A short getaway to Dublin

Ireland has always been a place I've wanted to visit. Y'know to see all the Leprechauns and drink a good ol' pint of the dark stuff so I booked a spontaneous little trip to Dublin for Jordan and I to have a venture over. Usually I'm the type of person to visit somewhere and 'wing it' but as we were very limited to time here I made sure I done extra research beforehand so that we could squeeze in as much as we could. The flight was only a short 60 minutes, meaning by the time we were up at the correct altitude it was time for the landing. We arrived pretty late on the Monday night so we jumped on a coach to take us into the city and then into a taxi to our accommodation. The next morning however, we were up and out by around 0830 to make sure we weren't wasting a second to discover what Dublin had to offer. 

The first thing on the agenda was Kilmainham Gaol - the former prison in Kilmainham. We prebooked tickets online (here) meaning we didn't have to wait for a time slot and the tickets were cheaper. Bonus! I kinda dragged Jordan along to this as I LOOOOOOOVE scary things. Note - this isn't as creepy as I was hoping. The tour takes you around a good majority of the prison and the guide tells you lots of stories of the history behind Dublin, the Gaol and some of the inmates who were executed here. It was a very interesting experience and I do recommend the visit as you learn a lot of information about Ireland's history.

 Directly opposite the Goal was the Museum of Modern Art which we kind of just found ourselves wandering around. Although the weather wasn't the best the grounds still looked beautiful. So we walked around the whole thing taking snaps of everything before heading out to find some breakfast as by this point our tummy's were screaming at us. We stopped in the first cafe we came across and damn it was good. Jordan obviously opted for the big breakfast and I a toastie. 

We obviously had to have a short stop in the oldest pub, The Brazen Head for a pint. I played it safe and stayed with Heineken were Jordan went a lil' adventurous and got Guinness. - Maybe he was preparing himself for the Storehouse. It had a very feel good atmosphere about the place although we went around lunch time there was still plenty of people sat down enjoying a cold, refreshing drink.  

Once we were fed we then decided to stroll around the City, slowly making our way to the different places we wanted to see. The churches in the center are very pretty and are all in walking distance from each other. (The image above is Christchurch Cathedral) Trinity College is another place we visited and had a stroll around but being the home of The Book of Kells this place was packed. We really wanted to go inside the Long Room as the images of that look unbelievable but unfortunately the queue to buy tickets was insanely long and we had plenty more to see before our scheduled time slot at the Guinness Storehouse.

Temple Bar. Need I say more...?
This full place is so picturesque I loved it! A whole lotta colour and a whole lotta beer - its great. We wandered around for a while before it was time for us to have a pint. Live Irish music plays in the majority of the bars making the atmosphere a lot more welcoming. As soon as 'Galway Girl' was sung I was completely in love with the place. I felt like I was in P.s I love you and I mean come on who doesn't love that movie.

Next stop: Guinness Storehouse. We booked our tickets online (here) beforehand again making it not only cheaper but quicker as you beat the long lines of people. We couldn't come to Dublin and not come here, its one of the most touristy things to do. The process and effort of making this beer is eyeopening and its been going on for so many years. Our tickets were for 1730 which I believe was quite a busy period but nonetheless it was still manageable to look around it at your own pace. It did begin to rain as we were walking there so the view from the Gravity Bar (360 degree view of Dublin) wasn't as clear but still looking out over the whole of the City and then onto the mountains in the distance whilst enjoying a pint of Guinness you can't complain. 

We headed back to Temple Bar to enjoy a late dinner and plenty more drinks before heading back to our hotel. We ended up in this small Italian restaurant for pizza which when they arrived we probably should of shared one because they were huuuuuuuuuuge!

The next morning we woke up and headed to Phoenix Park hoping to spot some deer. We didn't. I knew the park was gigantic but I wasn't expecting it to be this big. We stopped in the Tea Rooms for some brunch and began to walk more of the park. We contemplated going to the Zoo which is located in the park itself but being summer holidays the amount of kids we seen running towards the entrance we decided against. The sun began to sneak out as we were strolling around which made the entire park look so much more prettier. All the different colours of the flowers seemed to pop more and the grass looked as lush as ever. It was nice to have some blue sky in a couple photos ha. 

In our final hours in Dublin we headed back to the City and towards O'connell Street to see the Spire which again I was NOT expecting it to be as big as it was. I mean that thing is ginormous for one big spike in the middle of a busy street. We kind of lingered around this area for the majority of the rest of the day as we had a coach to catch to take us back to the airport. We chilled in a cool pub had some good drinks and good food with the best company. We enjoyed ourselves and it was a lovely getaway and mini break from work and the reality. I'd love to come back to Ireland but I'd most definitely hire a car so we could adventure more into the mountains and experience the quirky, smaller, more Irish towns. 

Top of the mornin to ya!

Where is your favourite place to visit in Ireland?

Lucy X

Weekend break in the city

For a good few months I had kind off been nagging Jordan to take me to Kelly Tarlton's in Auckland as aquariums are my absolutely favourite place to be. I find them so peaceful and tranquil (unless it's school holidays of course). So after a very long and patient wait we decided to take the weekend off of work and head up to Auckland for a mini break. We set off early Saturday morning as I'm sure you can imagine what the traffic is like heading into the city, but as soon as we arrived we headed straight to the aquarium. The first exhibit you came across was the penguins which we both spent ages just watching as they are quite the comedians but the only creature I really do go to aquariums to see are the Jellyfish because they are hands down the most magical creatures ever to look at. The way they just glide in different directions so effortlessly is beautiful. Once I finally did manage to drag myself away from them we then went on the hunt for a place to grab some lunch. We ended up in a little Italian restaurant directly opposite the sea. After our stomach's were filled we then headed to Jordan's cousins house as this is where we were staying for the night. As we were in Auckland another must I wanted to do was go up the Sky Tower, especially at night because I could just imagine the view and I knew it was gonna be insane. The weather wasn't so great that day too so we opted for my decision and once the sun started setting we jumped back in the car and headed for the City.

 I haven't spent much time in the actual city since being in New Zealand which is pretty terrible but I prefer more of a relaxed scene like the countryside or the beach instead of the 'concrete jungle' type places, but nevertheless Auckland is still just as breathtaking. You just gotta find the right places. It was a short break but it was perfect.

XOXO

Just have a little faith

The other week I got told I was being 'let go' from my current job as an Au Pair and if I'm honest in that moment I was terrified. A huge bomb shell had just landed right in front of me and it made me consider everything. My first thought was 'fuck! back to UK I go' because I thought that would be the easiest option eventhough I was adamant to stay away from that country for as long as possible. This happening also made me realise a lot more how much happy I am here in New Zealand because I really do not want to leave this place. So... determination took over me and the day after hearing the news I was in the library updating and printing out all my cvs and began to hand them out everywhere. For them whole 24 hours I was positive I had no chance in finding anywhere and I would be going back home but then the next day I got a phone call for a trial shift. I was absolutely overwhelmed. Long story short - I've got a job!!! All my friends were constantly on my case telling me to just 'have a little faith' but I didn't want to. I didn't want to get my hopes up thinking I'd be able to get a new job in the time I have and save myself from having to get on the planes back home.

I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason so I really am happy this happened. It's again my next step in life as I'm having to find an apartment and move onwards in my life to new and better things. I am truly excited with what my future is bringing right now and I promise I will keep you all updated. Just remember your life can drastically change in a blink of an eye so live life the best you truly can and be happy whilst you're doing it.

XOXO

I was reading this book called Words To Inspire (which I fully recommend) and here are a few little inspirational quotes I picked out for this little blogpost :)

Another year gone

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So it's 2015. Wow. It really puts the whole "time flies" saying into perspective doesn't it? Considering it only feels like a couple years ago I was in school writing 2008 at the top, left hand side of my page.

What did you all get up to for New Years? 

This year Aimee and I had a mini road trip to Tauranga and celebrated there instead of staying in Hamilton. We originally planned on heading to the Mt but when we finally arrived to our Motel we were staying in we figured it would simply be impossible to get there as getting a taxi or uber seemed silly to even consider. In the end we headed a short walk from the place we stayed and went to the bars and had a few drinks. We both realised New Year here in New Zealand isn't as big as back home in England as in each bar there were bands playing but they stopped playing for the countdown at around 15 seconds... I repeat 15 SECONDS. In England we have the tv on and the volume switched to the maximum and watch the Big Ben countdown for about 5 minutes. It's a tradition. Regardless of this we still had a fun night and it was spent around good vibes. 

Last year I written a blogpost, listing not so much New Year's resolutions but more of a list of things I wanted to change within myself and how I lived I guess. If you click (here) you will see my 2014 list. So now as I'm typing this today... a whole year later I've decided to actually see which of the things I can tick off and what I'd like to add to it. The main point I wanted to accomplish is 'Do More' and I can pretty much put both my hands in the air and say I've done a hell of a lot more. I'm pretty sure if you've been reading my (few) posts on this blog you can see I have too. I mean if moving to the opposite side of the entire globe by yourself and becoming the happiest you've ever been isn't doing more with your life then I have no idea whatsoever what is. Doing so, has made me also realise how beautiful the world is and I'm constantly wanting to get out and explore and find new things to snap pictures of to keep for memories... Another point I wanted to fulfill is to become more active which again that's another box with a big, fat tick across it. I'm so happy with how much more fitter, and determined I've become to actually want to be active and enjoy working out. I, again have written a blogpost about fitness and I am happy to help out people who are willing/ wanting to start but are unsure where or how. I'm not saying I'm a genius but whatever I'm doing is helping me so surely I could give a few tips out. This point also rolls into the 'Drink More Water' which I do. I very rarely drink any fizzy type of drinks now only if I am absolutely craving it, which yes I do still get these craves. If you say you don't... YOU SIT ON A THROWN OF LIES.

This year however my plan is to carry on my fitness and healthy eating which now I think will be easy as it's part of my lifestyle every since I stopped eating meat. Which I am still overwhelmed with how well I've achieved to stay vegetarian. As I went from somebody who ate chicken pretty much everyday to not touching any meat or meat flavour products (such as chicken potato chips, noodles, etc) for over 6 months.

♥  Chill the fuck out: this may sound a bit ruthless but nonetheless it needs to happen. I need to stop worrying about things what aren't actually that important. Stressing causes a lot of things and I want this year to be filled with as much positivity as possible.
♥  Go Vegan: I eventually do want to become full vegan so I'm planning on taking it slow and reducing my dairy intake bit by bit. I very rarely eat eggs and I do only drink almond milk but my real challenge is going to be with cheese products.
♥  Start Saving: I feel like now I've finally reached my 20s this is the right time to actually start saving and think about the future... Which lets face it, I probably won't have that sorted within this next year but hey if I can start saving and stop wasting money on pointless things that will be a start wont it? 
♥  BE HAPPY: I feel like this doesn't need an explaination :)

I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas and New Years and just remember a New Year is a chance for new beginnings... Choose the right path you want to go down to make this year your year.
XOXO

    

Coromandel Peninsula

Aimee and I decided to take a road trip up north to visit the Coromandel Peninsula which I personally think everyone who is in the north island should visit sometime or other because it's absolutely beautiful (which is probably an understatement). We both deleted our Facebook and Messenger apps so that we would have no contact or distractions whilst we were here as we literally wanted to get away for a little while to relax for a weekend instead of our usual antics in town which usually consist of drama. It took us roughly 2 hours 30 to arrive but the drive was ever so scenery so it wasn't all bad. As soon as we got settled in our little apartment at the backpackers we then opened the wine because it was very much needed after that drive ha ha, afterwards we then went to the beach to watch the sunset which was literally a walk across the road away from where we were staying.

The next morning we both woke up at 5am randomly but couldn't get back to sleep so we ended up watching the sunrise then chilling out until we decided to get ready. That Saturday was a pretty chilled out day as the majority of it was spent walking up and down the beach and exploring Whitianga. We did eat one of the tastiest pizzas I've ever ate before whilst watching the Christmas parade go by, which personally felt a little odd seeing Santa Claus go by whilst I'm sat in a bikini. This day was also spent doing a hell of a lot of sunbathing as we wanted to get as much sun as we could before we had to go back to Hamilton. The night then consisted of drinking a lot of wine... maybe a little too much as Aimee ended up in bed by around 10pm even though we planned on going to the pub. All in all it was a bloody good day!

The next morning Aimee woke up hung, as you can probably imagine but the good thing is that I'm the driver so we could still continue on what we were planning to do. That Sunday as it was the day we were travelling back we decided to stop and visit the Cathedral Cove as we heard and saw a lot of things about it and it was kinda a must see. I can now say it is... Now that I've actually been there myself some of the scenes are breathtaking. It's also very good exercise as it consists of a lot of walking, stairs and hills and considering this weekend I didn't gym I felt this was needed eventhough towards the end of it my legs were hurting and I was over it purely because of the heat made it worse than it was I guess.

Below are some of my favourite pictures from the whole weekend and I did try and capture the places true beauty to show you all.

XOXO