Sunsets & Night Skies

Sometimes, I get the urge to write a blog post even if I'm not sure why. This is definitely one of those occasions. A couple of weeks ago, I got a new phone (the Sony Z1 Compact). When I got it everyone was so shocked that I'd decided not to just upgrade straight to the next iPhone, but I was convinced I'd made the right choice because of the reviews the camera had gotten (It's 20 megapixels compared to the iPhone 5's measly 8 megapixels). Seeing as I do all my blog pictures from my phone, I thought it would be a great idea to have a better camera.

When I bought the phone home that night however, I soon had a nagging feeling I'd done something very stupid. "I can't get emojis on this phone", I whispered to my flatmate Alice, tears in my eyes. "Grow up", she replied. I needed to hear that. I've finally gotten over the fact I can't see them *displeased emoji* and I'm hoping the brainboxes at Android are going to make some supercool alternative to them soon so I won't feel like the only person unable to communicate just by a quick heart eyed smiley face.

Once I put the camera in use however, all my earlier worries disappeared and I'm glad I made the decision now. If you've read my last two blog posts, they were all done with my new camera and I think I'm taking some much better pictures. So this post really is to share two of my favourite pictures that I've taken so far.

There's not much natural beauty in the city I live in, so my favourite time of the day is sunset. I've always been obsessed with sunsets, especially coming from my beautiful hometown by the sea where the sunsets can be utterly breathtaking. With the gorgeous spring weather we've been having recently, I managed to take this snap of the sunset on Saturday night. I don't know whether it was because I was having a lovely and long-awaited weekend with my boyfriend, or because the timing of those perfectly positioned clouds was just right, but this is one of the best sunset pictures I've ever taken. The clouds look like an oil painting.

I took this picture when we were on the roof of our building last weekend. I don't think I had meant to take it, but when I looked back I loved the bokeh effect the lights of the city and the glow of the moon had turned into. At home, I just love the clear nights. Coming from such a rural place, where the streetlights go off after midnight, we're so lucky in the fact that we've not got much light pollution, so the views of the stars at night are just unreal. Sometimes I look up the entire way on my walk back from work (I work in a restaurant so always finish late) and it just feels like I'm looking at a picture. The beauty of a clear night sky is that the longer you look at it, the more you see. That sight is something I know I will never take for granted.

I'll stop lusting over how much I love nature now. But if you do too and have taken some sweet shots yourself I'd love to see them. Link me below or come find me on Instagram and I'll look at your page!

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The Kings Arms on Fulham Road

A few weekends ago I took a day trip to lovely London to see some family. After being practically chained to my laptop and desk for as long as I can remember, it was so nice seeing some of my loved ones and to have a break from working.

We went for a walk around the South Kensington - Fulham area and ended up stopping for lunch at The Kings Arms on Fulham Road. As it was Sunday lunch, absolutely everywhere was rammed and this was the last of about 5 restaurants and pubs we looked into hoping to find a table. Luckily for us, this ended up being a fab little place to eat, with a great selection of dishes, all at pretty fair prices too. The place had a great atmosphere too, filled with locals popping in for a chilled Sunday drink and a few tourists like us too.

I had a cheeky glass of white and this burger which was just beautiful. Nice and pink in the middle, with lots of salad and pickles, served with a small but adequate portion of homemade chips. The star of the show for me, which to most of you will be rather underwhelming to read, was the tiny jar of mustard mayo they served with it. I've always had a funny mustard relationship, which if I'm frank was only in it's infancy, but THIS blew my mind at how tasty it was with the chips. So much so, I probably mentioned it about 10 times while eating, then a bit more on the journey back to the flat. I don't know why condiments come in and out of fashion, but they do, and I have a feeling this is going to be the next sweet chilli sauce. I've seen it offered in a lot of restaurants recently and I have to say, I love it.

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The Ghost Stations of Paris

The Metro in Paris is the French equivalent to the Tube in London and the Subway in New York. An extensive network of underground trains that quickly zips tourists and commuters alike around the city without the complications of the congestion filled streets. Although Paris' Metro reaches vastly around the city, there are stations that are left unused. These stations, shut down by the French government at the beginning of France's involvement in WWII in 1939, have been left almost untouched since then. In the past they have been used for homeless shelters and film backdrops, but a candidate for the Major of Paris, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet has proposed a series of plans to turn the desolate stations into places of culture and recreation for the people of Paris.

Headed up by Manal Rachdi from OXO Architects and Nicolas Lasiné, the proposed plans include an underground nightclub (to avoid noise complaints from residents of the neighbourhood), a garden (so locals have somewhere to enjoy nature even on rainy days), a swimming pool (to bring sports facilities to more neighbourhoods), an art gallery or a restaurant.

"To swim in the metro seems like a crazy dream, but it could soon come true." OXO Architects

Art Gallery

Theatre

Swimming Pool

Restaurant

Garden

Nightclub

I love the idea of turning an unused part of Paris' history and turning it into something that both tourists and Parisians would enjoy. It's not turning your back on the history, it's taking it and turning it into something even more beautiful and enriched. That's a beautiful concept that could be applied to many different things, especially fashion.

What do you think about these plans? I know personally I'd visit all of these subterrain attractions if they were to come to Paris! My favourites are the restaurant, the theatre and the swimming pool. Which are yours?

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Harry Potter Studio Tour

I must explain first, I am not your typical Harry Potter superfan. I don't have a cape, a wand or even a broomstick, nor do I have posters of all the cast of the films up on my bedroom walls. What I do have is a lifelong love of the Harry Potter stories. My mum read the first book to me and my brother when we were about 5 or 6 and from that day onwards I've been hooked. I've read every book several times and I have the full film boxset. There's just something about the story that I have never seemed to let go of and for that reason I think J.K Rowling is an absolute genius. If I could hug her and say thank you, I definitely would.

The tour was magical. It made me feel about 12 years old again, completely thrown back into the depths of the story. The tour is full of sets, costumes and props from all eight of the Harry Potter films, most of which are completely in tact. I don't want to give too much away from the tour in case you're planning on going yourself, but my favourite bits were definitely the Great Hall and the visit to Diagon Alley. Both sets were pretty much whole and I just could not believe I was standing where the scenes I loved so much had been bought to life.

Below are just a few of my favourite parts of the tour for you to have a sneak peek at but please, if you enjoyed either the books or the films, I urge you to go to the tour for yourself! You have to book in advance, so take a look at their website here.

Butterbeeeeeeer!

Mischief managed.

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Flemings Hotel, Mayfair

For my birthday present this year, my boyfriend took me to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Watford, just outside London. The tour itself is so popular that pretty much every single date gets full all year round. Therefore, we had to book it in advance which meant we didn't end up going until last weekend, even though my birthday was in November! However, it turned out to be a great idea as it meant I got another birthday weekend, just like the Queen!

As we don't live near the tour, we decided to stay in London for the weekend and just travel to Watford on the day of the tour. Through a recommendation by my parents, we opted to stay at Flemings Hotel in Mayfair. A choice that no part of me regrets!

The beautiful Natural History Museum, just a 20 minute walk from Flemings.

Flemings is situated on a small street just off Piccadilly and just a two minute walk from Green Park tube station. The location could not be more ideal for practically any plans you have in London. It's within walking distance of so many fantastic tourist destinations and is really easy to get to via tube from all the main train stations.

During our stay we got treated like absolute royalty. Nearly every member of staff wished me a happy birthday and nothing was too much trouble. I am a firm believer that staff can make or break a place and you could tell that the staff at Flemings had been meticulously trained.

Breakfast too was fantastic. There was a huge selection of different cooked breakfasts as well as a continental buffet to choose from while you waited. On the first morning I opted for my favourite breakfast; smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, while on the second day I chose a close second; pancakes with bacon and maple syrup. Both were delicious and set us up perfectly for a day of sightseeing. We were even treated to complimentary champagne at breakfast on the first day because of my birthday celebrations!

There was always a great atmosphere, which felt completely upper class without being pretentious (a hard balance to find). Without a doubt I would recommend Flemings to anyone who's thinking about heading for a special weekend away in London. I couldn't fault it at all and we will definitely be going back! Where's your favourite place to stay in London?

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