Following on from yesterdays blog post about out recent trip to York, which you can find here, todays post is a haul of everything I bought while we were there. I didn't end up getting loads, just a few bits but I really wanted to share as they have some beautiful little shops around York.
I'm going to start with food because we went a little mad in a few different sweet shops on the Shambles. You kind of have to when you're away though don't you? The first one we went to was the York Sweet Shop which had pretty much everything! We got a few different jars of sweets including ButterMint Humbugs, fudge and my favourite, nougat. I got the Chocolate Mint one as it's basically my favourite combination. Everything was so reasonably priced too. The next day we found another little sweet shop just nearby the York Minster so we ended up buying even more. This time we got Rum & Raisin Fudge, Salted Caramel Fudge, Clotted Cream Fudge (can you sense a theme here? We just love it) and rock because you can't not get it. I can't even remember the last time I had some rock so I'm so glad we picked a few up.
Though we ended up finding many Harry Potter shops, the one we ended up buying a few bits from was The Shop That Must Not Be Named. I didn't even know where to start, they had so much and it really wasn't too expensive. I ended up getting a little magnet for my desk and George got something for his too, though we could have both easily got lot more. They had so many notebooks which I was tempted by but I really don't need anymore 🙊 After that I spotted a few souvenior shops so I got myself a few little postcards. If you've read my blog for a while I'm sure you'll know I pretty much collect them. I'm just always drawn to them, I love adding them to our photo wall in the bedroom and I'm currently planning on putting a few up around the spare room/office too, they were 3 for 50p too which is a total bargain and just a nice thing to have to remember the trip.
The next day I bought myself a new mug from Cath Kidston. I know, I know, yet something else I don't need more of, it's a problem. I really want to start replacing some we already have with Cath Kidston mugs and I couldn't resist this Blue London one. It's quite similar to one I already have, just a different colour but I love it! I saw it on the first day and thought no I don't need it, but I went back on the second day. I just loved it. They had so many others that I liked too so I think I was pretty restrained 😉 After that I also popped into Yankee Candle. A while ago I spotted this beautiful little votive holder but for some reason I didn't get it and I kind of instantly regretted it. I thought it would look so nice on my desk so I'd been on a mission since to hunt it down and nowhere near me had it. Luckily I found it in York and it was only £2.99. I also picked up a little wax melt in the scent Spiced White Cocoa, to burn in the living room as it was half price. It smells gorgeous!
Finally I picked up a few bath bombs from my favourite The Yorkshire Soap Company. I always get something from there when we visit Leeds as their products are so affordable, including the Bomb Cosmetic Bath Bombs, so once I knew there was one in York, I had to go. I got two this time, the Spot On one which has a cute little dog on the top. I actually used this on the first night, and even though it's incredibly cute, it didn't really do much! The other one I got was Splash which is a beautiful bright blue colour, and it smells incredible! I haven't got round to using this yet but I might do a review on it when I do.
So that's what I ended up buying while I was away! We definitely mainly bought food but there were so many lovely little tea rooms and sweet shops that we just couldn't resist. I'm so happy with everything I got though, I don't think I went too mad but it was nice to go away and treat ourselves. The range of different shops along the Shambles and the city centre is amazing, so much variety and really something for everyone!
Last week I took a few days away from blogging as we had a little minimoon planned and to be honest I think a break was definitely needed. I've been letting a few things get to me recently but I'm back now and hoping to get back to my usual schedule. Anyway I was so excited to blog about our trip. We planned on going to York a while ago but it felt like it took forever for it to come around! This post is going to be full of photos so I hope you don't mind, I just have so many I want to share! I'm planning on doing a seperate little haul post of the things I bought too as this would just go on forever otherwise!
First of all the hotel we stayed in was stunning! We chose The Grand Hotel and Spa, definitely the fanciest we've ever stayed in but as it was a special occassion, it was totally worth it. It's Yorks only 5* hotel and I can totally see why. When we walked into our room we were greeted with a lovely card congratulating us on getting married recently and there was a plate of chocolates for us too which was such a lovely extra touch. Totally unexpected but made it even more special. I'm planning a proper York travel guide for some point in the future so I'll talk about the hotel more in that but the staff were incredibly friendly and I don't think we'd hesitate to stop there again.
The first place we went to in the city centre after stopping by at the hotel was Stonegate Teddy Bear Tea Rooms. I spotted this online about a week before we went and as I just love all things bears I though it would be a nice place to visit. There's a little shop downstairs selling just about every famous bear you could imagine along with many other cute bits, and upstairs is the tea room. I had a vanilla milkshake which ended up being absolutely huge, and the Victoria Sponge and George had a Nutcracker Hot Chocolate and the Raspberry Bakewell. Everything was delicious!
We then explored The Shambles and did a little bit of shopping. Even though it was quite rainy, it was still absolutely beautiful. The cobbled streets, the wonky houses, cosy shops, all of it was lovely. One shop we were desperate to visit was The Shop That Must Not Be Named. There are quite a few Harry Potter shops on the Shambles now, so of course we had to go in them all but this is kind of the main one. I got myself a little magnet to go on my desk and George got something aswell, it's actually not as expensive as you might think and totally worth paying a visit to. I'm really wanting to watch all of the films again now!
After a good few hours out exploring we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our meal that evening. After seeing Chloe's blog post a while ago about The Cosy Club I was desperate to go so we booked a few days before, and it totally exceeded any expectations I had! Surprisingly if the name didn't let on, inside it's incredibly cosy, so comfortable and welcoming and just a really beautiful place. The food is pretty incredible too. We had camembert to start and then we shared Tapas, something we never have so it was so enjoyable! We were both far too full for dessert but next time we're totally getting the dessert sharing plate.
The next day we started off at a place called The York Roast Company. We didn't end up leaving the hotel til gone 11 as everything is so closeby in York which is great as there's really no rush. This place was amazing. George had the Yorkshire Pudding Wrap and I had a Pork Sandwich, OMG both were so tasty. It's somewhere we'll definitely be going to again in the future. We then headed to York Minster which is incredible to see. It's absolutely stunning!
As everything is really is only minutes away from one another we then went to see Clifford's Tower and then Merchant Adventurers Hall. Both a must see when visiting York I think. When walking around I was very aware that when I was younger I wouldn't have appreciated any of it but seeing it all now I was just fascinated by it all. These are places I'd seen online before so to actually be there and see how beautiful they are in real life was lovely.
The rest of our second day was pretty chilled out. After seeing the main attractions in the area we did a little more shopping along the Shambles, stopped off at numerous cafes, picked up some sweet treats from Bettys Tea Room (The Fondant Fancie is lush!) and then had a relaxing evening in the hotel. The bathroom was insane so I took full advantage of the luxurious bath! On our final day as we were in no rush to get home, we decided to go to the National Railway Museum. This was literally a 10 minute walk from the hotel so incredibly easy to get to and it's completely free aswell! Well they recommend you give a donation, which we did but if you're after free things to do in York, I think it's definitely one to consider. I remember going when I was younger, and again I'm sure I didn't find it as enjoyable then as I did now but I'm so glad we went. It was so interesting to see all of the different trains and to get to go and sit aboard them, and find out about the history of them all. We ended up spending about 2 hours there but there is so much to see and do that you could easily spend far longer there.
After collecting our bags from the hotel we then made our way home, and even though we had such a brilliant time, I was definitely a little sad to leave. 2 nights there was perfect, the right amount of time to see everything and it gave us plenty of time to properly take it all in and just take it slow really. In the end we saw everything we set out to but I'd already love to go back. It's just a wonderful city, really beautiful in whatever weather and people are so friendly. I couldn't recommend York enough for a weekend break, a little 'minimoon' like us or even just a day out, it's stunning!
Look out for tomorrows blog post to see what I ended up buying while we were there!
The US Office has been one of my favourite shows for a good few years now, and I really thought it was about time I did a post all about it and choose a few of my favourite episodes. If you've never seen the US Office, WHY?! and if you have then I'd love to know which episodes you love! For those who haven't seen it, The Office is an american comedy set at paper company Dunder Mifflin. It's sort of a mockumentary and follows a group of people who all work at the same company and we see all sorts of things that go on inside the office and outside, most of it pretty hilarious. A few of its stars are Steve Carrell as Michael Scott the manager, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and Rainn Wilson. There is a UK version which is actually the original and stars Ricky Gervais but I really couldn't get into that like I could this.
I love just about every episode of the american office so it's extremely hard to whittle it down to just a few for this post but I've given it a go and I think I've found some of the best ones ever. I'm also going to try and include clips of each episode in case you haven't seen them.
1. Dinner Party - One of the best episodes ever of any series! Michael has been seeing his boss Jan and they invite some of the people from the office over for dinner and it doesn't go well at all. Lots of arguments happen and it's some of the best comedy pieces I've ever seen. I could watch this episode over and over!
2. Stress Relief - I don't think there is a better intro to an episode than this one. Dwight decides as no one listened to his fire safety seminar, he would try another approach, and basically starts a fire in the office to see if everyone knows what to do. This causes a load of panic and stress but it's one of the funniest things ever. I don't think many episodes could top this one, and it just gets better and better after the intro.
3. Jim and Pam's Wedding - Jim and Pams love story is one of the best things about the office. Two people who are totally in love but it takes so long for things to work out for them. Their wedding is one of the best things about the office and it always makes me emotional. The dance everyone does down the aisle is hilarious and just sums the show up.
4. Cafe Disco - I struggled to find clips of this episode online but it's one I always look forward to watching. After temporarily leaving to start up his own business, which goes very wrong, Michael has an office space in the building spare so he decides to start up Cafe Disco, encouraging everyone to forget work and party instead which has mixed reactions.
5. Threat Level Midnight - Michael Scott has been working on a film for 10 years called Threat Level Midnight and he manages to get the rest of the office involved. The plot for the movie is that Michaels character is a retired secret agent after the death of his wife 'Catherine Zeta Scarn' but the US president requests his help with preventing a villian called Goldenface from blowing up the NHL All Star Game where he has held several hostages. It's such a silly episode but so, so good.
6. Beach Games - This is another I couldn't find many clips for but it's one where I think Pam turns a real corner. As I mentioned it takes a long time for Jim and Pams relationship to fall into place so this is the episode where he has moved on and she misses his friendship and she finally says something about it, in front of everyone. While this is going on though, Michael thinks he has secured another job so he is secretly challenging them in a variety of activities to see who is best to take over his job.
I know I probably haven't done any of these episodes justice and I'm sure I won't have explained them brilliantly, but if you haven't seen them yet, you must! It's just one of the best shows and I'm so glad I finally started it. Every episode is funny in its own way and it really never gets boring. I could have listed so many more episodes too but these are the ones that really get me in one way or another.
With Summer well and truly around the corner I'm sure many people are starting to think about their summer holiday. Whether you're looking for a city break or an all inclusive beach holiday, there is always a bargain to be found and after recently booking our honeymoon, I found a few things really helped with getting the cost down so I thought I would share some of those tips!
Be Flexibles With Your Travel Dates
If you can be flexible with the dates of your holiday, then that will really help with cutting costs. When we booked Paris, we just had a rough two weeks in mind that we would like to go so really whenever it was cheapest, we were going to pick. If you have a few days spare either side of your planned date then it's really useful as sometimes just changing it to a day earlier or later can really lower the price. I've found this even when booking places like London, prices vary so much throughout the week so it's worth having a few dates in mind for your holiday.
Consider Hotels Further Out
This can work for a variety of different holidays and it's always worth considering. For our city break to Paris we've chosen a hotel that isn't particuarly close to any of the main attractions meaning the price is considerably lower than it would be if we had chosen to stay near the Eiffel Tower for example. There are metros all over the place so being a bit further out really doesn't matter. The same goes for other city break locations like Krakow and Amsterdam. The public transport is amazing meaning you're never too far away from anything. A 10 minute tram ride to save yourself possibly a few hundred pounds on a hotel is definitely worth it. For a more beach type holiday, going all inclusive tends to mean you want to just chill by the pool and not really venture out too far anyway so being in the centre really doesn't matter. There are some beautiful hotels that have pretty much everything you could need anyway, so paying to be a bit more central, if you have no intention of really going out and exploring is a bit pointless. The great thing is if you do decide you want a day out, your holiday reps can easily give advice on buses in the area or they can get you onto different trips so you don't have to miss out on anything.
Shop Around For The Best Deal
When booking Paris, I spent days looking on different travel websites trying to find the best deal. I tried lastminute, trivago, and even the different hotels websites to see if it was cheaper booking through them and paying for travel separately, but whatever you're after it's worth shopping around a little bit. In the end for Paris, as we're going via the Eurostar we managed to find a package deal with a hotel included too. The price was definitely lower that way than it was on any other website, so if you're after a city break, package deals are always worth keeping an eye out for as you can definitely save yourself some money. One final tip that kind of goes perfectly with this one is before booking, make sure you have a look for any discount codes online. When we were first looking at booking through last minute I found a few different codes that took a chunk off the final bill. I think the best one I found was £40 off which is a decent amount that can go towards spending money instead!
No matter what your budget is, there will always be offers available so it's really worth having a good look around before jumping in and booking anything. Though we already have a little holiday booked, I'm already thinking about where else we could go for some summer sun and I've found some great holiday deals online recently. At the moment I currently have my eye on are Ibiza and Menorca. They both have a short flight time and each have so much to offer. Though you may associate Ibiza with partying and cocktails, it's also known for it's stunning beaches and family friendly resorts so there is something suitable for everyone there. Menorca though is a great choice for an affordable yet luxurious break. With historic attractions, stunning beaches, traditional restaurants and plenty of fun activities for the whole family, there is so much to see and do. Both Ibiza and Menorca are great destinations for a summer holiday on a budget, and certainly ones I'm tempted by. An all inclusive holiday this summer where I can sunbathe with a cocktail and unlimited ice cream? YES PLEASE.
Have you got any holidays planned yet?
P.S There won't be a post until at least Friday as we're away for a few days from tomorrow so I just thought it was the perfect excuse to have a little blogging break. See you at either the end of the week or early next week for a new post!
