashioned organ that rises dramatically from the stage before every screening. The town also hosted the world's smallest shoe shop!

We also managed to look dashing for a friend’s wedding, showing off our tailor-made dress and suit (thanks Hoi An!) (finally justified the space they took in the bags!).

Then came a few quieter days in the Forest of Dean, revisiting Alex’s hometown and soaking up the view from New Fancy View — the lookout point where you can see the green expanse of the forest stretch forever. Sadly, those days also brought some hard news: Alex’s mum passed away, and we spent time back with family in Gloucestershire. The funeral was sad, of course, but filled with stories, faces, and hugs🌿

Life didn’t stop, though. Soon after, we found ourselves at Cadwell Park race track, watching Ford KAs zip around like angry hornets — the loudest form of therapy we could’ve picked.
And finally, a piano concert in a Louth church rounded off the week — jaunty, fun, impressive - but chilly!

From sumo suits to symphonies, it’s been a lot. But then again, when isn’t it?

💸 Highlights & Tips
🎪 Family Festival: Great food, great chats, great memories
🛖 Woodhall Spa: Kinema in the Woods = must-visit
🥿 World’s Smallest Shoe Shop: blink and you’ll miss it (literally)
🏎️ Cadwell Park: perfect for car enthusiasts & anyone who loves loud engines
🎹 Louth Church Concerts: beautifully atmospheric and often free

15/10/2025

🇬🇧 Back on British Soil

BUCKLE UP - Here comes your 3 post whistlestop tour of our time in the UK. Part 1!

After 32,000km by land and sea, we finally stepped back onto home turf — no time to rest though, because apparently “slow travel” stops being slow the second you unpack a rucksack in the UK.

Within 24 hours of docking, we’d joined Fiona Conway Fitness for circuits in the park (10/10 would recommend — though our muscles might disagree). Then straight into social chaos: a surprise appearance at Alex’s brother’s birthday party, where nobody knew we were in the country. Big reactions, bigger hugs.

We squeezed in a few days of exploring too — wandering through Gloucester Cathedral (bonus Harry Potter spotting), soaking up the sunshine in Oxford, and topping it all off with an evening of brilliance at a Tim Minchin gig.

In between all that, we met new babies, caught up with old friends, and accidentally filled every spare minute of our “rest” period.

To counterbalance the noise, we ended the week at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery - Dhamma Talks — a silent retreat tucked away in Hertfordshire. After months of constant movement, ferries, and train stations, sitting still felt like the most radical journey of all.

From park burpees to mindful breathing — welcome to the UK chapter.

💸 Highlights & Tips
🏋️‍♀️ Fiona Conway Fitness: Ultimate Fitness – community vibes & endorphin boost guaranteed.
🏰 Gloucester Cathedral: Free entry, donations welcome. Look for the cloisters (yes, those Harry Potter ones).
🎭 Tim Minchin: Genius. Unmissable. Expect philosophy, piano, and swearing.
🪷 Amaravati Monastery: Free silent retreat, donations only – highly recommend for grounding after long travel.

14/10/2025

🚢 Crossing the Atlantic… the Flamboyant & Bulky way (sort of).

After months of ferries, buses, and night trains, we found ourselves doing something wildly out of character: boarding the Queen Mary 2 in Brooklyn. Yes — that Queen Mary 2. Cunard. White-gloved service. Afternoon tea. Ballroom dancing. String quartets.
And us — two scruffy backpackers who don’t own proper shoes.

This wasn’t about luxury — it was logistics. We had diary commitments in Europe, and this was literally the only way to cross the Atlantic in time without flying. So, for seven surreal days, we swapped border crossings for ballroom corridors and became temporary residents of this floating Downton Abbey.

Our inside cabin (no window, plenty of charm) became home as we slowly inched east, clocks jumping forward five out of seven nights — a gentle form of jet lag. We filled our days with lectures that were genuinely brilliant — everything from neuroscience, AI, and geology (thanks Dr Allan J. Hamilton books and Space Rocks UK) to maritime history, space photography from the ISS, and the mysterious disappearance of MH370 (thanks Douglas Keeney). Whoever booked the speakers deserves a raise.

Entertainment-wise, highlights included an incredible pianist called Katie Clarke (shoutout to Norfolk 🇬🇧!), an Irish folk duo called The Blackthorn Duo, some classical guitar, and a lot of quizzes we definitely didn’t win. Rosie also joined a “Bridge Tour” with the captain — and came back ready to take over the ship.

Afternoon tea in the Queen’s Room was surprisingly relaxed, sunsets from deck were glorious, and — on the penultimate day — we finally saw sea life! Dolphins in the English Channel, welcoming us back to Europe. 🐬

We didn’t fit in. We didn’t mind. We were mostly just grateful that “no-fly” didn’t have to mean “no fun.”

From Brooklyn to Southampton — 5,400km of open sea, one pair of rainbow Converse, and more scones than we care to admit.

💸 Costs & Tips
Atlantic Crossing: £700pp (the cheapest we found it, but usually lots more!)
Duration: 7 nights, no stops
Included: All meals, lectures, entertainment
Fun fact: The Queen Mary 2 is the only true ocean liner still in service — designed specifically for transatlantic crossings

Flamboyant & Bulky Adventures

02/11/2025

31/10/2025

26/10/2025

24/10/2025

18/10/2025

16/10/2025

15/10/2025

15/10/2025

15/10/2025

14/10/2025

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