tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9759374132227765552024-02-20T21:52:43.200+00:00Adventures of an English MumTravel, days out and family blogEmmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comBlogger488125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-44787789612414470102021-12-31T21:36:00.003+00:002021-12-31T21:36:57.663+00:002021 Roundup<p style="text-align: center;"> When I first started thinking about writing this post, I honestly couldn't think that I'd done enough to wrote a post about. The start of the year we were pretty much on lockdown as we were in Tier 3 and apart from work (education) and college for O we didn't get out much. As a family, we all got covid in July 2021 and the latter half of the year has very much been dogged by hospitalisation, medical tests, long covid, fatigue - sooooooo much tiredness and trying to get enough fitness back to have some kind of life. Although me and the man are not back to 100% we are much better than we've been at any point since July (touch wood!!) However, we are on the mend and I feel like we finally almost have our life back so here's a goodbye to 2021......</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>January 2021</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpUBpPPLlaHs0Mc7hxttPzEqNhR-wmXe85vuMGWTqCZzYgyExJaILTJ4F9Ua0YW1RL9R2R1KbThIqMyE_EpAwdwhyJFdg27z03PIUwqhbMSq7BxU4xb42GboXQnXDeWdK4yGSDQ40s2jgyj2YtBZKafmIy1RlO039FTM5ys9V1eS-KK4lRKnxXeQbt=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpUBpPPLlaHs0Mc7hxttPzEqNhR-wmXe85vuMGWTqCZzYgyExJaILTJ4F9Ua0YW1RL9R2R1KbThIqMyE_EpAwdwhyJFdg27z03PIUwqhbMSq7BxU4xb42GboXQnXDeWdK4yGSDQ40s2jgyj2YtBZKafmIy1RlO039FTM5ys9V1eS-KK4lRKnxXeQbt=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A good early January swim in the freezing cold always makes for a good start to the year!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTStuU-YIwga5t_wl3DsrYAhqn3c61LyVfp8VTiDt8ZVDq11COWMhAyzVOBXAbPFr2rtHxCmoiffI-s6gYNZs6o8BrDlO-kAQWcU1ZdPlznQi0gKCZo8CPrU_jnbnk4Nyo7RM8rrAtSU7jHfXZVvwT7RM3pe9PMchOHC2ex_8WrwxeS4oNkHEV8meL=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTStuU-YIwga5t_wl3DsrYAhqn3c61LyVfp8VTiDt8ZVDq11COWMhAyzVOBXAbPFr2rtHxCmoiffI-s6gYNZs6o8BrDlO-kAQWcU1ZdPlznQi0gKCZo8CPrU_jnbnk4Nyo7RM8rrAtSU7jHfXZVvwT7RM3pe9PMchOHC2ex_8WrwxeS4oNkHEV8meL=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Followed by a lovely amount of snow that actually meant we got snowed in and couldn't leave the village for 2 days. Love it when I don't have to go out in it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>February 2021</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjs_efs9hCxWvE9KpBsAXh__MR6rt_BPhC0kNq9O0L0Lft-fQoJqz3qCtlNmWapwflWNa68OHaUnayoG6M5CkP-363Rbj5pSEAFJRAV-tdtEYz9EnKR-wpsJJbTfJ1MAQl_fhSMMzNQ77VvPXAFTEtg7-jxu4cF9DYHQSmPq6P-VFeuHugvd_RrOZyc=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjs_efs9hCxWvE9KpBsAXh__MR6rt_BPhC0kNq9O0L0Lft-fQoJqz3qCtlNmWapwflWNa68OHaUnayoG6M5CkP-363Rbj5pSEAFJRAV-tdtEYz9EnKR-wpsJJbTfJ1MAQl_fhSMMzNQ77VvPXAFTEtg7-jxu4cF9DYHQSmPq6P-VFeuHugvd_RrOZyc=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A fairly quiet month as we were back in lockdown apart from the odd day at work so only pictures are Valentine flowers and cold dipping in the garden as every lake was shut (sobs!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHBZYRNiKO33bkKMp3Sac3kGpcFXT8p4F4jIXt8KHRXmCbu-tSBo5PeMG4JvvJewZ2i7HOcTGn4bHJvD9l5JDbZz6G7ov0T_m5sXgH-cj1qNR3X7UszoAfhOsNKM3lfIhbT4fqoLRo7GirGE6WWgZJF6D0QnnigJnHCx65ndlzlRkjao2G8fglcT6w=s1220" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHBZYRNiKO33bkKMp3Sac3kGpcFXT8p4F4jIXt8KHRXmCbu-tSBo5PeMG4JvvJewZ2i7HOcTGn4bHJvD9l5JDbZz6G7ov0T_m5sXgH-cj1qNR3X7UszoAfhOsNKM3lfIhbT4fqoLRo7GirGE6WWgZJF6D0QnnigJnHCx65ndlzlRkjao2G8fglcT6w=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>March 2021</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">The lake re-opens for more cold swimming, hurrah!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9cXAfPgSVnNjYVtyI9ZCBSg46ofn3y26xdASd0o1WYCg6gwn5zO3ZakRneybIUeHLnWzgPNyH6rAJhSJStoKG0iqJ-v6TSIBvSS2aHs8-vzzbp5-qD-_xdPBphhtlUYfoBniw2oxCHxXePmpkQ_K5_vkmIyVw9jewl5rjIhgXcyJOca6_LKyPmafb=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9cXAfPgSVnNjYVtyI9ZCBSg46ofn3y26xdASd0o1WYCg6gwn5zO3ZakRneybIUeHLnWzgPNyH6rAJhSJStoKG0iqJ-v6TSIBvSS2aHs8-vzzbp5-qD-_xdPBphhtlUYfoBniw2oxCHxXePmpkQ_K5_vkmIyVw9jewl5rjIhgXcyJOca6_LKyPmafb=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My favourite time of year has to be Spring. It's just the right temperature, the light is starting to return and life is starting to bloom again. My home town looks glorious: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxGgFpiXRdFWN2m_YGzZYg6rnzhLmlLNjM0487l6D8Zoys7MKYjT4mWQqzeN0R4nZURZPkjg6P19W48RhKqC7MkzA0mhmjOeQ8Uljetun0sb_3FCgW6k7YwgERsglXni05REXdHLivHKs5eOzX_61mJEzAzfkC0NYyYCacIaygPpOvWTnE4GPHWfgw=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxGgFpiXRdFWN2m_YGzZYg6rnzhLmlLNjM0487l6D8Zoys7MKYjT4mWQqzeN0R4nZURZPkjg6P19W48RhKqC7MkzA0mhmjOeQ8Uljetun0sb_3FCgW6k7YwgERsglXni05REXdHLivHKs5eOzX_61mJEzAzfkC0NYyYCacIaygPpOvWTnE4GPHWfgw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>April 2021</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWCSxbamZ7JFgUmano5HKehmVt1Nw1X2h25qW5Xz515ictbRo2wsfbz73DzHbTJHMbOwJkuLSdyoAmuaR3DheM4i_HeZ0wx9ca4nrv50j8p6IYzjZxThRUKmH3OW6PwtOaBD-S9XCqD5jyfdGM4BVXaNWLCrxOuXqLLqDwdNBENdjXXEM9M1DxVUDg=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWCSxbamZ7JFgUmano5HKehmVt1Nw1X2h25qW5Xz515ictbRo2wsfbz73DzHbTJHMbOwJkuLSdyoAmuaR3DheM4i_HeZ0wx9ca4nrv50j8p6IYzjZxThRUKmH3OW6PwtOaBD-S9XCqD5jyfdGM4BVXaNWLCrxOuXqLLqDwdNBENdjXXEM9M1DxVUDg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Very changeable weather in April. When we left for a walk for the above photo it was sunny and when we got to the top of Beacon Hill, snow!! Kids were thrilled.....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And cut to 3 weeks later and one of my favourite breaks of the year in Looe. Outdoor pool pretty much to ourselves and able to swim every day. One day........</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYPRxAcyFz8w3JvUGf1jciax7tqczr65Hi73UadVc4XYuT69fYuhYEG9Am6T6Bvu8Cdu_Y_sw5lY3z-U6IfEA2_8WaQvJbiwiYRgdH2u7TPfeLmADTnqIAk952hpnesB2r2dS-gu4vx5eFQzHegVDkVgr89dnZhxiwti4wW7d_4j-ZM9fvel_xDIPt=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYPRxAcyFz8w3JvUGf1jciax7tqczr65Hi73UadVc4XYuT69fYuhYEG9Am6T6Bvu8Cdu_Y_sw5lY3z-U6IfEA2_8WaQvJbiwiYRgdH2u7TPfeLmADTnqIAk952hpnesB2r2dS-gu4vx5eFQzHegVDkVgr89dnZhxiwti4wW7d_4j-ZM9fvel_xDIPt=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>May 2021</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In May we were lucky enough to head back to Dorset and the Church of St Nicholas and the etched windows. Another gloriously roasting hot day and a beautiful church where Lawrence of Arabia is buried:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPUZEoIslOWe7ZDY5lTLvwanE9CroHH59Ks9IZUrJd-W4U_hSi9qvrB_fYHZeqWI-T3-9CVhv0CUnZ_AARxSU8tVC1ztNRMhO8-nC4z3TU9XDs9-i_UuBcPhvenQVFSZ6qax6jHmIyHtQWBFodqf-LRVIhUv5UVhwwDgvRTNjI7AxjCMcp_8T951kF=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPUZEoIslOWe7ZDY5lTLvwanE9CroHH59Ks9IZUrJd-W4U_hSi9qvrB_fYHZeqWI-T3-9CVhv0CUnZ_AARxSU8tVC1ztNRMhO8-nC4z3TU9XDs9-i_UuBcPhvenQVFSZ6qax6jHmIyHtQWBFodqf-LRVIhUv5UVhwwDgvRTNjI7AxjCMcp_8T951kF=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A change of scenery but my girl is motorsport mad so a trip to Silverstone and a visit to the museum:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTHEfn8Z8MgX355P3FhgvLU_3nuRmB9r-vqQmrSWdeZYmYPX1XKb6l1OwFSIQnd1k56EcxobPWSc6qgvyoDBTb4sihRVVKdbsp3JC-oamLojwqDa_5TSY4kFsglntFgsX3ve2WTsPMW7xETpuaY2Ho7N2-PwYcz8jU4oEiAXq0wEt-yr4daRPQi5li=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTHEfn8Z8MgX355P3FhgvLU_3nuRmB9r-vqQmrSWdeZYmYPX1XKb6l1OwFSIQnd1k56EcxobPWSc6qgvyoDBTb4sihRVVKdbsp3JC-oamLojwqDa_5TSY4kFsglntFgsX3ve2WTsPMW7xETpuaY2Ho7N2-PwYcz8jU4oEiAXq0wEt-yr4daRPQi5li=s320" width="240" /></a></div> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>June 2021</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">June started off with sunburn and then a mad period of illness prior to covid but didn't miss my birthday visit to Chatsworth with JoJo!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4O4sKdZFteGpNK3ROuNQydYHjT8x5EF-0vi4KHRj8eMN8837DtUTDOOpyb-3ECE7YMO3CTO2LkEngljA2IuSpxG-vCtZaiSOyGSpARXV8pD22sLx42AoG2eCuv9Z3PVvptK_59ldQog7pqxYM743nQdks2wfbn69hqWfAbkB0B7bIY3RiPXlMN8FO=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4O4sKdZFteGpNK3ROuNQydYHjT8x5EF-0vi4KHRj8eMN8837DtUTDOOpyb-3ECE7YMO3CTO2LkEngljA2IuSpxG-vCtZaiSOyGSpARXV8pD22sLx42AoG2eCuv9Z3PVvptK_59ldQog7pqxYM743nQdks2wfbn69hqWfAbkB0B7bIY3RiPXlMN8FO=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Or a camping visit with my Niece and Nephew to East Wittering. The weather was glorious again and it was like being abroad. Love going on holiday with this gang as they all have wetsuits too so don't think we're mad for spending most of the time in the sea:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhResrEYeq1NS-XNnfxHM1fdV8_PaBqG-RguQlbo_t4aAeJr1L68_MqV2BTfoq1JzgfwodmSC__C9hx4eo7qgoWrY_BGYscOPbiopdy05dXydQuJQP90uCWmJfQ6cDb9MU0g-SgMfscA6lqtSve6DNs7CTlpBem-XZsF-FxVC3Qt3-FNEz0VSSQz6LV=s3032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3032" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhResrEYeq1NS-XNnfxHM1fdV8_PaBqG-RguQlbo_t4aAeJr1L68_MqV2BTfoq1JzgfwodmSC__C9hx4eo7qgoWrY_BGYscOPbiopdy05dXydQuJQP90uCWmJfQ6cDb9MU0g-SgMfscA6lqtSve6DNs7CTlpBem-XZsF-FxVC3Qt3-FNEz0VSSQz6LV=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>July 2021</b></div><p style="text-align: center;">As I mentioned at the start, this was the month that we got really ill nd whilst it may at some point be cathartic to blog about it, I still have PTSD and I'm not quite there with finding the words to describe it yet. What I can say though is as always it shows you truly who the people are that are there for you and check in with you. My family and friends are truly the best, from daily messages, food parcel drops, phone calls, medicine drops and keeping me sane, they are truly amazing. My work place have also been fantastic for the last 6 months and so patient that I cannot even begin to imagine what it might have been like if I had worries about my job on top of everything else. Suffice to say the only picture I took in July was a care package that my glorious team sent to us:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbwcxFNCrTKwawQkAllKG_fYVfvvG5N2kB3R2mYRePtEvfmovymzWm_h7BYhxVQ5Z3_FO16d7KRI2oaJg5rTMWh_8c-73saa5dooquKwmifSr0Fdzuc_IOcSgnuLL_Uzienly4QgCvWtw3WnQWkcjDJjLrM8AcoNasEjznOSTCJjCpTlteHTRTcyhV=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbwcxFNCrTKwawQkAllKG_fYVfvvG5N2kB3R2mYRePtEvfmovymzWm_h7BYhxVQ5Z3_FO16d7KRI2oaJg5rTMWh_8c-73saa5dooquKwmifSr0Fdzuc_IOcSgnuLL_Uzienly4QgCvWtw3WnQWkcjDJjLrM8AcoNasEjznOSTCJjCpTlteHTRTcyhV=s320" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>August 2021</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Had a very slow start due to a continuation of the above but we did make it right at the end of the month to the Moto GP and Silverstone. It was hard going and I was very slow moving but I did it. My highlight of the day was watching the amazing Monster stunt team:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHtt5lKZN12Z1ZwJOyO7dxRip_7hdo1V9qwo-bB4eztWczdxiSbEDFCnENlNsRJ1q3cn6qheBC8ZYPDfiplzZei7wx2EhuDx9TtpMxfcYiMzcNxmv7n1nPmWOGoUZMDbduiSlFMSL_F-KA6t3zOREG6AHeZZZ0VgdbbP-c8oJ0CgcfkCl9FE3zzwTi=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHtt5lKZN12Z1ZwJOyO7dxRip_7hdo1V9qwo-bB4eztWczdxiSbEDFCnENlNsRJ1q3cn6qheBC8ZYPDfiplzZei7wx2EhuDx9TtpMxfcYiMzcNxmv7n1nPmWOGoUZMDbduiSlFMSL_F-KA6t3zOREG6AHeZZZ0VgdbbP-c8oJ0CgcfkCl9FE3zzwTi=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also managed a night away at the Coast in Margate but could only manage sitting on the beach for half an hour and couldn't explore due to fatigue so a return visit needed!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnoT60PYlbezsblfXzPl9UDmoxBNX6cpUZTR769it8_RXn8hlvteeppNBcoBnnzuAX4W7oFG6rH-uRgHRrLl7ezENWStLDUNglEGDiOg2dhkm-mi76V8Sfffp8pHlYTrNVTUekKhOF3fDP5t8GnVlYk81ZSSsWutI9vp8fM7tzWJuWU3gSU9eJQPHy=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnoT60PYlbezsblfXzPl9UDmoxBNX6cpUZTR769it8_RXn8hlvteeppNBcoBnnzuAX4W7oFG6rH-uRgHRrLl7ezENWStLDUNglEGDiOg2dhkm-mi76V8Sfffp8pHlYTrNVTUekKhOF3fDP5t8GnVlYk81ZSSsWutI9vp8fM7tzWJuWU3gSU9eJQPHy=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><b>September 2021</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">For one week in September I actually fell well and luckily enough it fell when we went on our dream Disney cruise. We had the best time ever.....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiomHlsfoDEVc6UOZtS2WcX7rSZ2tpc2hy6Ixv4UyrP9S-ovO4gH497HWlhBTUfTqvVQx8kpsUVgNbwalTVvb0JOrQQ-XIbDHweCApaLsUAZdk9T6v7YiasDy5Ss-5aQ9GvBKZz0W4ECoWGSWMaPYhEenDe7SHxiKpsDo5nuExqEyrlR2870D1LuRNT=s3024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiomHlsfoDEVc6UOZtS2WcX7rSZ2tpc2hy6Ixv4UyrP9S-ovO4gH497HWlhBTUfTqvVQx8kpsUVgNbwalTVvb0JOrQQ-XIbDHweCApaLsUAZdk9T6v7YiasDy5Ss-5aQ9GvBKZz0W4ECoWGSWMaPYhEenDe7SHxiKpsDo5nuExqEyrlR2870D1LuRNT=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I've written a blog post already about how amazing the food was which you can find <a href="http://www.adventuresofanenglishmum.com/2021/11/disney-magic-at-sea-dining-experiences.html" target="_blank">here</a>! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7nN0M7xLMm8Qcxjbz7SGKjvVsXybpBZTBXJYQPNFUHzCuU7R6OeW9Nt4EWrieEl2YWhbANpkFVJf4oaUByOBYLFg9Zl8_RnLkuqkpKgjBdupXvEc_BjYBsvjBfDZsi8KFuPTW5dwmcAJpVyjuhJ1VWNCccuLcQzF11158U5DsCK30XUOjLHcael1_=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7nN0M7xLMm8Qcxjbz7SGKjvVsXybpBZTBXJYQPNFUHzCuU7R6OeW9Nt4EWrieEl2YWhbANpkFVJf4oaUByOBYLFg9Zl8_RnLkuqkpKgjBdupXvEc_BjYBsvjBfDZsi8KFuPTW5dwmcAJpVyjuhJ1VWNCccuLcQzF11158U5DsCK30XUOjLHcael1_=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The only word I have to describe the whole experience is magical and again I've blogged about it previously. If you missed it click <a href="http://www.adventuresofanenglishmum.com/2021/10/disney-magic-at-sea-uk-staycation-cruise.html" target="_blank">here</a>!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>October 2021</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm very lucky to have the most amazing husband who had booked a trip for us to Cornwall to see the Rocky Horror show in a cave and also drove us to Bude so I could check out the sea pool. Amazing place and wish I lived much closer!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuI_Y-cj5YRUDE1N8Dq-6br1P61WUApfTcEHS8fwFNVywuW-Qveu523FgGQenZf1vMHDYO0J7thqSmysnbu9y9LBtmkmLHx1zC8GENi_PjaHmdbk35078083j0WsF0O6ApUq1vTQoKWOasDO_7dgz5MqKSlxHhpENxjEIyP-755pk88MTBJuSQo0_D=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuI_Y-cj5YRUDE1N8Dq-6br1P61WUApfTcEHS8fwFNVywuW-Qveu523FgGQenZf1vMHDYO0J7thqSmysnbu9y9LBtmkmLHx1zC8GENi_PjaHmdbk35078083j0WsF0O6ApUq1vTQoKWOasDO_7dgz5MqKSlxHhpENxjEIyP-755pk88MTBJuSQo0_D=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Which tipped nicely into Halloween and the start of Autumn proper. Still have the Disney theme going strong with the ears!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8QIPSdVPKTkLIJl0g8Kn2Lh99rEVZFmgnTAsdo7NwoUA2sYc6R9QLtX4NSRsBfOBOhze8JROzPhDc7M_9CKTB9vfX_zyd2qwrXijGyu9QN4xaqbs8_Z-OHnN-tWKt3Ks08UntfwAoLJxkKvibNwy6_rAdYjDTvoV_pTmGAcny7vyYID-qRNg-guWH=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8QIPSdVPKTkLIJl0g8Kn2Lh99rEVZFmgnTAsdo7NwoUA2sYc6R9QLtX4NSRsBfOBOhze8JROzPhDc7M_9CKTB9vfX_zyd2qwrXijGyu9QN4xaqbs8_Z-OHnN-tWKt3Ks08UntfwAoLJxkKvibNwy6_rAdYjDTvoV_pTmGAcny7vyYID-qRNg-guWH=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b><br /></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>November 2021</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimEhmij_Y6eSc-_7P24j9KE_2BFtcaN6MrSvXA6auVlMSrTlwvncRfiEigRLzpdFv74GGS6Cm51u3kH0a8pMEX1_21FHxsVfv35-_6tHA35unvYRFfdsfSeZkTdwLLrSfqVQVO2H3VZqcsa_IlyqQTR2je6Fkd_dphW0eMpC1fPJrcCwsR8BtDNygA=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimEhmij_Y6eSc-_7P24j9KE_2BFtcaN6MrSvXA6auVlMSrTlwvncRfiEigRLzpdFv74GGS6Cm51u3kH0a8pMEX1_21FHxsVfv35-_6tHA35unvYRFfdsfSeZkTdwLLrSfqVQVO2H3VZqcsa_IlyqQTR2je6Fkd_dphW0eMpC1fPJrcCwsR8BtDNygA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I have no idea how November came around so quickly but an amazing night out with the gorgeous <a href="https://ginobsessions.com/" target="_blank">Gin Obsessions</a> to watch Six the Musical and drink mucho cocktails!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3IgAGALUykNYJ6RBTcZZbU2JX6uctidjGyXr8O_XDXQHzdRATbElQybUjOlM175tlNoDLKB4XvN7aDqgrB7DDHPE-DM1B3lW6OlZ2EePtWigQjcDczW91Hd1rzNjajYDphIzfOQuNRRdY-82g9ub9NV4aVbpKX8CYorJi9Df9g__OncvN0mtvkIlT=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3IgAGALUykNYJ6RBTcZZbU2JX6uctidjGyXr8O_XDXQHzdRATbElQybUjOlM175tlNoDLKB4XvN7aDqgrB7DDHPE-DM1B3lW6OlZ2EePtWigQjcDczW91Hd1rzNjajYDphIzfOQuNRRdY-82g9ub9NV4aVbpKX8CYorJi9Df9g__OncvN0mtvkIlT=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Followed by a fantastic trip to London for Chick's birthday to see Matilda the Musical.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>December 2021</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">December arrived even more quickly and with it a fantastic night out at the Lap of Lights at Silverstone. I've posted several things about it on my Instagram if you want more information but it was a lot of fun and the highlight was the axe throwing and curling!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My Christmas present from JoJo was for the Christmas Trail at Whatton House which was a brilliant experience and told the story of Scrooge through live theater and a light show. Absolutely loved it but wish it would have lasted much longer!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3SgV-Lo9M0K19xKklZDsBXjiZPsRrqtN9MnRYm5o0EYMTLSyxt-lLBNpXWRvWYdpSni81V_98Qcio8COhoKO55CiO2kSYLuEYaiP3lEGGR9gZJkg0oI7BHpubVWEqUyC0fsv6q7t-1hpBciStFMM0BIO8z5ZettyvQFNngqq3jN9sW7dKZlBe3g5C=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3SgV-Lo9M0K19xKklZDsBXjiZPsRrqtN9MnRYm5o0EYMTLSyxt-lLBNpXWRvWYdpSni81V_98Qcio8COhoKO55CiO2kSYLuEYaiP3lEGGR9gZJkg0oI7BHpubVWEqUyC0fsv6q7t-1hpBciStFMM0BIO8z5ZettyvQFNngqq3jN9sW7dKZlBe3g5C=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The cherry on top of this completely bats**t crazy year, is the culmination of 3 years work and the completion of an MSc in Strategic Leadership as well as Chartered Manager status. I know it's very far removed from my blogging life but helpful in the day job and I have NO IDEA how the hell I completed it with how ill I've been this year!!! So yay for me!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiziP99GMAe1IeOpvzTqZs-V1CUxZbtJmujJsll6wq5bI30HtM5-C_9Rtkt9jV4zcfcZqHKbQI0bDknVbOJJ-YLzFQiAHbkcunlVBkeqNrjM7PjOu5C2TABN-LTN0vN0sQSAgrx73RVv_qjR6uTYT5oM2hU_OZH9Pb2ORyITdqvZdhgj1RjmlLftbKj=s1500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiziP99GMAe1IeOpvzTqZs-V1CUxZbtJmujJsll6wq5bI30HtM5-C_9Rtkt9jV4zcfcZqHKbQI0bDknVbOJJ-YLzFQiAHbkcunlVBkeqNrjM7PjOu5C2TABN-LTN0vN0sQSAgrx73RVv_qjR6uTYT5oM2hU_OZH9Pb2ORyITdqvZdhgj1RjmlLftbKj=s320" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With that and Christmas done and dusted I'm saying a big fat, healthy hello to 2022! Do you have any goals or plans for 2022?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-43199888617429248992021-11-22T17:21:00.005+00:002021-11-22T17:21:54.886+00:00Disney Magic at Sea - Dining Experiences<p style="text-align: center;">this seems likes so long ago but the food was soooooo good that I felt like it deserved a post of its own! As this was my first cruise, I'm not sure whether rotational dining is normal on a cruise ship but I felt like they did it really well on the Disney Magic and it was nice to have the same waiting staff but different scenery and shows each night. The service aboard is second to none and nowhere more so than at mealtimes!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Animators Palate - Evening Meal</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ttpYmEzrkZg/YWbYmZwEgEI/AAAAAAAAEOM/7mGPpQsRp_cM1CJY_xrpNuLMnaK3XGiGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2Bat%2BSea%2B-%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ttpYmEzrkZg/YWbYmZwEgEI/AAAAAAAAEOM/7mGPpQsRp_cM1CJY_xrpNuLMnaK3XGiGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2Bat%2BSea%2B-%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ironically enough, I wasn't bothered about the Animators evening but it was one of the best experiences of the whole cruise for us. Lovely, lovely art work on the way in:</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVQw1fLDnXU/YWbZQ3S5hyI/AAAAAAAAEOk/2LSHia4Y3jUK7aonjaaqdWfmbM_3d8eXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BRestaurant.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVQw1fLDnXU/YWbZQ3S5hyI/AAAAAAAAEOk/2LSHia4Y3jUK7aonjaaqdWfmbM_3d8eXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BRestaurant.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">And on the walls which starts in black and white and changes to colour:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eyVSN9JW84Y/YWbY1oqblfI/AAAAAAAAEOU/I71Izv1P1tQ5IPYefnUvvvUkloRt3TBqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate%2B-%2BColour.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eyVSN9JW84Y/YWbY1oqblfI/AAAAAAAAEOU/I71Izv1P1tQ5IPYefnUvvvUkloRt3TBqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate%2B-%2BColour.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">When you are first seated you are asked to draw a person (no mocking - I'm not an artist):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R1CbXYFgACs/YWbYGD8HKNI/AAAAAAAAEOE/qPLi2zPsqMgEYjgIy0zlQzBtHNgyZZBGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate%2BCharacter.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R1CbXYFgACs/YWbYGD8HKNI/AAAAAAAAEOE/qPLi2zPsqMgEYjgIy0zlQzBtHNgyZZBGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate%2BCharacter.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Then the lovely food starts arriving. For my starter I had "Sliced Serrano Ham with Manchengo Cheese and Olive Tampanade:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N3BB_nbAtQs/YWbZilTh2hI/AAAAAAAAEOw/wQ2riRjb2d4PrTZADL1Amnq1avZZ98QYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate%2B-%2BStarter.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N3BB_nbAtQs/YWbZilTh2hI/AAAAAAAAEOw/wQ2riRjb2d4PrTZADL1Amnq1avZZ98QYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate%2B-%2BStarter.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Absolutely bloody gorgeous (apart from the olive, yuck!!). For my main I chose Ginger Terayki-dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin served on Wasabi Mashed Potatoes with Bok Choy and a Tamarind Barbeque reduction. It was literally michelin starred fare but so good I was a truly terrible blogger and ate it without taking a picture! For dessert, Walnut Sticky Toffee pudding with Ice Cream:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5799tBGwR1E/YWbaZl79itI/AAAAAAAAEO8/QrJM8Xty4u40aQDbaqm2PE9OhJKEca_0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate%2B-%2BDessert.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5799tBGwR1E/YWbaZl79itI/AAAAAAAAEO8/QrJM8Xty4u40aQDbaqm2PE9OhJKEca_0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate%2B-%2BDessert.JPEG" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">O had a lovely ice cream sundae:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WaK-0NbP04M/YWbal6vD3JI/AAAAAAAAEPE/5GMoiZfDqPMTrrl4LZ_YvZi0gznj8HYyACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate%2B-%2BMickey%2BSundae.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WaK-0NbP04M/YWbal6vD3JI/AAAAAAAAEPE/5GMoiZfDqPMTrrl4LZ_YvZi0gznj8HYyACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BAnimator%2527s%2BPalate%2B-%2BMickey%2BSundae.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The absolute best part about this though is when your animation comes up on screen and not only that but you get listed as a guest animator:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QHJkvs88vJ8/YWbbUMbtvlI/AAAAAAAAEPQ/kRY8kzHnqyEQI1lO2qQTfYag6z4B154tgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2Bat%2BSea%2B-%2BGuest%2BAnimator%2BCredits.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QHJkvs88vJ8/YWbbUMbtvlI/AAAAAAAAEPQ/kRY8kzHnqyEQI1lO2qQTfYag6z4B154tgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2Bat%2BSea%2B-%2BGuest%2BAnimator%2BCredits.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Rapunzel's Royal Table - Evening Meal</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Tangled is mine and O's favourite Disney films so we were really looking forward to this night unfortunately O was super sea sick and didn't manage to eat much. The waiting staff were so lovely though and really looked after us both especially O. One of them suggested that she eat a green apple in orange juice and within 15 minutes she started to feel better!! </p><p style="text-align: center;">The restaurant is gorgeous and right down at sea level too:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PEQJKXiDan4/YWNMKyvWqLI/AAAAAAAAENo/9WQJBrd00xw38uSl8Zz8mcau5q2rAntHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BRestaurant%2B2%2B-%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PEQJKXiDan4/YWNMKyvWqLI/AAAAAAAAENo/9WQJBrd00xw38uSl8Zz8mcau5q2rAntHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BRestaurant%2B2%2B-%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HMwTWdAoZnI/YWNMQokjIDI/AAAAAAAAENs/2UV_gAIG_fAGOS5WKXwYWeENJxSzU06vACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BRestaurant%2B-%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HMwTWdAoZnI/YWNMQokjIDI/AAAAAAAAENs/2UV_gAIG_fAGOS5WKXwYWeENJxSzU06vACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BRestaurant%2B-%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7vVGlEzTys/YWNMXd_lxNI/AAAAAAAAENw/_Qfxd1idB04eo5pMSq4KZIak5xc6J1JjACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BRestaurant%2B3%2B-%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7vVGlEzTys/YWNMXd_lxNI/AAAAAAAAENw/_Qfxd1idB04eo5pMSq4KZIak5xc6J1JjACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BRestaurant%2B3%2B-%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vsna6QNHvGc/YWNMcR0bwdI/AAAAAAAAEN4/8sLvopkZfi4GP6B1UHmPkpg8p0Gn2vjZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTablewear%2B-%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vsna6QNHvGc/YWNMcR0bwdI/AAAAAAAAEN4/8sLvopkZfi4GP6B1UHmPkpg8p0Gn2vjZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTablewear%2B-%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My starter again compared to michelin starred food that I've eaten before and I chose a Ravioli "Tiroler" filled with Pulled Beef and Portabello Mushrooms tossed in a white wine reduction served with Roasted Carrots and Pearl Onions, absolutely delicious:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xz2kQK3glaQ/YWNMCWOGM0I/AAAAAAAAENg/yO2xVtzhaToL-xaDu3Go2aS-5qS47ZR0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BRavioli.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xz2kQK3glaQ/YWNMCWOGM0I/AAAAAAAAENg/yO2xVtzhaToL-xaDu3Go2aS-5qS47ZR0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BRavioli.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The main that I chose was "Captain of the Guards" Roasted Prime Rib of Beef with a Double-baked Potato, Broccoli, Sweet Roasted Carrots and a red wine veal sauce. It's literally the biggest piece of meat I've ever been served in a restaurant but again I was so eager to tuck in that I forgot to take a picture! For dessert I ordered the Birthday Cupcake Sundae which was given to O as she was starting to feel better and I didn't fancy the sound of any of them so the lovely waiting staff let me order dessert from the kids menu and I had a chocolate fudge cake:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sB9BHgzv4rY/YWNLgBX9sbI/AAAAAAAAENE/pgf_-oJXjcQaqxQnde3_oFT9Wl5cyPa4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Rapunzel%2527s%2BBirthday%2BCupcake%2BSundae.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sB9BHgzv4rY/YWNLgBX9sbI/AAAAAAAAENE/pgf_-oJXjcQaqxQnde3_oFT9Wl5cyPa4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rapunzel%2527s%2BBirthday%2BCupcake%2BSundae.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yd8O1FuWmfo/YWNLyJTO8DI/AAAAAAAAENQ/PUMORX1sD9kvlbV-YX65qx258sTVbEIZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BChocolate%2BFudge%2BCake.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yd8O1FuWmfo/YWNLyJTO8DI/AAAAAAAAENQ/PUMORX1sD9kvlbV-YX65qx258sTVbEIZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BChocolate%2BFudge%2BCake.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We were sitting at table 1 and from here it was quite difficult to see and hear what was happening on the stage when the entertainment was happening but the way they did the lanterns was spectacular even if you can't see if from my pictures:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rF3TkuQjJdc/YWNL5AUp9sI/AAAAAAAAENY/fmDh_4Tl4HIRHUcbrCZp4nIUOvn3OcyDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BLaterns.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rF3TkuQjJdc/YWNL5AUp9sI/AAAAAAAAENY/fmDh_4Tl4HIRHUcbrCZp4nIUOvn3OcyDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BLaterns.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Outside of the formal dining, there were several drinks stations serving soft drinks, tea, coffee and hot chocolate that were all included in the price. There was also a great choice of lunch buffet, pizza, burgers, sandwich bar, snack bar that you could get food almost all day at each outlet. I think we managed to try most things:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CG29o6r68CU/YWNKC3CnB8I/AAAAAAAAEM8/H2JG7tWFsE4CBHDLk8quI6vhDHNDIeS3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Pinoochio%2527s%2BPizzeria.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CG29o6r68CU/YWNKC3CnB8I/AAAAAAAAEM8/H2JG7tWFsE4CBHDLk8quI6vhDHNDIeS3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Pinoochio%2527s%2BPizzeria.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qrZdONZZpdo/YZvRZtdy1wI/AAAAAAAAESU/E9sFOJreNXgU7Vi5qyrlWNxujHvahDo5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BMagic%2B-%2Bfood%2Bwith%2Ba%2Bview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qrZdONZZpdo/YZvRZtdy1wI/AAAAAAAAESU/E9sFOJreNXgU7Vi5qyrlWNxujHvahDo5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BMagic%2B-%2Bfood%2Bwith%2Ba%2Bview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U3sW-gEf_yk/YZvRg8bcRTI/AAAAAAAAESY/VagPL-vVUCAitzrICBCSysSea57TQuALwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BMagic%2BFood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U3sW-gEf_yk/YZvRg8bcRTI/AAAAAAAAESY/VagPL-vVUCAitzrICBCSysSea57TQuALwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BMagic%2BFood.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Lumiere's - Breakfast</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Soooooo disappointing but I think the reasons are twofold: 1) because we got the breakfast rotation for Lumiere's so no fancy food and 2) It was the one I was looking forward too but as it was breakfast there was no entertainment. Choice of items on the menu was amazing though and fab American pancakes with syrup were my choice. We also had to eat at 7am as we were disembarking so I didn't take any pictures of the food, just our sad faces as we got off the ship:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zp0KSycmQxM/YWNJXwBZHLI/AAAAAAAAEM0/7Oaxkcya0ZInaWwBLKQvdpBghFerYSzAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2046/Leaving%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2046" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zp0KSycmQxM/YWNJXwBZHLI/AAAAAAAAEM0/7Oaxkcya0ZInaWwBLKQvdpBghFerYSzAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Leaving%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Let me know if you have any questions or comments about the food choices!?!</p><br />Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-8028139107335454502021-10-17T20:38:00.001+01:002021-10-17T20:38:10.111+01:00Disney Magic at Sea - UK Staycation Cruise<p style="text-align: center;">I started writing this when we had just got back from the most magical trip with Disney at Sea as part of Chick's 18th birthday celebrations (seems to have taken me ages to finish!!). It was the most amazing time that I even feel compelled to blog for the first time in a couple of years, hurrah! I cannot even begin to describe the magic of the trip but I'll give it a try. Such a fab ship for a start (if somewhat hidden behind our ears!!)</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufwGC-gir6w/YWFwTgUbgMI/AAAAAAAAEMA/Iwg--rhvBUQ9BAAScFOwTrRRpqpxDkYAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Adventures%2BEM%2Bin%2Bfront%2Bof%2BDisney%2BMagic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufwGC-gir6w/YWFwTgUbgMI/AAAAAAAAEMA/Iwg--rhvBUQ9BAAScFOwTrRRpqpxDkYAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Adventures%2BEM%2Bin%2Bfront%2Bof%2BDisney%2BMagic.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Obviously one of the most important parts of the trip is the ears.....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_ySNIkJaPA/YWFxw0-NqiI/AAAAAAAAEMM/sCGEjKtJVoopWGChethf7SsvMvjaf2_4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BEars.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_ySNIkJaPA/YWFxw0-NqiI/AAAAAAAAEMM/sCGEjKtJVoopWGChethf7SsvMvjaf2_4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BEars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Picture taken whilst we were waiting the results of our covid tests!! With these particular pairs, mine were oldies from a previous Disneyland Paris trip and O's were a new purchase from Etsy as Sully is her favourite: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vVMR4Qp7Aik/YWM55dAtq3I/AAAAAAAAEMc/UiZ7N4UZA2Ew2zaNtZzQshhX8qfb5IK6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BEars%2Band%2BPassport%2Bto%2Bthe%2BWorld.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vVMR4Qp7Aik/YWM55dAtq3I/AAAAAAAAEMc/UiZ7N4UZA2Ew2zaNtZzQshhX8qfb5IK6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BEars%2Band%2BPassport%2Bto%2Bthe%2BWorld.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The first of the magic and fairy dust appears with the announcing of each family as you board the ship and are then greeted by Mickey and Minnie which is just the cutest thing!! Next up was a talk about how the app works - you need to use this to do or find out anything on ship - and then food! I'll do a post just about the food and restaurants because it was all just so incredible not only the food but the entire dining experiences but yum, buffet:</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T6RnIr-Pc1I/YWbikb5XmlI/AAAAAAAAEQo/puNOYCJtcDII_OqmpntC5DjuBF4-B6CWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mickey%2BWaffles.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T6RnIr-Pc1I/YWbikb5XmlI/AAAAAAAAEQo/puNOYCJtcDII_OqmpntC5DjuBF4-B6CWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Mickey%2BWaffles.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> Then after an explore and a few selfies, the next thing for us (was obviously!) something water based:</div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tPiBjwbflhQ/YWFyK0wshCI/AAAAAAAAEMU/eYqBslb2J7gjPMGhM-0MTJcZneaDHDuoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BMagic%2BWaterslides.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tPiBjwbflhQ/YWFyK0wshCI/AAAAAAAAEMU/eYqBslb2J7gjPMGhM-0MTJcZneaDHDuoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BMagic%2BWaterslides.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Luckily the weather was fantastic and the water super warm, if not too warm for an open water swimmer:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9xK1qAdREA/YWbcaagtCwI/AAAAAAAAEPY/VsY55ydN360vhVaPZIw0IsQSU38AgKt6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BMagic%2BSwimming%2B.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9xK1qAdREA/YWbcaagtCwI/AAAAAAAAEPY/VsY55ydN360vhVaPZIw0IsQSU38AgKt6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BMagic%2BSwimming%2B.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N91Fgbdb08E/YWbgKSMTDVI/AAAAAAAAEP8/2JuPkH2SqIIaNyNoEMjYy_l_DHmdqJHZACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Relaxing%2Bon%2Bthe%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N91Fgbdb08E/YWbgKSMTDVI/AAAAAAAAEP8/2JuPkH2SqIIaNyNoEMjYy_l_DHmdqJHZACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Relaxing%2Bon%2Bthe%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lots of gorgeous water based activities for kids but also an adult only area for over 18's:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RiSa4sXCY_Q/YWM7Z9X8wlI/AAAAAAAAEMs/9SBqig_bsbYsW8iPi5tOEfGMMvF-8PLiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2046/Disney%2BMagic%2B-%2Bover%2B18%2527s%2Barea.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="1537" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RiSa4sXCY_Q/YWM7Z9X8wlI/AAAAAAAAEMs/9SBqig_bsbYsW8iPi5tOEfGMMvF-8PLiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BMagic%2B-%2Bover%2B18%2527s%2Barea.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">We actually spent quite a lot of time in this area as kids aren't even allowed to walk through and it was nice to have 5 minutes away from Disney mayhem and to be able to swim in a non-kiddy contaminated pool. Alcoholic drinks were not included but were reasonably priced although O still wasn't able to drink as it was over 21's only for alcohol! I still managed to enjoy a cocktail or 5 ;) </p><p style="text-align: center;">I'm all about the sea so the view for me was incredible. You would never guess we were just in the North Sea:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4SdGwyRssYs/YWbg29U_ciI/AAAAAAAAEQI/tXype0Y-4HIK54kL21xlxp8kZwZMPKLpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/View%2Bfrom%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4SdGwyRssYs/YWbg29U_ciI/AAAAAAAAEQI/tXype0Y-4HIK54kL21xlxp8kZwZMPKLpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/View%2Bfrom%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BKezc0BarvY/YWbiD_VfFxI/AAAAAAAAEQU/brdpudAzoJE1ORR2P5gus-dinSMeBSofACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/North%2BSea%2Bview%2Bfrom%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BKezc0BarvY/YWbiD_VfFxI/AAAAAAAAEQU/brdpudAzoJE1ORR2P5gus-dinSMeBSofACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/North%2BSea%2Bview%2Bfrom%2BDisney%2BMagic.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our room was the cheapest available (even though still expensive in my opinion!) but was again super cute. It was a good size space for the two of us but with three teenage kids, I'm not sure how we would've had enough room for all of us to move around comfortably:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d32ctTuZHMY/YWM6DKesliI/AAAAAAAAEMg/6iNRE8PDI6YrajZBCP4Rg1aI92onoO1iwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BMagic%2Bat%2BSea%2B-%2BInside%2BCabin.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d32ctTuZHMY/YWM6DKesliI/AAAAAAAAEMg/6iNRE8PDI6YrajZBCP4Rg1aI92onoO1iwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BMagic%2Bat%2BSea%2B-%2BInside%2BCabin.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Disney detail everywhere which I absolutely love:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxjOxTIFfOQ/YWv9LFcBxGI/AAAAAAAAERE/l4GyzJXev0EHSbS6VVj8uPjnECMUbaKHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BMagic%2Binside%2Bcabin%2Bdetail.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KxjOxTIFfOQ/YWv9LFcBxGI/AAAAAAAAERE/l4GyzJXev0EHSbS6VVj8uPjnECMUbaKHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BMagic%2Binside%2Bcabin%2Bdetail.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">One of the things that I had no clue about prior to embarkation was that some families decorate their entire cabin door with magnets and photos. Luckily the very nice children's activities team came to our rescue and enabled us to join in:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3QkLBxsjGC8/YWbemDMCPpI/AAAAAAAAEPo/W4GnjcerbH41edajxKXKF1nPcuFomPmZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BMagic%2BCabin%2BDoor.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3QkLBxsjGC8/YWbemDMCPpI/AAAAAAAAEPo/W4GnjcerbH41edajxKXKF1nPcuFomPmZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BMagic%2BCabin%2BDoor.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Also, as you would expect a wide range of characters around the ship:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lJPYB075oFk/YWv9sZcCv0I/AAAAAAAAERU/tvT-6XCB8rcru4CEkq_ZA-vWnHQeG_LOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mickey%2Band%2BMinnie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lJPYB075oFk/YWv9sZcCv0I/AAAAAAAAERU/tvT-6XCB8rcru4CEkq_ZA-vWnHQeG_LOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Mickey%2Band%2BMinnie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EqozpS90GDA/YWv9b5Gf9sI/AAAAAAAAERM/6FsZkV1nJbocu2u80o_ObMAo9rYBui98wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Pluto.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EqozpS90GDA/YWv9b5Gf9sI/AAAAAAAAERM/6FsZkV1nJbocu2u80o_ObMAo9rYBui98wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Pluto.JPEG" width="320" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-TBDuUKZw8/YWv91bTz_gI/AAAAAAAAERY/uJca466nZEMmkxnxcuJvfwLmKF7Ea5cZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Woody%2Bmeet%2B%2527n%2527%2Bgreet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-TBDuUKZw8/YWv91bTz_gI/AAAAAAAAERY/uJca466nZEMmkxnxcuJvfwLmKF7Ea5cZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Woody%2Bmeet%2B%2527n%2527%2Bgreet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4i6mdhL73Kw/YWv96mDUDFI/AAAAAAAAERc/l0ab42XqVocuQeLs31T_bgZUGjLnPIa8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Black%2BWidow%2Bmeet%2B%2527n%2527%2Bgreet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4i6mdhL73Kw/YWv96mDUDFI/AAAAAAAAERc/l0ab42XqVocuQeLs31T_bgZUGjLnPIa8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Black%2BWidow%2Bmeet%2B%2527n%2527%2Bgreet.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our favourite and funniest meet 'n' greet was Spiderman:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gjOoe0a5wtM/YWbeIe2W5sI/AAAAAAAAEPg/0kt-DEKKmT4xQA1V5HkxXHPyMBIKHGGTACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Spiderman%2BMeet%2B%2527n%2527%2BGreet.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gjOoe0a5wtM/YWbeIe2W5sI/AAAAAAAAEPg/0kt-DEKKmT4xQA1V5HkxXHPyMBIKHGGTACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Spiderman%2BMeet%2B%2527n%2527%2BGreet.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This picture makes me howl with laughter every time I look at it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And last but not least, Broadway standard shows which made us cry with joy:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tqlol_8AlhI/YWv-N8eWmbI/AAAAAAAAERw/LUPyIB7VOTIEa0NitAyTvvgP_eZNUL8_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BDreams%2BShow%2B1.JPEG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tqlol_8AlhI/YWv-N8eWmbI/AAAAAAAAERw/LUPyIB7VOTIEa0NitAyTvvgP_eZNUL8_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BDreams%2BShow%2B1.JPEG.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tv_04tEvsuI/YWbfSA2uZZI/AAAAAAAAEPw/duLee286KPUvGbzrMJUMnw41EuWqE1sYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Disney%2BDreams%2BShow.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tv_04tEvsuI/YWbfSA2uZZI/AAAAAAAAEPw/duLee286KPUvGbzrMJUMnw41EuWqE1sYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BDreams%2BShow.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7P4dH1ZCF04/YWv-WOAGW4I/AAAAAAAAER4/z0ERbg-FHp8F8peieToMKqt-ycDhMCylwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Tangled%2BShow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7P4dH1ZCF04/YWv-WOAGW4I/AAAAAAAAER4/z0ERbg-FHp8F8peieToMKqt-ycDhMCylwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Tangled%2BShow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VwZKAtVkaE8/YWbf8Gq3jRI/AAAAAAAAEP4/9YJR9RrvAYcDPZ8MIdbyIlCy-QOTQHongCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BLaterns.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VwZKAtVkaE8/YWbf8Gq3jRI/AAAAAAAAEP4/9YJR9RrvAYcDPZ8MIdbyIlCy-QOTQHongCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Rapunzel%2527s%2BTable%2BLaterns.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-07emBY88KNo/YWv-GFDGJ9I/AAAAAAAAERo/8YG8mZOlduINEQ4G_7krXAYVyMNno-z-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Disney%2BMagic%2BFrozen%2BShow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-07emBY88KNo/YWv-GFDGJ9I/AAAAAAAAERo/8YG8mZOlduINEQ4G_7krXAYVyMNno-z-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Disney%2BMagic%2BFrozen%2BShow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Literally the most magical time ever!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So, what didn't we like? Well, there wasn't much I didn't like but there were a few things that surprised me. One was that the kids pool area was tiny and packed all of the time to the point that there was a time limit of how long children could be in there. My boys certainly wouldn't have enjoyed it. The buffet was open for breakfast and for a couple of hours at lunch but it would have been nice to have a buffet option in the evening rather than mainly fast food as an alternative to fine dining. I also felt that we were rushed off the ship very early on the final day so they turn around for the next group.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Outside of that the only things I would do differently would be to go for at least three nights and add in the photo package. I didn't book that prior to the cruise because a) the packages were stupidly expensive and b) I didn't think we would like any of the photos. Once onboard we took pictures of the ones we liked and then assumed we could order them afterwards but this doesn't appear to be the case. I'm super sad that I missed out on these but still think they are prohibitively expensive....... but I would order them next time as it would've finished off the trip nicely to have the professional shots.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In my opinion, the cruise was really expensive - when I first started this blog, there is no way I could have funded this kind of trip so I know that I am now in a very privileged position. I paid approximately £700 for the two of us for two nights which only included 1 afternoon and 1 full day and on debarkation day we were back at the car by 8am. For me the standard of the shows, food and the incredible levels of service were reflected in that price that I paid and matched Michelin starred restaurants and for a special occasion it was worthwhile. It's unlikely that we would ever be able to afford for all 5 of us to go on a Disney cruise unless they reintroduce UK staycations or we win the lottery. Haha!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you have any questions then please let me know as I'm happy to talk about it until the cows come home! This is not a sponsored post and as you've probably guessed from the above I paid full price for the trip myself ;)</div>Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-72374129144777844762019-09-09T20:52:00.001+01:002019-09-09T21:01:44.541+01:00Harvest Moon Retreat - 42 Acres<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you looking for something exciting and new to do this weekend? How about trying a yoga retreat in Somerset? Yo<span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.48px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ur home for the weekend is the stunning <a href="https://42acressomerset.com/" target="_blank">42 Acres</a> retreat in Frome. Set on 42 acres of private land, a tranquil retreat space cocooned by seven hundred acres of ancient woodland. </span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.48px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sustainability and comfort are at the forefront of the 42 acres vision, with reclaimed materials used to outfit the interiors of the property and full use of renewable power, self-generated through biomass and solar. The retreat looks at a </span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.48px; white-space: pre-wrap;">healthy, yogic lifestyle and will be offering a vegetarian diet consisting of pure, simple, natural foods to optimal promote health and digestion. Meals will be lovingly prepared by resident chef, using delicious, locally sourced organic produce! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.48px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The amazing schedule includes the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Friday 13th September</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Arrive and settle into your room</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Unwind from your travels with a cup of herbal tea and healthy treat. An excellent opportunity to meet your fellow voyagers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Evening practice; gentle Restorative yoga to ground you from your journey with guided meditation and soothing sounds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Welcome supper prepared by the 42 Acres Chef</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Evening Kirtan - chanting mantras to open your heart and mind to the weekend ahead</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Retire to bed.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday 14th September: Full harvest moon</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.48px;">Optional AGNI HOTRA - Sacred sunrise fire with morning mantras</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshly brewed herbal tea/coffee available and a light fruit snack</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;"> Early morning contemplations, honouring silence until our asana practice (an ideal time for journaling and self-enquiry).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Flow slowing morning practice with pranayama and mediation </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">A nourishing breakfast prepared by the 42 Acres Chef</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Free time for walking, exploring, reading, or a massage</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Delicious lunch prepared by the 42 Acres Chef</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Free time - walk outside, take a treatment, rest whatever you need</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Evening practice: Yin yoga with an alchemy crystal sound bath</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Sumptuous dinner prepared by the 42 Acres Chef</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Full Moon dance ritual; dress in white to honour the harvest moon through dance and free movement</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Retire to bed, or option to stay up late around the campfire for Vedic storytelling with warm milky drinks.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday 15th, September </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Optional AGNI HOTRA - Sacred sunrise fire with morning mantras</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshly brewed herbal tea/coffee available and a light fruit snack</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Early morning contemplations, honouring silence until our asana practice (an ideal time for journaling and self-enquiry)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.48px;">Vinyasa yoga, invigorating and rinsing the whole body, soothing the mind and peeling away any remaining layers of stress</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Nourishing breakfast prepared by the 42 Acres Chef</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.48px;">Active meditation with chanting </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Our final lunch prepared by the 42 Acres Chef </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.48px;">Retreat closing circle and farewells </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.48px;">It sounds so relaxing and amazing! Can't wait to see and hear more about it. For more details click <a href="https://42acressomerset.com/retreats/harvest-moon-gathering/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-2839994493873301162018-04-16T19:37:00.001+01:002018-04-16T19:37:09.118+01:00Looking to keep your 15 - 17 year old entertained this Summer?? The National Citizen Service (NCS) can help!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-seMF2zaahnE/WtOttJJEWKI/AAAAAAAAD30/fLUNd-yW0cIuYrFuQ7Drki1raeodjI2-QCLcBGAs/s1600/graduation-evening-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-seMF2zaahnE/WtOttJJEWKI/AAAAAAAAD30/fLUNd-yW0cIuYrFuQ7Drki1raeodjI2-QCLcBGAs/s320/graduation-evening-14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know if you've heard of the National Citizen Service (NCS) but they are a brilliant organisation who do great things with 15-17 year olds. I'm very lucky to have been involved (from the sidelines) right since their inception in 2011 when in my day job we recruited some amazing Leaders to help set up this fantastic service. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what is NCS? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">NCS <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">believe that if you give young people the right tools, opportunities and respect they will change the world around them. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The aim of NCS is to bring together young people from different backgrounds to help build a more cohesive and engaged society. This year more than 100,000 teenagers will come together to develop their skills and build community projects together. This</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> summer your teen could be having fun while building their confidence, making new friends and learning life skills that can’t be taught in a classroom. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">O is desperately awaiting her move to year 11 so that she too can take part.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what is the programme all about? <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">NCS is open to 15 to 17 year-olds across England and Northern Ireland. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">There are four phases to the programme starting with a 5 day residential with activities like abseiling and canoeing:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The second phase of programme puts your teen through a series of challenging activities to take them out of their comfort zone and develop strength of character - although I'm not sure O needs this developing if I'm honest ;) It also </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">develops the leadership skills necessary to succeed in the workplace and, as a HR Advisor, I can tell you that this will set them apart in the workplace. They can also use this time to develop a CV or update your UCAS statement. This time is also residential and is usually spent away in university dorms or similar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Phase 3 is the social action phase where your teen puts everything they have learned into action by helping out in the local community with a project of their choice and then on to phase 4 time for a celebration celebration. Time to get together with their group and celebrate everything they've learnt and achieved over a fantastic Summer:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">What a bonding experience it would be and invaluable to mix with others from a variety of backgrounds. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The whole experience including food, accommodation and travel costs just £50 and bursaries are available on a case by case basis which is amazing value for such a fabulous experience. Support is also provided for young people with additional needs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are still places available for Year 11s to take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity and don't worry if you have already made plans for the Summer, NCS will endeavour to find a programme that suits your family plans. For more information or to sign up now visit the </span><a href="http://www.ncsyes.co.uk/?utm_source=blogger&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=summer18" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">NCS website</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-15595499047924973872017-10-22T18:28:00.000+01:002017-10-22T18:28:31.710+01:00A night out with Meridian Leisure, Leicester<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I wanted to go on a blogging night out with some other Leicestershire bloggers to Meridian. My first response was "Ooooooo, Meridian, I would never think of going there for a night out" which is interesting as it's only about 20 minutes away from me. So I duly said yes and went to investigate what was on offer.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: #222222;">You are spoilt for choice for places to eat with Bella Italia, Five Guys, Burger King, Chiquito, Frankie & Benny’s, Harvester, Nandos, Pizza Hut and Tastes Restaurant so there’s something to cater for everyone's taste - even fussy ones like me! For mums and dads who want some time together, there’s 360 Play and Busy Bees nursery to entertain and look after the kids and Hollywood Bowl and Vue are fun for all the family! Unfortunately I was late getting there so missed the shenanigans at the Harvester and Nandos (booooo!) but arrived just in time for a round of bowling:</span></span></div>
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Now, I haven't been bowling for years so this was a true novelty for me and to my great excitement I discovered that you no longer have to wear the terrible bowling shoes that 1500 other people have worn before you - you can keep your own shoes on, hurrah!! I'm normally a very competitive person but there's no point with bowling as I'm truly, truly terrible at it therefore I just make up the numbers and enjoy the food and drink - as you can see from the scores :(</div>
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Again, I did indeed lose miserably! I was also interested to note that they had several offers on for not only the bowling but the food and drink too. Can't wait to go back with the kids but thinking we'll book in advance as we were there at 7pm on a Monday night and it was packed!</div>
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Next up on our whistle stop tour was Five Guys. Now I've noticed these in Leicester city centre before but have never had the chance to go and had no idea they had a branch out at Meridian. Oh my goodness guys - it was flipping amazing!!!! You choose your burger and then there are an immense number of toppings that you can add. </div>
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This sign was the first thing that caught my eye when we entered:</div>
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It's so bright and cheerful in there and they sell beer! What more could a gal want:</div>
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Chick would absolutely love the variety of milkshakes:</div>
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You also get the most ridiculous amount of fries and in my naivety I ordered a large which would've served all 3 of my kids - this picture only shows about a third of them!!</div>
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My burger was just immense and had mushrooms, bacon, cheese and BBQ sauce! My mouth is watering right now as I type this:</div>
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We were also supposed to get a behind the scenes tour of the Vue cinema which I was really looking forward to but unfortunately they couldn't make it work in the end although we had a choice of current movies to go and see:</div>
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Parking is free at Meridian and there is loads of it which is always a bonus in my eyes. They also have some pop up events on so it's worth checking out their website <a href="http://www.meridian-leisure.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a> for more details, for instance today there was a Spooky Laboratory pop up. There is a great offer section too so check it out before you go to see what discounts you can find!</div>
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Thank you guys for a fun evening and giving me a good excuse to get out on a school night :)</div>
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<i>*Thanks to Meridian for hosting this event and for inviting me along. I have not been paid for this review although I did bowl for free and receive free food at Five Guys. All views and opinions are my own!</i></div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comLubbesthorpe Way, Braunstone Town, Leicester LE19 1JZ, UK52.613209299999987 -1.187310700000011832.686306799999983 -42.495904700000011 72.540111799999991 40.121283299999988tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-60748455872401955912017-10-10T21:02:00.000+01:002017-10-10T21:02:13.858+01:00Blog Camp on Board - An Introduction to Cruising (Part 2)<div style="text-align: center;">
Thank you to those of that read <a href="http://www.adventuresofanenglishmum.com/2017/10/blog-camp-on-board-introduction-to.html" target="_blank">part 1</a> and that have come back for more. Ok, so when I left you last time we had just finished lunch and were moving on (very slowly after lots of dessert and wine). As it was blog camp we had the choice of a podcast session, a food photography session or a wander around on our own. After much debating and drinking water I asked a couple of other bloggers if I could tag along with them and get a proper look at this gorgeous ship especially the pools and hot tubs which are always going to be a winner for a water baby like me:</div>
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This is one of the main outside pools and one of four. A feature that I thought was really cool was pool number two next to the spa area:</div>
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What was so cool about it was the it has a retractable roof so no matter what the weather you can still swim!! Amazing! However as an outdoor swimmer the infinity pool at the rear of the ship was definitely my favourite and was by far the most secluded. I cannot tell you how tempted I was to get in and have a quick swim:</div>
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Plus more hot tubs than you can shake a stick at:</div>
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In part one, I spoke a little bit about the facilities that were on board for children. Well let's start with the Vertigo water slide:</div>
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I'm not entirely sure how long it was but it wound around both sides of at least half of the ship! For younger kids, there's also the Doremi Castle kids aqua park:</div>
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There are several different clubs for kids which are sorted into age ranges although these are a guide not a strict instruction, from babies to 17 year olds. They are all under the Doremi logo and the staff are super enthusiastic:</div>
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Children are given a security band when they board so that you're able to keep track of them and need to be signed in and out of clubs. When the clubs are at the pool above adults are not allowed in as it's for kids only.</div>
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They have 4D cinemas, gaming consoles, kids menus and even lego rooms. What a brilliant idea for a European cruise ship where they may be language barriers where you have 35 nationalities of children. Who doesn't love Lego?? Also, a bowling alley:</div>
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The clubs have a schedule for the day and if the kids aren't interested in shore excursions then you can leave them on board with the Doremi staff. It all seems to be quite flexible so I imagine for our family that would work quite well as they could all dip in and out as they choose as clubs are open from 9am - 11pm. I'm not sure that we would want to be without the kids all day or that I would want to leave them on board whilst we were off on shore excursions but I guess whatever works for each family.</div>
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The schedule sounds amazzing and includes things like workshops on 3D printing, Dj-ing, STEm subjects, video making including starring in their Kelly and Khloe series, cookery lesson and hair and beauty treatments. Not sure we'd ever see Chick if she wanted to come on board with us!! Unfortunately I didn't get to see any of the kids areas but the other bloggers assured me they looked fab! However, all facilities aside, one of the things that I was most impressed with is the work that MSC do with Unicef so all kids can become a Junior Ambassador for Unicef and they teach the kids about social responsibility, what Unicef does and each Junior Ambassador gets a certificate. What a brilliant idea!!</div>
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There is also plenty of style to be had if you are child free including private spa decks. The ships decor was as opulent and fab as you would imagine:</div>
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The Safari Lounge was my favourite bar as it reminded me of the Jungle Room at Graceland. It was also the scene of a brilliant metrics session with <a href="https://www.trips100.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sally</a> and where we had cocktails and champagne. Some other highlights for me:</div>
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I hope that I've given you a good flavour of what life looks like aboard the MSC Preziosa. It was a really interesting visit and if I'm honest the only thing that has put me off previously is the cost. There appear to be some costs that I had assumed were included that are actually added on as extras including gratuities, drinks and having to pay extra to eat at a couple of the restaurants. However, if you factor these in then there are some great prices to be had. </div>
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I was however really impressed with the family orientated nature of MSC and the passion of their staff and if ever I got the chance to spend longer on board then I would jump at it. They have a range of other ships including the Seaside which is a new ship launching in December. The fleet also houses the MSC Magnificia which from March 2018 will be based out of Southampton and kids prices start from only £99 and free upgrades. Wondering if I could persuade hubby..........</div>
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Are you a cruiser? If you are, what do you love about it If not currently then what is it that puts you off?</div>
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<i>Blog camp on board was hosted by <a href="https://www.trips100.co.uk/" target="_blank">Trips 100</a> and the lovely guys at <a href="https://www.msccruises.co.uk/en-gb/Homepage.aspx" target="_blank">MSC Cruises</a>. I have not been paid or recompensed for this review in any way other than wine, lots of free wine with lunch ;)</i></div>
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<br />Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.com101, Berth, Western Docks, Herbert Walker Ave, Southampton SO15 1HJ, UK50.900099399999988 -1.414100400000052130.994316399999988 -42.722694400000051 70.805882399999987 39.894493599999947tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-3018131850636310762017-10-07T17:46:00.001+01:002017-10-07T17:54:36.264+01:00Blog Camp on Board - An Introduction to Cruising (Part 1)<div style="text-align: center;">
Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to attend Blog Camp on Board which was held on the MSC Preziosa part of the <a href="https://www.msccruises.co.uk/en-gb/Homepage.aspx" target="_blank">MSC Cruises</a> fleet. Now, I'm a relative newbie to cruising, apart from a short look around the QE2 many, many years ago so I was excited to see what was on offer and whether we may be interested in cruising as a family.</div>
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I headed down the night before and stayed in a very cheap and cheerful B&B (you do get what you pay for......) which as I hadn't done my research beforehand, I hadn't realised was smack in the middle of university hell on what appeared to be student night...... Let's just say they didn't quieten down until 5am and this girl needs her beauty sleep.....</div>
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Bleary eyed but very excited about getting to the Port, I figured (very naively) that once I'd parked the car that I would be able to have a walk along the docks and look at all of these amazing boats and cargo. Erm......no! It's pretty much the same level as security as an airport and you aren't getting near to anything especially not the sea:</div>
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Anyways, this was my first view of the MSC Preziosa:</div>
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As I've already mentioned security was very similar to the airport but pretty painless and then we were through and I started to wish I was actually sailing away somewhere:</div>
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I'm not sure if it's possible to tell from these pictures the sheer size of the boat. It holds around 4,300 passengers and 1,370 crew. I also really liked that there was a real European flavour to the ship both in crew and passengers although everyone did speak English very well. Conversely the passengers on this ship tend to be younger than traditional cruises and MSC apparently have a much more family ethos than some traditional cruise ships.</div>
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MSC are also introducing a new UK schedule to their offerings and the MSC Magnifica will be based in Southampton. This is aimed more at British clients and includes things like kettles in bedrooms, good old yorkshire tea, scones and high tea all run by a British hotel manager and Director.</div>
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Once on board this is your first view:</div>
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Look at the steps..... made of Swarovski crystals at a cost of 8,000 - £10,000 euros for each step... Now that's some decadence right there:</div>
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Obviously it's at this point that you realise what an amateur blogger you are for wearing scruffy boots and not some nice photogenic shoes!!</div>
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Unfortunately we didn't have too much time to stop and stare and drink it all in because we were on a tight schedule and had to board in small groups. I understand that there were some frustrations on the day and that as this was the first time MSC had hosted bloggers they had maybe underestimated quite how nosey we are and how often we want to stop and take pictures. So from here we met the rest of the group in the Platinum Theatre. Genuinely, this place is massive and seats 1600 guests but unfortunately my pictures are all a bit naff and don't really show the grandeur.......</div>
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We then had an introduction by Matteo who runs the kids clubs but there's quite a lot to talk about in terms of families and facilities for kids so I'll save that for part 2. Next up was a (very) quick tour of the ship which at the time I was a bit disappointed in as it was a real whistle stop tour of one deck and was mainly bars and restaurants. Whilst I was happy to see those, I was also desperate for a drink and loo break which did get sorted out eventually. It was super warm on board but I'm reliably informed by more experienced cruisers that this is not normally the case and that the air con is blasting. I guess as they were in the UK they didn't want their guests freezing to death!!</div>
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For lunch we were hosted in the Golden Lobster which was a really lovely space and I thought was luxurious:</div>
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Lunch was really interesting as were the people that I was sitting with. We could either choose from the menu or there was a buffet too:</div>
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Now, those of you that know me know that I'm honestly super fussy when it comes to food and as lovely as I'm sure this wasn't my kind of food so I went for the buffet option. I didn't get a picture of the mains as I was too busy stuffing my face but there was a choice of hot food, a huge meat and salad buffet and unlimited puddings and wine:</div>
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Interestingly, all of the other bloggers I sat with at lunch had food restrictions of some kind either gluten free, dairy free or vegetarian. They did get special menus to choose from and some of the waiters seemed knowledgeable about the choices available however the ladies did have to wait a long time for their food to arrive. Our head waiter reassured us that it was because all of the food was purposely being cooked and prepared separately. During the Q&A session and afterwards the MSC team have assured us that guests travelling with the company give detailed information regarding dietary requirements when booking and their assigned waiter is aware of any these needs so it shouldn't be a problem if you are cruising with them.</div>
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I think we'll leave part 1 there for now but part 2 will be all about the other facilities, the kids clubs (amazing) and my favourite part without a shadow of a doubt - all of the gorgeous things for water babies like me including Vertigo which is the longest single water slide on the seas:</div>
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If you have any questions about cruising or about the day then please let me know and I'll include them in part 2!!!</div>
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<i>Blog camp on board was hosted by <a href="https://www.trips100.co.uk/" target="_blank">Trips 100</a> and the lovely guys at MSC on board. I have not been paid or recompensed for this review in any way other than wine, lots of free wine with lunch ;)</i></div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.com101, Berth, Western Docks, Herbert Walker Ave, Southampton SO15 1HJ, UK50.900099399999988 -1.414100400000052130.994316399999988 -42.722694400000051 70.805882399999987 39.894493599999947tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-372192496657098882017-10-01T18:01:00.000+01:002017-10-01T18:01:00.970+01:00Sky Garden, London<div style="text-align: center;">
Last weekend I was in London for the Shine walk, which is a half marathon (or full marathon of you're crazy!!) to raise money for cancer research. The idea was to go down to London, walk the walk, have some alcohol, sleep and come home again. However, the walk took me much longer than planned so no drinks afterwards. A couple of people suggested that instead of coming straight home we might want to see if we could get tickets to the Sky Garden which as they were free, I duly did.</div>
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Now the Sky Garden is described as a unique public space that spans three stories and offers views across London whilst wandering through landscaped gardens. Obviously I thought it sounded quite cool but I was blown away by the awesomeness of it. If you are ever in London you can book FREE TICKETS <a href="https://skygarden.london/sky-garden" target="_blank">here</a> (believe me, nothing in London is free!!!) It's situated on the top three stories of the "Walkie Talkie" building at 20 Fenchurch Street and is close to loads of tube stations and about a 5 minute walk from the Tower of London which is where we walked from.</div>
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It's impressive from the outside too:</div>
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The email and the tickets that we received from the Sky Garden did say that the time we had booked was our queuing time rather than our entrance time as you do have to show ID and go through airport style security to gain entrance. Luckily the views are pretty cool and it actually only took us 10 minutes to get through security:</div>
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Once you exit the lift at the top you are in this unbelievable space:</div>
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Not only do you have this amazing space inside with plenty of foliage, plants and spaces to sit down, there is also a viewing platform where you can see some of the best sights that London has to offer including the Shard, Tower Bridge, the Gherkin and out to Canary Wharf and Wembley:</div>
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For my 40th birthday last year, we went to the top of the Shard which cost about £26 each and this was far superior. I would recommend doing this first and saving your Shard money to have food and drink at the Sky Garden. I'd happily go back time and time again.</div>
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I honestly could have happily stayed here all day, found a little corner with a comfy chair and a book and not moved. Your time is limited to an hour but there didn't appear to be anyone monitoring this. There was even a vodka bar so more reason to stay all day:</div>
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Sitting here looking out at the City skyline! Awesome! Next time, I think we'll go back at night and have a proper drink. There is also a cafe and a brassiere but I that was slightly out of our price range on this occasion.</div>
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Genuinely the only downside that I could see to the Sky Garden was the queue for toilet and the time restriction, apart from that I have nothing but superlatives to describe how great it was. Have you ever been? What did you think?</div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.com20 Fenchurch St, London EC3M, UK51.5114605 -0.08350629999995362631.6056775 -41.392100299999953 71.4172435 41.225087700000046tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-70752069538483844282017-08-17T20:56:00.001+01:002017-08-17T20:56:17.708+01:00Review: A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Curve, Leicester<div style="text-align: center;">
Last week whilst browsing on social media I was lucky enough to come across a blogger invite to the press night of the <a href="http://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/" target="_blank">Curve</a>'s young company and community production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Nick Winston:</div>
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I've only been to the Curve once before, a long time ago, and I'd actually forgotten how awesome it is there. It's beautiful from the outside:</div>
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And then almost Industrial inside and set out over 3 floors:</div>
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What I like about it most though is the actual theatre. There are no bad seats, enough leg room and enough room in the seats for a rather large bottom like mine. As a regular theatre goer, let me tell you that this is almost unheard of. I think the Curve may be my new favourite place!!</div>
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Now I'm a real Musicals kinda gal so I wasn't sure how well my uneducated brain would get on with a bit of Shakespeare especially when it was billed as "A Mythpunk World giving classic folklore a modern twist - think Danny Boyle meets Tolkien". Readers let me tell you - It was absolutely incredible!!</div>
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Basically (if you don't already know) the story is about love, marriage, games and fantasy, an Enchanted Forest with a Fairy King and Queen and a play within a play. I fairly sure I'm making it sound more complicated than it actually is.</div>
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The stage set was fab. Real grass that smelled amazing, moving lights, various media and projections added to it but as usual what made it for me was the costumes and the acting. Everyone that played a main part was brilliant and there was just so much to look at all night. Helena (Lauren Jones) was great especially during the scene where she has both men chasing her, I was really giggling at her expressions:</div>
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The Fairy King, Oberon (played by Simon Butler) reminded me of Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages. I was both mesmerised and scared of him at the same time. I saw him outside afterwards and he was still scary. Incredible costume though!!</div>
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(Show photography credit - <a href="http://pamelaraith.com/" target="_blank">Pamela Raith</a>)</div>
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The Fairy Queen was amazing too but I spent all night worried that she was going to tumble off her bed to her death as it was moving around across the stage (it's the Mum in me!!!)</div>
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Without a shadow of a doubt though the outstanding star of the night for me was Bottom hilariously played by Alexander Clifford. His Ass had me and the rest of the Curve laughing at almost every scene especially him turning into a donkey. Even writing this post I'm laughing at the memory of his character:</div>
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The whole show was a real feast for the eyes and heart and I honestly enjoyed every second of it:</div>
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The show is only on until the 20th August but if you get chance you should check it out as it was a great night out. Alternatively keep an eye on their What's On page for future shows.</div>
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The Curve is right in the heart of Leicester and has great transport links. I drove and parked at the NCP car park next door which said it would be £16 for 4 hours (gulp!!) However what I discovered last night is that if you pay for the parking at the Curve then it only costs £4.80!! Absolute result!</div>
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<i>Disclosure: I was a guest of the Curve Theatre and received a complimentary ticket and programme however all thoughts and opinions are mine. All show photos courtesy of <a href="http://pamelaraith.com/" target="_blank">Pamela Raith Photography</a>.</i></div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.com60 Rutland St, Leicester LE1 1SB, UK52.6356449 -1.127351699999962932.708728900000004 -42.435945699999962 72.5625609 40.181242300000036tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-1028315557431189712017-08-10T21:34:00.000+01:002017-08-10T21:34:07.815+01:00Intu Derby and Bobble Art UK Party<div style="text-align: center;">
As long time readers of this blog will know, I am a very lucky girl. I have a lovely family, an amazing (if stressful) job and I still get to travel, albeit not as much as I would like. However, most of the time when I'm invited to blogging things I'm too busy with work or caring responsibilities to attend. Luckily when Intu Derby contacted me a few weeks ago to ask if we would like to come along and enjoy their beach and hang out with the gorgeous guys from <a href="http://intu.co.uk/derby/stores/bobble-art" target="_blank">Bobble Art</a> it was the week that we were off on holiday.</div>
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So, on Tuesday, off we went to the beach:</div>
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It's open every day from 10am - 4pm during the school holidays however to the disappointment of my kids you have to be under 110cm to enter! It's perfect rainy day fun though and if you're anything like me then at this point of the holidays you'll be needing some kind of inspiration!! There's also a Playmobil area and if you sign up to the kids club (under 7's) you get some free goodies!! Throw in some adventure golf or bowling and you have a full on day out planned safe from the rain!!<br />
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So much fun!! We were actually there as guests of Bobble Art:<br />
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Like me, you've probably never heard of them but they sell bags, stationery, lunch boxes and some lovely presents for kids as well as arts and crafts stuff. They are a huge Australian company but this is their first store in the UK and their stuff is just lovely. There was no girls or boys split and I wanted to spend a fortune!!<br />
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I really liked the stuff for boys but also the way the shop was set up so dinosaurs were naturally in with princess stuff which is exactly the way it should be!! They even do arts and crafts birthday parties which is what our experience was based on. Considering our group had from babies to 14 year old's in the shape of Chick, they did really well. My guys spent the whole time colouring and making inflatable rockets:</div>
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These rockets were so cool. The come in a flat pack so that you can easily colour them and the inflate with a straw into the rocket. They were all really chuffed with the finished product:<br />
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There was also a rocket flying competition to see who could get their's the furthest. The winner would get a basket of sweets from The <a href="http://intu.co.uk/derby/stores/the-treat-kitchen" target="_blank">Treat Kitchen</a> so Mr E managed to throw his out of the door of the shop and into the middle of the shopping centre!!<br />
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Haha! Could he be any more pleased with himself!!!</div>
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Me and Littlest got new tattoo's:</div>
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The kids also all got some amazing goodies relevant to their age:</div>
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Littlest who is 8 got a dinosaur lunch box, a dinosaur eraser (which he hasn't stopped pulling apart and reassembling in the last 24 hours) and mini logix which is similar to a paper based battleships:</div>
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Mr E who is almost 11 got a 3D paper dragon to assemble, a Captain America wallet (which he was thrilled with as he's off to secondary school and needs a wallet for his bus pass etc) and a 6 colour pan which he is finding fascinating!!</div>
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I'll do a review of the dragon as he puts it together because it looks amazing!! Obviously, Chick is probably the most difficult to do a goody bag for at 14 but she was thrilled as well. She got a sketch book, stickers and a stamping set none of which I would've chosen but she loved everything. She starts her GCSE's in September so she's going to use the sketch book for her photography course.</div>
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Both us and the kids had such a lovely time and they were all really thrilled not only with their rockets but also with the goodies that were chosen for them. If you have children or buy presents for Niece's and Nephews I'd suggest you pay them a visit as they have some really lovely products. We'll definitely be back!</div>
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<i>*Thank you so much to Intu Derby and Bobble Art for their hospitality. I have not been paid for this review although were clearly given the amazing Bobble Art products that were stated above. All words, thoughts, views and pictures are mine!</i></div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comUnit 134 Level 1 West Mall, London Road, Derby DE1 2BJ, United Kingdom52.9197644 -1.473320699999931132.9934204 -42.78191469999993 72.846108399999991 39.835273300000068tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-71959234744442965522017-08-05T10:00:00.002+01:002017-08-05T10:00:56.096+01:00St Michael's Mount, Marazion, Cornwall<div style="text-align: center;">
On our way to the <a href="http://www.adventuresofanenglishmum.com/2017/07/minack-theatre-porthcurno-cornwall.html" target="_blank">Minack Theatre</a> we drove by the turning for St Michaels' Mount and you could see the island from the main road. I know I'm sad but I got properly excited! Our original plan was to head to the Mount on Friday as we knew that it was closed on Saturday but due to the aforementioned car problems we had to change our plans.</div>
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If you are heading to the Mount then you do need to check the <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/st-michaels-mount" target="_blank">website</a> for opening times and the times of the tide so you know whether you'll be walking or getting the boat. It's a lovely island but I don't know that I'd want to be stranded there :) We made sure that we got there early enough to walk over when the the tide was out and parked right by the beach at a cost of £5 for the entire day. This was our first view:<br />
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The path over to the Mount is quite rocky so my white, battered converse were not my best idea. It was also packed, which I was naively surprised at thinking no one would be interested in going when it was closed.....</div>
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As everything was closed we could only have a potter around the harbour but it's a cute place:</div>
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The sea is sooooo clear that you can see the fishes:</div>
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There was some amazing flora and fauna too. I just loved these succulents:</div>
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Unfortunately I only got a couple more shots:</div>
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We did go back later that evening though to see if it looked any different with the tide in:</div>
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Just gorgeous! I can't wait to go back and explore properly.</div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comSt Michael's Mount, Marazion TR17, UK50.1171529 -5.477807299999994950.1120619 -5.4878922999999951 50.1222439 -5.4677222999999948tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-41907808805339253332017-07-23T19:30:00.000+01:002017-07-23T19:30:53.811+01:00Minack Theatre, Porthcurno, Cornwall<div style="text-align: center;">
My OH and I talk about travel a lot and I would say it was one of the first things that we discovered we had in common. For the entirety of the time that I have known him he has told me stories of one of the greatest theatres in the world and how amazing it is, so when we first started discussing a child free weekend in Cornwall we knew it was on our hit list to have a good look around. A couple of weeks before we headed off it was birthday and to my delight he had bought me these:</div>
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Eeeeeek! I cannot being to tell you of my excitement as I had been wanting to see an opera for a while. </div>
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We had a few issues upon arrival in Cornwall (our car died *sob*) but luckily enough we managed to get a hire car so that we could actually make our date at the Minack. It is hugely popular and our show was completely sold out. This is the view from the queue looking down at Porthcurno beach:</div>
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Amazing!! </div>
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We did wait for a while to get in but then we were purposely very early. I would say as long as you are there half an hour before the show then you should get an ok seat. We had assumed from the website that we could sit wherever we wanted to but they fill from the front up so you have to sit wherever they direct you to. </div>
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I would suggest that you go to the loo before you take your seat as it's a long way down depending on where you are sitting. It's also really steep but as it's a cliff face I guess that's not a surprise to most people!! Once we found our seats we did go back to the little cafe to get some food and had one of the best cornish pasties I've ever tasted. Not only were they amazing they were also cheap as chips - not very often you can say that at a great place.</div>
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This was the stage: </div>
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Have you ever seen a nicer looking stage in your life? </div>
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Look at that view!! </div>
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We were so incredibly lucky before the show started that we could see dolphins jumping in the distance. I do not have enough superlatives to describe what an amazing experience it was. Apparently it's quite common to see them during a performance. Unfortunately I only had my phone camera with me so I didn't manage to capture any reasonable photos.</div>
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The Minack Theatre was hewn out of the cliff face by an amazing lady called Rowena Cade, therefore all of the seats are either solid rock or grass covered but they were actually really comfortable. We did hire seat pads though which were £1 each from the box office, not sure it would have been quite so comfortable if we hadn't. </div>
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The theatre is truly something else:</div>
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And our performance of La Traviata was just breathtaking:</div>
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Oh my goodness, the final scene had me sobbing like a baby:</div>
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Just so incredible. The main characters in the cast were outstanding.</div>
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As you can see from the pictures we were incredibly lucky with the weather. I'm not sure that it would have been quite so immense if it was rainy heavily or very windy. Most of the audience though seemed prepared for the weather and you would at least need a warm top and full length trousers. It was beautiful when we were there but it did get chilly towards the end.</div>
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There is a visitor centre which is open in the day to have a look around if there are no performances on and you can do a backstage tour which costs about £5 each but unfortunately we missed this due to our car problems. The cafe is also open during the day and if nothing else I would suggest going there just for the views and the pasties. I honestly can't recommend it highly enough to everyone!!</div>
Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comThe Minack Theatre, Porthcurno, Penzance TR19 6JU, United Kingdom50.0411188 -5.651722699999936630.1142008 -46.960316699999936 69.9680368 35.656871300000063tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-65348130721880354772017-07-12T20:06:00.000+01:002017-07-12T20:20:23.140+01:00Mevagissey, Cornwall<div style="text-align: center;">
We've been to Mevagissey twice this year once for a day trip and once for the weekend and it's just the cutest place. It's just South of St Austell and is a relatively small, old fashioned fishing village/harbour, and it's just how I expected Cornwall to be. </div>
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The streets are too narrow for cars so apart from deliveries you need to park just outside of town. As it costs £5 for the entire day and takes 2 minutes to walk into the town it's not a huge problem. </div>
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The streets may be narrow and hilly but they are full of colourful buildings:</div>
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Like I say it's a harbour town too so lots of busy fishing boats in and out all of the time:</div>
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And of course some amazing places to eat where you can sit and look out over the water. I had the most amazing full english breakfast at Tea on the Quay. All of the ingredients are locally sourced and I cannot recommend it highly enough:</div>
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Obviously when you are in a fishing village you also need to have the quintessentially British fish 'n' chips:</div>
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Honestly the most amazing fish n chips ever!! The other amazing thing is the colour of this water.....just look at it.....</div>
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When your childhood holidays are taken on the East coast believe me the sea is not this colour :)</div>
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Do you have a favourite fishing village??</div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comMevagissey, Saint Austell PL26, UK50.2702259 -4.787522999999964750.2499289 -4.8278634999999648 50.2905229 -4.7471824999999646tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-88903588171419310792017-06-25T20:13:00.000+01:002017-06-25T20:13:52.441+01:00Hollywood - Walk of Fame<div style="text-align: center;">
If you've never been to Hollywood let me start by telling you that it's a funny old place. Obviously it's hugely exciting to see the Hollywood Sign and some parts of Hollywood are super fancy and cater to the stars and the vastly, humongously rich. This is mainly in West Hollywood (WeHo) as all the signs told us when we there recently. This is the part that runs down Sunset Boulevard (hello rock clubs) and butts up to Beverley Hills.</div>
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Most of the main tourist areas though are quite run down and there are lots of homeless people and beggars - think Pretty Woman! I only mention this because the man was quite shocked at how different it was from his perception when we were there. However I can't say that I've ever felt unsafe there. So to the cool stuff......</div>
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Grauman's Chinese Theatre is on Hollywood and Highland and is one of the must see sights of Hollywood:</div>
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This is also the site of the handprints and footprints of the famous. I've done this before but it's still cool and Chick loved it:</div>
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The Walk of Fame is also really cool and a must see for anyone visiting LA, especially for the first time. The stars run for 15 blocks along Hollywood and there are over 2,500 of them. It's so much fun looking out for your favourite famous people. In fact I was having so much fun that I only took one proper photo:</div>
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And then as vodka is my favourite tipple ever, also had to take this one:</div>
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As we had Chick with us we obviously had to do the obligatory teen shopping - hello Forever 21 and Victoria's Secret at Hollywood and Highland Shopping:</div>
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Even the man couldn't complain when you have this view from the mall:</div>
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Hollywood is also the home of Jimmy Kimmel Live:</div>
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Have you ever been to Hollywood? Do you have any top trips for fellow travelers?</div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.com6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, USA34.1020231 -118.3409712000000114.175078599999996 -159.6495652 54.0289676 -77.032377200000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-39259016789907770382017-06-11T20:24:00.003+01:002017-06-11T20:32:26.949+01:00Campsite Review - Wicksteed Park, Northamptonshire<div style="text-align: center;">
We've stayed at many campsites over the years and if I'm honest we normally venture a little bit further from home. For our holiday last year Littlest was unfortunately having a flare up and we needed to be within driving distance of the hospital, so we looked around and decided that we would camp at <a href="http://wicksteedpark.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wicksteed Park</a>.</div>
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Wicksteed Park is just on the outskirts of Kettering and is set in 147 acres of parkland. It is home to plenty of play equipment as well as more theme park type rides. Not all of our kids are big fan of rides and at Wicksteed you can either buy a wristband or individual tickets and then decide who goes on what. Me and the boys normally share tickets between us and then the girls have bands so they can go on everything. Due to their unusual system, as campers it means that you can access the whole park including picnic areas, play areas and facilities and you obviously don't need to pay for parking either. If you aren't interested in the rides then they do have a wildlife area, natural play area, arboretum, aviary and lake walks.</div>
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The campsite is at the far end of the park and set away from the main areas. It's a huge open expanse, overlooking the lake and you can choose any plot. We chose to be at the top of the hill overlooking the lake:</div>
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The bathrooms and showers were always clean and were well supplied with loo roll and the man who looked after them was really lovely. We had a couple of long conversations with him. For me the lake view and the price were absolutely the best part. For 2 adults, 4 children under 16, the biggest tent known to man and 2 cars it only cost us £60 for 4 nights. In comparison our usual Lake District campsite is £40 a night so an absolute bargain. As well as the convenience of being a 5 minute drive from the nearest big supermarket and shops and in our case in driving distance of the hospital.</div>
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For me the only downside was the generic white noise that comes from being near a big town and major roads. Although I say it was a downside for me, the rest of the family didn't notice it at all!! I think it's probably because we live in a very quiet area in a tiny village so I'm only used to hearing birds!!</div>
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Although the weather wasn't great we did get the true camping experience and the kids weren't on their phones all week which is exactly why we camp!!! You just can't beat sunsets and s'mores!!</div>
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We did have one full day at the park on the rides but we used some of the facilities every day especially the play park:</div>
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Wristbands are £18 for a child and £15 for an adult. Campers do get discounts after the first day. Ride tickets start £1.25 each or you can buy sheets of 20 or 40 that start at £22. I think that some of the activities aren't included in this price though such as Rush which is a huge jump on to an air pillow or the zip wire. The car parking fee for all day is £6. </div>
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Even if you don't fancy camping it's a pretty cool day out or alternatively they do have some holiday homes onsite if you aren't a fan of canvas living.</div>
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Do you have a recommended campsite in the UK?</div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comWicksteed Park, Barton Rd, Kettering NN15 6NJ, UK52.385847 -0.7089339999999992932.480064 -42.017528 72.29163 40.59966tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-47761270539857298382017-06-04T16:25:00.001+01:002017-06-04T16:25:20.949+01:00Griffiths Observatory and Park, Los Angeles<div style="text-align: center;">
On our recent big road trip, our first stop was the City of Angels. I've been there a couple of tines before but O has only been to Disney there a couple of times and the man had never been so obviously we had to take in some of the coolest sites. We stayed at the Hollywood Travelodge which was in an immense location and was only a 5 minutes drive from Griffith Park and Observatory. When we return to LA next year we'll definitely stay here again:</div>
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As Griffith Park was so close we decided to head there on our first full day in LA. We had hideous jet lag so were there super early and it's just such an amazing place especially before all of the other tourists get there!!</div>
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Now as regular readers will know, I'm a proper geek that loves California and one thing that I always find myself squealing at is the Hollywood Sign. There's just something so cool and iconic about it. Griffiths park is one of the easiest places to be able to get a sideways view from:</div>
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It's actually smaller than you think! When I first visited it used to be possible to get high up in Hollywood Hills but this time we couldn't get anywhere near it by car so we stuck with this. Next year I'm determined to hike up as close as possible to the sign!!</div>
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We didn't go into the observatory as we were way too early but it's such a lovely, peaceful place to hang out:</div>
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Not only is the building beautiful but it's surrounded by flowers, wildlife, nature and 22 hiking trails. The thing that got me most was that California smell after being away for so long. It's a combination of pine, warm air, mountain and nostalgia, I think!!</div>
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Of course one of the best things about the Observatory are the views across the city:</div>
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The next best thing about the observatory is that it's completely free to park there and accessible to all. Unfortunately therein lies the downside that every tourist now knows how amazing it is and doesn't need to pay for it!! As we were there so early parking wasn't a problem and nor did we run into too many other people.</div>
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We tried to get up there at night and it was a complete bun fight and you couldn't get anywhere near. My advice is to park at the bottom and walk up. It's actually quicker and easier - you just need to watch out for the wildlife!!! </div>
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If anyone knows of a great hike up to the Hollywood sign then please let me know!</div>
Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.com2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA34.1184341 -118.3003934999999814.212651100000002 -159.60898749999998 54.0242171 -76.991799499999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-52280301616734024072017-06-01T20:26:00.001+01:002017-06-01T20:27:13.958+01:00A family night out with Prezzo<div style="text-align: center;">
The Man and I occasionally eat out on date nights but it's quite rare that we eat out as a family. When I saw this challenge with Brit Mums and Prezzo I thought it was a great opportunity to change that. Our nearest Prezzo is in on Silver Street in the historic centre of Leicester by the Cathedral and Guildhall and apparently it used to be a night club back in the day:</div>
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The interior is pretty cool and is a mix of tables and booths. The decor is really funky:</div>
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A really cool feature of the restaurant is that it has an open plan/display kitchen so you can see your food being prepared:</div>
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The menu had some lovely items on it but we agreed (eventually) on a La Famiglia Sharing dish that serves up to 4 people. We chose a garlic bread starter and then the Penne Alla Rusticana. It was all incredible! We had a plain garlic bread and one with cheese. They were both so light and yummy:</div>
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Our main was absolutely goregeous and although it's billed as a sharing dish for 2 adults and 2 children it could easily feed more in my opinion. It comes to the table in a huge sharing bowl and then if you want cheese they add it at the table. I was trying to take a shot of the food but also managed to catch O's reaction in the background:</div>
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I loved having a big sharing dish for all of us to dig into. I always have proper food envy of whatever the Man orders as his always manages to look better so this was a good way to eliminate that! He also eats more than me and O so it was a winner for him too!! This was the dish after we'd all had a decent portion:</div>
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So we all managed seconds and some even managed thirds! I was trying to have a sneaky look at the food of all of the other diners and everyone's looked fab! The guy on the table next to us had the most incredible pizza that O managed to get a picture of when he disappeared for a minute:</div>
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I think we'll all be trying this the next time that we go. </div>
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One of the things that can be quite difficult to judge when you are reviewing is the customer service as generally if staff know that's what you are there for they can become overly attentive. Whilst we were at Prezzo it was fairly busy so I was watching the staff whilst they worked and honestly the service was second to none, not just for us but for the whole restaurant. The food came so quickly that it was almost too fast and we have to have a break between our main and gelato as I just couldn't fit in any more food that quickly. </div>
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Once we'd had a few minutes to let our mains go down we moved on to gelato and sorbet and actually got a family picture taken!</div>
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We had a really variety for dessert. Mine was strawberry and chocolate gelato and I have genuinely never tasted anything so good as the strawberry. I'd go so far as to say that it's the nicest ice cream that I've ever eaten even the man agreed with me and he's an ice cream aficionado!! He had chocolate and sea salt and then melon and lime sorbet. O had vanilla and blood orange sorbet which was again completely incredible.</div>
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Honestly the food and the service was second to none and we're already planning out next visit. Not only was the food lovely but actually we got to spend some lovely quality time together as a family and what better way to bond than over awesome food. </div>
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Prices obviously vary depending on what you want to order but mains we're between £8 - £13 generally which I think is more than reasonable for good quality food. Our sharing dish was £18.95 but like I say can feed at least 4 people. The dessert was £4 for two scoops of gelato or sorbet and I can't find enough superlatives to describe how good it was! </div>
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Pre-booking is advised as we went at 6pm on a Saturday and it was way busier that I would have expected. The Prezzo website has some great special offers available too so make sure you check it out before you book. Booking online is literally a 3 click process!!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px;"><i>*Disclaimer* This post is an entry for the BritMums #PrezzoLaFamiglia Challenge, sponsored by <a href="https://www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk/LaFamiglia/" target="_blank">Prezzo</a>. </i></span></div>
Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.com22 Silver Street, Leicester LE1 5ET, UK52.63542 -1.134782599999994132.729637000000004 -42.443376599999993 72.541203 40.173811400000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-53411480176223894332017-05-28T11:32:00.001+01:002017-05-28T11:32:16.171+01:00Museum of British Surfing, Braunton, Devon<div style="text-align: center;">
Following on from my post about the gorgeous beaches of North Devon, what do you do when the weather isn't so good or if you need a break from getting sand everywhere? Well, we were pottering around the gorgeous village of Braunton, buying new wetsuits for the kids that had outgrown them and trying not to purchase too much beautiful artwork:</div>
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When we came across the <a href="http://www.museumofbritishsurfing.org.uk/" target="_blank">Museum of British Surfing</a>. The family state that you can't take me anywhere but I have no idea what they mean.....</div>
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It was only £2 each for adults and free for kids and as the weather wasn't up to much we figured it was worth a shot. The guy who worked there was absolutely lovely and on his advice we followed the timeline of surfing around the museum starting in 1919 with surfboards made from coffin lids:</div>
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Before moving on to the more recognisable boards from the 1960's and 70's:</div>
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Back in the early days it used to be called surf riding. I did have a giggle at the equipment because my lake swim suit is almost identical to these:</div>
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Of course when talking about equipment you need the obligatory wetsuit through the ages shot:</div>
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I don't appear to have taken a picture of it but they also had one of the latest Patagonia wetsuits on display which would be a true delight to wear. It had a slash zip neck to make it easy to get on and off and was made of such a lightweight fabric. Truly awesome! Talking of being up to date, look at this bad boy:</div>
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I just wanted to stroke it. By this time Littlest had found another distraction:</div>
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I thought that it was a really fascinating place to look around and like I say the chap that worked there was fab and knowledgeable. There's also a small gift shop selling some beautiful handmade stuff. We'll definitely be back for a return visit.</div>
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The museum is open from 11am - 3pm Monday to Saturday and is closed on a Sunday. Please check out their <a href="http://www.museumofbritishsurfing.org.uk/" target="_blank">website</a> for the most up to date information.</div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comThe Yard, Caen St, Braunton EX33 1AA, UK51.1080001 -4.163072199999987831.181085099999997 -45.471666199999987 71.0349151 37.145521800000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-41763517221589228412017-05-21T18:08:00.000+01:002017-05-21T18:08:31.464+01:00Beaches of North Devon<div style="text-align: center;">
For the last few years my Father in Law has owned a place down in North Devon and we've been lucky enough to stay there a couple of times. We went at Easter with the kids and although it was cold and windy the sun was shining and we made it to the beach every day. I thought it would be cool to share the beaches that we went to and what we enjoyed about each one so that if you are ever in the area you can choose which would suit you and your family best for a lovely day out.</div>
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<b>Combe Martin</b></div>
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This is where the property is, it has the title of the UK's longest high street and the beach here is lovely. It's very pebbly which I think is a disadvantage but the kids love it for skimming stones and for rockpooling when the tide is out. Recently they've started renting out kayaks from the village so if you're looking for small and friendly then this might be the place for you. Car park is just above the beach and is very reasonable, there is also some on road parking but we've rarely been able to find a space. The chippy here is also fabulous:</div>
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<b>Woolacombe</b></div>
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We've been to the beach at Woolacombe a few times and it's a huge expanse of sand and sea which is just incredible. The downside of this is when the wind is blowing it blows like a gale across it. There's a huge car park on the sea front which costs about £6 for the whole day and we've never had any trouble parking here. There are more facilities here so shop, toilets, rides to amuse the kids and a lifeguard station. It's also a great beach for surfing/bodyboarding and the kids like it because it's shallow for a long way out:</div>
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As you can see it was a freezing cold day but we threw on the wetsuits and got in anyway. </div>
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<b>Saunton Sands</b></div>
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J had done some research before we went this time and said that he heard good things about Saunton Sands so off we went. What an unbelievably beautiful place. We liked this as although there was a shop to hire wetsuits and buy ice cream there wasn't much else about from sand, sea, showers and beach huts. There's a huge car park hidden in the sand dunes and you have to be careful not to drive right by it. Again it was only about £5 for the day. You could hire a beach hut and /or wind breaks and deck chairs. This is definitely for the surfers, bodyboarders and kite surfers. Only downside was the trek to the sea when the tide was out but it was so incredible it was completely worth it!</div>
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<b>Croyde</b></div>
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Awwww Croyde beach is definitely the family favourite. There are 2 car parks one on each side of the bay as well as very limited parking in the village. We always park at the Down End car park by the Croyde Surf Academy. There's parking, a toilet and outdoor shower and a very small cafe. It takes about 45 seconds to walk down the oath to the beach where there are two different beaches. One in a small cove and a bigger beach a bit further along. Like I say we all love it. Me because it's not too much of a trek down and back with all of the stuff and it's lovely and sandy, the girls because they can surf to their heart's content and the boys not only because it's shallow but also because there are plentiful rock pools so they never get bored.</div>
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Do you have any hidden North Devon treasures that we could seek next time?</div>
Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comNorth Devon District, UK51.0729874 -3.89187110000000350.434292400000004 -5.1827646000000032 51.7116824 -2.6009776000000029tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-79224651270644408362017-05-09T20:47:00.001+01:002017-08-09T14:13:08.916+01:00Review: Paradise Island Adventure Golf, Derby<div style="text-align: center;">
One of the nicest things about being a blogger, in my opinion, is when you are asked to go on days out or to review things that are a perfect fir for your family so when I got an email asking if I would like to review a new adventure golf centre that had opened we said yes.</div>
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Now obviously at this point I'd forgotten that we are all super competitive, that me and the kids have no aim and that I have absolutely no patience at all but I'm sure we'll come to all of that later...... This was taken at the very start when the lovely people behind the desk had registered us and given us our equipment but before the above kicked in:</div>
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There are two different 18 hole courses at Paradise Island either Course 1 which is Mermaid Rock or Course 2 which is Shark Bay. Each course has it's own theme but the favourite of the whole KB family was Shark Bay. We started however at Mermaid Rock which is themed as a far eastern bazaar, temples and jungle with some very funky statues thrown in for good measure:</div>
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And even a snake charmer hidden away on hole!!</div>
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You can just see O lining up to take her shot in the background. We did score this round but we were pretty terrible. I think it took E 22 strokes on one hole and I wasn't far behind him!! (This is about where my patience started to run out!!)</div>
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So 19 holes later we grabbed new balls and made our way around to Course 2 - Shark Bay! This was such a lot of fun. The themes on this side were split into four different areas and first up was the shipwreck:</div>
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And then unfortunately littlest was eaten by a shark:</div>
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J had a fight with an Octopus in the second theme which was under the sea:</div>
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I scored a hole in one on this one! Whoop!!! </div>
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Then met a shark whilst coming into land in section 3:</div>
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Next on theme 4 we hit the plains of Africa and a Cannibal Camp:</div>
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Then we were back through the cargo ship and back to hole 19 and the end of our Paradise Island adventure.</div>
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Entry can either be by timed booking or by just rocking up and paying your money. I would say that this is one of the only thing that lets it down as it was really busy when we were there (although this was Saturday lunchtime so probably to be expected!!) and we had people queuing behind us on every single hole which I found quite stressful. On a couple of holes there also isn't enough room for people to queue behind you so we had a couple of near misses at hitting them! When we go next time we would certainly try a different day or time. Some of the holes are also on the dark side so you can't always get a great view of what you're doing.... not that we're a competitive family *ahem*</div>
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Overall we had a great time and like I say the theme in Shark Bay seemed to grab the kids attention much more so than Mermaid Rock. We didn't see any staff apart from at the start but then I guess we didn't really need to. All of the kids got given different sized golf clubs that were perfect for them and after some <strike>arguing</strike> discussion managed to agree who would have which colour golf balls! The kids had varying opinions:</div>
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Oldest (14) said that it was a lot of fun and she loved Shark Bay but some of the holes could've been crazier...</div>
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Middle (10) said that it was irritating (mainly because he was rubbish at it!! Lol!!)</div>
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Littlest (8) said that it was one of the best days ever and that Shark Bay was awesome!</div>
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Paradise Island itself is really easy to find as it's located in the Intu Centre in the middle of Derby. There is loads of parking and it cost us about £4 for the couple of hours that we were there. The golf itself would have cost £30 for our family but we were there for at least an hour and a half so did get our money's worth.</div>
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<i>*Disclosure - We were asked to review Paradise Island Adventure Golf and didn't pay an entry fee in return for an honest review. We did pay for our own parking etc. All views, opinions and photos are my own.</i></div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comWest Mall, Derby DE1 2PL, United Kingdom52.918098 -1.471866999999974733.012315 -42.780460999999974 72.823881 39.836727000000025tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-14089424330915618532017-05-07T21:22:00.000+01:002017-05-07T21:24:49.421+01:00My Sunday Photo <div style="text-align: center;">
Linking up with @<a href="https://twitter.com/Photalife" target="_blank">photalife</a> for my Sunday photo</div>
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Last Sunday my lovely bestie and I finally made it to Oxford for the day. We've been trying to get to the Bodleian Library for ages and it's just the most incredible place - in fact I could probably write a whole post just about the library but my favourite facts:</div>
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1) This room was used as the hospital wing in Harry Potter</div>
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2) Each little picture on the ceiling is old fashioned crowd funding!</div>
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Just amazing!</div>
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<a href="http://photalife.com/my-sunday-photo/" target="_blank" title="Photalife"><img alt="Photalife" src="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/54d395d0e4b0aec4d9394b39/5523e854e4b038bf5fa4c6fc/5523e864e4b038bf5fa4d796/1428422767784/Sundaylge-e1396359989177.png?format=300w" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comBroad St, Oxford OX1 3BG, UK51.754073 -1.254042000000026731.84829 -42.562636000000026 71.659855999999991 40.054551999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-31012143865164033992017-04-23T14:39:00.001+01:002017-04-23T14:39:35.784+01:00My Sunday Photo<div style="text-align: center;">
Linking up with <a href="https://twitter.com/Photalife" target="_blank">@photalife</a> for MySundayPhoto on Twitter.</div>
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This week's photo was taken in my local park. I've never seen such an array of beautiful flowers and such varying styles. These were my favourite:</div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comQueen's Park, Loughborough LE11 3BJ, UK52.7696228 -1.20980459999998432.842677800000004 -42.518398599999983 72.6965678 40.098789400000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-33813693240000310292017-04-16T19:41:00.000+01:002017-04-23T14:39:49.611+01:00My Sunday Photo<div style="text-align: center;">
Linking up with <a href="https://twitter.com/Photalife" target="_blank">@Photalife</a> on Twitter for My Sunday Photo.</div>
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We've just gone back from a lovely week in Devon for the Easter hols. It was cold and windy but the sun shined nearly the whole time so we spent most of it on the beach. This gorgeous shot (if I do say so myself!!) was taken at Saunton Sands. Missing it so much today!</div>
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Happy Easter :)</div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comSaunton Sands, United Kingdom51.091504699999987 -4.225093799999967851.011721699999988 -4.3864552999999677 51.171287699999986 -4.0637322999999679tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975937413222776555.post-81554396820931473512017-04-05T19:56:00.000+01:002017-04-05T19:56:01.304+01:00Paris in a day<div style="text-align: center;">
I love, love, love Paris and if we're being honest it isn't possible to see everything that Paris has to offer in a day. It is however possible to tick off some of the main sites so how did I do it? Well last year my best friend and I had rather large birthdays and as part of that she decided that she was going travelling on her own. Under the guise of being a good friend but really wanting to see Paris with her, I offered to fly out and meet her for the day.</div>
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Thanks to Easyjet and their super cheap flights my 6:00am flight from London Luton to Charles de Gaulle and my return flight at 21:55 was only about £60 including taxes. The joy of being on the 6am flight is that you are in France, on the train and standing outside of Notre Dame eating breakfast by 9am!</div>
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We were a bit gung ho and decided to go all 1990's and not have phones, so our plan was to meet outside Notre Dame at 9.30am and take it from there and meet we did. We decided not to challenge ourselves and walk up the stairs to the top of Notre Dame but if you are braver than me this is possible and costs around £8. There is normally a bit of a queue so get there early if this is something you want to do. </div>
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From here we walked through the gorgeous Parisien streets to the Louvre. The Louvre is incredible but you need to spend a good amount of time here and in all honesty if you're just there for the day it's unlikely you'll fit it in. You may want to take a photo though to tick it off your list ;) The gardens in front of the Louvre are particularly gorgeous too.</div>
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When we were in Paris, I was unfortunately really ill so we decided that we would get on the jump on/off sightseeing bus which actually completely made our day! There are many tours and different tour companies that have several routes across the city. Our tour cost us £20 each but it was worth every penny and at most stops the buses came every 15 minutes. From the Louvre we got the bus back past Notre Dame and spotted the very cool and quirky Shakespeare and Co bookstore which we visited and JoJo re-visited later during her trip for a talk and book signing. Worth checking what's going on in advance of your visit:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PKDBO_hUqtU/WOErzHOkMYI/AAAAAAAADcg/I4ojbrQLGAEQSuManydgKV8IZTxod_TxQCLcB/s1600/Shakespeare%2Band%2BCompany%2Bbook%2Bshop%252C%2BParis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PKDBO_hUqtU/WOErzHOkMYI/AAAAAAAADcg/I4ojbrQLGAEQSuManydgKV8IZTxod_TxQCLcB/s320/Shakespeare%2Band%2BCompany%2Bbook%2Bshop%252C%2BParis.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We stayed on the bus for a while so that we could make the most of seeing the City so from here our next stop was actually the Eiffel Tower:</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-08H0p952TEM/WOEsAsudL2I/AAAAAAAADck/XwOO53exas8gOZnIItzH1ynenYl2_Uw5QCLcB/s1600/Eiffel%2BTower%252C%2BParis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-08H0p952TEM/WOEsAsudL2I/AAAAAAAADck/XwOO53exas8gOZnIItzH1ynenYl2_Uw5QCLcB/s320/Eiffel%2BTower%252C%2BParis.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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In my opinion the best view of the Eiffel Tower is from the Trocaedro which is a 10 minute walk across the road but well worth the walk up the stairs. There were some renovations going on whilst we were there so the fountains were out of action and I don't have any photos from that view. We decided after a while on the bus that we would walk the 15 minutes back to the Arc de Triomphe just to stretch our legs and to get some lunch:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V-6osryntcw/WOEtRq2X7TI/AAAAAAAADcs/v0YlPEvnLUQoXj3K6l5atmQ936RV7yrswCLcB/s1600/Arc%2Bde%2BTriomphe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V-6osryntcw/WOEtRq2X7TI/AAAAAAAADcs/v0YlPEvnLUQoXj3K6l5atmQ936RV7yrswCLcB/s320/Arc%2Bde%2BTriomphe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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At this stop we seemed to have to wait ages for a bus but one did eventually turn up. We drove back to the Eiffel Tower and by the Ecole Militiare and then around by the very expensive shops and the Champs Elysee and then towards the Opera Garnier. We were ready for a walk around by this point so we got off the bus at the depot which was situated on Rue Montmarte and pottered around the shops buying lots of delicious food. </div>
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My absolute favourite place in Paris to eat in Angelina's. The interior reminds me of the Ritz although Angelina's isn't as formal, It is pricey though so if you can't afford to eat in I suggest you visit the shop and buy yourself some loveliness to take away. There are several branches across Paris but I always go to the one on Rue De Rivoli however due to their popularity you will need to book or be prepared to wait a couple of hours for a table. Cakes look very small but my goodness they are rich and delightful:</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mmu2MR-Jb28/WOEurHl6cMI/AAAAAAAADc4/8MwfKoeQBBUAGHVHCocGdy_VKkbNOJZ-ACLcB/s1600/Cake%2Bstop%2Bat%2BAngelina%2527s%252C%2BParis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mmu2MR-Jb28/WOEurHl6cMI/AAAAAAAADc4/8MwfKoeQBBUAGHVHCocGdy_VKkbNOJZ-ACLcB/s320/Cake%2Bstop%2Bat%2BAngelina%2527s%252C%2BParis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The one thing that we didn't get to visit on this day trip was the Sacre Coeur but my goodness if you can fit it in then you should make the effort as it's incredible:</div>
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My last tip that I will leave you with is if you are doing Paris on a budget then take a step one street back from the main tourist areas and shop like a local. Prices are about three times cheaper and the fresh produce that you can get is amazing. Find a bakery and sit in a park somewhere to make the most of it. My favourite spot in the Place des Vosges which is just off the Rue de Rivoli but feels like it's a whole world away. It's a little square surrounded by beautiful buildings, cute shops that don't sell your usual tourist tat, incredible ice cream, fountains, grass and every day Parisien folk! Amazing - but please don't tell too many tourists about it so we can still enjoy :)</div>
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Do you have a secret spot in Paris to share with us?</div>
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Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16414546801391294610noreply@blogger.comParis, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177