Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

After almost six months of not seeing my family, I flew back with Holly from London to be with my family and friends for the remainder of my half term break. It was nice catching up with everyone, especially now that two of my good friends are engaged and planning their weddings along with Holly!

The Rocky Road to Dublin

Holly and I were off to Dublin to see my boyfriend who was working there during my last half term break until the end of the school year. Since it was a week off for the kids, flight prices always are jacked up, so unfortunately our cheapest option there was the Rail and Sail so we had to take the train from London Euston to Holyhead in Wales and then take the Ferry to Dublin where we would meet Marcel. 

It was one of the most frustrating days for me, because the day did not go at all to plan. Our first problem of the day started when we arrived at the train station and were told we weren't booked on our original ferry, so then rebooked to a later train and ferry. The only thing was, it wasn't direct and we had to transfer to a different train. After thinking we were all set I saw that our train was ready to depart and we got on, but I had an uneasy feeling and then we heard that the train was indeed not going to where we wanted. Of course I was so dramatic and frustrated but luckily a lady on the train helped us and sorted out a way to get to Holyhead (which included more train transfers) but we had to stick closely to the schedule and would have 4 minutes from getting off the train in Holyhead to getting on the ferry and through customs. I was glad to have Holly with me to help calm me down and reassure me and there were about 5 other people who were in the same situation as us. Somehow in the end (maybe with some Irish luck) we ended up making our ferry, and I couldn't have been more relieved. Moral of the story - things go wrong in travel, but it can turn out ok and you can even meet some interesting people along the way. 

While waiting for one of our transfers I thought what better time to paint my nails.  

What was really special was the date that we were in Dublin, as it was the day after voters made history in the gay marriage referendum and voted YES to gay marriage! There were celebrations going all around the city with rainbow flags everywhere, and people wearing "VOTE YES" buttons. It was truly a great day to be in Ireland! We went out to a pub and gave Holly a taste of Irish culture.

Equal Rights For All!! 

They meet for the first time

The next day we went outside of Dublin to an interesting place called Newgrange which is a World Heritage Site and dates back to 3200 BC making it older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids. At first I didn't really think much of it, other than it had a cool shape but once the tour guide explained more about it and we went inside it was really incredible. They did a demonstration which happens during Winter Solstice where the light hits the rocks and can act as a time-telling device.

I think that this Historic site is definitely overlooked and not as known or appreciated as others such as Stonehenge and I recommend seeing it if you are in Ireland! Unfortunately pictures were not allowed inside the tomb which I found even better than the outside.

Still today they are unsure about what the carvings on the stone mean

The next day Holly and I got to explore more of Dublin and it was nice that I could somehow show her around from the last time I was there. This time we went to the Jameson Distillery for a tour and my favourite, the Leprechaun Museum.

At the end of the tour we could draw a post card, this was mine, it was even framed!

Ginger Ale and Jameson - so good!

Holly tried Black Pudding

Our last day in Dublin was spent driving along the Wicklow Mountains, which was nice to show Holly the Irish countryside. There was even a trail where you could see where the movie Braveheart was filmed. That night Holly and I flew out (stress free) back to London.

Sisters in London

Holly came to visit for a week and a half before my final half term break in June. She flew into Gatwick and I took the day off and surprised her at the airport.

We had planned quite a few things during her stay in London and had a lot to look forward to. The first weekend she was here we headed west to Notting Hill/ Portobello Market. While we were there we stopped in to get a Pimms (it was my first Pimms, along with Holly's first) and listened some live music. As we were close, we visited Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park and it was so nice to see the flowers in bloom. Our last stop before heading home was to my favourite bakery Cocomaya

Kensington Gardens

Cocomaya

Sunday we went to Camden market, it was only my second time going to Camden so I was looking forward to going back and exploring it more. We discovered an entire "new" section of Camden I didn't know existed - the Stables Market where there were some really cool shops! My favourite was this amazing store that sold Turkish hand-painted plates and lamps, I am definitely going to go back and purchase something there.

One of the things I was most looking forward to during Holly's visit was the Afternoon Tea Bus Tour. Since moving to London I haven't actually had afternoon tea, not that I am much of a tea drinker anyways. This was the perfect combination, you have afternoon tea on a double decker bus that takes you around central London seeing the major sights. Luckily, Holly and I got an upgrade and had really a really good seat on the bus. We each got orange juice and a choice of tea or coffee and an assortment of sandwiches and other treats. Near the end of the tour we got a warm scone with some cream and jam. It was a really fun afternoon!

Pinkies up!

The other thing I was excited for was seeing "Book of Mormon" which is a musical made by the creators of South Park.  I heard such good reviews about it, and it lived up to it all. It is definitely not meant for the easily offended, as there is some really racy parts in the musical but it made me laugh so hard I was crying a few times.

A house that is commonly used for filming that we encountered during the Jack the Ripper tour. 

Goodbye Wanstead, Hello South Woodford

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. With Kylie gone, Katy and I could no longer afford to live in our adorable house in Wanstead and had to move out. We couldn't get a place together but we did get one in the same area in London, and just a tube stop away from Wanstead. South Woodford is such a cute area and reminds me of Wanstead a lot. I live five minutes from the tube station and am renting through a company called "Arrive Homes" which is nice as all bills are included. I was a bit nervous because there are 6 others living in the house but we end up getting along well and make it work! There are lots of cute restaurants and a big grocery store nearby which is perfect and is only an extra 10 minutes from my school.

Lauren and I got tickets to see a band from Hamilton, Ontario called "The Arkells" play in Shoreditch  months ago when we first heard they were playing in London. I have seen them before playing in Ontario but because they are so big and well known there the concerts were always with tons of people. It was so nice to be able to go to a concert to a band you like in such an initiate setting. They played at a venue called Old Blue Last which was the perfect size, and we ended up standing at the front and even talked to the lead singer after the show. Such a fun night out with Lauren! On my way back to South Woodford I was on FaceTime with my family when I got a special surprise... Holly and Keith got engaged! Ended up being a very eventful night!

Beer, Chocolate and Waffles

Along with the term and half term breaks throughout the year, there are a number of 'bank holidays' in England which provide a great opportunity for weekend getaways. I was surprised with a long weekend trip to Belgium! I was so excited to visit the country known for its beer, chocolate and waffles. We took the Eurotunnel from Dover to Calais, France then would drive up to Brussels, Belgium to stay, and go for a day Bruges. Of course to prepare we had to watch "In Bruges" with Collin Farrell.  

The Eurotunnel was very strange, though I much preferred it to taking a ferry. You drive onto the train and there's only a few feet between each car and you are locked and sealed into a section for 30 minutes until you arrive in France. Prior to leaving you also go through customs and just briefly show your passport before driving onto the train. 

Blurry photo, but best one I could get on the train

This was his first time driving on the left (correct) side of the road so he was a little hesitant at first but for once I was able to help with where he should turn. Our first day we wandered around Brussels. "Tin Tin" originated from Belgium, so there was a lot of graffiti on the streets along with a museum dedicated to the cartoon. Brussels is the heart of the European Union and hosts parliament in its beautiful

Tin Tin 

For some strange reason there is this bronze statue of a little boy peeing in a fountain called "Manneken Pis" translated to "Little Pee Man" which is famous in Brussels and known around the world. The statue is dressed in costume several times a week as pictured below. I don't understand the point of the statue, nonetheless it was funny and I had to get a picture of it while in Brussels.

Another thing on my list to do of course was having a Belgium waffle, and boy was it delicious! We also visited some chocolate stores and got some treats for ourselves and some souvenirs for family.

The parliament buildings were lit up in such pretty colours at night 

Brussels was so expensive! We went out downtown for a late dinner and some drinks on the main strip. Being a Saturday night, it was crazy busy with bachelor and bachelorette parties (it seems like Brussels is the place to go for that) and drunk people. We split the "meat plate" and had 2 drinks each which came to 90 Euros!

While there were some great sights in Brussels, it wasn't exactly the experience I was expecting. Sunday we made our way to Bruges which was the best decision as we both agreed it was so much better and later said we wished we stayed in Bruges (though we didn't because hotels were much more pricy there!)

There was this awesome store called "B2" which sold such interesting types and flavours of beer

My favourite memory from the trip was going on a boat cruise in Bruges, it was just magical! The beginning of the day was rainy and dreary, but luckily it cleared up just in time for our cruise!

During our drive back to Brussels we split a box of chocolates from one of the MANY chocolate stores in Bruges. This one was my favourite, it was a skull with cherry filling on the inside. 

Early Monday we checked out of our hotel in Brussels and had a lot of time until our train left from Calais, France as we booked a very late train so had a spur of the moment decision to drive to the Netherlands! I couldn't believe how flat it was, there were no hills anywhere. I had to take a picture of every windmill I saw too!

In all, it was a fantastic long weekend that I didn't want to end, not only because we had a good time, but because it meant that he was going to work in Ireland for at least a month.