Wanderlust: 24 Hours in The Highest Capital, Reykjavik

So I'm baaaack!

Iceland was literally INCREDIBLE and like nowhere I have ever been before. Thought TBH, right now I am shattered so am kinda happy to be back in the warm here in the UK and in my pjs for two days of chill before reality again lol!

I've taken so many pics so I will try and consolidate them down as always, best way I thought was to do 3 separate blogs on this, one on Reyk, and one each on the tours we did.

Sooooo... on To Reykjavik!

The highest capital in the world was already dark when we got there, There are not too many planes to Iceland from the UK a day so the earliest Gatwick flight was 3pm- 3.30pm. As it was our first evening and we had spend the day pottering around the airport we quickly headed to our apartment which was really central in Reykjavik and just behind the main shopping area.

We stayed at Heidas Home - a well known little block of apartments run by the lovely Heida. If you are travelling on a budget (which we were, more on that later!) then self catering in Iceland is def the way forward as the hotels will set you back SO much money as well as you also don't get the experience of living like a real Icelander :)

We had our own bathroom, cosy little kitchenette with Microwave, hob ect and spacious bedroom with TV. Perfect to return to after a long day out and about!

It was a chilly 1-3 degrees outside during our stay (arguably less than that outside the city) so it was then time the next day to wrap up warm and explore the city!

Being the touristy tourists we are we went to all the main attractions, all of these can easily be visited during your 24 hour stay. Reyk is a very small city so its best to walk around on foot and see the sights for yourself.

1. Sólfar

The Sólfar, or The Sun Voyager,  is a beautiful sculpture located on the seafront. It celebrates 200 years since the city was created. 

2. Downtown Reykjavik - District 101

You can't miss the colourful 101 district! It is the main boulevard of the city for shopping, food and bars. There are plenty of souvenir shops as well to buy the usual magnets, mugs and keyrings or shops selling warm clothes which are perfect for excursions out the city!

Laugavegur is one of the longest streets in the 101 district and has some incredible street art!

3. Hallgrimskirka Church

Dominating the city skyline is Reyks centre piece, Hallgrimskirka Church. Its free to pop inside and have a look around.

Unlike most churches I've visited which are usually very grand or chock full of stained glass, this church has a very minimalist look which I almost actually prefer!

You will need to pay to head up to the top of the viewing tower (900 ISK) but it is well worth it for the views across the city!

4. The Harpa Music Hall 

The Harpa is beautiful to visit day or night, whether you are seeing a concert or not! It is located on the seafront, not far from the Sun Voyager Sculpture.

5. The Old Harbour

We stumbled on The Old Harbour when walking further past The Harpa, which is well worth an afternoon stroll. Aside from meandering round the ships, it is here that you can book some great tours if you haven't already done so when you visit. The offer boat tours which include Northern Lights Trips and Viking fun tours around the harbour!

There are also a great number of museums in the harbour area including the Aurora Centre which we went to when it looked like it was going to rain. Its a very small place but worth a visit if you want to know more about the lights and how they are caused by the sun,

They also show an endless cinema screening of the lights around Iceland which you can go in and watch along with some chill out music! nearly nodded off a couple of times in there as I was so relaxed!

A great idea seeing as the lights for real are obvs not guaranteed when you visit Iceland. despite having favourable conditions for the lights we sadly didn't see them in person but going to the centre made up for that abit :)

Wheres the foodie pics?!

The main downside was food, so sorry no food pics :( we simply could not afford to eat out aside from once.

Food in Iceland I'm sure is great but the cost is absolutely barmy. I had budgeted extra for the trip knowing the expense beforehand but had no idea of the costs of the smaller things - a simple ham sandwich in a supermarket for example would set you back £10, a bottle of coke or the Icelandic equivalent - £4 and eating out could cost about £25 to do in a restaurant for said sandwich and drink
:( Fish and chips about £16, you get the idea. You will run out of money extremely fast if you are not savvy with your moneys here, Dinner prices were double this each!

Best budget food buys we spotted were Reykjavik chips and like I've explained Self catering is the way to go (still like buying your food in Harrods in the budget off-licence for the expense) but still cheaper than eating out,

All in all, I hope this covers everything you wanna know about Reykjavik and what to do if you are only there a short time :)

Love, Sarah x

Down on the Riviera...

Because every girl needs a holiday bag to match the location right? 

Stripe Maxi Dress // Primark

Riviera Suitcase Bag // Accessorize

Sunglasses // Guess

Each holiday I have always found my monochrome striped maxi and sunnies always made it in to my suitcase. Summer stripes are a classic and must have as a holiday wardrobe staple. Naturally though, they have started to get really worn looking after a good few years of wear so I did some shopping to update my faves before going away, 

This stripe dress is a great match for my old one, although my old Primark one was monochrome striped I really like this new take on it with navy and camel stripes and a more daring neckline (just gotta be wary of those tanlines!). :) 

I also treated myself to an early Birthday present and picked up these Guess sunnies after my ancient Accesorize faves I've had since I was 14 were desperately needing to retire! I will be keeping these for years also for sure, spesh with the amazing leopard print case they came with. It feels nice and grown up to have my first proper pair of sunglasses :)

The bag is possibly my fave though, I am a sucker for trying to match my holiday outfits to the location I'm travelling and I was delighted to see that Accesorize had made a bag with all the destinations I'm going to on - and in the same cute suitcase design I wanted to get last year but missed out on at the time as I figured it may hang around for me to buy...but it didn't! So pleased it's back again.

Just need a floppy hat on really to complete the look and I'm virtually  Riviera holiday ready! :)

Love , Sarah x

  

Wanderlust: Living as a Parisian

Reminiscing about holidaying in an artsy flat in Paris in 2013...

So yesterday I spent most of my eve cleaning up crap so my letting agent can come around to do another pointless bi-monthly inspection of our flat (does anyone else have to suffer these??!) though once done I chilled out before bed and found myself finding photos from our trip to Paris almost 3 years ago, before I started blogging. Thought I'd share our adventure in photos with you as it was really cool trip and I would love to go again! 

We stayed in an apartment in the heart of Paris owned by a very artsy woman who turned out to be a judge on Strictly come dancing (Polish Version!)  She was off to shoot this why we house sat for the 5 days ! I can't remember how I even found the flat online. It was before I knew of Airbnb so I'm not sure how how to link you to her if she is still renting out the place whilst shes on TV!. 

I do prefer renting apartments to explore from as they are usually cheaper than hotels and you get a real experience of living in the destination you are in. 

The flat was tucked away within a block and was very big brother style with themed artsy stuff everywhere and fake grass on the backs of the doors!

The first place we visited was the Montmartre district, home of the Basilica Sacre-Coeur.   It was a really pretty area but do beware of pick pockets and people trying to force you to buy things. To be fair there was this everywhere but we experienced it most here.  Be confident to say no thank you and walk away! 

I always recommend to people to wonder around for at least one of two of the days of your break so you get a feel for the place - that and there is so much you miss if you go on public transport everywhere, the best things quite often tucked away and are not always tourist attractions! 

On leaving this district we walked a short way round to a bakery and had (still to this date) the most yummiest chocolate eclair I ever tasted. 

Not far from here is the Moulin Rouge which is a must see whether you choose to go and see a show or not! We didn't but did have a giggle in the sex shops opposite! 

We had to make an exception for this attraction though obviously! . It was a small ride away on the subway which we got abit lost on at first but after a couple of goes managed to get the hang of it. its not as easy as London or Barcelona undergrounds to fathom! 

When we visited there was some freaky weather (hail and thunder!) but here's a couple of shots from when we got up to the top of the tower and looked out at the view. 

A small walk away from the Eiffel Tower is Les Invalides, a really good museum to go to if you are trying to seek shelter for the rain or have an interest in history!

It basically is a military museum for the army of France and also contains Napoleon I tomb which was really impressive. Its my most favourite museum out of any I've visited so far abroad.

My main reason for my Paris visit was to see Notre Dame (for Disney reasons!)

Again it rained when we came here as well but this worked to our advantage as we got to see the gargoyles working by draining the water from the roof and walls of this beautiful cathedral.

It's totally worth paying a little extra and going up to the bell towers as well as inside the cathedral. Just make sure you wear comfy shoes as the stairs are steep and really really small!

We warmed up in one of the charming cafes surrounding Notre Dame. a Croque Monsieur is a popular lunch choice (an incredibly nice grilled cheese sandwich) and is served in most cafes or bistros 

The Louvre was also an impressive site, we didn't go inside due to that we chose to go to the military museum and the sheer scale of the place.. the buildings all around it are also part of the Louvre. You would definatly need to set a day aside to do this! it is after-all the biggest museum in the world! 

Whilst we were there in 2013 the bridges across the River Seine still had these padlocks on them with couple initials or love notes on them!

These have since been removed due to the weight and strain they were putting on the bridges.

Don't just visit the Eiffel tower to take photos! there are plenty of photo opportunity's and great photo shots all around the city with the famous tower in if you explore! 

To escape the buzz of the city I usually also set a day aside for chill time in a park or garden. We found our self's in the Luxembourg Gardens, which were beautiful.  

I'm hoping to return one day to hopefully to see more of Paris  and get better weather as we only had one sunny day and we visited at the end of May! Just bad luck I think! 

Have you ever been to Paris before and do you have any recommendations on a return visit? :) 

Love , Sarah x