Saturday, 29 November 2014

Italian Markets in Cuneo

Whilst driving about on the #ETLRoadTrip we were able to experience some of the local events and goings on. 

As most of you know, I am a sucker for a good old fashioned market place. So, when we stopped off in the Italian town of Cuneo, I was pretty excited to here about their local market. 


Popping up every Tuesday morning from 7:30am, the local people of Cuneo head to the beautiful Galinberti Square to pick up their weekly produce and must-haves. 



I was in awe at the amount of flower stalls that were located throughout the market stalls. With all of my wedding planning happening at the moment, I was in my absolute element. 


As we ventured further into the markets, we also came across so many amazing homemade cheese, pasta and meat stalls. Not to mention at abudance of fresh fruit and vegtable stalls. 

All in all, a must-see visit if you're staying in the cute little town of Cuneo. 

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Weekend in the City: Ghost Walks and Christmas Markets

With the nights getting darker and the festive season on its way, we thought that this would be the perfect weekend to check a few Nottingham "must-sees" off our list.


First up was the famous Nottingham Ghost walk - running for over 20 years now - this spooky tour takes you around some of the most haunted places in Nottingham. It is also led by the wonderful tour guide, Gary, who has such enthusiasm and love for this tour.

This was such a brilliant tour and something that I am delighted to have checked off my list. 


The following night, we decided to indulge in a mulled wine and hog roast at the Nottingham Christmas Markets. This was my first time here - and although a little smaller than the previous festive markets that I have been to, it proved to have everything I needed - plus the most amazing peanut butter fudge - heavenly! 

You can read my reviews of these places over on www.experiencenottinghamshire.com.

Sunday, 23 November 2014

Christmas Party Outfit Inspiration with Debenhams

Tis' the season to be jolly and what better time to start searching for a few party outfits, than at the end of November!

This year I will be travelling throughout the UK to spend Christmas with all of our friends and family - and of course let's not forget New Years Eve. In my head I'm counting at least 2-3 party outfits and so with that in mind, I'm taking part in the Debenhams Christmas party outfit competition.


Statement Heels: 

In all honesty, I'm not a big fan of wearing heels everyday and so when I buy a pair to go out in, I usually opt for a statement heel. These Call It Spring heels in black are a perfect and an all time classic to wear over the party season.

Christmas Eve Dress: 

On Christmas Eve, we tend to go for drinks with all of our friends in our local town before heading back to our parents for the night. Personally, I prefer Christmas Eve drinks to NYE, as there's so much more excitement in the air - "It's Christmas"... after all. So I'd opt for this cute festive number by Phase Eight

Christmas Day Dress

Celebrating Christmas with my family only means one thing - endless amounts of yummy food. On Christmas day we all gather at my aunties house for a spectacular festive feast. Therefore, I would opt for this stunning art deco shift dress by The Collection - this way I have extra room for pudding hehe. 

New Years Eve Dress

A lot of people have different opinions on New Years Eve, but I love to get dressed up and spend an evening just with my fiancee or with our friends to celebrate and welcome the new year. So I would opt for this stunning number from Quiz - a perfect dress for new years eve.

Saturday, 22 November 2014

3 things I learnt from travelling

Recently I have been taking new challenges in my life - weddings, cities, jobs... And I'm not going to lie, each and everyone strikes a little bit of fear within me. Will I like this, should I do it, will I be any good at it?

But then I think back to the lessons that I have learnt from travelling. There's actually a pretty good quote about travel and I'm not sure who it's buy, but it's very true. Travel educates you in so many ways, you wouldn't believe and here's mine:


Kindness exisits 
When exploring New York and Brooklyn, we were made to believe that New Yorkers were cold and harsh people who wouldn't give it a second thought if you ran down the street on fire. But this was not the case at ALL. 

Whilst sightseeing around city at least 3 busy office workers - presumably on thier lunch break - stopped to show us how to get to places or to take our photos. But the kindest and most generous thing came when a couple from up state New York gave us free $250 tickets to a Yankees game. As me and my fiancée queued in the "nose bleed" seat line, the couple approached us and asked if we would like free tickets. The only "down side" was that we would have to sit with them because two of their friends had dropped out. They wouldn't even except a beer as a thank you and were simply grateful for the company. 

Trust in people
When arriving into an overly humid New Orleans airport, we were told to get a bus into the French Quarter and walk to our hotel from the bus stop. We could have taken a cab, but we were on a tight budget and so whilst waiting at the bus stop a white BMW pulled up. It was a local man in his late 40s asking us where we were going. At first I was a little skeptical, but as we spoke more and more to him, he became Ralph. The hilarious local man who lived in New Orleans and had just dropped off a friend at the airport and was heading back into town. 

Now I just want to state that I'm not saying "jump into cars with strangers", I probably wouldn't do this on my own. Use your own instinct and gut feeling. 

But we got in his car and he drove us back into town, highlighting all of the local landmarks and telling us about the best cafes and bars to visit - he even took phone calls from his wife telling him dinner was ready. It turned out that Ralph was just a really nice guy, who I'm glad we trusted. 

Explore, explore explore
Once again, don't go down dark alley ways late at night, assess your surrounding - but always explore explore explore! 

If I didn't explore in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, which I had heard was a suspicious place through numerous people, then we never would have discovered the hidden Gaudi artwork within the buildings. 

Also, we would never have found the most beautiful cocktail bar that was build into a cave. It was also, without a doubt, the best cocktail that I have ever had in my life! 


Wednesday, 19 November 2014

My Perfect Christmas Capsule with Villa Plus

With the countdown to Christmas well and truly on [yes, I may have put The Holiday onto my iPhone to watch on long journeys], I was recently challenged by the guys over at Villa Plus*  to pack my virtual case and choose the villa of my dreams at Christmas and all the things that I would love to take with me.

.

In fact, The Holiday is a very fitting film for the challenge. Two woman who pack all their most important things and venture across the pond for Christmas. One to a country home is Surrey and the other to an LA mansion ... I digress and have literally typed my thoughts. 

Anyway, so here's my board of my perfect Christmas holiday villa and the must-have things that I would take [other than my friends and family of course]. 

My Christmas Villa: 

For me, I would have to choose a Christmas Villa in Crete. I've only been to Greece once and I absolutely adored it - it's the perfect combination of history, good food and beautiful beaches.

Party Dress:

You've simply got have a fabulous party dress at Christmas. It seem's a little dull - but I always opt for a classic black dress and have my eye on this little number from ASOS.

Festive Jumper:

I know that a lot of people have now bought into the Christmas jumper trend - but it is Christmas after all and you don't have to spend a fortune on them - places like New Look and Primark are pretty reasonable.

Camera:

Last Christmas I took a beautiful picture of my dad, grandma and great grandma all together. It was so magical to see three generations of my family, together at Christmas and it was sadly the last photo I was able to take before my great grandma passed away in the February. This is why I always make sure that I have my camera with me to capture those special moments. 

I also have my eye on this little beauty from John Lewis

Christmas Movies:

No word of a lie, this year I am planning a Christmas movie marathon - every day in December I will watch one of my favourite Christmas movies.

Christmas Treats:

It's Christmas!! Which means time for lots of cheeky Christmas treats - I would definitely be taking a few Lindt Santas in my hand luggage. 

Saturday, 15 November 2014

Canadian Canoeing at Holme Pierrepont

After our exciting trip to Carsington Water in the summer, we recently took a trip to the UK National Watersports Centre - or to us Nottinghamions as Holme Pierrepont.

There's so many outdoor activities to do at this place, it's brilliant. From family walks in to white water rafting, there's also plenty of places to stop and enjoy a lovely picnic.


Parking at the Lake is free and we decided to hire a Canadian Canoe for an hour (£6 each) and paddle around in the brisk Autumn sunshine. 


At first, we started off a little rocky - swaying from side to side. But after 10 minutes and adjusting our body positions and weight, we mastered it quite nicely. 

Thursday, 13 November 2014

Our Top 3 Honeymoon Destinations

If you have been read Eat Travel Love over the past year, then you will know that I often share elements of my latest wedding shenanigans. At the moment we are in the process of deciding which destination to go to on our honeymoon.


Being a travel blogger, I have been extremely fortunate to be able to visit the US, Central America, Europe, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand...wow! that's a lot of places when I think about it.


So, when deciding on our honeymoon destination we have a little dilemma...do we return to one of these amazing destinations or do we take a trip to a new destination. Maybe do a little island hopping in South East Asia or enjoy two weeks of luxury in a Sandals resort in the Caribbean.

To be honest, we'd welcome any suggestions - if you would like to tweet me @eattravellove - but here's our top 3 honeymoon destinations.

1. Vietnam and Cambodia

Image: www.truecambodiatravel.com
South East Asia is definitely in the running for us at the moment. We have already visited Thailand and LOVED it - back in 2009. But we didn't get the chance to take a trip to these awesome places. 

2. Jamaica 

Image: Sandals.com
I recently spoke about Jamaica and their Sandals Resort* being one of our favourite destinations. However, we also aren't really the types of travellers who bum out for two weeks. We like to go off and explore new places and local food.

3. Hawaii 

Image: wedalerthoneymoons.com
Oh Hawaii, you old honeymoon classic. For years, I have said that I would adore to go to Hawaii for my honeymoon. However, there are a few things standing in my way 1) It's pretty expensive to get to and 2) I think that this may also limit the levels that I can explore. 

I think that Hawaii may be a destination for us when we have maybe been married for 10 years or so [wish me luck hehe]. 

Saturday, 8 November 2014

Italian Delights at Jamie's Italian in Nottingham

Italian food is probably one of my favourite things to eat and cook. It was even one of my themes for a World Cup football party that I threw.


So when me and my best friend Victoria (IntheFrow) decided to spend our Saturday evening at Jamies Italian with great food and Prossecco it was a no brainer.

Sunday, 2 November 2014

#ETLRoadTrip: France to UK

The #ETLRoadTrip is finally coming to an end - and I hope that you have been enjoying it as much as I have been doing it all. I will be updating posts with relevant links when I get back to the UK, but for now, here we are in Beaune, France.


After a very long drive from Monaco to Beaune, we stopped off in a Comfort Inn (kind of like a Motel 6 or Premier Inn) for the evening and took a taxi into the local town which was only 3 kilometres away. 


Dropping all of our bags off into the room, we headed for the town pub to sit outside with all of the other locals and enjoy a beer. 

It was also pretty cute to see all of the kids dressed up for Halloween and trick or treating in the local homes and businesses. 


After chatting about the favourite parts of our trip so far, we decided to head to the restaurant recommended by our taxi driver. Here we indulged in escargo, canard graitan and pate - whilst washing it all down with some lovely red wine. You could say we fully emersed ourselves in the local culture - but hey! It was our last night in France, so why the heck not! 


The next morning, we stocked up on breakfast as we prepared to drive the 5 1/2 hours back to Zeebruger to take the ferry home to England. 

Arriving at the port around 4pm, we loaded our cars onto the ferry and enjoyed our final evening of the family road trip. 


From broken Italian to basic French, this has been such a fun and amazing adventure. I would like to say a HUGE thank you to my family-in-laws for arranging everything. You really have made my #ETLRoadTrip that little bit extra special. 
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