♡: United Kingdom

Showing posts with label United Kingdom. Show all posts

A couple of weeks ago, Ed and I had an urge to take one last trip before Christmas and we had just one essential criterion: a festive AF Christmas market.

With that in mind, we scoured the cheapest flights and landed (pardon the pun) on Edinburgh. I had never been to Scotland before and Ed had been to Glasgow with rugby, so both of us were really excited to experience Edinburgh as we had heard great things about the city and especially ... THE CHRISTMAS MARKETS.

As a notorious festive fiend (you will literally never find me more excitable than at Halloween and Christmas) I was extra excited about the markets (hence the caps lock) and just the Christmassy feeling of the city in general.

We arrived Monday morning on the 6:30am flight (my eyes were so puffy from lack of sleep that I could barely see after waking up at 3:45am to get to the airport, it wasn't the best look but ANYwho). We jumped in a taxi at Edinburgh airport and arrived at the Haymarket Hub Hotel on Clifton Terrace a speedy 15 minutes later where - thank the LORD - our room was ready. Within I'm gonna say 3 minutes of getting into our room, I had my fleece lined Penneys leggings on, two jumpers (Edinburgh is FREEZING - and as the coldest person in the world as it is, I'm not sure I was quite expecting just how cold it would be) and was passed out for a blissful 3 hour nap.

After a much needed siesta (the irony of it not by any means due to the weather being too WARM to be outdoors) we got ready - with many, MANY layers on and a camel coat each on top, matching hats (unintentional) and multiple pairs of socks, we set out to explore. The hotel we stayed in was really reasonably priced and was in the perfect location, with a tram station right outside the door or a 20 minute walk to arrive in the centre of everything.

As Monday literally poured with rain all day, we figured we would leave the outdoorsy, festive things until Tuesday when no rain was scheduled. First up on Monday, we needed food, and comfort food at that. I had heard Montpeliers came highly recommended and the menu online looked amazing so we headed for there. I had the most amazing Mac & Cheese with pulled pork and a glass of rosé - absolute BLISS. It had such a cosy, Christmassy feeling and I honestly could've stayed tucked up in there away from the rain all day.

We popped across the road to Project Coffee, grabbing some flat whites to keep our energy levels up after the food and wine coma we were then in, and headed up to the Camera Obscura, just beside the castle. I'm sure you've seen tonnes of photos of pretty much anyone who's visited Edinburgh in the Camera Obscura (e.g. the one where one of you looks tiny and the other looks like a giant? See below if confused). It was really cool and fun and I actually liked that it's not like a massive museum that takes ages to get through but still has lots of cool displays to see and take groovy pictures with.

After the Camera Obscura, we made our way back to hotel (walking in the PELTING rain might I add) and safe to say we were soaked to the skin by the time we got back and ever so happy to be reunited with our hotel bed. After thawing out and heating up, Ed went downstairs to the bar to grab us some drinks and we just chilled in bed and watched Gogglebox, passing out pretty early in anticipation of another day of exploring to come.

The next morning, feeling much more rested, we got up, ready and out in record time, making our way to Princes Street first for a stroll around, a spot of shopping and grabbed a coffee in the cutest, coolest independent coffee shop - Fortitude - a yummy traditional scottish sweet treat called Cranachan (so good) and a reusable coffee cup because -sustainability - and also it was v cute and had a pink lid and the guy in there was really nice soooo I ended up buying one.

Next up was the castle - which we happily got lost on the way to, ending up in the gorgeous Prince's Street Gardens for a little while - but eventually arriving at the tip top of Edinburgh (kind of) to the castle and taking in the gorgeous views at Golden Hour. We didn't go inside as any research I did said that paying for the tour wasn't really worth the money and that the best bit was the outside of the castle itself and the views.

After the castle, we wandered down the Royal Mile and into Grassmarket - such an adorable area of the Old Town - popping into some gorgeous Christmas shops, vintage shops and the cosiest little pub ever called The Last Drop for some food and a drink to warm our cockles (I would like to reiterate just how cold Edinburgh is - this coming from someone who is cold IN her heated home on Dublin's northside - it's so much colder than Ireland). As it started getting dark and the Christmas lights started twinkling and sparkling at us from outside the window, we decided it was the perfect time to hit the Christmas markets.

As the trip to Edinburgh was largely influenced by the festive JOY that is the Christmas Markets, our expectations were high and I must say they did not disappoint. Hundreds of little wooden huts adorned in twinkling fairy lights, the smell of crepes and hot dogs and mulled wine in the air and just the overall festive feeling, it was perfect. We got a gorgeous hand-painted bauble from one of the stands which we were able to get personalised for free, so we got it personalised for our first official Christmas together (stay tuned on Instagram for our Christmas tree/decorations to come - it's literally killed me to have to wait until December to put stuff up).

We grabbed some mulled wine (mulled cider for Ed, he's not a fan of the old vino) and strolled around all the gorgeous stalls and went on the Ferris Wheel which gave us the best view over the markets and Edinburgh itself - possible the best Christmas-dressed city I've seen - which was magical.

After the markets we (reluctantly) made our way back to our hotel to collect our bags and head to the airport (super close to the city centre and so easy to get to by tram/bus/taxi) to catch our flight back to Dublin.

It was the best, most festive couple of days and I would really recommend a trip to Edinburgh if you can squeeze it in before Christmas/in the new year. I'm sure it is gorgeous all year round, but there's something so special about the atmosphere there at Christmas time that is just the best. Check out my Edinburgh highlight on Instagram for more clips and pics of Edinburgh - the markets, the streets and more.

I'm already itching to book our next little break (obvs when I'm less broke as a result of, you know, Christmas), so please leave suggestions if there's anywhere you've been that you think we should go next.

Thank you for reading as always, and I hope you are all enjoying the festive season as much as you can. I know Christmas can be such a hard time for people, especially with the expectation to be super happy and festive and joyous when you may be feeling the opposite, so if this is you - just take care of yourself, do not pressure yourself into forced festive situations and remember, it will all be over in the blink of an eye, so just hang tight.

Lots of love,

S ✗

**photo credit - mostly Ed

When I met Jackie in London, we went to Camden as neither of us had ever been there before. Camden is such a cool place, it's amazing how it's only a couple more stops on the tube than Buckingham Palace or Notting Hill and it could not be any more different! I had always wanted to see Camden, and although (as you can see from the photos) it was quite a dreary day, it did not take away from just how impressive and unique the entire place is.

The first thing I noticed was all the buildings. On tonnes of the shop fronts (as you can see in the photos), there are three-dimensional structures protruding out of the buildings - each of them significant to whatever the store below it is. For example, the jean store (above) has a metal pair of legs wearing jeans jutting out of the top level of the store front. Likewise, the shoe store has four different types of shoes - in giant dimensions - jutting out of the store front. I found it opened my mind a lot to just take the chance to look around me and take in this amazingly unique place that was like nowhere I had ever been before.

Another one of the main things I noticed about Camden was the people. Never in my life have I seen so many different types and styles of people in one place, each one different to the next in copious different ways. Every single person I passed had their own unique look, style, hairstyle, fashion sense and quirky other things that made them individual - such as detailed, colourful tattoos and piercings. Every person seemed so comfortable in their own skin, and I never felt as though I was being judged for anything when I was there - what I was wearing, my accent/where I was from, what I looked like, even when I was stopping every 10 seconds to take photos to capture it all, - everybody seemed so open minded and so accepting, and just not even wasting a moment caring about what anyone else thought or what anyone else was doing.

We saw two people waltzing in the street outside a music store, looking so incredibly happy and content and it made me smile to see that. That's something I think is missing from a lot of places I've been, not so much in England - definitely not in London all that much, everyone there seems quite open-minded and accepting of everybody else. But particularly where I am from at home, so many people spend so much of their time judging others for their choices or actions or clothing or who they choose to hang around with or have a relationship with or how they do or don't do their make-up and where they go and what they enjoy doing. And I have such a hard time understanding why. It seems like such a waste of energy to me.

Being in Camden, Notting Hill and in London in general really put things into perspective for me and I realised it is the open-minded, all-accepting attitude of the people there that makes it one of my favourite places to be and it's why I feel so content and at ease when I am there, despite the busyness of the city itself. It made me realise that if people can be so open-minded and free-spirited and all-accepting like that in a place that is literally just across the pond, surely everyone can try a little harder to practice that in their own lives, wherever that may be in the world. I bet you'll feel lighter, more carefree and more content once you stop concerning yourself so much with other people and what they do or wear and why they do so, and what those other people may think of you. Because really, who cares? Why should it matter? If you're happy doing something or wearing something or being with someone or doing a certain hobby, why should it matter if others have an opinion on that? Unless it's someone close to you, why should they give a damn? And why should you waste time giving a damn what they think? You know what they say, "Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter." Think about that the next time you feel insecure about the way someone looks at you and frowns or whispers to a friend. They more than likely don't matter to your life in the grand scheme of things, and instead of assuming they're saying something bad, open your mind and your heart and decide that they are complimenting you and admiring you. Do you. No matter what.

(That turned into a ramble that was not planned, but I believe it was an important ramble all the same.)

Jackie and her friend Katie wanted to get their ear pierced (tragus) while we were there, so we found a tattoo and piercing studio (there are literally TONNES to choose from, there is one every ten metres, and I am not exaggerating about that) that would do it for them. After some pep talks and calming down, they both emerged smiling, slightly sore but glad they had gone through with it.

We strolled through Camden Lock and the hundreds of little stalls in there selling every single thing you could imagine - make up bags that said "I love you more than Kanye loves Kanye," antique cameras that still worked, handmade jewellery, paintings, photo frames, candles, handmade greeting cards, Vintage clothing, band t-shirts and tonnes more interesting things. You could spend hours in there just wandering around. We were swiftly drawn in by the smell to the food section of the market. The scents wafting out could be picked up anywhere on the street for a mile. Food stalls of all cuisines and nations adorned the streets, all squashed on top of one another, beautiful colours and smells of dishes greeting your eyes everywhere you looked. SO GOOD.

I would love to explore Camden more sometime soon, I've heard so many amazing things about the place and although I'm satisfied with what I saw in my time there, I'm intrigued to find out more about this unique place which unintentionally almost hides its unparalleled charm in the corner of London Town. I would definitely recommend a visit here.

Please feel free to share your experiences if you have ever been somewhere like this that made you feel accepted and free, or if there is some place in the world that you love for some reason, where ever that may be, or even your thoughts on what I discussed in this post about the importance and value of feeling comfortable in your skin - I would love to hear about your opinions, thoughts and experiences. Feel free to leave a comment or tweet me @Siof_ .

Thank you so much for reading,

Síofra

♡

P.s. Follow me on Instagram (@siofiee150112) for more travel photos and life updates!

Next up on the London Appreciation list was Covent Garden. I went here the weekend I met up with Jackie. I've always loved Covent Garden, it has such a great atmosphere and is always full of people, great food, street performers, stalls of handmade crafts and of course all the gorgeous little shops like Dior, Neal's Yard, Chanel, Burberry and many beautiful others that I could barely afford to breathe over the threshold of. It also holds

many gorgeous restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and quirky little knick-knack shops where you could get lost in a wonderland of...STUFF for lack of a better word!

As it was Valentine's Day (London really do go all out), the British Heart Foundation had this cute little structure set up just outside Covent Garden's main Market Hall. As you can see it spells L-O-V-E and the letters were made of out a kind of caging. You could purchase a padlock for £2 and 'Share the Love' by writing your name, you and your loved ones name/friend's name, a nice message, and attaching it onto one of the letters. I thought this was a really sweet idea and it was touching to see how many people did so with loved ones, friends and family. All the proceeds from purchasing the padlocks went to the British Heart Foundation and I just thought the entire thing was such a lovely idea, and an effective way to raise awareness and to encourage support of this important charity.

Godiva Chocolate Covered Strawberries. I'm going to go on record and say these, along with Hummingbird Cupcakes and Ladurée Macarons are one of the tastiest sweet treats EVER. Such a simple idea but the combination is genius. Quite pricey for what they are but so SO worth it. Thank you, Godiva, for setting up a store in Covent Garden. These HAVE to be tasted to be believed.

Are you sensing an underlying food theme to these posts? What am I talking about, there's basically an underlying food theme to my life. Brace yourselves, people.

This was not quite as lengthy a post as the last one but do stay tuned, there is plenty more to come!

I hope you are enjoying this London Appreciation series, I would love to know your favourite places in London if you have been, and if not where would you like to go? Feel free to leave comments, I'll be sure to reply :)

Thank you for reading,

Siofra

♡

P.s. Follow me on Instagram (@siofiee150112) for more travel photos and life updates!