My France Expedition

On the 8th of August I set off on my last family holiday for two weeks. We travelled to the northwest of France for our holiday this year and had the aim of exploring Normandy and some of the other surrounding areas. Of course travelling to France meant getting the ferry from Portsmouth which is at least a six hour journey from where I live, which meant unbearable amounts of discomfort as three of us where squeezed into the backseat. However, we arrived safe and sound in Portsmouth where we stayed at a Holiday Inn for the night and went for a scrumptious meal at T.G.I Friday's and had some drinks to celebrate the start of our trip.

We arrived in Caen on the afternoon of Saturday 9th and made our way (again all three of smooshed into the backseat invading one another's personal space to a whole new level) to the first holiday site called Camping De Leveno which is situated near Guerande. We arrived at roughly 7pm, unpacked our things and went for a meal at the site's restaurant; which did absolutely lovely pizzas. We then wound down for night as we were all exhausted from so much travelling.

The first full day of being in France we had a quiet day that consisted of playing bouls, getting some food shopping in and just generally relaxing. We also had a few drinks at the bar later on.

                               

Over the next couple of days we explored some of the local areas including Guerande, Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Malo; all of which had beautiful scenery and great shopping facilities (perfect for me).

Guerande was a very small town with lots of independent shops, ranging from chocolatiers and bakeries to jewellery and clothes shops. It was very picturesque and beautiful and was a really nice day out. 

Our trip to Saint-Nazaire was also really fun. We went for a sensational meal at a grill which called Grill Courtepaille which was insanely good; and again just checked out the local area, browsed the shops and generally explored.

 I have some photos below of somewhere we visited which I unfortunately can't remember  the name of, but nevertheless it was a really stunning place and I had such a good time.

                             

After the first week was over it was time to make our way across to the new holiday site for the second week, which was situated more towards Normandy way. The site was called Chateau de Le Eaux and actually had a 5* star rating which I had no idea about, and it definitely showed because the quality of our stay was excellent.

Over the course of this second week we visited Saint-Malo which is a walled port city known for piracy in times gone by. The city had plenty of shops but there were also a lot of markets stalls (I'm a sucker for a good market) where there was beautiful handmade jewellery, bags, food, art and loads more. It was also my Mum's birthday the same day so we made sure to find the perfect place to eat in celebration called L'Ancrage.

                          *First course was fish soup with croutons 

                       *Second course was buttered rump steak with chips

                 *Third course was creme caramel (which I wasn't too sure about)

And finally the last place we visited while in Normandy was Mont Saint-Michel which is a island commune. We climbed right to the top and also explored the interior of the beautiful building; and grabbed a yummy ham and cheese baguette too which was ridiculously tasty.

My Week in Majorca

So, I'm back from Majorca and I feel like crying just a little. I went for a week and it was the fastest week of my entire life. It really doesn't feel two minutes ago that I was making my way to Newcastle airport at 3am to wait for my flight to Palma. Now I'm back here in England with the rain lashing against my windows and reality is magnified once again. No more laying by the pool with a refreshing drink or soaking up the beautiful rays of sunshine anymore (although, I think I did a little bit too much of that, as I've turned into some sort of reptile during the course of the week). It's back to life, and back to reality...

In this post I just want to summarise my trip a little and reflect on some highlights of the holiday.

I suppose I'll start off by talking about the smooth and pleasant flight we had out of Newcastle, which was completely free of turbulence and actually quite enjoyable when considering I'm not the biggest fan of flying. Having been my first independent holiday I was a little anxious about getting off at the other end in Palma airport and finding our shuttle rank to take us to the hotel. However, thankfully I found it really easily and we were on our way to Club Cala Romani in no time. The shuttle took around 1 hour and 40 minutes to drop everybody off at their destinations and our hotel was the last stop. Unfortunately I didn't get any sleeping done as I don't usually sleep very well on transport (unless I'm literally on the verge of complete exhaustion). After the long shuttle journey we arrived at our resort, checked in swiftly and made our way to our rooms to unpack and get our swimming costumes on ready to go and enjoy the beautiful Spanish weather. I cannot begin to explain how relieving and relaxing it was to grab ourselves an ice-cold refreshing drink and sprawl out on the sunbeds after around 6 hours of grueling traveling. The word "heaven" could qualify in the description?

Now, this type of holiday had only one thing in mind and that was relaxation. So, there weren't any trips or days out to Palma central city or anything like that. We just wanted to enjoy the weather, make the most of the all-inclusive food and drink, the music and the swimming pool for the week. And that's exactly what we did. 

Although, when I was out in Majorca I did have a couple of things I wanted to do/achieve -

1). Try a Mojito cocktail (achieved)

2). Get a Nutella crepe (achieved)

3). Get a braid (achieved)

4). Go to a nightclub on the island (achieved)

All in all, I was pretty successful at accomplishing those four things.

*Yes, that is some appauling sunburn on my neck and chest.

Once again, the Club Cala Romani hotel failed to disappointment, as it did last year. The rooms were spotless, the staff were extremely friendly and helpful, the food was fantastic and the selection was great too, the facilities were top-notch and I really cannot finding anything to complain about.

One particular aspect of the hotel I enjoyed this year more than last year was the entertainment though; as I didn't think too highly of it prior. We enjoyed almost every night's show and found ourselves wanting to go back every night for more. They had a great selection of entertainment for all ages that had everyone laughing and clapping. 

During our stay we also met some lovely people at the hotel who performed the entertainment nights and they really made the last two nights of our holiday so enjoyable. We ended up going out with them to a couple of bars in the town of Calas de Mallorca and also checked out two nightclubs called Jupiter and Tiffany's which were great as they played a range of UK/US music that we were familiar with but also some Spanish tracks too which gave both nights a nice holiday twist. 

Two things I have noticed about Spanish nightclubs though is that people dance very differently (not like the fist pumps you see in Cooper Rose) and secondly, people don't have virtually anything to drink which is really refreshing to see. Admirably, they go out to dance, socialize and generally have a good time. I didn't see one drunk person there at all.

I now have extreme holiday blues and seem to be stuck in a rut of wishing I was back there enjoying it all over again. I even looked online to see how much it would cost to go back next month, so that's saying how much I enjoyed my time.

My Week in Pictures

Recently I've been inspired by a lot of different bloggers and although I've seen this type of post featured on several blogs over the years, Uglyfaceofbeauty's blog influenced me to do a post of this sort.

In today's post I'm going to share with you a few snaps I've taken throughout my week and summarise the last 7 days. I didn't take a picture every day, but just when I thought it would be symbolic of something significant I've enjoyed or been doing.

1). The first picture shows my iPad - kind of self-explanatory. I haven't used by iPad a great deal since I got my new smartphone for Christmas, which is a sin considering how much the things cost! However, I dusted it off from under my bed and have been really enjoying reading and discovering several new blogs on it. Sometimes my smartphone screen isn't quite large enough, but with an iPad it's perfect magazine/notebook size that is easily readable. Some blogs I've been loving recently are Deliciously Ella, Lady Smart, Green Kitchen Stories and once again Uglyfaceofbeauty. 

2). Secondly, the picture showing the scrambled egg on toast was my creation earlier this week - yes yes, I know, truly exquisite. Needless to say scrambled egg doesn't require a great deal of skill to make, but I was getting bored of cereal and toast so I thought I'd mix things up a little and try to make something I'd never made before. It came out pretty well and I decided to add a few bits of cress and a touch of tomato sauce to give it a little flavour. 

3). Next image shows the book The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I'd refused prior to give into the hype about this book but since the film came out in cinema and hype was constantly ongoing I caved and decided to just read it. I was blown away by this book completely, it really is a beautiful story. Even if you're not a massive fan of reading I highly recommend you give this book a shot - you'll be pleasantly surprised. P.S. I love Augustus Waters.

4). Another dish this time - not cooked by me, and it looks about a million times better. My family and I went out for a meal to a local pub/restaurant just for a change and I ordered vegetable tagliatelle with a chicken breast and salad. I'm trying to be somewhat healthy so I thought this option was steering in the right direction. At least I hope. It was yummy though!

5). Last but not least I've been packing for my holiday to Majorca which is tomorrow. I can't believe it! When I was booking it it felt like years away, but here it is. Thankfully I'm all prepared, clothes, makeup, shoes, books, bags, and all the rest are packed and ready to meet me on the beautiful Spanish island. Hello sunshine! 

Review: The Other Woman

I'd heard from a few different people that this movie was definitely one to go and see - and they were all right. The basis of the movie focuses on the marriage between Kate (Leslie Mann) and Mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) King and how their unity deteriorates as a result of Mark's unfaithful intentions. We see a love quadrilateral form you could say, as Kate soon realises that Mark is having an affair with two other women - Carly (Cameron Diaz) and Amber (Kate Upton). Although these are just the women she finds out about, there are plenty more where they came from. 

As Kate finds out about her husband's despicable ways she actually grows to form a strong friendship with the two other women who are being played by her husband; particularly Carly. The three women unite to seek revenge on Mark and teach him a well-deserved lesson. Quite understandably they want to see him suffer so they begin with small insignificant punishments such as sneaking laxatives into his drinks, putting his toothbrush down the toilet, feeding him bad smoothies, etc. However the retribution soon escalates and things get pretty fiesty.

The main element I liked about this movie was the ideology of friendship. Despite the movie's genre being rom-com the narrative steers away from the sickly sweet amorous predictions and magnifies the importance of friendship and unity among the three women. The ideology highlights what it's like to have true friends who stand by one another and help through the bad times - the theme of romance almost took the backseat in this one, which contrasts a lot of the regular rom-com's. Although, despite this, there is still a flicker of flirtation between Carly and Kate's brother Phil (Taylor Kinney). So for the hopeless romantics there is still something there for you too.

The humour was also really to my taste as well - very lighthearted and witty which I found quite refreshing. Nicki Minaj's performance as Lydia also added to the movie as she played the role of Carly's gossipy, over-dramatic secretary. I found a lot of her quotes to be laugh out loud hilarious and her contribution definitely added an entertaining touch to the narrative.

At the end of the day, I love it when a movie's ending equilibrium comes around and everything goes exactly how it should - and in this case, justice was served (and it's real good). 

I'd highly recommend this watch if you have a taste for laid-back and lively comedy movies with a hint of romance and a good theme.

Review: Bad Neighbours

Firstly, the movie encapsulates comedy at its best. Fratboy Teddy (Zac Efron), moves into a Fraternity house with his college friends next door to early-thirties couple Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne). The two have just recently become new parents and are coming to terms with the fact that they can no longer party like they used to in their youth and too are realising that they actually enjoy peace and quiet and the aspects of grown-up life. Therefore to have bunch wild guys move in next door who want to drink beer and party until the early hours is a difficulty they are faced with.

To begin with the relationship between the couple and the fratboys is peaceful and loyal. However a turn of events evokes conflict between the neighbours and war is officially declared. Realistically Mac and Kelly want the college kids to get suspended and move out of the neighbourhood - but they grow to understand that it won't be that simple. Throughout we see both parties tackle it out to catch out one another, pull pranks, make jokes and all in all make each others lives complete and utter hell. 

One particular aspect of the film's structure I can applaud is its element of humour. Despite the movie being an American production I found myself suitably satisfied with the banter and witty comments. I can find a lot of the time that American humour is very different to the British humour I am used to; however I didn't fail to laugh all the way through this film. 

I also didn't feel as though the narrative was rushed and that everything was covered in the 137 mins very well. Sometimes films of this length can be hurried and flaws can be identified in the storyline but everything fell into place well, for me.

Overall, the acting performances from the stars Seth Rogan, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron were all very applaudable. I also thought that Dave Franco's role of Pete was very well played and I found him really funny. Once you see the film you'll understand why, watch out for the bit where they're all having a Robert De Niro party; I was in stitches. 

On the whole I really have nothing to criticise about this movie, I thought it was all really well done and filled with humourous content that had me laughing out loud.

Definitely a must-see. 

Planning Your First Holiday Abroad

So it's official - I'm going to Majorca in July for 7 days. *Happy dance.* I've been wanting to go abroad on my own for ages but since finally turning eighteen I have plucked up the courage (and saved enough money) to finally go ahead with it all. 

Last year I visited the island of Majorca with my family, we stayed in the location Calas De Mallorca, and I truly just fell in love with the place. The weather was great, the area was so scenic and beautiful, the water was crystal blue, the facilities were top-notch and all in all I knew it would be a great place to have my first independent holiday. I also know that it's guaranteed that I'm going to be safe when I'm there as I know the nature of the location and my way around.

For students planning their first holiday without their parents and would like to know about my experience sorting out everything, here are the steps I took towards organising my trip -

Deciding how to pay for your break 

Now, I'm a student who is currently unemployed due to the fact I'm committing myself 100% to my degree. Therefore, I am a little skint (like every other student). Although, the little bits of money I do have coming my way I have chose to save and contribute towards my holiday. In all honesty I never thought I'd be able to make up the amount I needed but everything came together eventually and I was able to go ahead.

My advice if you're a current student wanting to get yourself away somewhere for the summer is to save everything and anything you possibly can. Maybe cut down on those wild nights out? Live off cheap food? If you're that desperate to go that is! Even save any birthday money or Christmas money you get - it all counts. And you're last option is to find a job (good luck with that!) if you really aren't in the right financial position to do any of the previous mentioned.

Concluding where to go on holiday

Whether it's somewhere you've been in the past, like me, I'm sure everybody has somewhere in the world they'd love to visit. As an undergraduate it's maybe not the best option to book a 3 week holiday to Miami because that would be well out of our budgets - guaranteed. However the Balearic islands, Greek islands and parts of Spain are usually pretty reasonably priced depending which travel firm you book with. And on top of that they're ideal places to visit if you are a young person who'd like to experience holiday nightlife at its best. 

Looking for the best deal

This could mean either visiting a travel agents such as Thomas Cook, Hays, Thomson, etc, and asking about potential hotels, flights and all the rest. Although, I emphasise that it's important not to go with the first deal you come across. It can't hurt to get a few different price quotes from several places and see which best suits you.  Or, you could go down the route I did and look online for holiday packages. I looked on websites such as lowcostholidays, Easyjetholidays, and Sunshine for all-inclusive package deals. Although, when booking online I strongly suggest that you look around for reviews of other people's experience with bookings to ensure that the website is legitimate, reputable and most importantly secure (when paying). In the end I went with Sunshine as their holiday deals were extremely reasonably priced and almost every review I read was incredibly positive.

Booking with a parent by your side to confirm the details

When you've finally decided how you're going to fund your holiday, where you're wanting to go and which holiday deal you'll be going with - it's time to book it and finalise everything. For first-timers it's probably advisable to have somebody who's had experience booking holidays before by your side to tell you that you're doing everything how you should be. Despite the fact that you might find it extremely straight-forward it's not worth the risk of perhaps misreading or misunderstanding something and you're holiday not going how you'd like it to. 

Sorting travel insurance

Never ever think that you'll just skip the insurance because it's going to cost you another £20 or so. The truth is that you can never be too careful and don't just think "Oh it won't happen to me" because that risk isn't worth it. Imagine if you have a fatal accident on holiday and need to pay hundreds of pounds of medical expenses and you can't enjoy your holiday. With travel insurance you are secured and compensated if anything like that were to happen - also if your passport is lost or stolen, if you miss your flight, lose your luggage etc. Again, looking around for a good deal that is trustworthy and well-known is advised. I decided to sort my travel insurance through Lloyds.

Buying the necessities

Right, so you may be completely without cash after you've just forked out £400+. But, particularly if you're a girl, you know that you need to get some new holiday clothes and essentials. I recommend having a look in vintage/charity shops and seeing what options they have because quite often I find designer pieces that are nicer than what you can buy on the high-street; so it's definitely worthwhile having a browse. You also can't go wrong with Primark, it has everything you could ever need at ridiculously low prices. It would be worthwhile to construct a holiday checklist of what you already have and what you still need to buy. For example the typical stuff you wouldn't buy all year round like sun cream, flip flops, a beach towel, tinted moisturiser etc.