Gressoney, Italy | Skiing Prego

Nath and I had always planned to go skiing this year, but due to my work not allowing holiday for a 6 week period over February and the beginning of March we were pretty limited with time. Also we wanted to make sure we got a super cheap deal, super cheap means booking ridiculously early in advance or last minute. We missed the boat for the advance booking, so last minute it was.

It was so last minute we ended up booking on Friday afternoon at 4pm to fly to next day at 6am. If that's not last minute I don't know what is. We booked through SkiLine.com and spoke to Elaine, who was extremely helpful and managed to work within our limited budget. We booked to go to Gressoney in Italy, which has just enough skiing and the smallest village known to man. The area is also known as the '3 valleys' of Italy. 

We were lucky that my amazing brother was able to give us a lift to Gatwick at silly o'clock so we didn't have to fork out all our life savings for a taxi! Sleep was almost non-existent as both of us had friend's birthdays so we only actually got home after midnight and we still had to pack. We live a pretty fast-paced lifestyle! So we arrived at the airport a little worse for wear and craving bed. We checked in, grabbed breakfast, boarded our flight and proceeded to zonk out. Next thing we knew we had arrived in Turin and our skiing adventure had began! 

We were lucky and only had a short transfer of an hour and a half but we also found out that the company we were going with Espirit, specialised in childcare, so we were panicking our chalet hotel would be jam-packed with screaming children. However it appeared we were in luck again and there were only 4 young 'uns booked on. Winning! Back to the journey to Gressoney, we only actually first saw snow 25 mins before arrival yet our resort had plenty of the stuff, this always surprises me!  

After checking into Val Verde and sampling their chocolate chilli torte (not for the faint hearted) - we decided to explore the delights of Gressoney.

Gressoney is tiny, literally the smallest resort I have been to by far. It takes 10 minutes max. to walk around. We spotted 2 bars, maybe 2 restaurants, 2 ski hire shops, a pharmacey (which we later discovered wasn't actually open ever - super practical when you have a splitting headache and no paracetamol) and a 'supermarket'. I say 'supermarket' like this, because it was so small it was more of a corner shop which very little inside (also no paracetamol). I sound judgmental but it was in fact lovely, a massive change to the skiing resorts I have previously encountered which has masses of overpriced shops, restaurants and bars to choose from but not in a bad way. There were barely any people that we passed on our explore, I could probably count them on one hand. We took this as a sign of what was to come, no roudy groups looking to party and cause trouble, no annoying children, no tourists and empty slopes! Anyway I'll let you know that this was the case and it was perfect. 

We had the best week skiing with wide empty slopes, perfect for Nath as it was only his second time skiing. So he had no issues with congested slopes and forcing for space to practice turns. He even managed to learn to ski backwards and do 180 turns, and he kept up with me so I was able to practice my technique too so both of us were winning. 

We also had the best weather we could have dreamed of and it's first year ever that I haven't worn thermal bottoms at all and a few times not even a jacket. And this guy clearly thought it was appropriate to test out his swimwear.

The hotel was superb and I think it's safe to say, one-of-a-kind! The staff were amazing, always on hand to help and nothing was ever too much hassle, they just couldn't do enough for us. The food was all great, each evening we were given a choice of 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 deserts to choose from and everything was cooked to perfection. We also got canapés and pre-dinner cocktails and post-dinner we got a selection of cheese and truffles. And then in the afternoon we got afternoon tea, which was incredible; sandwiches, soup, pizza, pasties, cookies, cakes you name it. We didn't hold back and all our hard work on eating healthy and masses of exercise (New Year's resolutions) for the majority of January went down the drain. But it was worth it! 

We just had an incredible time, so I guess there's not much more to say on the matter but just to leave you with some photos! 

Next destination: (at the moment) Valencia.

Until next time folks 

Xoxo

Edinburgh: A weekend full of surprises

So I was pretty stuck on the Christmas present front for Nathan this year, he wanted a Tardisk Pear (for all you gadget people out there you probably know what this is - I don't) but I wasn't prepared to get it. I said in 10 years time you won't remember that amazing Christmas you got a bloody Tardisk Pear, so I thought I need to make it something to remember.

We both had said we want to go to Edinburgh at some point and with Nath's mum heading up there regularly for work, I thought why not. I managed to get super cheap flights through RyanAir, £35 return each. We wouldn't even be able to get to Burton for that price on the train. And then I went to my trusty old favourite for a place to stay AirBnB. I found a great apartment just outside the city with a fantastic host Ceana, a 45minute walk in, but a 20minute bus (link to the apartment at the bottom). 

Christmas came and I still wouldn't tell him what his present was, it wouldn't be a surprise otherwise. Instead I told him we'd be doing activities in London for the weekend, but basically all he knew what that we had to meet at London Liverpool Street at 5.30pm at the latest on the Friday night. He called me on arrival and asked which platform we were meeting as and I said 6, he was like 'Stansted Airport, are you sure?' It was brilliant, he had no idea. We boarded the train and I have him shortbread as a clue. Would you have guessed that it was to Scotland? Anyway Nathan had no idea, I was even wearing a tartan skirt. Eventually I told him. I love surprises!!

We landed in Edinburgh late Friday night and following advice from our AirBnB host we caught the city bus to the city centre. 

Upon arrival, we headed to Rose Street for a drink whilst waiting to meet our host to get the key to her apartment. We stopped at the Black Cat, with a sign 'sale on' beckoning us inside, £5 for a glass of red and a cider, could hardly say no. 

After receiving the key we got a taxi back to the apartment, as we couldn't figure out which bus we needed to get. The apartment was perfect with a large double room, brand new bathroom, kitchen and lounge. 

For the Saturday I had a full day full of activities planned, unfortunately it did mean we had to set our alarms pretty early. We got the bus into town and crossed the bridge to the Royal Mile and Tron Kirk where we were meeting our free walking tour guide. This was recommended to me by a Edinburgh local and a work colleague who has taken various friends on the tour. It was a cold start to the day, which we weren't as prepared for! We arrived early and headed straight for a coffee shop, coffee for Nath and hot chocolate for me to at least keep us warm for the start of the tour.

The tour took us mainly around the old town, we learnt a lot about the history and traditions of Edinburgh. Our guide was brilliant - despite not actually been Scottish she knew her stuff and a bit more. For the Harry Potter fans out there, the tour also gave us an insight into how the story began, where JK Rowling wrote some of the books, where she got inspiration for Hogwarts (second picture after this paragraph), where she got names from etc. The picture below with Nath is where Diagon Alley is based on. 

Following the tour, we headed to the Grass Market for lunch at The Last Drop. This was also recommended to me, as a particularly old pub. Back in the day it was also the spot where people came to drink after watching a hanging, I guess a clue is in the name. 

The rain stopped during lunch, so afterwards to walked some more around the old town before heading to the famous Edinburgh Castle, due to limited time we didn't go in but we took a couple of photos.

At this point it was starting to get dark and I desperately wanted to go up Arthur's Seat, so instead of going for a drink we made our way over. 45 minutes later and we were at the bottom totally unprepared in terms of walking gear (nb. Wear trainers at the very least if climbing/walking Arthur's Seat) but we started to climb anyway. This was our first glimpse of snow this year as there was a slight dusting as we got higher. We were lucky it was such a clear day as the views were incredible and at the town we had a 360degree view of the city.

We then started our descent down, it was cold so we slipped part of the way down. Earlier in the day, there had been a 5km up to the top and Mo Farah had been there, if only we'd known. On our walk back to the apartment, we happened to pass this pub that we'd seen on Google earlier in the day, which was one of the best pubs in Edinburgh, The Sheep Heid Inn and it lived up to it's title. It was quaint, tucked away with a beautiful roaring fire. 

My organised activities didn't end there. I had done some research before and The Guardian suggested The Ship on the Shore in Leith as somewhere to eat, so I booked. It was a bit of a mission from where we were staying as we had to get several buses but it was worth it. The food was amazing and very seafood focused. We had our favourite, oysters to start, followed by a huge seafood paella with lobster, clams, scallops, salmon, mussels you name it and a lovely bottle of red! 

Post dinner, we went to the pub next door for a night cap whilst we waited for the rain to stop. It was literally torrential, but eventually getting several buses back to the apartment. 

Unfortunately that was the end of our trip to Edinburgh with an early morning flight home. However it was definitely not a goodbye, more of a see you later Edinburgh.

Next destination: currently unknown but somewhere we can ski! 

Xo

Ps. Link to the AirBnB apartment -https://airbnb.com/rooms/6176750?s=8&user_id=12841972&ref_device_id=823ebbdc2d1ccdb8fccc977fdff9f63c6ed8f551 

Copenhagen, Denmark: Blonds, Beers & Bell Towers

Please note: this trip was taken in September 2015.

You know you're growing up and in the real world when you try and maximise holidays by heading off on city breaks so you have things to look forward to during the year. Also so you can become a bit more cultured and be the envy of all your friends!

Anyway my best girlfriends and I had planned to head to Ibiza for a week in September and due to hectic lifestyles and complete lack of organisation we didn't book anything in time and by the time we wanted to everything was extortionate. It rather late notice, which is us down to a T. Anyway it ended up being just me and Melissa so we thought we'd head off for a 'cultural' weekend to a location with the cheapest flights.

Melissa and I had to wake up at the crack of dawn and got an Uber to Clapham Junction and we were at Gatwick before 6am. 

It's so worth taking a look a http://www.skyscanner.net a good period of time before going away, and searching for 'Everywhere' as it gives you the cheapest options and it's great if you're not sure where to go to give you a few ideas. A friend of mine did it and managed to get return flights to Copenhagen for £10, admittedly we weren't as lucky but still our flights we only £70.

So off to Copenhagen we went, we were lucky and managed to get an early morning flight on the Friday and a late Monday evening flight so we were able to maximise our time off. 

Arriving so early in Copenhagen meant that our AirBnB apartment (link at the bottom) was not ready yet but we didn't see this as a problem as we all know what Denmark is famous for, Danish pastries and who doesn't like a Danish pastry. We got the metro straight from the airport to where we were staying in an area a 15minute walk to Christiania and a 30minute walk to the centre of town. 

Have you used AirBnB before? If not, download the App now and take a look, wherever you are thinking of heading it's always worth checking out what it has to offer, and it can cater to low budgets and those with bottomless pockets.

Anyway after fueling up on pastries we were finally allowed access to our apartment which we were sharing with the owner during our break. It was a typical Danish apartment, open plan with a mix of modern and old interior design. Our room was small but just what we needed. After dropping off our bags and picking up a map, we made our way to town to explore and we weren't disappointed with the scenery. Walking on the outskirts of Christiania and getting views of the Bell Tower. 

Over the next few days we walked across the entire town, stopping regularly to browse shops (my boyfriend's idea of hell). Once you experience the classically chic and black attire of the gorgeous Danes you just want to join them too. Safe to say our bank accounts suffered the consequences of our actions. 

We visited Nyhavn harbour, which is just as pretty as the guide books and postcards make out, especially when the skies are blue. If you head here, which you must you need to try the Herring as it's traditional to the area. But if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, Melissa and I headed to the local supermarket and got a mix of foods, olives, meats, cheeses, bread, pates, salsa, crisps and obviously a bit of wine and we sat in the sunshine, watching boats come in. Also if you are walking towards the end of the harbour, cross over the bridge on your right and walk along the river and you'll come across some trampolines in the ground, great if you're heading to Copengagen in the winter to warm up.

At the end of the harbour on the other side of the water there is a warehouse, with pretty string lights outside. This is a great lunch spot with a food market inside. I can't remember the name but it's also apparently great to head to in the evening with live music and a bit of a party. We ate pulled duck sandwiches, plaintain chips, Melissa sampled her first oyster which was the size of her fist and we sipped on local cider. Great atmosphere and you can sit inside with a roaring fire or outside with a great view of the architecturally brilliant art gallery, I think that's what it was, made up of just glass. 

Back to the harbour, pick up a tour boat for the price of 4 euros each and get a guided tour of the canals, taking in the little mermaid, famous Michelin starred restaurants, some Christiania houses, a canal that was based on Amsterdam and so many other things. Great to find out more about Copenhagen but make sure you layer up and take a hot drink with you. We went in September and although it was sunny it did get quite cold and rained a bit towards the end.

Not far from the harbour is the Bell Tower, if you go on a guided tour, I'm pretty sure they'll point this out if not it'll be on a map. Go here 100%, unless of course heights are not your thing. Pick a clear day because the views from the town are not to be missed. It's super cheap to visit, I think around 3 euros and the first part of the way up is up rickety wooden stairs inside and then we walk up stairs on the outside of the tower and once you eventually reach the top you might even feel it sway a little which wasn't my cup of tea but as you can see from my photos the view was worth it. 

On one of the evenings, we met with a Danish girl whom Melissa had met a few years before in Sri Lanka whilst volunteering at an orphanage. We met her in the meat packing district Vesterbro, which was the opposite side of the city to where we were staying. She recommended going for an Italian and once we arrived there, the streets were crowded with people and it turned out that the restaurant we were going to were giving away free pizza, wine and beer all evening to help promote another restaurant opening it the city centre. Win win for us, as Copenhagen wasn't the cheapest place in the world so a free evening meal and alcohol was exactly what we needed. So we grabbed some pizza and red wine and sat on the pavement. Thank goodness for a warm evening. We were then taken to a few more bars in the area, before heading to the centre for cocktails in an old church, after this Mel's friend left and we started chatting to some Danish people who took us to a pub at Nyhavn harbour, we only left at 7am and you can see in my pictures below that we managed to catch a lovely sunrise when we eventually got back to the apartment.

The infamous Christiania was also on our agenda. This is the town's hippy commune, where they've built their own houses out of recycled materials and where the smell of weed is a given. There is a specific area within Christiania called the green light district where no photos are able to be taken and where selling drugs is allowed. Friends of ours from home advised us to visit as apparently it's an interesting part of Copenhagen and the polar opposite to the rest of the city and we weren't disappointed. Interesting it was. The area itself is beautiful, surrounded by a lake.

During the rest of the visit, we went to various food markets, trying traditional smorebords and enjoyed exploring the city. We'd well recommend a visit to this beautiful city.

Next destination: currently unknown 

Xo

Ps. AirBnB apartment - https://airbnb.com/rooms/3428621?s=8&user_id=12841972&ref_device_id=823ebbdc2d1ccdb8fccc977fdff9f63c6ed8f551