New York in a whirlwind.

New York is one of my favourite cities in the world. It's a place i've dreamed of seeing since I was little. I dreamed of hailing yellow taxi cabs, ice skating and rowing in Central Park, eating dollar slice pizzas the size of my head and most of all getting to stand at the top of the Empire State building and stare in awe at the twinkly lights of the city below me.

A week in Rhodes.

For the past week, I've been relaxing and soaking up the sun on the Greek Island of Rhodes. I think it's important to get away from your normal day to day routine every once in a while, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to go hop on a plane and the leave the county though! However, every once in a while though you need a break from work, the internet and your phone - or at least I know, I do!

 My friend and I stayed at the Sentido Ixian Grand Hotel, which is located in Ixia, just a ten minute drive away from Rhodes town. The hotel is lovely and boasts two large pools (one salt water and one with chlorine) and is situated on the beach - which means perfect sea views! We didn't do much exploring of the local area as we were all inclusive and wanted to just relax and unwind in the sun for a week, however I did want to share a few photographs that I took during the trip.

A weekend in Barcelona..

A couple of months ago my boyfriend celebrated his 21st birthday and my present to him was two tickets to see Barcelona FC. We spent the past weekend in the city and I thought i'd share a few pictures from the trip and share why it's become one of my favourite places to visit.

We stayed at the H10 Raco Del Pi Hotel which is located in the heart of the gothic quarter, which also happens to be my favourite area of the city. Winding narrow streets filled with a multitude of restaurants, cafes and independent shops make it the perfect place to get lost in.

We took a leisurely stroll through the streets taking in it's many delights before the city met the sea.

But now for the real reason we were here - the football match! I'm not a great fan of football - i'd never even been to see a professional match before. But what better team to watch my first football game, than one of the greatest in the world? 

The Camp Nou stadium isn't anything spectacular from the outside but the inside is a whole other story. 99 thousand seats and counting make up this incredible stadium and it's a sight to make any person (football fan or not) stare in awe.  

The atmosphere in the stadium is electric, seas and seas of people shouting, chanting and singing for their team. The game finished 2-0 to Barcelona and I had one very happy and thankful boyfriend indeed. If you can snap up some tickets next time there's a game on, then i'd highly recommend it! 

Another place I would highly recommend visiting would be the Magic Fountains. Located just below the Palau Nacional, the fountains are just quite like it's name, simply magical. A beautiful display of colours where the water quite literally dances to music. 

Barcelona is a vibrant city that has so much to offer and it's hard not to fall in love with it's charm. That's why i'm confident this won't be the last time I visit! 

Rainy weekend in Amsterdam (DAY 1 & 2)

Many weekends ago, I decided to take a weekend break away to Amsterdam with my best friend. I got to spend a couple of days in the capital and was treated to many beautiful sights that it had to offer.

After a very quick one hour plane journey from the UK (yes just one hour, I couldn't believe it either..) we landed at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport where my mind was blown. Okay maybe I am being a bit dramatic.. but it has to be said it's by far one of the best airports i've been too. Okay, so this my be down the fact that there were many pilots walking around and i'm a sucker for pilots, I genuinely get a bit giddy and let out a small squeak when ever I see one, don't ask why it's just a thing that happens.. But it wasn't just the large amount of uniformed men that got me excited, it was the sheer scale and general 'coolness' of the place (coolness.. is that a word? it is now any way ) Anyway I think maybe that's enough chit chat about the airport.. 

We found our bags and hopped on our shuttle bus that would took us to where we were staying. We stayed at the 'Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Centre' and whilst the hotel isn't directly in the heart of the city it's not far from it, just a short tram trip away. The hotel it's self was modern and sleek and we were treated to fantastic views of the Rembrandtpark from our window. We settled in for an early night, excited to explore the city in the morning. 

Steph and I are big foodies, so naturally the first thing on our minds the next morning was breakfast! We headed into the centre in search of a nice cafe to grab something to eat, we didn't have to walk too far until we found 'Cafe STOCK' a cute small cafe that belongs to 'The Exchange Hotel' After a long wait for our food, we soon realised that we had been forgotten about, we informed the staff and they were quick to rectify the situation with complimentary smoothies. A little later than scheduled, our stomach's were satisfied so we hopped back on the tram and headed to 'Anne Franks House'. (Quick side note! The trams are definitely the best way to get around the city excluding the famous bikes of course, more of that to come later on! We bought a two day tram ticket from our hotel which gave us unlimited travel on all lines across the city, all for under €15 - a bargain!) Be prepared for a long wait to get into the Anne Frank's House, we queued for a good two hours! But this comes as no surprise really, it's worth the wait! It's a very interesting, though provoking and  quite an eerie but sad place to visit. A little while later, we jumped on the next tram and headed to the 'Van Gogh Museum' Now i'm not much of an art fan myself, but if you're interested in this type of stuff then I would recommend a visit! After meandering around in the museum for a bit we headed out and spotted a hotdog stand, the nearby park was the perfect spot to have a quick bite to eat and even the sun made an appearance! 

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the hotel and get ready for an evening in Amsterdam. 

The beautiful view from the Amerstdam Centraal Railway Station. 

I had a quick look on my phone before we left the hotel to see which area we should be heading out too, a few websites had suggested the 'Leidseplein Square' but I wish we hadn't took any notice of the sites! Maybe we had gone to the wrong part of the square (i'm not sure if that's even possible?) but we were approached by a number of what can only be described as 'shady looking people' shouting all sorts of things at us, so we quickly ducked into an italian restaurant. 

We finished our meals and made a pact that we would definitely need to research better places for the tomorrow evening. We decided to call it a night and headed back to our hotel, there was plenty of Amsterdam left to explore the next morning! 

Camping in Wales

I spent last weekend camping in Wales with my boyfriend's family and family friends. We stayed in the historic market town of 'Rhayader' in Powys, Mid Wales for two nights. Having only been to Wales once before and being too young to really remember much of it, I was quite looking forward to the trip. The last time i'd been camping was probably around ten years ago, a long time before straighteners were introduced into my life! Nevertheless, I was looking forward to what the weekend had to bring. 

We set off on the long road trip down to Wales. Living in Yorkshire it took us around four hours (and a short pit stop to refuel on KFC) before we reached our destination. We arrived quite late at night, so popped into the local pub to show our faces to everyone who had already arrived, before heading back to our tent (our late arrival meant our tent has already been pitched - bonus!) we crashed out right away. 

We awoke on Saturday to beautiful sunshine, the tent soon became too hot to bear, so we ventured outside to the smell of bacon sandwiches cooking on the BBQ. Is there really a better smell to wake up to? 

I had previously been told there might be a chance of us going on a walk, little did I know what I was in store for. Sandwiches scoffed and tea drank we set off to the Elan Valley visitor centre, which marked the start of our walk. I'm all smiles here at the start of the walk, maybe I should have taken a picture of me at the end - i'm sure that would have been more entertaining!

Our group set off, walking sticks in hand and backpacks on their backs, I sheepishly looked down at my jelly shoes and cursed myself for not thinking trainers would have been a good idea. 

I spent most of the walk out of breath and willing my legs to carry me on, it's safe to say i'm not the most healthiest or fittest person going (something I definitely need to change) but I made it to the end! My shoes didn't rub me or give me blisters once - hoorah! Something else that kept me going on the walk, (other than the fact that once i'd reached halfway point, there wasn't much point in turning back now), was the stunning views I got to see. 

I love views of the natural landscape like this, it really makes me appreciate being able to see such things.  When asked if i'd enjoyed the walk my reply was "..I enjoyed the scenery!" much to everybody's amusement. I think it's time I got in shape!

As soon as we'd all made it back to the car park, we headed back to Rhayader, the sun still beating down on us, we set our sights on a beer garden. The dogs came too, after all they'd done the walk too it was only fair that they got their own refreshing drink!

I really wish I had taken more photo's of Rhayader itself, the town as a whole was really pretty, especially basking in the summer heat. On our walk to the pub we passed the River Wye where children and their families were all paddling and cooling down, I wish I could have jumped right into the water there, but I knew there'd be plenty of time for that later. 

A few drinks later we made our way back to the campsite, where we decided it was our turn to paddle in the river. Lots of other campers and their dogs had the same idea, I thought it'd best if I didn't bring my phone in to take pictures, downside I don't have any pictures of us in the river, upside I still have a dry and working iPhone! We ended the night with a feast of food from the BBQ,  burgers, skewers and chicken galore! I ate quite a lot and made a bit of a name for myself as everyone tried to feed me more food! A satisfied stomach later and my legs beginning to ache from the day, I decided to hit the hay and soon drifted off...

Carly x

A Weekend Away

After many years of discussing holiday ideas, trying to sort out our schedules so they would match and endless failed plans, three of my close friends and I finally went on weekend break together.

My friend Lauren's family owns a caravan in Mablethorpe, which is a small seaside town in Lincolnshire, England. So we packed our bags and hit the road on a late Friday afternoon, the weather was gorgeous so naturally the windows were down and the music was up. We made a quick pit stop in the town of Gainsborough for some Fish and Chips, we stopped at 'Cox's Traditional Fish and Chips' after I saw it was ranked the number 1 restaurant in the town on Trip Advisor. Of course, it's highly unlikely that Trip Advisor ever lets me down, the meal was delicious! After our stomach's were full to the brim and happy, we were soon back on the road. As soon as we arrived, we unpacked and headed straight to the beach! Just in time, to watch the beautiful sunset.

A few brave ones decided to brace the cold sea and go for a paddle, where as I was much happier enjoying the view from afar and keeping my feet firmly in the sand.

The wind had started to pick up and we were instantly regretting not bringing any jackets to wear. We just had time for a few quick pictures, before the thought of pyjama's, blankets and a film became too tempting.

From left to right, myself, Lauren, Lauren and Chloe all sporting the windswept look. Chloe also has a blog where she write's book reviews, you can check that out here if you like. 

Snuggled up back in the warmth of the caravan we settled in for the night and watched The Purge, me being the wuss I am, spent most of the film hiding behind a pillow, so after the film had finished we decided something a bit more happy and uplifting was needed, we picked Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, which was the perfect way to end our first night. 

Our second day was another gloriously sunny day spent exploring Skegness's market, eating ice creams, and spending far too much money in the amusements. We eventually decided it was time to head back to Mablethorpe, where a couple of hours lounging on the beach were needed. 

I'd spent the day in my skinny black jeans, in my defence it had been raining when we'd left the caravan in the morning. So after i'd peeled them off my legs and put my shorts on, I knew the next place I needed to visit was the sea! This time the cold water was my best friend, so Chloe and I cooled off after a scorching day. 

Not the most appealing look sea i've ever seen, but the sea it was and that would do! 

After a couple of hours of gossiping and lots of laughter, we headed back to the caravan, we favoured a takeaway pizza and another film night over going out drinking, Planet of the Apes was on the cards tonight. We ordered from Papa Johns and were pleasantly surprised that they delivered right to your caravan door, we could have easily walked to their shop, but when on holiday right? 

The next day was our last day, so we decided we'd have a lay in, it was a sunday so surely that's acceptable? We packed up and headed off to the Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary just down the road from where we were staying. The Sanctuary rescues injured and orphaned seals, healing them back to health before they release them back into the wild or in some cases giving them a permanent home, if they are unable to return. Other animals such as foxes, badgers and owls are also given refuge here. The sanctuary is only fairly small but they are doing a great job for the animals, so it's well worth a visit or donation to show your support. 

I think these meerkats had to be my favourite animals we saw, their funny little things! 

Overall, I had a great weekend spent with some great people and can't wait to do something again soon.

Carly x