What I Read On Holiday

So, I'm a bit of a bookworm especially when it comes to holidays as allllll I do is read. This year I went away for 10 days and got through 8 books, pretty impressive huh? So the last of my summer posts brings to you my 'what I read on holiday' list. Most of these aren't summery books, and will be as equally enjoyable when you're curled up on the sofa, wrapped up in a blanket, sipping on a milky hot chocolate, sounds dreamy doesn't it? 

1. Dream A Little Dream- Giovanna Fletcher
It's no secret that I'm a huuuuuge fan of the Fletcher family. I have been to 3 McFly concerts and obsess over all of their #futuregoals vlogs, so it's only right I work my way through Gi's books. I read You're the One That I Want on my city break to Barcelona, so for this trip I ordered Dream A Little Dream, partly because the front cover screamed summer at me. I loved this book, and was genuinely sad when I finished it. If you're someone that loves a romantic story then this'll be right up your street. It's funny and super relatable, and I have the Christmas novella in my Amazon basket ready to be ordered!

 2 Just One Year- Gayle Forman
This book follows on from Just One Day, and has taught me one thing- always, always, always have the sequel(s) to hand. There is nothing worse then a book ending on a cliffhanger, and you not having the next one on in the series. Unfortunately, this book also finished on a cliff hanger, and I'm yet to purchase the next, but it did answer some unfinished questions. As a classic lost love kinda tale, you get to see things from a different perspective, and you'll find yourself wanting to skip to the end, to find out some answers.   

3. The Rosie Effect- Don Tillman
This book follows on from The Rosie Project, and lived up to my expectations. I struggled to get into the first book as it wasn't my typical romantic narrative that I was used to. It follows the thought process of a guy named Don, who is one of the most socially awkward characters I've ever come across, but also becomes one of the funniest characters I've ever read about. Without giving away any spoilers, The Rosie Effect continues to follow his journey into a milestone you'd never think he'd get to, with an ending that leaves you warm and fuzzy inside. 

4. Me Before You- JoJo Moyes
Beware, you will need tissues. After all the hype surrounding this book, I couldn't not get it and boy oh boy, it didn't disappoint. I was captivated after the first page, and just couldn't put it down. This story isn't your conventional boy meet girl novel, no no. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you angry and it'll make you cry. I was left sobbing by the pool, feeling emotionally lost, now you've gotta be a damn good author to have that effect on your readers. 

5. After You- JoJo Moyes
I'd learnt from my previous mistakes, and also bought the sequel to Me Before You with me, so I could continue reading about the characters I'd dedicated so much time to. If you're as invested in the first book as I was, then this one is a no brainer. This story follow the journey over unexpected bumps, and twisty bends, but you'll be guaranteed some closure. 

6. Beautiful Broken Things- Sara Barnard
I'm not going to lie, part of the reason I bought this book was because of the front cover, it's all gold and shiny. I did read the blurb too though, and was quite intrigued by it not being a romance novel. It tells a story of teenage friendships, which took me back to my teenage days, in a good and bad way. It left me feeling pretty nostalgic, and was a breath of fresh air in comparison to my usual romantic stories. 

7. Watermelon- Marian Keyes
Still to this day, I have no idea why this book was called Watermelon, not a clue, but it was a gooden none the less. This was a, 'I've got one book left for the flight home and one more day in the sun' book that I picked out of our apartment's bookshelf, but it didn't disappoint. It focuses on one of five sisters, each of whom have their own book, and will have you belly-laughing in no time. It's written in first person, which took a little getting used to, but it definitely brought the story to life. I'm now on the hunt for the next sister to read about. 

My amazon basket is filling up pretty damn quickly!

Lagos // Barbosa Bar & Kitchen

So if you read my last post you'll know that I have recently returned from a super sunny holiday in Portugal. It was the dream, and I'm still suffering from the holidays blues (even as I have a Christmas countdown on my phone). Lagos is a great little place, with some gorgeous eateries, which is where we stumbled across the beauty of Barbosa Bar.

Okay, I lied. I actually found this pre-Portugal, after looking through tags on Instagram, but it paints more of an exciting picture if it was an accidental find doesn't it? + we did have to track down the exact location, so there was a small hint of stumbling.

 After a few confusing moments of trying to get in when they weren't officially open, (their windows said 10am, Facebook said 11am & the staff said 12pm) we were finally allowed through the doors, and I headed straight to the courtyard. It was everything I was hoping it would be and more. Tiled walls, pallet benches, big plants- the whole interior was right up my street and oh so Instagram.

Obvs we didn't just come here to stare at the decor {I could have easily done} so we found a comfy spot and ordered some brunch. To drink we both opted for a refreshing lemonade- but these had a twist. I went for the pineapple and basil, and Jay went for the lime and mint, and my goodness I neeeeed to recreate this, it was incredible. For food, I originally opted for the yogurt w/ granola and berries, but the yogurt was yet to be delivered, so instead I went for the croissant with homemade jam, and it was delicious. Jay went for a fancy panini, which came out looking super yummy and was gone in a flash, which was his way of saying it was good.

I could have happily pitched up for the whole day, but that wouldn't have been fair for other like-minded Instagrammers, and I had less than 24 hours to top up my tan, so every second counted. If you're off to Lagos anytime soon, I'd definitely add this spot to your to-do list.

Lagos

It feels like a lifetime ago that I was prancing around in bikinis and swooning over the gorgeous beaches. It's only been just under two weeks, but if I could, I'd be hopping on the next plane out there. This was my third visit to Portugal, and Jay's second, but it was our first time in Lagos, so it was super exciting for the both of us.

Our home for the ten days was Apartmentos Turisticos Marsol, a quaint little complex equipped with plenty of cacti and a twelve-hole mini golf course just north of the main-centre. We knew the moment we drove through the town that we were going to have a jolly good holiday, and when the owners of the apartments have a giant smile on their face at your arrival, you know you've chosen a gooden.

The first evening was spent mooching round the gigantic Intermarche, where naturally I bought too many bars of Milka and not enough OJ. But with a fridge full of food, we headed off into town for some dinner. Our route took us down a steep old hill, which was never too fun on the way up, but when there's gorgeous cobbled streets, tiled walls and bustling souvenir shops, you can't really complain.

For the rest of our holiday we managed to split our days between relaxing by the pool and snorkelling in the sea. I'm a sucker for the big, blue ocean and when you pair that with the Algarve's gorgeous coastlines, you have a hard time dragging me away. We also managed to choose the hottest day of the whole holiday to explore the town by light, thank goodness for the rows of ice-cream shops & the gorgeous little place that we stopped by for some brunch- keep your eyes peeled for the next post.

In the evenings we managed to spend half of our nights cooking in the kitchen, and the other half trying out some gorgeous eateries. The favourite probably has to be O Camilo, a terraced restaurant that overlooked the beach. I was definitely not prepared for my sea-bass to still have the head on, I managed to play it cool though and keep my shit together. {Secretly I was dying inside!} After eating we'd normally wander round the town, stand and watch the buskers, grab a ice-cream and head back to play cards. One great place I deffo recommend for an evening is Pro Putting Garden. Think of a golf course, think of a putting green, then merge them together. It's great fun, and guarantees lots of laughs! I could keep rambling on forever about what we got up to, but I don't want to bore you. There's stills some exciting holiday blog posts to come. before the Autumn weather sets in- although I think it might already have!

Where To Go | Barcelona

Let's set the scene. You've booked yourself a few days away in a new city, you start browsing the net for what you should see and do whilst you're out there, and all of a sudden you find yourself singing the theme tune to Mary-Kate and Ashley's sitcom. How on earth can you see all 244 sights and landmarks recommended by Trip Advisor in 72 hours and still have skin on your feet. The answer to that is you can't, unless you're some kickass human. But you can see some great sights and still have time to work on your tan or add to your wardrobe. We didn't get round to doing everything we wanted to, but that just gives us more a reason to go back again, and what we did do come highly recommended, I'm a reliable source. 

1. POBLE ESPANYOL
Spain's a big old country, made up of all sorts of different regions, and this quaint, open-air museum has mastered pulling them all into one place, so it's kinda like a one big road trip that can be achieved in a couple of hours.

My mum and dad raved about this place, so we combined it with our day of using the hop-on-hop-off bus, as it's a little way out of the city and they've conveniently placed a stop right outside the entrance. There is a small fee of 12€ each, but if you have your little bus booklet then you get a cheeky 1€ off!

Inside there's plenty to keep you occupied from sangria tasting, souvenir purchasing, photo posing to watching glass blowers create tiny little figures, there's something really satisfying about liquid glass being pulled into shapes. As you amble round there are also plenty of restaurants and cafes, so you don't need to worry about going hungry either!

Top tip: Wander round before choosing a spot to stop for lunch, there are lots of little gems dotted all around.

2. SAGRADA FAMILIA
This destination is an absolute must, even if you don't want to pay to go inside at least admire the beauty of the outside. It started construction over 100 years ago, and isn't due to be finished till 2026, but that parts that are finished take your breath away.

We bought tickets for the inside that included a trip up one of the towers and an audio-guide for our way round, all we needed was a 'I heart Barcelona' top on and we would have practically been screaming I'm a tourist. If you choose not to pay then you're really missing out, just imagine the best stained glass window you've ever seen, then triple that. Not to mention, the columns and the ceilings, photos don't do it justice.

If you don't like heights then the towers aren't for you,  but the views from the Nativity tower (more people had mentioned this one, which is why we chose it) were incredible, although I also wouldn't recommend it if you don't like spiral staircases, as there's a 400 step descent, you do get a nice lift journey up though.

Top tip: pre-book before you go, and if you don't want to be swamped by other tourists then book between 8:30 and 9:30am. 

3. PARC GUELL
Throwback to my year six art classes and I was making a shoe inspired by the bench at Parc Guell. I can remember, quite vividly, that it didn't quite turn out as well as I imagined, I was never any good at art let alone using clay to mould it into a shoe. But I do remember how fun it was choosing the mosaic pattern, and researching into all the different colours and designs, so this place was a no brainer.

This is another one you want to pre-book, there was some angry guests who were turned away at 1pm and told to come back at 6pm. Once you're in the paid part you can stay there for as long as you like. Following the map your transported from the famous bench where everyone is attempting to get that Instagram photo {a bit like this} to some gorgeous tiles that make you want to cover your house with them. In between these there are some other cool parts, but I don't want to give the game away too much.

Top Tip: The parc is a little walk away from both metro stations. Vallcarca is the closer of the two stations, with a prettier walk, however the hop-on-hop-off bus also stops right outside too. 

4. PARC DE CIUTADELLA
Everybody loves a good park, and this one is no exception. Everywhere you look there is palm trees, and we ended up walking behind a cockapoo wearing a bandanna, how cute. At one end of the park is the zoo and the rest of the park is made up of grass, fountains and a lake.

If you're looking for something that's a little more relaxing then I can thoroughly recommend hiring a row boat on the lake, unless you can't row then it might be a little more traumatic than relaxing. For 6€ for 2/3 people you get half an hour to row to your hearts content, I ended up rowing us into more people then away, but that's all part of the fun. Plus, if you're lucky you might see some little turtles swimming around next to you.

Top Tip: Be careful how close you stand to the fountains, you may get soaked. {Would seem like an obvious statement but many made the same mistake as us}

5. BARCELONETA BEACH
Nothing screams a holiday without a trip to the beach. Who doesn't love lying in the sun with the sound of the waves crashing against the sand, if your putting your hand up then you're lying. There's not many cities that have both the bustling streets and relaxing beach, should so be a poet.

With only 10kg of hand luggage, I wasn't being bogged down with beach towels. Instead we brought a big, colourful blanket that has elephants on and can fit at least four bodies on it for 10€ from one of the sellers that patrol the sand. The upside, once we had one we weren't bothered to buy another. The downside, that doesn't stop those trying to sell water, beer, mojito, massages and hair braids.

Top Tip: Pretend to be asleep, you won't be bothered by the sellers that way. 

Ola Barcelona!

Desperate measures have been taken to pretend that I'm still in sunny Spain and not sat back at my desk, crawling through emails. My dinner for the next week is going to be paella, tapas and more tapas. If this doesn't scream, take me back to Barcelona then I don't what does. {That's a lie, I do. But that would mean spontaneously booking flights and I don't think my boss or bank would appreciate that}. As you can probably tell, I had a fabulous time gallivanting round the city. Granted, I wasn't the most healthiest of human beings, and I wouldn't recommend flying with the flu, but a girl's gotta make the best out of a bad situation. 

After a horrendous trip to the airport, a delayed flight and a change of seats, we were off into the air. One thing I've learnt from flying with the Spanish is, once the plane has landed, they don't wait around. Fast forward past the grumpy-passport control man, impatient baggage collectors and friendly bus driver, we arrived in the center where everything happens. The next five minutes were spent turning our map around and spinning on the spot to work out what road we needed to be on, but luckily for me, Jay has a strong history in Scouts, so he's practically a human compass.

Our hostal was tucked away on a cute little street with a lift that made me feel like I was in The Lizzie McGuire movie, although the movie fails to show you the almighty thud and fear in your eyes as it rocks and drops a little when you get to your floor. Waking up the following morning to a fellow-stayee singing, badly, in Spanish. at the top of his lungs, at seven o'clock was not how we anticipated starting our day, but it got us moving, especially after spying the pastry shop that was just round the corner on the walk to the hostal the night before. 

With a pit-stop for suncream, very important, and a morning pastry, equally important we started our day as we meant the next few to go on, being t-total tourists. From hopping on and off an open-air bus, losing ourselves in Gaudi's work of art, wandering the streets and bumping into many people whilst looking up at the architecture and not in front of us, trying on an armful of clothes in Zara, to lying on the beach pretending to be asleep to avoid being convinced to buy a mojito or have a massage.  

Our evenings were spent devouring pans of paella and one too many tapas bowls, finished off with a healthy dollop of ice-cream; my pick of the day has to be Nutella. If you're looking for a place that is filled with sun, sea and s-ity life then I'd highly recommended Barcelona. There's so much to do, and so much we didn't do, so that gives us the perfect excuse to go back, right?

{Keep your eyes peeled for more Barcelona goodness coming your way}

How To Plan A City Break

When it comes to travelling I have the same cliché ambitions as any other dreamer, being able to quit your job and just travel the world with nothing but a camera and backpack to keep you company. But frankly, I'm just not ballsay enough, my funds are insufficient, and this dream crosses my other life-plan of owning cute country cottage with enough land for a Shetland pony. So, the next best thing for keeping my travel bug under bay is a city break.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love two-week holidays, especially when I come back feeling fabulously tanned, but this year we thought we'd go for something a little different, not that it took me four months to bring in some dollar. Neither me or Jay have ever been on a city break, so knowing where to start was a challenge. But we got their in the end, and as of 5:15pm today I will be bursting out of the office a little like this.

1. CHOOSE YOUR DESTINATION
This is probably the hardest decision of them all, unless you know exactly where you want to go. With the popularity of city-breaks rising, there are so many new places popping up that you've probably never heard of. From this moment onwards Trip Advisor should be your new best friend. Take time to research into the city, to understand the best time of year to visit, the types of things you can see and do whilst your there, what food is on offer. More importantly, ask around. The best travel tips come from those who have already experienced it- it's the main reason as to why we chose Barcelona.

2. SET A BUDGET
Be realistic. I'm not suggesting you do something crazy like try and stick to only spending £462, but give yourself a price range. It'll help with the whole deciding on where to go part, and when it comes to booking flights, the earlier you book, they cheaper they are!

3. FIND A HOTEL
This is one we pondered over for far too many evenings. I spent hours on Booking.com, Trip Advisor and Airbnb searching for that perfect accommodation. Reality check, if it's a city break then you're most probably only going to be using the room to sleep in, so don't stress out. The most important factor is location. We've settled for a quirky, but budget, hostal that's has the most perfect location, there's a Mango Outlet store just across the road, meaning we can spend more of our budget on enjoying the surroundings, eating good food and buying a whole new wardrobe.

4. CREATE AN ITINERARY
I'm not one of those weirdos who has every single minute of their holiday planned out, but it turns out I do like to have an idea of what we want to do. When you're going away for a long summer holiday its quite easy to go with the flow, but when you only really have 3 whole days, you want to have some kind of kick-ass plan. Trip Advisor is great for getting the inside info on what you can't miss, and even if you don't go with anything pre-booked, you can still have a few ideas floating around.

See ya on the other side

Disneyland Paris: A photo diary

So it's about time to come to terms with the fact that my visit to Disneyland Paris is over, sob sob, and it was about time I shared my five enchanting days with you guys. Rather than bore you to death as I could write foreveeeeeer about Disney (what do you think my dissertation was on) I thought I would simply give you a glimpse into the best bits through photos, enjoy!