Wanderlust: Places I Want to Visit

(Caulonia, Italy)

So with Christmas and New Year out the way, and the dull month of January to face, we're all sick of Winter and are lustily looking ahead to the Summer months, dreaming of a holiday. Some of you may have even got a cheeky deal in the January sales. If so, I salute you. 

The above emotions, mixed with the cliche 'New Year, New Me' mentality means a lot of us seem to go through a stage right about now of Wanderlust. Wanting to get away, experience something new or tick some things of the ol' bucket list. 

In the last two years, I've been lucky enough to travel to Rome, Caulonia (Calabria, Italy) and Prague, and make some amazing memories that I'll never forget. But now I've got the bug. I wanna go EVERYWHERE. 

So I thought I'd share with you my Wanderlust list. Having it down in physical list form actually makes me more determined to start travelling and ticking places off, and hopefully it will inspire you to make your own list!

(The pictures are from the places mentioned above. Didn't want to use stock pictures, and if I had pictures for each continent, I wouldn't really need to write this post)

(Prague)

Europe

+ Ireland

+Scotland

+Paris

+Barcelona

+Lisbon

+Bruges

+Amsterdam

+Berlin

+Austria

+Croatia

+Greece

+Cyprus

I won't go into detail about every single one, but there are some specific reasons behind my choices. I'd love to go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and go to the Louvre in Paris. 

I went to Barcelona when I was about 14 with the school, but I'd love to go now that I'm older, and explore it for myself.

 I'm pretty sure anyone who has seen the film In Bruges wants to visit Bruges. 

I've seen some amazing pictures of the street art in Berlin, and I've also discovered an amazing tattooist there (Minervas Linda) so I hope to save up, do some sight-seeing and get a tattoo. As you do. 

I HAVE to go to Greece / Cyprus. I'm half Greek Cypriot! I've never been, I don't speak the language and I don't like olives. I'm a failure of a Greek right now, and I'm hoping to amend at least one of those (I've tried to make myself like olives. It's not happening). 

(Caulonia, Italy)

North America

+San Francisco 

+Mexico

+Cuba

I've never really been that attracted to the US as a place for travelling. I don't know why. There just isn't much about it that appeals to me as much as the other places on my list. Except San Francisco. It's going to sound lame, but I think George of the Jungle has a lot to do with this. The trams, hills and Golden Gate Bridge made it look quite European and magical to me as a kid. 

I've watched Breaking Bad and Man on Fire, but I still wanna go! Why? THE FOOD! When I discovered Tomasina Miers (Winner of Masterchef 2005 and owner of Wahaca) and her restaurant was inspired by the street food she ate whilst travelling in Mexico, it instantly went on my list. 

As for Cuba, it's a country stuck in the 1950s. Sold!

(Caulonia, Italy)

South America

+Brazil
+Peru

I want to go to Brazil for the Amazon rainforest more than anything else. It's not just another place on my list. Going to the Amazon and maybe visiting some wildlife sanctuaries is a dream of mine. 
Why Peru? Llamas of course!

(Prague)

Africa

+South Africa
+Egypt
+Madagascar
+Kenya

The reasoning behind the majority of these places is animal related. Another one of my dreams is to go cage diving with great white sharks (they're just misunderstood!) and after doing a bit of research, it seems South Africa is the best place for it. 
Both Madagascar and Kenya are famous for their wildlife reserves (e.g the Masai Mara), and seeing some of the most beautiful animals this plant has to offer in their natural habitat would be something that would stay with me forever. 
 I was fascinated by the Ancient Egyptians as a kid, and still am to an extent. One thing Rome taught me is you can never predict how you're going to feel seeing things of such historical significance. It's really quite moving. 

(Rome)

Asia

+India
+Indonesia
+Japan
+Thailand
+Vietnam

Food and scenery are the main reasons behind these particular choices. I don't think the Asian food we have here in the UK is even remotely close to the actual authentic cuisines. From what I've seen on the internet and cooking shows, my taste buds would have the time of their life. 
All of these places have their own scenic qualities that Google Images doesn't do justice. I crave seeing these spectacular sights for myself. 

(Folkestone, UK)

Australia

+Australia
+New Zealand 

They have Christmas on the beach in Australia! Other than that, the Great Barrier Reef and everything sea creature related is Australia's main appeal for me. This is slightly outweighed by killer spiders, but they can't swim so I should be safe 80% of the time. 
As for New Zealand, I'm a massive LOTR and Hobbit geek. I NEED to visit the Shire.

Related Posts: The Food of Prague , Prague: Places to Visit, Eurostars David Hotel, Prague , Caulonia, Italy - A Rural Italian Holiday

READ MORE

Belated Blogmas Day 9: Eurostars David Hotel, Prague

When travelling, I feel the hotel is all part of the experience and is just as important as the location itself, especially if you're going on a romantic trip. It doesn't have to cost you the world either. 

Last weekend, me and the boyfriend went on a short trip to Prague to see the Christmas markets, and we managed to get a really cheap deal that included flights, a 4* hotel and buffet breakfast every morning thanks to Lastminute.com. 

If you're prepared to book a trip 2 weeks in advance, then you're going to save so much money, and actually get to experience hotels that would usually be out of your price range. 

You can choose from a variety of flight and hotel combos, and we chose the Eurostars David Hotel, in Prague's New Town. 

As you can see, the hotel was incredible well decorated and was impressive to say the least. 

The amazing thing with Prague is that even though every building is steeped in luxury, it doesn't feel pretentious. Eurostars David Hotel channels its own identity through it's decor that is warm and friendly, just like the staff. The modern yet cosy interior made it such a welcoming place to be. We really didn't want to leave. 

One thing that stood out to me was the small book on the bedside table called Short Nights. It's a selection of best pieces from the Eurostars Hotels Short Story Competition. I thought this was such a nice touch, and just added to the bohemian vibe of Prague. 

The breakfast was incredible too. I can always go to town on a buffet, but when you're on a touristy holiday it's actually so practical to get a hotel with buffet breakfast included. You can eat till you're about to bust, and it'll set you up for the long day of sightseeing that you'll have ahead. We were so full from breakfast that we didn't need to eat a proper meal again until evening. The hotel had everything you could imagine: cereal, fruit, yogurt, sausages, eggs, toast, croissants, strudel, jam, cold meats and cheeses. We were spoiled for choice. 

All of this, combined with free wifi meant that we had such a relaxing stay. I'm missing it so much already. 

Stay tuned for more Prague posts

READ MORE

Camden Bargain Buys

 

 

Ahh Camden. My home away from home. 

I'm forever discovering new and interesting places in London that fulfill my needs for the weird, wonderful and bizarre, but every time I go to London, I'll always at one point or the other find myself returning to Camden. 

Not only did it play a huge part of my childhood (yes I was an Emo/Scene Kid) but it is an amalgation of all the things I love: music, fashion, food and BARGAINS!

During the months of June/July, I got to visit Camden twice. Once with the lovely Fi Shemmans before the Cosmopolitan Superblogger Masterclass, and then with my best friend George Puddephatt for a nostalgic catch-up . 

Camden has changed a lot since I was 15/16, especially when it comes to shopping. It has definitely become more commercial. I'm not complaining, it just means you have to hunt a bit harder for those unique items. 

The t-shirt pictured above I bought from the market on the right hand side of the river, with the Vespa seating area. Because of all the food stalls there I always forget that there are shops behind them, but on this occassion Fi reminded me, and we spent a good hour or two there. The t-shirt came from a stall selling tonnes of garish yet eye-catching graphic print tees. Falling back into my monochrome habits, I fell in love with this particular one. It's got a sports luxe meet grunge vibe about it, and I could instantly picture in my head how I wanted to style it. For only £12 I thought it was an absolute bargain. 

The sunglasses were an emergency buy. Whilst waiting for George to meet me in Camden, I'd realised I'd forgotten my sunglasses, and the sun was blinding. Upon walking towards the main stables I  found a mini market on the left side of the street, with one vendor selling hundreds of on-trend sunglasses for £5. From flip-up sunglasses to oil slick, this guy had everything. I must have spent a good 20 minutes trying them on before deciding on this gold-rimmed oil slick pair. They are a proper statement and for £5 I won't be to heartbroken when I loose them (and believe me I will). 

Lastly but certainly not least are the bohemian bracelets and bindis. These came from a Middle Eastern shop just a few minutes Camden station. You can smell the incense a mile off, and the gorgeous colour scheme of oranges, reds, yellows and pinks draws you in. This shop has a pic 'n' mix system, where you grab a bowl and sift through piles of bracelets, rings, anklets and incense all priced between 20p and £1. It's hard not to go overboard, but when you see how much jewellery like this is going for in high street brands you'd be well and truly justified to do so. 

So if you're ever in London and looking for a bargain, take a little trip to Camden. Even if you don't buy anything, I guarantee it's a visit you won't forget.  

READ MORE