Travel: An (eventful) Stay in North Wales

Travel: An (eventful) Stay in North Wales

Saturday 28 October 2017

Read post

One of the (many) benefits of being a teacher are the lovely (and much needed) holidays slotted conveniently throughout the year, ready to take full advantage of. Having had itchy feet since my last trip to Germany in August, staying in Merseyside for the entire week’s holiday was not on the agenda. I’m currently saving up to buy a little home of my own, so spontaneous trips abroad are now well and truly off the agenda. Booking a little getaway was, however, much needed, so after browsing Airbnb for what seems like a lifetime, we settled on a glamping experience in North Wales for the night. We decided on this beautiful little Shepherds Hut in Rhosesmor, packed our bags and got set for a lovely little trip.

I must admit that the trip didn’t get off to the best start. We had a full itinerary of exciting things to do before we checked into the hut- we planned on going hiking in Moel Famau (and then realised quite quickly that that was a terrible idea- us? Hiking? HA!). After laughing off that suggestion, we settled on a stroll through a beautiful park in Connah’s Quay, hosting the most stunning waterfall. Instagram posts, romantic stroll, what more could we possibly ask for? Cue the rain, ruining plans and potential Instagram-worthy images. And, (un)ironically, the rain is where all of our problems began.

The place where our Airbnb was located was, to put in simply, in the middle of nowhere. The rain was falling heavily, the wind was blowing a hundred miles a minute and we were more than excited to get settled in and cosy in our little bubble away from the hustle and bustle of Liverpool. Finding the place proved a bit of a challenge, but following the instructions we had been given, we found ourselves heading in what we thought was the right direction towards the house. We went slightly too far down the road and had to turn around, except driving down the winding, narrow country roads meant that turning around in the middle of the road was damn near impossible. We drove down to the bottom of the road, came to a field and made an attempt to turn the car back around to drive into the house’s yard. I say the word ‘attempted’ purposely, as turning the car around proved much more difficult than anticipated. Mostly because of the fact the car had started to sink into the mud. Yes, you read that correctly.

Long story short, the car was stuck and no amount of manoeuvring was going to get us out. After failing to contact the people we were staying with, and full of fear that a baseball bat yielding farmer with the police on speed-dial was going to bombard us, we got straight onto the insurance company to come and tow us out. Whilst this was all going down, and policies were being checked and both Richard and I had had full on meltdowns, the airbnb host called me back and revealed that we were stuck on their field, and they’d happily come and pull us out with their tractor. Ridiculously embarrassed but relieved we weren’t going to be arrested, the car was rescued and we could finally get to enjoying our relaxing (!!!) weekend away.

And, boy, was it relaxing. Because of the awful weather, the lovely Sandra and her husband upgraded our stay from the Shepherd’s hut to the Summer House and it is honestly the most beautiful little house I’ve ever seen. We had everything we needed to have a relaxing stay, gifted with bread, breakfast goods and cheese and we were left to our own devices. Being the absolute geeks that we are, we had a relaxing afternoon listening to football, playing scrabble and enjoying the beautiful countryside. We drove into Mold in the evening for dinner and got back to the house in the early evening to enjoy the rest of our time away. Richard’s favourite film is Interstellar so we stuck that on and poured cocktails to sip whilst we watched. My favourite liquor is a Maltese one called bajtra, which is made from prickly pear fruit, and I’d been scouring the internet for cocktail ideas to try out. We awoke early the next morning and enjoyed a breakfast of welsh cheddar on fresh toast, yoghurts and fruit. Packing the car back up to go home was done ever so reluctantly, our thoughts already on our return back to the gorgeous countryside setting and where our travels will take us next. 

Food: Tickling My Tastebuds at The Vincent Kitchen, Liverpool

Food: Tickling My Tastebuds at The Vincent Kitchen, Liverpool

Monday 23 October 2017

Read post

Of all the things that Liverpool is famous for, I really do believe that it’s fabulous restaurant scene is the one that is the most underrated of all. There are a wide breadth of different cuisines readily available all over the city, with no street no more populous than Bold Street if you’re looking for the perfect place to dine. Whenever I’m struggling for somewhere to eat, I tend to take a wander down Bold Street and see what tickles my taste buds the most. New to the joint, The Vincent Kitchen sits perfectly amongst well-reputed restaurants with their own personal styles and unique palettes and when I was invited to check out their new menu, I was full of optimism for a fantastic evening of food. I was not to be disappointed.

Boyfriend in tow, we arrived at the restaurant with our expectations high and our stomachs rumbling. The place has a cool, chilled out vibe, furnished to a high standard with quirky wall art and a self-serve drinks machine that offered a crazy amount of flavoured fizzy drinks. I loved the added ‘spooky’ touch that had been put in place for Hallowe’en, although Rich wasn’t best pleased with the fake (but very realistic looking!) spiders scattered around the restaurant. The restaurant has built its reputation on the fact that the vast majority of its meals and drinks are suitable for those with special dietary requirements, with vegan and gluten free options available in surplus. I personally eat a predominantly (with the exception of drunken cheese feasts) dairy free diet and I know of people close to me who eat gluten free, so already I had high hopes for the food offerings. Knowing that there were gluten free beers available as well was an additional positive.

Having perused the menu, both Richard and I decided to build our own bowls, to really get the most out of the experience. I combined rice noodles with Moroccan lamb, butternut squash and sweet potato, a teriyaki glaze and cucumber salad. The butternut squash and sweet potato was seasoned in the most delicious chilli, mint and garlic mixture, and the lamb was sweet and minty, the perfect accompaniment to the sharp teriyaki glaze. Richard went for rice noodles with Thai grilled chicken, and after discussion with the waitress over spice levels, decided to try out the recommended peanut sauce; a bit of a kick, but not one that’ll leave you senseless. He went for butternut squash, sweet potato and cucumber salad on top. We were really impressed with the standard of the food, everything was cooked beautifully and went together so well, in spite of the range in choice. You can pair your meat, fish or veg choice with a whole range of different toppings, veg accompaniments and seasonings- there really is something for everyone, no matter your preference.  

I would definitely recommend The Vincent Kitchen to lovers of Thai and Asian style food and I must say that the experience on the whole was a fantastic one and I think we’ll be heading back to The Vincent Kitchen very, very soon.

Goodreads: October/November Reading List

Goodreads: October/November Reading List

Sunday 15 October 2017

Read post

Having settled into my new job, it’s high time I got stuck back into my reading list and got my end of year reading goal back on track. I have a week off for half-term coming up this month of October, so I’m counting that as opportunity to read to my heart’s content. On payday, I made a little book order using the Amazon 3 for £10 offer and picked up some books that I’m really excited to read.

At the moment, I’m reading The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan. There has been a lot of hype around this one, and 80 pages in, I can definitely see why. The writing style is flawlessly beautiful and I’ve really connected with all the complex and intriguing characters. It’s nice to read a book that reads as fluidly as this one and I haven’t found myself getting bored or switching off whilst I’ve been reading.

A book which has been on my radar for a while now is Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I have heard many things about this one, and obviously it was recently made into a motion picture movie. As is the case with any book to movie adaptation, I, like many Book Bloggers or BookTubers, like to read the book before seeing the film, so buying this one was a bit of a no-brainer really. The story follows Madeline, a young girl who suffers from allergies so severe she cannot leave her house. A new family moves into the empty house next door to hers and Maddy finds herself drawn to the family’s teenage son, Olly. I’m very excited to see what all the fuss is about regarding this book.

Another book that I’ve seen all over Bookstagram is One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus and I must admit that this one is probably the book that I’m most looking forward to reading. The synopsis reminds me a little of the story behind The Breakfast Club, and since The Breakfast Club is one of my favourite films, I am really excited to start reading this book. Hopefully it holds up to the high esteem I’ve placed it in, but quite frankly, I can’t see why it wouldn’t.

Finally, my last choice was a bit of a spontaneous one:  The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena. Again, I’ve seen this one floating around, with reviews coming up all over the place on Twitter and Instagram, but honestly, I don’t really know all that much about it. I liked the look of the cover, and we all know my feelings toward psychological thrillers, so it went in the basket for this month’s reading challenge. I’m still well ahead of my Goodreads challenge, in spite of my lack of reading prowess since my new job started, so I’m optimistic to hit my goal of reading 50 books in 2017.

What are you reading at the moment? Let me know!

Travel: A Whistle Stop Tour of Munich, Germany

Travel: A Whistle Stop Tour of Munich, Germany

Friday 13 October 2017

Read post

It’s been a little while since my last trip abroad, so it’s definitely time to write up my little travel guide for the amazing German city that I was lucky enough to visit. It’s fair to say that I’ve definitely got itchy feet and I am yet to book any trips for the coming months- other than a weekend away in North Wales with my better half, that is. When I went out to Nuremberg in August to reunite with my best year abroad pal, she offered me two places to visit, outside of Nuremberg city centre. One of the choices was Munich, the second was tiny town called Bamberg. Whilst the appeal of a gorgeous, picturesque town was hard to turn down, I’d always wanted to visit Munich and had a close encounter with the place when I was living in Strasbourg.

We decided to take the train into the city from Nuremberg, about two hours ride away. A little top travel tip: if you buy a Bayern Ticket, two travellers can go anywhere in Bavaria for around 31 euros. Great for couples, travellers and friends like Antonia and I who were travelling into and returning from the city together. In contrast to Nuremberg, Munich was incredibly different but it was somewhere that I am very happy to have finally visited. Before getting there, Antonia and I decided we would take full advantage of the amazing shops that the city had to offer and do a little bit of shopping together whilst we were there. We spent a few hours when we first arrived exploring the city and the shops, picking up a few bits and bobs whilst we had the chance. We had already grabbed a delicious lunch of pretzel with German salami at the train station so we were able to get well and truly stuck into shopping. After a quick stop at a restaurant for a drink, we decided it was time to check out the main tourist attractions.  

Antonia had kept the city under wraps from me, and I tried really hard not to Instagram the tourist sites and spoil them for myself. First on the agenda was Marienplatz, a beautiful square right in the centre of Munich, surrounded by bars, restaurants and shops. It was really crowded which was slightly offputting but the area takes on a very Baroque style and is absolutely beautiful to look at. We also had a look over at Neus Rathaus, the city’s town hall, adorned in beautiful red flowers. The building is gorgeous and full of character. A really beautiful stop on our whistle stop tour. Finally, after a little bit more shopping and a stop to buy snacks for the train ride back to Nuremberg, we had a walk across the city to the English Garden for a quick stroll around. The gardens were so picturesque, I felt so privileged to be allowed the opportunity to wander through them. After walking out of the gardens, we stumbled across a beautiful church and a really bizarre looking pine tree- an unexpected find at the end of a lovely day of explorations.

We jumped back on the train with tired feet, big smiles and lots of memories made.

I cannot wait to return to Munich to explore even more, in the near future.