Finally a White Christmas

Being away from my family during the holidays does not get any easier the more it happens. So the best remedy for homesickness is to distract yourself with something amazing. I’ve been away from home for almost 2 years and in that time I am yet to see snow. Boo! So in hopes of finally having a white Christmas a cabin was booked, the car was packed, snow clothes and hiking boots were bought and the Scottish Highlands were in my sights. I have yet to explore much of the UK as its much like travelling around Australia, generally more expensive than getting on a plane and seeing something further away. So I was pretty excited to be seeing something of my ‘backyard’.
The car ride to Scotland is a long one, however being Aussie is meant to make long car journey’s a piece of cake, right? Ahhh probably should have rethought that idea. But after a long 12 hours we finally reached our destination.
	The cabin was attached to a house right in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but snowy mountains and pine tree plantations around. It was truly beautiful. The owners of the cabin had really outdone themselves, the cottage was more wonderful than I could ever imagine, and I joked it was better than my home in London, haha not kidding; I would have easily lived there.
Christmas isn’t Christmas without tons of food and booze, and being away on holidays and away from family (well most of them) is no excuse. We stocked the cottage, mostly with booze and things to make cookies with ready for a fun 10 days. (we made sure we had enough Tim Tams for the holidays, hehe). The closest town to our cottage was Inverness and it was around 30mins away. So we were literally in the middle of nowhere.
Sadly the cottage was not covered in snow on Christmas day, but I settled on an early morning hike to go and see some snow, it’s practically the same, right? We were informed it was a fairly easy climb, and would take around 3-3.5hours to complete. So after a coffee and a quick Merry Christmas, we set off for a Scottish adventure.
	The sun was shining and the air was crisp, it was perfect hiking weather. I was surprised at how many locals were also out hiking early Christmas day. The hike was fairly easy, and the ground was sprinkled with snow, as we climbed higher the ground became an icy snowy track. I actually wasn’t prepared for how slippery it was. I didn’t think we’d make it to the top.
After a slow final climb we reached the top, and it was seriously the most amazing views I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas morning (except the one my parents and brother seemed to have on the Gold Coast of Aus, only slightly jealous of their first beach Christmas). Tons of photos were taken, and a hangry Bec emerged, it was midday and I was definitely ready to feast.
I was right at home in the cottage kitchen; it was fully stocked with everything I could dream of. I made shortbread, gingerbread cookies, Anzac biscuits, apple crumble, and loads of other delicious treats. After last year’s turkey, we decided that took way too long to cook, and we couldn’t really be bothered with that, so we cooked an amazing pork dish. I’m impressed with my awesome chefing skills.
	We spent the rest of the day eating, drinking, and playing board games, perfect wintery Christmas day.
Scotland has a lot to offer and we spent every second day in the car going to see some amazing sights. We visited the Loch Ness, Isle of Skye and the Eilean Donan Castle. I had no idea people still lived in castles, where is my Scottish Prince whisking me away to live in a castle. Scotland is also famous for whisky and haggis. I’m not really a fan of either, having tried both at a Rabbie Burns night, but travelling with a bunch of boys meant I was given no choice in visiting breweries and eating at pubs. I didn’t complain too much :P
	The views around the Loch Ness were seriously stunning. We walked along a Loch, which was super slippery, and I was sure my brother was going to fall in head first; I don’t think he took a step without slipping. As you drive around Scotland you can’t help but stop and take pictures every little while. The scenery changes and reveals more amazing sights. We stopped the car and climbed a small hill (when I say small it was still huge, it just wasn’t a mountain) and watched the sunset.
	Around our cottage there were walking tracks, and plenty of pine tree plantations to fill our time with. With such limited day light hours, we spent most of them outdoors taking in all we could. The great thing about Scotland is that even though the weather is snowy and cold, you still have that amazing sunlight. The sun was out every day, beautiful.
We had every intention of going to Hogmanay in Inverness, however the kind neighbours invited us over for an early whisky, and the thought of going back out into the cold weather and driving back into town was not appealing anymore, so we spent New Year’s drinking and being merry with the neighbours.
Before we knew it our holiday was coming to end, and to finish the trip off nicely, we headed to Edinburgh to see the castle. As we arrived and I was climbing the hill to the castle it decided to dump a heap of sleet over me, and I was freezing. I thought snow was meant to be pretty and fun, this was not. But within 30mins the weather changed and the sun was shining, and there was no sign of cloud in the sky. Haha typical. I was pretty exhausted by this stage, so we wondered around Edinburgh, feasted on pub foods, and had an early night, ready for our trip back to London the next day.	I would definitely go back to Edinburgh and really enjoy the city. I didn’t really have time, or energy to get excited and enjoy it. So back it goes on the bucket list.
	I can finally say I’ve had a white Christmas, and it was amazing!
	Peace out for now Bxxxx

Dublin

Okay, Okay, we all know it. I am lazy when it comes to updating this blog. SORRY!! I will try and be better. I'm on a mission now to try and get all my trips on here before they are a year after actually happening. Can I do it??? Hmmmmm, let's just say I wont be putting money on me.Right, so on to Dublin. There is so much to say about Dublin. Basically I spent 4 days in August 2013 venturing around Dublin, taking in the sights, and filling my plate with delicious foods.

As per usual, the trip was planned around where I was going to eat. This was proving quite difficult, as there seemed to be more places I wanted to eat at, than meal times. But don't you worry, I worked a way around this issue.

SIGHTSEEING

Dublin is quite a cute town with tons of historic buildings, and plenty of cool landmarks to see. There are plenty of cathedrals to see, St Patrick's and Christ Church were the two most notable ones. They were quite picturesque with the gardens surrounding them, and the over cast day, made them even prettier to photograph.

Dublin has some cool stories, and songs that outline the history of Ireland. Molly Malone is one, whether the song is based on the real Molly who lived during the 17th Century, or not. Its still a pretty cool statue to see. As is the Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship, which sailed during the time of Famine. Quite impressively, Jeanie never lost any crew or passengers during her voyages.
Dublin is filled with students, and one of the major tourist sites, is the Trinity College and the Book of Kells. The Trinity College is one of the oldest colleges in Dublin, and is home to the largest library in Ireland, which is home to the book of Kells. I believe even some of Harry Potter was even filmed here, in the long room, which is pretty cool.

What is a trip to Dublin without stopping by the Guinness Storehouse? This place is set up like an amusement park. You basically start in the bottom of the tower, and work your way up through the levels, finding out how, and what goes into making the perfect Guinness. Your ticket even entitles you to either a free Guinness in the bar at the top, or you can learn how to pour the perfect Guinness. Not being a beer drinker I decided to just go to the top of the tower and see the view. And boy is it impressive! You can see most of Dublin.

Now that the sights are out of the way, let's move onto my favourite part......

FOOD

First stop was for burgers and Bobos. These were the most amazing burgers, I've ever had in my life. I still dream of these creations. Being gluten free, burger places that sell gluten free buns are hard to come by. But at Bobos, they serve the burgers gluten free by using lettuce leaves in place of the bun. So I could eat any burger on the menu, winning!!! The meat patties were so deliciously amazing, and all the fillings went together perfectly. It was a burger heaven. We ended up eating there twice during our stay, that's how amazing they were, and I'd definitely go back to Dublin, just for these burgers.

Another favourite food of mine is sushi, and Yamamori Sushi was the perfect place to feed this addiction. The sushi was so fresh and delicious, the salmon and everything we sampled was amazing. I haven't had sushi as good since. Let's put that down as another reason to go back to Dublin.

Vegetarian, vegan and raw food cafe's draw me in for their delicious foods, and organic wines, and amazing desserts. Dublin again was no different. Corncuopia was a cafe which prides itself on their selection of vegetarian dishes. They offer a great selection of organic, sulphate free wines, which were super tasty. I can also recommend their raw food desserts. They were nothing short of delicious. I did come back here for breakfast on our last day, and their coffees with almond milk, were super amazing.

Across from Cornucopia is a cute all natural gelato place. The owners were there the day we went in, and they explained how they made the products. The sorbet was completely dairy free, and made with fresh fruits. I couldn't not try them. Two scoops coming right up.

Lastly, after all the vegetarian foods it was only natural to feast on pure protein. The Brazen Head, was a cute pub, with a cute old man bar tending, with cute chairs and tables, and even chairs made to be like horse riding saddles. The walls are filled with stuffed heads of beasts, not sure if the owner has killed these himself, but it added a nice edge the pub.

The menu was quite simple, and basically offered any type of meats, shredded, slow roasted, and baked. It was a carnivore's dream.

So that was my trip to my home country, food with a side of sightseeing. I never imagined Dublin to have so much to offer. It has been one of the better foodie trips I've been on. I would definitely go back just for those burgers :)

Peace out for now....
Bxxxx

Copenhagen

This has been top of my list of places to visit since I arrived in the UK. I’ve been dreaming of this trip for months. And when my friend suggested we go for my birthday and for the Christmas Markets, I honestly cried. This would be the best birthday of my adult life! There were a few key things I wanted from this trip. I wanted to go to 42Raw (a cafe that only serves raw food), Paleo (a cafe that only serves paleo foods) and the Christmas Markets. The trip over was awful and I will NEVER fly with Easyjet again. But that bitching will be saved from your eyes, cos I’m that kind: P
The first day started with a trip on the train to the little mermaid statue. Mind you the trains themselves are amazing, and way bigger than my house. It felt like I was in the future. The trains had TV’s and plush chairs, London tubes could really take some pointers from them. So I arrived at the statue of the Little Mermaid, which has been the centre of the Disney movie, and some other dude who wrote the actual story, I forget his name.
	We didn’t have a plan till lunch time, so spent some time wandering the streets. Copenhagen is beautiful; it has everything I’d ever want in a town. Every second shop is a health food, or organic cafe. Aimlessly walking lead us right into the palace square, where at that exact moment the changing of the guards was beginning. Talk about timing. I’ve never seen a changing of the guards, it’s all quite scripted and almost like a dance. It was quite interesting to watch. Near where the guards marched, there is a huge beautiful church. It’s a massive dome, and has murals, and stained glass all around the walls. I imagine the sounds on a Sunday here, when there a tons of people singing, would be wonderful due to the shape of the church.
Next stop LUNCH!!! And mannn have I been waiting for this for a loooong time. Little did I know that 42Raw and Paleo are actually in the same street and side by side. AMAZING!! So 42Raw was first on the tasting menu. I couldn’t decide what to have, so settled on a tasting plate: raw sandwich, raw lasagne and raw curry. I’m a fan of the raw food movement, only as a treat, or a change to the usual eating plan I have, and everything on this plate was delicious. Even my bacon loving, chicken eating friend liked the raw lasagne. I finished the meal off with a coconut and ginger brownie, and a vanilla cookie. The cookie was my favourite part. I honestly could have died happy after that cookie.
But there was more to discover........ The Tivoli Gardens are a huge draw card to Copenhagen, as they are only opened four times a year. And being a month till Christmas, they had opened a week or two before our trip, and were stocked with Christmassy stuff. The temperature dropped, and man was I cold. And for everyone who knows me, I whine, and whinge A LOT! I’m like a little kid. No attention span, always need a drink or to pee, or I’m cold, or I’m hot, or I’m tired. Haha can’t win really. So when I went to the Tivoli Gardens, it was night time and the temperature was around 1 degree. Yep I was dying. Pretty sure winter will kill me! But as soon as I saw the lights, and all the prettiness of the gardens, my freezing disappeared. It was soo fun and Christmassy, with tons of lights and decorations, and sweet sweet smells of sugared nuts, and waffles. I guess this is what you expect for a cold Christmas.	There was soo much to see and look at, my eyes and brain were in over drive! After a few hours, the excitement wore off, and I was back to being cold! But with a quick costume change I was off to a Ruby for birth day cocktails.
	Day 2 started with a late breakfast and then more wandering and stumbling upon great parts of the city. I saw Christmas markets, with a super jolly Santa, I had juices, and coffees at nice little cafes. And then it was time for Paleo: D
It’s the best feeling going into a cafe and knowing I can order anything on the menu and be able to eat it without dying or feeling awful. Paleo was everything I could imagine. I had a salmon wrap, which was made out of egg, and in the wrap was orange and pomegranate. It was simply divine. And what is lunch without dessert, coconut muffin and brownie with coconut butter and flakes. Too much YUM!!! With full bellies, we set off for more sightseeing. I have this ability to find organic food places no matter where I go. It’s like I am drawn to them, and no surprise I stumbled upon two food halls, which housed soo many different kinds of foods and oils, and drinks. EVERYTHING!
	After a rice milk gelato and peppermint tea, it was off to prep for dinner. On the menu were fishies!!!! When I arrived at Fiskebaren we were seated at a huge bar with a fish tank in the middle. So we were literally eating dinner with the fishies. The restaurant was a little more up market, and nothing seemed too difficult for them. They were soo helpful with all my allergies and issues; that they specifically made me a dessert with ingredients I could eat, which the chef bought out himself. The fish was super fresh and so delicious. The whole experience was fun, and really ended our nights in Copenhagen amazingly.
With our trip drawing to an end, we decided to spend our last hours in Copenhagen at the zoo!!! It was minus a million degrees, but that didn’t stop our excitedness.  One thing I don’t understand is how they can take a zebra from Africa and dump it in a zoo in Copenhagen where the temps are super cold, and the zebra just adapt and act like it’s the Bahamas. I’m freezing my a$$ off and I have a million layers of clothes on. The zoo was a ton of fun, and you could really get quite close to some of the animals. It really ended the trip off well.
	The flight home was a disaster, and again will never fly with Easyjet again. But Copenhagen is now my new favourite place on earth. Peace out for now...... Bxxxx

London: the home to free stuff

One of the great things about life in London is that there is always something to do or something to see that is totally free (except maybe the travel ticket). And over the last few weeks I've taken advantage of some great events.
BON JOVI So during summer, London has this festival that is held in Hyde Park (British Summer Time) and it has a ton of world famous singers and bands playing, usually Friday through Sunday. Tickets range from £29-£80. And being the poor person I am (haven't had a pay day since March) I decided groceries were probably more important than the Rolling Stones.
Anyhow, for those who have been to Hyde Park, it’s quite massive and this festival was only sectioned off by tall barriers. So, my house-mates and I decided to pack a picnic and camp out the front of the festival. It seems we weren't the only ones with that idea. The front of the gates are designed for free-loaders, decked out with bathrooms, and areas patrolled by police. With our wine, the sunset and Bon Jovi playing in the background, it was a pretty amazing night. Although I didn't get to see Bon Jovi, I could still hear him pretty clearly, and loud enough that we could sing along. Getting home from Hyde Park with another 10-15,000 people was a nightmare, and I'm still getting used to crowds, not sure I like them anymore than I used to. But I'm getting better at pushing through them.
	WIMBLEDON  As you all are probably aware Wimbledon tennis tournament was on a few weeks ago. And tickets to see the event were really difficult to get hold of, so I didn't even try. BUT the final seemed like a good idea to head out into London and find somewhere to soak up the sun and watch the match. Tower Bridge had a big screen and a bar set up, so what could possibly be better than watching the finals in front of a London icon. It seemed everyone in London had the same idea. The place was packed full of half naked people pretending it was the beach and basically sun baking. I've never seen anything like it.
Just on a side note, what’s with the British people and taking off their clothes in public when the weather goes about 20 degrees? It’s never appropriate to walk down the street shirtless, unless it’s on the beach, let alone ride your bike through Hyde Park in nothing but your underwear. Honestly!
So after we found a small patch of grass to actually sit down on, we were hundreds of feet from the actual screen, and a million bodies were between us and the screen. So we actually didn't get to see any of the matches, unless we stood on our tippy toes and strained our necks. Even then the glare from the sun prevented us from actually seeing the score. BUT it was still an amazing atmosphere, and when Andy won the game, the crowd went wild, and it was such a good thing to be a part of. With soo many free events on all the time, it’s super hard to keep up, but I don't think I’ll ever get bored living here. Peace out for now, Bxxxx