Wednesday, 20 May 2015

Travel: Venice


I had dreamed of visiting Venice for such a long time so after a stressful few months I decided that we deserved a little treat and booked a long bank holiday weekend as an early birthday present for the hubby! As we had a BA companion voucher that we hadn't had a chance to use (and my weekly Friday 7pm conference call prevented us from flying in the evening) we ended up taking the earliest Saturday morning flight from City airport so we could have 2 full days in Venice before returning on Monday afternoon.
 
(The bridge of Sighs.. looks nothing like the bridge I walked over every day in Cambridge!)
 
I found a lovely apartment on airbnb that was owned by a local architect (you can check it out here).
It was really quirky and modern with innovative use of space; just perfect for our needs. I would definitely recommend this option as it is much more affordable than local hotels and gave us more privacy. We took full advantage of all the amenities in the kitchen... as well as the pull up bar after all those carbs!
There is so much to see in Venice so we spent our first day walking around Piazza San Marco, exploring the Basilica, Doge's Palace, the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge, while finding lots of hidden gems!
 Inside St Mark's
 We had the best time exploring through all the lovely little streets. There is something to see around every corner!
On the second day we took a boat around a couple of the nearby islands. We explored Murano and learned all about the traditional glass making techniques. 
In the evening I had booked us a lovely table at Alle Corone, a wonderful restaurant near the Grand Canal. The food was amazing and the service made it even more special! We decided to take a boat back to our apartment. There is definitely nothing more romantic than seeing Venice at night!
 Rialto Bridge
 The Casino
We had such a wonderful time and I would love to return and explore some more soon! 

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Monday, 1 September 2014

Italy

A few weeks ago we escaped to beautiful Italy for a long weekend to celebrate my mama's bday. Being back at work after the excitement of our wedding and honeymoon was very depressing so it was great to have a little break to look forward to!
I have such a special place in my heart for Italy and particularly our tiny village in Umbria. It's so secluded from the world and the perfect antidote to our crazy London lives - fresh air, sunshine and even our own little organic garden and mini orchard.
There is nothing I love more than popping down to the garden in the morning to pick fresh berries and fruit!
The blackberries had just ripened in time for our visit and were so delicious!
 Perfect juicy pears and apples for fresh juices! Definitely beats my usual juice cleanses and detoxes!
Who knew pomegranates started their lives as such stunning flowers? I can't wait till these ripen!
 
We also made an amazing soup using beautiful butternut squash.
I'm always trying to get the cleanest food at home and try to buy organic whenever I can so it was such a treat to use wonderfully fresh ingredients.
 Obviously my husband's photo skills still need a little bit of work!
 And here's one we picked earlier ;p.

We had such a lovely relaxing time eating good food, going for hikes (although mama and I got lost in the forest hills for 2 hours, which wasn't so much fun) and generally enjoying the simpler side of life! I am the first to admit that I get too wrapped up in the every day and let things get on top of me, but I am making a real effort to make sure I slow down and take time to appreciate life and all the things I am thankful for. :)

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Wednesday, 18 July 2012

Umbria and Tuscany

Not too long ago I spent a magical week in the plush Italian countryside on the border between Umbria and Tuscany. Having returned home to find my internet was broken (fixed today yay!) I have been looking forward to sharing these pictures with you for far too long!!!

 Swimsuit and flip-flops: Ted Baker. Sunglasses: Fiorelli.

 Dress, clutch and flip-flops: Ted Baker. Sunglasses: Prada.

Lake Trasimeno
Bikini: Reiss
Passignano sul Trasimeno pier
 The view from Castiglione del Lago
 Dress: Topshop (similar here)
 Sunflowers in Tuscany
 Montepluciano - where they filmed Twilight New Moon!
Godiolo Vineyard and wine tasting!


Photography by the pool...
Swimsuit: Red or Dead (here)
Penguin
Enjoying the sunset in Castel Rigone
 Beautiful Florence
 Lucky piglet Porcellino
 Out for dinner on the last night. Dress: Amaka Showroom.

A very photo heavy post, but I love looking at everyone's holiday snaps, so I do hope you enjoyed them! xxx
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