La Bodega in Croatia

Set in the rustic Roman streets of Split, we came across La Bodega. Thinking it must be half decent if there was a queue outside, on our second night we finished up dinner a little earlier to get a table; although it was filling up quickly, and some were reserved, we still got a good spot. The great thing about Croatia is that even the best bars are free entry and drinks are reasonably priced, so judging your company is good, you're bound to have a good night.

                              There are 3 things that make a good bar, a great bar

Atmosphere

When it’s busy enough you feel jammy getting a good table, but there’s enough room to actually move. The type of people around you can affect your experience too – in La Bodega it was a slightly older crowd, with the average age about 30 and a combination of groups and couples, the surroundings were good and you felt comfortable. Also when you’re on holiday and the bar is packed with, usually slightly rowdy, English crowds you may as well be back in the UK, so I liked that there was a mix of people, probably a lot being locals. La Bodega definitely had a feel good ambience!

Music
Chilled house music – think Café Mambo in Ibiza – creates the best vibe. La Bodega played good remixes of recent chart music but also mixed it up with live saxophonists and lesser known dance music that admittedly called for Shazam.. (defo adding to the Gym         playlist).

Quality but Affordable

In every bar, especially when abroad, my eyes have a natural tendency to avert to the cocktail menu.. For a Caiprioska (vodka, fresh lime, crushed ice) it was 65kn (approx. £6.50) which wasn’t too bad – I mean it’s double the price of a ‘Mojito on the Go’ that you can get on the streets in Croatia – but you’re also paying for the atmosphere in La Bodega, so I couldn't complain.. and 2 or 3 later it was just fine..

We were only in Split for a few nights, and wanted to try out other places, so my eyes lit when we came across another La Bodgea a week later in the beautiful and historic Old Town in Dubrovnik. I was a bit clueless that this place was such a popular chain – the ones in the UK are more Tapas bars, and a lot are known for their breakfasts and coffees also, but I would definitely recommend the Croatian ones for their cocktails and, depending on your type of night, it's great for a few drinks to get you in the mood before heading out out ;)

Old Town Dubrovnik

Writing this post has got me in the mood for sitting outside sipping Pimms and Mojitos on balmy summer evenings; but as it's October and so basically officially Autumn in the UK now, maybe time to move on from that little daydream. But if you're heading away for some winter sun, keep a look out for a La Bodega!

When in Amsterdam

So it’s been over a year since that post about setting off on a trip around Europe.. and I figured, better late than never, I'd write a post on each country!

Most inter-railers would start their venture by train, but we took the slightly easier, and actually cheaper (you can’t use your interrail ticket within your home country), option to fly from London to Schippol, Amsterdam. Flying also eases you in, as you come to find that 70% of the trip is spent on trains!

Shock number one? The bag. Oh my I had way over packed. The thought of having to lug the beast around with me for 3 weeks filled me with dread, and we hadn’t even got out the airport.

TIP: Make use of launderettes - pack for 3 days/nights and wear everything 7 times!

First stop: Amsterdam

First impressions

Despite its controversial reputation, Amsterdam is one of the nicest cities. It's so pretty and aesthetically it was actually my favourite city, and one I will definitely go back to. Canals run through just about everywhere in the centre, there are plenty of green spaces, and little streets with quirky looking houses surround you. Needless to say, it was a relaxed atmosphere and the people were pretty friendly, quickly learning the difference between a café and a coffee shop! 

We used the first day to wander around and get our bearings. The good thing with Amsterdam is that everyone is either walking or biking, so we walked.. everywhere. We chose not to cycle because the huge volumes of 2-wheeled traffic meant you had to be some sort of expert, or at least have a bike licence, to navigate the streets.

Main attractions

TIP: Walk everywhere - it's a small enough city to do so, and you never know what you might stumble across.

-          

     Museumplein - the walk through the streets to get here was nice in itself, and then the pretty buildings and cafes/bars dotted around were worth it when you arrived.

    The infamous signs - we didn't realise there were 2. Definitely worth the 'climb awkwardly and take a picture quick before I actually fall' just to say you've been there done that. 

Museumplein: Rijksmuseum

Vondelpark

-   Vondel park - basically a huge space with lakes, woodland, fountains cafes etc. People generally chilling out, walking, sunbathing, cycling. Loved it. 

-      Anne Frank House - we queued for nearly 3 hours, and on a hot day, but it was worth it. You can't really go to Amsterdam and not come here - it's a massive part of history (setting us up nicely for Berlin). Unfortunately you can't take pictures inside, but it was surreal to see where the family lived and get even just a tiny feel for how it must have been. I would highly recommend, no actually insist, that if you go to Amsterdam you go here. 

Anne Frank's House from the outside

    Red Light District  - again you can't really go to Amsterdam and not go there; I wouldn't exactly put it in the same category as Anne Frank's house, but it's worth a visit. I didn't take any pictures but yeah, it was a bit of an experience. You won't feel out of place, I mean there were families with small children walking along like it was your average high street. And there was me looking at what I thought was a manikin 'oh that's a nice bikini', and then she moved. We experienced it for all of 5 minutes - that was enough. Another been there done that excursion.

Accommodation

I think the term 'hostel' has some pretty negative connotations, but in Europe a decent hostel is more like a 2* hotel, and this one was nice and modern.

Amsterdam was one of the 2 places we were in a mixed/shared dorm, mainly because the budget was tight and Amsterdam, alongside Berlin, were most expensive in terms of accommodation. 

One of our roommates was a chatty New Zealander, the other chap didn't speak at all and the other was a Canadian who was into 'trying new things' that didn’t end too well and kinda ruined our stay. Obviously much depends on your budget, but I would rather have spent a bit more and had a private room - but that may have been because our first night was tainted by the Canadian throwing up all over the place. Yeah, nice. 

We couldn't walk to the centre from the hostel, but because the station was only 100 yards away and trains were regular so this wasn't a problem in the slightest.

TIP: If there's the option to, then always have breakfast included - that way you can fuel yourself to last all morning, and take the bread/cheese/meats with you = lunch sorted! We did this at every single place and it saved us so much money.

Food & Drink

The first night we stumbled across some cobbled back streets that were full of little restaurants and boutique shops. Sometimes you come across the best finds when you’re not intentionally looking. Sorry no foodie pictures, but I remember having a veggie bean burger and I remember it being good.
Although known for its nightlife, the bars are filled with big groups and stag do's - I think everyone will have a different experience of Amsterdam by night. 

Second night we saved some penny’s and opted for a Chinese take-away-in-a-box and ate it on the steps in the main square. The rest of the time we fuelled ourselves with regular waffle/coffee/beer stops (warning: the coffee is v strong) which kept us going!

TIP: Take regular drink stops to just take in your surroundings - it's a unique place!

Seeya again Amsterdam!

22 Days in Europe

So today's the day. I'm currently sat in the airport, doing the usual holiday-maker thing of spending money in duty free, stocking up on snacks and buying enough magazines for the whole plane to read. But this isn't going to be like the usual holiday. Instead I'm going on this trip with the hope that it will change and develop me in a positive way, provide me with a new outlook and give me some stories and adventures to learn from and look back on.

My next 3 weeks consists of:

Amsterdam

Berlin

Prague

Budapest

Vienna

Slovenia

Croatia

I think I'm also going to take this time to break from social media and the internet. Give myself a re-fresh and re-charge from the norm. I think that could be good for everyone to do once in a while. The only exception is that I may post a few snaps on Instagram from each country, but only as a source of logging pictures ready for the blog posts! Plus it also ensures I have a bank of pictures if my phone/camera were to get lost. But aside from that, I will be 'social media free' for the next few weeks; an added challenge/change.

...I think its time to start my book..

Love, B 

Out of the Comfort Zone

I honestly don’t know where the past few months have gone. It's all been such a whirlwind. It’s kind of scary, but exciting at the same time because, as cliche as it sounds, I’ve had the real feeling that ‘the world is my oyster’ since completing my degree last month. This is very poignant as I am soon to begin my travels around Europe.

This trip has been in the pipeline for a long time, having been mentioned and debated here and there for over a year. Then it was decided around September last year to start considering it more seriously. This summer seemed like no better time, what with finishing Uni and all, this trip is the perfect chance to celebrate, relax and do something different before embarking upon the 'real world' of work. I'm sure this trip will give me the travel bug, as travelling seems to do that to everyone. So hopefully in the not too distant future I will have other opportunities to see other parts of the world too. But starting with a 3 week journey around Europe seems perfect for now. I also thought, why go so far when there are all these countries right on my doorstep that I've never been to!?

Me being me, I need organisation and I need to plan. So although a degree of spontaneity has been left for when we arrive in each country, the flights, tickets and accommodation have all been booked in advance. Although there must be something intriguing about just arriving in a foreign country without a clue of where to stay and what to do, I decided I would rather know the ‘where to stay’ bit, and just leave the ‘what to do’ for on arrival at each place. I hope that after this trip I will be brave enough to just rock up to a new place, but baby steps!

This past week has been about last minute purchases and piling everything up ready to pack. Not having things laid out neatly in the suitcase, ready to be hung up and displayed nicely in a wardrobe was a distressing thought to begin with... But I’m getting used to the idea of living out a rucksack for 3 weeks. I think it’s only natural to feel a little anxious about this sort of trip, but the nerves are turning into excitement now, especially when the tickets finally arrived the other day!

22 days. 7 countries. 1 large backpack. ‘Challenging’ is an understatement. Although I’m not jet-setting around the world for 6 months, cramming 7 countries into 3 weeks is still testing as it's not like anything I've done before. It’s safe to say this trip is pushing me outside my comfort zone – but that’s exactly why I want to do it, and I can’t wait to see what it holds. I’ve been very lucky in the holidays I’ve had, and as amazing as they've all been, I feel it's time for a change; time to do something that will inspire and develop me a bit more than the usual trip abroad.

Check back on Tuesday where I'll be posting a bit more before leaving for the trip!

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Mixing Stress and Fun

Are you having the time of your life? Pun: wholly intentional! But seriously, are you? It's a question we all hope we would instinctively say 'Yes' to. 'Yes, I am having the time of my life.' But whether we actually are is something else entirely, and it's a challenge to feel like you are all of the time.

Sometimes I think I'm not fulfilling my time with enough in order to answer Yes. I can blame the fact I am really busy with completing my degree, and the same goes for other people whose time is filled with different mundane tasks that have to be done. But I'm starting to learn that you have to live in the now, and actually make the best of any situation you are in, even if you are in a gloomy tunnel struggling to see the light at the end. If you can fulfil yourself with positivity and good memories, even in the most stressful and boring of times, then imagine how much you can be fulfilled when those less-inspiring tasks are completed and the daunting bridges are crossed. 

My recent trip to the theatre inspired this post, as it made me realise how much of a good time you can have alongside the stresses going on elsewhere, and we actually need rewards for our hard work, otherwise how do you motivate yourself to get over the next hurdle? Amongst the deadlines and pressures, there was light! And oh boy, what a show it was. My favourite film came to life right in front of my eyes and it took my mind away from everything else, and Yes, I can say I was having the time of my life! This outing was a special treat, but I aim to fulfil my time with even more moments like this from now on, because I want to be able to say 'Yes' to that question a lot more often, don't you? 

Stop waiting, and start having your time now.

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Friday Night Style

By day or night, I like to mix up classy and casual in most of my outfits. I put together this combo for a friday night theatre and dinner outing. 

I would wear this in the day too, by just swapping the heels for a nice pair of ballet flats or sandals.

Top: Pull & Bear: £9.99 (RRP £14.99): Same style here

Trousers: H&M: £14.99: Similar style here

Shoes: New Look: £17.99: Similar style here

I had been looking for a long sleeved, more casual style cropped jumper for a long time, so when I came across this one in the sale the other day at Pull & Bear, I couldn't resist. It's thin enough to get away with in the english summer with shorts, but could still be layered when its cold. It's a nice length (not too cropped), and the material is so soft. Pull & Bear is such a gem of a store, I loved everything in there, it has to be a new favourite. Go take a look!

   The necklace is also a new purchase. I always feel a bit guilty buying myself jewellery, even if it's not that extravagant, but especially items like statement necklaces. So I used a River Island voucher to purchase this lovely pastel and floral number. I think it brightens up the black top nicely, and will also be great with pastel outfits for summer. By coincidence it matched my nails too, bonus!

Necklace: River Island

Clutch: Dorothy Perkins

Ring: Pandora

Silver Bracelet: Tianguis Jackson

Black Leather Bracelet: Pandora

Nails: (I bought this polish in Spain, but BarryM have one similar)

I'm trying to get into a habit of pairing items differently to create new outfits, to avoid just buying new clothes for the sake of a trend that I'll only end up wearing once or twice. Although it's nice to keep up with fashion, you also have to wear things for yourself. Make the most out of your own wardrobe, keep it simple and portray your individual style.

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Escape the Routine

We all tend to get caught up in the mundane routine of everyday life. Yes, we have our responsibilities and our priorities, but sometimes it’s worth putting that aside and making a new priority for a moment, in order to break away from the norm and feel a little more free.

I’m not talking go to the airport with your bags packed, passport in hand, pick a destination and get on the plane (however, one day I will do this!). I mean the really simple things. Like go to a village you’ve not been to before and have lunch in the local pub. Or go for a long walk in the countryside, just getting lost and exploring.

These things may not appeal to everyone, but that's all the more reason to do it. Do something different with your time.

Escaping from the norm and taking your mind away from everything, even for just a few hours, can do the world of good. Take some time out, put everything else to the back of your mind, and do something for you. 

P.S. Let me know if you do get on that plane!

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