Bucket List Ideas

So when I mentioned in one of my recent posts that Iceland has always been on my Bucket List of places to go to, I wasn't saying it as a figure of speech. It is literally on my Bucket List. The boy and I started to put this together officially last Autumn. We were a bit late off the mark with this as most people like to get this stuff out of the way before they are 30. However, that milestone has been and gone... So instead, we're doing 30 at 30. Thirty awesome, classic, wishlist things to do whilst in our 30th year.

Now the thing to remember when you are compiling your list, is that they don't all have to be "out of this world experiences. When we first started putting ideas together, there were a lot of holidays on there. We had to be realistic too!

Here are some of our top picks:

- See the Northern Lights (check!)

- Have a picnic in a random location

- Go horse riding on the beach

- Watch the sun rise... And set

- Get a tattoo (maybe!)

- Travel Canada in a camper van 

- Write a book

- Go blackberry picking on bikes

- Watch a classic movie marathon

- Make a wish on a shooting star

- Drive a fast car

- Go wine tasting (and actually learn stuff)

- Sleep under the stars 

- Become Mr and Mrs Dawson! <3

Do you have a Bucket List? If you have any other suggestions for ours, comment below! 

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Travel Tips for Iceland - Part 2

Following on from my last Iceland Travel blog, I wanted to give a bit more detailed info on where to stay and what to eat in Reykjavic... There is so much that we did and such amazing things that we saw, it's impossible to squeeze into one blog!

Hotel Recommendation:

We stayed at the lovely Centerhotel Thingholt which was just perfect! (see pics below). The location was brilliant as we were just off one of the main streets and the hotels decor was beautifully modern - I loved the cowhide rugs and chairs! One of the main benefits of this hotel was the underfloor heating. Our room also had the most amazing free standing bath - which is just one of my life's absolute luxuries in my opinion!

We did eat at the Isafold restaurant attached to the hotel one evening and the food was amazing. We had a 5 course meal which was a great way to sample some traditional Icelandic food. I have to say that this really was one of the best meals that we had :) The restaurant itself wasn't particularly busy but we did get very good service. (AKA got quite drunk).

Restaurant Recommendation

The food in Reykjavic was pretty expensive in general. A typical main course could set you back £30 and that's without anything else! We had some lovely food at an Italian called Primo on the night that we got engaged (Yey!) Afterwards, we walked down to the docks and actually got to see the Northern Lights in all their glory (no tour required!)

One of my fave meals was at a really chilled out place called the Laundromat Cafe. This place was SO cool. Again, within walking distance from our hotel and something that wouldn't look out of place in Manchester's Northern Quarter. Graham had total food envy over my steak sandwich... YUM.

Alcohol

If you do like a drink, you'll notice that when you land in the airport at Reykjavic, there is a Duty Free in the baggage collection area. We noticed that a lot of people were stocking up on wine and spirits, so us being the alcoholic Brits that we are (!) decided to do the same! 

Alcohol is also more expensive in Iceland. If you're staying at an Air Bnb or self catering accommodation, then you will definitely save a few pennies by buying your alcohol at Duty Free. Another tip! We actually ended up taking a bottle if wine into the Hotel restaurant with us (simply as we had bought too much.... woops!) we were charged a small "corkage" fee for doing this, but even so, it worked out cheaper than buying a bottle of wine in the restaurant would have cost. Plus they were happy to serve it and store in an ice bucket as normal.

Above: Waffles and hot chocolate the Pearl!

Travel Tip: Do your research before you go! This is totally hypocritcal for me to say as I literally collapsed on the plane after working non-stop and was like, "ok, where are we going?"

Luckily for me, G-Ham had done a LOT of research and had found some cool spots to go visit that might have been a bit less obvious than the normal tourist hot spots... The crater above was only landmarked by a tiny roadsign that then led out to these epic views.

The Blue Lagoon

Obviously we couldn't visit this part of Iceland without going to see the amazing Blue Lagoon. This was such an incredible experience. The place is really incredible and well organised. We got drinks included with our tickets but if you decide not to do this, you can pay using the wristband that you get given.

Tip: If you want to take photos in the lagoon you will need either a waterproof camera or a zip pouch to keep your phone safe. Super-organised G-ham had brought a pouch with him, but you can buy them at the lagoon bar.

Travel Tip

We went to the Blue Lagoon on our last day so rather than drive back up to Rekjavic to then drive back down to Keflavic airport the next day, G-Ham booked us into a little hotel in Keflavic. The Hotel Berg was super cosy and the staff were really friendly. They recommended going for food at the restaurant on the dock opposite. The food here was amazing, amazing, amazing. I think I had the best fish curry ever in my life. The place is pretty casual and the staff were pretty miserable, but we would fly back to Iceland just for that fish.... Mmm!

Hope this helps, if you have any questions, do comment below :-)

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Travel Tips For Iceland - Part 1

Iceland - only 2 hours away from Manchester and yet one of the most unique and picturesque places I have ever been to. My boyfriend whisked me off to Reykjavic just before Christmas to celebrate my birthday. Iceland has always been on my Bucket List of places I wanted to visit, and with direct flights from Manchester, it couldn't have been easier!

I was completely spoilt by Graham... He booked everything, organised a whole itinerary of sight seeing and hired a car to get us from place to place. He should really be the one writing this post, but I would like to share with you some of the highlights of our trip and some top tips to take away with you!


Day 1: We went to a hot spa right on the beach! It was hidden away and only visited by locals. We made a dash into the freezing cold sea and then thawed off in the warm waters. If you can find this place, it was a cool way to start the day!

Tip: Afterwards we went up to the top of a nearby place called The Pearl, to check out the amazing views over the city. This is definitely worth a visit as it is free to enter and easy to access if you have a car.

Reykjavic had the most beautiful scenery. The landscape was stark and snow covered. The mountains rise up out of the mist over the town below. It was completely like something out of The Lord Of The Rings!

After a hot choccy and waffle at the Pearl (Mmm!) we drove over to one of the most beautiful spots right on the coast - the Lighthouse. This was stunning and it was at this spot, looking out to sea that my boyfriend got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!! <3

The moment was perfect and we did seem to lose track of time. As we headed back across the beach to our car, we found that the tide had come in and almost cut us off from the main land!! EEK! We had to clamber across the rocks to safety!




My top tip here?! Check for Warning signs near beaches and don't get cut off at high tide!

Day 2: We got up early and headed out to do some sight seeing!

Tip: If you feel up to it, definitely hire a car! We did this and it meant we could come and go at our own leisure and weren't bound by a tour group. We got to see way more than we would have on a one-stop bus ride. The roads were fairly straight forward to get around but we did rent a sat nav at the airport just to stay safe!

We drove out to see the biggest Geyser near Reykjavic - but there were plenty of stopping points along the way where there were amazing views. We also visited the famous waterfull, Gulfoss - but we didn't stay long simply because it was absolutely FREEEEEZING! (My next post will be wardrobe recommendations in Iceland!)

Tip: Hike up the mountain at the Geyser for incredible views over the area.

Tip: The days are short in Reykjavic in Winter, the sun rose at around 11am and started to set at around 4pm. It did seem to be a long slow sunset, but we always made sure that we didn't leave it too late to get out and see some sights.

We were also lucky enough to see the Northern Lights right over Reykjavic itself - without going on a tour!

If you're interested on going to Iceland, check out my next post for tips on what to take with you!

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Amsterdam Fashion Week

Surely every blogger's dream, is to get to go to Fashion Week at least once in their lives?! Well luckily for me, that dream amazingly became reality when the guys at Fashionchick whisked me off to Amsterdam for a long weekend of fashion, fun and apple pie...

Along with UK blogger Lucia (from Style Confessional) we were also teamed up with two super stylish bloggers from the German Fashionchick network: Marie from Glitter Everywhere and Jasmin from My Berlin Fashion. The FC guys had scheduled some really cool events for us over the weekend, but first stop after our flights was to check out our pad for the weekend. This turned out to be the most instagram-worthy duplex right in the centre of Amsterdam's trendy Noordmarkt. (Have a peek at Marie's post on the apartment where we stayed!) This area was so beautiful, and really to close lots of cafes, picturesque canals and little boutique shops! 

Travel Tip: Every Saturday there is a farmers market, which was pretty much right outside our door - it was full of yummy, fresh food, drinks and clothes. I would highly recommend!!

After a nice chill out morning, blogger duties called and we headed off for an amazing Shopping Experience with Sacha Shoes - check back on Friday to read more on that!!

Amsterdam was SO much more picturesque than I thought it would be? I somehow thought it would be a lot more industrial!? So I was very pleasantly surprised - and pleased at all the pretty blogworthy locations! There were also some amazing shops - including a Monki store where I picked up a cool co-ord that will be on the blog soon :-)

Travel Tip: If you're planning on heading to Amsterdam soon, I would recommend taking a boat trip around the city as it's a great way to see the sights - without wearing out your feet!

However, the main reason that we were there was of course to attend Amsterdam Fashion Week! Fashionchick organised for us to see the Spijkers en Spijkers show on the Saturday evening. It was brilliant. I wasn't that familiar with the brand before, but their clothes were GORGE and featured a wide range of style and prints - which slightly reminded me of Henry Holland in a way? Very cool. I want them all.

After the fashion show we were whisked off to an exclusive After Party in Dam Square. It was an incredible evening and we posed our hearts out in VIP!

On our last day, team Fashionchick took us for brunch at a place called Plek. Although, just a short ferry ride away, the other side of the river was really industrial and made for more amazing blog locations! 

Travel Tip: Another spot I would highly recommend for their quirky, warehouse vibes, amazing food and cool views over the river Ij.

Despite being slightly hungover, we couldn't leave without tasting the most-raved about Apple Pie in Amsterdam... Winkel 43! Oh. My. God. I would book a flight back to Amsterdam just for that pie.

I hope you've enjoyed my round up of our time in Amsterdam! It was such an amazing experience, and I was very lucky to do it with such a nice group of girls - special thanks to Lucia for being my FCBN blogger buddy!

And HUGE thanks to Fashionchick for making it possible!

Have you been to Amsterdam before? If you're going soon, let me know and drop any questions in the comments below! 

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Oh Canadaaaa!

So last month, I posted an "Outfit of the Day" post from Niagara Falls, but I didn't feel that that showcased the unbelievably amazing, aweomeness that was my Canadian experience... If you're following me on instagram you may have seen some pics, but here's a little photo diary from my trip!

My boyfriend and I flew out for New Years Eve and stayed in Toronto for several days. We then drove up North to a place on the Lakes called Huntsville, where it snowed like we were in Narnia. It was truly unbelievable. I have NEVER seen snow like it!

Snow boots in the Bata Shoe Museum and an unbelievable Canadian Fry Up (with syrup, of course)

Actual Niagara Falls! Now, I have to admit, I was expecting something a bit taller?! Dare I say, I was slightly disappointed with Niagara Falls?? :-S It was beautiful, especially in the snowy weather, however the location is very bizarre... The town of Niagara has turned into an almost Blackpool style town with plenty of bars, fast food restaurants and ghost rides!

The Canadian lifestyle is very cool. It's very active and relaxed. Right in the centre of Toronto was this huge ice rink where Canadians brought their own boots and just got on and skated. We went on Friday night and the place was packed! Sickeningly everyone was really good - apart from me...

Below: The view from the glass floor of the CN Tower and stripey goods from the famous Hudson Bay company.

The best thing about our trip was that we went without any plan or expectations and it was very chilled out. We still squeezed in some awesome things like the dog sledding, ice skating and Niagara Falls, but we also spent quality time with my BF's family. I had a FAB time and would love to go back... just maybe in Summer when it's a tiny bit warmer!!

Have you been to Canada before?

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