A weekend in the Cotswolds

Spontaneous trips are my favorite. Especially to places like the Cotswolds. Although I have to admit that the Cotswolds, a huge area – almost 800 square miles – that runs through five counties (Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire), was never really on my places to go list. In fact many of the places I want to visit are located outside of the UK. But with limited holiday remaining and a free weekend with no plans, my husband and I decided to plan a spontaneous trip somewhere in the UK. We narrowed it down to the New Forest and the Cotswold. Both places are less than 3 hours drive from our home in Kent. In the end the Cotswolds with it’s cute villages made the cut.

So Friday night, after work, we set off and arrived fairly late at our cute little Airbnb. When possible we like to book Airbnb. It is a great way to meet the locals and also save a bit of money. The room we booked was actually a converted little annex, so beautiful and full of charm.

After a good night rest we set of bright and early the next morning. Our first stop was Burton-on-the-water which was approx. 15min from our Aribnb.

We decided to book a room within the Cotswolds and explore the north of this beautiful area. However, no real plans have been made, which was nice.

So the first stop was Bourton-on-the-water with their famous Bakery-on-the-water. We had a delicious breakfast which was also very reasonably priced. I wish I could’ve bought all the bread and pastries on display!

With full stomachs we were ready to explore. First we had a little walk around the village. We were glad we came early at around 9am, as the first buses full of tourists already started arriving. But we quickly found a little detour and saw some very cute cottages. Houses and cottages are made of the famous Cotswold stone, a yellow oolitic Jurassic limestone. The color of the stone varies according to where it was quarried. In much of the northern part of the Cotswolds the stone is a rich honey color, which, as you go south towards Bath, becomes creamier and greyer.

The Cotswolds is best explored by car, especially when you are only spending a weekend there. Unless you are a keen cyclist, which we are not 🙂

So, we moved on to the next village which was Chipping Campden, a small market town in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire. At the center of this charming village stands the Market Hall with its splendid arches, built in 1627. Another attraction worth seeing is the early perpendicular wool church of St James.

The next stop was Broadway Tower, a folly on Broadway Hill and the second-highest point of the Cotswolds. We weren’t particularly interested in going up the tower, so instead we admired it from the outside and walked along the fields nearby.

Near the Tower is also a cute little cafe with outside seating. So we sat down and ordered a cheese platter and some cream tea, could it get any more British? 🙂

The last stop on our day out was Stow on the Wold. Another stunning Cotswolds village with plenty of little shops, cafes and pubs.

After a day of exploring all the lovely villages the Cotswolds had to offer, we retreated back to our Airbnb for a rest and to fresh up.

For the evening, we decided to stay local and walk to the nearest pub, which was the Hare in Milton-under-Wychwood. We sat in the beer garden and enjoyed the last rays of sunshine as well as some amazing food.

On the way back we walked through the fields and made some friends 🙂

This pretty much concluded our weekend in the Cotswolds. Sunday was spend enjoying a lovely breakfast and then heading home to Kent.

I think my husbands and I will add some more English destinations to our ‘places to go list’. The Cotswolds are truly beautiful and worth a visit – we sure be back!

Advertisements

Bruges in a day

At the beginning of January, Petya from ‘I Dream Live Inspire’  and I met in London, you can read about our day here.

While we were out in London, we came up with the idea to do a trip together soon. Ideally somewhere in Europe. With January being a though month when it comes to finances, we decided also that the trip had to be cheap. However, we didn’t want to compromise on the fact that the trip had to be outside of the UK.

While Petya found some amazing flight deals, we eventually decided that our destination would be Bruges which we could reach by car.

Why Bruges? Well firstly, Bruges and Belgium in general are the capital of chocolate! And that is all the convincing I need. But apart from the fact that Bruges has hundreds of chocolate shops (don’t worry I tell you all about them later…), it is also very cheap and convenient to get to.

Living in Kent and close to the Eurotunnel, my first stop was the Eurotunnel’s website to check pricing. I prefer using the Eurotunnel over the ferries as it is much quicker. We were in luck and we were able to snap up a day return ticket for £60! I think £30 return per person is a bargain, considering I pay almost as much to get a train to London at times.

So two weeks after deciding to go to Bruges, we were sitting on the train, in my car with our coffee’s in hand.

We took an early train as we wanted to arrive in Bruges before lunchtime. We took the Eurotunnel at 7.30am and made it to Bruges for 11am. The drive from Calais is only 2 hrs, but don’t forget the time difference.

Parking in Bruges is convenient. There are parking houses everywhere close to town, as well as a park and ride option. Parking is also cheap with approx. 8 Euros for 7hrs.

Our first destination was the town square. On the way there we discovered a pretty church and had a peek inside.

 

The town square, Place de Bruges, is huge and filled with bikes, horse and carriages as well as tourists. It is surrounded by prettiest buildings, the Belfry of Bruges (bell tower) and the Provinciaal Hof (Province Court).

 

 

 

There is always time for a selfie…

 

By the time we reached the town center we were pretty hungry so we opted for some Belgian Pommes Frites. You can find them everywhere and they are a quick and inexpensive snack. We went to a place called ‘t Brugsch Friethuys’. The Bonus with Belgian fries? You can choose from what felt like a hundred sauces to accompany your fries. We went for Curry Special Sauce and Sauce Andalouse, yummy.

The square things are fried soft cheese, amazing too!

We fueled up again and were ready to move on. We had a few places in mind we wanted to see, however, Bruges is a great town to walk around in and explore, no prior planning needed.

We headed towards the canals past some of the most amazing chocolate shops and chocolate creations I have ever seen. Bruges and Belgium should be on your ‘places to visit’ list if you are a chocoholic.

 

Mouth-watering, isn’t it?

There is some cute little alleyways to explore and around every corner is a beautiful building to admire.

 

We made it to the canals with it’s lovely little bridges.

 

You can walk around the town forever and never get bored. Some of the buildings have the most beautiful and intricate decorations and doors.

 

We also came across some pretty hotels. The two that I found were especially beautiful are the Hotel De Tuilerieën and Hotel De Orangerie.

 

After a couple hours of walking in the freezing cold, it was time for a break and one of the famous Belgian beers. We ended up in the Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres which is right next to the Hotel De Orangerie. We ordered a ‘tasting platter’ of beers and got to taste some interesting beers.

Belgium is very proud of their beers, you can even find scooters with beer bottles on them.

There is also a beer museum and a wall of fame with every Belgian beer imaginable.

 

After walking for hours and taking in this beautiful city it was time to make our way back to catch the train. But we couldn’t leave Belgium without having a famous Belgian waffle. So Chez Albert was our last stop and definitely worth it.

 

Until next time Belgium…

Isabella.

 

 

Summer in the Alps

While summer is far away here in the UK, I am thinking back to a holiday I spent in the French Alps in 2016.

When thinking of mountains, you usually think of snow, skiing and cozy fire places. But the mountains are just as beautiful in the summer. Think ‘Sound of Music’ and ‘Heidi’.

So my husband and I decided to go to La Clusaz in the summer of 2016. It is a place we have visited before for skiing and also got engaged! It was the obvious choice to spent our first wedding anniversary there, which is in August.

La Clusaz is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France and close to the border of Switzerland as well as Italy. La Clusaz is probably one of the prettiest ski villages in France. The centre has a range of boutique shops and a 200-year-old church at the Centre, so there’s plenty of character to be found.

We were lucky with the accommodation, as we were able to use my husbands uncle’s flat, which is conveniently located in town.

 

There are around 50 different restaurants in LaClusaz alone,  and more in the surrounding areas.  The vast majority serve local Savoyard specialties, like fondue with local reblochon cheese, which is amazing. But you can also find other cuisines as well as Pizza. Alternatively and depending on your accommodation there are supermarkets to just self-cater. We did both.

We spend most days just hiking the mountains and enjoying this breathtaking view below! Really no words needed.

If you don’t feel up for walking up the mountains, there are lifts operational in the summer as well to take you up and down. Just make sure you check the closing time, you don’t want to get stuck on top of the mountain.

Other things you can try while there is mountain biking, climbing, paragliding or the toboggan – so much fun!

We opted to visit a wildlife park. Look at all these beautiful creatures.

We also took two day trips to some nearby places. The first trip we took was up Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe with 15,771 feet (4,807 metres).

We went to Chamonix, from where you can take the cable car up to Aiguille du Midi. The Aiguille du Midi is a 3842m peak in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps. This is the closest you can get to the summit of Mont-Blanc without hiking or climbing.

The Aiguille du Midi cable car leaves from the centre of Chamonix Town (1035m) up to the summit of the Aiguile du Midi (3842m). It is a two-stage journey. A footbridge connects the cable car top station with the Central Piton terrace. An elevator inside the rock rises the visitor the final 42m to the top terrace at an altitude of 3,842m (info taken from here).

Once you reach the top you are greeted with this stunning view. You will certainly feel like on top of the world – and out of breath, as the air does get thin up there.

For bit of fun, at least for some, you can stand on a glass platform. For that you are asked to take of your shoes and instead wear these soft slippers. My husband made it about 10 seconds on there for a quick picture before we had to leave – it goes very deep down.

The other day trip was to the nearby city of Annecy. Annecy is the largest city in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It is about a 50min drive from LaClusaz and located by Lake Annecy. Because this was our summer holiday, we couldn’t leave without some sunbathing and swimming. Lake Annecy is the perfect place. The water is clear and well, ice cold – but refreshing. There is a beach club you can use but also some open places where sunbathing and picnics are permitted.

Our last day in La Clusaz we decided to go for one last hike and picnic. I can only recommend to visit the mountains in the summer. The vast variety of activities, beautiful nature and wild life as well as stunning views just make it a perfect holiday. So pick your nearest mountain range and off you go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York in Pictures

The streets will make you feel brand new. 

Big lights will inspire. – Jay Z

So I am finally getting around to share my pictures and travel diary from New York with you….it’s only been two month. Oops.

It will be a long one, so grab a cup of tea and get comfortable…

We set off on an early morning flight from Heathrow. Being a nervous flyer I preferred the early start, just get it done and over with. But to my surprise it was a lovely and fairly quick flight.

We arrived at Newark at about midday, but didn’t leave it until about 2pm due to the long queues at passport control. But we weren’t in a rush, so all was fine.

We decided to save some money and take the train into Penn Station rather than getting a cab. This was super easy. The airport provides a free shuttle to the station and from there it was maybe 30min into the City.

As the city is expense enough we decided to make this trip as cheap as possible without compromising on the experience. Therefore, once we arrived at Penn Station we purchased a MetroCard from the subway station. You can get it at any of the machines at the station and it will definitely save you some bucks. Despite only being there for 5 days, we opted for the 7-Day unlimited MetroCard at $32. With all the things to do and see on our agenda it still worked out cheaper than buying individual fares or day tickets. By the way we still ended up walking loads, which I definitely recommend if you want to soak in the City and see the neighborhoods.

Transport sorted, we made our way to the ‘Hotel’. I say hotel, but really we actually stayed in a hostel. Don’t dismiss this idea. It is a great option as most hostels nowadays offer private rooms and bathrooms, which is what we went for. We stayed the YMCA West Side right next to Central Park. Try and find a hotel that is less than a £1000 for 5 nights, that location and that time of year….impossible. So the hostel was a great option and served our needs completely – a safe and clean room with a bed.

Despite being tired, we decided to pull through and have a wonder around town before heading to Brooklyn for dinner. As we were close to Times Square we made this our first destination. This place can blow your mind with all the lights and people.

 

We were hungry of course, so we opted for one of New Yorks specialties: Pizza! This turned out to be a re-occuring theme during our trip, the 99c and $1 pizza’s in town. You can find them everywhere and they are seriously yummy and well within budget!

 

After exploring times square we made our way to Brooklyn to have dinner at Emily’s. My husband found this place through extensive YouTube research watching hours and hours of ‘Best Burger/Pizza/Fast Food in New York’.

Emily’s didn’t disappoint. Because we were still full up from our 99c Pizza we decided to share a Burger, and oh my, that was yummy. Definitely worth the trip!

After that we headed back to the hostel to catch some much needed sleep.

The next day the jet leg has hit us hard and we woke up at 5am. We were out of the hostel by 6am. I am not complaining, as we had the whole of Hyde Park to ourselves…well apart from the joggers and people walking their dogs. It was a beautiful, sunny morning. So we grabbed some coffee and started walking through the park.

 

Then we decided to have breakfast. There wasn’t much around, but we stumbled upon a little cafe serving everything you could possibly want for breakfast. We went for waffles and french toast…of course. 

We decided to stay around the midtown area as we had the ‘Top of the Rock’ booked for 10.30am. I think we chose the best day for our trip up the Rock. It was sunny and the views were breathtaking! Have a look yourself:

 

The rest of the day was spent walking around town, eating more pizza and a bit of shopping. Because why not?! 🙂

 

In the evening we went on to have some southern BBQ food. No pictures, as the place was simply too dark. But trust me, the brisket, wings and ribs were mouthwatering. Dinner was followed up by drinks in one of the coolest bars: Barcade!

 

Make sure you stop buy for a drink and a play on one of their machines.

The last stop was the Top of the Rock again, to see the never-sleeping city at night. Still breathtaking.

The next couple days were spent exploring the city more. It included a trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, walking around the financial district and visiting the Twin Tower Memorial, a visit to China Town and and an early morning walk over Brooklyn Bridge. Here are a few snapshoots:

 

Our last day in New York was pretty uneventful and chilled. A bit more shopping, a bit more coffee and doughnuts (try Dough) and a bit more fast food (try the original Shake Shack in Madison Square Park).

 

Hisilicon Balong

To finish off our holiday we got tickets to see Katy Perry at Madison Square Garden. The show she put on was epic, including oversize lips, a baseket ball court and floating on a planet.

 

Here are a few more to-do’s you should add to your list:

• Make sure you have a Hot Dog from one of the street vendors. Warning though: They will charge you a fortune. My husband fell for it and paid $16!!!
• Check out Chelsea Market for all the food options you can think off. We had the Los Tacos, so so good and so so hot!
• Visit Dumbo for the famous Insta Shot of Manhatten Bridge. Top Tip: Come early, like really early.
• Go and see a show on Broadway. We saw School of Rock, which was amazing. Another tip: Buy it via the ticket lottery. So much cheaper. You apply the day before/on the day, and will be notified on the day whether you got the tickets. If you’re flexible this is a good option and will save you some serious money.
• Check out the flag ship Microsoft store on 5th Avenue. Not only do you get to play with the latest gadgets, every hour they do a tour of the behind the scene’s of the store, which includes trying the Hololens, which layers digital images onto the real world using holograms! What an epic experience. The tour takes an hour, is absolutely free and definitely worth it.

I hope you find this post helpful. It is mainly touristy things we did, as it was our first time in New York. What an amazing City.

Until next time New York!

Isabella x

Autumn Bath & Body Works Haul

While in New York last month I couldn’t resist to do a bit of shopping here and there.

One of the shops we don’t have in the UK is Bath & Body Works. I saw other bloggers raving about their candles, so I had a little peak on their website before we left to New York …and oh my!

One of each please!!

A stop at Bath & Body Works was quickly added to our ‘to do & see’ list and here is the aftermath:

You can’t go to Bath & Body Works without picking up a candle. I picked up two 🙂 They are sickly sweet and I love it. The flavors I chose were ‘Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin’ and ‘Caramel Pumpkin Swirl’. You will quickly see a pattern here :D.

Next one up were some body products. I picked up a ‘Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte’ Scrub, which is amazing. It is made from pure honey and you can definitely smell it. Probably more than the pumpkin latte, but it is still lovely. To compliment the scrub I went for the ‘Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte’ whipped body butter….it smells delicious.

To complete my pumpkin haul and something I picked up by the checkouts (so so tempting always) are the ‘Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte’ hand cream and ‘Pumpkin Cupcake’ hand sanitizer.

And, last but not least some more body products. I picked up a body oil which is eucalyptus and spearmint scented, some of my favorite smells. It is great, but once applied to the skin changes its smells drastically and doesn’t smell of mint at all. Have you experienced that before?

For my evening routine I also picked up a lavender body lotion, so lovely and calming to apply before going to bed.

And here you have it, my Bath & Body Works mini haul.

Hope you enjoyed it and see yo next time,

Isabella

x

Snapshots from New York

I am one lucky girl!

My husband treated me to a trip to New York for my 30th birthday. Crazy right?

I thought I write a couple blog posts about my experience.

…So while you wait for the posts, here are a few snaps I took on my phone:

Hisilicon K3

Hisilicon K3

Hisilicon Balong

Hisilicon Balong

 

See you next time,

Isabella x

48 hours in Utrecht and Amsterdam

Last weekend my girl from ‘I dream, Live, Inspire’  and I went on a little road trip together. And who doesn’t love a good road trip?

We wanted to go somewhere in Europe, but not too far as we only had 48 hours to spare.

So we came up with Amsterdam, which is 3 1/2 drives from Calais.

I live close to Dover, which has the ferry port serving both Calais and Dunkirk. Services run frequently throughout the day and almost all night. I used ‘A Ferry’ to find the best deal – and there we go, a 3 day ticket for £70 return. Can’t complain.

The other option would have been to use the Eurotunnel which runs from Folkestone to Calais and only takes 30min! But being more expensive we opted for the ferry.

The drive itself was great. We left on Friday after work and made our way to the port. It was busier than usual and it didn’t help that we were late – oops. We missed our ferry but were put on the next one. Thanks P&O!

After a smooth crossing of 90min we arrived in Calais. So off we went on our 3 1/2 journey….the playlist was playing and the Red Bull was flowing – it was a long day after all.

The roads in Europe are incredible and so easy to drive. I can only recommend using your car when trying to get around Europe short distance, so convenient.

We opted for a little stop over in beautiful Utrecht which I visited a few months ago and fell in love with. So I sneakily suggested the stop-over.

After a short night at the Holiday Inn Express Papendorp we made our way into Utrecht town. And here is tipp number one from me: Avoid dutch parking houses! I am mean 11 euros for two hours parking. Wow. So where possible use public transport – or do as the dutch do and cycle. Utrecht is a very, very bike friendly city. I mean look at all those bikes:

I may write a post about Utrecht soon, as I simply love this town.

We spent the morning in Utrecht walking around town and having coffee.

Unfortunately the weather wasn’t our friend so we soon departed to Amsterdam. It was a short 40min drive and we arrived at the Hampton By Hilton Amsterdam Centre East. The hotel is ideally located, just three stops from the city center on the metro.

So after we arrived and freshened up we hit town. We strolled around by the canals and visited Albert Cuyp Street Market, claiming to be the largest market in Europe. We then stopped in the nearby cafe, called Het Paardje for some beer and bitterballen. And I looove bitterballen.

 

They are little balls of goodness made out of beef (sometimes veal), beef broth, flour, parsley and salt & pepper. Fry them up and you have the yummiest snack to have with your dutch beer.

After some more strolling around town, we were hungry and opted for a rather unhealthy snack: frites. The most famous frites in town are from Manneken Pis. I mean look at these fries! You can also choose from 22 different sauces to go with them. I opted for the traditional durch mayonnaise….it was so good. Give me fries all day, every day!

After finishing our snack we headed back to the hotel where we got ready for the night.

Our first stop that evening was the Skylounge conveniently situated near the main station. The bar and the views are stunning. Due to the good weather we were able to sit outside and take in the hustle and bustle of the streets below us.  And while we admired the beautiful sunset we enjoyed some delicious, but rather expensive, cocktails. It’s definitely worth coming up for a drink, but really not a location you want to spend all night.

We continued the night and stopped off at a few more bars. Amsterdam is great for a night out and offers everything from chilled cafe’s and bars to busy clubs and the ever so famous red light district.

We finished in the early hours of the next day and made our way back to Calais a couple hours later. To say I was tired by the end of Sunday is an understatement, but it was so worth seeing this beautiful city and culture.

So where is your next short-trip to? Tell me your hidden gems for a little road trip!

Isabella.

 

My top 5 views in London

As you know I lived in London for many year. Nine to be precise. Time is flying when you’re having fun! And I certainly did have a good time living in London. I mean how could you not? With all the restaurants, bars, museums, galleries and events going on. Do you see how I put food and drinks first? I got my priorities right…

Over the years I visited some lovely bars, restaurants and venues and some of them had stunning views over the city. I thought I share my top five views that I got to visit and also include some I’d still like to try. So here we go:

1. Duck & Waffle: The highest 24/7 restaurant in London and famous for their – of course – duck & waffle breakfast. I visited the restaurant, which is located on the 40th floor of 110 Bishopsgate, twice over the years. It offers ‘traditional British cuisine with broad European influences emphasizing local, rustic, seasonal and sustainable ingredients.’ And while you tuck into your breakfast, brunch, dinner or lunch you get to enjoy this stunning 360 degree view:
   

   

   

   
2. SushiSamba: Also located in 110 Bishopsgate, just one floor below, is Sushi Samba. Sushi Samba offers a fantastic menu combining  a ‘blend of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine’. And same as it’s neighbor it offers a 360 degree view of London. While Duck & Waffle is popular for their breakfast and brunch, Sushi Samba is popular for dinner and drinks – even offering an outside terrace for drinks. Same as Duck and Waffle, I visited Sushi Samba twice and wouldn’t hesitate to visit again for their amazing cocktails. So make sure you check out their menu and book a table plenty in advance.
   

   

   

    

3.  Emirates Air Line: It’s a short ride but with some beautiful views over East London, The O2 and the Thames – the Emirates Air Line. The Emirates Air Line is a cable car that ‘crosses the River Thames between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks’. The ‘cabins arrive every 30 seconds and flights are approximately 10 minutes each way’ – usually shorter during rush hour. As part of London Underground tickets can be purchased via cash, card (including contactless) and Oyster Card. Definitely worth taking a ride to see these views:
   

   

   
4.  Sky Garden:  Sky Garden is located near Monument Station and is therefore located in the heart of the City. 155m up it offers stunning views which can be enjoyed over three floors. ‘Visitors can wander around the landscaped gardens, observation decks and an open air terrace of what is London’s highest public garden.’ As well as that Sky Garden puts on different events, including Sunrise Yoga and live music sessions. Make sure to check their events calendar.And apart from several restaurants and bars the venue also offers a limited number of tickets to visit Sky Garden free of charge each day. Tickets can be booked via their website and are high in demand. Because I had a specific date and time in mind I actually set myself a reminder approx. three months beforehand to book my place. Have a look at my visit here:
   

   

   

   
5. Debenhams Roof Garden: Located conveniently on Oxford Circus the Debenhams Roof Garden overlooks the busy streets and shops of the City. So if you are looking to escape the sometimes maniac and crowded shops, stop by the Debenhams Roof Garden. It offers a variety of drink and food outlets including cute bunting and a flower garden. Similar to to Sky Garden it also puts on regular fitness and beauty events as well as a gardening workshop every month!

 

So there you have it: my top five views over London. What are your favorite spots to watch the busy world (or City) go by?

On my to do list are still: Altitude located in Millbank Tower near Pimlico Station, Vista at The Trafalgar which as the name suggests overlooks Trafalgar Square, Aqua Spirit overlooks Regent Street and is a really popular venue at the moment,  and last but not least Madison Roof Top Bar  on the top floor of One New Change with ‘supreme views across the City of London skyline’ and St.Pauls Cathedral.

Thanks for stopping by guys,

Isabella.

 

So here we go…

My first blog post.

It feels weird. Despite knowing that not many (if anyone at all) will read this, it feels strange to write on this blog. Putting something out there into the World Wide Web for everyone to see. Especially since I really don’t know how to start. What to say, what to write? Do I write a post about myself, do I go straight into a blog post about food, fashion or travel? …Someone please help me out here.

But then I thought: Calm down, Isabella. Let’s make this easy and tell them 5 random things about yourself first. Easy right? Okay, here we go then:

1. Big city, small town. I lived in London for many, many years and loved it. All these things to do and see. Eventually, I started craving the country-side and a slower life-style. I imagined a Stars Hallow life – hands up if you love Gilmore Girls! So my husband and I decided to make the move, well, and move. One of our goals was to purchase our own place. But with London property prices being astronomical we took the opportunity and moved to Folkestone where we bought our home. No doubt you will read more about our new home here.
2. I love books. No, let’s rephrase this: I love owning books. We have a book shelve full of books and I read 20% of them at most (that includes books I had t read for my studies). To add to my collection I asked my husband to get me a bunch of books last Christmas – which he kindly did. It’s now half a year later and I have not finished ONE of the books he got me. I did start reading two of them though. That still counts, right? But I thought I set myself a challenge on the blog: I will read a book a month. That’s doable, no? To check on my progress, I will post a review every month …. Challenge accepted.
3. I am a cat lady. I was a cat lady before I had cats. After we purchased the house my dream of having a cat(s) came true. We got our babies Daenerys and Sansa – named after Game of Thrones (we love GOT and many, many other TV shows). The first thing I did when we got our kittens was to take them to the vet of course. I proudly present my babies to the vet and introduce Daenerys and Sansa. The vet takes one look at Daenerys and says: “Looks like Daenerys is a little Danny!” Insert shocked emoji. The vet was brilliant though. Being new to this whole cat mummy thing, she took the time and explained all the important things to me. All I had to do was go home and break the news to my husband…the GOT theme music was playing in the background as I told him.
4. Don’t ever trust me to book your travel. I mean don’t let me near a booking site if you want to reach your destination. My god, the amount of times I booked flights and hotels wrong. We are talking wrong dates, wrong times, wrong names –  now insert eye-rolling emoji here. I once booked a flight for my husband and me. He was my boyfriend back then. Instead of his last name I used mine, oops. Today I see it as a sign of course, as we did end up married. Since then however I get him to book everything. Better safe than sorry, right?
5. I like to travel. I know I know … everyone says that. But I genuinely do. I got around a little bit – but still not as much as I’d like to. I admire all these amazing travel and lifestyle blogs out there that take you all around the world and to the most beautiful, secluded places. One thing that sometimes holds me back is my fear of flying. I hear you say: “How do you enjoy travel when you’re sacred of flying?” I wasn’t always scared, but it took one bumpy flight for me and just the thought of being in the air puts me in a state of panic. But not enough enough to hold me back. You can still meet me on the plane, but I won’t be my happy, laid back self.             Travel for me doesn’t necessarily means going half-way across the world. I enjoy trips around the country and weekend trips to the continent. Because how convenient is it to live near the Eurotunnel and the ferry ports? So you will definitely see some travel posts coming up.

So there we go, 5 things about me. That wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Guess it’s time to work on the next post.

Thanks for stopping by guys,

Isabella.