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Gaza Winter Walk :D

Please show your support, I will be participating on Saturday for the Gaza annual winter walk in Hyde Park. The money will go expectant mothers on the Gaza strip I thought I would get involved and take part in the 5 mile walk. Fingers cross it don’t rain but if it does I will have to bring my brolly! Take a look at my fund raising page here >>>>> click here.

Thanks so much for all your support and love so far!

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January

Hi, Happy New Year to everyone who reads my blog, It’s been a while since I last blog I really need to get back in to the swing of things by blogging again. I can’t believe it’s 2017 the time is just flying, I do hope this year I get my driving license + a new job (but if it fails, no point to be sad but I had the rest of the year to get both of these sorted.) The ending of 2016 was great I went to Budapest/ Edinburgh and I had lots of fun as well as volunteering for a charity called Kith & Kids who support ,members with autism/ disability it was a challenging experience but rewarding at the same time. I do plan to blog post about my trip to Budapest which was AMAZING! and also my trip to Edinburgh which was also AMAZING! I am hoping 2017 will be a good year for traveling and exploring the world!

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Jack the Ripper tour

Looking for something alternative to do in London? The Jack ripper tour is an interesting and something fun to do whilst you are in London. On Saturday I went on this tour and I found it very informative and enjoyed listening to stories of Jack The Ripper and his victims in which he murdered in East London. This particular tour I went on was the Ripper version which included hand held projector and real evidence of Jack the Ripper’s victims who have died. The guide was really enthusiastic however I found the tour the number size a bit to big so it was hard to focus as my attention span is quite poor and I found myself getting distracted throughout. I also thought there would be more photos shown and more scary but it wasn’t it was more of an informative talk then anything. It’s still a mystery who was Jack the Ripper and there was a few theories of who he was but I will leave that for you to decide.

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Halloween night- Ouija Film

I am not a massive fan of Horror but for the laughs I went to the cinema with two of my best friends to watch a Ouija Origin of evil, I believe there is a number 1. Which I don’t plan to watch it, as this film we watched was creepy as hell, slightly scary and it was about possession and a girl called Dorris who gets possessed by a Polish spirit called Marcus the story line was slightly okay it had some elements about the war and the holocaust. My rating for this film is 4/10.

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Arsenal Live

I am not a massive football fan and if I am totally honest I don’t really know much about the rules of football.  However I am an Arsenal supporter and always  have been from a young age as my Grandad was Arsenal fan I never knew him but I followed the family tradition of supporting Arsenal even though my dad is a Liverpool fan some people find it a bit strange but considering I grew up in North London it would make sense to follow Arsenal haha. I went to see Arsenal play live at the Emirates stadium last night and we won! :D so that’s always a good result. It was fun watching the game live better then watching football on TV anyway it was a good experience/ great crowed and very busy.

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The Girl on the train

Yesterday I went to the cinema to see The Girl on The Train, it was a really good thriller suspense film, however i don’t want to leave any spoilers but it was one of those films that had a really interesting story line I don’t really go to the cinema that much as it’s quite expensive but sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a movie and I think this film was worth watching.

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Weekend in Brussels<3

Waffles, Chips& More...

Recently I went back to Brussels for the weekend, It was a a lot of fun I went earlier in the year which I also blogged about but this trip was great as I got to see Brussels busier then the last time I went. I spent a lot of time in the City center of Brussels and Uccle again where I was staying at my friend’s house. I got to see more of Brussels and explore, relax and of course have a traditional Belgium waffle.

The Eurostar had a sale on cheap tickets so I thought why not go back to Brussels, arriving at La Gare Du Midi we got the Tram back to the house to drop our luggage, and then we went back into town to wonder around and my friend showed me where she previously used to live, and hotels she used  worked in during her placement year. We chilled both evenings I tried a traditional Jamaican dish Akee with veg and the last day we chilled and had pizza and watched The Kings Speech, but I was pretty tired as I spent a few hours doing a walking tour around Brussels.

(Building in La Grand Place-  Which is one of the most beautiful square’s that I have ever come across during my traveling. The Architecture is absolutely stunning.)

The royal Palace of Brussels, next time if I visit Brussels again I would like to check out this palace as well as the musical instrument museum (MIM) To end this wonderful trip before we got the Eurostar home we had to stop off and get  a Panos which is an equivalent to our Greegs. Traditional Belgium hot chocolate with a chocolate croissant. 

Thanks for reading my travel post.

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Cyprus>> Paphos

During the summer after my amazing city break to Athens, we decided to go to Cyprus for the sun, sea and relaxation. The flight from Athens to Paphos went quickly even with a bumpy landing, but unfortunately Paphos did not live up to mine and my friend’s expectations. But looking back now, it was actually quite funny but at the time it wasn’t so much, our main reason for choosing Cyprus was because of the sandy beaches but all the beaches were pretty much ROCK! and STONES!.

The place itself was alright, I wouldn’t really recommend Paphos to either family or friends. Nonetheless we still managed to have a good time and I made some new friends with the elderly folk.

In terms of culture I didn’t really learn much about the Cypriot culture, in terms of things to do in Paphos there was not much to see or do either but you could always take a trip to Coral Bay (Beach) and a trip to the old town if it’s open as when we went it was under construction.

(Cyprus Harbor)

Roman Boutique Hotel II

✦ ✦ ✦

Location: A short 10 min from Paphos Harbor.

During this trip we stayed at two different hotels our first night we stayed at the Roman Boutique Hotel II the hotel itself was really nice but you had to pay extra for towels, Wifi, and to use the gym so that was a bit disappointing. The swimming pool and rooms where nice and also the buffet they offered for dinner was great for 10 euro it was eat as much as you like and offered lots of nice Cypriot food. The decor is Roman style also this hotel is near a shopping mall which was is good to get some bits from the supermarket and everything is in English. Had some good laughs especially getting lost in the toy shop.

(View from the balcony of the swimming pool.)

(Roman Corridors)

(Meet Mr Kilo)

Aloe Hotel

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ 

Location: Other side of Paphos, More closer to the beach.

For the rest of our stay we stayed at an old fashion hotel called Aloe Hotel more suited for the elderly and Russians. I believe the hotel is under refurbish which might do the hotel some favors to be fair it was like an old cruise ship. The rooms was adequate, but if you want to use the safe/fridge you had to pay an extra cost in Cyprus they do like to charge extra for things that’s what I noticed. The Swimming pool was probably the best feature. But no water activities which was slightly disappointing. The night time entertainment was dreadful but the breakfast was alright too. I do miss the cats and the bizarreness of being shipped back to the 80s, Abba period as everything was just dated. But it was a laugh haha and got some good funny memories from this holiday.

On one of the nights we wanted to have a good night out and we came across a Robin Hood Pub and it worked we ended up having such a good night and a laugh. Such a Bizarre place, with random pubs from different programs but I guess they need to attract some tourists haha.

Lastly I would like to end this blog post with a picture of this Pizza from Pizza Express, I would never usually go to a place where I can eat back home but in Paphos the food options was just awful, who is going to go travel all the way for chips and burgers it makes no sense to me as I always like to try the food of the country. So Pizza express was the best option compared to the tourist traps. And it was much more nicer then the Pizza Express home we came here a few times plus that buffet in the first hotel was great too with live entertainment! Also the Ice cream was great! :D

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Escaping Athens

I hope you enjoyed reading my previous blog post on Athens one thing I forgot to mention if you do get a chance and want to escape the city of Athens you can take a trip to the beach which I highly recommend it was about 50 minutes by tram from the city center and if you take the tram number 5 to the end of the line the best beach is there and it was a nice place to relax and enjoy the view and sea was pleasant as well. Sunbeds are provided if you buy either a drink or something to eat but it was great pace to escape the city and enjoy the sunshine.

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Athens Oscar hotel

✦ ✦ ✦

Location: Near to Metro Larrisa Station a short metro ride to the city center.

I really enjoyed staying at this hotel in Athens it was a nice 3 star hotel and conveniently located near a metro station which helped a lot as the common transport used to get to the city center was the metro, we booked this hotel using one of my favorite websites booking.com. This hotel also had a pool on the roof which was incredible to use after wondering around the city for a nice dip even though I forgot to take some snaps of the pool there was an amazing view of Athens which was incredible. This hotel offered an average breakfast which was the same everyday, there was a selection of bread, croissants, yogurt and cheese but it wasn’t that great the staff was friendly, rooms were clean and tidy overall the hotel was a great place to stay and also near a supermarket which was quite handy as well.

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Athens <3

On the 12th July I ventured out to Athens with my best friend for a 4 day city break to the wonderful ancient city of Athens in Greece. One of my best places to visit up to date at first I didn’t think I would of enjoyed Athens as much as I did but its a great city to visit, friendly people and also is really clean and amazing food.

          Sights

Surprisingly there was a lot of interesting things to see and do in Athens, from ancient ruins to walking tours and roaming the streets even though we only stayed 4 days and you will be surprised how much Athens has to offer. 

                                                      Acropolis 

The main attraction and also most famous in Athens is the Acropolis (highest point). The Parthenon is a must see ruin and you can learn a lot about the Greek history it’s a must see if you enjoy walking and looking at ruins. Athens has many different ruins around but some of them you don’t need to pay extra money as you can see it through the gate. We payed  €20 and we went around 5PM and there was not much of queue but make sure you wear comfortable shoes, as there is a lot of walking up steep hills and bring water with you to and eat something before hand. 

(Hadrian Arch)  - When you walk around Athens you will see many different ruins. 

I recommend doing a free walking tour as you will learn lots about the Greek history/ culture. The guide was really informative you will see many ruins and an old stadium. The tour is around 2 hours but could be longer in the winter season. 

Changing of the guard just like our changing of the guards outside Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle in Athens they also have their Greek version of changing of the guard which is fun to watch every hour the guards change you can get a photo but your not allowed to salut or touch them. 

Graffiti art around Athens. (Since the economic crises in Greece which has gotten a lot better there is loads of places where you will see graffiti art here are a few snaps that I took on my travels.)

Markets and shopping- For those of you who had read my previous travel post my favorite thing as well is traveling is going to a local market- in Athens there is a small market you can visit outside Monastiraki metro station and I am sure there are many other markets you can visit however I do prefer the markets in Morocco and Turkey and India. But there is a also a town center where there are loads of boutique shops. 

Museums- During my trip we went and visited two museums the first one was the Benaki museum which is free every Thursday the museum has various of Greek items and collections. It was a good little museum visit. The second music we also visited was the Greek musical instrument museum. This museum was very fascinating and I learned a lot about what the Greeks used as musical instruments.

Mount Lycabettus- On our final day we went to check out Mount Lycabettus one of many mountain hills in Athens where you will get an amazing view of the city we decided to go before sunset and it was a great evening and a wonderful view however word of advice you can get a cable car which is more like a train that goes through an underground tunnel but I ensure you to get it both ways or coming down from the mountain as it was a proper mountain and so dark as well as being isolated.

                                                          Food

One thing that I do love about traveling is trying new food, and in Greece there was a lot of yummy kebabs to try as well as great salads. We found a really nice halal restaurant so we was able to enjoy meat but I didn’t get to try a Gyro even though they are surprisingly cheap out there one of them was halal but instead I had lots of nice food as you will see below.

(Kofta, kebab with bread and onions)

(Kofta kebab with a yogurt and salad with pieces of halloumi.) 

(Crisps with Turkish style pizza)

(meat Moussaka)

I recommend to everyone to go and visit Athens, its a great place and I would certainly go back and visit Athens again as well as other  Greek islands. I hope you enjoyed reading my travel blog my next post will be where I stayed in Athens followed by my trip to Cyprus (Paphos)

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Dinner @ il Funghetto

Last night I went for dinner at local Italian restaurant in North Finchley it was my first time eating at il Funghetto (The mushroom) which is quite ironic has I got a mushroom pasta dish. I was catching with a childhood friend and she recommended it, I enjoyed the evening it was a really nice catch up and the food was really yummy and decent prices and there was a wide variety of food on the menu. It seems like a good place to with family and friends for a celebration such as Birthdays and New Years. Go and check out the menu!

(Penne all arrabbita&Penne creme funghi)

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October!

First day of October and it’s getting darker earlier and colder as well. I will spend a lot of this month catching up on blogging, learning to drive and also looking for jobs. Also OoO Helloweeeennnnnn! I don’t plan to do anything on Helloween this year but it’s always good to get into the spirit!

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Charlie and the chocolate factory the musical!

Yesterday I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in theater @ Dury Lane in Covent Garden, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory one of my childhood classics I have read a lot of Roald Dahl books when I was younger so I had to go and see this in theater as I am also a big fan of both of the films. However the theater production had different songs and it was slightly different then the films but it was still enjoyable and a good fun evening out. I am glad Pure Imagination was sang as that is a classic song from the film. The visuals was really good it was a good little adaption of the films I’ll give it a 7/10.

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