Visiting Brighton In The Rain

 

 

It's not often I visit somewhere soggy and grey with the wind howling up my skirt and don't feel like running to the nearest café and bolting the door, but Brighton is different it has this strange effect, of making you feel like you are on the set of some magic show, which leaves you feeling curiouser and curiouser . Everywhere I looked smiling visitors and locals, coated in thin plastic macs were skidding around the shiny boards of Brighton Pier. Dodging in and out of amusement arcades and sitting on the shingle beach eating pale fat chips doused in vinegar,

 

 waiting to be blasted by the sound of another wave crashing onto the beach. After the frustration of trying to capture a giant one-eyed furry yellow minion with a useless/rigged metal claw, it felt like the right time for a game of mega air hockey, my winning streak back,
 Christmas shopping was next on my list. I found some leopard print soaps in Heals, a whoopee cushion in a sweet brown vintage box (there are little people in my life) pop art, cartoon ceramic cups, with phrases like Zap and Pow in pink and purple and some Choccywoccydoodah activity books.

 

 

 

 

 

 I wanted a giant felt robin and a stripy Christmas mitten, but decided to calm my Christmas shopping fever by experiencing the Zen of Brighton's eastern inspired pavilion. You're not allowed to take photographs inside, but I managed to snap it's fairy tale peaks peeping out of some trees. Whatever you do, if you ever go to Brighton, visit Brighton Royal 

Pavilion!

 

 

 

 Some people get goose bumps listening to music. I get goose bumps about unusual buildings and clothing and this place gave me a lot! It was a real Charlie and the Chocolate factory moment when I stepped into the entrance, the first things I noticed were giant chandeliers suspended by huge carved dragons, blindingly bright emerald green and yellow walls. Bamboo everywhere, including the banisters that ran up the side of the grand staircase, nodding Chinese figures and ornate hand knotted pink and gold silk rugs, but what I love most about it, none of this was taken from a real idea of the East. The Palace was never intended to last, it was created for the Prince Regent to inspire playfulness, based on the designer's brief to recreate the east and fun loving Brighton sprung up around it. If your lucky and it's not too busy you can have high tea upstairs, check out the tea pot! If you fancy freezing your bum off and sampling the delights of the Pav you can find out more here.

 

 

My Passport to Style | Reviews Moroccan Bazaar

 

 

 

Visiting Morocco features on my very long bucket list, so when I was invited to step into the pages of a souk by Moroccan Bazaar. I dived straight in. My own home is mish-mash of bright colours, and eclectic pieces add in a good measure of geometrical design, and the ritual of mint tea sipped in a walled court yard garden and that pretty much sums up Moroccan style. If you’re looking for a dose of mystery and excitement in your home, THIS online Bazaar has taken all the best elements of Moroccan decor and design and woven them into a sweet carpet ride that transports you to the narrow streets of artisan crafts men busy making things in the baking heat that you never knew you wanted, but now you do.

What Things I Bought In Venice

 

 

 

Before I went on my recent trip to Venice, I read post after slightly bitter post about how impossible it is to find a bargain souvenir or gift in Venice, so I was determined to use my stealth and blogger cunning to help me seek some out and I think I succeeded. I came home with an elegant bottle of Limoni di Sicilia, which is basically a really nice lemon licqueur similar to Limoncello, that can be used to make cocktails or to pour over ice-cream and yes I know its typical to Italy not Venice, but as pretty much over half the things we buy in the UK are made in China, I'm happy to not be too picky and think out of the box a little.

 

 

The local Venetian Co-op may not be oozing style, but it's a good place to find some well priced goodies that the locals consume. Using my highly tuned blogger stealth I bypassed the bland looking cereals section, dodged some very dangerous shopping trolley manoeuvres and landed slap bang in the middle of the drinks section right next to glowing yellow bottles of Limoni di Sicilia priced at just 8, score!

 

 

 I pounced on a few boxes of the local hot chocolate, which I have tasted before, it's like drinking a thick chocolate soup and at a couple of euro's a box it was a no brainer, but my ultimate super ninja gift seeking stroke, was spotting some beautiful triple distilled genuine Venetian rose water in apothecary style, deep blue bottles, made from plastic they were nice and light for packing in my suitcase and at just 3.50 euros a bottle I greedily took the last 4 of the shelf, rose water makes a lovely natural toner and is great to soothe any sunburn too.

 

 

 

Next I picked up a  black lace fan for 7 euros to help me waft myself elegantly, if your going to buy one, get one from Torcello, a serene little island which is supposedly where Venice first began and worth visiting, then it was off to my favourite place the glass blowing island of Murano, after swooning over a zillion glass chandeliers I finally treated myself to a beautiful soft aqua rose shaped glass ring, with silver leaf inside, it cost me 14 euros, but I would happily have paid much more for it.

 

 

 

 Back in Venice and down town, towards Cannaregio I found a glass seconds shop if you know Italy or Venice you will know that Murano glass is very expensive as well as stunning, for about another 12 euros I picked up a small red glass love bird and a handbag holder inlaid with a pretty glass mosaic tree, in the same area I forced myself into a t-shirt shop expecting very expensive and tacky and was chuffed to discover some cool contemporary interpretations of the symbol of Venice the lion and some kitsch Venetian t-shirt designs for about 12 euros each.

 

Don't forget to pack your hotel toiletries, after lovingly capturing them on film, mine are still at our hotel! We also accidentally left with one souvenir to many our very heavy brass hotel key fob. The MR was not super happy to cover the £8.00 p&p for 2nd class return postage! Do you have a favourite thing you picked up on your travels? I had fun taking photographs of my Venetian haul after my stealth shopping trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Venice With Love

 I'm back from my short (five day's) but very sweet trip to Venice, it's my second visit to the city of luurve and being a non car driver, it's actually nice not to feel in the minority for once, as all of life pretty much happens on the water. Being a bit of dreamy person its very easy for me to get lost in the pages of Venice's fairy tale setting, twinkling blue water, bobbing boats and many palaces. If you read my previous post here, you might know I was fortunate enough to book a stay in a small but perfectly formed boutique hotel that is actually an old palace, the Palazzetto Pisani.

It was an amazing experience, I'm a bit geeky when it comes to loving opulent historical buildings and there have been more than a few moments in my life when I have wondered what it must be like to sleep in a four poster bed or to strum the harp in the music room of some VIPs stately home and now I found I really had chance to eat, sleep, bathe and dress in the rooms previously lived in by the seventeenth century 'royalty' of Venice. If I'm honest  I was a little dubious if the hotel would live up to what I had read on the website, happily for us it did.

Bling Slippers And Venetion Palaces

 

 

 

 

So I have snuck back onto your screen, hoping you have not noticed that I vanished for a short time, I'm in the middle of some life changing stuff and it's been hard juggling everything so I decided to just focus on a couple of things, rather than do lots badly. I'm planning a trip to Venice on the 10th of August for five days with A, we have decided to be a bit posh and spend more on a shorter holiday, so we are staying at Palazzetto Pisani Boutique Resort an old small palace, there are quite a few palaces that have been converted to hotels in Venice. The hotel has a water door into the building which means if we want to arrive at our hotel entrance via the canal we can, I love the idea of stepping onto a boat and gliding up to the hotel door. 

 

 

 

 The first time I went to Venice was as part of our Honeymoon and even though we only stayed for three days, It really felt like more than just romantic, I liked the mix of tranquil canals and the bustle and mystery of Venice. I wore my bargain pair of silk ivory wedding slippers I picked up to go with my wedding dress, heavily embellished with beads and sequins.

 

 In Venice the concept of being over dressed doesn't really exist so me and my bling slippers blended right in and when a super stylish local Venetian women told me she loved my slippers and then wanted to know where I bought them, it made my day. I've changed my attitude to shorter holidays since my first trip to Venice, I decided I hate the whole packed itinerary of must see tourist destinations. So although I still make sure I know where the good stuff is now, I prefer to let the place I'm visiting reveal its secrets to me and then just wander aimlessly through the city streets, up and down alleys, pressing my nose against shop windows until something catches my eye.
 

 

 

 

One thing I'm not leaving to chance is where to eat, lots of visitors to Venice complain about the cost and bland nature of food, I had a laugh when when I came across a blogger that had dedicated a whole blog to her experience of breakfast in Venice, to help others avoid dodgy brioche and watery coffee, but thanks to her I can save myself hours hunting down a good coffee shop.
 

 

 I have done a little bit of research into favourite restaurant's and cafes where the locals go to eat and have discovered where you can get the best meatballs, pizza gelato (ice- cream) and Jewish pastries shaped like horns filled with a creamy almond paste. Are you off on a adventure this summer?     

 

 

 * Images courtesy of Palazzetto Pisani Boutique Resort *

 

Part Four Road Trip | Damiene Hirst At The Abbey

 

 

 I never thought my post's of Bath would stretch this far, but if you have enjoyed the trip there is one finale post after this. I was blown away by the scale of the Abbey at Bath and was thrilled by an exhibition held there featuring the work of Damiene Hirst and David Mach above. Other highlights were the carved wooden angles detailing on the sky scraper of a church organ and the detail outside a small church which reminded me of a row of tiny bird houses.

 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part Three Road Trip | High Tea In Bath

 

High Tea In Bath 

 

So my idyllic tales of visiting the City of Bath continue and really you gotta love any place called Bath, it sounds so good in my northern dialect, as you may have guessed I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to history and old buildings, but tea rooms in Bath and high tea it self is a bit of an art form.

 

French Chefs And 1930's Glamour

 

 Walking the streets of Bath, I was dizzy with the vast choice of tea rooms and any thoughts of my chocolate allergy, yes I'm serious, got side lined fast! I got an amazing chocolate fix at the very French patisserie - Valerie established in 1926, it has a really glamorous 1930's feel, everywhere you look French chefs beam down at you from vivid coloured frames. I felt under dressed and in need of an up do and some vintage mother of pearl combs for my hair. I was good though, it was around 11am not really official tea time here in the UK, so I decided to temper all the chocolate with my favourite breakfast, eggs Benedict first.

My Passport To Style | Paris Part 3

Here's part three of my adventures in Paris, but be warned if you don't care about cars particularly, please look away now. Luckily I do like nice cars, the Parisians are experts in showcasing the glamorous nature of cars. So after a trip to the amazing church of Notre-dame by water bus, where we spied spires so delicate and sharp looking you felt you could snap them off to use as tooth picks, we checked out the seductive curves of the cars lining the shopping lanes of Paris, in between snapping favourite statues and a tree that I called the camouflage tree because of its unusual bark. We had stop off for a meringue break and rest our feet at the city park which was filled with the heady smell of lavender and the perfect retreat.The car I fell in love with the most was not in any of the showrooms we visited but parked unassumingly  opposite a pavement cafe we happened to visit, it was the perfect mix of old word glamour tinged with a touch of the sinister it's the Batmobile I thought to myself as G stood there transfixed admiring the cars every angle.