Barcelona: 3 Things You Have to Do

For the last few years, Barcelona has been on my bucket list of places to visit and I was lucky enough to visit it twice this year. Barcelona, a Gothic, modern and quirky seaside city, is rich with culture, amazing architecture and a great drinking and food scene.

Here are my 3 favourites in this wonderful city:

Wine & Dine

Brunch and Cake

 

Ok I am going to start with the most important thing: food and drink!! Barcelona is bursting with awesome cafes, restaurants and bars. The place has it all. You name it, they’ve got it; tapas, Italian, authentic Mexican, Asian cuisine, healthy spots, brunch spots, delicious bakeries and Michelin star restaurants.

Brunch: Brunch and Cake was full of colourful and healthy food. Hammock Juice Station is a hidden gem with healthy smoothies and your classic healthy treats.

Dine: Nino Viejo is a tasty authentic Mexican taco bar. It is a bit pricey for what you get. Attached next door is Michelin star, Hoja Santa.  I had the most delicious tapas at Paco Meralgo. It’s a cosy place and the food is made with the best fresh products.

Drinks: My fav place for cocktails was ArtTe. It’s a restaurant, cocktail bar, tea bar, art gallery and concert space.The decor is cool and chic and the cocktails are inspired by fruit and botanical ingredients.

Wander

My favourite activity to do in any new place is to get outdoors and wander the streets. You can stumble across amazing views and get a real feel for the culture. I always have Maps.me downloaded on my phone so if I get lost I can, hopefully, easily find my way back. There are also several free walking tours which you can join and learn about the history of the city. The places I recommend are:

The Gothic Quarter: This is a beautiful area, rich with history and narrow medieval streets. It is filled with quirky shops, restaurants and trendy bars. There are also several peaceful squares where you can relax and watch the world go by.

Tour of Gaudi’s Work: Gaudi’s unusual and eccentric building play an important role in Barcelona’s multifaceted character. Even if you aren’t into architecture you will for sure be able to spot some of Gaudi’s work. Gaudi took inspiration from nature and mixed colourful decorative elements with functionality in all this work. A few places to see are: Casa Mila, Casa Battlo, Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.

 

Magic Fountain

Located at Montjuïc, the magic fountain is a marvelous show of colour, light, music and water acrobatics. It is just so beautiful and if you time it right you can watch it as the sun is setting. This spectacular show is very popular, therefore, you should early to get a good viewing spot. The show times run differently throughout the season so just check the official website before you go.

 

I hope this has been helpful!!

Tyndall

xoxo

 

Hygge-ing in Copenhagen

This year my mum is the big 6 0! To celebrate, my mum and I took a mini break to Copenhagen! I love getting away with my mum and spending quality time with her.

Copenhagen, the cool kid of the Nordics and one of the happiest cities in the world. Those 2 reasons plus cheap flights were all we needed to convince us to go. The city is full of quaint cobbled streets, quirky architecture, cool bars and delicious food.

When we arrived in our hygge Airbnb in Vesterbro (Hipster land), we made like the locals and hired some bikes! This was probably the best thing we ever did as it took us no time to get around. The city is cycle friendly.

Here are 3 of my favs –

 

Papirøen (Paper Island) – Street Food Market

This place is a foodies dream! There is an abundance of street food vendors, from all corners of the world, selling delicious sustainable food.  They also cater for vegans, veggies and celiacs.

“Genuine, honest and aesthetic” is the motto of the street food market. As well as the food being sustainable and amazing, it is also fairly cheap!

You can opt to enjoy your food indoors in the raw halls or on deck chairs in the sun overlooking the waterfront.

It can get really busy so chose your time wisely!

FreeTown Christiana 

An eco-commune where cars are banned but the sale of marijuana is tolerated along ‘pushers street’. Be careful at taking photos in this area because the dealers don’t want to be caught.  It was established in 1971 when a group of hippies took over an abandoned military barracks. Christiana is a lovely collection of homemade houses, workshops, art galleries, cheap organic cafés, bars and it’s full of vibrant scenery. This place was so chilled and the food was amazing.

Mother’s Pizza

Possibly the best pizza in Copenhagen! If you are a massive pizza fan then you have try this place. Wood-fired sourdough pizzas mmm!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Mother’s Pizza website describes it as ‘an utterly Italian restaurant without all the nonsense’. It is located in the meat packing district area which is pretty cool with industrial buildings, a raw look and plenty of bars. I would advise booking a table as it gets busy.

 

To end, Copehagen is beautiful, cool, friendly, and the happiest place in the world!

 

Have a great day!

 

Tyndall

xoxo

My South East Asia Contiki Adventure



 

Do you ever get that feeling that when you blink a whole year passes by? Well that’s what just has happened with this trip, it felt like we were doing this trip for longer than a month but it passed by quicker than you can say good morning Vietnam.

I loved this trip and I wish I could have stayed longer but it’s a great excuse to come back   I really enjoyed my contiki family.

So I went on the big indochina adventure for 25 days. The trip was completely full on as we were constantly moving from one place to the next. It was great that we got to see so many places – we visited 4 different countries and serveral cities. There was only one other girl (that I’m great friends with now) that stayed with me until the end as the others were doing shorter tours which was mixed in with ours. The pro about this was that I got to make 32 new friends in Vietnam. Surprisly I did learn all their names by the end.

We had local tour guides in every single places and our tour manager was very knowledgeable. So we were clued up on the history and culture which was a great help.

We done so many exciting activities like a cooking class, kayaking, a boat trip, street food tour, bike ride, quad biking and we visited a lot of temples.

Contiki is great to meet new people and if you like a hassle free holiday as everything is planned for you. Your holiday is what you make of it and you have lots of free nights so you don’t always have to go out drinking with the group. One point to consider is be prepared to be moving around and always doing things.

I’m so grateful to have done this trip. I’ll make separate posts about what my faves were in each country.

Lots of love,

Emma xoxo

 

 

My Eat, Pray, Love Adventure

Out of office is on for the next 3 months and I’m off for some sun, sea, sand and cocktails!! Ahh

I’m super excited and so grateful to have this opportunity to go travelling for the next 3 months. I’ve dreamed of this day for years, ever since I learned I could take unpaid leave from work.

This is my first ever solo trip but I feel like I’m cheating and easing myself in as I’m doing a group tour with contiki around south East Asia and a bus tour around New Zealand! But I’m going to be a complete solo Susan around Australia! Except when I meet up with some friends.

Bring on facing my fears, getting out of my comfort zone, exploring new countries, meeting new people and making thousands of exciting memories.

First stop, back to the crazy Bangkok! Follow my journey on my blog and social media.Snapchat: emmanicolet

Have a great day!

Xoxo

Toronto

Toronto, the world’s most multicultural city, where the streets are clean and safe, where the food scene gives any city on the planet a run for its money and where true Canadians will apologise for apologising too much. oh I love this city!

To me, Toronto is the New York of Canada. It has a gorgeous skyline  (To be fair I am a sucker for high rise buildings and skylines, mainly because my city is flat so it’s a treat when I visit these types of cities.), there’s an immense amount of different foods to eat (I tried Ethiopian food for the first time there), there’s a myriad of different things to see and do and the shops are like a fashionista’s dream.

This time last year, I was visited Toronto for the third time. Like every Tom, Dick and Harry, I have family there which I’m so grateful for as that’s my perfect excuse to visit the city.

I’m going to tell you about 3 places I loved in Toronto.

 

Kensington  Market

Kensington Market is hispter a neighbourhood of colourful buildings, unique shops and great food. If you’re a foodie and love thrift shopping then this is the place for you.

There is so much variety of food places here that no one will be left disappointed and hungry. Tip: You have to try the tacos.

Kensington Market oozes a laid back atmosphere, so it’s perfect for strolling around and people watching.

 

Thompson Hotel

The first picture in this post is from the bar at the Thompson Hotel. I’ll let you go back up to see how breathtakingly spectacular the view is.

I love a roof top bar and this didn’t disappoint. It’s a classy, modern and laid back establishment.

This bar was actually featured in an episode of Suits in season 2. I’m sorry if I just broke it to you that Suits isn’t filmed in New York City – Toronto is much cheaper to film in. I was gutted that they had literally just finished filming when I arrived in Toronto. If the bar is good enough for Harvey Specter then it is for you and I and definitely worth a visit.

 

Any beach

You may not associate beaches with this city but there are some. Canadians favourite weekend hobby is to go to a beach cottage – these are usually a few hours drive away. But you can experience some beach relaxation and swimming if you want in Toronto.

The photo above is of Sunnyside Beach. My cousin had her wedding there and it was amazing and beautiful despite is being the hottest day ever it felt like. My cousin was like this cool older sister. When we were growing up, she would write me letters about her adventures in school and working on a cruise ship which sailed around America.

As you can see there are also opportunities for beach sports like volleyball.  I left that to the pros however as I would be as useful as a chocolate oven.

The next time I visit, the first thing I’m going to do is take the ferry to one of the Islands. I heard great reviews about them and you get amazing views of the skyline.

 

Have a lovely day!

Tyndall

 

Weekend Hen Party in Paris

“Paris is always a good idea”

Audrey Hepburn

Bonjour!! Last weekend, I hit up Paris Kim Kardashian style for the most classiest hen party I’ve ever been to. And yes, I am not embarrassed in the slightest to admit that my friends and I are fans of the Kardashians. Believe or not but, Paris has become a very popular destination for hen parties ever since Kim had hers there!

We stayed very close to the Eiffel Tower, in a lovely modern hotel called Tourisme Avenue. We couldn’t complain about the hotel, it was great value for money. The rooms were clean, the beds were comfy, the staff were friendly and the location was central.

 

Dinner at Bistrot Chez France

We had an amazing 3 course dinner at Bistrot Chez France . I’m sorry but I couldn’t face the French delicacies, I opted for the lamb which was so delicious.  I did have a cheese salad starter, that kind of counts right?

One of the bridesmaids found this restaurant on tripadvisor. Currently, it rates 4.5 stars and I feel that is spot on. We contacted the owner before hand and she was so sweet, she even organised the chef to bake a surprise cake for the bride (the one above). The price was reasonable, the staff were attentive and the food was delicious. The waitress even recommended us bars and clubs to visit after. Hats off to the bridesmaid for finding this.

 

Disneyland

You cannot go to Paris and not visit Disneyland! It’s just so magical and an excellent excuse to bring out your inner kid. We went by the metro and it took around 45 minutes. I would advise to make a plan of the park and what you want to do though as there are 2 parks and lots of popular rides. We did not plan strategically as we went on space mountain  (roller coaster in the dark) first, right after eating hot dogs which was a very bad mistake!  After that, we ended walking around looking for the easy rides. We made it until the end for the fireworks and light display – wow it was out of this world! The show contained all your favourite Disney characters and songs.

 

Paris, known as the “City of Light,” is admired for it’s beautiful city plan, it’s architecture, museums, bridges, cathedrals, parks, shopping, flea markets, sidewalk cafés, wide and luxurious boulevards, elegant cuisine, and numerous monuments. It’s stunning, romantic and has a wealth of culture. Paris is a must see!

 

Bonne journée!

Tyndall xxx

LA LA LAND

I was only in LA for one week but I made the most of it – I don’t think I’ve ever walked so much in my life before. I even lost weight from all the walking despite living on pancakes, tacos and ice cream.

LA is massive.  It is the second biggest city in the United States, with just less than 4 million people. To put it in perspective, there are more people living in LA than there are people living in Panama (Well that’s according to Google and Google is never wrong yeah?). What I’m trying to say is that I barely touched the surface of things to do/places to see and places to eat in LA.

I was going to list 3 of the best things I done in LA but I can’t commit to that right now as I may be the most indecisive person ever. So I’m just going to tell you about 3 of the things out of 100 I done and loved.

 

Griffith Observatory Hike

One of the most popular trails in LA is the one to Griffith Observatory. The trail is fairly easy  and it took us less than one hour but be warned it is all up hill going there. Once you get to the top though, the view is stunning. There are amazing views of LA and the LA Skyline as well as the world famous Hollywood Sign.

If you’re into astronomy then you must check out the Observatory as it is full of interesting facts and educational material. It is a hybrid of public observatory, planetarium, and exhibition space. It is also free to go in.

 

The Broad Museum

The Broad is a cool pop and contemporary art museum in the downtown district. Admission is FREE but I would advise you to arrive early to avoid queues or book tickets online. I went there just before opening and I had to wait one hour to get in. Luckily, I managed to secure one of the last tickets to see the Yayoi Kusama Infinity Room. This was the best part. It was a room full of mirrors, twinkle lights and water. I was like a Chinese tourist in there, taking hundreds of photos on different devices. Tip: Once you enter the museum head straight to line to book your Infinity Room tickets.

The Broad is home to pieces of the most talked about modern art this side of 1950. You can find artwork from Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons,  Roy Lichtenstein and Kara Walker.

 

Universal Studios

If you still have that big kid inside you then you must visit one of LA’s theme parks. Universal studios was so quick and easy to get to from West Hollywood – it was only 20 minutes on the underground.

I was like a little kid at Christmas here! Universal was split up into different areas such as Harry Potter land, Simpson land and there was even a little British land.

There was a good mix of rides for adults and kids. My favourite was Jurassic park which is a water ride and the Revenge of the Mummy which is a roller coaster in the dark.

The studio tour was great. It took you around, you guessed it, different studios. it was fascinating to learn about movies.

I managed the park and all the shows in one day. I went during the week so there was hardly any queues.

 

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this!

 

Tyndall xxx

 

Venice Beach

California dreamin’ on such a winter’s day!

In March, I escaped the cold British winter for some Cali sunshine. What better time is there to go holiday than when it’s cold and rainy  (well except maybe when it’s snowing)?!

I only spent one full day in Venice beach but I made the most of it!

Venice beach is just so beautiful! If you are ever in LA, then it is a must see.

I made like a local LA’r and went to yoga (at the yoga Collective) and Cafe Gratitude. Cafe Gratitude is an organic, plant based cafe. Everything on the menu sounded  delicious and amazing. Their I am EXTRAORDINARY (BLT wrap) was so good. The coconut bacon was crispy, sweet, salty and tasted heavenly.

After a few strolls up and down the beach, I ended the day with some prosecco and watching the sunset from the High Lounge at Hotel Erwin. The High Lounge is Venice Beach’s only rooftop bar and lounge.  The view was amazing and the sunset was so gorgeous. The bar was really cool and the DJ was on point.

I didn’t drive in LA because I was a bit  of a scaredy cat to drive on the opposite side of the road. I mainly used public transport to get around and it was actually alright -only if you avoid eye contact with the crazys and check you seat isn’t wet before you sit down.

Anyway, as you can tell I loved Venice Beach and I would definitely go back.

 

Have a great day ya’ll!

 

Tyndall xxx