tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59211596472028140422024-03-06T02:11:24.585+00:00Tales by TyeEst. 2013Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-78942668544465613042018-02-20T07:56:00.001+00:002019-01-18T14:05:15.647+00:00Trekking through the jungle, North Sumatra<span id="goog_224477322"></span><span id="goog_224477323"></span><br />
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North Sumatra, home to some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world.<br />
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The Gunung Leuser National Park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the last places where you can see the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan in the wild.<br />
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I entered the National Park through the village of Bukit Lawang and it was on the drive up that the questions began. Passing through an endless palm oil plantation, it’s an uneasy feeling when you see ‘London Sumatra Palm Oil Factory’ engraved on the side of the factory.<br />
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The resulting deforestation has pushed most of the region’s wildlife to the brink of extinction. I met a couple of the guys who worked on the plantation and you can see the worry in their eyes at the changing attitudes towards palm oil. The industry has provided countless jobs. Yet it seems they're positive with a future of sustainable palm oil production, protecting wildlife without losing their livelihoods.<br />
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It was a nice conversation to have before jumping back in the car and onto the jungle.<br />
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Bukit Lawang is a small village, located on the Bohorok River, just over 50 miles north-west of Medan. The name means “door to the hill”, which could not be a more fitting description.<br />
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I stayed in the Rindu Alam Hotel, before heading out at 7am with Roslin, one of the park’s patrol men and my guide.<br />
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Not for the faint-hearted, the trek takes ‘off the beaten track’ to a whole new level. I sprained my ankle, left with nine mosquito bites (despite smothering myself in repellant) and had the shock of my life when a snake shot past me.<br />
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I began by trying to map my route in, just in case my guide was eaten by a snake and I had to find my own way back. But after 1,000 left and right turns, with nothing to guide us but trees, it took a mere twenty minutes for me to lose all sense of direction. Luckily, Roslin said the last time he got lost was in 1998, when he returned a week later after taking a wrong turn (I was hoping he didn’t plan on repeating that).<br />
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It’s apparent from the moment you step under the canopy that you’re not alone. Monkeys, gibbons, cobras, elephants and tigers are just some of the wildlife that call the rainforest home.<br />
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My main agenda was to see an orangutan and I wasn’t disappointed. The animals are wild and despite there being 7,000, they’re spread out across nearly 800,000 hectares of rainforest - so finding them can be a challenge. But two hours into my trek, I stumbled across a mother and her baby, snacking on fruit and swinging from the branches above. It was worth seeing a thousand cobras.<br />
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I sat in silence alongside Roslin, watching them as they watched us, unbothered by our presence.<br />
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I wish I could have stayed forever, but eventually they moved into the dense forest.<br />
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As a patrolman, Roslin explained that his job was not only as an educational tour guide, but also to patrol the forest from illegal activities: including logging and poaching. Over 26 years, he’s seen and arrested a number of people - but he said the park has become a well-respected place among the local community, especially with people coming such long distances to experience a few hours in it.<br />
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The National Park motto: “take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints”. Meaning no feeding, no disturbing and definitely no touching. The kind of ecotourism that warms my heart.<br />
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If you’d like to read about the rest of my trip to Indonesia, <a href="http://www.abbottstravel.com/single-post/2018/02/14/On-the-road-Beyond-Bali" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br />
<img src="image-here" style="display: none;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17Bukit Lawang, Bohorok, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia3.5552618 98.1447803999999453.4918693 98.064099399999947 3.6186542999999998 98.225461399999944tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-36624195681776183352017-12-17T14:17:00.004+00:002019-01-18T14:05:35.205+00:00China in a nutshell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Developing at a rate unmatched by the rest of the world, the ever-expanding country’s dense population is almost unfathomable. Yet the modern skyscrapers sit alongside 10th Century architecture and it’s this contrast between tradition and transformation that makes modern China so intriguing.<br />
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Remnants of the Great Wall, water towns that time forgot, lush greenery a stone’s throw away from sweeping skyscrapers and Buddhist temples hidden amongst the mountains… it’ll be like exploring another galaxy, just be sure to pack a phrasebook.<br />
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Moving around the country has never been easier, but you’d be wrong to assume it’s plain sailing. Few people speak English, the writing system is unlike anything I have ever seen (so road signs are almost impossible) and foreigners are sometimes seen as exotic objects of deep curiosity - leading to often amusing scenarios where a line begins to form of locals wanting a photo with you (peace signs are optional).<br />
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In a world where people fill every inch of space, patience gets you nowhere. If you want to get from one side of the road to the other, you have no option but to push and I found myself unhesitatingly joining in. But despite holding a reputation for curtness, the locals are friendly and welcoming.<br />
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Here’s my take on the region.<br />
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<b>SHANGHAI</b><br />
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East and west collide on the streets of Shanghai. Lined with modern skyscrapers and 10th century temples, it’s hard not to admire the city of contrast. Visit the peaceful Yu Gardens and old town before checking out the colonial architecture with a stroll along the bund.<br />
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I’m a self-labelled philistine but the Shanghai Museum left much to be desired, with some artwork and lots of pottery, the best part was stopping for a green tea.<br />
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Matchmaker’s Corner in People’s Square (where parents search for worthy suitors for their children) was an experience not to be missed. If breathtaking skylines are up your street, the view of the city from the Huangpu River on a panoramic cruise was a beautiful sight.<br />
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<span id="goog_138075552"></span>
<b>SUZHOU</b><br />
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Often called ‘the Venice of the Orient’, it’s not hard to see why.<br />
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Like most of China’s cities, chunks of modern architecture have replaced the old town, yet the city has managed to retain a sense of quaint charm. I had the pleasure of exploring the Humble Administrator’s Garden, typical of the Chinese appreciation of balance and harmony - and learnt that a dragon isn’t real unless it has five fingers.<br />
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A visit to a silk mill saw me stroke a silkworm, I wanted to keep the little guy and take him home but that probably wouldn’t have been ethical either.<br />
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<b>GRAND CANAL AND WUZHEN </b><br />
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Cruising on the thousand-year-old Grand Canal felt like floating through the local neighbourhood. Finding periods of quiet within the chaos of China were far and few between, so moments like these were held dear.<br />
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We stopped off at the water town of Wuzhen, which reminded me of the old western films I used to watch with my Grandpa. A charming town, filled with cobbled streets, timber buildings and narrow waterways.<br />
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<b>HANGZHOU </b><br />
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Dreamy West Lake views and blissfully peaceful temples.<br />
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I saw the Six Harmonies Pagoda before cruising on Hangzhou’s West Lake and admiring the gardens and old bridges on its shores.<br />
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The Buddhist Temple of Inspired Seclusion was one of my favourite spots in the country. I was introduced to Buddhist culture with the temple playing host to the most peaceful hour I spent in China.<br />
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There I was, feet firm on the ground, the overwhelming smell of incense all around me, bowing my head to the gods in every direction.<br />
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<b>GUILIN </b><br />
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Home to the Reed Flute Cave, a beautiful water-eroded cave of stone pillars and rock formations. Illuminated by what I can only describe as tacky christmas lights (the only thing missing was tinsel) it was definitely an example of tourism ruining a majestic natural wonder. An ice skating show lit up the main part of the cave, via a projector onto one of the walls - yet the visit was worth it for the views on the climb to the top.<br />
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While in the city, we hopped on a boat to see traditional cormorant fishing. I imagine it usually takes the fishermen much longer to catch their dinner, considering on my boat the sneaky staff were throwing pre-caught fish off the back. Clearly they didn't want the tourists like myself waiting all night to see the birds at work but it was amusing nonetheless.<br />
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<b>LI RIVER CRUISE</b><br />
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Photographer’s paradise and possibly the most rural land I stumbled across. The not-so-relaxed cruise along the Li River offered views of mountains, grazing buffalo and local fishermen (sadly no longer dolphins). I was given a map of the key sights to head to the top deck for, but heavy crowds mixed with my lack of imagination meant I missed the Painted Hill of Nine Horses. With or without the horses, the scenery is breathtaking, and even when seated, I spent most of the afternoon with my head stuck out the window.<br />
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<b>YANGSHUO</b><br />
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Sat in a rural location, surrounded by landscapes of paddy fields and limestone karsts, I spent the morning exploring the ‘countryside’. And by that I mean some fields with a housing estate being built behind, but it’s the thought that counts.<br />
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The location was beautiful, with rafts taking people out on the river and locals fetching water for their cattle. I got to say hello to a cow, who looked like he was planning to escape and I thoroughly enjoyed the brief break from the city.<br />
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<b>CHENGDU</b><br />
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One of the biggest tea producing regions in China, the Himalayan foothills have been attracting travellers for years. Their exquisite green tea had me whipping out my credit card at an alarming rate, before contemplating how I was going to fit three tins into my suitcase.<br />
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Yet there is so much more to experience in Chengdu than sampling the teahouses. The city is slower, locals walk with more ease and there’s a sense of calm in comparison to the chaos of places like Beijing and Shanghai.<br />
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Then there are the black and white mascots that Chengdu is home to. <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2016/12/panda.html" target="_blank">Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding</a> is one of the city’s highlights. Seeing pandas up close was incredible and witnessing their distinctive appearance camouflaged between the trees of their enclosures was something I would only believe with my own two eyes.<br />
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The spices far extend the hotness of home, but if you like heat then delve into a hearty hot pot. Being a vegetarian in China can be challenging, especially considering most restaurants show you your dinner on the way in, but Chengdu brought variation and flavour to the table. Chaoshou stuffed with Chinese cabbage, aubergines drizzled in roasted chilli oil and spicy tofu that will blow your head off.<br />
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<b>LESHAN</b><br />
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We stopped in Leshan for one reason and one reason only… The Leshan Giant Buddha.<br />
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In December 1996, the Buddha’s location was included by UNESCO on the list of the World Heritage Sites. At 71 metres tall, it’s the world’s largest stone-carved Buddhist monument (and yet a woman on my boat missed it as we sailed past!).<br />
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After capturing its size from the water, it was time to hike to the top.<br />
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<b>XI'AN</b><br />
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Capital of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an marks the Silk Road’s eastern end and was once home to the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties' ruling houses.<br />
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So it was only fitting that it was here I sat down to a feast of traditional Shui Jiao dumplings and a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing.<br />
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Also home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, which have marvelled visitors since their discovery in the 1970s, I spent the morning admiring their enigmatic ranks and trying my best to get a photo without dropping my camera over the side. It’s often the case, but pictures really don’t do justice to the sheer scale of the warriors.<br />
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While in Xi’an, it’s also worth a trip to the Little Wild Goose Pagoda (something I had no understanding of before I arrived).<br />
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<b>BEIJING </b><br />
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A super quick trip on the bullet train, which made my usual commute seem even drearier, and we arrived in Beijing.<br />
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Soaking up the harmonious ambience of the Temple of Heaven, an orderly oasis in a bustling urban landscape, I very nearly managed to get a photo of myself without anybody else in the shot (a rarity for Chinese tourism). A complex of religious buildings, with local men outside playing a game that looked very confusing, the whole site was breathtakingly beautiful.<br />
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Tiananmen Square was my next stop in the city, where despite having freedom of speech, you’re only allowed to ask questions on the bus. We arrived quite late in the day, meaning the queue was far too long to visit the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, but we got the chance to walk around the square and see where the protests of 1989 had taken place.<br />
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The Forbidden City, apparently China’s single most popular attraction, was surprisingly huge - twice that of the Vatican. It’s worth visiting early in the morning, to avoid the crowds, and the same goes for the Great Wall of China. Taking a walk on the incredible structure is the best way to appreciate its magnificence. Pack some comfy shoes, it’s a solid workout, and despite my usual ease with heights, the drop even had my knees shaking.<br />
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There really is nothing quite like it.<br />
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<img src="image-here" style="display: none;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5China35.86166 104.19539699999996-12.676611999999999 21.578209499999957 84.399932 -173.18741550000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-75790313535872423472017-03-21T12:22:00.002+00:002019-01-18T14:05:53.140+00:00Tapping away your problems | A candid review of EFT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I turned up to my first Tapping class as a secret skeptic, but I convinced myself that with an open mind, something good could come of it. The whole evening was an experience to say the least, spending two hours sat in a room full of women I didn’t know all crying together wasn’t exactly how I had pictured my night ending up. <br />
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For those of you that don’t know, Tapping is an Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which is a form of psychological acupressure that involves tapping on energy meridians that are situated just beneath the surface of the skin. In short, you say words that bring up stress/anxiety or anything you’re dealing with personally, then you tap in random places throughout your body (in between the eyebrows, under the collarbone etc.) to release the negative energy. Yes, I know, it sounds as much like witchcraft as contouring does, but bear with me. <br />
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So there I was, sat in a circle, feeling like I was attending my first AA meeting. <br />
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‘Hi, my name’s Hollie and I am an alcoholic’. <br />
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Tapping actually wasn’t far off; we introduced ourselves and then one by one shared what we were struggling with. As one person shared, the whole group would tap for them. Our teacher, Charlie, called it borrowed energy. I like to think of it as a group of women cheering each other on. Emma Watson would have been proud. <br />
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Everybody had their own issues, from a crippling eating disorder and the breakup of a marriage, to the stress of being in a job they hate. Some were tough to hear, others felt like the person speaking was reading my mind. <br />
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Each concern, no matter how small, was addressed by Charlie with the utmost care and attention, talking through the problem step by step and asking logical questions that made you dig deep. <br />
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Then the tapping would begin. <br />
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The edge of my fingers tapped underneath my eye and the cynical voice in my head mumbled ‘this is so stupid’. But then the crying began and I realised that for most people in the room, talking about their issues without really talking about them, worked. The idea that an unpleasant emotion could be controlled by a physical action meant that you were in control. <br />
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If you're struggling with pain, grief, anxiety, depression or good old fashioned relationship problems, pop along to a workshop and see what happens. I'd love to go again, if anything just to reunite with my fab little crew, but for £90 an hour it's a luxury that's out of my remit. I was lucky enough to find a beginners workshop for a much lower price, and I'm immensely glad that I showed up. <br />
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The whole evening was a team effort; there was no shame or embarrassment, just a group of people with genuine concerns. Life's tough, and sometimes you find solidarity in the strangest of places... like a tapping class.<img src="image-here" style="display: none;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-67309176789606468682016-12-06T20:32:00.001+00:002019-01-18T14:02:33.158+00:00Panda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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During my time at university, when spare time was as common as my accent, I would spend hours watching panda videos on YouTube. Pandas sneezing, rolling down hills and throwing themselves off a slide were personal favourites. Every second of footage made my eyes water with cuteness overload. They looked unlike anything I had ever seen, it was almost impossible to believe that they weren't men dressed in suits fooling us all. <br />
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For five years I planned a trip to China, I would climb the Great Wall, take a selfie with the Terracotta Warriors and stroll down the bund. But, most importantly, I would spend a day at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding... and it was more than I could have imagined. <br />
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Pandas have fast become a symbol of China. Now we will make no assumptions that animal welfare is China's most pressing concern, pandas are a tourist attraction - and that is most likely the sole reason for their survival. And it worked, because I flew 5,700 miles just to see them. <br />
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The amount of science involved in making pandas breed is exhausting. Female pandas are only in heat once a year and are normally only in the mood for a few days. Not to mention they live off bamboo, which makes their milk a terrible nutrient for newborns. Now I'm no expert, but that sounds like bad odds for panda babies.<br />
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I am fully aware of the conservationist argument for letting them die off, and maybe if the situation were different I would wholeheartedly agree. Pandas are notoriously silly, and the amount of money spent on keeping them alive could easily be used for more worthwhile conservation projects. I mean, what's the point of keeping a species alive when it clearly has no concept of how to survive in its natural habitat? But seeing the amount of visitors that flock to the research centre every year, it's easy to see how this conservation programme is working as a tourism business. And of course the most obvious reason being that they are so darn cute. <br />
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I thus had a picture in my head that the facility would be one enormous science laboratory, solely for the purpose of pumping out baby pandas on a conveyor belt, sending them to panda nursery until they were old enough to continue the cycle. <br />
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But as I turned up at the entrance, feeling like a 5 year old at Disneyland, my predispositions seemed to wash away. The park, and I use the word park because it felt a little Jurassic Parkesque the moment I arrived, has everything you could imagine (minus the dinosaurs and electric fences). Two seconds in and there I was, standing 5 metres away from a panda shovelling bamboo into its mouth. Was it worth it? Yes.<br />
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The enclosures were large, covered in thick bush allowing privacy from the prying eyes of tourists. An inside area provided air conditioning when the weather got too hot for them and the breeding programme seems to be in full steam, as I arrived to see 16 baby pandas lying together on a bed - until one shoved another off the end – poor guy.<br />
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The crowds were intense, mostly Chinese nationals coming to see their country's homage. I showed no mercy, and persistence paid off as I got prime viewing time at every spot.<br />
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There was one unpleasant story I overheard of a hot summer day that resulted in copious complaints from tourists who wanted to see the pandas playing outside. It apparently resulted in staff forcing them out and locking the hatch - meaning roasting pandas banging on doors wanting to go back inside. I attended on a cold winter’s day, so I cannot attribute any validity to that story, but it is definitely something to bear in mind when deciding what time of year to visit. Pandas don't like the heat, and certainly shouldn't be outside in it. <br />
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There is no denying it though; I was impressed by what I saw. Hats off to China for creating such an incredibly magical place and bringing a species back from the brink of extinction. <br />
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I would go back and see the beautiful bears in a heartbeat. <br />
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<img src="image-here" style="display: none;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-76363522217258932042016-10-07T16:00:00.000+01:002019-01-18T14:03:01.582+00:00Sintra, Portugal<img src="image-here" style="display: none;" /><br />
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I had never heard of Sintra, but followed a recommendation from a friend at work, and I was over the moon that I did. The home of monarchs, the town is filled with castles and palaces, all situated among the mountains. Whether you like your castles traditional, gothic, or a little whacky, you will find what you're after here. <br />
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The town is busy, and the roads leading into the mountains are more like tiny off road tracks. If you're arriving by car you may want to make sure you're a good driver (and definitely a good parker), I think I would have had a meltdown was I not with my brother. <br />
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Cabo da Roca was our first stop. As the westernmost part of Portugal, it took the longest to get to and sadly was sitting in the middle of a cloud when we arrived. It made for some beautiful photographs but we could just about see 5 metres in front of us, so marvelling at the cliffside wasn't an option. The journey however, was definitely an experience (like I said, make sure you're a good driver). <br />
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We ended up at the palace of all palaces, The Pena Palace. From a distance it looks like it belongs on a children's TV show, with fiery colour, sharp edges and quirky patterns. The place was heaving with tourists, but that can be forgiven considering how beautiful the spot was. The surrounding gardens are also rather lovely, providing a scenic hike up to the palace and offering different buildings and annexes to explore on your way. <br />
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If you enjoy a hike and want to feel like a princess for a day, I can't recommend this place enough. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-34867510411480491922016-10-02T10:44:00.001+01:002019-01-18T14:03:21.752+00:00What to do in Lisbon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bright, charismatic, and good looking - yes I'm talking about a city and not Tom Hardy. Lisbon feels old, but modern and fresh at the same time. Like it was built recently but made to look antique. I was travelling with a city scrooge who wanted to spend our entire trip beach hunting, so I didn't see as much of the place as I would of liked. But the best part of 48 hours was spent wandering, shopping, eating and taking an astounding amount of pictures. <br />
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Here is what I would recommend...<br />
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<i>Jerónimos Monastery | For the architect in all of us</i><br />
This building is astounding. So much so that the photographs I have taken don't do any justice to the amount of detail that has been carved onto the outside. The crowds were minimal, which meant we could have a look around without feeling like herded cattle, and the sunshine made the whole building sparkle</div>
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<i>The fountain in front of Jerónimos Monastery |</i></div>
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With a light summer breeze, you can stand downwind from the fountain and cool yourself down in the mist. The gardens are picturesque, meaning you can sit down, cool off and just stare at the Monastery </div>
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<i>Flea market at LX Factory | </i><br />
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If you're into second hand bargains, this place is a dream. It's only small, taking up the length of one street but it's filled to the brim with clothes, jewellery, ornaments and paintings. The weather was scorching when we went and the street provided zero shade - meaning I had little motivation to rummage and left without making a purchase. On a cooler day it would have been perfect. <br />
It's open from 10am - 4pm every Sunday. </div>
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<i>Doca de Santo Amaro | </i></div>
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This was my favourite spot in the city. You can look out to the 25 de Abril Bridge, and see Christ the King in the distance. At night, the bridge lights up, and you can grab dinner at one of the restaurants lining the dock. </div>
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<i>25 de Abril Bridge | Love at first sight</i></div>
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I think it is fair to say I became obsessed during my brief stop in Lisbon. This bridge was stunning, from every angle, and at every time of day. I probably have hundreds of photos (and a film of us crossing over it), but I will spare you the torture and just share my favourites. It really it beautiful though, and considering it was built three decades before I was born, it has definitely stood the test of time. </div>
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<i>Christ the King | Am I in Rio? </i></div>
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Standing at 25m, the monument sits pretty high above the city. Knowing it would be better from a distance we held no plans to go up to where he stood, but after taking a wrong turn we inevitably ended up there. You don't quite realise how big he is until you're sat at his feet looking up at him, you can take an elevator to the top if you don't mind heights - but if not, the site he is sat on offers the best views of the bridge (which one could argue was even more stunning). <br />
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<i>Live music at Teatro Nacional D. Maria II | </i></div>
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I have no idea if this is a regular occurrence, but we heard music and went looking, only to stumble across the strangest band I have ever seen. What looked like the most random bunch of people at band practice, turned into a really great performance by some incredibly talented musicians. </div>
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<i>Find all the street art |</i></div>
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There is graffiti everywhere in Lisbon, some of it is questionable, but most of it is impressive. </div>
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<i>Go looking for Dinosaurs | Praia dos Lagosteiros </i></div>
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If you fancy heading out of the city, we stumbled across an incredible spot due to a sign we saw with pictures of dinosaurs. The cliffs are steep, so maybe take a buddy and watch where you put your feet. I may go as far as to say this was the best spot in the world (or at least close to). </div>
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There is so much to do, what would you recommend? </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-8762916895884492492016-07-29T11:00:00.001+01:002016-08-19T16:17:56.917+01:00London West End | Kinky Boots<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , "serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I spent a vast majority of this week entering into a lottery for tickets
to see Kinky Boots in the West End. Every day my hopes would rise and then be
drastically dashed when my notification beeped and I read the message ‘better
luck next time.’ </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , "serif"; font-size: 11pt;">On a desperate whim I signed my mum up in hopes of increasing our
chances and a few hours later we were sat in the front row of the Adelphi
Theatre enjoying the greatest show on earth. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , "serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Based on the 2005 film, inspired by true events, the production tells
the story of Charlie Price and the shoe factory he inherits from his father.
Charlie joins forces with drag queen, Lola, to produce a line of kinky boots
for men who want to wear heels – all in a bid to save the factory. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , "serif"; font-size: 11pt;">My mum was a huge fan of the film and I loved it too, but I didn’t
expect the production to be quite as good as it was. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , "serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The music had me shimmying in my seat, holding back the desire to jump
on stage and join in. Each cast member played their role perfectly and every
single one of them had a hell of a voice. Not to mention, I fell utterly in
love with Lola, played by the insanely talented Matt Henry. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , "serif"; font-size: 11pt;">For the first time, I sat through a three-hour production without concern
for numb bums and itchy feet. The evening went by in a flash and at the end I would
have happily sat back down and watched the whole thing again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , "serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The feel good music, impressive dance moves and sparkly outfits had my
head spinning - and let’s take a moment to talk about the drag queens. They took
sassy to a whole new level and every wink, nod and smile in my direction made
me feel like part of the performance. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , "serif"; font-size: 11pt;">If I haven’t sold the show enough, you should know I left with achy
cheeks after three hours of smiling non-stop. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri" , "serif"; font-size: 11pt;">So ladies, gentlemen and those who are yet to make up your
mind… I strongly recommend you head to the Adelphi Theatre for a night of pure
bliss. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-76805845789463115462016-07-17T11:00:00.000+01:002016-08-19T16:17:06.434+01:00Switch House | Through the eyes of a philistine <div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-2365eb7c-e421-69cd-ccd1-1bac168e7406" style="line-height: 1.285; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I attended the press viewing of the new Tate Modern last month. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When the director, Nick Serota, said in his speech that the project was not just an extension but ‘a new Tate Modern’ he hit the nail on the head. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Filled with live performances aimed solely to make you uncomfortable, abstract pieces that make you question whether the artist was a child, and live parrots in a desert scene… it was a drastic change from the Tate Modern I visited a few years back. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Walking into the brown Lego building (I have no other words to describe the exterior, unless I go for hideous, but I’m trying not to begin with too much negativity), you have to appreciate the architecture on the inside. Some of the original structure of the engine turbine rooms’ remains, and the big open spaces, with marble winding staircases is enough to make anybody think they’re inside a palace. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Level 10 is undeniably the best thing Switch House has to offer. A full 360 degree view of the London skyline with a balcony that goes all the way around the top floor. Overlooking all the best buildings in the city, it offers one of the best views I’ve seen in a while (and it’s free)!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can’t argue with the message, aiming to show pieces from around the world, because of course art is global. They’re also showing more exhibitions than ever before displaying the work of female artists – another noteworthy cause. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But when standing in a half empty room, staring up in the air to see what appears to be stuffed material in the shape of a hanging body, I have to ask myself ‘is that really art?’</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Live performers walk around at various intervals, pushing into your personal space and repeatedly asking you to move. I missed the message at the start, but I imagine it was something powerful and the uncomfortableness was completely intentional. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I can appreciate beautiful photography, or hand-painted canvas’ that leave your mind wandering over what it could be, I even took a moment to stare at the big oak tree that comprised 77 different types of tree branch from around China. But even I have to draw the line over 10 planks of wood placed on top of each other, with litter filling the spaces. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With cages laid out as beds, live performers lying against the wall, Lego spilled all over the floor and two attendees holding each end of a bunting all morning (I hope they were paid well), I left with my head spinning. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My heart was split over enjoying the space and being completely disenchanted with the pieces on display… I suppose I’ve had that feeling in most of the art museums I have been to. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you’re interested in abstract art and the ‘find the meaning’ craziness of art museums, you should definitely check it out. But beware, it gets weird… </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lobby dividing the new Switch House from the existing gallery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the 10th floor</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live performers doing strange things</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many pieces of "art"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staircase leading from the turbine hall to the first floor</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-33481684477006199242016-07-13T09:01:00.001+01:002017-10-29T07:50:39.673+00:0048 hours in Cardiff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After what can only be described as a stressful few weeks, a girly weekend away couldn’t have come at a better time. <br />
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Destination: Cardiff<br />
Plan of action: Wing it<br />
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After grabbing cheap Megabus tickets online and booking to stay in a strangers house (also known as Airbnb) we headed to Wales on a Friday evening unsure of what to expect. <br />
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The four hour bus journey was certainly an experience. On the way there we were feeling rather optimistic about the whole ordeal and it turned out to be quite fun. We made a few friends, heard some extremely pessimistic views of Cardiff from the locals, but on the whole it made the journey go fairly quickly. The bus back to London however, slowly made me regret being such a cheapskate. We had the pleasure of children running around the bus and throwing up in the aisle, which was enough to make anybody never want to ride the bus again. Costing £10 for a round trip… your bank account would thank you for the sacrifice. <br />
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Luckily, the bus trip was made worth it by the beauty of Cardiff. We spent the weekend being the luckiest girls in town. Firstly by the fact that our Airbnb host was laid back and absolutely wonderful (plus she had a beautiful doggie named Pip who I wanted to sneak home in my suitcase). And secondly, because the weather forecast predicted rain for the entire weekend – yet we missed every downpour and seemed to be outside for every spot of sunshine… just call me Frano Selak. <br />
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Cardiff city centre has every shop your heart could desire but was a vast contrast to the hustle and bustle of London. Its calmer, slower pace was the perfect break from the intense pressure to run to work every morning alongside the London commuters. The locals are insanely friendly, smiling to strangers in the street doesn’t make you look like a crazy person and chatting on public transport is perfectly acceptable… who knew that was possible? <br />
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The people of Cardiff however, know how to party, and sadly we just weren’t up to the challenge. We had a great night in Missoula (the music was on point, though sadly no T-Swizzle) but I headed home at 1am and still spent the following morning nursing a hangover – I have never felt so old!<br />
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I’d love to go back, I feel like the city has so much more to offer. With a car in tow next time, it would be nice to visit the lands of Brecon Beacon and climb the Pen y Fan. <br />
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The next year is going to be filled with trips to beautiful cities in the UK. There is just so much the country has to offer and yet I have explored so little of it. <br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span><u><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Recommendations:<u5:p></u5:p></span></u><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Live
music and markets | Cardiff Bay had some great live music on Saturday, it
definitely seemed like the busiest place in the city but the atmosphere was
perfect for a sunny afternoon. You can wander the markets, grab a beer and sit
and people watch – my favourite past time. <u5:p></u5:p></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.timeandbeef.co.uk/" target="_blank">Time and Beef</a> | My favourite spot of the weekend! A burger joint where you make your
own meal by ticking all the boxes. No need to feel like a fusspot for
requesting a meal without specific ingredients. The price is reasonable and
Steve who owns the place is the nicest guy on the planet – we told him we were
from out of town and he drew us a map with a list of recommendations. The hot
chocolate comes in jars and they serve breakfast. What’s not to love? </span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://adventuregolf.com/" target="_blank">Treetop adventure golf</a> | I’m not a fan of golf, I never normally find it fun… but this
turned out to be a great way to kill a couple of hours before our bus home. I
was basically playing with two professionals so it felt a little like I was a
toddler on a day trip with the parents… but I like to think for a second-timer
I wasn’t too terrible. N.B. There are singing toads halfway round the course…
<br />they’re great. <u5:p></u5:p></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://cardiffseasafaris.co.uk/" target="_blank">Speedboat around Cardiff Bay</a> | We did the boat blast for 15 minutes and it was great fun. I also gave the driver my GoPro and he kindly filmed our trip for me. If you don’t like water maybe give this one a miss, the girl next to me was on the verge of having a panic attack. It’s super-fast, and you will get soaked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-50488275706458667822016-05-30T11:00:00.000+01:002016-08-19T16:11:14.302+01:00Travelling in a tent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkI4Uoed1CB5CyKut0w0Dx0fn5FRDZ5XKolFYCttRcZWAXn9yOnOtY8F6MYHUFcM_usiISXzTq3Oeb6Lvep-4io3bjZyDfWZ4R65H9HD2vOMyp5B9SFhhoSS2Z9KLK1UqAJHDC2Ghui8H/s1600/tent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkI4Uoed1CB5CyKut0w0Dx0fn5FRDZ5XKolFYCttRcZWAXn9yOnOtY8F6MYHUFcM_usiISXzTq3Oeb6Lvep-4io3bjZyDfWZ4R65H9HD2vOMyp5B9SFhhoSS2Z9KLK1UqAJHDC2Ghui8H/s640/tent.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt;">When
we decided to work our way through <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2014/09/italy.html" target="_blank">Italy</a>, it was a pretty rash decision full of
‘so do you fancy it?’ ‘Well, when are you free?’ ‘Sounds good, shall we just
book it?’ Flights were booked in a mere twenty minutes, trains a week or so
later and there we were, a country at the end of our fingertips but nowhere to
lay our heads at night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt;">Accommodation
always increases the budget, which is why night-time travel on planes and
trains is always a great idea. Hotels were extortionate (it was summer) and
when you’re staying for no more than two nights it gets even pricier. Then we
found a campsite where no camping equipment was required. You turn up, they
hand you a tent (with a bed and some sheets) and you pay before you leave. It
cost us an average of £8 per night and despite the extremely close proximity to
your camping buddies, it was pretty fun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt;">N.B.
I am a somewhat comfortable without household luxuries. I once spent a night in
a hut opposite a lake full of alligators and thought it was magical. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt;">Most
people I know hate camping, but when you’re on a budget, it’s a question of
staying longer in less luxurious conditions, or cutting your adventure short for
a nicer place to rest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt;">The
truth is, after a few nights of sleeping in a tent, you start to forget what a
house is even like. Any type of brick structure will become a luxury, you stop and
stand still at shop entrances when you feel air conditioning hit your body and
thunderstorms will become more exciting than ever before. Within time, mosquito’s
will even become your friends. I joke, mosquito’s don’t have friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt;">So,
if you’re contemplating an adventure in a tent, here’s my top tips: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Don’t forget flip flops,
going bare foot in communal showers is a health hazard.</span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Attach something colourful
to the front of your tent, I can imagine it would be slightly awkward if you
walked into the wrong one and got into bed with a stranger. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">In the event of a
thunderstorm, pull everything off the floor in an efficient military manner.</span><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Remember if you’re using
your phone as a flashlight, to turn it off before you get changed.</span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Take ear plugs, most
campers will be young and fun, but they also like a good party. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri light"; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: -18pt;">If you ignore all else,
remember this. Take copious amounts of mosquito spray and throw it over yourself
like confetti. Also take bite cream and anti-histamine (take enough for twice
as long as you’ll be gone). Mosquito’s take no prisoners and they like camping
too.</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-65144805029407345742016-05-22T11:22:00.000+01:002016-08-19T16:10:06.265+01:00From Cannes to Monaco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />I imagined Cannes to be the vibrant and classy city that I see black and white photos of every year during the film festival. <br />
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The truth is, in my <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2014/09/make-wish.html" target="_blank">cousins’</a> words, ‘I don’t understand the hype.’<br />
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Cannes without the film festival is like a jacket potato without butter, inoffensive but not interesting enough to excite your palate. <br />
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The quaint architecture was pretty and the Starbucks located right next to the station certainly earned the place brownie points in my book, but the moment I started wandering I could feel myself itching to get back to Nice. <br />
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We grabbed a pizza in a pretty lavish pizza parlour, with babies in Burberry jackets and dogs having their dinner at the table which kept me fairly entertained for a couple of hours.<br />
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Most of our time was spent wandering down the harbour and pretending to shop for a new boat… considering the size of some of those yachts it was definitely us living in dreamland. <br />
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If you have time to kill and some money to spend, Cannes wouldn’t be a bad shout. Although you could probably find most of the shops in Nice, where there’s more to do and a prettier coastline to take Instagram shots of. <br />
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Cannes sadly just didn’t excite me as much as Nice did… Then again, I wouldn’t turn down a ticket to the Cannes Film Festival next year! <br />
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Our last stop on the South of France tour was Monaco… oh my dear Monaco! It was love at first sight the second my feet left the train, the country made my face light up and my heart skip a beat. I don’t think I’ve had an instant love like it since I stepped off the train in Venice two years ago. </div>
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The city-state was surprisingly tiny, much smaller than I had imagined, but filled with more magic than Dynamo. </div>
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I walked out of the station and was immediately surrounded by cliffs either side, passing a small quaint church I was led straight out onto the formula one track. As you can imagine, it was an extremely difficult task to contain my excitement. </div>
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The track is free for anybody to walk along, run along and skip along to their hearts content. Cruising alongside the harbour, I was praying for a race to start - the noise must make the mountains rumble. </div>
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I walked up the steps to Monaco-Ville, the capital of the country – which is pretty mind-blowing considering I walked the entirety of it in about 20 minutes. The old town is quaint and medieval, like going back in time it wouldn’t have surprised me if horse drawn carts were still being used. </div>
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Monaco-Ville is home to the church where Grace Kelly got married, which scarily reminded me of the Vatican (tourists being herded around like cattle), so much so that I lasted 5 minutes before I had to leave. My cousin stayed though and seemed pretty impressed with the place when she came out. </div>
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We caught the tail end of the guards changing at the Prince’s Palace, which drew a nicely sized crowd. Before my cousin ran off with a particularly handsome guard, we explored a bit of Monte Carlo and headed back to the station. </div>
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I would imagine there is so much more to see and do in Monaco than can be accomplished in a day, but nothing beat the panoramic views from Monaco-Ville. </div>
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I would be wholeheartedly content to move there tomorrow, but considering the cheapest place to live is a few million it may take me a while.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-48679716800574987532016-05-09T14:41:00.001+01:002016-08-19T16:07:03.686+01:00Nice | France<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The South of France holds a certain allure of luxury travel, partly
because the coast is filled to the brim with grand yachts, and also because the
only things to occupy your time while there is food, wine and Lous Vuitton. Now
I’m not much of a shopper but I definitely have the eating and drinking part
perfectly refined. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We stayed in
Nice, a few minutes’ walk from the beach, in a local studio apartment with a
balcony that hosted an abundance of glorious morning sunshine. We were also
blessed with a supermarket on the corner and a patisserie down the street, I
highly doubt the location could have been better (minus being on a yacht). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The constant
sunshine made the city glow, although the locals were in autumn jackets, it was
warm enough for us Londoners to have a beach day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Despite the
lack of sand, the promenade was the hotspot of the city, perfect for people
watching and afternoon tanning. Filled with joggers, roller skaters and kids
braving the ocean, it was by far my favourite part of Nice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Wandering
through the streets, you can’t help but notice the ever-present <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2014/09/italy.html" target="_blank">Italian</a> vibe
(which of course made my heart pang). Small side streets, old quaint houses
with windows full of flowers and ice cream parlours on every corner. My only
complaint is that you have to watch your step; residents of Nice love to have
dogs, much to my delight there were puppies everywhere… but they tend not to pick
up after them so you have to constantly be mindful of where you put your feet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It wasn’t
long before we stumbled upon the ‘Oxford Street’ of Nice, at least that’s what
the owner of our apartment called it. I’d prefer to call it a pretty decent
high street, perfect for last minute jumper shopping when you’re out and it
suddenly gets cold. It’s also host to the most incredible ice cream parlour
I’ve ever visited (and I’ve travelled Italy). The place goes by the name of Cesar Gelato, it's located opposite
H&M on Avenue Jean Medecin, and it's now the proud owner of my highest recommendation (I could spend the rest of my days eating scoops of their house special... pistachio and chocolate!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Another
recommendation would be Restaurant Tchitchou, situated on Avenue Georges
Clemenceau. They serve the best Italian food outside of Italy, for a reasonable
price, not to mention a decent bottle of Chardonnay and the nicest staff on the
planet. We must have asked for the bill three times, and each time we got given
another drink instead. Shots on the house will always get a restaurant five
stars in my book. You’ll need to book a table in advance, the place is TINY and
we grabbed the only unreserved seats at 7pm. It’s also right next to the train
station, which makes it the perfect stop if you’re on your way out of town for
the evening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In fact, moving around the city on the whole
is simple. As well as moving to and from neighbouring cities. One bus picked us
up from outside the airport and dropped us off outside our apartment. Most of
Nice is in walking distance and the multiple train stations mean you could
pretty much go anywhere in Europe. Not to mention, there is Uber. We made use
of the easily accessible transport links during our stay, and checked out as
much of southern France as we could in five days…. details to follow. Until
then, here’s Nice in photo format:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-57611259614007940422016-04-10T10:00:00.000+01:002016-08-19T16:04:47.593+01:00Why I got a personal trainer<b style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">Knees bent at a right angle, feet turned ever so slightly outwards, thighs burning and sweat pouring down my forehead and into my eyes, causing a painful sting that manic blinking was only making worse.</span></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">“Nearly there”... we both knew that was a lie!</span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; vertical-align: baseline;">It was my first session with Tim and the self-assured cockiness soon wore off when I realised I was nowhere near as fit as I thought I was. I was under no illusions; I needed to get into shape, but I thought I had attained some level of fitness after the last two years of being guided by my gym crazy housemate Lisa. Halfway through my session however, when I thought I’d been burning my backside quite literally off for nearly three hours, I realised<span style="color: black;"> a </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">mere</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; vertical-align: baseline;"> 20 minutes had passed. Being carted off to hospital due to a heart attack became a very real fear.</span></span><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I was staring myself down in the mirror, trying to tell my legs not to give up. “One more set” he calls,<span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">leaning in relative comfort against the rail… I was going to die.</span> </span></span></b></div>
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</b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The only thing worse than <span style="color: black;">the </span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">looming</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"> fear of having a heart</span> attack aged 22, was the pain of walking two days later.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">As I went to sit up in bed on Friday morning, my stomach muscles stopped working altogether. I tried to pick up my legs in an attempt to wiggle myself out of bed that way, but they wouldn't move either.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thus I rolled, lying on my stomach for five minutes, before </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">mustering</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"> the</span> strength to push myself onto my hands and knees.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">The pain was everywhere at once, shooting through my body like I was on fire. With tears strolling down my cheeks I could hear my mind saying “never again”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">I had my second session a week later.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">The truth is, as much as I didn't want to put myself through that again, the thought that I couldn’t hack a straightforward weight routine scared the hell out of me. I’m 22, and let’s be honest, more than likely in the peak of my life… meaning I should be fitter now than I’ll ever be… in which case, I definitely need to be fitter.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">I hated being tired after walking up four flights of stairs to my Monday morning meeting, my physical strength was so pitiful it was embarrassing. Firm control tights dig into your groin and make walking unbearably uncomfortable, and most importantly, I never, ever, wanted to feel as bad as I felt that Friday morning.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">The only way to ensure that, was to let Tim boss me around every week, and damn he is good at it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">Physical training aside for a moment, personal trainers are pretty much glorified therapists (and really cheap ones at that). They listen to you moan about the morning commute and whinge about why you’re not a millionaire, whilst simultaneously throwing death stares at them for making you do burpees. Or maybe that’s just me?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;">I leave the gym not only with the inability to climb the stairs to Southwark bridge, but also a clear head. It’s not just personal training, it’s therapy, and it really works. A month without during an insanely busy period left me down, lethargic and irritable. I thought the entire world was against me, when really all I needed was to get myself back into the gym.</span></span></div>
<br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you’re in the Southwark area and you fancy getting your butt whipped into shape, hit Tim up. </span></span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><a href="http://lb44.co.uk/" target="_blank">LB44 Fitness</a></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-20672566235736872412016-04-03T12:53:00.000+01:002016-08-19T16:11:39.400+01:00Planning a big trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTWuzZAY5MpsMvTg4JWGFrfY1qPMiFLyXIqS-z6a_WAj9jiLO1BIoOZrN4OQ2qluefqBoEujfI2Y7axx2i7zaZfzqThFT0-f3jkR462R1hUQBcqs3nYhqCH9HnS88ZKQapIFEyeV9lulE/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTWuzZAY5MpsMvTg4JWGFrfY1qPMiFLyXIqS-z6a_WAj9jiLO1BIoOZrN4OQ2qluefqBoEujfI2Y7axx2i7zaZfzqThFT0-f3jkR462R1hUQBcqs3nYhqCH9HnS88ZKQapIFEyeV9lulE/s640/IMG_1405.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">China. China. China.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">China has been on my mind for what seems like
years now. I want so badly to see a Panda, to hold one in my arms, feed him
bamboo and name him Peter before daydreaming about how I’ll take him home with
me. I must admit to the embarrassing truth that I cheer myself up with Panda
videos on YouTube, often welling up at the cuteness overload. There’s something
about their black and white fur that leads me to believe they’re really men
dressed in suits. It’s unbelievable that something in the world could be that
cute - I have to see one with my own eyes to fully believe the magic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Seeing a panda anywhere other than China is
practically cheating so it was only right to start planning an itinerary… one
that has been almost four years in the making. Because lets be honest, there is
no point travelling all the way to China to see a panda, and not exploring the
entire country whilst you’re there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The sole purpose for such a drawn out planning
process was due to two limitations, time and money. Leaving home for three weeks
with family members that were poorly and dependable meant our trip was put on
hold for a long time. We’ve been given some leeway in that regard, but are
still held down by the conventions of <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/08/that-thing-called-full-time-employment.html" target="_blank">annual leave</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The cost of a flight means we need to make the
most of the trip there, but the fact that myself and my travel buddy (Mother
Tye) both work full time, means we only have 21 days to concur 3.705 million
sq miles. I am fully aware of how ambitious I am, but we’ve certainly got a
jam-packed 500 hours planned.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Time is always the problem, no amount of time is
ever enough and I know I say it often, but it’s true. Two weeks is not enough
to experience a country, the same way <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/12/the-paris-diaries-how-to-be-tourist-for.html" target="_blank">5 days in Paris</a> was nowhere near enough
time for me to fully immerse myself in the city. If you want to learn a
culture, understand a way of life and fully explore, you need to slow down,
wander through and leave when your heart tells you you’ve had enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">One day, I’ll walk the world with a backpack and
do exactly that, but in China, we’re travelling with a stopwatch!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The main goal is simple: cuddle a panda.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But the journey will be so much more; I want to
experience the history of such a traditional and deeply cultural country. I may
not fully understand some of what China has to offer, but my open-minded
wandering soul is going to thrive in the unknown.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There are two points in the year that are best to
visit, spring and autumn. We missed spring this year, and fear of having to
wait until 2017, means we’re heading to Asia in autumn. The plane touches
ground in Shanghai on October 4</span><sup style="font-family: calibri;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> and my heart can’t wait.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There was so much I wanted to do and see; the
list was endless. I had to prioritise and I would recommend this to anyone who
is planning a trip on a leash. Write your list in order of preference. With
what your heart desires most at the top, followed by things you can’t miss,
with things you’d love to see, with things you wouldn't mind heading to if you
had time. Knowing what’s important to you is the first step - and trust me, I
spent hours changing my mind… because how can you really know what you want to do
until you get there?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The luxury of wandering and not planning is
indeed that, a luxury. You may end up with nowhere to sleep or stranded in a
country with an out of date visa, but it’s exciting and freeing not to be tied
down with set plans. I find planned trips are more stressful, at least in the
run up. The sheer amount of planning means in essence there’s much more that
could go wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Instead of conquering China
solo, we teamed up with </span><a href="https://www.wendywutours.co.uk/" style="font-family: calibri;" target="_blank">Wendy Wu Tours.</a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> It’s a
pricey investment to go with an operator, the first and last time I did was in 2006. We went on safari in Kenya, with team </span><a href="http://www.kuoni.co.uk/" style="font-family: calibri;" target="_blank">Kuoni</a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> and it was one of the most incredible
experiences of my life. You can read about it </span><a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2014/05/memories-of-kenya.html" style="font-family: calibri;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">.
We had a local guide who knew the country like the back of his hand and
answered hundreds on my wildly imaginative questions for 12 days straight... he
was incredible. That’s what you pay for, a guide to show you around, tell you
the best places to eat, drink, see and most of all, the history of the place
(particularly the parts you won’t read in the guide books).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’ve been told a thousand
times, most notably at the </span><a href="http://www.adventureshow.com/" style="font-family: calibri;" target="_blank">Adventure Travel Show</a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
I was invited to a couple of months ago, that if you’re going to China, Wendy
Wu are the best – and I love a solid recommendation. Here’s hoping they’re as
good to me as Kuoni were.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It’s almost hard to fathom
that an idea we’ve been talking about for so long has materialised into
something tangible… before long, you’ll see a video of me holding a panda, in
floods of tears with the biggest grin on my face.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Until then, here’s a personal
favourite...</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0GNRUj8n6h4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0GNRUj8n6h4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Atlas by the incredible Aleksandra Mizielinska
and Daniel Mizielinski, you can grab yourself one </span><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/maps/aleksandra-mizielinska/daniel-mizielinski/9781848773011" style="font-family: calibri;" target="_blank">here</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-20090755120592185772016-03-04T11:00:00.000+00:002017-10-29T07:49:09.786+00:00Embarrass yourself... it builds character<b style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-14c1f11a-3cfe-3b7f-1e2a-e04b8e65adb5" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Yes, we all as humans have an innate sense of self, because society has trained us to care what other people think.</span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We should work hard, <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/08/that-thing-called-full-time-employment.html" target="_blank">preferably in a 9 - 5 job</a>, eat healthily and exercise often because gluttony is unattractive. We shouldn’t get drunk because it’s trashy, but invest time in a thematic Instagram feed so it looks like we have more friends, not to mention wear clothes that blend in and filter the words that come out of our mouths so we sound cool and funny but also intelligent.</span></b><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We must smile often, be kind, and definitely, never, ever... behave foolishly.</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;">
</b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The rules are endless and hard to remember. So when I sat next to my new friend (who I’d introduced myself to five minutes prior after an awkward twenty minutes of standing at an event alone), ate six croissants, pulled off my heeled boots because my feet were sore and showed off my Hulk socks. Not to mention teased him for being ‘head office’ and self-important, while divulging how much I loved free food, I probably should have known I was breaking the rules. </span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This lovely chap turned out to be the CEO of the company whose event I was sat at, and whose food I was shovelling into my mouth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Awkward? Yes. Very. Sitting in the theatre listening to him address hundreds of people ten minutes after I was sat wiping crumbs off my dress in front of him was painful. I went red, sunk into my seat and prayed for the world to swallow me up.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The second I left the theatre however, the embarrassment was replaced by an abundance of laughter. I mean the simple likeliness of such events made the whole thing quite hilarious. At least I made an impression.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What society fails to tell you, is that self-awareness is for suckers. The truth is, everybody else is so concerned with what they’re doing, nobody is actually taking any notice of you. Take that news as you wish but "letting go", if only for a moment, means you’ll have so much more fun. Yes, it may result in some very awkward moments, but it also creates some hilarious stories for you to divulge to those who read your blog on the morning commute... Hi Mum!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I am certainly someone who cares, I’m often self-conscious about my skin and worry that I said something stupid to people I don’t know very well. Then I remind myself that I don’t owe anyone anything, the only person I owe something to is me, and I owe myself the chance to sing loudly and out of tune even when in company.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I walk to work with my headphones in I often sing without realising, yes everyone around me can hear what they think is a cat dying, but <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2014/10/faking-it.html" target="_blank">in my head I’m Beyonce</a> (in her fourth album). I dance in nightclubs the way I dance in my bedroom, I always make conversations with strangers because despite London being inherently anti-social, conversations with strangers are always more interesting than conversations with yourself.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I wear marvel socks to work, I sleep with my mouth open on the train, I say what comes into my head, even if it's stupid and immature, and when I get drunk I turn into a four year old.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes, when I’ve really let go of my inhibitions, I buy a gift box of chocolates and sit and eat the entire contents on the train home… while wearing my gym gear. Yes I’ll be thinking that everyone around me is judging, but chocolate tastes too good to put away.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So wear the funky dress that you’re worried others will judge you for, because guess what? They’re probably more concerned with what their wearing to notice its bright orange and looks like your grandmother’s curtains.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Besides, nothing builds character like embarrassing yourself.</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFuOSwBhTKYPQvBs9uEer4Jck79fowSpTi00xjpWZ_rgQ9-T3SsGGW4qUENAD5YNa30J4WrcifW6omGhzX_tY_hLJT9q1FV1knlAycASCN-56qxMlfPSGarEshz9d26TV9YUj_PW_GHj7/s1600/151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFuOSwBhTKYPQvBs9uEer4Jck79fowSpTi00xjpWZ_rgQ9-T3SsGGW4qUENAD5YNa30J4WrcifW6omGhzX_tY_hLJT9q1FV1knlAycASCN-56qxMlfPSGarEshz9d26TV9YUj_PW_GHj7/s640/151.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me smashing a piñata on my 18th birthday... a clear demonstration of how to drink responsibly!</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-51341202774587421482016-02-12T09:04:00.000+00:002016-08-19T15:56:12.462+01:00The Marylebone Hotel | London<br />
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For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had an obsession with castles. Whether it’s Fort St. Angelo, <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/11/innsbruck.html" target="_blank">Ambras Castle</a> or <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/10/salzburg.html" target="_blank">Fortress Hohensalzburg</a> – I walk around the grounds high above the city and escape into a world of royalty. On the outside, I’m a young girl stomping around in massive boots and clinging onto a gazillion cameras, but on the inside I’m Princess Tye, heading for world domination.<br />
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Well, despite the lack of a castle, that was certainly how I felt at the <a href="https://www.doylecollection.com/hotels/the-marylebone-hotel" target="_blank">Marylebone hotel</a>.<br />
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With the door held open by a finely dressed gentleman, who took my luggage and called me Ms Tye, I was officially crowned royalty for the weekend. What began as a Christmas gift for Jake, had turned into the most lavish start to 2016 we could possibly have imagined.<br />
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The walls were covered in velvet, the changing rooms had dressing tables to die for and the gym was spread across three floors. Not to mention we were kindly gifted a bottle of prosecco on arrival... they certainly know how to treat a girl!<br />
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From £165 for the night, the royal experience certainly doesn’t come cheap, but it does come with full access to all the <a href="https://www.doylecollection.com/hotels/the-marylebone-hotel/fitness-spa/the-third-space" target="_blank">facilities</a>, including fitness classes and the steam room. With the standard operation for our weekend being gym, swim, steam, shower and food - we certainly made full use of what was on offer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbQogzTsVlrJ2YWzw031-fSU8NH5Rta6CYHY7pKG1noksgZu5mSMFKy5A6shCVd1xb0NyY2E4OYxQv_O44-pyRrA4PiGgSlQz1B4zD7JBDhedSp6cLdjrZAGMQLhojhYvffhomOP9GHk3/s1600/IMG_0832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbQogzTsVlrJ2YWzw031-fSU8NH5Rta6CYHY7pKG1noksgZu5mSMFKy5A6shCVd1xb0NyY2E4OYxQv_O44-pyRrA4PiGgSlQz1B4zD7JBDhedSp6cLdjrZAGMQLhojhYvffhomOP9GHk3/s640/IMG_0832.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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That’s not to say the place was perfect because it wasn't, the bathroom was small and the shower screen wasn't long enough so we managed to keep flooding the bathroom. I also managed to rub my feet raw in new heels, resulting in me walking home sideways, but I guess I can’t hold the Marylebone accountable for that one.<br />
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My feet were comforted however, by the bed that was deeper than the Mariana Trench and some chocolate from Tesco’s round the corner. In fact, the location couldn't be any more perfect. Situated just behind Oxford Circus, a 5 minute walk (in sensible shoes) and you'll reach all the shops, bars and restaurants you could imagine. Not to mention Marylebone's own restaurant, <a href="http://108brasserie.com/" target="_blank">108 Brasserie</a>, located in the same building; which sadly I can’t comment on as we headed for Mexican food instead.<br />
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The gym, named the Third Space, is open to members as well as hotel guests and will have absolutely everything you could possibly need for a good workout. The fitness classes on offer vary from circuits to yoga and the basement pool was relatively quiet most of the time (minus the one small child we had the pleasure of encountering on Saturday evening). As much as I, like most child-free 22 year olds, hate being around children when I’m on holiday, it was forgiven due to the fact we rarely saw other guests. The only other humans we witnessed on our floor were staff. So much so, I wouldn't have been surprised if they’d said we were two of five guests over the weekend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMDuYaMtjij07D3S2ObvTNIlUn-k6AqXhqWPYYqu2Sqw99FoSJ4mmFMvhxMkyVTInT6YkusJwnV0PzPuylGRqzclcr1yEfxTGtdCsbBuu5vB3ccZaisGQn28dfx9rtoIKfB9oxkON4jsX/s1600/56126979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMDuYaMtjij07D3S2ObvTNIlUn-k6AqXhqWPYYqu2Sqw99FoSJ4mmFMvhxMkyVTInT6YkusJwnV0PzPuylGRqzclcr1yEfxTGtdCsbBuu5vB3ccZaisGQn28dfx9rtoIKfB9oxkON4jsX/s640/56126979.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sadly however, the two days flew by and before we knew it we were checking out and heading to the shops on Oxford Street. It was such a lovely, relaxing break, and if you can spare the pretty hefty price tag - it’s certainly worth a visit.<br />
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Last three photographs belong to the <a href="https://www.doylecollection.com/" target="_blank">Doyle Collection</a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-34516600375057386182016-02-01T19:39:00.001+00:002016-08-19T15:54:17.162+01:002015 on film<br />
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Film rarely turns out the way I want it to. In fact I'm always over the moon if I count three great pictures on one roll. So despite the bad angles, poor lighting and downright terrible printing (I don't know what's going on with one photo in particular), I'm pretty in love with this lot...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-77275834482836666242016-01-13T09:55:00.003+00:002016-08-19T15:53:50.042+01:00Geneva. <br />
<br />
It was decided that my first trip as a 22 year old would be <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/11/zurich.html" target="_blank">back to Switzerland</a>, eating my body weight in Swiss chocolate once again. I still can’t think of a better way to spend such a momentous birthday week – it is after all, my dedicated 12 months of being able to sing Taylor Swift’s hit track, because I was indeed ‘feeling 22’.<br />
<br />
We flew with Easyjet from Southend Airport (our new favourite British airport because it’s so small and chaos free) to Genève Airport, located just outside the city centre. After a brief train ride (one stop) we were in the city, walking up to our hotel. We stayed at <a href="http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-8069-ibis-geneve-centre-nations/index.shtml" target="_blank">Ibis Genève Centre Nations</a>, mainly because it was the cheapest place I could find in the ridiculously overpriced city. It turned out to be the perfect hotel, located a short walk from the main train station, a shower big enough to fit an entire family inside in one go, and staff that were kind enough to give us free transport passes for the entirety of our stay. I think we all know by now how much I love free things so I give Ibis a big thumbs up!<br />
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Sadly when we arrived, a layer of fog loomed over the city and decided to stick around until our last day exploring. Despite the weather, we made the best out of our short visit, primarily spending time with our lovely Italian pal, Ettore. He has been an official resident in Geneva for the past four months, so it was lovely to visit and have him show us around. Nothing beats having your own personal tour guide.<br />
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Day one was spent wandering around the foggy city, being astounded by the price of just about everything and stumbling across the biggest shopping centre I’ve ever seen. Six floors of food, beauty, clothes, toys and electronics – you could have bought every single Christmas present you needed in one place. The Giant Christmas Manor became a daily port of call, mainly because there was so much to see, and it also happened to be the only place to get a sandwich that didn’t cost more than your rent.<br />
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Speaking of overpriced food, our first evening meal was at a tiny Italian restaurant located off a side street by Geneva’s main train station. The food was lovely but the portions meant both me and Jake left hungry and wanting a second dinner. The entire city seemed to be of the same calibre, until we stumbled across our gem of a restaurant, <a href="http://www.demilune.ch/site/fr/">DemiLuna Cafe</a>. Located on 3 rue Etienne Dumont, it became the place of choice for the rest of the weekend. Serving a large portion of yummy cooked food (burgers, pizza, pasta, nachos etc.) for a reasonable price, and not to mention a lovely bunch of staff, it was a hit!<br />
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A regular morning coffee stop became <a href="http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/am-bahnhof/railway-stations/geneva-station/shopping/shopdetail.onesbb-shopdetail.html/en/genf/03_es_pi_nord_ritazza.html">CaffeRitazza</a>, they did a lovely hot chocolate and it wasn’t too expensive for Geneva. It also happens to be inside the main train station, thus from the Ibis hotel we passed it every morning while walking into the city centre. The lady who ran the shop was lovely and it provided a nice opportunity to practice speaking French.<br />
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<a href="http://holycow.ch/">Holy Cow</a> is great if you like fast food and healthy portions, situated just opposite the main train station (river side) and offering fast food in a wicker basket. Mainly burgers and chips, with local beers and traditional Swiss soft drinks, it’s definitely a popular place with the locals and heading there between 12-2 will result in a struggle to find a seat. <br />
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Besides searching for reasonably priced food, there is so much to do in the city!<br />
<br />
The Red Cross Museum is only a tram ride away from the centre, and I wholeheartedly recommend a visit; I think I’ll tell you all about it in a separate post.<br />
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The old town is full of cobbled streets and old houses, not to mention a stunning cathedral that (for 5 francs) offers the best panoramic views of the city). One evening, we spent an hour watching a local protest (I have no idea what for) dancing to a very catchy song I can only imagine was called ‘salute’, while sitting on the swings in the old town. We didn’t realise until the next day (when the sun came up) how beautiful the scenery was - the old town seemed mismatched from the city below.<br />
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The main strip boasts a shopaholic’s heaven, with Gucci, Prada and Tiffany being all but a few examples. Geneva really would be the place to come if you have a large amount of money to burn, even the Christmas markets were selling expensive treats – no cheap tacky Christmas decorations in this city!<br />
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The lake is picturesque, something that I only appreciated while stood at the top of St. Pierre Cathedral above the layer of fog. This also happened to be the first time I could see the Jet d’Eau in full view. The fountain which jets 110 gallons of water per second to an altitude of 140 metres may not be environmentally friendly (needing the same amount of power as 500 kettles to keep it on all day) but it sure is impressive to watch. It also happens to be the biggest landmark in Geneva, which isn’t surprising considering its competition is a three legged chair. I joke, I loved the broken chair. It stands across the street from the Palace of Nations and symbolises opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, reminding politicians as well as those visiting Geneva to promote peace. It also makes a perfect Instagram shot.<br />
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If Architecture is your thing, then you might fancy a trip to one of my favourite spots, the Musee Ariana. Inside is devoted to ceramic and glass artwork (not exactly my cup of tea) but outside the building is beautiful, with large wooden doors, statues embedded in the outside wall and a dome on top. We happened to stumble across it while searching for the Red Cross Museum and at the time had no idea what it was. Warning: the doors open automatically, so you may jump with fear when you stand next to them to pose for a photo.<br />
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If we’d had more time, it would definitely have been fun to try the outdoor ice rink in Geneva Park District, it was only tiny but the freezing cold climate and the surrounding nature made it the perfect backdrop for an evening skate. If we had more money, it would have been fun to spend an afternoon in Jimmy Choo, but there’s always next time! <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-52845508558118848402016-01-04T19:19:00.001+00:002016-08-19T15:52:26.957+01:00Goals | 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Back in <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/01/goals-for-2015.html" target="_blank">January 2015</a>, I
set myself four goals. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Putting them on here, I
told myself, was as a way to hold myself accountable, hopefully ensuring I meet
every one of them, and it appears to have worked!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In July, I <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/08/graduation.html" target="_blank">graduated</a> with
a 2:1 in History. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="http://orcascubadivingacademy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/guest-blogger-hollie.html" target="_blank">Scuba diving</a> became my new
skill, one that filled me with both joy and fear.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I invested in a personal
trainer, making me fitter right now than I have ever been, and I’ve explored
more of the world in 365 days than ever before.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2015 also came to be a year
full of goodbyes, constant change, and unrelenting hard work. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’ve visited 10 cities in
8 different countries, experiencing both <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/12/the-paris-diaries-travel-issues.html" target="_blank">solo and business travel</a> for the first
time, <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/07/run-to-beat.html" target="_blank">I’ve ran 6 miles</a> (only stopping once to throw up), and broken down in
floods of tears in front of 50 people.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’ve dressed up as
Pocahontas, Cinderella and Dora the explorer. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’ve <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2016/04/why-i-got-personal-trainer.html" target="_blank">worked muscles Inever knew I had</a>, made a movie, and <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/11/zurich.html" target="_blank">eaten my body weight in Swiss chocolate</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’ve argued with airport security, watched all four seasons of Gossip Girl and nearly drowned in a
freezing cold lake.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’ve cried myself to
sleep, laughed until my stomach hurt and shaken it off to <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/07/british-summer-time-hyde-park.html" target="_blank">Taylor Swift’s 1989tour</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2015 is left behind with bittersweet
memories, complete closure and a sense of accomplishment, but welcoming 2016
with open arms. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Even numbers are better
for my soul, and this year will serve me well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Goals for 2016</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri"; text-indent: -18pt;">Save | Keep my receipts, use my terramundi, whatever it takes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri"; text-indent: -18pt;">Run | Commit
myself and see where it takes me, I may not hate it as much as I think</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri"; text-indent: -18pt;">Learn a
language | I’m thinking Italian will be the most useful</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri"; text-indent: -18pt;">Touch my toes
| The inflexibility is astounding, it’s time for me to pick up yoga and get
stretching regularly</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "calibri"; text-indent: -18pt;">Read a book a
month | I’d better start making the most of the morning commute</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; text-indent: -24px;">Bring on the next 362 days </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-indent: -24px;">✌</span><br />
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-22313971850745906852015-12-15T14:00:00.000+00:002016-08-19T15:47:57.314+01:00The Paris Diaries | How to be a tourist for 4 hours<br />
<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
Day 5. </h4>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">*He’s got that James Dean, daydream, look in his eye* </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">5am. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">ARGGHHHH </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It was pitch black, and <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/07/british-summer-time-hyde-park.html" target="_blank">Taylor Swift</a> was telling me to get
out of bed. I gave myself a mini pep talk about how it was only an hour earlier
than the time I usually wake up. But I knew, 5am is night-time and no human
should be up at that ungodly hour. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">‘Think of the Eiffel Tower’ was the morning’s motto as I
shoved myself under the shower. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It was cold, dark, and too early for me to grab breakfast at
the hotel. I had four hours to explore, so a route was carefully planned to
ensure the least amount of travel time. I jumped on the metro and headed for my
first stop, Notre Dame de Paris, it was still pitch black when I got there but
the lights were beautiful. I expected the cathedral to be somewhat bigger than
it was, but it was beautiful nonetheless and mind blowing to think it’s been
standing, in all its Gothic glory, for over 700 years. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I couldn’t take any photos, I knew my camera wouldn’t be any
good at night, but I stayed for a while and sat on a bench, soaking up the
scenery and wondering if they’d have macaroons by the Eiffel tower. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">After another twenty minutes on the underground, I was
there. I followed the signs for ‘Tour de Eiffel’ and got slightly concerned
that I would miss the turning. No need, I caught a glimpse of iron next to me,
looked up to my right and there it was, the big iron giant, looming over my
head. I’ve been before, when I was a child, I remember looking at it from the
car window in amazement. My face was probably similar today, staring up in awe.
I just didn’t expect it to be so gigantic. Armed forces were surrounding the
area, causing me to wonder if it was even open. I asked and was told they were
happy for me to wander through. So there I was, standing under the Eiffel tower
at 6am on December 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, surrounded by a military unit carrying guns
bigger than my body. It was certainly a first. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I stayed for over an hour, wandering around, taking photos
and talking to the soldiers on site. They were lovely, and pointed me in the
direction of breakfast. It was too early to catch a ride to the top, but it was
still a highlight of my trip to see it from the bottom. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">After a quick croissant, I jumped back on the train and
headed for stop number three, the Arc de Triomphe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an archway on a roundabout, with cars
driving chaotically around it. Apparently your insurance is invalid the moment
you enter the roundabout by car – which doesn’t surprise me. Parisian people
drive like they have moments to live, a great attitude to have but I certainly
wouldn’t like to be the passenger. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I was back at my hotel room for 9am; I got in a few hours of
work before heading to the airport – taking a pit stop at Gare du Nord to grab
a coffee with Ettore, my Italian ex-housemate who had just arrived in Paris for
the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being in the same city on
the same day wasn’t planned, but I like to think of it as divine intervention
(I missed him). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">T</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">hen there was a train to Charles de Gaulle airport, a plane
to London Luton, a train into Kings Cross and another train out to Yorkshire. I
arrived at 11pm and slept most of the weekend. It was such an exhausting week,
but it was one hell of an adventure... Paris, I’ll be back, hopefully next time
I won’t have to work so much!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1Sx0C65p8XU0uWTl4IylhiXGGEXw0B3C1XUwWuiZPCeNsYt0QKh6AdqBqV1AfT6M9MZ4a9VEGEBNczpQuHhkXqktM_RuY2o24rbDw289YvtHTSPgwkt1-SBHs-rHjsJNHbEZ-2daZ_mc/s1600/IMG_0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1Sx0C65p8XU0uWTl4IylhiXGGEXw0B3C1XUwWuiZPCeNsYt0QKh6AdqBqV1AfT6M9MZ4a9VEGEBNczpQuHhkXqktM_RuY2o24rbDw289YvtHTSPgwkt1-SBHs-rHjsJNHbEZ-2daZ_mc/s640/IMG_0039.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-85664903370471613462015-12-14T14:00:00.000+00:002016-08-19T15:46:24.879+01:00The Paris Diaries / Broken phones and Christmas markets <br />
<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
Day 4. </h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I woke up feeling refreshed and warm, like I’d slept so well
I could almost get up and go for a run, not that I was going to do that, but I
could have. I opened my eyes to the morning light and tapped my phone to check
the time. My alarm still hadn’t gone off but it felt late, I tapped and tapped
but my phone wasn’t responding and panic was beginning to creep in. I jumped
out of the bed quicker than Muhammad Ali in the boxing ring and flew to my
watch. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">8am... two hours late... sh*t! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I threw on clothes, brushed my teeth and ran out of the
hotel without breakfast. I rang the ladies in charge while simultaneously
running to the station and wondered why my phone decided to let me down when I
was hopelessly relying on it. I tried and failed to turn it on, before finally
seeing the white apple sign appear (damn you Apple!). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I arrived at the event, threw on my showmaking shirt and
heading to reception to deal with the crowds, luckily my slight lateness didn’t
seem to have an effect on anything, so the panic was kind of unnecessary. I
just hate being late, it’s that feeling of having no control over getting
somewhere that fills my stomach with dread every time. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The last day of the show also means surveys! Everyone wants
to know how well the show went, and the only way to know is to ask. Ultimately,
nobody wants to stand and fill out a questionnaire, especially when they have
other things to be doing. Needless to say, I sucked at surveys! I asked
countless people and was met with disappointment every time. Most didn’t speak
English, others were too busy, or running late. I tried asking nicely, I tried selling
the free Ipad they could win; I even tried cornering people while they were
waiting for partners outside the toilet. But in the end, after two hours of
trying, I got three people to answer my questions. I don’t think a sales career
would ever be one for me. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I spent the afternoon working with a lovely lady, who is
based in the Amsterdam office but calls Holland home, and who kindly distracted
me from realising how exhausted I was. Today was quiet, the last day of an
event always is but as luck would have it, the event was run for the food
ingredients industry, meaning there was yummy food everywhere. With the last
day being so quiet, it gave us showmakers a chance to walk around and talk to
all the exhibitors. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After lots of free
samples, chocolate explanations and a rack of free macaroons, the end of the
day finally arrived and I headed to the briefing room to put my feet up. I
could have fallen asleep on the show floor I was so tired. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The showmakers who got the most surveys won Amazon vouchers;
I sucked so bad I knew I had no chance. Turns out, I was still awarded a
voucher, not for my terrible survey skills, but for being the only showmaker to
have worked the full three days of the event. It was one hell of a lovely
surprise!</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I headed into central Paris and walked through the Christmas
market – I had wanted to go all week but kept putting it off because I was so
exhausted. The lights were so pretty, and the shops were all expensive – I
expected nothing less. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I grabbed a pot of Haagen Daaz ice cream and sat and ate it
outside the Louvre. It was such a beautiful night I didn’t want to head inside,
but I was only too aware of the extremely exciting, potentially exhausting day
that was occurring tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span> </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-66896639155197622232015-12-11T14:00:00.001+00:002016-08-19T15:45:43.966+01:00The Paris Diaries | Puppies, ponies and parisians<span style="font-family: calibri;"></span><br />
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Day 3. </h4>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Day two of our three day event was a chaotic one, with tens
of thousands of visitors heading pilling into the entrance in the first hour of
the day. It was hot, packed and stressful – but luckily I was working with a
team of angels, mixed up of employees of my company from the Amsterdam office
and local students, who made the day so much more fun! Working alongside a
group of upbeat, interesting group of people, who kept me laughing all day,
made my day of work seem more like a holiday. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">With so many people in the venue, security was tight and
police presence was felt. The French police who patrolled the area were lovely,
with every single one of them coming over to say hello and shake my hand.
Nothing makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside the way good manners do! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">One police officer was kind enough to bring a puppy along to
the show, which made my mid-afternoon stint in the quiet lobby much more
enjoyable. We were told ‘they’re not dogs you want to stoke’ but I strongly
disagreed. He was wagging his tail so much I could tell he wanted to play, so I
headed over and asked if he was friendly before bending down and being attacked
by cuddles. His name was Abel and he was a cutie, rolling on his back so I could
give him a belly rub. Sadly I couldn’t stoke him all day, I had work to do, and
the police officer jokingly remarked that I was ‘ruining his image’, which was
a fair point. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Not only were there puppies in the building, but horses next
door – the next building along were hosting a horse show on the same week as
our event. Sadly, despite my eager attempt, I couldn’t make it through the
security on the front gate. I did however, get to hold a door open for a
Shetland pony who was arriving late, I stroked him as he walked passed and
sneezed all over the door. I named him Sheldon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">After my stint on the front lobby, I ended up in the lunch
hall with the girls. I sat eating a bowl of vegetables (the vegetarian options
were limited) with two French girls, two Chinese girls and a girl from India.
They all asked me questions about London, I asked them questions about their
events management course in Nice, I learnt how to say ‘I love you’ in Mandarin
and thought about how strange it was that we all ended up at the same dinner
table. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Sadly the girls weren’t working the third day of the show,
meaning I had to say goodbye to my new French friends. We exchanged details and
I’m already mentally planning a trip to <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2016/05/nice-france.html" target="_blank">Nice!</a> The best part of working while
you travel is the people you come into contact with – working means you’re
constantly interacting with people you’d otherwise never get to meet, and I got
to meet a very lovely bunch! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-55863874649531430022015-12-10T14:00:00.000+00:002016-08-20T11:51:28.692+01:00The Paris Diaries | All work and no play<br />
<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
Day 2. </h4>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Travelling for business is far from easy. The hours are
long, the work is strenuous and trying (and failing) to speak French all day is
exhausting. I arrived at 8am every morning and was on my feet until 6pm (minus
30 minutes sat down for lunch). The first full day of work hit me like a ton of
bricks and by the end; I was already wondering how I would survive another two
full days. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I left for work in the dark and arrived home in the dark;
I’d been in Paris for two days and had yet to see the city in daylight. Not
only was I working long hours at the event, but I’d get back to my hotel and
have to log on to my laptop – the day job back in London was still there after
all. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">After my extortionate, and quite frankly unappetising, room
service the night before, I was on the lookout for dinner on the walk back to
the hotel. I found it in the form of take out Pasta, I could have cried of
happiness when I saw cheese covered penne arrabbiata in a pot. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I even treated myself to a chocolate macaroon, my first in
fact, and it was delicious. I always thought Macaroons were biscuits, but
instead I got a chocolate flavoured cake with gooeyness in the middle. Yum!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Oh, the luxuries of business travel. </span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-90921872616821343922015-12-09T14:00:00.000+00:002016-08-19T15:43:51.746+01:00The Paris Diaries | Travel issues <br />
<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
Day 1</h4>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So there I was, bolting through the airport in my socks, a
shoe in each coat pocket, hugging my suitcase like a baby and scanning for gate
1. To null any misconceptions, gate 1 was the furthest from the entrance, so by
the time I arrived I was red faced and without a boarding pass. Luckily the
staff were forgiving, but sadly I couldn’t say the same for the passengers on
board, who each starred me down like I’d just run over their cat. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Shoddy time keeping is not a usual occurrence for me, but in
my preparations I failed to take into account delayed trains and heavy
security. Every mode of transport let me down and airport security searched me
so thoroughly, I became genuinely concerned that somebody had planted something
in my case. They tested so much of my liquid it seemed pointless me bringing
any in the first place, in fact the only stone they left unturned was picking
up my phone and reading my text messages. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It wasn’t exactly the best start to my first solo trip, but
at least I didn’t miss the flight and end up in tears at the airport – that would
have been much more embarrassing than boarding the plane in my Iron Man
socks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The security didn’t stop when I left London, after the
attacks, Paris was on high alert – and walking around the city with a suitcase
resulted in it being opened and searched every time I passed through a door.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Police presence was the highest I’ve ever witnessed, which
was understandable, especially considering the Climate Change talks that were
occurring around the corner from my hotel. Any concerns I may have had about
visiting Paris, which were minimal, were diminished as soon as I arrived – it
really did feel like the safest place to be. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This was a business trip, which meant straight to the venue
for a meeting with the team I’d be working alongside all week, thankfully some
were students who volunteered to work at the event and all lived in France. A
lovely chap showed me to my hotel, meaning I wasn’t wandering around Paris all
night by myself, and I checked in without a hiccup. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I stayed in Hotel Normandy, strategically placed in the
centre of Paris and also extremely posh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So posh in fact, that as I experienced room service for the first time,
I was charged 4euro for a bag of crisps that I stupidly mistook for a portion
of chips, a rooky error on my part. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Make no mistake, despite the posh appearance; the hotel was
probably the oldest building in Paris. This led to severe concerns that the
place was haunted, and those who know me will be well aware, I don’t do ghosts.
I used my 21 years of wisdom however and had words with the room to leave me in
peace for the week, they played by the rules and I left the chair in the corner
alone (it looked as if it was positioned for somebody other than myself). BBC
World was on the TV and I fell asleep in a bed big enough for ten in a room big
enough for a party. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Overall, an interesting first day. </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5921159647202814042.post-61203498263341449872015-11-28T11:24:00.000+00:002016-08-19T15:42:05.709+01:00Venice | Returning to the floating city<br />
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For a long time, I’ve been so against going back to the same place twice. I have family friends who every year visit the same country, stay in the same city and sleep in the same hotel. There was something about it that alarmed me terribly. There is so much of the world I haven’t seen, so many things I hadn’t done and Panda’s I hadn’t cuddled, that the thought of being trapped in a never ending cycle of holidaying in the same place every year became my biggest fear.<br />
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But then there was <a href="http://www.talesbytye.com/2015/05/venice-italy.html" target="_blank">Venice</a>. The magical city that became my real life Narnia, the place that captured my heart in its entirety. The second I left I carried on dreaming of the giant maze I pretended was my second home – and that’s exactly what going back felt like, home. We knew our way round (very tiny parts) and recognised so much, it felt familiar, in a warm comfortable way. Despite the familiarity, it didn’t lose an ounce of its magic, and proved to be the perfect place for a romantic weekend.<br />
<br />
The streets were still there old charming selves, the water bus was still the best mode of transport I’ve ever taken, and the food tasted like unicorn spread on panda bread (not that I condone eating panda). This time we stayed in the centre of Venice, it was off season which meant accommodation was much cheaper, and we were round the corner from Piazza San Marco. It was still busy, full of tourists in all the main areas, but it’s something I can ignore when the city looks as beautiful as Venice.<br />
<br />
I keep asking myself what it is about Venice that makes it so magical, maybe it’s because there are no cars, maybe it’s because for a city attracting so many tourists everything is so old, or maybe it’s because the entire city is sinking. There is something pretty alluring (although devastating) about the fact that it won’t be there forever, no matter how much is being done to preserve it.<br />
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If you haven’t been, you should do. Eat pancakes for breakfast, jump on a water bus, visit Murano during sunset when there’s nobody but the locals around, put on a stone in pizza and pasta, get lost in the maze and then attempt to find your way out, spend all your pennies on postcards and glass ornaments and have lunch by the grand canal (though beware of the seagulls that are bigger than a small child).<br />
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I worried about going back to the place I held so dear, in case it didn’t live up to my expectations. But somehow, the floating city, was even more magical than before.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0UkouC3BWrirVJAd8-Y1ntiXazxsKYbHAU9HQ57A7b2nlXohttN-ydQNUdui7WuLaXKSCxyeRR_Olg4KnnOqFpU9wOvKjrOK2tHZJQN-6acAZ8gohcoVzaUTOgOweRJP4yXzxffCKHbA/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0UkouC3BWrirVJAd8-Y1ntiXazxsKYbHAU9HQ57A7b2nlXohttN-ydQNUdui7WuLaXKSCxyeRR_Olg4KnnOqFpU9wOvKjrOK2tHZJQN-6acAZ8gohcoVzaUTOgOweRJP4yXzxffCKHbA/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you're planning a trip, here's our favourite spot in the city ♥ </td></tr>
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