Ascending 60 feet to discover 'London's Sistine Chapel' | Painted Hall

Ascending 60 feet to discover 'London's Sistine Chapel' | Painted Hall | London

I have to confess that I don't like art much. Frankly, staring at paintings in galleries bores me. However, art suddenly became a lot more interesting when I found myself sporting a green hard hat and matching high vis to ascend 60 feet's worth of scaffolding to get a closer look at Britain's largest painted ceiling. This huge piece of art is at the Painted Hall in the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London where Admiral Lord Nelson's body was laid in state in this grand hall after he died in the Battle of Trafalgar.

The Painted Hall dates from the 18th century and is currently undergoing a huge conservation project. In order to raise funds, for a mere £10, I got to see the ceiling up close and learn about its fascinating history and the conservation process from an incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. Wearing my hard hat, I felt like a modern day Indiana Jones, discovering tiny details that have never been seen before from the ground. The ceiling has been restored several times since the 1950s and each restorer has signed the ceiling, assuming nobody would find out that they had essentially graffitied a treasured 18th century artwork. One restorer even cheekily signed Queen Mary's chest!

Greenwich boasts many attractions in addition to the Painted Hall. The Royal Observatory is well worth a visit, where you can straddle the Greenwich meridian to be simultaneously in the eastern and western hemispheres! If you get peckish, the Greenwich Market is an excellent stop to find all sorts of world cuisine. Obviously, I couldn't resist checking out the cake situation and had a lovely polenta, raspberry and orange cake. Many stalls offered gluten free cakes so this could be great destination for all your coeliac friends. Greenwich is one of my favourite parts of London with beautiful architecture, plenty of history and delicious food. Most importantly, my visit helped me realise that art can be interesting if you look a little harder for the quirky details.

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Tea with a ghost? | Tiny Tim's Tearoom | Canterbury

Canterbury is such a historic city so I was looking for a traditional place for afternoon tea. Tiny Tim's Tearoom was the perfect place. Housed in a gorgeous 17th century building, this tearoom is particularly inviting with its baked goods displayed in the shop windows. Inside, Glen Miller was playing softly in the background, giving the place a nostalgic, vintage feel. Many British favourites were on offer, such as, crumpets, scones and hearty sponge cakes. I had an excellent coffee and walnut cake which had a wonderfully potent coffee flavour unlike many shop-bought ones. Served with a dollop of cream, ice cream or custard, these cakes are the ultimate comfort food. Tea is also in abundance. I tried Keemun Orchid which was a black tea that had notes of plum, orchid, sesame and pine. There are also more traditional blends for those who prefer more conventional tea. I attended this tearoom alone after a pleasant morning visiting Canterbury Cathedral. However, was I t

The Apple Pie Map | Hirosaki, Aomori

Are you a fan of apple pie? If you are, then Hirosaki might just be the place for you! Hirosaki is in Aomori, a prefecture in the Tohoku region in the north of Japan. Aomori is famous for its delicious apples, and nowhere is this fruit more greatly celebrated than in the city of Hirosaki. There are over 50 shops in the town selling different types of apple pie. With so many options, it can seem overwhelming. How can you possibly find the perfect pie for you?! Well, the answer is simple. All you need is the Apple pie map ! Not only does the map tell you all the different locations for pie shops and bakeries, it also rates each pie on its sweetness, sourness and amount of cinnamon. My personal favourite is スリーブリッヂ or Three Bridge, a cute little bakery near Hirosaki station. Their pie is rated 3/5 for sweetness and sourness. But don't take my word for it, head to Hirosaki and do your own research! There's plenty of pies to enjoy and beautiful sites in Hirosaki. Why

Fried Chicken Parfait? | Karafuneya Coffee, Kyoto

We've been around the world and tried many strange ice creams, from the tomato flavoured ice cream of Nice to the salt ice cream of Dublin . However, nothing quite matches the crazy ice creams available at Karafuneya Coffee in Kyoto. As soon as you enter this lovely cafe in the Sanjo area of Kyoto, you are greeted by an enormous number of plastic models representing the amazing desserts. The best thing about Karafuneya is the sheer range of sundaes. We were equally thrilled by the classic chocolate and strawberry parfaits and the slightly more unusual Japanese flavours, such as macha and black sesame. There were even enormous sundaes (about 2 feet tall) that you can share with all your friends. However, the real eye catchers are the more outlandish ice cream combinations. We spotted a model for a French fries parfait, a deep fried chicken parfait and an American hot dog parfait. The models actually looked surprisingly delicious, but we weren't feeling too adventurous. So

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