Tag: Travel

Hanging out with my uni pals in Boston…

On By louiseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Friendships are funny things. You just meet another human, often by way of chance, decide you like each other and then continue to meet. There’s no pressure or obligation to form a genuine friendship it either happens or it doesn’t. Sometimes you grow apart and sometimes you grow closer together. There’s a variety of friendships. School friends, friends of friends, work friends, mum friends, hobby friends, family friends… But the best part is that it’s more often than not, organic and genuine. Family are great, but ultimately you are kinda thrown together with an unwritten obligation to tolerate each other regardless of whether or not you actually like one another simply because you are ‘family’.

We all have different friends that cater for different needs. The friend you call in a crisis, the pal you meet up with and vent over dinner, the buddy who just makes life that little bit easier just by existing, the one who makes you laugh and the one who will always have your back. One of my favourite types of friendships are the ones that are timeless. The people who you can go months without talking to, years without seeing, but when you reunite it’s like no time has passed. The ones who are open and pure without boundaries. This type of friendship is the type that I’m lucky enough to share with my uni pals.

Logistically, it’s very tricky for us to meet up as we all live on different continents and lead completely different lives. But throw us together and we chat for hours, share similar views and have our own humour. It’s great. I love how openly we talk and that we trust each other implicitly. My gal pals are such warm, welcoming people and I love, love, love it when we can catch up.

The two days that I was in Boston, we ate lots of food, shopped and chatted pretty much the whole time and it was blimmin’ brilliant. I got to explore the city a little, but I wasn’t really bothered about getting under Boston’s skin. I just wanted to enjoy the time with my friends because it’s such a rarity for the three of us.

I’m so glad that we managed to meet up properly and I can’t wait until we can do it all again.

Do you have any long distance friendships?

L x

Travelling alone for the first time and visiting Boston…

On By louiseIn Food, Lifestyle, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Just before Christmas I received a lovely letter from one of my uni pals suggesting that we have a reunion with another friend of ours who lives in Boston. The three of us were super close during our time at university and despite each of us living on a different continent, we’ve managed to stay in touch. I last saw Cindy in January 2017 whilst we were visiting Hong Kong, and the last time we were all together was at my wedding in the summer of 2015.

Anyway, it worked out that the three of us would be Stateside at the same time (during our trip to Florida), so it made sense for me to leave the boys down south and hop on a flight to see my buddies for a couple of days.

I had never flown alone before simply because the occasion hadn’t arisen. I always go on holiday with Phil and as we met so young, I had only been on holiday with family beforehand.

I wasn’t nervous or worried about flying alone, I love travelling and am used to the flight experience. I thought that it might feel weird, but it was absolutely fine. I was sat with a nice lady who lived in Fort Lauderdale and was also travelling to see friends. I had a little nap, read an issue of Vogue and before I knew it, I was in Boston.

As we descended into Boston, the pilot announced that the temperature was 26. I thought it was odd that it appeared to be as warm as southern Florida before realising he had meant 26 Fahrenheit. It was actually minus 3. It’s so crazy to think that just a three hour flight can take you somewhere so different.

Luckily for me, my kind friend Heidi met me at the airport with her super cute little boy Jasper. We went shopping and ate lots of food with her husband Ian and then returned to the airport to meet Cindy.

It was so lovely to be reunited and we immediately went to a dessert lounge in Quincy for a catch up before turning in at Heidi’s for the night.

Have you travelled alone before?

L x

The Everglades, Keys and Fort Lauderdale…

On By louiseIn Food, Lifestyle, TravelLeave a comment

Of all the times that we have travelled to Florida, we have never quite managed to make it to the Everglades or The Keys. We always seem to become swept up in the lights of Orlando and the beaches in North Florida. I think that there’s just so much to do and explore that we always seem to run out of time. Anyway, on this occasion, we decided to fly to Miami and explore the southern part of the sunshine state.

Our first stop was The Everglades, a gorgeous national park oozing with wildlife and greenery. We went on an airboat tour from The Everglades Holiday Park . The airboat was super fun and our host very knowledgeable. I loved feeling the wind in my hair and looking out for gators. Luckily we managed to spot quite a few on our trip. They are such majestic creatures and I feel like I learnt a lot about them from our trip. The only downside to the airboat tour was the part at the end where you have the option to hold a baby gator. It had its mouth tied shut and I just felt like it was completely unnecessary. Nobody needs to hold an alligator and the poor little thing must have felt terribly vulnerable. That being said, I would still highly recommend the boat tour and I think that overall they have good intentions with the wildlife.

Next stop was a trip to Key Largo. I had heard how dreamy the Keys are, but I didn’t imagine that they would be quite so lush. I immediately fell in love with the chilled atmosphere, crystal clear sea and how genuinely beautiful they are. The sea was warm and inviting. Possibly the clearest sea I have ever seen and still as a Polaroid. I could see fish everywhere and it was just so, so lovely. We found a little hidden beach tucked away behind some (also dreamy) houses and just existed there for a while. The winter has felt terribly long (and appears to be never ending – snow over Easter, say what?!), it was so, so nice to soak up the sun and feel it on my skin. I loved walking around in flip flops and a sundress. The temperatures were 27/28 degrees every day and it was absolutely divine. What a treat.

Continuing our beach theme, we headed over to Fort Lauderdale for a sunset stroll on the beach followed by dinner at a restaurant with live music that kisses the coastline. We also had a look around the shops. Fort Lauderdale is quite lively in the evenings, so I would definitely recommend a visit.

Have you visited Southern Florida?

L x

Welcome to Miami…

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I have wanted to travel to Miami since Will Smith blasted onto the scenes in the 90’s with his aptly named track. The connotations of sun, sea, sand, warmth and fun called my name and I knew that one day I had to go. When booking our annual air miles trip for this year, I was originally looking to fly to Orlando for theme park fun (I’ve been desperate to go again since Volcano Bay opened at Universal). There wasn’t any availability for Orlando on the dates that we needed, but there was availability for Miami – result!

Flash forward a few months and I’ve found myself back in the sunshine state. We’ve got a few things planned whilst we are here but I’m mostly looking forward to enjoying some time soaking up the sunshine. It’s been so terribly grey over winter and I had forgotten what temperatures above ten degrees felt like. It’s dreamy.

Anyway, I can’t wait to explore and share!

Have you travelled to Miami?

L x

A weekend at Center Parcs…

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Last weekend, we were lucky enough to head over to Center Parcs with friends to celebrate four of our birthdays. I had never been to Center Parcs before, but had heard lots of good things so was very excited to go.

We don’t go away in the U.K. very often because we have already seen a fair bit of it (living here and all), and I just prefer to travel further afield for a holiday so that we can soak up different cultures.

Anyway, the convenience of holidaying in the U.K. was quite refreshing as I didn’t have to worry about luggage restrictions and could take as many liquids as I desired. Quite the novelty!

We opted for the Center Parcs located in Woburn because it’s just an hour out of London – perfect for an after work weekend getaway.

I had some preconceptions prior to arriving at Center Parcs, I knew that it would be an activity based break, but I didn’t realise how much of a little bubble you live in and that it really is an entire mini town located in the woods. You are encouraged to leave your car in the car park for the weekend, with the option of walking between areas or cycling. I quite liked this idea because I’m a fan of walking anyway and it just made the area really peaceful.

We arrived just after 8:30pm and our lovely friends had ordered Chinese take out to be delivered shortly after our arrival which was such a good idea. I like that you can order food to be delivered to your Lodge (they also deliver G&T’s which I thought was amazing) and it just adds to the convenience that Center Parcs offers.

Our Lodge was super nice and well planned out. We had a three bedroom lodge with maid service and a sauna. The sauna was especially lovely after running around in the snow for hours (more on that later). Each room had an en suite and the whole Lodge was contemporary and clean. Just how I like it!

On our first day, we went swimming over at the subtropical paradise area. It’s super fun with a few water slides, rides, a lazy river and a wave pool. I thought that it was great although it lacked a real swimming pool and a jacuzzi. It would have been nice to have somewhere to just sit and chill in the water and personally I think a jacuzzi would be a welcome addition. We still had lots of fun there before heading over to Starbucks for a quick lunch followed by badminton. Badminton was indoors on a nice and clean court. It was really fun although I’m not very good at racquet sports. Or any sports really if we are being honest!

There are over 200 activities to do at Center Parcs which is absolutely bonkers. Everything from riding a Segway to abseiling, they’ve got it covered. I do think that the activities can work out a bit pricey though and they’ve got you over a barrel once you are there. Anyway, after badminton, we hung out at the sports bar before my friend and I disappeared to the spa whilst the boys played more badminton and went aqua jetting.

The spa was amazing! We had a massage before heading into the spa itself. The massage was great and such a treat. We could spend all evening in the spa although I honestly thought that we would be bored after an hour or so. I was very wrong! We were in the spa from 5pm until 9pm, soaking up the saunas, steam rooms and all of the other delights. They had so many themed zones that were really well put together and the place was nice and clean. Although, once again, lacking a jacuzzi!

They do have a beautiful infinity pool although it was absolutely freezing and I decided it wasn’t worth the dip in temperature. My friend had a little swim in it though. We had a perfect girly evening chatting away and embracing the spa. I think it’s a must visit if you go to Center Parcs.

On Sunday, we again went over to the subtropical paradise where an incident took place on the powerful rapids. We were trying to form a human train, although when I reached back to grab Phil, the current forced a poor innocent woman into my path which resulted in an accidental boob grab. She was chill about it, I was mortified!

It had also been snowing, but we had already booked laser combat. I’m not very good at preparing for outdoorsy stuff unless it’s a warm summers’ day at the beach and I had to partake in the laser activity which was set amongst the woodland in heeled boots. It was freezing but super fun and I didn’t even fall over – result! I was actually surprised at how well thought out the laser combat activity was and would really recommend it.

After feeling the effects of the low temperatures, we retreated to our lodge for Indian take out and a warm up in our private sauna. It was a relaxing evening after a busy weekend.

I must say that I feel like I may have the CP bug and can’t wait to book another cheeky weekend away there.

Have you been to Center Parcs before?

L x

Barcelona Part Four – Relaxing by the Marina…

On By louiseIn Food, Lifestyle, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

On our fourth and final day in Barcelona, I was only interested in doing two things. Firstly, soaking up the sunshine before I’m smothered in grey cloud back home, and secondly, eating good food.

There was one place that I had grown to really love whilst in Barcelona and that was the marina. I could sit there for hours watching the ripples in the water and the boats floating along. There is also a little stall (or a few stalls if you walk along), where you can buy crepes and waffles. I opted for a chocolate crepe with whipped cream and did not regret it.

We also walked along Las Ramblas and ate more Japanese food (such a sucker for Asian food!) and it was the perfect end to a perfect trip.

Have you travelled to Barcelona?

L x

Barcelona Part Three – Park Guell and the Gothic Quarter…

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On the our third day in beautiful Barcelona, we decided to walk from our hotel near Eixample to Park Guell. We Google mapped our route and discovered that it would take around an hour which was fine because we both quite like walking. What Google maps failed to mention was that the final leg of our walk to Park Guell was up a steep hill. I was melting by the time we reached the top (although towards Park Guell they provide you with the option of using an escalator which was like a drop of gold falling from heaven!).

Anyway, the uphill walk was worth it for those dreamy views. We could see all of the way to the sea which was rather lovely. Park Guell is super nice to walk around too, we loved it.

Once we had finished mooching around we decided to walk back towards our hotel (much more fun going downhill). We stopped for cake, a drink and a well deserved rest for a bit before heading over to the Gothic Quarter to enjoy the wonderful architecture.

There are so many cute little shops and restaurants lining the Gothic Quarter, so it’s easy to get swept up in an afternoon there.

We then headed over to see the Marina lit up at night, which was really nice and we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant in the shopping centre. I’m such a sucker for Asian food!

Have you visited Park Guell?

L x

Barcelona part two, La Sagrada Familia and beach fun…

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We were so lucky with the weather during our time in Barcelona. Travelling in Europe during January is always a risk in terms of weather but we lucked out and had sunshine with blue skies everyday during our time in Barcelona. Having good weather meant that we could make the most of being outside and were able to walk everywhere without resembling a soggy raccoon upon reaching our destination.

With the sunshine smothering us, we decided to walk to the beach from our hotel near Eixample. I’m at my happiest at the beach and I just feel so grounded and chilled out whenever I’m near the sea.

We meandered down to the marina which was such a lovely surprise. I didn’t realise that the marina would be so lovely, laced with palm trees and pretty views. There is also a shopping centre which is open 365 days a year and is home to a variety of shops and some great restaurants too.

I wasn’t expecting a particularly special beach in Barcelona. I’d been told that it wasn’t that great, so I was thrilled when we arrived at the beach and were greeted with golden sand and clear blue sea. In all honesty, the beach was much more desirable than many of the beaches here in the U.K., so I’m so glad that we weren’t put off and still popped along for some salty air and a stroll along the sea front.

I love gazing out at the ocean and seeing absolutely nothing connected to human life. Just the waves meeting the Earth, the ocean filled with life and the sky above. It makes me feel so chilled out and grounded. Exactly what you need on a birthday!

After we had embraced beach life, we decided to head on over to a cafe for coffee and cake. Unfortunately my Spanish is not so great and we actually found ourselves in a gluten free cafe where I had the weirdest crepe I’ve ever seen. It looked like a prawn cracker and had a spongy consistency. Anyway, I’ve decided I need to work on my Spanish before our next trip!

Following on from our gluten free cafe experience, we walked over to La Sagrada Familia because have you even been to Barcelona if you haven’t gawped at Gaudi’s masterpiece in the flesh?!

What a beauty! Such sumptuous architecture bathed In Mediterranean sunshine. Phil said that it was the most beautiful building he has ever seen and I am inclined to agree (although Italy has some real treasures).

We then walked back over to Eixample where we stumbled upon a traditional Spanish restaurant and had a glass of Sangria with our seafood paella. Not going to lie, the paella was a bit too fishy for my liking, but I was instantly hooked on the Sangria. It was divine!

Have you visited La Sagrada Familia?

L x

A birthday in Barcelona part 1…

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I’m a big fan of a birthday holiday and this year for the big day itself, we decided to hop over to Barcelona for a few days. We had never been before and it seemed like a good place to get away from the grey days of London.

I can honestly say that we were pleasantly surprised the from the moment we arrived, we were overwhelmed with friendly people, gorgeous architecture and sunshine. What more could a girl want?

We drank Sangria (I’m now a HUGE fan), ate nice food and shopped all whilst taking in the beautiful city.

We were staying in between Las Ramblas and Eixample. I think it’s a great location for exploring and we had so much convenience on our doorstep.

Have you traveled to Barcelona?

L x

Budapest Day 3: Buda Castle, Gellért Spa and Pinball…

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We had a super jam packed Wednesday in Budapest following on from the Christmas break. The shops were finally open, the sun was shining and there was Life all over the city.

We started our day by having breakfast at Matthias Church. I’m such a sucker for Starbucks Pain Au Chocolats (or chocolate croissants as they like to call them Stateside!), so we decided to pop over to a Starbucks with a view for breakfast.

Unfortunately we had to walk up ten million stairs and Starbucks didn’t have any pains, so I had to settle for cake instead (certainly liveable!), but the views were incredible and it was such a treat to witness such a beautiful city smothered in golden sunshine.

It really was a glorious morning. I would highly recommend heading over to Matthias Church and walking along to Buda Castle. It was really lovely.

Budapest has so much history and culture sunken into its veins and each building has a story or a sight that it’s seen. Buda castle is no exception. There’s so much history there and it’s gorgeous too, so definitely worth a visit!

Following our visit to the castle, we made our way over to Gellért Spa. Gellért Spa resides in the most beautiful building and although it was smaller than Széchenyi, it was grander and felt cleaner. We had a relaxing afternoon there.

We then decided to walk to the Pinball museum. It took us over an hour as we stopped to breath in the sumptuous architecture that Budapest displays in abundance and although we were in need of a rest after our mammoth walking day (we had walked everywhere that day), I’m glad that we did because you simply miss out on the small things of you are whizzing by in a taxi.

We had lots of fun at the Pinball Museum, it was great to play on all of the different machines and they sell drinks there too, which is nice.

Soon it was time for us to stuff our faces, so we headed over to the Budapest BBQ for dinner and drinks. The food was great! We had a lovely evening.

I thoroughly enjoyed Budapest and I feel as though it’s a city that offers so much. I think we will definitely visit again one day.

Have you visited Budapest?

L x